The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

"What did you do wrong?" The interrogator gently placed the notebook on the table. "It’s important to ask you about the conflicts between you and the deceased, and what you were doing and where you were on the day of the incident."

"Were you working with Li Yong at that construction site half a year ago?"

"Li Yong—the one who has now passed away.

You might not remember who he is anymore.

I was also operating the excavator at the site back then, and I remember that he was said to have died from illness, right? Died of sickness?

You need to understand; I’m officially telling you now, this case has been confirmed to not be a death caused by illness."

Qin Feng said: "Not a death from illness!"

"Not illness? What could it be?"

The man’s face showed a clear sign of surprise. "Didn’t they invite a forensic expert from Guangling Medical University to examine him? How could it not be an illness?"

"Whether it’s an illness or not is not up to you to decide; we have our own judgment."

"Now I’m just asking you—was the excavator parked at the gate yours back then?

"It’s not mine."

"If it’s not yours, whose is it then?"

"It’s Zhang Bia’s from the next dormitory."

Hearing this, Qin Feng asked again: "You and Li Yong were living in the same dormitory then, right?"

"We were in the same dormitory."

"Do you remember losing a thousand yuan back then?"

"A thousand yuan? What money?"

"What money, you should know in your heart. Also, we understand that you once suspected Li Yong of stealing it, holding a grudge about it."

"I long forgot about such an old matter. It’s just a thousand yuan, nothing much."

"Nothing much? Think carefully."

"Let me advise you, the sea of bitterness is boundless, turning back is the shore. If you are truly linked to his death, I suggest that you tell the truth today; you might still seek leniency."

Meanwhile, Mr. Chen, Director Hou, and Jiang An returned from the construction site.

They returned to the police unit, bypassing their offices, heading straight to the one-way glass observation room adjacent to the interrogation room, quietly observing Li Xu, who was being interviewed inside.

Mr. Chen and Director Hou both looked solemn.

They both pondered a question: If someone intervened amidst the suspended operation, seizing the opportunity to ignite the excavator... could that possibility exist?

At this moment, Mr. Chen turned to Director Hou, lowered his voice, and said:

"That excavator isn’t Li Xu’s; it’s another worker’s from the dormitory."

"Even if he himself owns an excavator, the keys to different vehicles shouldn’t be interchangeable, right? Like our cars, you can’t use my car key to start your car."

Director Hou nodded lightly upon hearing this:

"That’s true. However, conflict between him and the deceased indeed exists, and that is a fact."

Though conflict exists, directly asserting that he committed murder, the logical chain seems incomplete and fragile.

Mr. Chen pondered for a while, continued his analysis: "Even assuming he indeed started the excavator and performed lifting movements on the boom halfway, how will we proceed to fix and collect evidence?

"Currently, securing evidence in this case is proving extremely difficult."

Upon his words, several policemen behind him agreed in unison, someone whispered in agreement: "Indeed, it’s truly a thorny problem."

Mr. Chen further elucidated: "Whether we can obtain detailed confessions through interrogation, reconstruct the full picture of the case, even if we internally believe he is the murderer, where do we start to secure solid evidence?"

"We now operate under a trial-centered litigation system with very strict evidentiary standards."

"If relying solely on confessions, the case would face high litigation risk—the party might recant in court. Moreover, just based on confessions, the court might not accept them during the litigation phase."

"In other words, even if he operated the hydraulic boom, what kind of trace would that process leave? It’s still unknown."

At this moment, Jiang An stood at the side, observed the discussion atmosphere in the room, and fell into intense contemplation.

In his view, the issue indeed presents a severe challenge.

Even if you clearly know he’s the murderer, if his actions went unseen, undocumented by surveillance, leaving no clear trace, how can you ultimately prove his crime indisputably?

Thinking of this, Jiang An’s brow gradually furrowed, plunging him deeper into thought.

At this moment, in the small and solemn interrogation room, the air stagnated, only the white incandescent lamp overhead hummed monotonously, stretching the shadows of those at the table. Mr. Qin was stern, exchanged a glance with the police officer Wan, who was diligently recording alongside him, both remained in tacit understanding, creating a silent encirclement around the suspect Li Xu opposite them. The questioning had been going on for some time, and they were using rigorous logic and calm rhythm, advancing systematically, pressing step by step.

Qin Feng suddenly raised his hand, lightly patted his palm against the hard tabletop, a dull "thump" particularly clear in the silence. He leaned forward slightly, eyes like torches, locking onto Li Xu’s wandering eyes, his tone severe and undeniable: "At this stage, you better confess truthfully what you know; any concealment or tricks only add to your burden."

He deliberately paused, letting the weight of his words sink into the other party’s heart, then asked clearly: "First question—according to what we know, you have excavation operation qualification and are routinely proficient, correct?"

"Yes! I can operate an excavator. But what’s the issue? Operating an excavator isn’t illegal, is it?"

"Operating an excavator itself isn’t illegal," Qin Feng’s tone was steady, yet each word was crystal clear, "but the key lies in that the cause of Li Yong’s death wasn’t the previously circulated natural cause."

"After a detailed forensic autopsy and technical site re-examination, it was confirmed that Li Yong died of mechanical asphyxiation due to substantial external force causing neck traction."

"Analysis of the force source points to—" he paused again, sharp eyes never straying, "—a hydraulic boom of an excavator."

Li Xu’s face instantly filled with shock, blurting out: "Ah? That’s... that’s how he died? I... I really didn’t know!"

He quickly waved his hand, speeding up his speech, "All I heard was that he suddenly got sick, collapsed, and died."

"Officer, this has nothing to do with me! That night, I was with a few roommates in the dorm drinking and playing cards, never left the room at all!"

"Being together all night? Did you ever leave the dorm alone?"

Li Xu denied almost without hesitation, firmly: "No! I didn’t step outside even once!"

"Throughout, I didn’t even go to the bathroom, just stayed inside the room."

However, the moment he decisively stated "didn’t step outside even once," his upper body subtly leaned back, and his right ankle swiftly exchanged a crossed stance.

This brief, subconsciously defensive action of his body leaning back and adjusting his balance didn’t escape Qin Feng’s always highly focused observation.

In his rich interrogation experience, such involuntary defensive body language, contrary to assertive tone, often indicates a breach in defensive psyche, and unsound statements, with potential implications sometimes worth exploring more than fluent speech.

"Do you truly not go out?"

Li Xu’s eyes briefly flashed with panic, but he still stubbornly repeated: "I didn’t go out! Really didn’t go out!"

"But the clues I’ve obtained show that someone clearly saw you leave the dormitory during that time frame. How do you explain?"

"Who? Who saw me? They must have mistaken someone else for me!"

"Who saw you isn’t important at this point," Qin Feng cut off his inquiry, "Now what needs answering is—assuming you did go out, what did you do during that time? Where did you go?"

Li Xu began to look a bit restless, fingers unconsciously picking at his pants seam, "I... I didn’t go out... that person certainly mistook, yes, poor lighting or wrong timing, definitely mistaken..."

Qin Feng lifted his arm, pointing to the slogan on the interrogation room wall—"Confession leads to leniency, resistance leads to severity."

"Li Xu, lift your head and take a good look at these eight words."

"That night, was it truly the case of the witness mistaking someone else, or did you leave the dormitory?"