National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1132 - 1063: Fierce Knife in Blood

Jiang Yuan stood up and picked up the remote pen while Wang Chuanxing opened up the PPT he had worked on overnight.

Wang Chuanxing’s PPT was far from the simplistic presentation Liu Jinghui had made himself; it was meticulously crafted with circling visual elements. The fonts in Wang Chuanxing’s PPT varied depending on specific needs, and even the brightness and colors of some images and text were slightly different, striking a balance of detail and clarity that made everything immediately discernible.

Jiang Yuan pressed the remote pen, and a photo of the crime scene immediately appeared on the projection screen behind him.

"The crime scene orchestrated by the killer left behind a large amount of bloodstains; however, due to the three victims being concentrated in a small space, much of the blood has been absorbed and obscured. This was also partially why the Bloodstain Analysis method wasn’t particularly feasible in the early stages of the task force’s investigation," Jiang Yuan began with an explanation to cover for the earlier work done by the task force. Now that he was a nationally renowned expert, he was careful to avoid casually making remarks that might lead to someone being reprimanded.

The officers from the Criminal Police Brigade quickly jotted down Jiang Yuan’s words in their notebooks.

After pausing briefly, Jiang Yuan continued, "Let’s now examine the usable parts. First, you can see this narrow bloodstain here, indicating it was caused by a sharp weapon. If we magnify the blood droplets within the stain, you’ll notice the extremely long tails of the drops—this is a typical sign of rapid movement. This implies that the killer either swung the weapon very quickly or that the weapon had a longer handle."

As Jiang Yuan spoke, he pressed the remote pen again, revealing several photos in succession.

After the photos were shown, Jiang Yuan went on, "Beyond the photos just displayed, some bloodstains are actually concealed within pools of blood, making it difficult to see them in their entirety. However, based on uncovered areas and slight variations in the pools themselves, we can extract additional traces of weapon movement."

Jiang Yuan didn’t elaborate further but displayed even more photos.

These will later be verified by the fingerprint and trace evidence team of the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment. During the stages of submission and trial, the prosecution and the courts will also conduct their own forensic analysis, and ultimately, if it comes to the death penalty, the Supreme Court and the death penalty review stage will examine the evidence yet again.

Today’s increased emphasis on evidence in police work stems from such procedures. Relying on evidence for case-building is relatively straightforward for everyone involved, while other approaches require more complicated communication.

Yu Wenshu and others looked blankly at the PPT in front of them. Even Yu Wenshu, who had an eidetic memory, couldn’t remember images like this, let alone truly process or understand them.

At this moment, an animated graphic began appearing on the screen.

The figure in the animation was a stick figure—awkward in movement and eccentric in posture—but its actions and weapon-swinging trajectory were precise and methodical.

"This is an animation made overnight by Wang Chuanxing to demonstrate the killer’s sequence of murders after entering the premises," Jiang Yuan explained, pointing out, "The killer pried open the burglar-proof window and entered the bedroom to begin the killings. Their first move was a lateral slash aimed at the second victim, Qin Jijian."

Jiang Yuan held the remote pen, raised his arm slightly, and traced a slow motion in the air as he continued, "The target was likely Qin Jijian’s neck. The killer was very precise in judging distance—the weapon just managed to slice through Qin Jijian’s neck, instantly neutralizing his ability to fight back. This speaks to an extremely professional technique, which could only be achieved through years of practice."

"What weapon was used?" Yu Wenshu didn’t know Bloodstain Analysis but didn’t hesitate to ask the direct question.

"It was a weapon similar to a katana," Jiang Yuan replied, "Long-handled, sharp, quick to swing, and relatively lightweight."

"That’s consistent with our previous assessment," Yu Wenshu nodded.

Jiang Yuan continued, "After killing the second victim, Qin Jijian, the killer sidestepped to the bedside and struck the third victim, Gu Daxu, at least twice without immediately killing him. The killer then retreated, maintained controlled distance, and when Gu Daxu lunged forward, the killer not only struck him down with a single slash but did so without even a trace of blood spatter. Based on the speed of the weapon, it’s clear that the situation was entirely under the killer’s control."

Jiang Yuan added, "In the final phase, the killer avoided the bloodstains on the ground and pursued the panicked and fleeing female victim, Zhao Qian. Zhao Qian likely showed signs of begging for mercy, but she was still decisively killed with a single stab. Whether there was hesitation can be inferred from the push-and-pull motion of the knife. The killer undoubtedly had a premeditated plan, was certain of their actions, and carried them out firmly."

"A professional killer?" someone quietly asked.

"A professional killer carrying a katana instead of a gun? Aren’t they afraid of being caught?" remarked an experienced officer, dismissing the idea. "Nowadays, stricter regulations apply more to blades than firearms. When patrol officers or SWAT units encounter someone, they typically consider blade possession first, rarely firearm possession. And weapons like katanas, which are clearly highly regulated, draw attention everywhere. For a professional assassin, such a choice is overly conspicuous and not necessarily more effective than a dagger."

In the case of Incident 303, the killer’s toughest challenge came from climbing walls and prying open the protective barrier. Once inside the room and actively killing, considering the killer’s physical build, even a kitchen knife could have sufficed.

Of course, using a katana or similarly sharp weapon produced undeniably better results—not only efficiently killing three people but also quashing potential resistance while keeping their clothes and footwear perfectly clean. From the crime scene standpoint, the killer had hidden their tracks as much as possible, achieving unexpectedly effective results.

Jiang Yuan concluded, "The killer is undoubtedly a master of bladed weapons, with real-world combat experience. Their choice of victims also indicates their level of planning: they first eliminated the second victim, the strongest and youngest among the three—a 28-year-old whose current occupation involves significant physical labor and poses the greatest potential threat to the killer. The next targets were the third victim, Gu Daxu, a 31-year-old male, and finally the first victim, female Zhao Qian."

"Is the killer a competitor trained for blade skills or specifically trained for assassination?" another officer asked, finally voicing his long-held curiosity.

Jiang Yuan responded with a question of his own, "What level do you think a professionally trained assassin would be at?"

"Like the characters from *Kill Bill*?" someone murmured with a faint chuckle.

The atmosphere in the conference room grew a bit more relaxed. Jiang Yuan chuckled softly as well. Spending a few months on a major case together was common; maintaining constant tension and seriousness was impossible.

"I don’t know much about blade techniques either. But based on the bloodstains at the scene, it’s clear the killer had exceptional physical coordination, was capable of extensive movements, and had significant strength. Additionally, the killer’s height is approximately 180 cm, with broad shoulders, strong core muscles, and a long reach," Jiang Yuan explained, deducing these traits from the blood patterns scattered in the bedroom.

Compared to footprint analysis, this method provided slightly less information but offered a different type of insight.

Even basic traits like height, shoulder width, and reach—such as 180 cm in height—would significantly reduce the officers’ workload.

With Liu Jinghui’s deductions combined with Jiang Yuan’s findings, the overlapping pool of suspects would shrink considerably.

After a few more remarks, Yu Wenshu decisively stated, "Follow this lead for the investigation plan. Let’s begin by narrowing down the pool of suspects accordingly."

"Um..." Liu Wenkai couldn’t help but stand up and propose, "Should we start with a confidential investigation? Given the involvement of personal matters in this case, it could potentially lead to some individuals needing to divorce."

"If it comes to that, divorces will happen as they should," someone called out from across the room.

"I know some friends who’ve told me there are things they’d rather not know," Liu Wenkai said meaningfully. "As long as they don’t learn about certain things themselves, and as long as the public remains unaware and there’s no widespread exposure, they can still live their lives."

"Then let’s proceed with a private investigation," Yu Wenshu agreed, not wanting to breach sensitive subjects unnecessarily. "This killer is particularly fierce, armed with a weapon and proficient in hand-to-hand combat. Each team must consist of at least four members. During interviews, try to keep groups concentrated. Everyone should carry tasers, and if we’re short on numbers, request additional equipment."