The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 565: Chapter 319: This... Isn’t the Shift a Bit Too Drastic?

Faced with the praise from his superiors and colleagues, Jiang An seemed a bit uneasy.

He slightly bowed his head and said humbly, ”Mr. Ma, Mr. Li, you’re too kind.”

”Though we often say that magic rises by one inch, the Tao rises by one foot, some criminals do indeed have increasingly strong anti-detection skills.”

”The main reason is that the method used was rather clumsy, revealing obvious flaws.

Li Jian smiled and said, ”When it comes to case-solving ability, there’s only a slight difference between an expert and a novice.”

”But making an accurate judgment in a short time is impossible without years of actual combat experience.”

”Well said!”

Mr. Ma nodded in satisfaction, ”It’s essential to maintain such a humble and cautious work attitude.”

”This professional spirit and ability to solve cases must continue to be maintained and promoted.”

After speaking, he and Mr. Li turned and walked toward the cafeteria, not forgetting to remind, ”You should go eat too; there’s still work in the afternoon.”

At two o’clock in the afternoon, Jiang An promptly attended the mid-level officials meeting organized by the bureau.

The conference room was packed; the higher-ups from the public security department were deploying efforts to tackle unresolved homicide cases, particularly emphasizing the focus on solving local unsolved murders.

The meeting was detailed and requirements specific, but Jiang An sat somewhat absent-mindedly.

His thoughts had already drifted to the case he was responsible for—where should the breakthrough come from?

Though it’s been determined to be a crime by an acquaintance, the suspect’s goal is very clear, aiming to obtain something.

But what exactly is this thing?

Why would it be worth the killer’s risk?

Under what circumstances would such a brutal crime be committed?

Three lives, an entire family, what sort of object could be of equivalent value?

.....

These questions lingered in Jiang An’s mind.

By 10:30 p.m., the criminal investigation team’s office building had quieted down.

Jiang An returned to the office alone, gently closed the door, and sat by the tea table.

He skillfully boiled water to make tea, and amid the gentle aroma, he reopened the case file.

From the preliminary investigation and site survey, the murderer must be someone very familiar with the victim’s family and would stop at nothing to take three lives; the target item’s value must be extraordinary.

Jiang An leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes lightly, and furrowed his brow.

Criminal investigation experience told him that solving a case requires not only rigorous logic but also abundant imagination.

The process of solving every case is essentially a cycle of posing hypotheses, verifying inferences, and finally confirming them.

Without bold hypotheses, it’s hard to find the right direction.

The fragrance of tea enveloped him, and Jiang An’s mind became increasingly active.

He envisioned various possibilities: a family heirloom? Critical evidence? Or an unexpectedly acquired valuable item...

But each hypothesis was dismissed by him.

A typical rural family, what could there be to invite deadly danger?

If it wasn’t ill-gotten wealth, how could it provoke such a tragedy?

This mystery, like the tea aroma in the office, lingered, waiting for him to solve it.

Suddenly, Jiang An felt a wave of dizziness, his temples throbbing violently.

He put down the case file and lay back on the sofa, pressing his temples firmly with his thumb and forefinger.

At this moment, the office door was lightly knocked on.

Who could it be so late?

Jiang An wondered silently.

The entire criminal investigation team should have gone home except for those on duty.

He forced himself up, cleared his throat, ”Come in!”

As the door opened, the rich aroma of coffee wafted in first.

”Still racking your brain over this case?”

The familiar voice of Zhang Yean rang out.

Jiang An looked up only to see Zhang Yean walk in, holding two steaming cups of coffee.

”Senior? How did you...”

Jiang An’s eyes widened in surprise.

Zhang Yean placed the coffee on the desk, the sound of the cup bottom tapping lightly against the tabletop.

”Just had a late-night snack with some girlfriends nearby when I saw your office light still on.”

”Happened to pass a convenience store, so I brought you a cup of coffee to perk you up.”

Jiang An felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He accepted the coffee, and the warmth seemed to transfer to his fingertips.

He took a sip; the bitterness mingled with a hint of sweetness.

”Senior, I can’t thank you enough.”

”No need to be so formal, we’re comrades in the same trench.”

Zhang Yean waved her hand, her gaze falling on the spread-out case file on the tea table, her brow involuntarily furrowing.

”Still researching this case?”

Jiang An sighed, absently rubbing his coffee cup.

”Yes, this case is like a tangled mess.”

”I’ve deliberated it many times, even visited the scene twice, but still can’t find a reasonable explanation.”

Hearing this, Zhang Yean smiled bitterly, exchanging a helpless glance with Wan.

”This case is indeed tricky.”

”Before you came, Mr. Ma had summoned criminal investigation experts from across the province for consultation, but they all returned without success.”

She paused, her tone turning serious.

”So... if we can make even a slight breakthrough on this case, it would be a significant advancement in terms of solving it.”

Jiang An’s gaze became suddenly firm, and he put down his coffee cup.

”Senior, I’m not satisfied with a slight breakthrough; I want a leap forward.”

”Ha!” Zhang Yean laughed, sitting on the sofa.

”A big leap would be great, but it might require more time and luck.”

She adjusted her posture and said seriously, ”You have to know, whatever routine investigative methods we can think of, Mr. Ma and Mr. Li must have tried them all.”

Jiang An nodded thoughtfully.

In his mind, Mr. Ma and Mr. Li were battle-hardened veterans in criminal investigation, having solved countless difficult cases.

The effort they put into this case was probably more than he could imagine.

He then picked up the coffee and took a couple more sips, the bitter liquid energizing him.

”Senior, I have an idea that might be a bit outlandish; I’d like to hear your thoughts.”

Zhang Yean flipped through the case file casually, the paper rustling.

”Let’s hear it. This case has no clear clues, so any possibility is worth exploring.”

She looked up, her eyes glinting with professional curiosity.

”I remember when I was in school, my criminal investigation professor said that imagination is most needed in criminal investigation case-solving.”

Jiang An immediately stood up and began pacing in the office.

”Senior, the crime scenes are all in remote rural areas.”

”Why would the killer choose to commit crimes there?”

”And why would the killer take three lives?”

He paused by the window, gazing at the night outside.

”Killing is no child’s play; the killer must have thought it through carefully.”

Zhang Yean nodded approvingly, ”That’s a very accurate analysis.”

Jiang An turned around, his eyes lit with thoughtful light, ”Analyzing from criminal psychology, the target item’s value must be astonishing.”

”Hmm.” Zhang Yean nodded again.

”And from the victims’ perspective,” Jiang An walked back to the desk, tapping his fingers lightly on the tabletop, ”they’re simple, homegrown farmers.”

”Why would such an honest rural family invite deadly calamity?”

Zhang Yean’s brow furrowed deeper, ”Your reasoning is very logical.”

Jiang An suddenly lowered his voice, his tone becoming grave, ”I’m wondering if ill-gotten wealth might have led to this disaster.”

”Ill-gotten wealth?”

Zhang Yean paused in surprise, ”You’re saying... but investigations show their family’s accounts are clean, and no valuables were found at home.”

Jiang An’s eyes gleamed under the light.

”When I say ill-gotten wealth, I mean perhaps...” He paused, ”For instance, the loot from those bank heists?”

This statement struck like a lightning bolt in the office.

Zhang Yean’s eyes widened suddenly, nearly dropping the case file in her hands.

”You mean that major bank robbery case?”

Her gaze flitted back and forth between Jiang An and the case file, her voice involuntarily rising a few octaves.

”This... the connection is too far-fetched, isn’t it?”