The corpse didn't answer Jiang Yuan, but that didn't stop him from reaching a conclusion.
Seventeenth Uncle was his father's distant cousin. They didn't meet often, but during festivals and holidays, they'd inevitably run into each other. Combined with his distinctive physique, Jiang Yuan was confident he wasn't mistaken.
For a moment, Jiang Yuan's emotions wavered.
Then, he remembered what his father had said when persuading him to return to their hometown to prepare for the civil service exam:
"In the hometown, you'll always have relatives and acquaintances everywhere. Things are more convenient that way. Coming back will be far more comfortable than struggling in a big city."
Turns out, his father was right. Even as a forensic doctor, he could still encounter the corpses of relatives and acquaintances.
…
Not long after, the veteran forensic doctor Wu Jun arrived at the scene.
He was dressed in a white coat, his belly slightly rounded, resembling more of a bureaucrat than a field worker. He squinted as he surveyed the area, then tilted his head to glance at Jiang Yuan, a faint smile on his lips. "You're here early, Xiao Jiang. Go fetch the forensic kit, will you?"
"Already brought it," Jiang Yuan replied enthusiastically. He had long since carried over a large black case from the investigation vehicle, thick and heavy, exuding a sense of solidity.
Opening it revealed an orderly array of tools neatly hanging on the lid: pliers, tweezers, a bone saw, a bone chisel, a bone hammer, and bone shears. The bottom half, however, was a chaotic jumble divided into three sections—cotton, gauze, syringes, a measuring tape, a stainless-steel lunchbox, and towels were all mixed together.
"Take out a few more masks and hand them to everyone—one per person," Wu Jun instructed. He took one for himself and put it on. Only after watching Jiang Yuan distribute masks to the officers on site did he ask, in a tone like a teacher testing his student, "Do you know why the first thing we do is hand out masks?"
Jiang Yuan replied, "For protection and to prevent contamination of the scene."
"That's the textbook answer," Wu Jun said as he slipped a third glove over his already double-gloved right hand. "But there's another reason—to hide our expressions."
Jiang Yuan froze for a moment.
Wu Jun continued, "As police officers or forensic doctors, we see corpses all the time. But for some of you younger ones, it's easy to lose control of your facial expressions when you're talking. If someone ends up laughing and a member of the public or the media catches it on camera, it becomes a major issue. That's why the item I carry most in my kit is masks. Anyone who's on site, everyone gets one before they say a word."
Jiang Yuan suddenly understood.
It was only then that Wu Jun crouched down and began his investigation.
Jiang Yuan followed suit, adding two extra layers of gloves before hesitating and saying, "Master, I… I know this person. The deceased."
"Oh? Go on," Wu Jun said, looking up at him while studying the position of the body.
"He looks like my Seventeenth Uncle," Jiang Yuan exhaled deeply.
Wu Jun paused for two seconds before asking, "Are you sure?"
"Double chin, big belly, large nose, and a mole nearby… It should be him," Jiang Yuan described cautiously.
"My condolences. Tell me about your Seventeenth Uncle," Wu Jun said as he asked for a thermometer.
Jiang Yuan averted his gaze, fetched the thermometer from the kit, and began, "My Seventeenth Uncle should be 50 this year. Born in the Year of the Pig. He's my second grandfather's youngest son. His family moved to the teachers' quarters near County No. 1 High School a long time ago. He ran a small restaurant nearby, owned a car, smoked heavily, and had some debt disputes…"
Wu Jun listened attentively while conducting his examination. He also had Jiang Yuan take notes and asked for a puncture needle and syringe to collect blood and urine samples for later.
Before long, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division arrived on the scene. Shortly after, the county's deputy director in charge of criminal investigations and even the bureau chief himself arrived in quick succession.
"What's the forensic conclusion so far?" the bureau chief asked personally. Following him were the deputy director, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division, Huang Qiangmin, and several other officers.
Homicide cases are among the most serious criminal cases, and fresh cases, in particular, receive an administrative response hundreds of times more intense than ordinary cases.
In recent years, homicide rates had noticeably declined, but the level of police attention to them had only increased.
Wu Jun stood up unhurriedly, straightening his back as he replied, "The cause of death, preliminarily, appears to be a sharp object penetrating the back of the neck, causing cranial damage. No other wounds have been found so far. A detailed examination will require an autopsy back at the lab."
The bureau chief nodded, surveying the scene himself.
Wu Jun continued, "The body shows signs of being moved, and there's very little blood on the ground. This suggests the victim was likely disposed of here after death…"
"It's very likely a case of impulsive murder followed by body disposal," Captain Huang Qiangmin added after Wu Jun's analysis.
The bureau chief nodded again, glancing at the officers busy photographing and collecting blood and trace evidence. "What do we know about the victim so far?" he asked.
"The deceased was 50 years old, born in the Year of the Pig," Wu Jun reported in his usual steady tone.
The bureau chief and the others instinctively turned their attention to him again.
Wu Jun calmly looked around before continuing, "He lived in the teachers' quarters at County No. 1 High School, ran a small restaurant, owned a car, smoked heavily, and had some debt disputes."
Captain Liu, who had been bent over examining the wounds, straightened up abruptly and stared at Wu Jun in astonishment. "Old Wu, really? You deduced all that? Old Holmes over here! But wait—running a restaurant and smoking, is that based on oil stains and nicotine marks on his fingers? What about the debt disputes?"
Wu Jun smiled enigmatically, clearly enjoying the moment.