National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1186 - 1116: Luxury Goods

"Your deduction is quite impressive." Liu Jinghui arrived at the office at 9:00, and by 9:10, he noticed that his own giant dragon had planted its feet firmly on the ground! (This is from a book review by reader "Bo Po Mo Fu")

Jiang Yuan smiled humbly and said, "It’s just a judgment based on the conditions at the time... a rather basic deduction, right?"

As he spoke, he kept twirling a pen in his hand, and only after he finished speaking did the pen fall from his fingers onto the desk.

Liu Jinghui thought, you’re trying to say the deduction is quite basic, right.

On second thought, Liu Jinghui felt Jiang Yuan seemed just like a freshly graduated young dragon, so skilled at pen twirling that he probably wasn’t that good at yin and yang.

Liu Jinghui sat opposite Jiang Yuan, skillfully picked up a pack of cigarettes from his desk, and lit one up, saying, "I agree with your judgment; teeth best reflect a person’s family condition. If it’s the second generation, any dental problems would have been dealt with in adolescence, and it would never develop to the point of an open bite. Even ordinary people with a bit of spare money would find ways to fix their dental problems over time."

Jiang Yuan nodded, "With an open bite, it’s not just about looks; it’s physically uncomfortable too, especially if not congenital. The lips become very tense, and when relaxed, they don’t close properly, which is uncomfortable. Moreover, it leads to a series of complex problems over time. If possible, a normal person wouldn’t ignore it."

An open bite isn’t like an underbite, gaps, or crowded teeth; its direct discomfort is more apparent, as relaxing often shows the teeth, which neither conforms to mainstream aesthetics nor feels comfortable for the person.

Moreover, as Jiang Yuan mentioned, once a bite problem becomes severe, the subsequent issues are hard to endure — tooth pain, periodontitis are inevitable, and severe cases can even lead to jaw disorders, making it difficult to open the mouth. Ordinary people would probably deal with a cavity, so for the second generation, ignoring it is unlikely.

After two rounds of puffing smoke, Liu Jinghui asked, "How much would it cost to treat an open bite?"

Jiang Yuan thought for a moment, then said, "Money is a minor issue. A hundred or two hundred thousand yuan can get you the best regular treatment at the best hospital. The key is that it takes a long time; depending on the situation, orthognathic or orthodontic treatment can take years, with multiple treatments in between, which is quite grueling..."

Liu Jinghui blew a smoke ring a meter far and said, "Speak properly; money is not a minor issue. Ten thousand or twenty thousand is a big deal for an average household."

Jiang Yuan made an "oh" sound and said, "But I see my salary card, and my savings have surpassed two hundred thousand."

"That’s because you never spend your salary!" Liu Jinghui sighed heavily, "Why am I talking to you about this? About the case, for the first-generation rich, we should greatly narrow the scope. I recommend quickly screening, and if we can’t find anything in Baijiang Province, we should prioritize screening nationwide."

"What do you mean?" This was about investigation strategy, so Jiang Yuan naturally paid close attention.

"Because if a first-generation rich person goes missing or dies, someone will definitely report it. Not to mention, if their business partners can’t find them, they might contact the police, and their heirs will have to declare them missing to inherit any estate. We just need to screen the missing persons cases." Liu Jinghui tapped the table as he emphasized, "That’s why your deduction about the first-generation rich is so on point. Captain Hao is probably still thinking about deepening and broadening the investigation; it’s not necessary..."

"Captain Hao’s main task is to find the primary crime scene."

"Once we’ve identified the victim, he can slowly find it." A sense of urgency broke into Liu Jinghui’s voice, "I think speeding up the screening is most critical now; this case is quite peculiar, and the murderer might be destroying evidence. Our progress can’t be slow either."

The gravity of the situation registered on Jiang Yuan’s face. From dumping the body from Baijiang Province to Lanyue City — the journey itself, over a thousand kilometers, implied a daring and meticulous criminal. Moreover, disposing of the body so far away also demonstrated the killer’s prudence.

"I’ll call Dai Zhi over." Jiang Yuan picked up his phone.

Liu Jinghui raised a hand to intercept, but as he saw the call going out, he pulled back.

They were in the Criminal Police Brigade building, so technically, they should report to Dai Mingsheng’s office.

But since neither Jiang Yuan nor Liu Jinghui were from the Lanyue City Bureau, Liu Jinghui didn’t dwell on it.

Soon, Dai Mingsheng trotted over, looking like a tailless corgi, with a constant smile on his face. Despite holding the rank of Senior Superintendent, his demeanor and expressions were indistinguishable from those of a young officer.

Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui explained their latest deductions to Dai Mingsheng. This was considered an extra courtesy; if Jian Louyuan came, he’d be lucky to have Wang Chuanxing summarize for him.

Dai Mingsheng listened intently and, having fully absorbed their insights, said, "Let’s go with your plan. Let me use the phone briefly."

He began making a call as he spoke.

Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui huddled in a corner to continue sharing the latest information.

After hearing a bit, Liu Jinghui suddenly said, "In this case, couldn’t you use Legal Botany? That way, we could find the primary crime scene."

"Legal Botany can only prove consistency. Finding the location across the whole province is still challenging." Jiang Yuan had naturally considered this issue.

"So, once we find the primary scene, we can use Legal Botany to confirm it?"

"Of course, that’s what Legal Botany is fundamentally about."

"That’s good. Even if the scene is cleaned, we should still confirm it."

"If the plants aren’t cleaned away, we should be able to confirm."

"So now the main thing is just to find the primary crime scene." Liu Jinghui chuckled self-deprecatingly, "This brings us back to square one."

"Cross-province comparisons make Legal Botany quite challenging; if a secondary investigation route is necessary, I think it could be about wool socks." Jiang Yuan conveyed his experience, "The victim was wearing pure wool socks. Although these socks can be bought online, considering the victim’s age, the chance of offline purchase is higher, and in each city, the shops selling this type of socks are actually quite limited."

A secondary route is just another investigation pathway, which is quite normal for a task force; the opportunity cost of a homicide is extremely high, and trying a few avenues is better than having everyone wait aimlessly.

Liu Jinghui’s eyes lit up briefly, and he said, "There aren’t many storefronts selling wool socks in Baijiang Province, but the victim might not have bought them there. As I know, many people prefer shopping in Beijing, Shanghai, or Guangzhou, or even buying clothes abroad. After purchasing goods, sending them back is also possible..."

"People who frequently buy luxury goods usually have fixed places where they shop." Jiang Yuan pointed out, "The victim’s clothing no longer shows any brands, but the materials are quite good. If he lived in Baijiang Province, he’d likely shop there more frequently."

"Buying luxury goods... I hear you." Recalibrating his thought process, Liu Jinghui began following Jiang Yuan’s reasoning: "The victim has noticeable features, and Baijiang Province, not being particularly affluent, likely has limited Gucci-like luxury stores, even in the provincial capital. From this perspective, even if the killer doesn’t shop often, or doesn’t usually purchase, if he favors such items, he’s bound to visit such stores from time to time, and a shop assistant might recognize him."

Jiang Yuan agreed, "Luxury stores tend to operate on a membership basis, often collecting personal info during purchases. Consequently, malls hosting those stores usually have comprehensive surveillance, which could help identify individuals."

"Exactly, with these two lines of investigation, we should have no issues if they’re from Baijiang Province." Liu Jinghui paused, then added, "Plus, we have the Skull Restoration Skill and Legal Botany as backup—we should certainly succeed."

Dai Mingsheng, who overheard part of the conversation, couldn’t stop his eyelids from twitching. As the captain of the Criminal Police Brigade, hearing about such guaranteed techniques for identifying individuals made him extremely envious, much like how younger people admire luxury items—it was impressive in every aspect except for the cost.