National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 501 - 501 460 Everything is Pretty Good

501: Chapter 460 Everything is Pretty Good 501: Chapter 460 Everything is Pretty Good The celebration was more than halfway through when the leaders of Qu’an County, excitedly holding their glasses, began toasting everyone around.

Huang Qiangmin drank with them for a while before sitting down next to Jiang Yuan and smiling.

“Jiang Yuan, do you want to take a look at the backlog of murder cases in Qu’an?”

“I don’t mind, but aren’t you in a hurry to go to other counties to work on cases?” Jiang Yuan knew that the high price they could charge this time was greatly related to Qinghe City’s “Backlog Attack Year” policy.

Accordingly, working on one case per county would be the most cost-effective approach.

Huang Qiangmin understood what Jiang Yuan meant and replied with a smile, “Here’s what I think: first, a buy-one-get-one-free deal is easier to accept emotionally for them.

Second, our team has grown in size, and it takes some time to coordinate with the various counties.

Tackling two cases could likely be easier than working on two separate cases.

Third, choosing another case is an option.

You can pick one you like or one that might be easier to handle.”

“An easy backlog of murder cases?” Liu Jinghui, sitting beside them, couldn’t help but laugh with a hint of sarcasm in his voice.

Indeed, saying such a thing felt a bit like “Let’s go pick up some easy money off the streets.”

After all, these were cases already scanned by many, over and over.

The chances of finding something even slightly easier were non-existent.

Huang Qiangmin chuckled and looked at Liu Jinghui, familiarly poking fun: “With deduction, every case is hard.

With technology, there’s still a difference in difficulty.”

Stung by the jab, Liu Jinghui thought for a moment and admitted, “You’re not wrong.”

Ordinary deduction is something police understand as well, but in modern society, where mystery novels are abundant, criminals too have learned to deduce.

So, unless the case is particularly easy, it won’t be particularly easy to solve.

Seeing Huang Qiangmin had made up his mind, Jiang Yuan thought it over and said, “Then let’s stick to the original plan and see if there’s a suitable case for Skull Restoration Skill.”

Technology advances and updates, and criminal science is no exception.

However, no matter the advancements, previous technologies are theoretically still applicable and capable of solving cases.

In reality, the technology used by detectives is always a bit behind the times.

Many veteran detectives well into the 21st century still rely on shoe-leather investigations to solve cases, and their success rates have not diminished much.

But pure new technology is somewhat different.

Pure new technology can indeed make crime-solving almost foolproof.

The best examples are DNA, surveillance footage, and mobile phones.

At their onset, these three tools can be said to have turned a large number of criminals into easy prey.

Some professional criminals, still relying on old methods, were caught in the blink of an eye without any rationale.

Skull Restoration Skill also resembles this kind of pure new technology.

It’s not too new on the level of forensic science—although most forensic doctors might not know this skill, they have at least heard of it.

But in terms of practical application, the use of the Skull Restoration Skill is genuinely rare.

Places like Qu’an County hardly need to mention it.

In Shan Nan Province, the technology has not been widely promoted.

A typical forensic doctor would need one or two months, or even three, to complete a single skull reconstruction—in the early stages of practice, even a month of continuous work would be insufficient.

Considering the number of forensic doctors in the various districts and counties of Shan Nan Province, there aren’t many police forensics teams that can afford to give a forensic doctor so much time.

Without the time to practice, how can one improve?

Jiang Yuan is different though; he has already skipped past the practice phase.

With the Skull Restoration Skill that he can use right away, he may only need a week or two to get results.

Although it still takes quite some time, it is acceptable if the aim is to tackle backlog murder cases.

The resulting increase in the success rate of solving cases is very real.

“Then let’s find a case that requires skull reconstruction,” Huang Qiangmin said, now more willing to believe in the power of technology.

He turned to Liu Jinghui and asked, “Director Liu, will you work with us on this?”

“Sure,” Liu Jinghui agreed readily.

“I’ll go inquire now,” said Huang Qiangmin as he gulped down the rest of his drink and hastened to connect with others.

“He’s certainly in his element,” Liu Jinghui clicked his tongue twice and asked Jiang Yuan, “Isn’t skull reconstruction tiring for you?

It’s got to be more troublesome than footprint analysis, right?”

“It’s a bit different,” Jiang Yuan said.

“Footprint analysis is somewhat mechanical, while skull reconstruction leaves some room for personal input.”

Liu Jinghui let out a laugh, “I get it now.

The footprints you compared before, they were from 8 years ago matched against current ones.

How is that mechanical?

There can’t be many experts in the country who could do that.”

“As for that skill, there might be a few people who can do it,” Jiang Yuan said without exaggeration or modesty.

LV3 footprint analysis might only allow him to dominate at the provincial level, but reaching LV5 was truly rare.

Most experts spend their entire lives unable to transition from LV3 to LV4, let alone LV5, where talent and experience are both indispensable.

Having a skill level above the average expert means one could potentially solve backlog murder cases from a technical perspective, which is a straightforward logic.

Liu Jinghui went even further and asked, “Then if we look for footprint-related backlog cases now, wouldn’t your probability of solving them be very high?”

“The success rate with Skull Restoration Skill is even higher because fewer people do it.”

“But skull reconstruction takes longer, right?

Footprint analysis is much faster!”

“Solving cases isn’t just about footprint analysis.

Besides, the recent cases I’ve worked on all required analysis of multiple footprints.” Jiang Yuan paused before adding, “Of course, if it’s just about doing footprint analysis, that would certainly be faster.”

“So, should I look for cases where footprint analysis could be used?” Liu Jinghui knew of many homicide cold cases and felt it was a shame that Huang Qiangmin limited Jiang Yuan to only working within Qinghe City for such a small amount of funding.

Jiang Yuan said “Okay,” and then added, “First, we’ll do the Skull Restoration Skill on a case.

Once that’s done, we’ll take on another one.”

“Sounds good.” Liu Jinghui stood up excitedly, went out to make a few calls, and when he came back, he saw Huang Qiangmin had already returned to the table.

The celebration banquet today was on a grand scale.

The police from Qu’an County all attended, and the restaurant next to the police station was entirely booked.

Tables filled two floors, and the county bureau’s leaders were also seen holding cups and jugs, showing their amiable side to everyone.

Jiang Yuan didn’t want to go out and toast, and he didn’t drink much when others came to toast him.

Furthermore, as an out-of-town technician, he quickly ceased to be the main target of attention.

Huang Qiangmin, on the other hand, was busy looking after Jiang Yuan.

So, Liu Jinghui sat down on the other side of Jiang Yuan and said, “Jiang Yuan, take a look at these cases I’ve found.

Let’s not work on them right away, but keep them in reserve.”

Jiang Yuan glanced at the names and noticed they were all cases from other cities within the province.

Huang Qiangmin saw it too and said nonchalantly, “Some places are hard to communicate with.

The local criminal police teams think highly of themselves and don’t have any special cases that need to be solved.

We’ll have to look for an opportunity to talk with them.”

“It’s not like we must trade something, is it?

Doing one or two cases for free to build a reputation should be okay,” said Liu Jinghui.

Huang Qiangmin almost blurted out “naïve” but managed to hold it back.

Provincial experts were not to be casually criticized by someone from the county.

Considering the relationship between Liu Jinghui and Jiang Yuan, Huang Qiangmin thought for a moment and then said, “Director Liu, I have something to show you, but you must promise not to disclose it.”

“No problem.” The time Liu Jinghui was buried in a mine shaft by a serial killer and what happened during those days remain confidential to this day.

Speaking out of turn was something he never did.

Huang Qiangmin gave a grunt of acknowledgment, looked around, then pulled out a torn piece of paper from his shirt pocket and handed it to Liu Jinghui.

Liu Jinghui, not understanding the context, took it and frowned.

He was puzzled at first, then even more puzzled, frowned again, and then moved into a state of shock.

Liu Jinghui swallowed hard, looked up at the sky, then looked back at Huang Qiangmin, shook the paper in his hand, and asked, “Isn’t this extortion?

Didn’t the Qu’an County Bureau arrest you for this?”

The world is supposed to be transparent and just, but there are always people and things that take you by surprise.

Liu Jinghui had been in the field for many years, but had rarely seen anyone as audacious as Huang Qiangmin.

Huang Qiangmin’s smile curled up to 88.8 degrees: “They’re quite happy with it.

Besides, this isn’t about just one case, it’s 2+1.”

Huang Qiangmin emphasized, “I still made concessions in the end, a package deal.”

Liu Jinghui asked, “What’s this 2+1 deal?”

“Aside from the two cases we previously agreed upon, if a new case arises—whether it’s a homicide or anything else—they need assistance, we can offer support one more time,” explained Huang Qiangmin, glancing at Jiang Yuan and adding, “It’s within a few days, no specific time set, and remote assistance is theoretically possible.

In short, solving the case is the priority, and the deadline is within this year.”

Liu Jinghui immediately understood, “This is to ensure that all homicide cases this year are solved.”

In a town like Qu’an County, an average of one current-year homicide case occurs annually.

Huang Qiangmin’s promise of 2+1 meant solving two homicide cases, including current ones.

With this, Qu’an County could score over 500 points for the year in homicide cases.

Of these, 300 points—for the current cases fully solved—they might get on their own, but the rest, from the two extra cold case homicide points, they would very unlikely earn.

In other words, Huang Qiangmin was selling them 200 points, plus a 300-point insurance.

Additionally, the marginal effects that came with it were enjoyed by Qu’an County alone.

Despite this, Liu Jinghui, a senior superintendent from the provincial police department, still found it hard to believe.

After glancing at the note again, he said, “Won’t Qu’an County need these vehicles in the future?

There are several vehicles here.

Does Ningtai County really need that many vehicles?”

“We have so many people going out now; don’t we need vehicles?

We can’t always use others’ vehicles.

Besides, buses, minibuses, prisoner transport vehicles, and even hearses—our county bureau didn’t have these before…

And it’s not like I only want vehicles, and they only have vehicles to offer.”

“Maintaining all those vehicles…

my goodness, taking on the fuel and insurance costs as well, have you thought this through?”

“If we get some good vehicles later on, we can trade the old ones from Ningtai County to them.

It’s not like the detectives from Ningtai County don’t deserve to drive a good, new car,” stated Huang Qiangmin confidently, standing his ground as someone above reproach.

Jiang Yuan nodded in agreement and added, “But our detective team driving old cars doesn’t have to exchange them, as there are people who can’t even shift gears properly.”

In front of Liu Jinghui, Huang Qiangmin’s face turned red as he defended, “Those who can’t shift gears have paws, not hands.

Some vehicles have only driven 150,000 kilometers and they say they can’t shift gears–whom should we blame for that?”

After thinking for a moment, Jiang Yuan realized which vehicle Huang Qiangmin was talking about and said, “You’re referring to that Skoda, I hear it had its meter rolled back when it hit 500,000 kilometers.”

“The meter was rolled back, but not at 500,000 kilometers.

Mainly for the ease of reading the mileage,” Huang Qiangmin ambiguously replied.

Liu Jinghui asked curiously, “So, at how many kilometers was it adjusted?”

Huang Qiangmin evasively replied, “48…

probably.

Anyway, let’s talk about the case.

What’s left to do in Qu’an County now is a case of a body abandoned in the wilderness.

The initial investigation was done by a forensic doctor from Changyang City, who couldn’t identify the body’s origin, but they kept the bones.”

“Let’s go with that one,” Jiang Yuan was not choosy.

Looking at Liu Jinghui, he said, “I’ll need a few days to prepare.

Will you go home and rest, or…?”

“No rush to go back,” interrupted Liu Jinghui, lifting his cup and taking a sip.

“It’s quite nice outside.”