His tone gradually became agitated, "Especially during the process of discovering the skull, he demonstrated criminal investigation thinking and professional expertise that made me confident he is the forensic genius we've been searching for!"

Mr. Li's hand holding the phone tightened slightly.

He knew Wang Yang well; this veteran subordinate who had followed him for years was always steady and never praised anyone easily.

For Wang Yang to hold someone in such high regard, this young man must be exceptional.

"Are you sure?"

Mr. Li's tone softened somewhat but still carried doubt.

"Absolutely!"

Wang Yang replied decisively, "I can report to you in detail about the discovery of the skull."

"Okay, go ahead."

Mr. Li took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"The location of the discovery is very close to where the body was hanging, completely matching the trajectory of a fall from a height."

"A fall from a height?"

Mr. Li keenly caught the keyword, "Then why didn't we find it during our previous search?" 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶

"I remember you searched that area multiple times."

"That's exactly the brilliance of Comrade Jiang An."

Wang Yang's voice was full of admiration, "Our previous searches were thorough, but only superficial."

"Comrade Jiang An discovered a patch of unusually lush vegetation from a botanical perspective."

"He inferred that the decaying organic matter from the skull might have nourished this patch of plants."

"Based on this judgment, we conducted a targeted excavation, and sure enough..."

"Botany? Targeted excavation?"

Mr. Li murmured these two technical terms, his shock indescribable.

As a veteran in criminal investigation, he was well-versed in traditional investigation methods but knew very little about such interdisciplinary forensic techniques.

This young man could apply botanical knowledge so skillfully in criminal investigation; it was truly impressive.

Both ends of the phone fell into a brief silence.

After a long pause, Mr. Li finally spoke, his voice restored to its usual calmness: "Proceed with the follow-up work immediately."

"Since the skull has been found, we must quickly proceed with the reconstruction of appearance."

"At the same time, carefully examine the skull surface for any signs of trauma to determine the nature of death."

"Please rest assured, Jiang An is sitting right next to me!"

Wang Yang responded promptly, "We are on our way back to the city bureau. As soon as we reach the lab, we'll immediately begin a comprehensive examination, focusing on identifying any traces of external force."

"We'll also expedite the reconstruction of appearance to confirm the deceased's identity as soon as possible and find a breakthrough in the case."

"Good, keep me updated on the progress."

Mr. Li said, slowly hanging up the phone.

Standing in the hallway, Mr. Li did not move for a long time.

He looked out the window, his lips curling into a meaningful smile.

"Interesting... This young man... Once the meeting is over, I must meet him properly."

He adjusted his police uniform and turned to walk towards the conference room, his steps much lighter than when he came.

This long-standing unresolved case finally seemed to have a turning point.

What intrigued him more was the identity of the young forensic expert who garnered such admiration from Wang Yang.

After hanging up the phone, Wang Yang let out a long sigh of relief, finally able to relax his nerves, which had been tense for a week.

As the leader of the criminal investigation team, he had been under unimaginable pressure over the past week.

The urging from higher-ups, media attention, the expectations of the victim's family, and the frustration from the lack of progress—all these burdens weighed solely on his shoulders.

At this moment, he could finally ease some of this burden.

He pulled a crumpled pack of cigarettes from his pocket, took one out, and put it in his mouth, offering another to Chen Biao beside him.

"Here, have one."

Wang Yang's voice conveyed a long-lost sense of ease.

"This case has finally seen a major breakthrough."

Chen Biao took the cigarette, lit it skillfully, took a deep drag, and exhaled a wisp of blue smoke: "Yeah, if we hadn't found the skull, we really would have been running around like headless chickens."

The two smoked in silence, the scenery outside the car window flashing by, reflected on their tired yet relieved faces.

After a long pause, Wang Yang extinguished his cigarette butt, saying thoughtfully, "Now we just have to see the results of the skull reconstruction."

"However..."

His brow furrowed slightly, "The fracture marks that Jiang An mentioned are very crucial."

"If confirmed as a fracture before death, the case might be more complex than we thought."

Chen Biao nodded, his expression serious: "If it's a homicide disguised as an accident, we'll have to find the primary crime scene next."

"That means a lot more work."

He sighed, but quickly regained his spirits, "But at least now we have a direction, which is better than being completely clueless."

"Right."

Wang Yang patted Chen Biao's shoulder, "We'll take it one step at a time; at least now, we've achieved a significant breakthrough."

Forty minutes later, the motorcade arrived at the Chuan City Criminal Investigation Team's courtyard.

Although it was already 7 PM, Chuan City's summer twilight was particularly long, with a vibrant sunset still hanging in the western sky.

Wang Yang and Chen Biao walked briskly toward the car in the back, Wang Yang even personally opening the car door for Jiang An.

"Jiang An, I must thank you."

Wang Yang said sincerely, "Thanks to your professional judgment, we made a breakthrough in the case today."

"On behalf of the Chuan City Criminal Investigation Team, I extend my gratitude to you."

He paused for a moment and warmly invited, "Our cafeteria has prepared some local specialty dishes. They're simple, but all authentic Chuan City flavors."

"You've been on the move all day, have some food first."

Jiang An glanced at the exhausted Wan and Zhang Yean behind him, nodding in agreement, "Then I'll accept your kind hospitality."

Entering the private dining room of the cafeteria, everyone was amazed by the sight.

This room hidden in an ordinary cafeteria was elegantly decorated, with a round table neatly laid out with a dozen dishes of Chuan City specialties, all as exquisite as those from a high-end restaurant.

Initially weary, Wan and Zhang Yean immediately perked up.

"Wow!"

Wan's eyes widened, "This is no cafeteria; it's a five-star hotel standard!"

Zhang Yean couldn't help but swallow, "These dishes look so tempting."

Wang Yang laughed heartily, "I didn't expect you to be such fans of our Chuan City cuisine."

"With the case making a breakthrough, I'm also delighted."

He turned to Mr. Zhang and Jiang An, saying seriously, "You came all the way from Jiangcheng to support us; we remember this goodwill."

"This is just a token of our appreciation. Once the case is solved, we must celebrate properly."

Saying that, he gave Chen Biao a knowing look.

Chen Biao caught on immediately and asked the waiter to bring in a tray of Wang Laoji herbal tea.

"Captain Jiang," Wang Yang explained, "we're still on duty tonight, so we're not allowed to drink alcohol. Please understand."

"We'll drink tea in place of wine to welcome you."

Jiang An smiled and nodded, "Herbal tea is good, it can relieve heat and fatigue."

"Drinking too much alcohol can cause trouble, while the more tea you drink, the clearer you become."

Everyone picked up a can, and the crisp sound of opening echoed one after another.

"On behalf of the Chuan City Criminal Investigation Team," Wang Yang raised his drink, saying solemnly, "I thank Captain Jiang and your team for coming all this way to support us in this investigation."

"Especially this afternoon, you found critical evidence upon arriving at the scene, opening a breakthrough in the case."

"This kindness will be remembered."

With a clear clink of glasses, everyone drank heartily, and then began to enjoy the sumptuous dinner.

At 8 PM, everyone finished eating and walked out of the cafeteria.

Jiang An said to Wang Yang, "Captain Wang, the skull reconstruction requires some special materials, we might need..."

"The materials are all ready."

Wang Yang interrupted with a smile, "Before dinner, I had people go out to procure plaster, basins, mold agents, and professional art tools, all prepared according to the standards of skull reconstruction technology, and they're now in the lab."

Jiang An was slightly surprised, "Captain Wang, you've really thought this through."

"Not at all, although our Chuan City Criminal Investigation Team still has much to learn in terms of expertise, we can ensure our logistics support is in place."

Wang Yang said humbly, then shifted the topic, "However, aside from the facial reconstruction, the fracture mark you found at the scene is also very crucial."

"The characteristics of fractures before and after death are completely different..."

"Exactly."

Jiang An immediately replied, "We'll head to the lab now to restore the facial features and analyze the fracture formation time."