When the Doctor Uses A Hack

The time it took to finish a boxed meal had passed.

The phone started ringing.

The old forensic pathologist answered the call and quickly signaled the young policewoman to fetch Director Xu.

"Director, the results are in!"

Upon hearing the news, Xu Chutai's heart stirred with excitement.

The results are in?

He immediately got up and walked out.

Jiao Ling followed closely behind.

"Hello, this is Xu Chutai!"

"Director Xu, the patient's results are out!"

Xu Chutai felt an indescribable tension rising within him.

"The blood trichloropropane level is 8200 ng/ml!"

"The blood dichloropropanol level is 7671 ng/ml!"

"These concentrations of the two toxins have already exceeded lethal levels!"

These words caused Xu Chutai's expression to change involuntarily.

After hanging up the phone, everyone turned their eyes toward Xu Chutai.

The office fell silent once more.

Xu Chutai glanced at Chen Cang with renewed admiration.

To pinpoint the problem so quickly—how much time had this saved them?

The value of Chen Cang's deduction had directly brought about a leap forward in the case's progress.

Was this truly the expertise of the Central Health Committee?

Thinking of this, Xu Chutai felt a sense of relief.

After a moment, Xu Chutai spoke to Chen Cang, "Professor Chen, the results are out: trichloropropane 8200 ng/ml, dichloropropanol 7671 ng/ml. They said these concentrations of toxins have already exceeded lethal levels!"

"What does this mean?"

At these words, everyone's expression changed instantly.

Guessed it?

No…

It wasn't guessing.

It was deducing!

Chen Cang had asked Xu Chutai about only two indicators, and both turned out to be problematic—and with lethal poisons, no less.

What did this signify?

It clearly showed that Chen Cang already had a hypothesis regarding these cases.

How impressive was that?

Everyone turned to look at the young doctor, who often liked to joke around with them.

At this moment, even Chen Cang let out a small sigh.

So, it was as expected?

At this point, the old forensic pathologist was beginning to feel uneasy as well.

He glanced at Chen Cang; the earlier disdain he had felt was long gone, now replaced with admiration!

Unable to resist any longer, he asked, "Professor Chen, what's your hypothesis?"

Chen Cang sat there and replied, "The three patients, while they appeared to have died natural deaths with no indication of foul play or murder…"

"In reality, these cases likely belong to a type of poisoning that is highly covert and not easily detected by standard means."

"Although the three seemed unrelated—one died of liver failure-induced coma, another from kidney failure, and a third from respiratory failure—these deaths are all tied to the same poisoning source!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Chutai and the others paid rapt attention to Chen Cang's explanation.

Chen Cang paused briefly before continuing.

"Honestly, I'm not deeply familiar with criminal investigations, but I believe sharing my understanding of this type of poisoning might be helpful to your case!"

Xu Chutai nodded. "Professor Chen, please take your time and explain in detail!"

Xu Chutai had a habit: whenever someone spoke, he would unconsciously connect their words to the intensity of the case. This indirect but methodical approach often yielded unexpected breakthroughs!

But!

What Xu Chutai just said left the entire Criminal Police Division, officers and their captain alike, shocked.

Director Xu, the deputy director of the municipal bureau, had addressed Chen Cang with the honorific "您"?!

Everyone knew that Director Xu was known for his integrity and rarely, if ever, resorted to flattery.

The use of "您" left them somewhat surprised.

But now was not the time to dwell on that. Everyone was eagerly waiting for Chen Cang to unveil the truth.

Chen Cang said, "If my deduction is correct, these three patients—all with seemingly unrelated causes of death—died of thinner poisoning!"

"And the mortality rate for thinner poisoning is 100%!"

"Crucially, this kind of poisoning worsens progressively over 72 hours, then culminates in sudden death, with a fatality rate of 100%!"

These words caused everyone's faces to change drastically!

Such a poison exists?

As an emergency physician, mastering poisoning was one of the first skills Chen Cang acquired. Frankly, he'd never imagined encountering a scenario where this expertise extended beyond clinical diagnosis.

Let alone being applied to criminal investigations!

Even thinking about it felt surreal.

At this moment, Chen Cang elaborated further:

"Thinner poisoning doesn't rely on a single route—it can be absorbed via the respiratory tract, skin, or digestive system!"

"The key issue is that there is no specific antidote for thinner poisoning. After ingestion, symptoms remain mild for the first 48 hours. For individuals in good health, there may be no symptoms at all; for those in average health, they might experience dizziness, headaches, burning abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting."

"These symptoms are particularly similar to alcohol poisoning, old gastric disorders, and food poisoning. Without timely treatment, 72 hours later, sudden symptoms will emerge, leading to death with a fatality rate of 100%!"

At these words, the young policewoman immediately interjected.

"Exactly! Professor Chen, that's it! When we contacted the hospital and the families, they reported just that. The patients seemed fine for the first two days, but on the third day, their condition suddenly worsened—coma, loss of consciousness… and death. Because of the short time frame, even the cause of death wasn't properly identified."

Xu Chutai's face darkened. "This kind of crime is too… professional!"

"The methods are so refined that even doctors and family members didn't notice anything unusual. The families of the first two victims even thought it was natural death—not murder!"

"If it weren't for Director Jiao's meticulousness, we might never have uncovered this!"

At this, the office sank into an atmosphere of palpable dread.

The Criminal Police Division officers clenched their fists, their hatred for such professionally executed crimes evident.

Even Chen Cang couldn't help but sigh!

"These techniques are truly professional. The thinner's main component is benzene and its derivatives. Acute poisoning stems from benzene's lipophilicity, which disrupts oxidative and reductive functions in nerve cells, impacting neurotransmitters and anesthetizing the nervous system—ultimately causing multi-organ failure in the heart, kidneys, liver, and more!"

"Furthermore, of the two substances mentioned earlier, one is highly water-soluble, while the other dissolves in alcohol, both without any peculiar taste, making them easy vehicles for poisoning!"

"When such substances are used for a crime, if doctors lack knowledge on the condition, the consequences can be severe!"

Chen Cang explained everything he needed to.

Xu Chutai's mind raced, rapidly categorizing and summarizing potentially criminal suspects tied to the three deceased individuals!

After a moment, Xu Chutai declared, "Prepare for a meeting!"

"Oh, Xiao Liu, first escort Professor Chen home."

At that moment, Xu Chutai said with a smile, "Professor Chen, you've worked hard today. Without you, who knows how long this case would've taken to progress."