Chapter 1164 - 595: This Case Is Not Simple! (Part 2)

"That’s perfect, it saves us the time of traveling back and forth," Zhang Ming immediately said. "I’ll call Director Hou later and have them stay at the scene, fully collaborating with you on this major homicide case. No leaving until the case is solved."

Upon hearing this, Vice Director Chen Guan promptly responded respectfully, "Thank you, Mr. Zhang, for your strong support of our work in the Guangling Criminal Investigation!"

After Zhang Ming, the squad leader, hung up the phone, there was no delay; he immediately dialed Director Hou’s mobile number again.

At that moment, Director Hou’s phone suddenly rang.

"Hello, Mr. Zhang."

"Director Hou, how’s it going?"

Director Hou slowly turned his head to look at the three skeletons and said, "Mr. Zhang, this case is a bit complex."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Ming, the squad leader, nodded: "In all my years working in criminal investigation, I’ve encountered many cases involving three deaths, but encountering one where three people were killed and buried together, with intervals of a year, two years, and three years between deaths, is indeed very rare."

He suddenly asked, "Analyzing time of death in the soil requires highly advanced forensic anthropology knowledge."

"I know that grassroots forensic experts focus more on determining cause of death. Is the time of death mentioned by Vice Director Chen Guan accurate?"

At these words, Director Hou immediately replied, "Mr. Zhang, you can trust this conclusion."

"The judgment didn’t come from Guangling Criminal Investigation’s forensic experts; the deceased’s identity, age, and time of death were all provided by Jiang An’s analysis."

This statement instantly reassured Mr. Zhang as he promptly said, "I absolutely trust Jiang An’s analysis and conclusions."

In response, Director Hou said, "We were initially planning to take a quick look and then report back to the provincial department, but given the circumstances, should we leave or stay?"

Zhang Ming, the vice squad leader, said, "You must be involved throughout the case."

"I have a feeling that this case is more complex than any we’ve encountered before."

"Although the full details of the case are unclear, the different times of death indicate that the culprit committed multiple crimes in the past three years and buried the bodies in the same location each time."

"Such methods and strategies suggest that the murderer has very strong counter-investigation abilities. You must give it your all and put up a good fight."

"Understood, Mr. Zhang, we will keep your instructions in mind."

"Jiang An and I will do our utmost to resolve the case as soon as possible."

Zhang Ming, the squad leader, said, "With you and Jiang An on it, we feel assured."

"These days, I am preparing for a provincial criminal investigation summit, so I might not be able to leave immediately."

"Once we settle the basic plans in a few days, I will certainly lead a team to the primary scene and participate in your investigation."

Upon hearing this, Director Hou immediately said, "Mr. Zhang, we are doing our utmost at the front lines, awaiting your arrival."

"Good, hopefully, by the time we arrive in Guangling, you will have already successfully solved the case."

Finally, Zhang Ming, the squad leader, said, "Convey this to Jiang An: ’To achieve is to have status, and to achieve more is to have greater standing.’"

"Every bit of your effort is noted."

After hanging up the phone, Director Hou, visibly excited, turned to Jiang An and said, "Earlier, Mr. Zhang mentioned many things and asked me to convey one specific message to you."

Upon hearing this, Jiang An was somewhat puzzled, as Mr. Zhang was not his direct superior. What would he have to say to him?

Director Hou then said heavily, "Mr. Zhang said, ’To achieve is to have status, and to achieve more is to have greater standing.’"

Director Hou spoke very tactfully, but the meaning was made quite clear.

Jiang An twitched his lips, not particularly bothered by it.

At the moment, what occupied his mind was how to solve the case.

As for the issue of promotion, he was indifferent.

In Jiangcheng, he had a group of very good brothers and a team of very dedicated subordinates.

If he were to transfer to the provincial department in the future, he might find it somewhat uncomfortable.

Solving cases doesn’t depend on position but on the ability to solve them.

For instance, even if one is at a grassroots police station, as long as their skills are strong, talent will eventually shine.

You might start from a police station, then move to a county criminal investigation team, then to a city public security bureau criminal investigation team, and eventually to a provincial criminal investigation squad.

And if extremely outstanding, one may work in the Ministry of Public Security, the highest public security institution of the Dragon Country.

However, at this moment, Jiang An wasn’t thinking that far ahead.

His personal expectation was always to do well in the current tasks, with the primary goal being to solve cases.

Whether he gets promoted or not, as long as he remains in the criminal investigation field, he will persist in solving cases.

The sense of professional honor as a detective has already been deeply ingrained in his mind.

At this moment, when Vice Director Chen Guan, who was standing opposite, heard the conversation between Director Hou and Jiang An, he was instantly relieved.

He then turned to look at the three corpses on the ground, no longer feeling the nervousness from before, though the pressure still lingered.

Subsequently, Chen Guan asked, "Director Hou, Mr. Jiang, do we need to send the bodies to the forensic autopsy center for a detailed examination?"

Upon hearing this, Director Hou turned to look at Jiang An.

After all, Jiang An’s capabilities were well recognized, even by the criminal investigation squad.

Zhang Ming, the vice-squad leader, had also risen through the grassroots frontline, and it wasn’t easy for a forensic expert to earn his acknowledgment.

Although he himself wasn’t a forensic expert, his knowledge was self-taught.

Once, in the squad, Director Hou joked about Mr. Zhang Ming, saying, "Mr. Zhang, though a criminal investigator, is only missing the ’cert’ part of a forensics certificate."

"Like a medicine man with knowledge but unable to perform surgery due to lacking a physician’s certificate."

Jiang An turned to look at the three corpses on the ground and said, "Director Hou, Mr. Chen, I’ve conducted a detailed examination of these three bodies earlier."

"However, due to some remnants of soil adhering to the skeletal remains, it could potentially obscure observations of the original state of the bones and minute fracture lines."

"Therefore, I suggest packaging these three bodies and sending them back to the forensic autopsy center for a thorough cleaning of all the bones, ensuring a clear view of the bone surfaces, and further checking for any additional fracture lines."

Vice Director Chen said, "Alright, Mr. Jiang, we’ll proceed as you suggest."

He then turned to look at the two young forensic experts beside him.

"You two young ones have had an important lesson today."

Upon hearing this, the two young forensic experts nodded immediately, like chickens pecking at rice.

One of the forensic experts said, "The lesson Mr. Jiang just gave us was truly unforgettable."

"In the past, studying forensic anthropology was just to get through exams, using cheat sheets and looking up answers to scrape through the finals."

"I never imagined that professional knowledge of forensic anthropology would be needed in actual work."

"We’ll go back and revisit the forensic anthropology textbook."

Hearing this, Chen Guan nodded and said, "Indeed, learning and exploring through practice is the most efficient way."

"With Mr. Jiang still here in Guangling, you can take advantage of this case’s opportunity to learn from him."

Just then, Jiang An turned to look at the bodies and said, "The heads of all three deceased have fractures, showing distinct cavity-like depressions in local areas."

"When the bones are sent to the forensic autopsy room, be sure to clear any soil from the fracture edges."

"In resolving this case, the murderer’s weapon is extremely important, and we must determine the tool the perpetrator used."