The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective-Chapter 364 - 222: No Toxins in the Soil?

At this moment, he held the skull, gently rubbing each subtle groove with his fingertips, as if engaging in a silent conversation with the deceased beyond death.

Zhang Yean, a hint of teasing smile on her face, spoke up, "Who would have thought, all the muscles are gone, yet the teeth remain so strong?"

Wan stood beside, hurriedly nodding in agreement to Zhang Yean’s words, "Yes, the durability of these teeth is truly unusual, it feels like there’s a hidden story behind it."

Speaking, he couldn’t help but lean forward slightly to take a closer look at the teeth on the maxilla.

Contrary to their relaxed demeanor, Jiang An was integrating and analyzing every little discovery.

He was full of confusion, as if caught in layers of fog.

Why did the deceased suffer such a severe head blow, yet the face, especially the teeth, were unscathed?

Earlier, when his finger touched the teeth, he detected a slight wobble.

However, to him, this slight wobble conformed with the natural degeneration process of teeth after death.

Thus, Jiang An harbored another possibility: could it be that when the incident occurred, the deceased was in a state unable to resist or completely unaware of the need to resist?

Noticing Jiang An deep in thought, Zhang Yean walked over slowly, asking in a soft voice, "Junior, what are you thinking about?"

"Your brows are so furrowed, they could kill a fly."

Jiang An, as if awakened from another realm, turned his head and solemnly said, "I’m pondering the state the deceased was in at the time of death."

"Could it be that he met his end in sleep?"

"Moreover, just now, this heavy skull fracture also confirms previous thoughts."

Saying this, Jiang An nodded slightly, as if cheering on his own deduction.

"Indeed, this aligns with the characteristics of deformation caused by head trauma."

"Yet, I somehow feel there’s no sign of resistance from this person."

Wan speculated, "Could it be poisoning?"

"If he was poisoned into a coma, wouldn’t there be no obvious resistance?"

Zhang Yean also put away her smile, her expression turning serious, "Yeah, I think Senior’s analysis makes sense."

"The toxicology test is underway, the results are still unknown."

"If toxins are found in the soil left in the deceased’s abdomen, the truth would come to light."

Jiang An nodded gently again, his gaze sweeping over the skeletal remains of the deceased’s chest and abdomen.

Suddenly, a crisp sound like a shattering silver bell from a mobile phone broke the silence in the room.

Jiang An was startled from a deep meditation-like state.

He raised his hand to look at the gloves he had just put on, an action marked by a touch of helplessness and urgency.

Turning his head toward Zhang Yean, he said, "Senior sister, could you please answer the phone for me and see who’s calling?"

"I’m busy here, can’t get away."

"No problem, I’ll do it." 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

Zhang Yean answered briskly, quickly retrieved her phone from her bag, glanced at the caller ID, and raised her eyebrows slightly, saying, "It should be from the Chemical Analysis Lab."

Upon hearing this, Wan couldn’t help but exclaim in surprise, "Wow, results this fast? This efficiency is unbelievable!"

Jiang An casually remarked, "It might just be the preliminary qualitative result."

"But having information is better than none, let’s hear it."

Immediately after, Zhang Yean spoke into the phone, "Hello?"

A voice came from the other side, "Hello, Jiang An, it’s Li Ming from the Chemical Analysis Lab."

"I’ve conducted preliminary pre-tests on the items you sent over and initially found no toxic residue."

This statement was like a bolt of lightning exploding above the three of them, rendering them momentarily still, as if time had frozen.

Jiang An was the first to react, asking over the phone, "Ming, really nothing? This result is crucial!"

"You need to be sure, our whole case hinges on this clue."

The voice on the other side became more reassuring, like a steady mountain.

"I’m sure, I repeatedly did pre-tests on that soil and found no decomposed toxins or residues."

"I’d stake my reputation on it."

Zhang Yean asked, "So do further lab tests still need to be done? After all, this concerns a person’s life, we can’t afford any mistakes."

Li Ming replied, "Yes, they do."

"But, in my years of experience in toxicology, the final results are likely also negative."

"In my memory, early pre-tests might show false positives, but never false negatives. So this result is most likely accurate."

Jiang An was silent for a moment, then nodded and said, "Alright, thank you, Ming."

"But, please still leave the soil in the lab for careful analysis, this result is too important for us."

"Even if there’s only a one-in-ten-thousand chance, we cannot let it go."

On the phone, Li Ming readily agreed, "Of course, this is part of the workflow."

"But the final analysis will take some time, I’ll notify you as soon as there’s a result."

"Rest assured, we’re all here to seek justice for the deceased."

"Okay, Ming, that’s very kind of you."

After the call ended, the three stood dazed in the laboratory, like a lone boat lost in the vast ocean, their eyes simultaneously drifting towards the skeleton on the table.

Zhang Yean said in a deep voice, "Something’s not right, we previously assumed the deceased showed no resistance, yet now no poison was detected. Could it be that the poison has degraded too much to be detected?"

"Or perhaps the toxic components in the deceased’s body are present in such low quantities in the soil that they don’t meet the sensitivity standards of the detection equipment?"