The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

In an instant, the air was filled with silent tension, and both ends of the call fell into a brief silence.

The case, which seemed clear, suddenly became shrouded in a thick fog at this moment.

Upon hearing these words, Qin Feng explained somewhat urgently on the other end, ”Yes, Mr. Chen.”

”When they came for the autopsy this morning, to ensure the rigor of the results, I specifically invited Professor Zhang Kai from Guangling Medical University to participate.”

”He’s right beside me now, having witnessed the entire examination process.”

Mr. Chen quickly followed up with, ”What is his opinion on the current conclusions?”

”He should be in agreement.” Qin Feng’s voice lowered a bit. ”Earlier, observing Professor Zhang’s reaction, he seemed very tense, even a bit surprised. Perhaps even he did not expect this situation.”

On this end of the phone, Mr. Chen’s face instantly darkened, and he unconsciously lengthened his expression.

At this moment, his mind was in chaos, already too preoccupied to attend to the document he was supposed to handle, his thoughts entirely occupied by the subsequent follow-up work.

If there’s any mistake at a crucial point in this case, all the subsequent investigation directions and judgments could be overturned, with unimaginable consequences.

”This is really serious... this is really serious...” Mr. Chen murmured, suddenly standing up excitedly from his seat, pacing back and forth in the small office.

His footsteps were heavy and anxious, as if each step was treading on a taut string.

After a long while, he sat down again and spoke solemnly into the microphone, ”Are you coming back now?”

Qin Feng replied, ”We’re just about to leave, heading back right now.”

”Good,” Mr. Chen said resolutely, ”Once you arrive, send me a message immediately. I will personally meet you at the door. Given the current situation, we must quickly report to the provincial department, request coordination and support from the leaders, and strive to solve the case in time.”

Meanwhile, in the forensic autopsy center, the atmosphere remained stagnant.

Professor Zhang Kai stood next to the autopsy table, with fine beads of sweat visibly forming on his forehead.

He slowly took off his glasses, rubbed his brow, and shook his head with a sigh, ”I didn’t expect it, you’re so young, yet your professional skills are so solid.”

”Earlier, I carefully examined the spinal cord injury in the neck, and indeed it was bleeding, and the amount far exceeded what could be formed under normal circumstances—this couldn’t be caused by ordinary external force.”

Jiang An only smiled slightly upon hearing this, his tone calm yet tinged with caution, ”Professor Zhang, this isn’t your fault. It’s possible that during the initial autopsy, you missed the best time for observation.”

”Perhaps—did you not see the original photos taken at the scene?”

”Original photos...?” Professor Zhang was momentarily stunned, his eyes suddenly serious.

Jiang An nodded seriously, speaking sincerely, ”Professor Zhang, you’re too modest.”

”With your professional ability and experience, if you had the chance to see that set of original scene photos at the time, I’m sure you would have paid attention to the image showing the state of the neck during the initial autopsy.”

”In repeated comparisons, we found that the surface skin of the neck had a patch of red swelling, a very peculiar mark, a transient physiological reaction that existed for a short amount of time and often dissipated naturally during subsequent postmortem handling or second inspections.”

”Precisely because it disappears quickly, it was hard to observe again in follow-up inspections, leading to this detail being overlooked in the later examination process.”

After hearing this, Professor Zhang’s expression shifted slightly, his lips quivering slightly, and his previously tense face eased a little.

He remained silent for a moment before responding in a low voice, ”Even so, we cannot completely blame the objective conditions.”

”As a forensic expert, failing to capture and document all the bodily signs on a corpse is ultimately a shortcoming in professional ability.”

”If we had been more thorough, more meticulous in our operations, perhaps we wouldn’t have left such a negligence in the autopsy process.”

After hearing this, Jiang An shook his head, his face showing a mix of regret and lamentation.

He originally thought this was just a relatively routine autopsy, but he didn’t expect an unforeseen error in such a fundamental stage, making him deeply aware of the significance of details in determining success or failure in his professional path.

At this moment, Director Hou, who had been quietly listening, finally spoke, supplementing, ”Actually, when we re-evaluated the autopsy report last night, we also noticed that the deceased indeed had grade three or higher coronary artery sclerosis, and its severity was quite significant. From a pathological standpoint, it could reasonably be considered a cause of death.”

”However, in forensic identification, adherence to the ’preponderance of evidence’ principle is paramount—if there are other more interpretative and direct causes of death, then a simple heart lesion should not be judged as the primary cause of death. At present, we need to more comprehensively weigh the various autopsy findings and case clues in order to make a more accurate judgment.”

After listening to Jiang An’s analysis, Professor Zhang noddingly thought for a moment, and his demeanor showed a bit more seriousness and reflection.

He extended his hand, gently patting Jiang An on the shoulder, sincerely saying, ”Thank you, young man.”

”You’re quite right in your reminder. Those of us engaged in research in academia often focus more on the mechanism and pathology of disease itself, but easily overlook the complex information concerning law and truth contained at the scene of death.”

”Today’s lesson has made me deeply realize that, in determining the nature of death, the experiences and perspectives of your public security system are indeed more comprehensive and closer to practical applications.”

”Impressive, truly impressive.”

After promptly and orderly handling the residual work at the scene, without lingering further, the team immediately drove to the Guangling City Public Security Bureau.

The car had just driven out and soon arrived at the bureau gate.

To their surprise, Mr. Chen was already standing at the door waiting.

He walked with his hands behind his back, occasionally pacing, his brows furrowed, his face filled with evident anxiety.

At this moment, his heart was already in turmoil—this was no ordinary work mistake; an error in the nature of the case meant the whole investigation direction was completely misplaced, with all subsequent investigations, evidence chain construction, and conclusions potentially built on false grounds. Considering the potentially severe consequences, he felt a deep sense of unease and pressure.

Seeing the vehicle slowly approaching, Mr. Chen immediately steadied himself and quickly stepped forward.

As the vehicle came to a stop, Director Hou, Jiang An, and others got out of the car one after another. He quickly extended his hand, his voice carrying a weight of gravity mixed with gratitude, ”Director Hou, Mr. Jiang, everyone, well done, this journey has truly been challenging.”

Director Hou and Jiang An exchanged a glance, then slightly nodded towards Mr. Chen.

Director Hou wasted no time, his tone serious, ”The initial situation should have been reported to you by Mr. Qin. The current situation is indeed not optimistic.”

Mr. Chen took a deep breath, nodding heavily, ”Yes, I am fully aware of it.”

”Previously, our work was neither solid nor thorough enough, leading to such a major oversight.”

”Without your timely intervention and precise corrections, I fear... I fear irreparable errors could have occurred.”

At this point, his voice turned somewhat heavy, and a hint of self-blame and dread flashed across his face.

Director Hou’s gaze stayed on his face for a moment, discerning his genuine remorse and responsibility, so he did not further criticize, instead proposing the next step with a steady tone, ”Given this, I believe this case must be immediately reinvestigated.”

Mr. Chen straightened his back, his expression firm, responding without hesitation, ”That’s inevitable.”

”This case has been on hold for half a year, and restarting it will certainly encounter many difficulties, but regardless, it must be started anew.”

”Moving forward, we will adhere strictly to the highest standards of homicide investigation, mobilize all available resources, thoroughly unravel every aspect, and ensure we uncover the truth to give everyone an explanation.”