The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

The dull ache from the hangover hadn’t dissipated yet, and Jiang An struggled to wake up to the piercing sound of the alarm at his bedside.

Squinting, he reached out and fumbled around on the nightstand for a moment before finally grabbing his phone.

The screen lit up, the glaring digits showing it was already 9 AM.

His mind was a foggy mess, but he forced himself to sit up and vigorously rubbed his throbbing temples.

He had an appointment with Director Hou yesterday, to depart together for Dongcheng City at 9:30 this morning.

Jiang An dared not delay, throwing off the blankets and getting out of bed, his steps slightly unsteady as he walked into the bathroom.

He quickly brushed his teeth, shaved, and changed into tidy casual clothes.

At 9:25, Jiang An picked up his luggage that had already been packed, and pushed the door open heading towards the elevator.

In the hotel lobby, through the revolving glass door, he saw a black Buick business car parked outside.

Standing beside the car door was Director Hou.

A cigarette was wedged between his fingers, smoke curling up.

Jiang An paused slightly, a hint of surprise crossing his mind.

To have personally led the team on this business trip was already a significant show of importance, let alone waiting outside the car so early—this courtesy was somewhat unexpected.

After all, he was merely a detective captain at a local municipal bureau, why would a superior wait like this?

He pondered secretly, yet nothing showed on his face as he quickened his pace forward.

Director Hou seemed to sense something, turned his head to look, and casually extinguished the cigarette, displaying his usual slightly stern smile.

Jiang An hurried forward a few steps, slightly lowering his voice apologetically as he asked, "Director Hou, I apologize for keeping you waiting."

"Oh, it’s nothing, I just got here myself."

Director Hou replied with only three brief words, yet Jiang An noticed the cigarette between his fingers was nearly burnt out, with only a short butt remaining.

Soon, the two of them got into the car, one after the other.

Director Hou turned around and instructed the driver, "Let’s set off."

"How did you rest last night?"

"Went straight to sleep, quite deeply," Jiang An replied honestly.

Director Hou nodded, shifting his gaze to the moving street scenery outside the window.

When passing by a breakfast shop, he motioned with his hand, "Do you want to grab something to eat? This place tastes pretty good."

Jiang An quickly waved his hand, "No, no need, drank quite a bit last night, still feel bloated now. My digestion has never been great, so I’ll skip breakfast for now."

"Understandable," Director Hou withdrew his gaze understandingly, "Honestly, I don’t have much appetite either."

"That drink last night was indeed a bit indulgent."

He paused for a moment, then took out a somewhat hefty file from his briefcase and handed it to Jiang An:

"This is the scanned electronic file sent over from the East City Public Security Bureau."

"The content might not be complete, but the initial scene investigation records, autopsy details, and main conclusions from the initial interviews are all in it."

"You can browse through it to have a preliminary impression."

Jiang An reached out to take the case file, briefly examining the cover page.

With a solemn expression, Director Hou lowered his voice, "This case... has a particularly adverse impact locally."

"From the time of the incident to now, it’s been 10 full years without resolution."

"The East City Public Security Bureau has formed special task forces five times, investing a significant amount of manpower and resources."

Jiang An looked up, his finger gently resting on the edge of the dossier, and asked gravely, "Director Hou, isn’t there even a slightest breakthrough yet?"

Director Hou exhaled slowly, his complexion growing heavier, "The initial investigation direction led us to believe the suspect might very well be local, perhaps even a fellow villager."

"For this reason, the task force turned the entire village upside down—conducted thorough screenings of all the fellow villagers, searching and meticulously investigating every household with any hint of suspicion, leaving no corner uncovered."

"Even so, not a single valuable clue was found."

"It’s as if the murderer vanished into thin air, leaving no trace behind."

He shook his head slightly, followed by a gentle sigh, "So to this day, concerning the murderer’s identity, motive, whereabouts, we are still at a complete loss, with not the slightest hint to go by."

Director Hou looked at Jiang An, his eyes filled with hope, "This time, reopening the investigation into the unsolved case and bringing it back to the table is to re-examine everything thoroughly through your perspective."

"See if you can find something we overlooked back then in these already yellowed pages—even the tiniest abnormality, a small step forward, is crucial for us now."

After his words settled for a moment, he softly added, "After all... the situation at the scene back then, indeed, was unbearable to look directly at."

Jiang An nodded upon hearing this, calmly responding, "Director Hou, I’ll take a moment to go through the file, quickly familiarizing myself with the case details."

"Alright, you focus on reading, while I catch a little nap to refresh myself."

"Once you’ve finished reading, let’s discuss it in detail."

Director Hou said, slightly adjusting his sitting position, and then turned towards the direction of the driver to instruct, "Liu, drive slow and steady, let Captain Jiang be comfortable while going through the materials."

"Rest assured, Director Hou, I’ll pay close attention to stability and maintain speed," Driver Liu responded immediately, his voice sounding reliable.

The interior of the car fell silent after, leaving only the low hum of the tires and the faint sound of the air conditioning.

Jiang An opened the case file on his knees, focusing intently.

The first page, following the usual format, was divided into four sections: "Basic Case Information," "Scene Investigation Records," "Autopsy Report," and "Interview Summary," clearly structured, preliminarily outlining the overall scope of the case.

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