Forensic Forensic - Chapter 19

Chapter 19

First, lack of sleep, and second, Luo Jianan’s mind was preoccupied with the question, “Why was someone who had been dead for over a month still visible yesterday?” This distracted him from driving. When he slowed down for a red light, he nearly hit an elderly man who had darted out from in front of a nearby car, riding his bicycle across the road. If Miao Hong hadn’t yelled “Watch out,” he would have run over him and his bicycle. Fortunately, he braked just in time.

Then, just as Luo Jianan was about to get out of the car to investigate, a dramatic scene unfolded—the elderly man fell to the ground in slow motion, pushing his bicycle under Luo Jianan’s left front wheel.

Oh, this was going to be a scam!

Luo Jianan and Miao Hong exchanged glances, nearly injuring themselves with laughter. He opened the car door and got out, then squatted in front of the old man, raising his chin. “Hey, man, you’re hurt, right? Come over here, let me see where you’re hurt?”

“Here…here…and here…” Seeing the crowd gathering around to watch the excitement, the old man pointed all over his body, feigning weakness. “Young man…I…I know you didn’t mean it, but look at me, my old arms and legs, my heart disease and high bl00d pressure…ah…I can withstand…can withstand such a blow?”

“So what do you say?” Luo Jianan pointed to the driver’s side of the car. “I have the driving record.” “Replay it? If it really was me who hit you, let’s call the police immediately!”

The old man perked up immediately upon hearing this: “Even if you didn’t hit me, was it because you scared me that I fell?”

Luo Jianan glanced around and saw many people with their phones recording the incident. He turned to the old man and asked in a low voice, “Are you… trying to blackmail me?”

“Young man, don’t be so harsh,” the old man snorted. “Anyway, I fell under your wheel. If you don’t give me an explanation today, I’ll have plenty of time to fight you.”

With that, the old man lay down on the ground, side by side with the bicycle.

Luo Jianan had seen how shameless these scammers were. He patted the wheel and said, “Uncle, don’t look at me driving a 300,000 yuan SUV, but this is the company car. I’m just a poor driver. My monthly salary isn’t even enough to replace the boss’s wheels.”

The old man’s face was filled with disdain. “No money? Call the police and let them handle it. But, young man, let me be frank: even if the police come, they’ll have you take me to the hospital for a thorough checkup first. Do you know how much an MRI costs these days?”

“Oh, I didn’t know,” Luo Jianan said, pulling his wallet from his pocket. He flicked it, flashing his badge perpendicular to the old man’s line of sight—just the right angle for someone to capture it with a cell phone. “But calling me uncle at your age is a bit of a lifesaver.”

The old man’s face suddenly flushed the color of liver. He coughed for a long time, then got up, pushed his bicycle, and ran away.

“This old man is quite agile,”

Miao Hong’s voice drifted slowly from the car.

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Arriving at the security department of Renhe Hospital, Luo Jianan handed Tang Jianzhong’s ID photo to Section Chief Fang. He and Miao Hong had both dealt with Section Chief Fang before, having collaborated on a case. He’d met with Section Chief Fang about what happened last night, and only then had he learned that the entrance to Feng Wenyue’s office was a blind spot for surveillance.

“Yesterday, a nurse from the respiratory department said she saw him in the hematology ward. Could you please check the surveillance?”

Section Chief Fang glanced at Tang Jianzhong’s photo and nodded. “No need to check. I saw him yesterday, too. He was sneaking around the hematology ward for several hours, and I finally kicked him out.”

“Huh? He’s been dead for over a month!” Luo Jianan felt a chill run down his spine. Miao Hong immediately added, “We just came from the local police station. His household registration has indeed been cancelled, and the death certificate was issued by your hospital.”

“Is that so…” Section Chief Fang frowned and ruffled his hair. “Wait.” He stared at Tang Jianzhong’s face again, his frown deepening. “No, that’s not the guy we kicked out yesterday. Wait a minute, I’ll check the surveillance.”

The surveillance video wasn’t particularly clear. Luo Jianan and Miao Hong stared at the “Tang Jianzhong” on the screen for a long time, but couldn’t see any significant difference from the person in the photo. If there were a difference, it was a given. Whose ID photo doesn’t look the same as their real self? Usually, they’re too ugly to admit it’s them.

But Section Chief Fang had seen the real person. Pointing to his chin, he said to them, “The guy I kicked out yesterday had a scar right here. He must be quite old, but this ID—” He shook the printed paper in his hand, “I didn’t notice the issue date. It was just renewed at the beginning of this year.”

Hearing this, Miao Hong and Luo Jianan both guessed it—it wasn’t uncommon for siblings who looked alike to share IDs. Luo Jianan took out his phone and called the technical department office, asking Shangguan Yunfei to help find Tang Jianzhong’s relatives immediately. A moment later, a message arrived from Yunfei. Luo Jianan glanced at it, then handed the phone to Miao Hong. Section Chief Fang said, “Tang Jianzhong has a twin brother.”

Section Chief Fang breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s right, otherwise it would be a real nightmare.”

“Look at what you’re saying, what kind of ghost is that—”

Luo Jianan was interrupted by a security guard who burst into the office before he could finish his words.

“Section Chief Fang, please go check it out! The family has placed the patient’s body in the outpatient hall!”