[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner":3,"chapter-the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-54":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Nation's Forensic Medical Examiner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2326749,4551,"Chapter 54","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-54",54,"\u003Cp>Dawn.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan woke up from bed, energetic and light-bodied, as if he hadn’t joined the special task force at all.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, there was no role for him to play.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for forensic pathologists, the municipal bureau had seasoned ones who only wore masks even when examining corpses at crime scenes, and equally diligent PhD forensic pathologists who could perform an autopsy every two weeks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As for criminal investigators, the municipal bureau’s criminal investigation brigade was full of veterans who had cracked major cases, and also rough, gregarious types who were like social butterflies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan and the others from Ningtai County weren’t treated like beasts of burden; instead, they were shown consideration by their brigade commander, who knew they’d been on stakeout for days and gave them a few days to rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wuuu wuuu…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo called, and as soon as Jiang Yuan answered, he shouted: “Come down for breakfast. The fried dough stick shop at the gate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan smiled wryly, rolled over, but still got up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After solving the case, they’d moved to new accommodations with greatly improved conditions. Previously, when criminal investigators went on duty trips, they usually stayed in double rooms or budget hotels. This time, Wei Zhenguo had booked everyone single rooms, and the hotel wasn’t chosen just for cheapness. At least it showed that since the case had been upgraded to the special task force, their budget had increased a bit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Downstairs, the busiest spot was the fried dough stick shop.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the boiling hot oil, the dough strands rolled and twisted, stretching and kicking, swelling rapidly—within seconds, their volume had grown several times larger than the original dough. The hot oil seemed like rising desire, using the most violent means to make two stuck pieces of dough expand, swell, change color, turn sweet, lose moisture, lose stickiness, and shed their original flour form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Three fried dough sticks, one bowl of tofu pudding, one bowl of soy milk. Side dish—add an egg.” Jiang Yuan patted his stomach and ordered a pile of food.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo sipped his soy milk, making loud smacking sounds: “Youth is great—I can’t eat like this anymore.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“There’s nothing to do anyway.” Jiang Yuan paused, then asked: “By the way, can I perform the autopsy?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s all bones now.” Wei Zhenguo looked at Jiang Yuan. “Yu’s team still trusts their own forensic pathologists. Even if you do it, they won’t accept your results.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can handle bone analysis now.” Jiang Yuan had just gained Level 3 in Forensic Anthropology—he was definitely qualified.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Wei Zhenguo advised: “Better not go. If you go, you’ll just be assisting their forensic pathologists, and if anything goes wrong, you’ll get blamed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Mu Zhiyang added from beside them: “You don’t care about someone else’s livestock. Besides, they don’t even know you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s right. When I was temporarily transferred here before, they used us like beasts.” Wen Ming, another investigator who came along, sighed deeply. Though everyone was treated like beasts, clearly, one’s own unit treated its own beasts with more care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan could only lower his head and sip his soy milk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In Ningtai County, his abilities clearly outshone his colleagues’, but in Changyang City, the provincial capital, that didn’t matter anymore—so there was no need to rush into performing autopsies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The investigators ate breakfast in silence, and for a moment, it almost felt like peace and tranquility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to follow their crime scene investigation and examine the evidence.” Jiang Yuan finished his soy milk and had a new idea: “I noticed Liu Chu hasn’t made any arrangements for us—can we do it ourselves?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course you can.” Wei Zhenguo frowned. “What do you want to do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan thought for a moment. “I want to check Tan Yong’s car.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“His car? You think you can find out where he might have been?” Wei Zhenguo immediately understood the logic but was skeptical: “Changyang City’s criminal investigation team has already combed through that car inside and out.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then all the better—we’ll check it again. It won’t interfere with their investigation.” So far, Tan Yong still showed no signs of confessing; relying on existing evidence was the most direct approach.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Jiang Yuan’s Crime Scene Investigation skill at Level 4 was currently his strongest ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By examining Tan Yong’s car, Jiang Yuan could uncover more clues—solving the case was probabilistic, but the more clues he found, the closer he got to solving it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo pondered briefly, then nodded. “Alright, I’ll go with you to the crime scene.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two hours later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan, Wei Zhenguo, and Mu Zhiyang stood before Tan Yong’s Pajero.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Zhouquan, the captain of the crime scene investigation team, answered the phone and came out. He had a good impression of Jiang Yuan and greeted him with a traditional, broad smile—dignified and open—then half-jokingly said: “You guys aren’t jealous, are you? We’ve already scrubbed Tan Yong’s car clean. Nothing’s been left untouched.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan had managed to hold back from entering the basement cell during the investigation—a fact Cao Zhouquan had mentioned for two days afterward, and this was what he was referring to now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Zhenguo chuckled awkwardly. “Little Jiang has some ideas, Captain Cao, don’t overthink it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No problem. If you want to go over it again, I don’t mind. Besides, you left us that huge basement—letting you recheck the car won’t hurt.” Cao Zhouquan spoke and acted with generosity, then called out loudly: “Du Lei!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Turning back, he introduced: “Du Lei helped me examine Tan Yong’s car before. He’ll assist you this time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Zhouquan claimed he didn’t mind, but he clearly had some reservations—hence he summoned his top subordinate.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Someone who handled evidence in a homicide case in a city like Changyang couldn’t possibly be weak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Doo-doo-doo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A balance scooter glided straight up to Jiang Yuan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Du Lei.” On the scooter, Du Lei wore his police uniform, his waist thin and long, as if one kick could snap it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Little Jiang wants to re-scrub Tan Yong’s car. You’ll help them,” Cao Zhouquan said directly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Du Lei frowned at Jiang Yuan and the others. “We’ve already taken apart most of it—the wheel arches, undercarriage panels—all removed…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m looking for trace evidence.” Jiang Yuan didn’t hide his intent, gesturing as he spoke: “Because this car drove on rough roads, it’s more likely to have carried in debris, seeds, pollen, or hair and feathers from the scene. Taking it apart again might reveal something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was precisely where his Crime Scene Investigation skill at Level 4 shone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan spoke with confidence, and more importantly, what he said made sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cao Zhouquan asked in surprise: “Does your county bureau have a trace evidence lab?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forensic labs were usually basic, often no better than high school chemistry labs—only DNA labs tended to be expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What kind of lab to build depended both on need and on the personnel available. Many labs were essentially created for specific individuals: if you had the talent, you got the lab. Ningtai County’s toxicology lab, for example, existed both because of past demand and because the head of the forensic team, Lu Jianfeng, had expertise in that area.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing Jiang Yuan confidently mention a trace evidence lab, Cao Zhouquan was taken aback—those things were truly expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan shook his head at Cao Zhouquan: “Ningtai County doesn’t have a trace evidence lab.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even a calm, handsome traditional type like Cao Zhouquan couldn’t help laughing in disbelief: “Then why mention it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can we use Changyang City’s? Or send samples to the provincial bureau’s trace evidence lab?” Jiang Yuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The city’s lab is just for show. Trace evidence labs are complex, costly, and packed with equipment—the provincial bureau’s isn’t much better.” Cao Zhouquan shook his head. “That’s why I said there’s no point in taking it apart further—you won’t find anything, and you’ll just waste effort.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whether trace evidence works depends mostly on the collection. Lab procedures have a wide margin for error.” At this point, Jiang Yuan made no further apologies, reiterating: “As long as we extract something, any lab can potentially analyze it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright.” Cao Zhouquan had nothing more to say and agreed outright. After all, he wasn’t the one doing the work.\u003C\u002Fp>",1371,"2026-06-20T18:55:00.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","0e8d6be283dead510c88ed74767f600d65c30075a0c933947f6f159812b7fb4a","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-55","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-53",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]