Chapter 367: Chapter 223: There Is More Than One Killer

Five minutes later, Li Jian took the elevator, hurrying towards the forensic laboratory.

At this moment, the corridor outside the laboratory was lit with a ghastly white glow, reflecting on his face, which appeared fatigued yet resolute.

Through the cold window, he immediately saw Jiang An, Zhang Yean, and Wan busily working at the lab bench.

Li Jian softened his footsteps, silently slipping into the room.

Wan was intently focused on the sample in his hands and turned around inadvertently.

In an instant, he exclaimed, “Whoa, man, you popping up out of nowhere almost scared me to death!”

“Getting scared by people is far worse than by ghosts. My heart nearly jumped out!”

Li Jian’s lips slightly curled up, and he raised a hand to gently pat Wan’s shoulder.

He said softly, “I guess you were too absorbed in examining the body just now to even notice me coming in.”

“How’s it going? Any new discoveries?”

Saying this, his gaze, sharp and focused, turned towards the ominous white bone on the lab bench.

Jiang An raised his head slightly, the hair on his forehead soaked with sweat.

He took a deep breath and calmly spoke, “So far, aside from the skull fracture and dislocation of the cervical vertebrae, which are obvious injuries, there aren’t many other conclusive positive findings on the body.”

Li Jian nodded thoughtfully, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings as if sketching the complete image of the corpse in his mind.

He then spoke, “We must race against time to find all the remaining bones. It’s not only about ensuring the thoroughness and completeness of the examination results but also about giving a bit of solace to the victim’s family in the future.”

“Imagine, when they see their loved one’s remains fully pieced together, it might bring some comfort to their hearts.”

Jiang An nodded in agreement, a glimmer of light flashing in his eyes.

He continued, “Indeed, however, during the body examination, we did discover some unusual and puzzling details.”

“Oh?” Li Jian’s gaze instantly sharp as an eagle’s, fixed on Jiang An.

He urged, “What unusual details? Quickly, tell me.”

Jiang An turned slightly, gestured for Li Jian to look at the facial position of the white bone, and said firmly, “We found that this victim’s teeth were preserved unusually well. Upon careful inspection, there’s not even a sign of obvious looseness, not a single tooth missing.”

“This is extremely strange considering a body that suffered such severe trauma.”

“What do you mean?” Li Jian frowned, perplexed, and asked urgently.

“I mean, judging by the condition of the teeth, it’s highly unlikely that the victim’s face suffered any violent blows.”

Li Jian’s gaze followed Jiang An’s direction and fell on the fractured area of the victim’s skull.

He murmured, “If the face wasn’t hit, then how did the head injury occur?”

“Could it be an ambush while unprepared?”

Jiang An nodded slightly, analyzing methodically, “According to the physics of force and the fracture patterns on the skull, they completely match.”

“I infer that the victim’s head suffered a violent impact at the forehead, and the force was enormous, causing this fracture condition.”

“Oh? A blow to the forehead?”

Li Jian instinctively lowered his head, leaned closer to the forehead area of the white bone, scrutinized closely, and frowned even more.

“But the forehead surface doesn’t seem to show any obvious localized depressed fracture. It’s a bit illogical.”

Jiang An crossed his arms, stared intently at the white bone, and patiently explained, “If the forehead suffered a heavy blow from a blunt object, the force would distribute over a larger area, just like cracking a walnut.”

“Therefore, the affected area might not present a distinctly noticeable depressed fracture, but this perfectly aligns with the fracture characteristics of an overall deformed skull.”

Jiang An spoke with authority, effortlessly using professional terminology.

Li Jian, though appearing a bit puzzled, knew Jiang An’s professional ability well and chose to trust this analysis unconditionally.

He nodded slightly, as if digesting these complex pieces of information.

Then, he responded, “If the victim’s face wasn’t struck, then he might have been attacked in his sleep, completely unprepared. This possibility indeed exists, but…”

Li Jian paused, his expression becoming somewhat grave, “A moment ago, the message from the chemical lab indicated that no toxic residues were detected in the soil beneath the victim’s body.”

“This is strange. No poisoning, no signs of resistance, how did he lose his life so easily?”

“The results came back so quickly?”

Jiang An was momentarily surprised, then nodded in confirmation, “They used the latest detection technologies, and the preliminary trial concluded no toxins.”

“The victim wasn’t poisoned and didn’t strongly resist before dying. This case is getting more and more bizarre.”

Li Jian crossed his arms over his chest, as if engulfed in a fog, pacing slowly in the lab.

He murmured, “In such a scenario, could a single person have executed the crime so neatly?”

Just as he finished speaking, Jiang An, like a flash piercing through the fog, raised his voice, “Mr. Li, this is actually what I’ve been wanting to say.”

“In this case, when it comes to the number of perpetrators, we cannot rule out the possibility of multiple people being involved.”

Jiang An emphasized “multiple people involved” heavily, as if highlighting the crucial direction for solving the case.

Li Jian, hearing these words, seemed as if awakened from a dream, halted his steps, gazed at the bones on the table, and fell into deep thought.

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