National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1141 - 1072: Focus on Examination

Seated in the brand-new GL8, Dai Mingsheng eagerly asked, "Captain Jiang, has the cause of death been confirmed?"

"Mechanical asphyxiation. It seems someone covered her mouth and nose from behind, suffocating her to death," Jiang Yuan paused and elaborated more clearly, "Before death, there was sexual activity, but it’s uncertain whether it involved assault. Additionally, the victim showed weak resistance; it’s possible she was drugged. We’ll need to wait for toxicology results."

"Time of death?"

"Around 4:00 AM that morning."

"So, Li Aiyuan had just finished filming her scenes that day and then died?"

"Pretty much."

"Makes sense. Given her level of attention, if she had appeared on set later, someone would surely remember. The fact that her body was discovered only the next morning means she was killed shortly after disappearing."

"She maintained her appearance before death. Her clothes and shoes were mostly clean. Whether it was voluntary or forced activity, there wasn’t much violence during the process..."

Jiang Yuan detailed the autopsy findings to Dai Mingsheng for several minutes.

Information exchange within the investigative team is crucial in criminal investigations. Withholding information could lead to serious consequences, especially when decisive evidence is found. Reporting it promptly is more critical than rushing to solve the case on-site. Independent action is unpredictable—if only one or two people head to a scene and something goes wrong, the discoveries could be lost entirely.

On the other hand, delays caused by reporting are rarely problematic—suspects can be apprehended later.

Given Jiang Yuan’s status as someone brought in for support, his communication with Dai Mingsheng needed to be frequent and clear. Otherwise, trust issues could become troublesome later.

Dai Mingsheng attentively listened while taking notes.

As an "external specialist king," he often collaborated with experts from different regions and handled cross-jurisdictional cases. Occasionally, he’d encounter personnel sent directly by higher authorities. Consequently, Dai Mingsheng excelled at working with various formidable partners.

It must be said, skilled experts each have their distinct personalities. Especially those senior specialists with decades of experience—they often aren’t overly cautious. Rather, they’re meticulous only about key points and are casual about other matters. In such cases, it’s up to someone like Dai Mingsheng to demonstrate adaptability and competence.

By comparison, Jiang Yuan, who had frequently acted as external support over the past two years, had become familiar with team collaboration despite his initial reluctance.

When both individuals apply their interpersonal skills, their communication becomes exceptionally smooth.

By the time it was time to disembark, Dai Mingsheng was practically prepared to "adopt" Jiang Yuan for the long term.

The film city.

Although it was already 4:00 AM, faint lights were scattered across the film city. Some production crews were rushing to shoot night or indoor scenes, while others were preparing makeup rooms for early-morning shoots.

The filming site where Li Aiyuan died was a standalone replica of a Ming-style courtyard. It was spacious and equipped with numerous props. Perhaps due to the crew’s hurried departure, the ground was cluttered with various items.

A long line of police cars parked outside the courtyard, immediately attracting film city staff. Soon, the relevant film city leaders also arrived, yawning as they reported in.

Dai Mingsheng ignored them entirely and asked Jiang Yuan, "Should we ask them anything?"

"Is the site well-preserved?" Jiang Yuan didn’t seem interested in questioning the film city personnel.

Dai Mingsheng nodded and said, "After the incident, I immediately had the site sealed off. What you’re seeing now is essentially its original state."

"No need to ask them then. Let’s go in ourselves." Jiang Yuan checked the time and said, "Let’s aim to finish the investigation by daybreak."

"That quickly?" Dai Mingsheng seemed surprised. The area was quite large, capable of accommodating over 60 crew members, not to mention ample space for sets and filming.

Jiang Yuan didn’t bother explaining technical details, only nodded and said, "It’s enough. We’ll check under sunlight later to spot anything missed. By the way, call in a few unrelated lighting technicians to make the most of the existing lighting inside."

"No problem. I’ll handle it right away." Dai Mingsheng promptly agreed.

His attitude toward Jiang Yuan had already become exceedingly respectful, his emotional admiration nearly maxed out.

If nothing else, Jiang Yuan’s forensic insights alone had left him astonished. While he had encountered detailed forensic reports before, many such conclusions were drawn in conjunction with scene investigations. Few forensic experts could deliver guiding insights solely from their findings. Jiang Yuan was an exception.

Dai Mingsheng didn’t need further proof. The mere fact that Jiang Yuan could produce and dare to present such conclusions indicated to him that he was dealing with a formidable talent.

As Jiang Yuan entered the crime scene, Dai Mingsheng followed closely, donning a mask, head covering, and shoe covers as he entered.

The Criminal Science technicians from Lanyue City accompanying them rarely encountered such situations. With their superior following close behind, they were somewhat tense.

"Photograph and label everything first. Place bridge boards wherever someone’s passed through—preferably transparent ones. Preserve all footprints, and no one is allowed to extract them without my permission..." Jiang Yuan explained his requirements to the unfamiliar Criminal Science personnel.

Having worked with forensic technicians from various regions—some rough, some meticulous—the basics were usually reliable. As long as requests were made clearly, creating explicit restrictions, the results wouldn’t differ much from having his own team of forensic technicians. After all, Ningtai County wasn’t exactly high-end, and bringing in Wang Zhong Level investigators would just waste fuel.

Once Liu Jinghui had made all necessary arrangements, he entered, holding a PAD and marking notes on it as he walked.

Jiang Yuan noticed his technical expertise and said with slight surprise, "Director Liu, what are you doing?"

"I’m cross-checking the movement lines of the crew at the time." Liu Jinghui kept his eyes on the PAD, explaining verbally, "The production crew involved in the case totals 64 people. Excluding the victim, that leaves 63. These individuals have been interrogated for hours. Their activities within the set, along with their conversations, have been repeatedly questioned. I’m also verifying their statements against timelines and locations to identify contradictions."

Liu Jinghui seemed quite enthusiastic. For him, this was a classic mystery drama. Although calling it a "feast" wouldn’t be appropriate given the victim’s involvement, subconsciously, this type of case was Liu Jinghui’s favorite.

With 63 individuals involved, they were both suspects and witnesses.

The most traditional and direct method was to examine their alibis. The killer needed time to commit the murder, implying a lack or fabrication of an alibi.

Exposing their lies and confirming their guilt—this, to Liu Jinghui, was the most thrilling part!

Liu Jinghui quickly navigated the software on his PAD and showed Jiang Yuan, "I prioritized certain key crew members. For example, the first person I investigated was the director. He was essentially in public view the entire time. For instance, the script supervisor accompanied him most of the time. The longest period he was out of sight was during a restroom break, which lasted about 15 minutes."

"Fifteen minutes seems a bit long?" Jiang Yuan expressed doubt.

Liu Jinghui smirked slightly and said, "Constipation, hemorrhoids, dry stools. Around 10 PM that day, he used the restroom once, and several hours later went again. It’s consistent with normal patterns."

"Alright, we can tentatively exclude the director."

"The male lead, cinematographer, and assistant cinematographer, as well as the lighting crew, were mostly working in public view and can likely be ruled out as well..."

Jiang Yuan reflected, "If that’s the case, the main cast and crew have relatively low suspicion."

Liu Jinghui added, "True, but what we should really focus on..."

"Our scheduled time is up!"

Suddenly, someone shouted from outside.

Wang Chuanxing promptly reported, "It seems another production crew has booked this location. They might be complaining about the time we’re taking."