The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Soon, a nearby officer followed Deputy Director Chen Guan’s instructions and borrowed a slightly old stepladder from a grocery store not far away.

He quickly carried the ladder back to the scene, gently set it down, and then turned to Chen Guan, asking, "Mr. Chen, where do you think would be the best place to put the ladder?"

Chen Guan didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze to Jiang An, who was standing to one side, and said in a calm tone, "Let’s go with Mr. Jiang’s arrangement."

Upon hearing this, Jiang An nodded and raised his hand, pointing directly under the crane arm.

The officer understood and immediately moved the ladder to the designated spot, carefully unfolding and stabilizing it.

Once the ladder was in place, the top was about twenty centimeters away from the motionless crane arm.

At this moment, Director Hou stepped forward a few steps with a concerned expression on his face and asked Jiang An, "Mr. Jiang, are you sure you want to go up there personally? Do you want to reconsider?"

Jiang An replied calmly yet firmly, "I’ll go up and take a closer look at the scene so I can be more certain."

Seeing this, Director Hou had no further advice to offer, so he earnestly cautioned, "Alright, please be sure to stay safe."

After saying this, he turned and pointed to the two young officers nearby, instructing them sternly, "You two, come over here. Make sure to hold the ladder steady and guarantee Mr. Jiang’s safety — absolutely no accidents!"

The two young officers immediately stood up straight and replied in unison, "Don’t worry, Director. We’ll keep it steady!"

"We promise to complete our mission — even if it costs us ourselves, we will never let Mr. Jiang get hurt!"

Hearing this, Jiang An chuckled lightly and reassured them, "Haha, don’t be so tense."

"Even if there’s an accident from this height, it’s not bad enough to get injured."

"I’ve been a forensic expert for many years, so I know very well — a fall from below the fourth floor is usually not fatal."

"Besides, this is only a height of two to three meters, at most, I might twist an ankle, nothing serious."

After speaking, he deftly put on his examination gloves, didn’t hesitate further, and stepped onto the rungs of the stepladder.

The ladder was evidently old, creaking softly as he climbed, the sound echoing clearly at the quiet crime scene.

The two officers below didn’t dare relax, holding the ladder’s sides tightly with four hands, their feet firmly planted on the ground, using all their strength to keep the ladder steady.

As Jiang An ascended steadily to the top of the ladder, the ladder stabilized.

Standing at the highest rung, he slightly tilted his head and began to meticulously observe the crane’s arm in front of him.

Upon close inspection, the paint on the crane arm’s surface was already mottled, and the screw connections were covered with a layer of dark red rust, clearly showing it hasn’t been used for a considerable time.

This was likely due to being exposed to the elements for years, weathered but never maintained, leaving these marks due to rarely being put to actual work.

Next, starting from the closest part, he meticulously inspected every section of the crane arm, repeatedly reconstructing the deceased’s scenario in his mind — the neck suffered a strong pull, implying there has to be a point capable of bearing the weight.

Judging from the scene’s environment and structure, the most likely hanging spot is the crane’s arm.

Then, if someone did use the crane arm for hanging, what kind of marks would be left behind?

To Jiang An, examining a crime scene is essentially a process of "bold hypothesis, careful verification."

Especially in this entirely outdoor scene, subject to wind, sun, rain, will the subtle traces still be preserved?

This is what Jiang An is most concerned about.

Many traces might have been noticeable initially, but as time progresses, under influences like rain washing, humidity changes, and dust accumulation, they tend to fade, blur, or even become indistinguishable.

Nonetheless, detective work can never just dwell on worries — without trying firsthand, without examining with one’s own eyes, you’ll never know if clues remain.

With these thoughts, he didn’t hesitate anymore, leaned close to the crane arm, and began a close inspection inch by inch, from the root towards the far end.

The crane arm was covered in dirt and rust, especially near the telescoping joints, pooled with sticky black oil, nearly obscuring the metal’s original texture.

While focusing on the far end nearer the telescoping section, his gaze suddenly halted.

Amidst the varying depths of oil stains, he noticed a faint ring mark where the oil was thinner.

Due to long exposure to oil, most areas were covered in thick black sludge, resistant to corrosion and difficult to mark traces.

However, on this ring where the oil didn’t fully cover, a layer of thin dust could be seen, outlining a complete circle.

These are wear marks left by a rope or similar object repeatedly rubbing against the metal surface under pressure.

Dust naturally accumulated in the recessed area, making this mark stand out in the dim light.

Thinking of this, Jiang An’s mouth subtly curved, subconsciously revealing a restrained smile.

He turned his head and said, "Found it, right here."

"Found it? Where is it?"

Mr. Chen, Director Hou, and the nearby officers were stunned simultaneously and moved closer, following the direction of Jiang An’s finger.

However, due to their standing positions and angle of view restrictions, they didn’t immediately notice the crane arm’s uppermost part — the site of the circular mark, precisely where the crane’s cross-section experiences the greatest force and friction.

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