National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 754 - 697: Update News Anytime

Chapter 754: Chapter 697: Update News Anytime

After finishing the autopsy work and taking a shower in the autopsy center, Jiang Yuan changed into fresh clothes, grabbed a bottle of Coke from the vending machine, and sat down on the balcony at the end of the corridor, drinking half of it in one go.

At the horizon’s end lay the thriving beauty of Beijing, to which Jiang Yuan had never paid much attention before. However, having received Zhou Xiangyang’s legacy, his perception suddenly changed.

No wonder everyone flocks to Beijing; the legacy this place offers is exceptional!

In the past, the best legacy Jiang Yuan had received was about an LV5 dog food, which was indeed remarkable. If he were to open a pet store, that would at least be on par with having a Chinese breed as the star.

But the LV5 cyber cryptography that Comrade Zhou Xiangyang bequeathed has a much higher societal value.

Another skill with a very high societal value that Jiang Yuan had obtained previously was LV3 Image Enhancement, which, after completing a task, was upgraded to LV4.

But whether it’s LV4 or LV3 Image Enhancement, the gap with LV5 is huge.

If mastering LV3 Image Enhancement could get you a million-yuan annual salary position at some internet company, then LV5 cyber cryptography is about becoming the boss.

In fact, even within the campus of Technology University, Zhou Xiangyang was a boss-level figure.

Not just in his own field, but across the entire Technology University, he was at the highest level. And in terms of his own expertise, he was at the top nationwide.

Cyber cryptography encompasses a wide range of content, from remote encrypted telecommunication to current internet technologies such as blockchain; almost all are built upon cryptography. Moreover, its difficulty level is extremely high; there are only a handful of people nationwide who master LV5 cryptography.

It’s not hard to imagine, if one were to live in Beijing and work at the autopsy center year-round...

...

"Jiang Yuan."

Tao Lu came to the autopsy center with a few people, went directly to the office, and asked upon arrival, "Was it a homicide?"

"It could also be accidental ingestion, but it’s definitely not caused by disease," Jiang Yuan, who was having soup and looking at photos in the office, replied after setting down his spoon and pushing away his chair to sit to the side.

"Could it be some kind of drug?" Tao Lu asked.

Jiang Yuan had been looking at scene photos and various reports for half the day. After a moment’s hesitation, he said, "That possibility hasn’t been ruled out, but we need to see the results from the Toxicology Laboratory to determine the exact cause."

"How long will the results take?" This time, the question came from someone behind Tao Lu.

Tao Lu coughed twice and said, "I forgot to introduce, this is my colleague from the National Security Brigade, Qi Changye, and other members of Qi’s team."

He emphasized the last sentence.

National Security is part of the police family, and from time to time, when there’s a need for assistance with some work, they have contact. There are also National Security commissioners in the county bureaus, who have independent offices and work, and who interact more frequently with the officers of other teams.

As for Qi’s colleague, Tao Lu did not elaborate, and Jiang Yuan didn’t care to know. A colleague’s colleague is not my colleague.

Jiang Yuan actually knew that LV5 cryptography was very powerful and that professors like Zhou Xiangyang would typically be involved in the civilian sector as well.

However, Technology University is not a military institution, and most of the work by its professors, including Zhou Xiangyang’s current projects, which are publicly listed and civilian, is oriented toward the public. They are often development projects for internet or financial companies. And among his students, nine out of ten go to such companies, and the remaining one mostly ends up working at a university or research institute.

Jiang Yuan looked up and said, "A full toxicological analysis can take several days, but we should have some preliminary results by tomorrow. However, those will likely just be routine toxic substance tests, for things like organophosphates, organochlorines, rodenticides, cyanides, and so on."

Even though "poisoning" sounds quite impressive, the poisons used for homicides in the country have been the same old three for many years: pesticides, arsenic, and rodenticides.

Since the new millennium, some higher education institutions have introduced new trends, such as the element thallium, which a Tsinghua University student managed to popularize across the entire country, marking a significant case of Tsinghua’s social responsibility development over the past two decades.

Tao Lu naturally knew the toxin detection process Jiang Yuan mentioned. After hesitating for a moment, he said, "If Professor Zhou’s death was due to poisoning, I fear it won’t be from a simple toxin."

Following him, Qi Changye gave a slight nod.

"I agree," said Jiang Yuan, and then waited for Tao Lu to continue talking.

He was the visiting team, after all. When the leaders spoke, you listened, and you maxed out your emotional intelligence when it was required.

Qi Changye looked back at his colleagues, and after a brief non-verbal conversation, he turned back and said, "Let’s just continue the investigation for now. There’s no rush to hand it over. Even after we take over, we’ll still have to wait for the toxicology tests. Also, we’re familiar with Forensic Jiang Yuan’s technical expertise. If possible, we’d like Doctor Jiang to lead this case."

He spoke politely, but his request was anything but, effectively assigning the criminal police’s tasks.

Theoretically, Tao Lu could have refused, but why bother?

With an indifferent smile, Tao Lu turned to say, "Jiang Yuan, then just carry on with the case, and if you have any problems, come to me, and I’ll coordinate with Captain Qi."

Qi Changye nodded and said, "Okay."

After he finished speaking, he looked over at his colleagues.

"Keep us informed of any developments and update us regularly," a colleague whose name is unknown chimed in at this point.

Qi Changye agreed, then turned to Jiang Yuan with a friendly smile and said, "Captain Jiang, don’t find it troublesome. It’s just the normal process, but whenever you find something, have any evidence, just let us know. If there are photos or anything, send them to me. After all, there is some information that you don’t have here, and I can check it on my side, and then we’re sharing information."

Jiang Yuan consented.

Qi Changye continued with a cheerful tone, "Let’s leave it at that for now. If you need anything else, be it technical support, equipment, or manpower, feel free to ask."

"Speaking of which..." Just as the group was about to leave, Jiang Yuan stood up and called them back.

Qi Changye’s brow furrowed slightly, a fleeting expression, as he continued with a smile, "Go ahead, as long as it’s a reasonable request and it helps the case, we’ll try to find a way..."

"It’s not about that. If we are to update information, I was just looking at some photos a moment ago..." Jiang Yuan said, pointing to his computer, and suggested, "Shall I just show everyone?"

"Uh...sure," the group followed him to the desk where Jiang Yuan had just been sitting.

Jiang Yuan moved his half-eaten abalone rice to the windowsill, placed the steaming bowl of vegetables, honey-glazed sweet potatoes, crispy-skinned pigeon, two buns, two handfuls of sushi, three shrimps, an assortment of braised delicacies to the side, and then opened his computer screen, saying, "Mainly here, please take a look."

The photo on display was of Zhou Xiangyang’s liquor cabinet.

Like many elderly people, Zhou Xiangyang liked to display his collection and varieties of renowned liquors he had drunk on a shelf in the living room, but over time, it became quite disorganized and untidy, just as it was now.

"What are we looking at?" Qi Changye asked directly.

Jiang Yuan zoomed in on the photo slightly and pointed out, "This bottle of medicinal liquor, on the side here, does it look like there are water stains?"

"Hmm?" The group looked over, appearing rather skeptical.

Qi Changye inquired, "Are you sure they’re water stains?"

Jiang Yuan nodded, offering no further explanation, and instead said, "The key is that, given the time of Zhou Xiangyang’s death, he shouldn’t have been able to touch this bottle of medicinal liquor."

"What’s in the medicinal liquor?" Qi Changye began to realize the implication.

"Ginseng, Rhododendron, among other ingredients. Look here, there’s a monkshood seed," Jiang Yuan pointed out and added, "Monkshood is highly toxic, but processed monkshood is much less potent. The amount of this single seed alone might not be lethal."

"But is it possible that someone added more monkshood to it?" Qi Changye’s logic was now clear.

Jiang Yuan gave an affirmative "Mhm," and continued, "Zhou Xiangyang’s symptoms of death are also consistent with monkshood poisoning. From the exterior, this bottle of medicinal liquor appears to be frequently consumed by Zhou Xiangyang. I’ve already asked Captain Liu to inquire with the family and the housekeeper. Additionally, the Toxicology Laboratory will prioritize testing for monkshood."

Qi Changye and his colleagues, who were prepared to leave, exchanged glances, then couldn’t help asking, "So, have we found the cause of death?"

"It’s just a suspicion right now. There’s no concrete evidence yet. You said to update you with any developments, so I’m just telling you in advance," explained Jiang Yuan, not wanting to be the kind of technician who almost knows the answer but stubbornly refrains from revealing it, only to end up disastrously.

As for Qi Changye and his colleagues, it was getting slightly difficult for them to maintain their composure at this point.