[{"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-84":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},2326779,4551,"Chapter 84","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-84",84,"\u003Cp>Ordinary fingerprint analysis of cold cases requires the results to be submitted to fingerprint experts for review.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some provinces and cities have specialized organizations like a “Fingerprint Expert Committee” to handle fingerprint reviews, but most consider it a waste of expert manpower and instead use a model where specialists collect cases and distribute them to experts for review, then consolidate opinions—as in Shannan Province.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>However, during the fingerprint campaign, there’s no need for such unnecessary steps. Everyone present is an expert; bypassing these experts to seek others would not just be troublesome—it would raise questions: Could it be that actively participating in the provincial bureau’s campaign has cast doubt on my expert qualifications?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It also aims to increase work enjoyment and foster mutual learning. During the fingerprint campaign, fingerprint reviews are conducted among the experts present.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each time 11 experts complete the review and a majority vote “confirm match,” the fingerprint comparison is deemed successful. The provincial bureau’s fingerprint unit can then issue a formal notice to the local criminal investigation team to organize an arrest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even after 11 experts complete the review, the fingerprint match remains in the system, awaiting further reviews by other experts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If subsequent experts continue to select “confirm match,” or if a majority choose “confirm match,” it does not affect subsequent operations. But if anyone selects “exclude match” at any point in the process, it may trigger a new round of discussion and judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Precisely because of this, the “exclude match” option is chosen only with extreme caution, when one has overwhelming confidence and solid grounds for judgment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin, the older man beside Jiang Yuan, immediately opened the system notification. He always entered the workflow late, partly because of his age—he couldn’t keep up with the young—and so for the first few days he habitually slacked off, only beginning to work seriously after the third or fourth day of the fingerprint campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, Li Zemin remained very interested and curious about other experts’ determinations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every fingerprint in the campaign’s target database is no ordinary case. Most are key fingerprints that experts have already examined and compared.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No county bureau would casually submit key fingerprints from a major case to the provincial bureau without multiple prior attempts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the experts participating in the fingerprint campaign are certainly no pushovers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As top experts in fingerprint analysis within the province, with years of accumulated experience and professional skill, they first use their most familiar methods to select fingerprints most likely to match, then spend hours—or even days—attempting to match them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Most fingerprint experts manage only one or two such successful matches during the entire 14-day campaign.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To achieve even one such match, fingerprint experts must deploy every trick in their arsenal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin’s favorite thing to watch is how his colleagues exert every ounce of effort while pretending to be casual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The system notification contained 12 alerts, indicating 12 cold-case fingerprints had been solved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin had already approved all 11 earlier ones. No need to comment—these were the first fingerprints reviewed and self-verified by experts; few would spend long hours only to enable someone else’s “exclude match.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The latest system alert, when opened, showed two fingerprints—exactly as Li Zemin expected—and after a quick glance, he confirmed they were identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Positive comparison is relatively easy—it’s like asking an ordinary person to find two pigs that look most alike among a group of pigs; that’s hard. But if you bring two pigs together and ask if they look similar, most people can give a reasonable answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not to mention experts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin casually moved his mouse and clicked “confirm” on the latest system alert.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only then did he look at the specific fingerprint details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, Li Zemin noticed the signature confirming “match” was Jiang Yuan’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Damn, lucky guy,” Li Zemin muttered, then continued examining the fingerprint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin first saw the quadrilateral fingerprint structure. He smiled, again praising Jiang Yuan’s luck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when he examined the specific minutiae of the two fingerprints, his brow furrowed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Damn… damn…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin turned to Jiang Yuan and asked, “Did you get this fingerprint match from software output?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Software matching follows rules. The basic principle is matching a certain number of minutiae; more advanced systems use scoring—releasing matches once a threshold score is reached.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Zemin saw the two fingerprints—when placed side by side, their minutiae didn’t even align.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, by human standards—or rather, by comparing not just minutiae but overall structure—point-line-plane relationships—they could indeed be confirmed as identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is an extremely traditional method of fingerprint matching, the kind used before computerized systems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it’s rare.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan kept his eyes on the screen, operating the mouse as he replied, “I saw it while reviewing other fingerprints, pulled it over for comparison, and it matched.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’ve got a good memory for fingerprints,” Li Zemin chuckled. He understood what Jiang Yuan meant—such a distinctive quadrilateral structure, encountering it occasionally and comparing it was perfectly normal thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But when it comes to fingerprint structure, a fingerprint is barely a square centimeter. Aside from quadrilateral, there are pentagonal, hexagonal, circular, and other structures. Only someone with deep, detailed memory of fingerprints could do this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lucky,” Jiang Yuan replied, dismissively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin laughed, pointing at Jiang Yuan. “Now you’re set—you’re young, just joined the fingerprint campaign, and you’ve already got one solved case. No pressure left for you—now the pressure’s on us old guys.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, another expert approved Jiang Yuan’s “confirm match,” and the “Cold Case Resolution Leaderboard” projected on the front wall updated immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan’s name shot up over twenty spots, landing in the middle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside his name, the “cases solved” column clearly showed a “1.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin’s name remained far behind, his “cases solved” still at “0,” but he wasn’t worried—going from 0 to 1 has always been easy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin even had time to review the newly confirmed case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the Miaohé County rape of a minor case—this guy committed at least three similar crimes, no wonder it felt familiar!” Li Zemin gasped aloud.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several people turned their heads, but most only heard the noise and reacted vaguely. The provincial bureau’s cold case archive contained countless major cases; human memory is limited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But in the office, there was a fingerprint expert from Miaohé County, who immediately stood up and walked over. “Did you solve Case 515?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not me—Jiang Yuan matched it. From Ningtai County Bureau,” Li Zemin said, stepping aside and introducing Jiang Yuan. “Qian Mingyu, Miaohé County’s fingerprint expert—20 years in the force.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Twenty years doesn’t help. I’ve been chasing Case 515 for years. All three victims were middle schoolers. After the crimes, the parents came to our bureau repeatedly. Eventually, the victims couldn’t stay in the county—they all moved away one by one, only occasionally calling to ask…” Qian Mingyu, slightly younger than Li Zemin, sighed heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan stated plainly: “I saw a quadrilateral fingerprint, compared it, and confirmed it was the same.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me see—where’s he from?” Qian Mingyu, familiar with Li Zemin, went straight to his computer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zemin moved aside and glanced himself. “Wanxiang City—quite far away.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wanxiang City and Miaohé County lie at opposite ends, spanning the entire width of Shannan Province.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Mingyu gave a heavy “Hm,” nodded to Jiang Yuan, pulled out his phone, and said, “I’ll tell our team leader—this case has haunted our county for a long time.”\u003C\u002Fp>",1233,"2026-06-20T18:55:00.150Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","dad3593581fd6d78bbfb0c0dbb48b1517da94a9e5f32654ae3d5f7c463721443","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-85","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-83",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]