National Forensic Doctor

Chapter 1373: Chapter 1297: Choices

The black Rolls Royce gracefully glided into a bustling alley and stopped in front of a screen wall.

The driver jogged from the front seat, pulling open the rear-hinged door for Huang Qiangmin to step out with a broad smile, gracefully.

"This won’t do, this won’t do," Huang Qiangmin patted the old man’s hand who followed him out, repeatedly saying, "This car isn’t suitable for us, it’s not right."

"I think it’s quite suitable instead. You all work so hard on the case; the seats in this car need to be softer so you can sleep comfortably. And look at Jiang Yuan—his legs are so long, he’s uncomfortable in ordinary cars; he needs a stretched Rolls Royce," the old man, Hassan, flattered shamelessly, as if treating mouth ulcers with a health drink, only talking about how beautiful American double tails are.

Suppressing his satisfaction, Huang Qiangmin sighed silently by the Rolls Royce door, "Better not, if someone takes a photo and sends it back to China, it could cause a storm. We’d better use domestic cars or just the Dama Police Station’s existing vehicles."

"How can that be?"

"It’s fine, Chinese people in Chinese cars; that’s also suitable."

"Let me think of a way then," the old man saw that Huang Qiangmin was not just being polite and stopped.

At this moment, Jiang Yuan got out from the extended Rolls Royce behind and came to Huang Qiangmin’s side.

"Let’s go, let’s go, we’ll talk inside," Huang Qiangmin immediately pulled Jiang Yuan along, not giving the old man a chance to speak.

This guy’s identity is too complicated, and Huang Qiangmin doesn’t want Jiang Yuan to have too much contact with him. noveldrama

The old man, Hassan, actually knew what Huang Qiangmin was thinking, or rather, the previous intense conflict had already plainly expressed it; now, the old man was still following, merely entwining himself shamelessly with the investigation team.

This would naturally not be allowed in China, but in Dama, it’s a local police station’s value system issue.

However, Hassan also tried his best to go along with Huang Qiangmin and Jiang Yuan, rarely being verbose or giving opinions, just tagging along for observation, which wasn’t too annoying.

As they chatted and slipped into the shadow wall, they saw two rows of waiters standing neatly inside the lobby, with several tables of hot pot already prepared in the middle.

"Everyone, let’s chat while eating..." Hassan politely invited Jiang Yuan and the others, saying, "I had these hot pots flown in from Chongqing yesterday, along with the base, ingredients, and condiments. I also borrowed the kitchen staff and waiters from local partners..."

As he spoke, a waiter came forward to light the hot pot, making all of them start to simmer.

In the luxurious hall with intricate patterns, the complete set of hot pot utensils from a certain mountain city hot pot restaurant was ironically refreshed for a second spring.

"Take a seat," Huang Qiangmin said, pulling Jiang Yuan to sit down with a few local high-ranking individuals.

The old man, Hassan, quickly came forward, first helping Jiang Yuan and the others with the condiments, then, as the hot pot cooked, he prepared to slowly steer the conversation towards the case.

Jiang Yuan listened to the pleasantries between Huang Qiangmin and a few others, first eating a few bites to fuel his Chinese stomach, then, according to plan, said, "The case isn’t actually complicated; the cause of death is basically clear, it should be homicide."

The people sitting at the other tables sat upright and listened to Jiang Yuan speak, as the hot pot bubbled away.

Jiang Yuan had said similar things to different groups before, but explaining it collectively now served to form consensus. Regarding case investigation, this was tantamount to an informal case analysis meeting, clarifying the rationale and ultimately defining the investigation direction.

If there were any dissenting opinions, now was a suitable time to raise them. The members of Jiang Yuan’s Accumulated Case Team had previously finished small meetings, so the real focus was on the old man Hassan and the few local high-ranking individuals he brought along.

A few people quickly exchanged glances, with two even whispering to each other for 10 seconds. Then, the person sitting in the middle asked, "Isn’t an autopsy needed?"

"Of course, an autopsy would be better and more accurate; it’s the gold standard," Jiang Yuan first expressed his opinion. As he noticed a slight change in their expressions, anticipating a reconsideration, he added, "Looking at the MSCT plain scan, 3D reconstruction, and MRI scan done last night, they at least clarify the cause of death and provide some clues."

MSCT is multi-slice CT, a commonly used type in clinical settings today, and MRI scan is the magnetic resonance used frequently for patients by regular people.

Non-autopsy examinations primarily use these imaging instruments for judgment, offering certain advantages not present in autopsies. For instance, parts like the jaw, rarely dissected without reason since it looks unsightly afterward and many families find it hard to accept. But when using imaging, it’s very comprehensive.

On the other hand, even in surgical procedures, direct visual inspection after opening up remains the most accurate way to examine, known as "surgical exploration."

Hassan visibly relaxed, then his expression turned serious, and he cautiously said, "Please go ahead."

Jiang Yuan put down his chopsticks, took out his notebook, and said, "I won’t go into detail, just the clues I deduced: on the deceased’s left shoulder and right chest lateral side, there are abrasions on the skin, and beneath the left scapula, there’s a bruise on the skin, about 10 by 4 centimeters, a relatively large area. Explaining it as a simple fall from a height isn’t impossible, but it’s somewhat far-fetched."

"The scalp injuries and fractures at various positions aside, I noticed a fracture on the thoracic vertebra at T11; since this fracture wasn’t caused by direct violence, added to the undamaged skin on the back, it could easily be considered an indirect injury from impact. But in my view, this damage resembles being restrained and struggling."

Saying this, Jiang Yuan stood up directly, grabbed Shen Yaowei, encircled him with one arm, and lifted him by his chest.

Jiang Yuan was over a head taller than Shen Yaowei, with an arm span able to wrap from his left chest to the right.

Jiang Yuan gestured, "If the strength is applied here and strong enough, considering the deceased’s frailness, it could cause a fracture when airborne. Also, from the fracture direction, the force didn’t come from below but from the side, so I lean towards it being man-made rather than caused by a fall from a height."

Jiang Yuan then signaled Wang Chuanxing to take out the CT scan, "From this profile, you can directly observe the fracture morphology and distribution inside the vertebral body, which is also quite challenging to do in autopsy."

The very professional explanation was something Hassan naturally couldn’t understand, but he had professionals with him, and several local high-level individuals needed these professional explanations for confirmation.

"Will you write and sign a post-mortem report then?" someone brought by Hassan inquired.

"I can," Jiang Yuan hesitated not at all.

Compared to footprint evidence, he also needed this forensic evidence himself.

Experts brought by Hassan asked a few more simple questions and then nodded towards Hassan.

Jiang Yuan did not wait for Hassan and his team to make a decision, directly saying, "Now let’s talk about how to investigate."

After speaking, Jiang Yuan tucked away his notebook, picked up his chopsticks, and started dipping meat again.

The beef, soaked with sesame oil, burst with juicy flavor.

Hassan and his group straightened up again, each picking up chopsticks as if in participation.

Jiang Yuan chewed a few pieces of beef as best he could, then swallowed and breathed out, saying, "I looked at the scene photos and also swept the scene with an investigative lamp. On the rooftop, particularly around the edge, there were only traces of the deceased’s footprints and those of two people inside. The timing of the footprints inside doesn’t match with that of the deceased, and the footprint positions don’t overlap, likely left from previous smoking."

Jiang Yuan continued, "After analyzing other traces on the rooftop carefully, I believe the number of killers is unknown, but they likely wore shoe covers."

"Shoe covers?" Hassan and the others seemed a bit puzzled.

Wang Chuanxing opened an image for them beside him.

Jiang Yuan didn’t explain further, instead skipping this topic, "Next, there are several investigation directions, depending on how you prefer to investigate and how lucky you are. First, start with the deceased’s acquaintances; second, follow the deceased’s interest relationships; third, track the deceased’s behavior... Which one will you choose?"

Such words would be impossible for him to say domestically, even as a guest force they would be inappropriate, but abroad and facing influential persons, there are no particular scruples.

More importantly, regardless of the investigation direction chosen, cooperation from persons involved is necessary. If communication and collaboration are not achieved, the case can only be handed over to the Dama Police Force to handle.

Judging by needs alone, Jiang Yuan clarifying that the deceased was murdered at least completed Hassan’s first little question, deserving his hot pot and Rolls Royce, plus the early representation by Chu Guanliang.

Hassan and the others, after listening, felt there was no issue at all and communicated through glances immediately.

"In our country, we always pursue multiple clues simultaneously, sometimes without being able to find the perpetrator..." Jiang Yuan added.

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