After returning from the laboratory, despite everyone being exhausted, they all arrived earlier than expected at the criminal investigation team office after only less than two hours of rest.

According to the tasks assigned by Mr. Li last night, Wang Yang and Chen Biao each led teams and began the investigation.

At this moment, Zhou Yong and other forensic technicians also arrived at the office on time.

Zhou Yong solemnly said, "Mr. Jiang, the leadership has just arranged everything."

"All five of us are key members of the team, and now we are fully under your command, ready to assist you in completing the autopsy work on this body."

"If you need to coordinate any resources or manpower during the examination, feel free to communicate directly with me."

Jiang An carefully examined the five experienced technicians in front of him and sincerely nodded in gratitude.

"Mr. Zhou, you have not only profound expertise but also seniority; I should respectfully address you as teacher."

"I hope you could guide us during this autopsy, so we can solve this case thoroughly together."

Zhou Yong heartily waved his hand, a genuine smile appearing on his face.

"Mr. Jiang, you're too kind."

"You've come all the way from Jiangcheng specifically to assist us in solving the case, and we truly appreciate this favor."

"Whatever you need, just give the word, and we will definitely cooperate to the fullest."

Jiang An nodded appreciatively, "Since Mr. Zhou says so, I won't stand on ceremony."

"The case is urgent now. I wish to immediately conduct a thorough examination of the skeletal remains; is this schedule convenient?"

Zhou Yong immediately responded, "No problem at all."

"However, there is a special circumstance that needs to be explained. This set of skeletal remains is not stored in the usual way at the funeral home,"

"but is kept in our specialized forensic laboratory on the 7th floor of this experimental center."

"7th floor?"

Jiang An slightly frowned, showing a puzzled expression.

"This storage method is not quite consistent with the standard procedures of our Jiangcheng forensic dissection room."

Zhou Yong promptly provided a detailed explanation, "Indeed, that is the case."

"According to standard procedures, skeletal remains should be kept in the freezer room at the funeral home."

"As such," Zhou Yong continued to explain, "for normal decomposing bodies or bodies with remaining muscle tissue, we do send them to the funeral home for professional refrigeration."

"But this skeletal condition is special; it has completely undergone skeletalization with no muscle tissue remaining."

"There's no issue of decomposition, therefore, storing it in the laboratory is more convenient for research."

After a brief pause, he added, "Actually, the preservation state of these skeletal remains is quite good, aside from the bones, we've only found a few clothing fragments, overall very clean and intact, so after consulting superiors, we decided to store it in the specialized preservation room in the laboratory."

Jiang An, after listening to the explanation, nodded thoughtfully.

"I see. Without delay, let's head up and start the examination right away."

Ten minutes later, the group took the dedicated elevator to the 7th floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, a special scent of disinfectant wafted in.

On the frosted glass door facing the elevator, the five black characters "Forensic Laboratory" were particularly conspicuous.

Pushing open the heavy laboratory door, the strong smell of formalin immediately filled their noses.

Zhou Yong skillfully switched on the lighting system and began a detailed introduction.

"This is the forensic laboratory that our municipal bureau has focused on developing, mainly divided into three functional areas: the forensic anthropology skeletal examination room, forensic physical evidence examination room, and the innermost forensic diatom examination room."

"Oh? You even have diatom examination equipment here?"

Jiang An raised an eyebrow in surprise, evidently taken aback by this setup.

At this moment, Wan curiously approached, "Mr. Zhou, what are diatoms?"

Zhou Yong smiled as he explained, "Diatoms are a type of single-celled algae that are widely present in aquatic environments, and their cell walls contain silicate."

"In forensic science, diatom analysis plays a decisive role in determining drowning deaths."

"In previous years, many bodies were found in our city's waters, and if we sent samples out for examination each time, not only would the costs be exorbitant, but the feedback results would also be very slow."

"Later, Mr. Li decided that we must establish our own diatom examination ability."

He spoke as he led the group towards the examination room.

"In this way, we can not only ensure strict quality control of the examinations but also greatly shorten the examination cycle, and crucially, save a significant amount of case handling expenses each year."

"After several years of construction, this diatom examination room can now independently complete the entire examination process."

Jiang An walked closer to observe the precise examination equipment and nodded in approval, "This decision is indeed forward-looking."

"With the establishment of self-examination abilities, judging the cause of death of bodies found in water becomes more accurate and timely."

"Indeed!"

Zhou Yong said feelingly, "In the past, when faced with highly decomposed bodies found in water, we often had no solution."

"Without this critical technology of diatom examination, it was difficult to accurately determine whether the person had drowned before dying."

At this point, Zhang Yean couldn't help but ask, "Mr. Zhou, what is the specific principle behind the examination?"

Zhou Yong picked up a specimen bottle and explained professionally.

"The principle is actually quite clear."

"When a living body drowns, the process of choking and struggling allows the inhalation of a large amount of water, and the diatoms in the water consequently enter the lung, and circulate through the bloodstream into the liver, bone marrow, and other organs."

"If the body is thrown into the water after death, although water may enter the lungs, diatoms will not be found in other internal organs and bones."