Chapter 1028 - 527: This Move Was a Bit Hasty...

At first, everyone hoped that the arrival of the provincial expert team would bring new ideas and open up new directions for the case.

However, no one anticipated that the conclusion reached by the expert team would not align with the local investigators’ expectations.

It could even be said to clearly challenge the original investigative direction.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the conference room was somewhat stagnated, and an imperceptible awkwardness flashed across the faces of Mr. Qin and Mr. Chen.

After all, this case was formulated by these two seasoned detectives after long periods of careful deliberation and meticulous planning. If there were significant omissions in the early investigation, how could they easily agree to close the case?

Nonetheless, due to the authority of the expert team from the higher bureau, Chen Guan and Qin Feng exchanged glances and still behaved quite modestly, nodding in succession and softly echoing, "Makes sense, makes sense."

However, while they said so, their body language was often the most honest—if it made sense, why not take careful notes and delve into discussions, instead of merely giving vague compliance?

Jiang An observed all of this, a knowing smile gradually appearing at the corner of his mouth.

He was clear-minded: as a member sent by the higher-ups to provide guidance, he had already offered the necessary opinions and pointed out the direction.

As for whether to adopt and how to follow up, that was up to the local authorities.

If they were unwilling to implement, he would not easily give any conclusions—this was not shirking responsibility, but a necessary insistence on the rigor of case handling.

Moreover, in Jiang An’s view, there were indeed a few doubts remaining in the case, and the overall situation had not reached a clear conclusion; being cautious at this time was undoubtedly wise.

At this time, Director Hou nodded slightly.

Compared with the others present, he felt rather relieved, even faintly gratified.

During the discussion just now, he was actually caught in a dilemma: if he fully agreed with the existing conclusions, he had unresolved doubts in his heart;

If he directly raised questions, he didn’t know where to start and was concerned that as the chief of the expert team, completely rejecting the work approach of the brother unit at the beginning might affect the subsequent cooperation in case handling.

After all, the public security criminal investigation team has always been known as the "sharp edge." In Guangling and even broader areas, the team’s prestige and collaborative effectiveness are crucial; any internal conflicts need to be properly managed to maintain its sharpness and stability.

He opened his mouth yet swallowed his words, merely lifting the tea cup on the table and taking a gentle sip.

The room fell silent for a moment, with only the slight tapping sound when the cup bottom touched the table surface.

After a slight pause, Director Hou said, "Earlier, Mr. Jiang analyzed from three aspects: the scene, autopsy, and investigative survey. The ideas were clear and well-structured; personally, I find them very logical and enlightening."

He paused briefly and continued, "From my usual habit of analyzing cases, traces at the scene are often one of the most direct clues—for instance, whether the scene is chaotic can roughly reflect whether there was a struggle between the deceased and the suspect.

And when judging the cause of death, we usually need to focus on the manifestations of external injuries and asphyxia, which are key to clarifying the nature of death.

Regarding the investigative survey, it requires gradual advancement and deeper inquiry, especially the inspection of relevant construction sites and places, which should not be overlooked.

These steps are key factors in reaching the final conclusion."

His tone eased a bit, continuing to add, "Of course, the Guangling City Bureau has already done a substantial amount of work in this regard. The scene examination was thorough, and the autopsy was entrusted to Guangling Medical University Forensic Center—which in itself reflects professional prudence."

Saying this, he slightly turned his head, his gaze falling on the sign plaque of "Guangling Medical University" hung on the conference room wall, "If I guess correctly, the autopsy work should be presided over by a senior professor from the academy, right?"

With these words, his focus naturally shifted to a middle-aged man sitting next to the plaque.

The man raised his hand to rub his eyes, his weary expression seemingly relaxed a bit, his complexion appeared better than before.

However, while Director Hou spoke politely and comprehensively, he held different thoughts underneath.

He secretly pondered, what professor presided over the autopsy, more likely just a few interns were operating, with a teacher alongside taking notes, just going through the motions.

These forensic identification centers outside the public security system often prioritize profit-making; he was very familiar with the intricacies involved.

Some institutions, like the renowned "Faraday Judicial Identification Center," even had situations where conclusions were up for sale—you could get any kind of report you wanted, as long as the price was right.

In this world, risk and return go hand in hand; in some corners, even identification conclusions have become merchandise for trade.

Such thoughts, of course, he wouldn’t openly express at this moment.

Director Hou paused briefly and then continued, "So our next focus of work should be conducting in-depth investigations around these three issues.

Once they are thoroughly checked and clarified, we can conduct a comprehensive evaluation.

I believe by then the conclusion reached will be relatively more accurate and reliable."

Director Hou remained tactful, though he spoke plenty, his phrasing was cautious, leaving room for maneuver, neither giving a definite conclusion nor effectively pointing out the direction—it was a statement that was solid yet not implemented.