The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

”There are less than two hours left until we legally must release Li Xu.”

As soon as the words were spoken, several people quickly organized the materials and hurried downstairs, heading directly to the interrogation area on the first floor.

Unlike before, this interrogation was not led by Qin Feng with a single officer taking charge, but unusually involved two criminal investigation captains.

Qin Feng and Jiang An both entered the interrogation room.

Director Hou stood silently with several other officers outside the one-way mirror, observing everything inside the room through the glass.

The two young officers accompanying them exchanged whispers with excitement, ”Director Hou, this lineup is really strong—two captains together; the suspect’s psychological defenses will probably be hard to withstand.”

Director Hou smiled slightly, still focused on the interrogation room, ”Jiang An is a forensic expert, Qin Feng is skilled in criminal interrogation; their collaboration can apply pressure from both technical and psychological angles. With this combination, breaking through is just a matter of time.

You young officers should take this opportunity to learn well—in such extremely complex cases, finding a breakthrough from what seems like a coincidental detail is not luck, but solid professional skills and the ability to integrate and apply interdisciplinary knowledge to practical situations.”

The two young officers listened to Director Hou’s analysis, immediately nodding solemnly, with one responding sincerely, ”Director Hou, you’re right. We’ve learned a lot by coming to the scene this time. When we return, we’ll definitely summarize and organize it well, and write a detailed case report.”

Director Hou nodded slightly, staying silent as he turned his gaze back to the one-way mirror towards the interrogation room.

On the other side of the glass, Qin Feng and Jiang An were already seated at the interrogation table.

Opposite, Li Xu appeared anxious and restless, his hair disheveled, eyes darting around, repeatedly rubbing his hands, clearly in a state of extreme agitation.

Seeing the two sit down, he couldn’t wait to speak, ”Officers, how much longer do you need to question me?

You can’t keep me here forever! You can’t say I’m not allowed out until you find the real killer?”

”The real killer?”

Qin Feng stared directly at him, ”We don’t need to look for the real killer anymore, because the murderer is right in front of us.”

Li Xu acted like he’d been pricked, raising his voice sharply, ”Nonsense! I’m just a regular roommate with Li Yong, how could I kill him? You’re framing me!”

”Framing?”

Qin Feng took over, ”Since we brought you here, we naturally have the corresponding evidence.”

”I’m asking you again—did you enter the cab of that excavator?”

”No! I’ve said it so many times, no!”

Li Xu almost stood up from his chair, waving his arms in agitation.

”I was drinking with them at the time but never came close to the excavator!

You can ask others; each driver uses their own machine, why would I enter his cab?”

”Are you sure... not even once?”

Qin Feng asked again, voice low and slow.

”Absolutely not! I swear!” Li Xu replied firmly.

”Alright.”

Qin Feng then stood up, took out two evidence maps from a folder, and gently slid them across the table to Li Xu.

”Since you insist you never entered the cab, then please explain why your blood was detected near the clutch pedal?”

Li Xu’s expression instantly froze, pupils constricting, as if he was completely frozen.

After a few seconds, he suddenly came to his senses, shook his head violently, voice trembling but still trying to maintain a hard front, ”Impossible... this can’t be! Are you fabricating evidence to frame me? I’ll tell you, that’s illegal!”

”Framing?”

Qin Feng interrupted coldly, ”The extraction, sealing, and testing of each piece of evidence at the scene were fully recorded in video and with photographic evidence, all procedures were legal and compliant.”

”You can question it, but the evidence doesn’t lie. In criminal cases, we only certify the evidence.”

Li Xu breathed rapidly, still trying to argue, ”It must be a mistake! I never bled there; this is made up out of thin air!”

At this point, Jiang An, who had been quietly observing, slowly turned to face him, ”You said you weren’t injured in the cab and left no bloodstains—then let me ask again: how did the fresh wound on your right ring finger come about?”

Li Xu instinctively pulled his right hand back, voice slightly panicked, ”Earlier... wasn’t it mentioned that I accidentally cut myself with a tool on the site.”

”Where did you get cut?” Jiang An pressed on, ”Specifically what tool, where exactly, and who saw it happen?”

Li Xu opened his mouth but was speechless.

”I don’t know, not sure, can’t remember.”

”Can’t remember?” Jiang An leaned forward slightly, lowering his voice, ”Or rather, you just don’t want to say?”

”Let me tell you, you got that injury on that excavator’s cab, in that extremely narrow and unobtrusive gap.”

Upon hearing this, Li Xu abruptly lifted his head, showing a momentary flash of uncontrollable astonishment and panic.

Though the expression vanished quickly—so quickly he might not have even realized it—it was precisely captured by Jiang An.

Li Xu immediately forced himself to remain calm, raising his voice to try to cover his unease with bravado, ”What nonsense are you talking about? What gap? What cab? I haven’t even been near that excavator, let alone heard of any of this!”

Jiang An didn’t respond but instead calmly raised a hand and gently tapped on the two reports lined on the table.

”Look at this,” his voice was steady and clear, ”these two maps, one is your own wound’s blood sample analysis, the other is the residual blood extracted from inside the excavator’s cab, specifically in the hidden gap below the control lever. After comparison, they completely match.”

”Irrefutable evidence. You’re telling me you haven’t entered the cab?

Moreover, an analysis of the wound’s shape, angle, and force application correspond perfectly with the gap’s structural characteristics. Your injury could only have happened there.”

Li Xu’s breathing grew almost imperceptibly quicker for a moment, then he fell into prolonged silence.

Finally, he raised his head again, speaking with a mocking tone, ”Officers, you’re really good at making up stories. Did I intentionally stick my hand in the gap to injure myself? Have I lost my mind?”

”Your mind is very clear,” Jiang An replied immediately, voice confident, ”Clearer than anyone.”

”We reconstructed the events of that night: you entered the cab, and at the time, something small accidentally fell into that gap.”

”In a rush, you reached in to retrieve it, resulting in your finger being tightly stuck, unable to free yourself, which caused the injury and extensive bleeding. Am I right?”

”Keep making up stories!” Li Xu laughed scornfully, turning his face away, ”Your storytelling is quite impressive.”

”This isn’t a story.” Jiang An stood up, ”The location of your finger injury, and the starting switch interface where the keyhole is, align vertically.”

”The real situation that night should have been like this: as you hurriedly pulled out the excavator key, the key accidentally slipped and fell into that deep gap.”

”At the time, you were likely tense or anxious, eager to retrieve the key, so you reached in, but due to improper manipulation in the narrow space, your ring finger got tightly stuck, leading to injury.”

”Do you think my deduction matches the facts?”

The instant he heard ”key,” Li Xu froze entirely.

He abruptly turned back, eyes locked onto Jiang An, filled with fear.

Meanwhile, Qin Feng’s face was written with astonishment.

He couldn’t comprehend how Jiang An could so accurately deduce that it was a ”key” that fell, a small yet crucial detail.

At the same time, outside the one-way mirror, Director Hou and the officers observing the interrogation exchanged looks, astonishment etched on their faces.

How could he infer such specific details from limited evidence and traces?

Could criminal investigation reasoning indeed be meticulous to such a degree?

Again, the interrogation room fell into a long silence with Li Xu eventually speaking, ”What you’re saying... is just speculation.”

”Evidence? Can you conclude a case on speculation alone?”

Jiang An sat back down, still calm.

”If you insist on not confessing now, that’s fine.”

”We will immediately summon everyone who drank with you that night for detailed questioning.”

”Ask them to recall whether you had a fresh wound on your hand when you returned later that night.”

”If it’s confirmed by third-party testimonial...”

He deliberately paused, gazing into Li Xu’s eyes, ”Then, the ’confession’ which might be beneficial for you will no longer exist.”

”Voluntary disclosure and being exposed—a difference in legal recognition you should understand.”