The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

”I’ve been on the front lines of criminal investigation for so many years, solving countless cases, but this is the first time I’ve encountered such a tricky case.”

”Now, we’ve finally seen the dawn of solving the case, like a fruit tree that’s been planted for years finally bearing fruit.”

”In this final sprint stage, I’ll persist to the end, no matter what, and handle the case beautifully.”

At this moment, Jiang An, standing beside, turned his head, his gaze still focused on the surveying device in his hand: ”Let’s tackle them one by one.”

”Later, we’ll conduct a partial inspection of each car’s hood, focusing on whether there are dent marks forming a point and two lines.”

”Once we find anything suspicious, mark it immediately and proceed with a detailed local examination.”

”These minor deformations often hold the key to breaking the case.”

”That’s exactly what I meant.”

Mr. Qin nodded in agreement, ”Then let’s split up to improve efficiency.”

”Remember, the finer the details, the more careful you need to be.”

Soon, each of the four people, accompanied by two assistants, began systematic observation and measurement of the hoods of all vehicles involved, equipped with level gauges and trace surveying devices.

Throughout the examination process, everyone was extremely cautious, not overlooking any possible clue.

During the preliminary analysis of the case, the special investigation team had already determined that the vehicle deformation involved in this case was very slight, almost indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Accurately identifying such minute deformations became particularly important, requiring staff to stay fully focused, not daring to blink an eye.

Besides, they also needed to observe whether there were any repair marks in local areas, and consider the possibility of secondary damage in some areas, adding further complexity and difficulty to the entire analysis process.

At 10:30 PM, Director Hou’s slightly excited voice suddenly came over the walkie-talkie: ”Something seems to be wrong with this red truck on my side!”

”A faint dent, likely from a collision, was found on the left side of the hood, which matches the characteristics we’re searching for!”

Upon hearing this, Jiang An asked, ”Where? Director Hou, where are you?”

”In the third row, position number 43.”

Director Hou replied calmly.

Immediately, Mr. Qin and Political Commissioner Li simultaneously put down everything at hand and hurried to the scene from different directions.

Once this trace is confirmed to be related to the case, it would essentially lock this vehicle as the suspect vehicle they’ve been painstakingly tracking.

In this way, the identity of the real culprit will emerge, revealing the faint glimmer of dawn in this elusive case.

In the night, Director Hou stood in front of a dark-colored car, holding a flashlight tightly, its beam unwavering.

He stood as if frozen, his gaze firmly locked on a certain dent in the hood.

As Jiang An approached quickly, Director Hou slightly shifted, directing the flashlight precisely to that spot, and whispered, ”Jiang An, come over and take a closer look here.”

He pointed his hand above the hood, ”There’s a slight dent above the grill, the area isn’t big, and the deformation is very subtle; without full concentration, it’s easy to overlook.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang An immediately took the flashlight, leaned in close, and examined it carefully under the bright light.

Sure enough, there was a small unnatural dent along the top of the grill.

He extended his gloved fingertip, gently stroking the area—although it was hard to discern with the naked eye, the tactile feedback was unmistakable; it was indeed a minor deformation.

Moreover, he noticed two more concealed impressions beside the main dent, together vaguely forming a shallow groove-like structure.

However, the deformation was truly too small; without viewing from a specific angle and nearly parallel perspective, it was almost imperceptible to the naked eye.

After a thorough inspection, Jiang An straightened up, nodded solemnly, and said confidently, ”Based on location and shape, I believe this trace highly matches our assumptions and is likely the impact point we’re looking for.”

Instantly, Political Commissioner Li and Mr. Qin heard this, their hearts surged with emotion, unable to remain calm.

Political Commissioner Li couldn’t contain himself, repeatedly saying, ”Let me see, let me take a closer look!”

Before finishing his sentence, he and Mr. Qin raised their flashlights together.

Two bright beams once again converged on the small dent.

The two held their breath, focusing quietly as if all sounds and distractions around them faded away at that moment.

After all, this was a case they had fought for day and night, investing countless efforts. If the dent characteristic could be confirmed to match the ”one point accompanied by two linear impression” hypothesis, it would undoubtedly become crucial evidence pointing to the perpetrator.

Ten minutes later, Mr. Qin was the first to raise his head and exchanged a look with Political Commissioner Li.

”That’s right! There is indeed a subtle deformation here, extremely hidden, but it’s unquestionably present!”

”Exactly,” Political Commissioner Li took a deep breath and responded, ”Now, we’ve finally caught his tail.”

Mr. Qin showed a look of relief, repeatedly marveling, ”It truly was luck!”

”This trace is so hidden that if we relied on mere visual observation, it’s almost impossible to discover.”

”Not to mention that even during the incident or at the moment of impact, it would have been hard to spot with the naked eye.”

Jiang An nodded, responding steadily, ”Next, we need to conduct precise measurements of this trace.”

”We have to measure the distances between the two force lines and the center of this impact point, and then compare them with the fracture patterns of the victim’s ribs and the dimensions of the head indentation.”

”If they match, then this trace can become our key evidence to pinpoint the suspect, providing strong support for the next investigative direction.”

”Great! Great!”

Mr. Qin responded repeatedly, then turned around to retrieve a measuring tape and marking pen from the toolbox.

At this moment, he stood beside Jiang An, as focused as a student attentively listening to a lecture, and asked, ”Specifically, how should we proceed? Where do we start measuring from?”

Jiang An gestured with his hand and explained, ”First, we use a pen to mark the three dent positions on the car body, forming a triangular area.”

”Then, we measure the straight-line distances between these three marked points, recording the precise value of each segment’s length.”

As they began measuring, Political Commissioner Li and Director Hou looked at each other in silent agreement, seeing unmistakable joy and affirmation in each other’s eyes.

While the current evidence doesn’t yet meet the stringent standard of ”uniqueness”, allowing for some room for interpretation,

this trace characteristic matches the preliminary case analysis predictions closely, aligning perfectly with their anticipation of the tool and method used in the crime.

At this moment, Director Hou spoke, ”This discovery is indeed very critical; it could very well be direct physical evidence linking the suspect to the victim.”

Political Commissioner Li contemplated briefly and responded, ”Yes, with this basis, we can interrogate the vehicle owner solidly.”

”Even if he doesn’t admit it for now, we can form a relatively clear judgment within ourselves.”

Director Hou agreed but also added, ”Indeed, that’s the case.”

”However, from the perspective of ensuring a complete chain of evidence, if the measurement results show that the dimensions and spacing of this triangular trace match the victim’s rib fracture pattern and head injury location, it would have considerable probative power legally.”

”Of course, the most ideal situation is to also obtain the suspect’s confession, corroborating with the physical evidence, to form a complete, robust chain of evidence, ensuring foolproof success during the litigation phase.”