The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

The interrogation of Li Tao lasted a full two hours.

Throughout the interrogation, Zhang Biao almost exhausted all the experience and techniques he had accumulated over years of interrogation work.

From emotional resonance and thought softening, to stern criticism and policy admonishment.

From evidence coercion to psychological pressure, every conceivable interrogation method was tried, advancing step by step.

However, Li Tao on the other side was like a stubborn stone stuck in a pit: foul and hard.

No matter how Zhang Biao guided, persuaded, or even reprimanded, he remained unfazed and unmoved.

It seemed that no words could penetrate his cold and obstinate mental defense.

Seeing the interrogation hit a deadlock, Zhang Biao could only reluctantly stop.

He raised a hand to strongly rub his furrowed brow, turned around, and patted the shoulder of the young officer Wan beside him, hoarsely instructing, ”I’m going out for a breather, you keep an eye on things here for a while.”

At this moment, Wan was also exhausted, the two hours of intense confrontation leaving his eyes bloodshot.

But he still quickly nodded—by regulation, at least one person must remain during interrogation to prevent the suspect from self-harm or excessive behavior.

Zhang Biao pushed open the door and left the stifling interrogation room, stepping into the dim, quiet corridor.

He fished a pack of cigarettes from his pocket, pulled one out and placed it between his lips. With a soft ”click,” the flame briefly illuminated his weary face.

Taking a few deep puffs, he hoped to use the tobacco to dispel the oppressive feeling of frustration in his chest.

At this moment, footsteps sounded from the end of the corridor.

He looked up to see Director Lu, Director Hou, and Jiang An walking shoulder to shoulder towards him.

Zhang Biao immediately stubbed out the cigarette, perked up, and greeted them formally, ”Director Lu, Director Hou, Mr. Jiang.”

Director Lu quickly detected the fatigue etched on his face and asked directly, ”The interrogation isn’t going well?”

Zhang Biao nodded, speaking in a slightly grave tone, ”It’s indeed not going well at all.”

”This Li Tao, regardless of what we ask him, behaves as if he doesn’t know anything, always avoiding direct answers.”

”Moreover, during the interrogation, I carefully observed his demeanor and verbal responses and found no obvious signs of lying.”

”In my experience, either he’s genuinely unaware of the situation, or his psychological stability is extremely strong.”

After a brief pause, he added, ”Of course, looking from another angle, if he indeed has a mental illness, like committing murder during a psychotic episode, that might also explain everything.”

”After all, in a psychotic state, a person’s cognition and behavior logic often differ from normal.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Director Hou jumped in, ”Just now, while you were interrogating Li Tao, we had a preliminary conversation with his mother in the reception room.”

”According to her, Li Tao does suffer from schizophrenia and has had noticeable violent tendencies in the past.”

Zhang Biao immediately asked, ”So his schizophrenia is probably intermittent, right?”

”Because during the interrogation, he mostly appeared quite calm, even a bit too ’normal.’”

Director Hou nodded, ”It is indeed intermittent.”

”However, we can’t rely solely on the family’s account to draw conclusions. A final judgment must be based on real medical records and professional medical assessment.”

Zhang Biao quickly suggested, ”Should we immediately assign someone to retrieve his past medical records?”

”This would help us understand his precise medical condition and assess his possible mental state during the crime.”

Upon hearing this, Director Lu agreed, ”I’ll arrange for that, and we’ll get the relevant materials as soon as possible.”

At this point, Director Hou turned to look seriously at Jiang An and continued, ”In fact, while you were interrogating, the three of us were also discussing this case.”

”If Li Tao indeed committed the murder during a mental episode, this case might be more challenging than we anticipated.”

”There are no surveillance records or eyewitnesses at the crime scene, which means key evidence is missing.”

”Moreover, if he committed the crime in a psychotic state, he might forget or have cognitive confusion about the crime after returning to normal.”

”Thus, even if he’s willing to speak, it’s difficult for us to obtain a clear, coherent statement.”

”So moving forward, by what means should we uncover the truth and unlock his memories?”

Indeed, this is a thorny issue. Zhang Biao’s expression became even more serious, his brows furrowed, as if weighing various possibilities in his mind.

After a moment of silence, he slowly turned and said, ”If conventional methods fail to break through, perhaps we could consider inviting experts in psychology or psychoanalysis to assist us professionally in dissecting the case and finding the suspect’s psychological weaknesses.”

”That is indeed a feasible approach,”

Director Lu nodded in response, ”But before that, we still need to do the groundwork meticulously and not relax any of the leads at hand.”

Just then, Jiang An suddenly turned around, his gaze fixed on the tightly closed door of the interrogation room.

”The suspect is inside. I want to go in and see his condition myself.”

”Sure,” Director Lu almost immediately agreed, ”Let’s go, we’ll go with you.”