Forensic Doctor 2003: I Became a Legend on the Front Lines of Criminal Investigation

What lay before them was a long-standing, unsolved murder case with no breakthroughs, the details of which were intricate and complex.

All the police officers involved in the investigation were already disheartened and unanimously believed that there was no hope of solving the case, which had become an unsolved case that no one in the department dared to touch.

When Li Jian arranged for someone to deliver the thick case file to Jiang Chen, his attitude was equally negative. He didn't even have the slightest expectation of "giving it a try," and was simply going through the motions.

The reason why such a clueless cold case was handed over to Jiang Chen was because Jiang Chen had played a crucial role and made many contributions in the investigation of two previous cases, thanks to his outstanding abilities.

It was precisely because Jiang Chen had such a smooth life, solving numerous bizarre cases at such a young age, that he was bound to develop feelings of pride and complacency. This was the real intention of Li Jian and Director Ma.

After discussing it privately, the two decided to use this method to make Jiang Chen understand that criminal investigation and solving cases is never an easy task. Every case has hidden secrets and cannot be taken lightly.

In their view, for an excellent criminal investigator, experiencing more setbacks and taking more detours when young is by no means a bad thing; on the contrary, it can temper one's character and accumulate experience.

However, if things go too smoothly and one never encounters setbacks, it is easy to fall into the trap of blind arrogance. Once one becomes proud, complacent, and stubborn, not only will one stop moving forward, but one may even make fatal mistakes in subsequent cases, delaying the investigation and failing to live up to the police uniform and responsibilities.

So initially, Li Jian and Director Ma never expected Jiang Chen to solve this cold case. Their goal was never to solve the case, but to give Jiang Chen a wake-up call and make him have more respect for criminal investigation work.

This is like giving a sixth-grade student a difficult calculus problem. The intention is to make the child realize the profundity of knowledge and learn to have awe. But unexpectedly, the student solved this problem that others would find impossible in a very short time.

The current cold case of murder is unfolding in just such an unexpected way.

This morning, when Li Jian handed the case file to Jiang Chen, he had no expectations whatsoever. He didn't even dare to imagine that Jiang Chen could crack this tough nut.

It should be noted that this case had been reopened for investigation five times before. Each time, the bureau's top criminal investigation experts, key personnel, and technical experts were brought together. Everyone repeatedly reviewed the case files, meticulously examined the scene, and conducted multiple discussions and analyses, using every available method, but they still failed to identify the murderer or find even a single effective clue pointing to the murderer.

Everyone felt that this case was destined to remain unsolved forever, and that no matter how capable Jiang Chen was, he would never be able to break the deadlock and find the real culprit.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!" This was Li Jian's most certain thought at the time.

But after listening to Jiang Chen's complete reasoning and analysis of the case, Li Jian's "impossible" conclusion was completely shaken, and he even had to put a big question mark on it.

Criminal investigations are always results-oriented, but a meticulous and rigorous investigation process is equally important and can even determine the course of a case.

Jiang Chen's explanation was clear, logical, and meticulous. From the accurate characterization of the case to the reasonable deduction of the number of perpetrators, to the complete reconstruction of the crime process, and finally to the detailed portrayal of the perpetrator's characteristics, the entire line of reasoning was coherent and interconnected, without any flaws.

From every detail of the perpetrator's entry into the scene, contact with the victim, committing the crime, to their eventual escape, to the perpetrator's individual behavioral characteristics and psychological state, all the analyses are precisely aligned with the actual case and perfectly meet the core needs of the case investigation.

If Jiang Chen's direction for solving the case filled Li Jian with anticipation and curiosity, then this complete and impeccable case analysis process truly shocked Li Jian from the bottom of his heart.

He looked up at Jiang Chen, his eyes filled with undisguised surprise and curiosity. He couldn't understand how this self-taught forensic doctor could possess a keener insight and a more outstanding ability to solve criminal cases than professional criminal police officers.

It must be acknowledged that Jiang Chen consistently approached the case from a rigorous professional perspective, combining forensic expertise with criminal investigation logic to conduct a comprehensive and in-depth analysis. Every viewpoint and inference he made was supported by facts and professional expertise, and possessed extremely high investigative value and exploratory significance.

This perfectly illustrates Li Jian's long-held belief: a qualified criminal investigator must not only possess innovative and groundbreaking case-handling thinking, but also adhere to case-handling principles. Every analysis and every deduction must be based on reason and evidence. Even if the final deduction is flawed, it must be based on evidence and traceable, rather than being mere conjecture.

Jiang Chen, on the other hand, took this to the extreme.

Then, Li Jian turned to the group of police officers sitting in the meeting room and asked with a smile, "How was it? I specifically notified everyone in the work group today to pause some of our work and come to this meeting to participate in the discussion of this case. I hope it didn't interfere with your important business?"

As soon as he finished speaking, the officers present nodded in agreement. Young officer Li Rui spoke first, his tone full of admiration: "Captain Li, you haven't wasted any time at all! Participating in this case discussion has taught us all entirely new approaches to case analysis and investigation methods. We've gained so much!"

Several young officers chimed in, all expressing how much they had benefited. Just then, a veteran detective with gray hair and many years of experience stood up, his face earnest, and said, "That's right! Not only these young people, but this old fellow is also captivated. They all told me that the criminal investigation theories and case-solving approaches Comrade Jiang Chen mentioned are so novel and practical. We older officers also want to learn from them. They say you're never too old to learn. Even though I'll retire in two years, I want to delve deeper into criminal investigation knowledge so that when I retire, the stories I tell my grandchildren about past cases will be even more fascinating!"

The veteran detective's simple yet sincere words instantly made everyone in the room burst into laughter, and the originally tense and serious atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Li Jian laughed along, jokingly saying, "Brother, this is the most cutting-edge crime-solving approach and technique in our criminal investigation field. It can't be shared casually; leaking it would be a violation of discipline!"

"No, no, I'll keep it a secret!" The veteran detective quickly waved his hand and responded with a smile, "I was just joking with you. I just wanted to think about it slowly and understand it properly. Maybe if I learn some new ideas, I can have new insights and thoughts when I encounter similar cold cases in the future!" After he finished speaking, everyone burst into hearty laughter again.

A colleague standing nearby patted the veteran detective on the shoulder with a smile and joked, "Brother, just go home and enjoy your retirement fishing. With an outstanding detective like Jiang Chen around, his ability to solve cold cases is far superior to ours!"

"Yes, with Jiang Chen around, we finally have hope for solving these unsolved and long-standing cases!" Everyone echoed, expressing their approval and praise for Jiang Chen without reservation.

The sudden praise made Jiang Chen a little embarrassed. His cheeks flushed slightly. He turned to look at Li Jian, then at his colleagues across from him, and quickly said, "Everyone is too kind. I'm truly flattered. I was just sharing my initial thoughts and deductions about the case based on my professional knowledge. There's still a long way to go before we can truly identify the culprit, convict the suspect, and completely solve the case. I can't be sure if we'll succeed in the end."

Li Jian waved his hand, reassuringly saying firmly, "It's okay if we're unsure. Your analysis of this case today alone has overturned all our previous understanding and given us a completely new direction for the investigation. That's already a huge breakthrough. Although the final result hasn't come out yet, we all firmly believe that the case will be solved soon!"

Immediately afterward, Li Jian's smile faded, his expression turning serious. He immediately outlined the next steps: "This case, after our collective discussion just now, has completely overturned all our previous investigative approaches. All our previous investigative directions have been flawed. We must immediately adjust our strategy and explore entirely new investigative paths!"

"All personnel, listen up! All subsequent investigation work will be carried out in accordance with the ideas just proposed by Comrade Jiang Chen. We will thoroughly investigate all the men who had any contact with this female victim before her death, from elementary school classmates, junior high school classmates, and high school classmates, to her usual playmates, friends, and acquaintances. We must not miss a single one and must ensure a comprehensive investigation without leaving any blind spots."

"In addition, during the investigation, we must pay special attention to individuals who may have mental illnesses. Mental illnesses here do not only refer to those with obvious mental disorders or bizarre behavior, but also to those with intermittent mental illnesses whose symptoms are not usually obvious. Everyone must be vigilant, conduct thorough investigations, and not overlook any suspicious clues!"

"Yes!" As soon as Li Jian finished speaking, all the police officers present responded in unison, their voices firm and powerful, their eyes resolute and full of enthusiasm for solving the case.

Seeing this, Li Jian immediately made a decision: "Alright, the case is the order, time is the opportunity, there's no time to lose, everyone split up and take action immediately, and go all out to advance all aspects of the investigation!"