The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

There’s an old saying, ”Peers are rivals.”

Although they all belong to the field of forensic medicine, the nature and responsibilities of forensic doctors in different positions differ significantly.

Forensic doctors in public security agencies, as part of the judicial system, work entirely in the service of case investigation without charging any fees from the commissioning party; all identification work falls under public duties.

However, outside of the public security system, forensic practitioners in universities, research institutions, and social appraisal units generally implement paid services.

For example, if a corpse is in a fresh state, the basic examination fee usually starts at ten thousand yuan;

If pathological section analysis is needed, the fee increases gradually based on the number of sections.

Overall, the more complex the examination project and the deeper the technology required, the higher the corresponding funding.

Two minutes later, the group arrived at the reception room of the Guangling District Forensic Autopsy Center.

There were still seats available around the elliptical conference table, and Mr. Qin quickly invited Director Hou, Mr. Jiang, and Professor Zhang Kai to sit down.

Once everyone was seated, Mr. Qin was the first to speak: ”The reopening of this case is highly valued by both the higher authorities and our bureau, and it has been listed as a key case for comprehensive review and re-investigation. Yesterday, Director Hou and Mr. Jiang made a special trip to review the case files initially and raised some doubts regarding the postmortem examinations.”

”Therefore, today we have specially invited Professor Zhang Kai to participate, hoping to discuss and verify these professional issues in a professional laboratory environment.”

As soon as he finished speaking, both Director Hou and Mr. Jiang nodded in agreement.

However, Professor Zhang Kai appeared displeased and immediately spoke up: ”Please hurry, I have classes at the university, and many students are waiting for me to return.”

Seeing this, a surge of irritation rose in Director Hou’s heart—he had come to assist Guangling District with the case, only to receive such a cold response.

He promptly responded sternly, ”Efficiency will certainly be ensured, but it must be based upon rigorous quality.”

”If during the upcoming examinations we find unresolved issues in the case, we may still need Professor Zhang to stay a bit longer to facilitate further work.”

”After all, solving the case is of great significance, and we cannot afford any ambiguity in details.”

Professor Zhang’s lips quivered as if he wanted to say something more, but he ultimately swallowed his words.

He lifted his eyes, his gaze wandering between Director Hou and Jiang An before finally fixing on Jiang An’s face, his tone carrying a hint of scrutiny and disdain: ”I don’t believe you can uncover anything new regarding this matter.”

Upon this statement, the air in the room seemed to freeze momentarily.

Director Hou and Jiang An almost simultaneously lifted their gazes, their eyes silently meeting in the air.

After Mr. Qin left last night, Jiang An returned to the office and discussed his thoughts with Director Hou.

He spoke calmly yet clearly, peeling back those anomalies hidden beneath the surface like layers of silk.

After all, Director Hou was a seasoned veteran of criminal investigations, whose experience and intuition had long forged a sharp professional instinct.

Even with Jiang An merely pointing out a few key issues lightly, he immediately touched upon the core of the problem, realizing that the case at hand might be hiding a serious truth that had been overlooked.

As is well known, the process of death by asphyxiation does not leave the striking and aggressive external injuries like being chopped or axe wounds do.

It is a silent plundering, especially in cases of mechanical asphyxia—whether from neck compression or covering the mouth and nose with external force—the damage inflicted is often extremely hidden, almost like an undercover ”covert operation.”

This concealment is sometimes so deep that even experienced investigators may miss it.

Jiang An pointed out that the photos from the scene showed some unusual erythema on the skin of the deceased’s neck.

Initially, a hint of suspicion also crossed Director Hou’s mind.

After all, every subtle discovery in complex criminal investigations must undergo rigorous scrutiny.

However, Jiang An did not stop at pointing out the phenomenon; instead, he relied on solid professional knowledge to gradually conduct meticulous analysis and logically sound reasoning.

He placed these minute traces within the entire case context, explaining how they interconnected with other seemingly scattered clues, and how they overturned some previous judgments about the case.

Combining his years of accumulated criminal investigation experience to reassess the overall direction of the case, Director Hou finally had to acknowledge that Jiang An’s reasoning was not only reasonable and well-founded but also likely pointed to a key breakthrough that had been overlooked by everyone.

This was precisely why Director Hou, when facing Professor Zhang Kai, did not exhibit his usual pleasantries and enthusiasm.

It was not only due to adherence to professional rigor but also because he knew that if the case continued along its original path, it might even go astray due to a directional deviation, letting the real perpetrator remain forever hidden in the fog and making justice difficult to achieve.

The silence in the room lingered for a moment until Mr. Qin’s hearty laughter broke it.

”Alright then,” he said cheerfully, ”since everything that needs communicating has been thoroughly discussed, let’s proceed according to the procedure.”

”I just went to Autopsy Room 1, and indeed the body has already been transferred to the autopsy table.”

”After receiving the notice for re-examination yesterday, the defrosting procedure for the frozen body had already been initiated, but the exact stage of defrosting still needs on-site confirmation.”