Chapter 1043 - 534: Important Discovery in the Neck (2)

Jiang An slightly raised the corners of his mouth at this moment, revealing a faint yet determined smile.

He picked up the conversation, his voice steady, "Mr. Qin, don’t worry."

"The process of thawing a corpse usually starts with the surface, while the internal tissues, due to thermal conduction, thaw relatively later and are more complicated. However, regarding the focus of our re-examination this time — mainly the detailed examination of the neck — the current thawed state should be sufficient to support our work."

Upon hearing this, Professor Zhang Kai was initially slightly startled, then gently raised his eyebrows, showing obvious confusion and displeasure in his gaze.

With a slightly questioning tone, he asked, "Just examining the surface and not the internal organs? Then why bother to invite me here specifically?"

"Am I here just to listen in on the discussion, unable to participate in substantive work?"

Director Hou finally took the conversation, his tone calm yet carrying an undeniable force: "Professor Zhang, forensic examinations have historically been divided into two parts: the surface examination of the corpse and the internal anatomical analysis."

"The observation and recording of the surface can theoretically be completed by yourselves."

"If any questions arise during this process, you can always photograph them for archiving, bring them to my office, and we can jointly discuss and learn; I am also very willing to provide professional opinions."

"But if you came to the anatomical room today intending only to conduct a surface examination — I believe that such actions are both non-standard and lose the significance of inviting you for consultation."

As he spoke, the corners of his mouth subtly moved, his gaze shifted to Mr. Qin beside him, clearly carrying a layer of meaning akin to "you are beating around the bush."

Seeing this, Mr. Qin merely smiled calmly and then, as if seeking agreement, looked at Mr. Jiang again: "Mr. Jiang, given that we have such a comprehensive team here today, shouldn’t we go ahead and make the examination more thorough?"

"From surface to organs, systematically go through it."

"This way, if there are any issues, they can be clarified at the scene, avoiding repetitive follow-ups later."

Jiang An pondered for a moment, "Actually, aside from the special condition of the deceased’s neck, the examination of other parts of the body should have been adequately conducted by everyone earlier."

"Personally, I don’t think it’s necessary to repeat a deep dissection. Only the neck... does indeed have some details that need careful assessment."

"Alright, since that’s the case, I would ask everyone to proceed promptly."

As the voice fell, the group moved to the side of dissection table number one.

The dead body of the deceased was now placed on the dissection table.

Most notably, the body was dressed in a neat set of black mourning clothes that appeared solemn and dignified under the cold white lights, conveying a sense of heaviness.

An attendant from the funeral home stepped forward appropriately and politely asked, "Officers, do you require us to first remove the mourning clothes from the deceased? This set of clothing was specially prepared by the family, it has good quality, and contains the family’s sentiments. We are worried it might get accidentally damaged during the dissection process, so we just wanted to inform you in advance."

Jiang An nodded steadily, "Please rest assured, we will not inflict cutting damage on the skin of the body."

"Even if there might be very slight local bleeding during the operation, there is a professional hemostatic plan and instruments to keep everything under control, no significant impact on the appearance of the body will occur."

Mr. Qin, upon hearing this, visibly relaxed a bit.

He sighed lightly and explained, "It’s good that you understand."

"Mainly, the family does indeed face difficulties, and this garment was the last new garment the daughter bought for her father with money saved from part-time work, carrying great significance for them."

After finishing speaking, he gestured to the outside door, instructing two assisting personnel: "Please wait in the outside rest area."

"We will notify you immediately after the examination ends for subsequent matters."

Once the room returned to silence, Director Hou together with two young officers said, "Didn’t you say before that you lack practical opportunities?"

"Now the opportunity is right in front of you. Get prepared, wear the full protective gear neatly, and today we will complete this examination together."

He paused briefly, adding: "By the way, with Professor Zhang Kai here to guide, he’s your alma mater’s esteemed professor, this opportunity is rare, you can consult him at any time during the process."

Li Yan and Zhang Lei exchanged a glance, almost simultaneously showing an expression of excitement.

For this case, they nearly stayed awake the entire night before — though just recently employed officers, their eagerness to participate in the case-solving is stronger than anyone else.

Especially the preceding night, they repeatedly rehearsed the examination process, their minds already simulating countless possible details and strategies.

Soon, they were skillfully dressed: the white one-piece protective suits tightly wrapped their bodies, latex gloves snugly fit their hands, masks, goggles, shoe covers, all in place.

Re-entering the examination room, their gaze now filled with focus and anticipation.

Jiang An walked to the side of the deceased, issuing the first command calmly: "First, please gently unfold the deceased’s collar and gradually move the clothing down, making sure to keep the action steady and respectful."

"Our next observation focus needs to be on the posterior neck region."

Subsequently, he took the equipment handed by the assistant, holding the scalpel in his right hand and long tweezers in his left hand, lightly passing the scalpel along the central line of the deceased’s anterior neck, then meticulously turned to the posterior neck, moving slowly downwards along the spinous process of the cervical vertebrae.

This sequence of unconventional operations made Professor Zhang Kai watching in the background subconsciously concentrate.

According to routine dissection procedures, it usually entails making a central incision from the chin to the pubic symphysis; why does this examination first focus on the posterior neck?

Could there be special damage marks there?

His gaze focused intently, moving forward to carefully observe each direction and intention of Jiang An’s actions.

After a long observation, what he saw remained ordinary: the skin was smooth; except for a few shallow age spots left by the years, there were no unusual marks.

Mr. Qin, Director Hou, and the two young officers next to them, almost all held their breath simultaneously, their gaze uniformly fixed on the back of the deceased’s neck.

Within the police system, Jiang An is not only an outstanding criminal investigation team leader but also a recognized forensic expert throughout the province.

His scalpel dissection has always been precise and incisive, always able to find a critical breakthrough in subtle spots, a consensus long established amongst colleagues.

Yet, perhaps, they have not fully realized that Jiang An’s professional reputation has transcended system boundaries, known in much broader fields.

In a moment of silence, Jiang An calmly rested the scalpel downward.

The blade started from the middle of the posterior neck, slicing down along the spine to the shoulder area, the motion was gentle yet decisive.

As the skin was parted to both sides, the posterior neck structure slowly revealed itself.

And what was presented before him was precisely the area he focused on the night before — the section that appeared faintly red, slightly swollen under dim lighting.

The appearance of discoloration often suggests that external force might have acted upon this area.

Jiang An’s thoughts quickly advanced: descending from the base of the skull, carrying the human respiratory center — the spinal cord — within.

If this area suffers damage, life may vanish instantly.

This was the hypothesis that hovered in his mind the previous night, though it only stayed at the hypothesis stage.

A forensic scientist’s work is never reliant on conjecture; all conclusions must be rooted in evidence.

Continuing to scrutinize, he discovered no significant bleeding in the subcutaneous muscle layer of the neck.

At this time, the two young trainees beside him softly suggested whether the muscles on both sides should be further separated for clearer observation of the deep structures.

Jiang An slightly nodded, indicating to continue.

As the muscles were cautiously lifted, progressively revealing the area near the spinal column’s surface, a subtle yet distinguished anomaly suddenly surfaced: scattered along the interface between the spine and attached muscles were some fine punctate hemorrhagic marks, like tiny dark stars embedded in the tissue.

Jiang An immediately leaned sideways, his tone steady and clear: "Mr. Qin, please arrange for personnel to photograph and secure this area’s bleeding points, these marks are extremely crucial."

As the word "bleeding" was pronounced, Associate Professor Zhang Kai suddenly turned around from his position.

A hint of astonishment flashed in his eyes — during their preliminary examinations, they hadn’t discovered any signs of bleeding.