Chapter 37: Elevate the Perspective, Look at the Big Picture!

Inside the forensic laboratory, as Shen Ting issued one instruction after another, the surprise on Director Ma’s face quickly morphed into utter astonishment. He had become completely convinced that Shen Ting’s mastery of palynology was far from ordinary. There were technical nuances that even he was unaware of; in fact, Director Ma felt that many of the botanical experts he had collaborated with in the past were not as professional in the field of palynology as Shen Ting.

"There’s no need to go through all that trouble. If you perform the operation this way, and then like this, it’s much simpler."

"You’re right! Brother Shen, where did you learn these techniques?" Director Ma was stunned beyond words.

Shen Ting smiled without answering, silently contemplating: "This fragmented pollen has large, tumor-like protrusions on its surface. Based on the size, shape, and distribution of these tumors, it should be rhododendron pollen. Rhododendrons in Chaoyang are mostly found in parks or scenic spots. Coupled with the other spores and pollen in the same cluster... it must have originated from here!"

Shen Ting took out his phone and used a colored marker to circle an area on the map of southern Chaoyang. One could see that dozens of color-coded circles of various sizes were already marked on the map, each representing the source area of a corresponding spore or pollen cluster.

Although spores and pollen are tiny, they possess a vast array of surface characteristics. First, they vary in shape: common forms include the spherical shape of rice pollen, the elongated spheres of willow, as well as flattened spheres, triangles, and quadrilaterals. Their sizes also differ significantly; for example, the diameter of forget-me-not pollen is only about 5 micrometers, while pumpkin pollen can reach 200 micrometers.

Furthermore, pollen surfaces feature unique ornamentation. Corn pollen is covered in fine, granular, rough protrusions, while lily pollen displays distinct striped patterns arranged in parallel, intersecting, or spiral forms. Others exhibit reticulate, tumor-like, or smooth textures. Beyond that, the number, shape, and position of germination pores, as well as the color and internal composition of the pollen, all serve as critical evidence for identification.

Meanwhile, outside the laboratory, the police officers were equally astonished. What was going on? Director Ma, who had started out with a face full of skepticism—acting like a primary school student being forced to study—had so quickly shifted to an expression of shock and even admiration. Even more absurdly, he was now acting like a student seeking guidance, firing question after question at Shen Ting.

"My goodness, does Shen Ting actually specialize in palynological identification?"

"Director Ma is actually asking him for advice?"

"I’ve never seen Director Ma act so deferential even toward the experts who came to help before."

"So, is Shen Ting’s level of expertise in palynology perhaps even better than that of a typical expert?"

Zheng Yuanqiao, standing at the front, was the most surprised. He had agreed to let Shen Ting attempt the analysis more as a last-ditch effort, not holding out much hope. After all, palynology was a highly specialized field. To identify such a vast array of plants and fungi just by their pollen and spores was an impossible task without extensive, rigorous study. Yet, looking at the scene inside the lab, it seemed Shen Ting was truly an expert in palynology, having even managed to win over Director Ma.

Amidst the collective confusion and disbelief, the identification proceeded rapidly. However, as it was such a delicate task—with many samples being fragmented or decayed—it naturally took longer. Nearly two hours later, when Director Ma’s hands had gone numb, Shen Ting finally stopped.

On his phone screen, the map of southern Chaoyang was now covered with dozens of different colored circles. After a quick analysis, Shen Ting slid his fingers across the map, connecting them all. He moved his hand away, zoomed out, and fixed his gaze on a specific location on the map.

"Interesting!"

He exchanged a few words with Director Ma, turned to leave the lab, and looked at the crowd with a smile. "Good news: the identification is complete!"

Shen Ting displayed the map on his phone to everyone.

"It’s done?"
"You actually succeeded?"
"Have you determined the Hummer’s driving route from back then?"
"This is incredible—can you really pinpoint it after twelve years?"

The officers crowded around, eyes wide, staring curiously at the map on the phone screen. Soon, their curiosity turned into bewilderment. They could only see lines that might represent the car’s trajectory and colored circles that presumably marked the source areas of the spore clusters.

Xiong Beibei watched for a moment and asked skeptically, "Shen Ting, the colored blocks are the sources of the pollen clusters, right? But how do you determine which one the Hummer passed first between two adjacent blocks? And these blocks are almost covering the entire map; how can you determine the trajectory?"

"That’s simple!" Shen Ting explained. "These blocks look scattered, but if you look closely, they are basically laid out along roads without surveillance. In short, the trajectory essentially follows the roads, making it relatively easy to determine. As for the direction of travel, that’s not actually the most critical factor."

Xu Xinyi also expressed doubt: "Shen Ting, I see many overlapping colored blocks on the map. Does this mean the Hummer passed through this area multiple times? Especially at junctions with multiple routes—there are colored blocks on every path. How do you determine which specific direction the Hummer took during a particular pass?"

"That’s also simple; the pollen clusters provide the answer," Shen Ting replied. "As you all know, the incident occurred on April 22nd, and for the following half-month, the Hummer was essentially playing a game of cat and mouse. That half-month was the peak season for plants to bloom and fungi to disperse spores. Even if the Hummer passed through the same junction only a day apart, the composition of the pollen clusters it carried would have been distinctly different. Based on the chronological order of the plants and fungi dispersing their pollen, one can determine which pass came first and which came later."

The officers exchanged knowing glances, their awe of Shen Ting growing even deeper. The theory held up, but putting it into practice required a vast knowledge of plants and fungi—a task far beyond the capability of an average forensic examiner. Usually, one would have to hire experts from various fields to help! Yet, Shen Ting was capable of doing it all himself.

Seeing that many were still hesitant to speak, seemingly still having questions about the Hummer’s trajectory on the map, Shen Ting laughed. "Actually, everyone is focusing on the wrong thing. The most critical part of this map isn't the Hummer's trajectory that I’ve marked. The theory I just explained is indeed sound. If I had been allowed to analyze the pollen in the Hummer right after the crime occurred, I could have reconstructed a complete and accurate route. But as you know, twelve years have passed. The vast majority of the pollen in the car is no longer identifiable, or has even decayed and vanished entirely. This has caused many markers to disappear. The route I’ve drawn is mostly accurate on a small scale, but if I were to claim the entire trajectory is 100% correct, I’d be lying."

Shen Ting explained with a laugh, and the officers chuckled along. It was true! Reconstructing a Hummer’s exact path from twelve years of residual pollen wouldn't be science; it would be science fiction. Everyone’s attention shifted away from the lines on the map, searching for what Shen Ting deemed more important.

Zheng Yuanqiao stared at the map, his eyes suddenly lighting up. "I know what the most critical thing is. I also understand why Shen Ting said the accuracy of the Hummer's trajectory is relatively less important. It's because we can no longer go back to those routes to look for clues, and the correctness of one or two paths doesn't affect the big picture. We need to look at this map from a higher, holistic perspective."