The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

”This time, the municipal bureau has specifically formed an expert group to oversee and clarify the situation thoroughly.”

”Even if the original conclusion has no issues, the re-evaluation process shouldn’t be skipped—it’s not only responsible for the case but also for everyone.”

Speaking with more sincerity, he continued, ”That’s why I took the liberty to disturb you this morning, hoping you could join us at the forensic autopsy center for today’s examination.”

”The expert group will start working this morning, so if there are any questions or disagreements professionally, you can discuss them in-depth with them face-to-face.”

”This respects professionalism and helps advance the work. What do you think?”

Professor Zhang was silent for a moment, then responded with some difficulty, ”But I have two forensic classes to teach this morning, already scheduled.”

Qin Feng was prepared and replied, ”Regarding your classes, can you temporarily switch with another teacher?”

”This case is quite tricky and involves many areas.”

”Furthermore, Mr. Ma and Mr. Chen encountered some obstacles when approving the appraisal fees.”

”But I insisted then that your team had devoted a lot of effort, and we must fully support and implement the required procedures and fees.”

Though these words were gentle, their meaning was clear: since the commission and payment were accepted, there is an obligation to thoroughly handle the case, especially when doubts arise, to clarify the truth.

On the other end, Professor Zhang clearly understood the implication.

He was silent for a long time, finally conceding, ”...Alright, I’ll head over.”

But he soon switched tones, saying, ”However, let me say straight away that when I arrive at the scene, if it involves professional issues, I might not show much leniency to your leaders.”

”He’s your leader, but not mine.”

”I will speak frankly for anything requiring dispute or debate.”

Qin Feng smiled upon hearing this, his tone relaxed but solemn, ”No problem.”

”Academic discussions should focus on issues, not individuals. The more honest the professional exchange, the better.”

”Feel free to speak up; we will fully cooperate.”

After hanging up the phone, Professor Zhang slowly placed the Sheng Jian Bao he had just bitten back onto the plate.

Sitting across from him, his wife noticed his expression and softly asked, ”Hey, Mr. Zhang, is it the flavor of today’s Sheng Jian Bao that’s off, or is something else wrong?”

Professor Zhang waved his hand, his tone low, ”Not eating, no appetite.”

”What’s wrong?”

His wife leaned forward with concern.

”It’s still the case at the construction site.”

Professor Zhang sighed and furrowed his brow, ”The accidental death of the worker has been discussed three times now, and now they’ve notified me to go over to discuss it in person with the expert group from the municipal bureau to re-evaluate a few doubts in the forensic identification.”

His wife was slightly surprised, ”The experts from the municipal bureau have come down? Such site accidents usually wouldn’t alarm them, right?”

”It wasn’t complex initially, but the family is highly emotional, and the higher-ups are giving it a lot of attention.”

Professor Zhang explained while standing up and taking his coat from the coat rack, ”I have to go; the people should have already arrived.”

His wife stood up with him, gently advising, ”Discuss things properly when you’re there; don’t show your professor’s temper at every turn.”

”Though you have deep expertise and strong professionalism, they are from the province after all. The venue is different, and you should maintain the courtesy appropriate.”

Professor Zhang snorted, ”If he speaks reasonably, I’ll certainly listen.”

”But if he uses his status to press without basis while challenging my evaluation conclusion, then I won’t be polite—no matter who comes, before scientific conclusions, everyone is equal.”

At nine twenty in the morning, Captain Qin accompanied Jiang An and Director Hou and their team to the Guangling District Forensic Corpse Examination Center.

This building is located in a relatively quiet suburban area, with a solemn atmosphere around, occasional vehicles passing by, yet few human voices.

Just across a small path from the funeral home, traces of burned paper money can be sparsely seen, and the light smoke drifting in the air adds to the solemnity.

Captain Qin was the first to get out of the car, nodded to the welcoming staff in greeting, then turned to introduce Director Hou, ”This autopsy center was newly built two years ago, and its hardware conditions are relatively advanced within the district.”

”There are a total of eight standard autopsy rooms, four of which are equipped with observation rooms, small conference rooms, washing preparation rooms, and equipment disinfection rooms, with clear functional zoning.”

Director Hou raised his eyes to assess the exterior of the building, then looked through the glass door into the bright and clean lobby, nodding in affirmation, ”Not bad, well-structured, seems quite large.”

As he spoke, he walked inside with a composed stride but suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Captain Qin, ”Has Professor Zhang Kai from Guangling Medical University arrived?”

Captain Qin quickly looked around without seeing Professor Zhang’s figure, then took out his phone, ”Haven’t seen him yet; I’ll contact him for an update.”

Immediately, he dialed the phone.

”Professor Zhang, where have you reached?”

On the other end, Professor Zhang’s voice revealed a hint of urgency under the calm, ”Already arrived, at the funeral home entrance.”

Within 2 minutes, a black BMW silently parked behind the police car.

The car door opened, and Professor Zhang got out, looking solemn.

Seeing this, Captain Qin immediately went up to introduce him to Director Hou, ”Director Hou, this is Professor Zhang Kai from Guangling Medical University’s Forensic Identification Center, an authority in this field in our city.”

Director Hou slightly nodded, with his eyes meeting Professor Zhang’s, ”Professor Zhang, we’ve met before.”

Professor Zhang heard him clearly, while adjusting his cuffs responded, ”Yes, Director Hou.”

”Let’s get right into it—I’ve specially rearranged my classes to come over today; what doubts are there in the appraisal report?”

Director Hou didn’t answer directly but first glanced at the young forensic doctor Jiang An beside him and calmly said, ”It’s not convenient here; let’s discuss it in the conference room.”

The group moved to the conference room.

As soon as they sat down, Jiang An spoke to Professor Zhang, his tone sincere yet direct, ”Professor Zhang, sorry for troubling you to come personally.”

”The main issue is we found changes in the red patches on the deceased’s neck when re-evaluating the original photos yesterday, but this was not prominently described in the autopsy record.”

”We suspect that the deceased’s neck might have been subjected to external force.”

Jiang An’s words were clear and precise, pointing directly to the heart of the dispute.

Professor Zhang finished listening and then lightly chuckled, leaning back against the chair, ”Heh, you graduated not long ago, right?”

With these words, the conference room’s atmosphere suddenly froze.

Jiang An remained calm and responded frankly, ”Yes, I graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in forensic medicine, just completed one year of work.”

Professor Zhang’s tone slightly raised, with a hint of teaching, ”A high achiever, huh?”

”When you look at photos, focusing only on the color changes on the skin’s surface, did you carefully check the muscle layer?”

”We conducted a systematic dissection and examination of the neck’s muscle layers and found no signs of hemorrhage.”

”Forensic work cannot only examine the body surface but should also delve into the texture and internal organs—weren’t these taught by your teacher?”

After his words, the conference room was filled with an unmistakable sense of confrontation.

Jiang An’s face gradually turned stern, but he maintained restraint, clearly countering, ”The teacher taught us.”

”But the teacher also mentioned that besides hemorrhage, patchy change could result from a congestion reaction during life, especially under conditions of asphyxia or local pressure.”

The verbal clash between the two grew increasingly intense, noticing the unfriendly atmosphere, Captain Qin quickly stood up to mediate, ”Professor Zhang, Mr. Jiang, let’s all calm down first.”

”Different views on professional matters are normal. How about we first go through the situation from the beginning, and we can discuss the details later together?”

He spoke while exchanging a look with Director Hou, suggesting, ”Perhaps we should re-examine the photos, records, and the examination process thoroughly to clarify the cause of death.”