Chapter 305 - 305 273 Lion's Head

Words : 1448 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

305: Chapter 273: Lion’s Head 305: Chapter 273: Lion’s Head Jiang Yuan currently possessed a level 3 proficiency in Forensic Anthropology and level 3 proficiency in Forensic Clinical Medicine. Compared to other forensic doctors of the same level, he had a slight edge in that his knowledge system was extremely comprehensive. If it was something within the scope of Forensic Anthropology level 3, he knew it. If it was knowledge within the scope of Forensic Clinical Medicine level 3, he did not miss a beat. In fact, this was quite a bug. In other words, if a test were now based on the level 3 standard of Forensic Anthropology, Jiang Yuan could basically score a perfect 100. But the reality was that most people, even expert-level forensic doctors, actually had some imbalances in their expertise. Take, for instance, the top 2 forensic doctor in Shannan Province, Zhang Fengtian. Maybe he had a level 3 proficiency in Forensic Anthropology, but if he were to take a level 2 test, he would certainly score full marks. However, for a level 3 test, he might score 80 or 90 points. There would always be some extremely detailed, obscure, or niche knowledge that he had not studied or researched meticulously. This actually had no impact on daily work. Criminal cases never had just one solution. Many cases that seemed to have only one clue or no clues at all to some people might reveal multiple leads to others. For example, ordinary detectives at a crime scene would look for DNA, fingerprints, surveillance footage, cell phones, and eyewitnesses if all else failed. Only a very few would pay attention to footprints, and those who noticed the form of the blood, rather than the blood itself, were even fewer in this day and age. But for Jiang Yuan, all of these were targets within his range. He could make a breakthrough at any weak link he chose. Which meant the suspect had to cover all these factors and do so to a considerable degree of concealment to possibly escape punishment. Similarly, for the top 2 forensic doctor in Shannan Province, Zhang Fengtian, he had many technical means at his disposal, but that did not mean he needed to possess all the relevant knowledge—especially niche knowledge like bone shrinkage rate from burning, for which there was still no definitive conclusion. Even if he immediately started looking up papers and consulting over the phone, it would still take him days to get a clear understanding. As for which shrinkage rate was more appropriate to choose, he would still only have a general concept and could not come to an accurate conclusion. In other words, even if Zhang Fengtian started to fill the gaps in his knowledge starting with the bone shrinkage rate from burning, he would first have to spend several days, and secondly, his conclusions would still be probabilistic, meaning there was still a possibility of mistakes. Similar to Jiang Yuan, under these circumstances, Brigade Chief Yu Wenshu would have to make the final decision as the responsible party. Even so, he could at best provide the probable age, gender, and height of the victim... As a well-established forensic doctor, Zhang Fengtian probably would not like to go down this road. Jiang Yuan, on the other hand, didn’t mind. He had gained a bit of fame by now, but he didn’t have, and shouldn’t have, the burden of being an idol. Sitting in the corner of the meeting room, Jiang Yuan first measured each bone fragment with a ruler. The shrinkage rate was a matter of a couple of percentage points. If he relied on previously measured data and made an error, it would be quite troubling. Jiang Yuan measured several times himself, recorded the data, and then analyzed the degree of carbonization or porcelainization of each bone fragment. Carbonization at 800 degrees, porcelainization at 1000 degrees, but both values exceeded the level described in existing literature and were also above the typical capacity of civilian ovens. Jiang Yuan sketched on the surface for a moment and estimated a value of 17% for porcelainized bone fragments. Then, he estimated a value of 15% for carbonized bone fragments. With this reverse calculation, he could derive the length and width of the fresh bone fragments. Applying the regression equation, he could then determine the victim’s height. As for gender, it would depend on how several characteristic points turned out. In summary, this series of calculations involved three estimations. If any were slightly off, the final result could vary greatly. Jiang Yuan increasingly understood Zhang Fengtian’s cautious approach, but when working on cases, if you were afraid of making mistakes, there was no way to proceed. Most of the time in criminal investigations, trial and error was the norm, just like reviewing surveillance footage or checking fingerprints, repeatedly discovering errors or dead ends before moving on to explore other, more difficult paths. Forensic Anthropology was no different. If the estimation was wrong, you had to start over. Despite this, Jiang Yuan was still very meticulous in his work, striving to minimize errors as much as possible. ... The other people in the conference room could see Jiang Yuan at work. By this time, Case 513 had essentially concluded, and with nothing else to do, everyone focused on the current case. Those who were adept at making PPTs were quite comfortable, as the scarcity of evidence in the case didn’t affect their ability to produce presentations. Officers with truly nothing else to occupy them simply left the office to lift weights. The conditions at the Changyang City Bureau were favorable, with a gym equipped within the office building, and access to exercise and even personal training free of charge, as long as one made the effort to go. Jiang Yuan looked over the charred bone fragments again and again. On his notebook, a list of values gradually emerged: Gender: Female. Height: 165-172 centimeters. Age: 22-25 years old. By the time Jiang Yuan wrote down the last entry, the conference room had mostly emptied. “Go back to the guest house to rest,” Jiang Yuan composed a text message and sent it to Brigade Chief Yu Wenshu, then called for Wei Zhenguo. Wei Zhenguo rubbed his eyes, glanced at his watch, and chuckled, “Is it past dinner time already? Did I fall asleep?” “You didn’t snore,” Jiang Yuan reassured him. “Did you figure out the bones?” Wei Zhenguo asked, seeing Jiang Yuan had already packed up the evidence box. Jiang Yuan nodded and said, “Whether it’s of any use, I have no idea. We’ll have to wait and see the feedback from the front lines.” “You’re not optimistic?” Wei Zhenguo knew Jiang Yuan well enough to guess some of his thoughts easily. Jiang Yuan nodded slightly and replied, “Although it’s a current case, 15 days have already passed since the body was discovered. Burning a body takes time, and to burn it to this extent, one would probably have to keep the fire going for several days.” “So, we’re looking for someone who went missing more than 20 days ago?” “Yes, at least,” Jiang Yuan nodded. The information was still too sparse, albeit hard-earned. Jiang Yuan left the police station, and Yu Wenshu’s text message came back to him, a brief “Okay,” without superfluous words. Jiang Yuan showed the message to Wei Zhenguo and said, “Let’s go back and rest. We’ll look at the results of the investigation tomorrow.” The next day. After Jiang Yuan, Wei Zhenguo, and others had eaten and drunk their fill before arriving at the bureau, they saw a crowd making a lively noise in front of the brigade building, with objects bouncing around. As they got closer, they realized that the bouncing objects were lion dancers, with Yu Wenshu standing opposite the lion. “Jiang Yuan, come over,” Yu Wenshu called Jiang Yuan over. Jiang Yuan: “What’s up?” “This lion dance is performed by Ruan Sijing’s family,” Yu Wenshu said. “Every year, especially during the festival season, like the Lunar New Year, their family takes the lion dance troupe to perform everywhere. Ruan Sijing’s case is solved, and they came straight here with the lion head.” Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment and said, “The verdict has not yet been pronounced.” Yu Wenshu replied, “For many families, knowing who did it is enough.” In his distraction, the lion charged up and began shaking its head at Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan instinctively reached out and touched the lion head. The lion head stilled and allowed Jiang Yuan to pat it.

Chapter 305 - 305 273 Lion's Head

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