"Could there still be crucial evidence up there? Mr. Jiang is incredibly meticulous."

"Not sure, but since Mr. Jiang wants us to collect it, he must have his reasons. Let's go take a look and also learn something in the process."

Zhang Yean said, quickly walking over with a colleague holding evidence bags and a camera.

When they arrived at Jiang An's feet, they looked up at his focused expression, momentarily surprised—could a crime scene be investigated this thoroughly? Not only examining the ground but also checking the high branches, even discovering such minute things.

Mr. Wang, seeing the bewildered looks on his technical team, displayed dissatisfaction, his eyebrows knitting into a knot.

"I keep telling you to pay more attention to learning, but you never take it seriously! During training, you either sleep in the dorm or wander off to play games. Now, faced with a case, you're helpless, staring blankly!"

He paused, his tone turning more severe: "What are you waiting for? Quickly photograph that piece of evidence from different angles, record everything meticulously; no step should be sloppily handled!"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Scolded by the captain, the technical team members responded quickly, their cheeks slightly flushed, hurriedly taking out their cameras with trembling hands.

However, Jiang An did not let them collect the evidence immediately. Instead, he picked up his camera hanging around his neck, adjusted the focus.

With several clicks, he captured photos from different angles—front, side, and overhead views. Only after ensuring the photos were clear did he say to the technicians, "You can collect it now. Use tweezers to gently grip it, be careful not to damage the fiber structure."

The technician carefully followed his instructions, placing the fibrous material into a sealed box, labeling it, and recording the extraction time and location.

After extracting this site, he even asked the officers to move the human barrier to the side to inspect the other side of the branch.

Although no obvious fibrous material could be seen, on the rough bark, some thread-like fibrous remains, like spider webs, were tangled within the tree's texture.

He then observed and spoke, "Mr. Wang, look at this side, too. There are similar fibers, but they seem to have fallen off, leaving only some fine threads."

"Have they fallen off? Could there be remnants on the ground?"

Wang Yang immediately asked, turning to the surrounding officers and shouting, "Everyone, carefully check the ground for fibrous stuff, especially beneath the branches. Leave no corner unexplored!"

Jiang An shook his head, scanning the thick layer of fallen leaves and weeds on the ground: "Let me down.

Even if there is something, it would be quite difficult to find. The color of the hanging material is too similar to the bark and the withered yellow leaves, and after being exposed to the elements for so long, it might have already deformed, decomposed, or been covered by leaves."

Once let down, Jiang An dusted himself off, brushing away grass scraps clinging to his trousers, saying, "No matter, we'll search in a different direction, there must be more clues than just this one spot."

Mr. Wang immediately ordered all officers, his voice as loud as a bell: "Attention everyone, we will conduct a comprehensive search here immediately! Centered on this pine tree, expand outward by ten meters, search inch by inch! Focus on finding a fabric or rope-like material about five centimeters long and a certain width; collect it regardless if it's whole or fragmented! This could become crucial evidence for solving the case!"

Instantly, everyone sprang into action, using their investigation tools to meticulously search through the woods.

Some squatted to examine fallen leaves, others used branches to part the grass, and some even lay on the ground to inspect rock crevices, not overlooking a single suspicious fiber.

After 30 minutes, they had combed through the surrounding ground; every face bore mud and grass juice, yet they found nothing.

The officers responsible for the search shook their heads one by one, showing signs of fatigue and disappointment.

Seeing everyone in such a state, Mr. Wang sighed, his voice tinged with helplessness: "It might have been blown away by the mountain's wind and rain or carried off by some animal for nesting material. If we can't find it, let's take a break."

At this moment, Jiang An paced slowly, the fallen leaves rustling underfoot, his gaze sweeping the environment—air, soil, vegetation—all seemingly within his observational range.

He looked at the surrounding tree distribution and terrain direction, suddenly asking, "Mr. Wang, is the average annual temperature high here? What about the humidity?"

Mr. Wang was taken aback, not understanding why he suddenly asked about the weather but answered truthfully: "This area is near the equator, so the temperature is relatively high, with an average yearly temperature over thirty degrees. We also have a long summer with frequent rain, making it very humid and causing things to spoil or rot easily."

Jiang An thoughtfully analyzed, fingers gently tapping his chin: "If that's the case, for a body to fully skeletonize and its soft tissue to completely decompose in this high temperature and humidity, I estimate it would take at least a year.

Have there been any severe storms or extremely adverse weather conditions during that year? Like typhoons or mountain floods?"

Momentarily puzzled, Wang Yang scratched his head, thinking over the question: "We're in a mountainous region, often experiencing heavy rain, sometimes for several consecutive days, occasionally leading to mountain floods.