American forensics, but the gourmet system

"Is this really your first time shooting?"

On the taxi ride home, Aina was still a little incredulous and asked the same question she had asked more than a dozen times at the shooting range.

After shooting at the 15-yard target, the coach assigned Russell a 25-yard pistol target, and Russell scored an incredible 99 points in ten shots.

The coach's expression was as if she had seen Bin Laden resurrected in New York.

"It really is my first time," Russell shrugged and said with a smile. "Maybe I have a bit of a talent for shooting."

"Okay..." Aina pouted, "So, how about now? Do you feel like you've released some stress?"

"Not bad," Russell said casually. "I feel much better."

"Shooting is something that requires concentration," Aina said, patting Russell's arm. "Once you're immersed in it, you won't think about anything else. Plus, the thrill of the gunshots makes me feel much better when I'm feeling down or unhappy; I often go to the shooting range and fire a box of bullets."

The speaker has no intention, the listener has the heart.

In New York, the average cost per person at a shooting range is about $100. If you buy a couple more boxes of ammo and try out a gun or two, the cost per visit could easily reach $200.

This is not an activity that ordinary wage earners can often use for leisure.

  

Adding to the allure of Aina's high-spec computer, Russell's curiosity about his beautiful roommate's background was reignited...

If she comes from a wealthy family or has a high income, why would she live in a poor neighborhood apartment with a monthly rent of $1000?

However, this involves Aina's privacy, and both asking her in person and investigating her privately are overstepping boundaries.

Russell could only keep this curiosity to himself, waiting for the day when Aina would be willing to tell him.

……

The next day, at nine o'clock in the morning.

Russell arrived on time at the Brooklyn Criminal Investigation Center on the third floor, sitting at his workstation with a cup of hot chocolate in hand.

In recent days, due to the decline in the number of violent crimes, the workload of both the criminal investigation center and the forensic department has dropped.

In addition, Russell had just finished handling a backlog case, and the medical examiner's office had not assigned him any further backlog cases to investigate, so Russell's job today was to stand by.

"Standing at attention" refers to waiting for a murder that is about to happen or is happening.

With nothing else to do, Russell pulled out his book on forensic anthropology from his drawer and began to study it.

Through the practice of handling unsolved cases involving severed legs, Russell's rankings for "Forensic Pathology" and "Forensic Biological Evidence" improved by 1% and 2% respectively, surpassing 62% and 58% of his peers.

"Forensic Anthropology" improved by 4%, surpassing 64% of its peers, making it Russell's highest-ranked forensic skill.

Forensic anthropology is a branch of forensic medicine that focuses on skeletal morphology. It primarily studies bones, limbs, and highly burned or decomposed human remains to determine the age, sex, height, race, and other characteristics of the deceased.

In the case of a corpse, forensic pathology studies how it died, while forensic anthropology studies who it is.

Forensic biological evidence involves biological samples extracted from crime scenes, comparing DNA, and detecting trace evidence, among other things.

These three skills are precisely the knowledge that Russell used most extensively in the case of the broken leg.

It seems that the saying "practice makes perfect" also requires a combination of practice and theory to achieve rapid growth.

These areas of knowledge and skills, along with forensic toxicology and forensic dentistry, were areas Russell was exposed to most frequently during his undergraduate and graduate studies.

There are also some less common interdisciplinary areas within forensic medicine, such as forensic entomology, forensic botany, forensic accounting, and forensic engineering.

Just by listening to the names, you can tell that some of the subjects are not only obscure, but also somewhat eccentric...

Russell, of course, had little contact with me.

However, now that he has the skill of "practice makes perfect," Russell may be able to learn more about this area later.

For forensic scientists, both depth and breadth of knowledge are important; even the smallest clue can be the key to solving a murder case.

But the prerequisite is that you have enough knowledge to discover it.

"Hey, Russell." Jesse walked over from the direction of Captain Hansen's office. "Same as always, off work tonight."

"An Irish pub?"

"An Irish pub." Jesse nodded with a smile, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. "You promised to buy me a drink. I remember."

"Don't worry, you'll get your share," Russell chuckled. "Is Captain Hansen in his office? Is he busy right now?"

"He's busy all day long..." Jesse shrugged. "Budgeting, writing applications, scheduling vacations... Diaz is on paid vacation tomorrow, and mine is the day after... Finally finished those damn closing reports, I'm going to have some fun, I have to play Fortnite all day long..."

"Alright then," Russell smiled. "Have a nice vacation."

"Thank you for your kind words."

Jesse turned and walked back to his workstation, glancing back at Russell as he went, making a drinking gesture, and grinning mischievously.

Russell had planned to discuss the distribution of the $30,000 reward with Captain Hansen. Although the money hadn't arrived yet, the medical examiner's office had already applied for the bonus for Russell. It was always a good thing to be prepared in advance.

The reason Russell chose to consult with Captain Hansen instead of Dr. Beckman was not because he felt Dr. Beckman was untrustworthy, but because Captain Hansen clearly understood the situation within the Major Crimes Unit better, while Dr. Beckman was more focused on his own forensic work.

But judging from Jesse's words, Captain Hansen seems to be quite busy right now.

Russell didn't move, and continued to slack off at his workstation.

I explored from morning till afternoon, stopping downstairs to buy a tuna sandwich for lunch and also filling myself with coffee.

Scrolling through low-brow videos on TikTok, glancing at curvy bikini-clad blondes on Instagram, and then watching American politicians go crazy in X—that's how a day of slacking off comes to an end.

With the clock on the wall approaching six o'clock, Captain Hansen, who had been quiet all day, suddenly appeared in the office area.

"Get your gear ready, everyone. Let's get to work."

He said with a serious expression.

"ah?!"

Jesse's eyes widened.

"Could it be...?!" Marty was also taken aback. "Another case, boss?"

"It's murder." Captain Hansen turned to Russell. "Take the forensic kit, Dr. Russell. The victim is a white woman. We don't know much else yet... Let's head to the scene immediately."

"Yes, Captain."

Russell immediately stood up and pulled his examination kit from under the table.

"Dry!"

Diaz slowly uttered a single word.

Not only did Diaz and Jesse apply for paid leave for tomorrow and the day after tomorrow, but now their vacation is definitely ruined.

Although the three detectives expressed their disappointment in different ways, five minutes later, they were all dressed and standing in the parking lot.

Two black Ford Explorers were parked side by side. Captain Hansen opened the door of one of the cars and got inside.

"Set off!"