The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Hearing these words, Director Hou couldn’t help but frown slightly.

Just a moment ago, when he walked back into this meeting room, he felt somewhat relaxed—wasn’t everything already discussed and agreed upon?

Today was supposed to be just a preliminary report, a formality, so why did the atmosphere suddenly become so tense?

At this moment, a subtle feeling of being ”cornered” crept into his mind.

It must be noted that he was not really familiar with this case.

The case occurred six months ago, and he only heard Mr. Wang mention it briefly during a previous general meeting.

In fact, he hadn’t even had the chance to go through all the case files, let alone participate in or initiate the preliminary investigation.

Thinking of this, a faint sense of unease, even a slight feeling of being deceived, quietly rose from his heart.

He instinctively turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Mr. Chen and Mr. Qin who sat next to him.

Both appeared composed, as if everything happening was just as it should be.

The thought that he had ”been set up” became even clearer in Director Hou’s mind—but of course, he wasn’t going to show any dissatisfaction here and now.

After all, inviting the provincial office to send someone for case guidance was meant to provide oversight and support, this much he understood.

He just hadn’t expected that the timing to ”make a statement” would be arranged so tightly, leaving no room for a breather or preparation.

For now, it seemed that pushing forward was the only option.

Fortunately, in the past half hour, he managed to quickly browse through the basic materials of the case.

As the team leader of the special task force, it wouldn’t be appropriate for him to speak first—this not only reflects leadership skills but also a subtle strategy.

He needed to hear what others thought first, especially the opinions of those directly involved in handling the case.

After a moment of silence, Director Hou slowly spoke, his tone steady yet cautious: ”Earlier, Mr. Qin gave a brief summary of the details of this case. As for me personally, this is also my first formal encounter with it today.”

”Therefore, in the past half hour, I have only gained a preliminary understanding of the case.”

He paused slightly, scanning the people in the meeting room before continuing: ”Based on the information we currently have, I believe everyone here should have some initial ideas.”

After speaking, he gently turned his head, his gaze first falling on the two youngest colleagues—Li Yan and Zhang Lei.

This was the first time either of them had attended a case analysis meeting of such scale, and they appeared somewhat reserved among the leaders and senior colleagues.

”You two young people,” Director Hou’s tone softened, ”do you have anything to say? Encountering this type of case for the first time might bring fresh perspectives.”

Li Yan and Zhang Lei exchanged a glance and almost simultaneously shook their heads.

In such a setting, facing so many experienced superiors, even if they had vague ideas, they dared not speak lightly—this is not just caution; in a way, it’s an unspoken rule of workplace emotional intelligence.

They understood that at this moment, silence might be more appropriate than speaking rashly.

Director Hou noticed this, understood, and did not press further, simply nodding slightly.

Then, Director Hou turned his gaze to Jiang An, his tone carrying a sense of formality and expectation: ”Mr. Jiang, how about you?”

As a key figure in the investigation of this case, Jiang An had already understood the deeper implications of Director Hou’s earlier words.

Even though it wasn’t convenient for him to be the first to express an opinion, someone at the scene would need to speak.

As a member of the task force, Jiang An was well aware of his responsibilities and position.

Based on the current clues, the key to this case lies in...

Although time for discussion was limited just now, with years of frontline investigation experience, Jiang An had quickly outlined a preliminary work direction in his mind.

As he often said: ”The most valuable quality of an excellent criminal investigation scene expert is the ability to form a preliminary investigation thought and identify key examination focuses and analysis paths at the first encounter with the case.”

Thus, Jiang An took the cue and calmly spoke: ”Director Hou, I will start by sharing my initial thoughts on this case, as a way to spark ideas, and seek your input and guidance, and also welcome comments from Mr. Chen and Mr. Qin.”

Director Hou nodded slightly, giving a look indicating to keep it concise, as time was limited and no conclusions needed to be made at this point.

But Jiang An knew the measure—being a criminal investigation captain who had frequently participated in case guidance across Jiangcheng’s districts, he was already familiar with the pace and measure of such meetings.

He knew that as a criminal investigation captain, when invited to another district to guide a case, being vague or evasive wouldn’t convince others and might betray their trust.

Being invited here meant they hoped to hear different perspectives and professional judgment, which also meant he had to take on the corresponding responsibility.

Jiang An’s gaze slowly swept across the meeting room, finally landing on the projection screen in front of him.

He continued: ”Earlier, Mr. Qin systematically introduced the whole case, including receiving the report, scene investigation, autopsy, interviews, and the process of forming preliminary conclusions.”

”I believe the overall handling is very appropriate, the procedures are rigorous and standard, and it could be considered exemplary even within the scope of Jiangcheng.”