The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

When they heard Jiang An’s meticulous analysis, everyone present froze up at the same time.

Especially the members of the local criminal investigation team, who looked at one another, shock and sudden realization written all over their faces.

They had never really thought through the idea and line of reasoning that Jiang An had just put forward.

More precisely, although they had also noticed some abnormal traces on those pieces of clothing, they had never, like Jiang An, been able to dig out such rich, strongly indicative information from what looked like an ordinary piece of physical evidence.

After a moment, Mr. Qin was the first to recover from his astonishment. He gave an awkward little laugh, raised a hand to rub the back of his head, his tone carrying a mix of self-mockery and respect.

”You never knew the difference until you compared, once you did it was startling.”

”The same pile of seemingly insignificant scraps, you were able to see so many things and so much meaning in them, laying it all out clearly and logically.”

”If it were us looking at them, we would probably stare for half the day and at most think they were just a few incomplete rags, how could we possibly connect them to so many underlying possibilities.”

As soon as Mr. Qin finished speaking, Political Commissioner Li, who was sitting to the side, slowly nodded as well. A smile of deep agreement appeared on his face as he continued, ”Exactly, the same matter, set before us, a true expert was always able to see deeper, farther, more thoroughly than we did.”

”This kind of insight, this sensitivity to detail and capacity to link clues together, was something we truly needed to learn and strengthen.”

As they spoke, the other officers in the lab also turned their gazes toward Jiang An. Their eyes held not only obvious envy but also a sincere admiration for his professional competence.

In a criminal investigation unit that valued both real-world combat experience and intelligence, it had to be said that those who genuinely earned everyone’s heartfelt welcome and respect were always the ones who could tangibly help solve difficult problems, break fixed patterns of thinking, and propose entirely new approaches to cracking a case.

And what Jiang An was showing at that moment was precisely that kind of quality.

Director Hou had been quietly listening to the discussion. Now he spoke up with a smile.

”Comrade Jiang An truly lived up to his reputation, keenly observant and logically rigorous.”

”With just a few pieces of seemingly trivial cloth, you were actually able to analyze so many layers of meaning, it was genuinely eye-opening.”

”I also very much agreed with the view you put forward.”

”As you said, if a person appeared in a specific setting wearing such illogical, even somewhat bizarre clothing, it clearly did not conform to our everyday life logic and behavioral patterns. There was a strong possibility that some truth we had not yet touched was hidden behind it.”

He paused briefly, glanced around at those present, and his tone turned more cautious, ”However, we also needed to recognize that although what we were seeing now provided a very important direction, the reasons behind this situation could be multiple.”

”For example, there was one possibility that this person himself had suffered from some kind of mental disorder, which caused his conduct and clothing to differ from ordinary people, and he ultimately ran around in a nonlucid state and met with an accident.”

”And another possibility, which we could not rule out, was that under some special circumstances—for instance, participating in a specific activity or being under duress—he died while dressed like this, and only afterward was his body moved or buried at the location where we found it.”

”These two possibilities, as well as other scenarios we had not yet thought of, all required us to devote more energy in the next stage to investigating and verifying them one by one.”

Director Hou’s summary, which both affirmed the progress made and reminded everyone to stay rigorous, prompted everyone present to nod in agreement.

After hearing this, everyone present fell silent again.

Criminal investigation often worked that way, like peeling away layer after layer of fog. Whenever they thought they had reached the core of the truth, new questions quietly emerged, diverting the path of inquiry into an even more intricate maze.

Mr. Qin clasped his hands under his chin. After pondering for a moment, he spoke, ”So based on the clues we had now, could we establish two preliminary hypotheses.”

”The first scenario, the deceased himself had a mental illness.”

”If we started from this angle, many behaviors that seemed irrational would have a basis, especially the point about his abnormal clothing.”

”For an individual in an active phase of illness, chaotic, inappropriate clothing was entirely possible as a symptom.”

He paused briefly and went on, ”However, in the second scenario, in the absence of mental illness, what kind of motive or situation would make a person choose to dress in such an abnormal way.”

When his words fell, every officer furrowed his brow, their expressions focused and grim.

They all knew that the behavioral logic behind this case was far from as simple as it appeared. It demanded not only investigative experience but also a deep capacity to analyze human nature, psychology, and extreme behavior patterns.

A few young officers unconsciously shook their heads, confusion written on their faces.

At that moment, Political Commissioner Li spread his hands slightly, his tone tinged with helpless agreement, ”Mr. Qin was right, this really did not make much sense.”

”If they ruled out mental illness as a factor, they could hardly find a reasonable explanation for the deceased’s outfit.”

After a long moment, Jiang An suddenly raised His head. His eyes swept over Political Commissioner Li and Director Hou as He said, ”

”Political Commissioner Li, Director Hou, I wanted to offer a different view, regarding the hypothesis that mental illness caused the abnormal clothing, could we consider eliminating it in advance.”