National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 752 - 695: A Small Question

Chapter 752: Chapter 695: A Small Question

Early morning.

The birds chirped noisily, boasting about the abundance of bugs they’ve caught, about their good health, about their strong reproductive abilities, over and over again, without any respite.

Jiang Yuan, awakened by the birdsong, lay in bed, feeling a bit too lazy to get up.

In Beijing, the environment surprisingly embraced nature. The park next to the residential complex had forests and bodies of water, and was home to a constant presence of flying birds. Looking out of the bedroom window, greenery predominated. Even those who paid no attention to urban construction could sense the funds burning through...

In the kitchen, chefs sent from Ningtai busily prepared breakfast.

Freshly ground soy milk, tofu and tofu pudding all appeared to be bought from outside, while the deep-fried dough sticks were made on the spot using Type 95 soybean oil, frying them until they were crispy, a pure northern taste. If it were Southern style dough sticks, the inside would be slightly soft and chewy, more suited to dipping in soy sauce and eating with soup.

Beyond that, the gourd-like twisted dough sticks from the Zhongyuan region had their own unique flair, especially when paired with spicy soup. They constituted a breakfast so satisfying that it was the equivalent of consuming most of the delicacies of a whole province.

Mu Zhiyang, Liu Jinghui, and others also emerged from their bedrooms one after another.

The houses Jiang Fuzhen had bought earlier were all calculated based on the living area of rural people. Sometimes, in order not to be ridiculed by Beijingers as country bumpkins, he would deliberately buy a larger place, vanity being an unavoidable trait among those whose homes had been demolished.

As a result, the house Jiang Yuan currently lived in was somewhat unsuitable for living alone. If it was just one person, the wind whistling through the living room at night could be quite loud.

Therefore, Jiang Yuan simply made the rooms, other than the master bedroom, available to his team members as dormitories, without charging any fees. It was on a first-come-first-served basis, whoever wanted to room together could do so.

Compared to the real dormitories provided by the Zhengguang Bureau, the conditions here were obviously much better, especially with chefs offering three meals a day plus supper, along with a full walk-in refrigerator available around the clock with food, more than enough to keep the detectives well-fed despite their hectic schedules.

"What’s on the agenda today?" Liu Jinghui sat down opposite Jiang Yuan, skillfully pouring himself milk, soy milk, and yogurt.

"We can rest in the morning, and if there’s nothing in the afternoon, how about we go to the Zhengguang Bureau to pick out cases?" Jiang Yuan recalled, saying, "Last time I checked, there were a few cases that looked promising. If we can’t find a suitable one, we’ll start with the recent cold cases."

"Hmm, we can’t let them designate the case for us. What if they choose a decades-old case with an extremely high difficulty level? We can’t possibly solve cases out of thin air. You have to maintain your principles!" Liu Jinghui was always thoughtful.

Jiang Yuan nodded in agreement, casually grabbing a dough stick and violently dunking it into his soy milk bowl, the dough stick soaking up several gulps of soy milk in one go.

After breakfast, Mu Zhiyang had just turned on the PS5 when Tao Lu’s phone call timed perfectly came in.

"Tao, is there a case?" Jiang Yuan asked directly after picking up the call.

Tao Lu merely hummed his acknowledgment and said, "Are you willing to get involved in a live case?"

"Has it just happened?"

"Yes. At present, it’s considered a death by unusual circumstances, but due to the deceased’s identity, it is still necessary to conduct a comprehensive investigation as if it’s a homicide. The body also needs a full autopsy." Tao Lu specifically pointed this out, because regardless of whether it was an unusual death or a homicide, the case required a comprehensive autopsy by a forensic doctor, and if Jiang Yuan were to be involved, this would be his responsibility.

All Jiang Yuan said was, "I’ll report to Commissioner Huang, and if it’s possible, I’ll participate."

"I’ve talked to your Huang. If you agree on your end, you’ll lead the forensic examination," said Tao Lu.

Jiang Yuan thus agreed to it.

After quickly getting ready but before leaving, Huang Qiangmin called.

Following a brief conversation, Huang Qiangmin said, "It doesn’t seem to be a particularly special case. I get the feeling from Tao that it’s only because the deceased had a rather special identity that they’re treating it as a homicide, even if it’s an unusual death. Additionally, the higher-ups have requested that we bring our best personnel... So, you are now Zhengguang Bureau’s best forensic doctor!"

Huang Qiangmin chuckled as he said this.

There’s a clear difference between being first and second, not to mention... the pay. If it can be proven that Jiang Yuan is the best forensic doctor in Zhengguang Bureau, perhaps even in the Beijing Bureau, then the treatment he receives should obviously be different.

Huang Qiangmin specifically said, "To show our respect, take the entire Cold Case Squad with you. They’d be idle otherwise."

So, Jiang Yuan’s Accumulated Case Team, along with Liu Jinghui, set off in five brand new Beijing-registered cars.

Technology University Family Housing.

In a small circle of gardens adjacent to the campus gate, there are dozens of quaint two-story residential buildings.

The houses are quite old, at least forty to fifty years, not very large in total area, but with independent courtyards, serene and natural.

By this time, the yard was already full of police officers.

Tao Lu had arrived a bit earlier than Jiang Yuan. He did not expect Jiang Yuan to bring the entire team, feeling both respected and a little embarrassed, he hurriedly said, "There’s no need for a full deployment yet. First, examine the body, and then take it back for a detailed autopsy."

After saying this, Tao Lu added, "Currently, there’s no sign of homicide, but you should be careful in your inspection... Respect the deceased and take the family’s emotions into consideration."

"Right," replied Jiang Yuan, who had no objections, he changed into his coveralls, slipped on shoe covers, a head cover, a mask, and gloves before entering the scene.

Liu Cheng’s team was in charge of the investigation, and the detectives were already familiar with Jiang Yuan. They greeted him with friendly smiles and guided him into place.

There were fewer people in the room, but from the living room to the bedroom, there were still seven or eight people taking pictures or gathering evidence, busily at work.

Liu Cheng followed closely behind Jiang Yuan, whispering, "The deceased is Zhou Xiangyang, a professor at Technology University, 72 years old, with a string of titles. From what they say, he was almost an academician. At such a ripe age, he was still employed by the school to work on significant national projects. After the incident, several leaders made calls, demanding a thorough investigation."

Liu Cheng paused for a moment, then, seeing Jiang Yuan’s expression as usual, continued, "Like with the previous cases, our investigation of this case will also be recorded throughout. We need to be cautious in every aspect."

Generally speaking, the body cameras carried by on-duty officers are sufficient, but as demands increase from all sides, a separate camera has its benefits, at the very least it can protect the officers themselves.

Having worked at the Beijing Bureau, Liu Cheng had long since become accustomed to "enforcing the law under the watch of cameras," following the requirements of the ministry. He mentioned this to Jiang Yuan as a reminder and continued, "After the deceased’s wife passed away, he mostly lived alone. His children hired a nanny who did not live in. She cleaned and cooked for him and had the keys to the house. She arrived at around 10 a.m. this morning and found that the elderly man had already passed away..."

The body was in the bedroom on the first floor.

The body lay on its back on the bed with vomit on both sides and beneath the bed, and a dark red secretion streamed from the corners of the mouth. The nails on both hands were purplish in color. In forensic terms, they exhibited nail bed cyanosis...

The forensic doctor, Zhan Kan, who had arrived earlier, just conducted some basic surface examinations and took measurements like the anal temperature, followed by extensive photography.

He knew that today’s lead forensic doctor was Jiang Yuan. The two had previously collaborated on several cadavers at the autopsy center. More precisely, Zhan Kan had assisted Jiang Yuan in dissecting several bodies and understood that Jiang Yuan was a model of expertise.

However, Zhan had never worked a crime scene with Jiang Yuan before and was not familiar with his habits and methods, so he remained alert.

"Captain Zhan, we’ll be working together today," Jiang Yuan greeted Zhan Kan.

Zhan Kan hurriedly replied, "Just call me Little Zhan, being too polite makes me uneasy. I’ll follow your lead. Where should we start?"

"Let’s take the anal temperature again," Jiang Yuan suggested, beginning the procedure.

Little Zhan quickly assisted.

"The time of death is roughly around 4:30 a.m.," Jiang Yuan concluded after reviewing the anal temperature recorded by Little Zhan.

Liu Cheng, who was close by, acknowledged and mused, "So he died in the middle of the night. At that hour, it would have definitely been impossible to enter or leave the school."

Jiang Yuan began the external examination without expressing agreement or disagreement.

Little Zhan stood by taking notes and observing Jiang Yuan’s actions.

Forensics is a rather personal job. Many forensic doctors have their own habitual movements, and in some cases, these prove to be quite useful. They are like small tricks that aren’t exactly secrets.

Yet, Zhan Kan did not find this in Jiang Yuan’s procedures. In fact, Jiang Yuan’s methods were almost entirely standard. To put it plainly, even somewhat unremarkable and slightly slow.

Of course, Zhan Kan had no place to comment and just followed Jiang Yuan’s lead.

An external examination took nearly half an hour, until Liu Cheng came over and asked, "Captain Jiang, how is it?"

"There are no obvious external injuries, nor any particular skin damage," Jiang Yuan said.

"That’s good," Liu Cheng sighed in relief, a smile appearing on his face as he said, "If there’s no issue, then we can prepare to wrap up here."

There are many causes for unnatural deaths, such as various accidents, diseases, and even suicide.

The deceased, Zhou Xiangyang, was already 72 years old. Although that’s not considered very old by modern standards, the probability of sudden disease is still quite high.

On the other hand, the lack of external injuries and the time of death at around 4:30 a.m. significantly lowered the possibility of homicide. From Liu Cheng’s perspective, this almost ruled out homicide.

Of course, to definitively rule out homicide, a full autopsy from the forensic side would still be needed, but that would be a matter for one or two days later.

Jiang Yuan hesitated slightly before saying, "I want to take another look around the scene."

Liu Cheng agreed first, then after waiting a moment, asked, "Captain Jiang, do you suspect something?"

"I have a few minor doubts," Jiang Yuan said pensively.

"Let’s hear them," Liu Cheng said lightly.

Jiang Yuan removed his gloves and put on a fresh pair before saying, "Firstly, analyzing from the cause of death, although the specific cause is not yet clear, the deceased’s nail bed cyanosis and hemorrhagic spots on the upper and lower eyelid conjunctiva are signs of asphyxia. Even if we exclude mechanical asphyxia, murder is still a possibility."

Not all cases of cyanosis are due to lack of oxygen, but cyanosis certainly implies a lack of oxygen. It can even be said that nail bed cyanosis is already an indication of a significant degree of hypoxia. Although it may be caused by certain diseases, it still warrants close attention.

Liu Cheng and Little Zhan both nodded in agreement.

Jiang Yuan continued, "Secondly, considering the time of vomit and the time of death, the deceased must have started vomiting between 1 and 2 a.m. He did not call for help during that period, which likely means he had lost consciousness while vomiting. Considering his medical history, although he had a heart condition, it still doesn’t quite fit with simple food poisoning or disease."

Little Zhan’s eyes widened, and Liu Cheng nodded though he seemed perplexed.

Jiang Yuan further explained, "Third, the rigidity of the deceased’s shoulders and chest is stronger than expected, which does not match the timeline of death. Of course, there are no strict standards for this, but it should be noted."

Little Zhan blinked frequently, and Liu Cheng’s frown deepened.

Jiang Yuan: "Fourth..."

Jiang Yuan: "Fifth..."

Liu Cheng waited until Jiang Yuan finished speaking and eagerly said, "I understand, Captain Jiang. Just tell us what to do."