The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Upon hearing the technical term ”mechanical injury,” Qin Feng immediately reacted—he had encountered this concept in previous cases.

He furrowed his brow and quickly thought of the crucial evidence in the case: ”You mean, it’s very likely that the motorcycle didn’t enter the water by their own riding?”

Jiang An nodded solemnly in response: ”From the current evidence, this possibility does exist.”

”But it is still at the speculative stage and needs more evidence to support it.”

He further added, ”Of course, we also cannot completely rule out the possibility of an accident.”

”If the speed of the motorcycle entering the water wasn’t fast, and the impact was weak, it indeed might not show the typical characteristics of a traffic accident injury.”

After speaking, Jiang An thought for a moment and then resolutely said, ”You all continue to wait at the original spot, we will be there soon for a more in-depth on-site investigation.”

Just at that moment, Wan walked out of the surveillance room quickly; he took out his phone and dialed Jiang An’s number.

”Hello, Mr. Jiang, we just checked last night’s surveillance footage.”

”Around 6:40 PM, it indeed captured both deceased riding the motorcycle together into the surveillance area.”

”However, due to limited surveillance view, we carefully checked the footage before and after that time frame and didn’t find anyone following or coercing them.”

”The entire process looked quite calm.”

”From their travel route, it also basically aligns with the direction where the bodies were found.”

”Of course, that road might also be the route they had to take to go back home.”

Jiang An calmly responded from the other end of the line, ”Alright, we’ll adjust the investigation plan and arrive at the scene promptly for a thorough examination.”

”This case seems more complicated than we initially anticipated.”

He suddenly remembered something and asked another question: ”Can you confirm if the male deceased was driving the motorcycle in the footage?”

”Is it possible that the female deceased was driving?”

Wan responded immediately, ”That possibility is very low.”

”In previous investigations, we already confirmed that the female deceased did not have a motorcycle license, and none of her friends or relatives have ever seen her driving a motorcycle.”

”Therefore, how this motorcycle ended up in the water remains an unsolved mystery.”

Half an hour later, Jiang An, Wan, and several other investigators arrived at the deceased’s residence.

The three investigation teams finally gathered, but the atmosphere did not become more relaxed.

Everyone’s face was shrouded in an indelible solemnity.

The case had hit a deadlock without any substantial breakthrough, which was undoubtedly a continuous psychological pressure on everyone involved in the investigation.

In criminal investigation work, the progress of the case is directly related to the honor and responsibility of the entire team.

Solve the case, and the collective is rewarded and honored.

If unresolved, no one can be at ease.

This invisible pressure is like an impermeable net, hanging over everyone’s hearts.

Jiang An glanced around the quiet courtyard, breaking the silence first, his voice steady and clear, ”Usually, who lives in this house?”

Qin Feng, hearing this, quickly opened his notebook carried with him, swiftly scanning over a few lines of records in the dim light.

”According to multiple neighbors’ feedback, only the two deceased usually live in this house.”

”Their child currently lives with grandparents, mainly for schooling convenience, as the elders’ residence is closer to the school.”

Jiang An nodded slightly and continued to ask, ”Is there more concrete evidence regarding whether the female deceased could ride a motorcycle?”

Qin Feng nodded in response, ”We visited nearly all the neighbors nearby and received highly consistent answers.”

”In this family, only the male deceased has the ability to ride a motorcycle, and no one has ever seen the female deceased driving one.”

”Additionally, we retrieved records from the traffic department’s archives, confirming only the male deceased had a motorcycle license; the female deceased didn’t have any related documents.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang An pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke, ”Given this, the possibility of the female deceased riding a motorcycle into the water alone is indeed very low.”

He then turned his head, looking at Wan, who was attentively listening nearby. ”Besides the surveillance point you reported earlier, are there any other cameras nearby that might capture key footage?”

”For example, further intersections or other angles of their house front?”

Wan shook his head slightly with regret, and his tone had a few traces of helplessness.

”We’ve tried to expand the surveillance retrieval scope as much as possible.”

”Not only did we check cameras in the direction of them returning home, but also examined several possible places in the direction away from the house.”

”Unfortunately, two cameras in the direction away from home had originally stopped functioning due to being old and worn out.”

”The one I reported to you in the phone was installed four years ago; while the location is somewhat hidden, the footage is still clear enough to basically identify people and vehicles.”

Jiang An, at this moment, was fully focused on organizing all known clues in his mind, trying to find a thread of logic from the complex details.

He walked slowly into the house, starting from the first floor, moving upward level by level, conducting a meticulous examination and survey at every corner.

From the living room to the bedroom, from the kitchen to the storage room, he didn’t miss any fine details that might hide key information, his fingers lightly brushing the surface of the furniture, his eyes scanning every inch of space penetratingly.

After 20 minutes, he stood alone on the second-floor balcony, gazing afar, having taken in the layout of the entire courtyard.

He furrowed his brows deeply, falling into profound contemplation: Why does this case scene present an unusually calm appearance?

What method did the perpetrator use to transport the deceased to the water’s edge without alarming the surroundings?

Is there a more complex truth hidden behind all of this?

Just as he was immersed in reasoning, Zhang Yean quietly stepped forward.

”Mr. Jiang, the level of calmness at the scene is indeed puzzling, and the falling point is quite a distance from the deceased’s residence.”

”Besides the possibilities we’ve discussed previously, could we consider... perhaps it was an accidental drowning incident?”

”Accidental drowning?”

Jiang An repeated these words softly, his gaze still fixed on the distant view, as if quickly searching relevant cases and medical knowledge in his mind.

Another team member approached upon hearing this and eagerly asked, ”Mr. Jiang, do you think the possibility of accidental drowning is high?”

Jiang An turned around, his expression solemnly shaking his head, ”The notion of accidental drowning doesn’t completely explain the doubts about the cause of death.”

”The female deceased did indeed die from drowning before her death, but the male deceased didn’t exhibit typical drowning characteristics.”

Just then, Zhang Yean spoke again, ”Mr. Jiang, during a recent training session, an experienced forensic medicine professor shared a special case.”

”Some deceased show reflexive cardiac arrest due to extreme vagus nerve excitation, instantly occurring upon entering water, with almost no evident drowning symptoms.”

”Do you think... it’s possible this time belongs to that case?”

Jiang An nodded slightly after listening, a trace of appreciation flashing in his eyes, ”The mechanism of vagus nerve excitation you mentioned does theoretically exist.”

”When the human body suddenly contacts cold water, extreme tension and cold stimuli may trigger nerve reflex, leading to immediate loss of consciousness and cardiac arrest.”

”This is an extremely rare type of sudden death, often seen under extreme conditions.”

Then, he switched the conversation, with his voice becoming steadier, ”However, criminal investigation work values the dual support of probability and evidence.”

”In the early stage of case investigation, we should rely more on a high probability mindset to carry out the investigation—first considering murder or suicide, common scenarios, thoroughly checking interpersonal relationships, motive clues, and physical evidence traces.”

”Only when conventional investigations hit a deadlock, and all high probability possibilities are eliminated one by one, should we turn to these minor probability hypotheses for deeper examination.”

This statement brought the scene into a sudden silence.

Everyone stopped speaking easily, immersing themselves in their own thoughts.

An accidental drowning incident?

A carefully-planned murder?

Or some still-unrevealed bizarre death mechanism?

The same question lingered in everyone’s mind: What answer is truly hiding behind this case?