Chapter 1073 - 549: Let’s Go One More Time_2

Although the exact formation time cannot be determined with the naked eye, Jiang An’s professional experience suggests that such scar characteristics are likely formed within a year.

It speaks to a timeline completely different from Li Xu’s testimony.

Thinking of this, Jiang An raised his gaze, his eyes piercing toward Li Xu like a blade: "You’ve been lying all along."

"Lying? No, I haven’t!" Li Xu responded as if scalded, his voice suddenly rising, "I’ve been telling the truth!"

"This scar wasn’t left from your childhood," Jiang An said steadily, with each word clear, "It formed within the last year."

The moment the word "year" fell, Li Xu’s eyes suddenly flickered.

His shoulders trembled slightly, subconsciously adjusting his sitting posture, and he withdrew the hand that was resting on the table.

This change lasted only a moment, but it was precisely captured by Qin Feng, who had been quietly observing.

Qin Feng was especially skilled at assessing expressions; he always believed the truth couldn’t hide beneath micro-expressions.

Li Xu’s momentary evasion, tension, and the subsequent anxiety all confirmed Jiang An’s deduction: not only was he hiding something, but the formation time of the scar might be the key to revealing a crucial truth.

Thus, Qin Feng leaned forward, locking his gaze on Li Xu, "Li Xu, let me remind you, this is an interrogation room."

"You’d better confess honestly, don’t think you can get away with anything—standing before you is the province’s top forensic expert."

"You can’t fool his eyes, nor trick our detectives’ judgment."

"I’m not lying...this is the truth!" Li Xu’s voice started to shake, yet he stubbornly defended, "If you don’t believe me...you can ask my mom!"

"Ask your mom?" Qin Feng suddenly let out a cold laugh, his tone turning sharp, "Didn’t you just say she passed away and was laid to rest three years ago?"

"You just said it yourself—so, are you asking us to go down and ask her, or are you just talking nonsense, contradicting yourself?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xu’s shoulders sank slightly, instantly lowering his head.

Even so, he kept his lips tightly closed, not saying a word, only his slightly fluctuating chest revealing his unsteady breathing at the moment.

Qin Feng and Jiang An exchanged a glance, reading the same information in each other’s eyes.

Years of criminal investigation experience told them that the more silent and evasive a suspect was, the closer they were to the core of the truth.

Jiang An leaned forward slightly, his gaze like a blade, focusing on Li Xu’s right hand which he continued to conceal, his voice steady and clear: "If I’m not mistaken, the scar on your hand should have formed within the last year—and it has an inextricable relationship with the current case, right?"

Li Xu abruptly raised his eyes, then swiftly lowered them, his voice hastily rebutting: "It doesn’t matter! It’s unrelated to the case! This injury...accidentally happened a year and a half ago while working at the construction site."

"Construction site?" Jiang An’s tone was flat but relentless, "Specific time, specific place."

"It’s been so long, how can I remember clearly...No one saw it, it was just on the construction site, my hand got cut by an iron sheet." Li Xu’s tone was vague, his eyes shifting.

"Where was the injury treated?"

"No...didn’t have special treatment. Tried to save some money at the time, just casually bandaged it. Who knew it would get infected later."

"And then?" Jiang An didn’t give him a chance to breathe.

"It was too late when I couldn’t endure and went to the hospital."

"Which hospital?"

"Guangling City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. If you don’t believe me, go check!" Li Xu’s tone suddenly rose, carrying an urgency to prove something.

"Alright, we will check." Jiang An noted this in the record, his voice devoid of emotion.

At this moment, Qin Feng, who had been silently observing, suddenly spoke, "Li Xu, I advise you to speak honestly, no tricks. Hiding or lying will only make things worse for you."

Li Xu seemed to flinch, hurriedly defending: "Everything I’ve said is true! I was injured at the construction site, I even wrapped it in gauze, my roommates can testify!"

Jiang An listened, his face showing no sign of relief.

Although Li Xu disclosed the subsequent self-treatment and hospital visit, his description of the specific injury circumstances—time, place, those present—remained vague and ambiguous, seemingly deliberately avoiding key details.

This evasive response instead deepened Jiang An’s suspicion.

He turned his head, exchanging a glance with Qin Feng.

The two tacitly stood up simultaneously, walking toward the interrogation room’s exit.

The door closed softly behind them, sealing the oppressive air inside.

In the corridor, Qin Feng briskly walked while speaking in a low voice to Jiang An: "The kid’s words are not fully truthful. I’ll go to the City Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine to check his medical records, focusing on the injury narrative he gave at the time. The doctor’s original records often come closest to the truth."

Jiang An nodded, his thoughts clear: "Understood, Mr. Qin."

"Verify the medical situation on your end, and I’ll visit the construction site again, specifically near the excavator he mentioned, to see if there are any overlooked traces or clues."

"If what he said is true, the hospital records should corroborate it; if it’s fabricated, there will inevitably be inconsistencies in the details."

"Alright, divide and keep in touch." Qin Feng nodded, his pace unwavering.

"Mm," Jiang An’s expression was solemn, adding, "If his narrative during the hospital visit matches today’s testimony, then at least that part is credible; but if even the cause of the injury doesn’t match...then we have to reconsider the scar’s origin."

The two briefly parted at the staircase, their figures quickly disappearing down the corridor’s ends.

Jiang An had encountered numerous cases where the person involved, after being injured, would come to a forensic expert for injury assessment but often conceal or embellish the injury’s backgrounds.

After all, in such situations, their mindset tends toward holding the other party accountable, seeking more compensation, or hoping the other party receives harsher punishment.

Meanwhile, the same individuals, once at the hospital facing doctors, generally provide a truthful and detailed description of the injury and process because their mindset is entirely different: seeking medical treatment is aimed at recovery, not legal accountability.

Not long after, Qin Feng left hastily with two members of the criminal investigation team.

Jiang An returned to the criminal investigation team’s office, finding Director Hou and two other young officers.

Director Hou gestured upon seeing him enter: "Mr. Jiang, you came just in time, have some tea to calm your nerves first."

Jiang An nodded, thanked him, approached the table and took a sip from the teacup, then said seriously: "Director Hou, I’ve been thinking, we might have to make another trip—to take a look at that excavator at the construction site."

"Go again?" Director Hou was surprised, and the two young officers exchanged glances, one couldn’t help asking: "Mr. Jiang, didn’t we just come back from the scene? The fingerprint comparison results are out, and you’ve carefully examined the site, is there still anything we missed?"

Director Hou didn’t directly question but looked visibly puzzled, waiting for Jiang An to elaborate—he knew that Jiang An’s actions were always based on evidence, never aimless.

Indeed, Jiang An explained: "It’s like this, I noticed one of the suspects, Li Xu, has an old wound with malformation healing on his right ring finger.

I asked him about the injury in the interrogation room, but he was vague, only saying it happened at the construction site, can’t remember the specifics.

This reaction feels off to me—the injury is on the hand and related to construction machinery, could it be related to Li Yong’s death?"

"Hand injury?" Director Hou pondered, "But there were no bloodstains found on Li Yong’s body."

"No bloodstains indeed," Jiang An continued, "But I’m wondering if someone operated those heavy machines during Li Yong’s death.

If Li Xu was manipulating the excavator at the time, could unexpected circumstances or operational errors have caused a hand injury?

This kind of injury might not directly leave bloodstains but could be a key action trace."

Hearing this, Director Hou remained silent for a moment.

This speculation might seem a bit random—it’s akin to how people drive for a long time or even play mahjong without necessarily injuring their hands—appearing somewhat distant from the core of the case.

But he was aware of Jiang An’s capabilities—as the captain of Jiangcheng Criminal Investigation Team and a backbone of the major case squad, Jiang An’s intuition and reasoning often led to deeply buried clues.

Right now, with the case at a standstill and no breakthroughs from several directions, perhaps this was a diversion worth pursuing.

After a brief pause, Director Hou finally nodded: "Alright, since you think it’s necessary, let’s make the trip again."}