National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 585 - 531

Chapter 585: 531

From a temporal perspective, the case had already been over two months old.

Jiang Yuan couldn’t help feeling impressed. True to Jingji region’s reputation, a murder case that remained unsolved for two months could obtain support from the ministry.

"It’s getting late, I’d like to head back to my hotel room to tidy up a bit..." Fang Jingxin from Jingji Hongqiao Sub-bureau took another sip of tea, indicating his intention to leave.

At this moment, Jiang Yuan looked up and waved his hand, saying, "Just right, I have a footprint analysis report ready on my end. Why don’t you take a look first?"

Fang Jingxin was taken aback and said, "That fast?"

"Yeah, the footprint analysis I did is relatively brief and hasn’t formed into an official document. If we can hit the mark, that’s best; if not, then we’ll see," Jiang Yuan said without looking up, opening his notebook and writing as he spoke.

Fang Jingxin responded affirmatively, "Please, go ahead."

Jiang Yuan then stated, "Based on the evidence I’ve seen so far, I have the following forensic conclusions:

The perpetrator is male.

He is 27 years old, with a height ranging from 173 to 177 centimeters, barefoot measurement.

He is relatively light, weighing less than 130 jin.

His shoe size is 42, with a slender foot shape.

His body is fit, likely the type with defined muscle lines.

He is not a local. There is a high probability that he comes from a mountainous area, a true mountainous region, showing signs of long-term walking in the mountains and experience in carrying goods over such terrain. He has been engaging in long-term physical labor, specifically heavy manual labor, in the mountains."

Not only Captain Fang, but also Cui Xiaohu and Li Haochen, who were listening, were stunned. What did you just say about brief?

Fang Jingxin had been briefly checking his phone, already deciding what late-night snack to have.

Now, Fang Jingxin was burning with eagerness.

Having served as a police officer in the Jingji region, he immediately recognized that he was dealing with an expert, and not just an ordinary expert. The stories he had heard about Jiang Yuan at the station were not only not exaggerated, but they might even have been downplayed.

Fang Jingxin promptly put down his tea, took out his notebook, and said more respectfully, "Expert Jiang, you can call me Xiao Fang or Jingxin. I would like to ask one more question for the report—how did you determine that the perpetrator comes from a pure mountainous area?"

"That’s somewhat complex," Jiang Yuan glanced at the newbie across from him. He was beginning to understand why immortals were reluctant to enlighten mortals. Not to mention affecting the average value of their dwelling places, mortals were too numerous, and trying to enlighten them all day long was an endless task.

Fang Jingxin, with all sincerity, said, "Just a rough explanation will do, I don’t seek a thorough understanding..."

Jiang Yuan simply sat at the tea table, took a sip of tea, and said, "Then I’ll just talk about a few points casually. First off, walking in the mountains changes your stride, gait, and the angle of your steps. Look, what’s distinctive about mountain roads? They are uneven with many obstructions that require constant changes in direction. To avoid falling, you have to step firmly, which leaves deeper impressions."

Jiang Yuan continued, "Moreover, you tend to walk with a wider stride and a larger step angle in the mountains."

This is similar to how off-road vehicles prefer larger wheels and four-wheel drive.

Fang Jingxin, only half-understanding, hastily took notes. Otherwise, how would he respond when questioned by his superiors later on? If he had to approach Jiang Yuan again and Jiang Yuan happened to be displeased, what would he do then?

Jiang Yuan waited for Fang Jingxin to catch up, and then added, "Additionally, the forefoot exerts force while walking, leading to dig marks on one side when carrying items..."

And so, Fang Jingxin filled a whole page with notes.

Jiang Yuan had drunk an entire pot of tea and said he was tired. He then asked, "Is that enough for you to report?"

"Hey, look at what you’re saying. I’m just clarifying things, not testing you..." Fang Jingxin quickly explained before hurrying back to make his report.

A short while later, Fang Jingxin returned, his attitude even more respectful.

The few of them therefore continued to enjoy their tea in high spirits.

After a while, Fang Jingxin checked his phone and laughed, "The team has already produced a list and is preparing to conduct overnight checks. I reckon we won’t have results until tomorrow, so why don’t we call it a day?"

"That works," Huang Qiangmin agreed, smiling.

In the absence of a case, leaving work on time was the norm. The only abnormal thing was typically the absence of a case itself.

Huang Qiangmin made a call to Director Chai Tong to set a time, then turned back enthusiastically to invite Cui Xiaohu and Fang Jingxin for dinner.

Cui Xiaohu considered it and agreed, while Fang Jingxin declined twice before saying, "I’ll just head back to my hotel room first, and then I can head over by myself."

"I’ll have someone take you," Huang Qiangmin, not sure why he was so insistent on returning to his hotel room, warmly called over Mu Zhiyang to give him a lift.

Jiang Yuan, Huang Qiangmin, and Cui Xiaohu were then driven to the restaurant by Wang Chuanxing.

As Fang Jingxin got into the car, he breathed a sigh of relief. After ensuring that Mu Zhiyang was a regular police officer through a brief chat, he laughed, "Sorry, I’m going to play a game for a bit, okay?"

Subsequently, Fang Jingxin quickly took out his phone, launched a game, and began playing immediately.

Mu Zhiyang drove the car, smiling as he said, "There aren’t many detectives who play games, right?"

"You don’t know, I’m sometimes really unlucky. When I have nothing to do and am about to leave, something will come up, and then it’s not that there’s really anything urgent, it’s just waiting, just waiting and waiting, and in the end, I find something to do for myself," Fang Jingxin sighed.

Mu Zhiyang, feeling suddenly sympathetic, said, "The kind of situation you’re talking about, I’ve encountered it, too."

"It’s different from just being idle. Even if everything’s normal and I’m about to finish my shift, I don’t have to say anything or make any moves, and something will come up, ah, like today..." Fang Jingxin shook his head.

Mu Zhiyang said, "It’s quite similar to my own experience, almost the same in nature, but I’m not about having things to do, rather, often when I speak of someone, I’ll run into them, like, for example, if I now say something about a traffic police checkpoint or something..."

Mu Zhiyang’s voice trailed off, and Fang Jingxin, looking up, laughed, "There really is a traffic police checkpoint ahead. Are you doing this on purpose? Is this a regular checkpoint for you guys?"

"We didn’t used to have it." Mu Zhiyang shook his head seriously, his expression somewhat grave. He used to think his words were somewhat prescient, but never to this extent. Glancing back at Fang Jingxin, could it be that he was doubly blessed?

Fang Jingxin, amused by his gaze, laughed: "This has nothing to do with me. It’s all right, I’m just idling anyway, nothing much, just wait a few more minutes."

No sooner had his words ended than his phone rang, and without a doubt, the game interface was popped out of view.

Fang Jingxin, looking at the phone number, immediately became solemn.

Mu Zhiyang also frowned deeply.

"Understood. Yes! I will report to Captain Jiang immediately!" Fang Jingxin responded earnestly.

Mu Zhiyang, gliding the car, watched Fang Jingxin in the rearview mirror. Without a doubt, this must have been a call from his superiors.

Mu Zhiyang looked on, feeling quite emotional, it seemed that even high-ranking leaders in big cities were all the same.

It wasn’t long before Fang Jingxin hung up the phone, sighed, and said, "Captain Mu, please take me to the restaurant, the one where Director Huang and Captain Jiang are."

"Can’t you call?" Mu Zhiyang said as he started to turn the car around, prompting the traffic police to immediately shout at him to stop.

"The case is important, it’s better that I report in person," sighed Fang Jingxin, reopening the game to play it with peace of mind.

Mu Zhiyang, meanwhile, got out of the car and waved his hand.

The approaching traffic cop immediately recognized him, and someone laughed, "If it isn’t Shield Brother."

"Shield Brother, nothing. Come by the station for a cup of tea sometime," Mu Zhiyang waved his hand and got back into the car to start the engine.

Fang Jingxin was somewhat surprised, "You’re quite the celebrity, eh?"

"Celebrity, nothing. I’ve just been shot at twice. One time it was a minor injury, and the other time the bullet got lodged in the shield. They didn’t want to call me ’got shot kid,’ so they settled for Shield Brother." Mu Zhiyang was still a bit proud. Even in a small town, being a policeman out of hundreds, even thousands, having a nickname was quite something.

Fang Jingxin also expressed his deep respect. These days, someone who had been shot at was indeed quite remarkable.

...

At the restaurant.

Arriving outside the private room, Fang Jingxin sent another message to Jiang Yuan, and after waiting outside for a while, he saw Huang Qiangmin come out to beckon, smiling, "Come in and talk, it’ll be fine."

"This... I want to report some news about the case," Fang Jingxin hastily explained.

"It’s just that Director Chai and several deputy directors are also here," Huang Qiangmin smiled.

Fang Jingxin then entered the room, first apologizing, and then said, "I have come to report a piece of good news to Captain Jiang. According to the conditions provided by Captain Jiang, we have identified a criminal suspect."

"Indeed, that is good news, let’s hear it," Director Chai tried to be down-to-earth. There wasn’t much conversation happening on his end anyway, and a case coming up was certainly very welcome.

Fang Jingxin looked left and right, making sure he was surrounded by leaders from the Ningtai County Bureau, then said, "We had a list of suspects all along, and based on the criteria set by Captain Jiang, we finally identified one of them as the criminal suspect."

Fang Jingxin paused for a moment, then continued, "The criminal suspect used to work in the victim’s son’s store, from Kun Province. He had been fired and had made some harsh statements afterward. This suspect had a female cousin who got married in Jingji, so when we found her cousin, we discovered the suspect had left his motorcycle to her before leaving."

"Although the suspect had told his cousin to sell the bike, because a colleague of hers needed it, she sold the motorcycle to the colleague for a cheap price."

"After finding the colleague, forensics detected the victim’s blood under the seat cushion of the motorcycle."

Fang Jingxin explained all this in one breath and then looked up at Jiang Yuan, "The team has already headed to Kun Province to apprehend the suspect, with the preliminary plan being to investigate in the suspect’s hometown. I just wanted to ask if there are any precautions to take, as we’re not sure if the killer might still be at his hometown..."

"I need evidence to perform an analysis," Jiang Yuan said, "Shall I wait until you’re on site?"

"Yes, yes, yes, that would be best," Fang Jingxin agreed repeatedly.

Cui Xiaohu, who had been listening on the side, was visibly excited and cut in before Fang Jingxin could speak, "Captain Jiang, by this account, this case is almost wrapped up. If that is so..."

"Xiaohu, it’s time to eat, let’s not talk about work now. We’ll discuss it in detail later," Huang Qiangmin interrupted cheerfully, serving him a shrimp with the public chopsticks.

Cui Xiaohu stuffed the shrimp into his mouth, chewing it up, shell and all, and all the while, his eyes were fixed intently on Jiang Yuan.