National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 731 - 674: One Step Closer

Chapter 731: Chapter 674: One Step Closer

Chen Nian’s skeletal remains had been soaked in sewage or corpse water for about two years. Even if she had regularly drunk milk to strengthen her bones as a young person, by now they would have likely deteriorated. Using a magnifying glass, pits and indentations on the bone surface were inevitable.

This differed from the bones of pigs, cows, and sheep we commonly see. Those pigs that make their way to countless homes from the market, most of them are between 8 to 12 months old. The sheep are a bit older, akin to just having completed a summer school session, and most of the cows are around three years old, hence they appear more robust. Regardless of the species, their bones are still much younger than those of a human in their twenties, and so are naturally smoother and more polished.

It was only after confirming the presence of scratch marks that Jiang Yuan and his team took up the magnifying glass to meticulously search, inch by inch.

At this point, Zhan Kan and the other junior forensic doctors could only do secondary work, accompanying the rest through the entire process.

Soon, everyone noticed that Zeng Lianrong maintained a consistent speed, moving relatively uniformly as he examined the remains, whereas Jiang Yuan’s pace was getting progressively faster.

By the end, Jiang Yuan was moving his magnifying glass over the bones at a speed three times that of Zeng Lianrong.

If these had been his own apprentices, Zeng Lianrong would have surely scolded them severely. Searching so hastily could lead to missed details, voiding the entire effort and necessitating a complete redo.

But seeing Jiang Yuan operate in such a manner... it was hard for Zeng Lianrong to raise objections. Although he felt that Jiang Yuan was not being thorough enough, considering Jiang Yuan’s track record and capabilities, he had no criticism to offer. After all, even if Jiang Yuan were just to feel around with his hands, he would still be at least eight times more effective than Zhan Kan.

Jiang Yuan himself was oblivious to this.

He was a Level 6 in Tool Trace Identification; it was currently his top skill. At the moment, he had activated a temporary skill boost to +1, which for nearly 7 hours brought his Tool Trace Identification to Level 7. It was as if the knifes had no place to hide; he could find them wherever they were made.

In no time, Jiang Yuan found six traces that had been lightly scored by a sharp knife, so shallow and corroded by the environment that they were very easy to overlook.

Jiang Yuan analyzed that it would take at least a Level 4 in crime scene investigation, forensic anthropology, forensic pathology, or the like to find and confirm these extremely faint scratch marks. To identify them comfortably, one would ideally need a suitable Level 5 skill.

In Shannan Province, this would require a top expert, one who sits upright in front of the dissection table, scrutinizing with a magnifying glass for a day and a night.

From this perspective, the technical level of Zeng Lianrong was truly outstanding, befitting his status as one of the leading experts in the city’s dissection center.

"The dismemberment marks on number one are quite clear, totaling eleven spots. Number two also has knife marks at the joints, indicating the body was cut into large pieces," Jiang Yuan put down his magnifying glass and pondered, "It was done very carefully, with almost only the knife tip touching the bones, likely in the act of severing tendons or similar tissues."

Jiang Yuan simulated the movements, feeling that the perpetrator’s actions were very precise.

"He’s a pro," Zeng Lianrong said with a sigh. "He’d best be someone who honed his skills in a slaughterhouse."

Upon hearing the forensic doctor’s comment, several of the younger doctors present, including a female, couldn’t take it and showed visible signs of disgust.

Zeng Lianrong examined the knife marks Jiang Yuan had indicated and found them to be even finer than the ones he had found, easing his concerns. He then added, "Back in my younger days, to find such a person, I would have consulted the information department to scan the list of local meat processing enterprises, combined with a list of those who have engaged in private slaughtering before, and that would generally narrow it down. But now... this is no longer just our city’s issue."

"Let’s first notify Tao," Jiang Yuan said. "A horn knife and a bamboo basket are not common items. With some luck, we might be able to locate them." Though he said this, he didn’t hold much hope.

This approach was more effective against the average murderer because an ordinary person planning a murder goes through countless iterations before a certain trigger leads them to act. The ones who end up carrying out the act are often the most desperate, while those who can hold off might eventually give up. Thus, the murder tools of an ordinary person are either common household items or something purchased just for the occasion.

But the killer in this case likely had a weapon handy, as we can tell from the bodies here, numbers one, two, and five were all dismembered with the same butcher knife. Obviously, the killer doesn’t have the habit of abandoning the murder weapon after committing a crime.

Zeng Lianrong also made the phone call with a bit of hope.

In the case of serial killers, one cannot expect a golden path leading the police to the culprit. As mentioned before, becoming a serial killer is both a result of psychological aberration and a societal selection process. No premeditated murderer intends to end up in prison; if not apprehended, those who benefit from their killings are likely to continue committing crimes throughout their lives. If still undiscovered or uncaught, they might well become serial killers.

And once serial killers have eluded multiple rounds of elimination, they’ve already acquired many skills they shouldn’t possess, making conventional investigative methods ineffective against them. Only meticulous investigations, advancements in technology, sheer luck, or mistakes made by the killers themselves, might lead to their apprehension.

Many serial killers abroad have ultimately evaded capture, with famous cases such as Zodiac taunting the police and still escaping capture, truly shaking society.

Jiang Yuan continued examining bones with a magnifying glass, a tiresome task that normal forensic doctors under normal circumstances wouldn’t undertake.

Most of the time, forensic doctors work under microscopes, creating pathological sections of the corpses to study—similar to the pathological departments in hospitals. However, when forensic doctors find cancer in their subject of study, all they need is a heartfelt smile: not a big loss.

While the magnifying power of a magnifying glass can’t compare to a microscope, it’s more convenient than a microscope and is often used for tool trace identification. Jiang Yuan, accustomed to on-site investigations, didn’t mind using the magnifying glass.

Zeng Lianrong had been on the phone for a long time. When he returned, he found Jiang Yuan engrossed in studying a bone.

Approaching, Zeng Lianrong coughed twice and said, "I just had a lengthy talk with Tao. There’s still a decent chance with the butcher knife. Even if the killer bought the knife a long time ago, a person who uses such a knife is likely to have purchased related items, like a sharpening stone, for instance. Moreover, professionals like doctors or forensic doctors would typically use a scalpel for dissecting a body; using a butcher knife suggests that the profession is probably related to the butchery industry..."

At that moment, Jiang Yuan looked up and said, "Zeng, hold on a moment."

Having said that, Jiang Yuan took a piece of PVC electrostatic film from the tray beside him, covered the sternoclavicular joint he had been examining, and smoothed it out as best as he could.

Zeng Lianrong looked over as well, noticing other items on the tray such as tweezers, scissors, transparent tape, evidence bags, sulfuric acid paper, and nearby, an aspirator; he instantly understood that Jiang Yuan was in the process of collecting trace evidence.

Zeng Lianrong queried his apprentice, Zhan Kan, with a look.

Zhan Kan was taken aback for a moment, then quickly said, "Captain Jiang was pointing out a white speck on the sternoclavicular joint that doesn’t look like bone residue."

"What is it then?"

"It looks more like white paint. Let the lab have a look." Jiang Yuan flipped the electrostatic film over, and a nearly invisible white particle was clearly visible on it.

"It’s not something from the soil or sewage, is it?" Zeng Lianrong picked up a magnifying glass and examined it from a distance, before answering his own question: "It really doesn’t look like it, seems more like paint."

His eyes lit up as he spoke.

Paint materials are a very specialized chemical product, and among the various material databases collected by industry ministries, they are quite comprehensive. Most paints can be identified down to the type through comparison, so in comparison to the butcher knife, this is an even bigger step forward.