[{"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-994":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},2327689,4551,"Chapter 994: A Minor Flaw","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-994",994,"\u003Cp>Huang Qiang used his superior skills to temporarily shake off the pursuit of several police officers from Qingshi City and approached Jiang Yuan, asking, “What’s the verdict?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… judging by now, it’s a plain, unadorned dismemberment case.” Jiang Yuan glanced down at his PAD, rapidly flipping through photos of the corpse, then added, “There are still quite a few clues.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the difficulty?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Weak LV3.” After all, it was a dismemberment case—even if the body wasn’t chopped into many pieces, it was still dismembered; giving it LV3 was a sign of respect for such cases.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s reassuring.” Huang Qiang exhaled. He occasionally heard Jiang Yuan use terms like LV1 or LV3; he now understood their meaning well enough. He even thought this classification system was quite good—it instantly clarified the situation and made negotiation guidance clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Otherwise, just saying “hard,” “very hard,” or “not easy” meant nothing—how could anyone tell which was truly difficult?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan nodded slightly: “It’s not hard, but not easy either. If we follow our standard procedure, we’ll likely solve it—but we might not. If we fail, the difficulty rises.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tasks that can be completed by strictly following protocol aren’t considered too difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But from another angle, the people and teams capable of executing tasks by strictly following protocol are themselves scarce. For example, in a 150-point college entrance math exam, 90 points come from rote questions; yet fewer than 60% of annual test-takers reach that level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So most people in this world lack even the ability to follow protocol. The fools in offices, the reckless drivers on the road, the idiotic comments online—all are examples of low-level drifting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you whispering secrets to our Team Leader Jiang, Comrade Huang?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Gang, captain of Qingshi City’s Criminal Investigation Brigade, chuckled as he sidled up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This case is too difficult. Jiang Yuan and I were discussing how to explain the situation to you. You must guarantee support—otherwise, we won’t even talk about solving the case; it’ll just drag on.” Huang Qiang’s words contained hardly a single truth—but police can lie when investigating, and that’s real.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Gang’s expression hardened inwardly: You’ve only been paying dues for two years, and now you’re talking difficulty…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Gang said, “We’ll certainly provide the support needed, but our budget is limited—it can’t be endless…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Fang, I’m not asking you to spend more.” Huang Qiang cut him off, waving his hand. “I just want you to guarantee investigative funding. Did you watch the News Broadcast a few days ago?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Of course I did—I pointed Jiang Yuan’s face out to my family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Exactly. Jiang Yuan’s reputation really is unmatched.” Huang Qiang’s expression shifted: “So that’s also a guarantee. Where else can you find a criminal investigator like Jiang Yuan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, Huang Qiang wouldn’t have said this—he’d have said “fingerprint expert” or “forensic expert.” But now, he boldly used the term “criminal investigator.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And everyone present, especially the detectives of Qingshi City’s Criminal Investigation Brigade, accepted it naturally.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Gang’s face softened with respect and relief as he nodded: “If Jiang Yuan the expert says it’s needed, we have no objections—we’ll fully cooperate.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If a criminal investigator is viewed as a weapon, then Jiang Yuan is a legendary blade like the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. If you can wield it, why be stingy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take water samples upstream—every fifty meters, collect a sample over twenty kilometers. Send the samples to the lab for diatom analysis. Also…” Jiang Yuan turned to Wang Chuan and said, “Ask Professor Su Lei and her team to come over. Tell them I have a project: establishing a diatom profile for the upper Taihe River, spanning twenty kilometers.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the Taihe River Working Group had only gained recognition from a few cities and received dues from just those few, the system had essentially been established.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>For drowning victims, using diatoms to determine the location of entry into water remains highly effective—not for every corpse, but at least for about thirty percent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This number is actually conservative, because police rarely use high-cost diatom tests unless absolutely necessary.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The main reason diatom analysis is underused in forensic drowning diagnoses is the lack of a corresponding diatom database for comparison—similar to DNA, but unlike DNA, diatoms don’t persist long in water bodies, and nationwide DNA testing of water bodies would be prohibitively expensive.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the Taihe River Working Group now exists. Given the extremely high population density along both banks of the Taihe River, systematically testing and archiving diatom data across the basin will greatly aid future drowning investigations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Although the initial cost is high, once the diatom database is built, overall expenses drop significantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the past, individual prefectural cities or counties lacked motivation for this, because a corpse drifting into their area likely wasn’t from their own water system—testing their local water would only help downstream cities, not themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even provincial public security bureaus were too lazy to do this—not just due to cost-effectiveness, but because there were always more urgent matters, and databases always seemed insufficient and failed to demonstrate value.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except to frontline personnel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Gang hadn’t expected Jiang Yuan’s first order to be so costly, but since he’d already agreed, he gritted his teeth and replied, “We’ll organize personnel to collect water samples and conduct tests as soon as possible. But shouldn’t we try other methods first?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sampling every fifty meters means twenty samples per kilometer, forty per side, totaling eight hundred samples for twenty kilometers—just the fuel for one Mercedes would be spent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Qiang interjected: “Diatom analysis is a long-term effort. Whether this case uses it or not, it’ll be useful later. Since Qingshi City has joined our Taihe River Working Group, let’s start this project.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm… alright.” Fang Gang nodded again. The desire to solve the case overrode everything else.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan then said: “From the corpse photos, the victim likely died within the last three days—exact time will be confirmed after examining the body. Overall, this is still a recent case, so we can judge based on hydrological conditions. The missing legs are actually good news—once found, they might serve as key evidence…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had Jiang Yuan finished speaking than the rubber boat that had just departed returned, and the officer aboard shouted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Leg!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several people rushed forward and hastily lifted down the bundle wrapped like a zongzi.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When they cut open the outer wrapping, human tissue was visible inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It had decomposed, but not much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It emitted the familiar odor of forensic science.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ll take it back for examination.” Jiang Yuan didn’t open it on-site; he had the leg sent away first, then completed his scene inspection before heading to the morgue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qingshi City’s morgue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The smell was nearly identical to those nationwide—slightly fainter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Six body parts were laid out in sequence, all somewhat bloated, though not yet to the point of turning green like the Hulk.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Gang arrived with several senior officers from the Criminal Investigation Brigade—an unusual level of attention, watching Jiang Yuan perform the autopsy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse had been kept for half a day to avoid Jiang Yuan having to perform a secondary dissection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But half a day wasn’t long—forensics teams usually took this long to prepare a body after bringing it back.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan arrived; preparations were already complete. He donned his gear, checked everything, and began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a few routine incisions, Jiang Yuan turned his attention to the separation points of the body parts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The killer isn’t skilled. He hacked many times, switched tools mid-process—probably used several different ones. Count them.” Jiang Yuan began counting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forensic assistant quickly recorded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, Jiang Yuan reached the number 87.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“At least eighty-seven cuts.” Jiang Yuan exhaled. “Used more than five different tools: a stiletto, a Chinese cleaver, scissors, a serrated knife, a Japanese chef’s knife… all kitchen utensils.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Yuan’s conclusion wasn’t surprising.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though it sounded horrifying, to the detectives it was just a plain, unadorned dismemberment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The tools show chipping—run trace evidence analysis. Maybe we can trace the manufacturers.” Jiang Yuan told the Qingshi City forensic officer, then straightened the corpse’s skull and paused. “I’ll sketch his face.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The corpse had swollen slightly; the head looked as if it had been beaten, its color abnormal. Clearly, it had been struck with a blunt object—the nasal bone shattered, teeth missing, lips and ears gone, brow bone fractured, eye sockets and forehead sunken—likely from the handle of a knife. From a living person’s perspective, this was already a disfigured face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the dead don’t care.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forensic sketching LV6 doesn’t care about such minor flaws either.\u003C\u002Fp>",1429,"2026-06-20T18:55:03.377Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","ca43a9097f16bc9e63c935ca4d59424364bcfd033d78917319d7fdbc0dee37a6","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-995","the-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-chapter-993",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-nation-s-forensic-medical-examiner-cover.jpg"]