The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 527: Chapter 299: Me? I’m the Victim’s Family! (2)

”Only those with poor drainage and long-term stagnant water will have it.”

”For example, there’s never been any around my well.”

”Is that so!”

Zhang Yean suddenly interrupted, her eyes flashing with professional insight, ”I think it’s necessary to systematically review the moss growth situation on the wells in each household in the village.”

”By establishing a database for comparison, we might be able to further narrow down the range and pinpoint the first crime scene location.”

Jiang An listened and nodded slightly to show his agreement.

But then, he turned his gaze back to the electric bicycle, unconsciously rubbing his chin with his right hand.

”Mr. Zhang, is it confirmed that this electric bicycle belongs to the deceased personally?”

”Is it possible that it was borrowed? Or any other possibilities?”

”One hundred percent confirmed.”

Mr. Zhang answered emphatically, pulling out a registration form from his portable file.

”Not only did several relatives identify it, but we also retrieved the purchase records and registration information.”

”This bike was purchased by the deceased last October from a specialty store in town, and the registration information matches perfectly. It hasn’t even been in use for a year.”

He pointed to the purchase date and owner information on the form as he spoke.

Jiang An nodded thoughtfully, and suddenly his eyes lit up, his speech involuntarily quickening.

”The electric bike belongs to the deceased, and the moss could only come from household wells...”

He lightly hit his left palm with his right fist, ”What does this indicate?”

”It indicates that the first crime scene is likely near a well with moss!”

”If during the transportation of the body, the moss on the body transferred to the vehicle, it would inversely prove that the body had come into contact with the moss!”

At this moment, a detail flashed through his mind—the black pants the deceased was wearing.

Because the color was too dark, he hadn’t noticed any anomalies at the time.

He immediately turned to Zhang Yean, raising his voice slightly in urgency, ”Senior, please have the tech team check if there’s similar green moss substance on the deceased’s black pants, especially around the hip area! This discovery could be crucial!”

Zhang Yean immediately understood, quickly pulling out her phone and dialing as she spoke.

”I’ll have the tech team conduct a special examination right away.”

When the call connected, she spoke urgently, ”Hello, Mr. Li?”

”Please use multi-wavelength lighting to closely examine the deceased’s pants again, focusing on any green substance residue around the hip area...”

”Yes, it’s very important! Use microscopic equipment to observe structural characteristics!”

Five minutes later, Zhang Yean’s phone rang.

The three of them simultaneously fixed their eyes on the phone in Zhang Yean’s hand, even subconsciously holding their breath.

Suddenly, the crisp ringtone broke the silence, and Zhang Yean immediately pressed the speaker button, her colleague’s voice from the tech team coming through clearly.

”After detailed examination, we did observe green residue in the hip area of the deceased under blue light.”

”Moreover, this substance has a fluffy structure. Under a microscope, the cell arrangement is highly similar to that of common moss plants...”

Before the person could finish, Zhang Yan interrupted excitedly.

”It’s moss! It’s definitely moss!”

”I remember that’s exactly what the microstructure of moss looks like!”

After hanging up, Zhang Yean couldn’t hide her excitement, ”The tech team has confirmed moss residue on the deceased’s hip, mainly on the right side!”

This discovery did not surprise Jiang An; instead, it made everything much clearer.

”That explains it.”

”The black pants perfectly masked the green traces.”

”Now, the minute moss we found on the back seat of the electric bike corresponds with the moss on the deceased’s black pants.”

”From this angle, it perfectly proves that the deceased’s hip had close contact with a moss-covered area.”

Finally, Jiang An continued his analysis, ”No normal person would sit by a damp well without reason unless...”

”There was a struggle!”

Wan blurted out, his eyes wide open, ”During the struggle, they were forced to the ground! Or pressed to the ground!”

Jiang An’s thoughts were becoming clearer and clearer.

”If the electric bike is indeed the deceased’s, and the moss could only come from home wells...”

”Then the first crime scene is likely at the deceased Wang Cuilan’s home.”

He suddenly turned to Mr. Zhang, his tone firm, ”Mr. Zhang, we must go to the deceased’s home right away.”

Zhang Kun quickly caught on and picked up the walkie-talkie to arrange for a vehicle.

”Attention everyone, proceed immediately to the deceased’s residence for a second examination!”

Soon, several police cars sped towards the deceased’s home, the sirens breaking the rural tranquility.

When they arrived, only the deceased’s husband and two young children were left in the yard.

The man looked haggard, with sunken eyes and a grayish complexion. He stood up with difficulty upon seeing the police, his legs seemingly a bit unsteady.

”Mr. Zhang, you all... have worked hard...”

Mr. Zhang stepped forward, patting his shoulder heavily, ”My condolences.”

”The most important thing now is to take good care of the two children.”

He looked at the two scared-looking children huddled behind the man as he spoke.

Jiang An, however, got straight to the point, taking a couple of steps forward and asking in a deep voice, ”May I ask where your family well is located?”

His piercing gaze carefully observed every subtle reaction of the other party, not missing any slight changes in expression.

The man was obviously taken aback, his eyes flickered, and his right hand unconsciously clenched and then released.

”The well? Why suddenly...”

His words trailed off, and his Adam’s apple bobbed up and down as he unnaturally pointed to the right side of the yard, ”It’s...just over there, drilled a few years ago, been used for several years now.”

Following his pointing, everyone saw an obviously poorly maintained old well.

The stones around the well edge were covered with dark green moss, glistening damply in the sunlight. In some places, the moss had grown so thick that it formed a carpet-like texture.

Jiang An noticed that the area around the well was paved with smooth pebbles, making it indeed difficult to leave any footprint marks, posing a considerable challenge to the scene investigation.

”Do we...do we need to go down the well for examination?”

Wan nervously swallowed, his voice trembling slightly, unconsciously taking half a step back.

Jiang An shook his head, his tone steady, ”The focus is on the area around the well edge.”

He squatted down, pointing at the moss as he explained to his two colleagues.

”If it involved contact with the hips, there would be a large area of compression marks.”

”We need to look for areas where the moss is abnormally missing or damaged, especially those showing drag marks.”

The three of them were like archaeologists, crawling on the ground, meticulously checking every inch.

Zhang Yan even took out a professional magnifying glass and evidence camera, not missing even the slightest trace.

The scene was filled only with the sound of camera shutters clicking and their breathing.

Thirty minutes later, Zhang Yean suddenly exclaimed softly.

”Found it!”

She pointed to three adjacent stones, ”Look at the moss here, obviously sparser than elsewhere.”

”Moreover, the edges are showing irregular tear patterns, as if something had been forcefully rubbed across them!”

A moment later, her eyes filled with certainty as she lifted her head.

”The damage pattern of the moss at this location is highly consistent with the characteristics of contact with the hips.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yean excitedly said, ”If this place is the source of the moss, does it mean this is the first crime scene?”

Her voice was trembling slightly with excitement.

Jiang An nodded, his tone resolute.

”For now, it’s the most reasonable inference.”

”We still need to compare the moss samples here with those found on the deceased and the vehicle.”

Subsequently, he turned to the man, his tone calm but his gaze sharp, ”May I ask where your family’s electric bicycle is usually parked?”

”In...the carport..”

Instantly, everyone’s gaze turned to the middle-aged man.

”Wh...what is everyone doing?” The man involuntarily took two steps back, his voice beginning to tremble, his eyes darting around in panic, ”I’m the victim’s family member... Aren’t you mistaken about something...”

Zhang Kun stepped forward, his tone steady and authoritative, ”Please cooperate with us by coming back to the station for a detailed statement.”

His right hand was already on his waist where his police equipment was.

”Me? I’m the victim’s family member!”