The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

He then turned decisively and assigned the investigation tasks to his subordinates.

Once the tasks were assigned, Mr. Chen immediately picked up the phone and dialed Qin Feng’s number.

At that moment, Qin Feng was interrogating an important informant in the case.

The informant shared a dormitory with the deceased, Li Yong, and was familiar with Li Yong’s lifestyle and interpersonal relationships, making him one of the key figures in the case.

The phone rang while Qin Feng was questioning in the interrogation room. Upon seeing Mr. Chen’s call, he promptly picked up the phone and walked quickly to the door: "Mr. Chen, please go ahead!"

His voice sounded high-pitched and urgent, as if he was eagerly anticipating a quick closure of the case.

However, the words that followed from Mr. Chen poured cold water over him.

"Mr. Qin, based on the current analysis, this case is likely not an accident and should be classified as a homicide—not even a regular manslaughter incident.

The perspective Mr. Jiang presented just now deserves serious attention. Currently, we must handle this abnormal death case with the rigor of a homicide investigation, leaving no room for negligence in the investigative process."

Mr. Qin’s lips moved slightly, as if he had more to say, but those words were swallowed back down. For a moment, he didn’t know where to start asking.

Nonetheless, his mind was swirling with a series of questions: Wasn’t the case initially concluded to have shifted from death due to illness to an accident?

How come it’s suddenly classified now as a "homicide"?

What crucial change has occurred among all this?

Just as he was about to press the matter with Mr. Chen over the phone, the dial tone suddenly cut in—Mr. Chen has already hung up.

Moreover, the director specifically mentioned the name "Jiang An" during the call, which made Mr. Qin feel something was amiss.

Could it be that new clues or underlying truths have emerged during the investigation of the case?

Standing outside the interrogation room, Mr. Qin paused in his steps.

With slightly furrowed brows, he fell into brief contemplation before gently shaking his head, as if to temporarily set aside the cluttered thoughts.

After a while, he pushed the door open and walked into the interrogation room.

Inside, Wan, who was taking notes, looked up at the sound, instantly noticing the change in his captain’s expression.

Wan was momentarily puzzled, but given the interrogation setting, he was not in a position to say more.

Mr. Qin walked to the table, tapping his knuckles on the desk, his gaze fixed sternly on Wang Can sitting opposite, as he spoke: "Wang Can, I need you to answer this question truthfully now."

Wang Can quickly nodded, his demeanor a bit stiff, "Officer, go ahead. As long as I can get out of here, I’ll tell you everything I know."

"Were you and Li Yong sharing the same dormitory at the time?"

"Yes," Wang Can nodded.

"Then, did Li Yong have any conflicts with anyone before he died?"

"No," Wang Can answered almost without hesitation, "Li Yong is quite introverted, doesn’t have many friends. No one in our dorm targeted him; there was definitely no conflict."

Mr. Qin stared at him, pushing further: "Think carefully, not limited to your dormitory—what about the neighboring dormitory or other workers at the construction site?"

Wang Can gave a wry smile: "Officer, we’re just there for manual labor, not academics. We do our own work and only see each other back in the dormitory.

We only interact with familiar faces, hardly strike conversations with strangers. Occasionally, we might go over to the neighboring dorm to have a beer, but there’s really no dispute."

Qin Feng did not relax, his voice growing heavier: "Are you saying Li Yong had no conflicts with anyone prior to his death?"

"None, definitely none," Wang Can affirmed.

"It doesn’t have to be very intense; it could be some hidden resentment not made public."

Mr. Qin slowly and clearly repeated the question, "Wang Can, think carefully again."

At this point, Wang Can suddenly raised his head, an indecisive look passing through his eyes before he spoke with a lowered voice: "If you’re talking about those undisclosed grievances... there might be one."

"Go on."

"We had a worker named Li Xu who lost 1200 yuan earlier in our dorm and couldn’t find it even after searching around."

"Everyone thought he might not have lost it in the dorm, maybe misplaced it outside. But Li Xu was quite perturbed over the matter and privately mentioned to us his suspicion... that it might have been taken by Li Yong."

"Because Li Yong’s family conditions were poor, they had a relative hospitalized at that time, urgently needing money."

"However, this was never publicly discussed, so people just quietly wondered."

"Did you report this to the police?"

"No, we didn’t report it at the time."

"From beginning to end, only Li Xu and I knew about it."

"He was just speculating then, thinking the money might have been lost in the dorm, but there was no evidence, and everyone got along amicably. None of us wanted to really confront him about it."

"As time went by, everyone got busy with their tasks, and this matter slowly faded away, no one mentioning it anymore.

When exactly did this occur?

"About a year ago, not sure about the exact season, just remember that the project was in a rush and everyone was exhausted during the day."

"Apart from this matter, was there any noticeable conflict with other people?"

"Nothing else... really not."

"You know, there are many people at the site, coming and going. We in the same dorm are quite familiar, but a lot outside we can’t even call by name."

"Minor squabbles, a couple of words exchanged now and then, that’s inevitable due to everyone having different personalities, with each having their few regular friends."

"As for me, who’s not really involved in group activities, I mostly stayed in the dorm to rest, and didn’t engage with outside matters."

"Is Li Xu still at the site now? What exactly does he do?"

"Li Xu operates the excavator, he’s quite skilled, considered a veteran, earning more than the average worker."

"Back then he managed to save up a thousand-plus cash, heard it’s because the excavator work is somewhat dangerous, so the company gives an extra safety bonus each month, which he saved up instead of sending home, just temporarily keeping it with him."

"Who would have thought that money would suddenly disappear."

"Precisely because of this, he kept brooding over it, occasionally mentioning how unfortunate it was.

Upon hearing this, Qin Feng’s gaze suddenly tightened, involuntarily leaning forward a bit.

The situation Mr. Chen mentioned earlier in the call flashed quickly through his mind.

During the case investigation, there was speculation that the murderer might have used the excavator’s boom to commit the crime.

If Li Xu was indeed the one operating the excavator, not only does he have the skill to handle the boom, but he also had money-related disputes with a colleague, which could contribute to some latent motive.

Could it be... that Li Xu is really involved in the case?

With this thought, Qin Feng suddenly stood up from his chair.

Beside him, Wan who was taking notes raised his head, looking puzzled: "Mr. Qin, what’s the matter?"

"Continue with the notes, I’m going out to make a call." Qin Feng said as he walked briskly out of the interrogation room, closing the door behind him.

The hallway was unusually quiet.

He quickly pulled out his phone, flipped to Mr. Chen’s number, and dialed.

The call connected swiftly.

"Mr. Chen, I just interrogated Wang Can and gathered a lead from him."

Qin Feng spoke at a steady but clear pace, "There’s a worker named Li Xu in their dormitory who operates the excavator."

"About a year ago, Li Xu lost over a thousand yuan in the dorm, although there’s no evidence pointing to anyone, he himself never let go of the issue."

"Crucially, this person can operate the excavator, familiar with using the boom."

"Do you think we should pursue this lead?"

There was a brief pause on the other end of the line, then Mr. Chen’s decisive voice came through: "Pursue it, arrange to investigate this Li Xu thoroughly."

"Find out his current whereabouts, recent activities, social connections—everything. Report any developments immediately."

"Yes, I’ll get things organized right away."