Chapter 414: Chapter 245: What Is the Nature of Death?

“The deceased had no external injuries, and all the covered areas are perfectly intact.”

“Exactly.”

Li Jian nodded in agreement, with a faint look of relief on his face, as if glad to have one less trouble.

Jiang An didn’t respond, steadily lifting the double knives, his eyes suddenly sharp as a hawk, like a warrior about to head to the battlefield.

Since his rebirth, he discovered that his autopsy efficiency had skyrocketed.

While others needed two hours to complete an autopsy, he only required one.

Moreover, he could present the organ structures intact in one go, unlike others who had to reveal them slowly in sequence.

You should know, when dealing with a bloated corpse from the water, the longer the autopsy takes, the quicker the corpse changes color, and that makes the subsequent examinations much more troublesome.

He gripped the double knives tightly, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

Jiang An stood firm, letting the double knives fall vertically, cutting precisely into the skin at the sternum.

The blades moved up and down, silently carving out a perfectly straight line.

He leaned slightly forward, maintaining the best posture for exerting force, his eyes fixed on the point where the blade met the skin, missing no deviation.

This scene left Mr. Qin and Zhang gaping in astonishment.

It was their first time witnessing Jiang An’s double-knife autopsy.

Mr. Qin’s mouth was agape, his eyes wide open.

After a while, he was the first to recover, exclaiming loudly, “Wow, this is my first time seeing a double-knife autopsy.”

“Your coordination between the left and right brain is amazing!”

As he shouted, he waved his arms excitedly, almost hitting Wan beside him.

Wan stood by, his eyes as big as brass bells, full of amazement, his jaw nearly dropping.

He stammered, “This is even more impressive than forensic scenes in American or Hong Kong TV shows. You’re undoubtedly a top forensic expert in the country!”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but give a thumbs up, his eyes filled with admiration.

Jiang An slightly smirked, revealing a faint smile, “Mr. Qin, brother, don’t praise me to death. This is just basic skill.”

“Forensic autopsy is just the beginning. The key lies in observing and analyzing the results to uncover useful clues.”

As he spoke, he gently laid down the double knives, moving with elegance and composure.

Li Jian chimed in, “That’s right, wielding the knife is easy, interpreting trace evidence is the real skill.”

He nodded slightly, crossing his arms in front of his chest, looking approving.

Immediately, Jiang An cut across both sides of the deceased’s chest, exposing the sternum and ribs.

He lightly brushed his hand, his fingers sliding slowly over the bones, feeling their texture. “No fractures in the bones! The muscles don’t show obvious hemorrhage either.”

“This indicates that there was no external force to the chest or rib area of the deceased.”

His voice was calm but carried a sense of professional authority.

Then, Jiang An once again picked up the scalpel to cut open the deceased’s back.

In an instant, his eyes narrowed, noticing dark, heavy blood stains on both sides of the deceased’s scapular muscles.

He frowned slightly, his eyes filled with puzzlement and inquiry.

Although Li Jian, Mr. Qin, Zhang Yean, and Wan were not forensic experts, they could tell from a glance that the situation was not good.

Instantly, four pairs of eyes turned toward Jiang An, waiting for his insight.

Jiang An lowered his head in thought, and after a moment, he spoke, “The coloration of these scapular muscles is abnormal, indicating pre-mortem muscle hemorrhage.”

“Muscle hemorrhage? What caused it?” Zhang Yean was quick to ask.

Jiang An looked at everyone, patiently explaining, “From my professional perspective, I believe the deceased had intense arm movement before death, causing rapid contraction of the scapular muscles.”

“Local blood vessels in the scapular muscles tore, resulting in such hemorrhage.”

Jiang An spoke in layman’s terms, and everyone nodded in understanding.

Li Jian followed up, “Could this kind of hemorrhage have been caused by struggling in the water?”

Jiang An nodded slightly, “Given the hemorrhage patterns in the scapular muscles, there’s a significant possibility it was caused by struggling in the water.”

“During drowning, people struggle desperately, their arms flailing wildly, easily triggering this localized scapular muscle hemorrhage.”

As he spoke, he mimicked the struggling movements of a drowning person with his arms.

Mr. Qin raised a question, “Then how do you differentiate this from hemorrhage caused by external force?”

Jiang An thought for a moment before replying, “There’s a big difference.”

“If the back were struck by external force, the skin and muscles would be the first to suffer, and the outer skin couldn’t remain undamaged.”

“But the skin on this corpse’s back, though a bit decomposed and dark, has an intact overall structure, not fitting the characteristics of an external blow.”

“Furthermore, if the scapula were hit by a blunt object, a fracture would be unavoidable.”

“But it’s unscathed, which means the bleeding is due to the muscle’s intense contraction and pulling.”

“This is similar to a ligament tear while playing soccer, tearing blood vessels post-injury and forming a hematoma.”

As he explained, he pointed to the corresponding parts of the corpse for everyone to see more clearly.

His explanation enlightened everyone present.

Zhang Yean nodded repeatedly.

“I understand now. That’s the mark of a professional.”

As she spoke, she patted Jiang An on the shoulder, her face full of admiration.

Li Jian concluded, “According to Jiang An, there’s a high probability the deceased struggled intensely before death. So is drowning the root cause?”

He crossed his arms in front of him, glancing at everyone with a thoughtful look.

Jiang An glanced at the watch on the autopsy table and began slowly, “Judging by the back muscles alone, drowning seems quite likely.”

“But the fibers on this watch don’t match the deceased’s clothing, their origin remains a mystery.”

Li Jian and Mr. Qin exchanged a glance, both feeling a heavy weight in their hearts.

Li Jian sighed, “We need to clarify this. If it’s not drowning, the cause of death becomes a mystery.”

He shook his head slightly, a look of helplessness on his face.

Jiang An nodded and turned to adjust the body, positioning it face-up.

He picked up the rib saw, letting the blade cut into the ribs.

The sound of sawing echoed through the autopsy room.

Soon after, the deceased’s ribs and chest were fully removed, exposing the lungs, heart, and liver.

At first glance, Jiang An had made his conclusion, “The deceased likely died from drowning.”

He lifted his head slightly, his eyes firm, his voice steady.

“Drowning? You’re that sure?”

Mr. Qin’s face was full of doubt, his gaze darting between Jiang An and the body.

After all, the ribs had just been sawed open, and many organs hadn’t been thoroughly examined.

Isn’t this conclusion too premature? He stood with hands on hips, a skeptical look on his face.

Li Jian also looked puzzled, stepping forward to speak softly, “Jiang An, we need to be thorough. Complete the work properly.”

“In case the provincial department asks, we need to be accountable.”

Jiang An understood Li Jian’s concerns, nodding in agreement, “Of course, it’s just that I spotted key evidence.”

“The surface of the lungs shows bleeding, what we call ’drowning marks’.”

He spoke while pointing at the deceased’s lungs, his fingers long and strong.

“Drowning marks?”

Zhang Yean’s eyes lit up in excitement, “We learned about that in college forensics, so that’s what it is!”

“I only saw it in pictures before, but seeing it in real life today, I finally understand.”

She spoke while bouncing slightly in excitement.

Jiang An pointed out the deceased’s lungs, explaining, “Water fills the lungs, alveoli rupture, capillary bleeding.”

“The lung surface will show this cloud-like, blurry bleeding spots, like small clouds, known as ’drowning marks’.”

He spoke while gesturing the shape of the ’drowning marks’ with his hands.

Everyone followed Jiang An’s direction, and indeed, the pale surface of the lungs showed clear plaque-like hemorrhages.

“So that’s how it is, I’ve memorized it now.” Zhang Yean said with a satisfied expression.

Without delay, Jiang An reached into the chest cavity of the deceased, gently moving the lungs aside, revealing a small amount of pale, bloody fluid.

He meticulously examined the lungs, heart, stomach, and other organs one by one.

Once finished, he firmly stated, “Based on my examination, drowning is indeed the most likely cause of death, given the bleeding on the surface of the lungs—known in terminology as ’drowning marks’.”

His voice was firm and unassailable.

Everyone nodded, and the room fell into silence.

Mr. Qin raised a doubt, “So, is it definitely drowning? Are we sure it wasn’t murder or an accident?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep