Chapter 299 Ultimate Move

The multi-purpose hall was packed, with dark blue police uniforms filling the seats, the stars on their epaulets reflecting a cold, hard light.

The forensic experts from the four detachments—Department 1 (kidnapping and murder), Department 2 (theft and fraud), Department 5 (cultural relics), and Department 9 (trace evidence examination)—as well as the members of each detachment's testing center, all came.

The training instructors hadn't arrived yet, and there were still more than ten minutes before the meeting started. People were whispering and talking amongst themselves in the meeting room.

In the third row, Tang Nanyan looked around and asked, "Sister Xu, with so many people here today, you must have invited top experts, right? Which institution are they from? The National Gemstone Appraisal Center, China University of Geosciences, or even Peking University or the Palace Museum?"

"Peking University and the Forbidden City?" Xu Qin scoffed, "Why don't you go and invite them?"

Tang Nanyan shook her head vigorously: "I can't invite him!"

Xu Qin couldn't help but chuckle: "You know you can't get him to come?"

The institutions Tang Nanyan mentioned are the most authoritative jade and jewelry appraisal organizations in China, as recognized by the authorities. Among these institutions, those whose members can be described as "experts" all lead multiple teams, with research workloads piled high.

If you go through official channels, you won't even get top-tier or authoritative experts, let alone top-tier ones. At most, they'll send an assistant or a regular appraiser to provide some training.

If you hire an expert privately to conduct an appraisal, the appraisal fee would be at least tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan. How can you afford that?

Of course, we can definitely invite them without paying any fees, but we'll have to owe them a favor.

The team has hired them before, and the results have indeed been good, but it's a bit of a burden on the leaders: the favor owed for hiring them once has to be repaid several times...

Xu Qin whispered, "Today's training expert was invited by Deputy Detachment Leader Yan of the Fifth Detachment through personal connections. I heard that the brigade leaders will also be attending, which means that even if it's not one of these four, it's definitely authoritative enough. Listen carefully and take notes..."

The team members nearby nodded solemnly, while Tang Nanyan continued to look around: Deputy Detachment Leader Yan, Yan Wenjing?

Where can he find experts?

Just then, the heavy soundproof door slid open silently, and a group of people walked in.

The deputy chief of the branch, several branch and deputy chiefs, and a few young people.

There were three or four people not in police uniform, and they were all quite young, only in their early twenties. They didn't look like experts; they looked more like college students.

But looking further ahead: the staff had already closed the door, indicating that today's experts were among these few.

This doesn't make sense, where are the experts?

Just as everyone was wondering, the deputy captain tapped the microphone: "Everyone, we are honored to have Director Lin from the Northwest University Cultural Relics Research Center here today to train us on visual identification techniques for jade, jewelry, and jade artifacts. Please welcome him..."

"Clap clap clap clap clap..." With applause, Lin Sicheng went on stage and bowed slightly.

He wore a dark gray cashmere suit and stood tall and straight like a bamboo shoot. His hair was short, his features were handsome, and he wore a faint smile.

Tang Nanyan's eyes widened: He looked quite energetic, but too young, probably in his early twenties at most. And incredibly handsome, standing out like a crane among chickens among a group of leaders.

With those features, that look, that energy, you could easily pass for the celebrity Tang Nanyan. But to call her an expert… are you kidding me?

She wasn't the only one who thought this way; everyone thought the same. Hundreds of eyes were fixed on Lin Sicheng's face.

Sensing the tense atmosphere, the deputy captain's face hardened: "Although Director Lin is young, he is a renowned expert in the field. Everyone, please listen carefully..."

As he spoke, he turned back to look at the director of the Education and Training Department: "After that, we'll organize an assessment!"

"Yes, Captain!"

Upon hearing the word "assessment," the room fell silent, and everyone's heart skipped a beat.

Let alone a college student, even if it were a little kid with a pacifier on stage today, they would still have to take notes word for word.

After a few brief instructions, the leaders sat in the first row, and the meeting room, which had just quieted down for a short while, became restless again.

Just as the director of the training department was about to enforce discipline, the deputy chief shook his head: "A true expert's skill is immediately apparent. If they don't listen carefully now, they'll regret it later."

Lessons learned must be profound for them to be remembered and mastered.

People around were whispering amongst themselves, discussing the incredibly young and handsome "expert" on the stage.

Tang Nanyan glanced at it for a while, then gestured towards the stage with her lips and blinked.

Xu Qin knew what she wanted to say at a glance: Sister Xu, have you ever seen such a young expert?

To be honest, she had never seen one before. Not to mention experts, none of the assistants of the experts they'd previously hired were under thirty.

But the fact that the brigade leaders were able to attend the meeting and endorse him suggests they must have some ability. Putting that aside, at least they have good mental fortitude.

Because, in any case, the public security organs are judicial organs, and from the ministry to the county level, each level has specialized forensic and trace evidence examination agencies, whose professional capabilities are beyond doubt.

Besides, this is Beijing, and this is the Municipal Bureau. Who here isn't a professional?

This one, however, was methodical and unhurried...

Thinking to herself, Xu Qin noticed Tang Nanyan staring intently at the stage without blinking and half-jokingly asked, "Isn't he quite handsome?"

Xu Nanyan nodded: "Not bad!"

"How about I introduce you? Anyway, your family is quite familiar with Captain Yan..."

"Tsk~ Sister Xu, did my mom whisper something in your ear again?" Tang Nanyan said with a look of disgust. "Didn't you hear the leader's introduction: 'He's in Xi'an'?"

"Then why did you keep staring at it?"

"What's wrong with looking? You can't even see a piece of flesh falling off..."

The two were joking around. On stage, Fang Jin turned on his computer and placed it on the lectern. Jing Zeyang, having nothing to do, stood by the podium like a wooden stake.

Lin Sicheng had never intended for him to come; it was Lin Sicheng who insisted on coming, clinging to him relentlessly.

He even argued that he had promised Ye Anning that he would protect Lin Sicheng. Moreover, the Academy of Literature had even issued him an assistant's certificate.

Even a temporary assistant is still an assistant...

Fearing Lin Sicheng wouldn't budge, Jing Zeyang made another promise: he would never join in the fun, never say anything out of line, and never cause trouble. He would do whatever Lin Sicheng and Fang Jin asked him to do. If they told him not to do something, he would just stand there obediently.

One more wouldn't make a difference, so Lin Sicheng brought one along...

Opening the PowerPoint presentation, Lin Sicheng adjusted the microphone: "Hello everyone, my name is Lin Sicheng. It's an honor to stand here and share some of my humble experiences with you. There are bound to be shortcomings, so please forgive me..."

Applause erupted from below.

It was alright, quite enthusiastic. After all, the leader led the applause, so we had to give him some face.

Tang Nanyan clapped her hands intermittently, listening to her colleagues' discussion:

"Tsk, quite humble, and quite polite."

"She speaks very pleasantly, and her smile is even more beautiful."

"Indeed, his voice reflects his personality."

Tang Nanyan cursed inwardly: A bunch of repressed sluts.

But it's not surprising: that's how it is in places with lots of women, especially since many of them are single women.

They know a lot, and many of them have been dealing with corpses all day long, so they've long been immune to it.

This is why things were incredibly shady both in person and privately...

In a flash, Tang Nanyan narrowed her eyes again: Huh, who's this, Jing Zeyang?

She must have come in with the person on stage, but she was so shocked and focused on the person on stage that she didn't notice the two people next to her.

The other person wearing glasses should be the assistant of the person on stage. Jing Zeyang is standing next to him like a post, so what is he?

Besides, he works in a song and dance troupe, when did he know any appraisal experts?

Just as I was wondering, a hiss came from the side, as if someone had gasped.

Tang Nanyan turned around and paused for a moment: right next to her, Xu Qin looked like she had seen a ghost, her eyes wide and mouth agape, completely stunned.

And she wasn't the only one: several other forensic center directors around her, like Xu Qin, had similar expressions.

Two male directors, in particular, had excited expressions on their faces, their eyes shining brightly.

No... what's going on here?

Before she could ask, Xu Qin's eyes lit up: "Lin Sicheng? Yan Wenjing is amazing, where did you get him here?"

Tang Nanyan glanced at the stage, looking completely bewildered: "Huh?"

"No, this is a real expert: no less than the experts you mentioned from the Palace Museum and Peking University. This is a rare opportunity, so listen carefully and take good notes."

Tang Nanyan was even more confused: No... how old is he?

Xu Qin didn't have time to explain to her and hurriedly opened her notebook.

The Education and Training Department conducts regular training sessions, analyzing key cases, and coincidentally, all three cases in which Lin Sicheng participated are included.

The first case was the "nuclear material manufacturing of antique porcelain" case: the first of its kind in China, and even the first in the world. When it was first reported, the leaders all listened as if they were hearing a myth.

Then, I was shocked to find that airport security was completely ineffective against this type of substance; people could come and go as they pleased.

Making antique-style porcelain is nothing compared to what could happen if someone tried to use it for something else—it would cause an epic safety incident…

We must investigate; we must mobilize all police resources to investigate.

We must learn, even if it means working overtime, day and night.

During that period, every head of the forensic unit of the public security departments at all levels in Beijing aged several years and lost at least half a pound of hair.

Naturally, the name Lin Sicheng was etched into my mind.

The second case was the Zhang Anshi tomb raiding case: This time, the heads of the various evidence centers did not suffer much punishment, but they did receive some internal training.

But the team leaders were in a terrible situation, constantly being scolded and chased by their superiors.

Besides smuggling abroad, Beijing was the largest distribution center for stolen goods in China for the "Yu Dahai gang," and many stolen cultural relics flowed into the black market from Beijing.

That's one point. Secondly, over 80% of the funds involved in the case were laundered in Beijing.

Thirdly, and most importantly, the command center for Zhang Anshi's tomb raiding case was located in the capital.

This refers to the international broker Lin Sicheng speculated to be: acting as a middleman to relay messages between Yu Dahai and his subordinates, organizing the excavation crew, designing smuggling routes, transferring the gang's initial capital from abroad to China, and contacting suppliers to purchase firearms, etc.

During that period, the captains and deputy captains of these detachments felt like they were living in hell, filled with shame, remorse, and utter humiliation.

New organizational methods, new modus operandi, new channels for selling stolen goods... It can be said that from planning and organizing to selling and laundering stolen goods, apart from the digging and transportation in between, more than 70% of the crime scenes and clues are concentrated in Beijing.

Fortunately, their colleagues in Xi'an had almost solved the case and found that most of the clues pointed to the capital, which is when they realized what had happened.

Fortunately, Xijing acted swiftly, accurately, and discreetly. Otherwise, the money and the people (the middleman) might have escaped abroad.

It's okay to suffer a little, and it doesn't matter if I get scolded a few times. At least it's better than people running away and needing the leaders to take responsibility.

Naturally, the name Lin Sicheng was also etched into the minds of the leaders of the various detachments and the brigade.

The third case was the fake jade case, and this time, it was the heads of the various appraisal centers who suffered.

The case is quite typical, but fake jade is even more typical.

Compared to Xijing, Beijing is the hardest-hit area. The amount of hazardous materials flowing into Beijing through various channels and being sold as Burmese materials is tens of thousands of times greater in Beijing than in Xijing.

More typically, neither the National Gemstone Testing Center, nor the Peking University Gemological Institute, nor the Ministry of Public Security's Anti-counterfeiting Product Quality Supervision and Inspection Center possess systematic testing techniques and quality standards.

The leadership predicted that there would be more and more cases like this in the future, and in order to prevent such incidents from happening in the first place, they required the brigade to focus on training.

However, even the ministry lacked relevant data, making training impossible. Then, the leadership instructed: first, implement the program on a trial basis in various certification and authentication centers, and then summarize the experience gained from the work.

Then, the various appraisal units went crazy, working day and night, and their hair fell out in clumps.

The name Lin Sicheng was once again etched into my mind.

This also allowed the heads of various appraisal centers to gain a deeper understanding of Lin Sicheng: not only is he professional, but he is also comprehensive.

For example, Xu Qin.

However, she couldn't explain to her capable assistant, Tang Nanyan, why the most excited and thrilled people upon seeing Lin Sicheng were all the heads of the evidence centers of various units.

Because he established quality standards for jade handicrafts and cultural relics.

Although it is currently only being piloted within the Xijing Public Security Bureau, it is the first quality manual in China that "classifies jade based on its origin and microstructure analysis."

Why is it that the more authoritative the institution, the more professional the appraisal department, and the more top the expert, the harder it is to invite them?

Because the country has not issued relevant laws or regulations, nor does it have relevant quality standards, a poor appraisal could lead to a lawsuit.

Conversely, this type of fraud occurs frequently and is becoming increasingly common. For example, a piece of Russian jade worth tens of dollars is sold as Hetian jade worth tens of thousands of dollars, or a piece of Weihai jade worth a few hundred dollars is sold as Burmese jade worth hundreds of thousands of dollars. Hundreds or even thousands of such cases occur daily in Beijing.

When victims report the crime, the police can say: "There are no such provisions in the law, and the state has not issued any relevant classification standards, so we will not accept your case."

Are you kidding me?

Therefore, even if you're just doing research on the scalp, you still need to come up with a standard of measurement and a value range.

But then another problem arises: the Public Security Bureau is a law enforcement agency, not a research institution.

Let alone establishing quality data, even if it is only used as an internal differentiation standard, the number of experiments required is in the tens of thousands to obtain relatively accurate difference data.

In contrast, what is more urgent is the availability of effective ophthalmic forensic methods. That is, how to effectively secure evidence in the shortest possible time and use legal and reasonable means of control over suspects.

To put it bluntly: the victim says it's fake, but the suspect says it's real. The police must determine immediately whether it's real or fake.

What, find an expert?

Experts aren't that free; they can't just come when you call them and leave when you dismiss them. Besides, by the time you come looking for them, they've already run away.

If there are knowledgeable people inside, this situation can be largely avoided. Even better would be having a proven and effective identification method, or a set of standardized data for reference.

That's what our colleagues at Xijing University did: they partnered with the School of Cultural Heritage and Museology at Xi'an University, and their experts were basically available whenever needed.

Moreover, they frequently provide training to professors from Xida University, and the group leaders at the appraisal center have almost become half-experts.

Among them, Lin Sicheng was the most popular and visited the most. He spoke in a simple and easy-to-understand way and never held back his knowledge.

Moreover, he specifically developed an internal quality standard for the Xijing City Appraisal Center, and more than one of his Xijing colleagues who came to Beijing on business trips confirmed that it was both good and fast.

All of this was based on the fact that Lin Sicheng had an excellent personal relationship with Director Li Chunnan and Deputy Director Chen Peng, so people in Beijing could only look on with envy.

I never imagined that a colleague could contact Lin Sicheng, or even invite him over.

This is a rare opportunity...

"Don't just stand there, take notes!" Xu Qin picked up a pen. "If you miss this opportunity, you'll regret it for a year!"

Tang Nanyan looked at the stage again, half surprised and half doubtful: Is it really that exaggerated?

As he pondered this, Lin Sicheng tapped the microphone, and the electronic screen lit up: in the picture, three uncarved jade stones gleamed with a warm and restrained luster.

His voice was not loud, but exceptionally clear: "Hetian jade, Qinghai jade, and Russian jade are all mainly composed of tremolite, so they are all classified under the category of 'Hetian jade' in the national standard. However, their value, origin, and social recognition are vastly different."

"I won't go into the specific differences, but today I'll mainly talk about the subjective differences between these three types of jade, the differences in microscopic data, and effective methods for visual inspection..."

"Because of time constraints, I will try to keep it brief. Materials will be printed out later, and all teachers can refer to them together..."

With a click of the mouse, the screen zooms in for a close-up microscopic view. Under hundreds of times magnification, the internal structure of the jade is revealed in exquisite detail:

“Look at these interwoven structures, a large number of extremely fine tremolite-actinolite mineral microcrystals (fibrous, acicular, cryptocrystalline) intertwine, entwine, and interpenetrate with each other, forming a non-directional dense arrangement. This structure is extremely dense, with a high degree of interweaving and very small gaps.”

"Specifically, at the macro level, that is, to the extent that can be seen with the naked eye: the warm and delicate oily luster and good transparency of Hetian jade all stem from this extremely fine felt structure."

Lin Sicheng pointed to the screen, "Pay attention, lab technicians: Hetian jade has a felt-like structure, which can also be called a glutinous rice cake structure..."

The screen flashed, and two more images appeared: one of felt and one of glutinous rice cake, both of which were cross-sections.

It's indeed quite simple: the cause, process, and result are all summarized in a single sentence, but when combined with the pictures, they create the most intuitive impression for everyone.

"Then look at the second piece, Qinghai jade... During the formation of the jade material, due to the stress, the local minerals are oriented and arranged in a special pattern, and the transparency is higher than the surrounding jade."

The biggest difference from Hetian jade: it reveals a loose granular texture and clear directional patterns inside, resulting in higher transparency and a clean, 'watery' appearance, but with lower oiliness and toughness..."

Lin Sicheng pointed to the screen again: "Remember this waterline pattern, it is the unique 'identity card' of Qinghai material..."

"Finally, Russian jade is characterized by one word: white. But this kind of white, which is called 'dead white' or 'porcelain white' in the trade, lacks the oily luster of Hetian jade from the inside out, and appears dry and thin. Its luster is closer to glassy, ​​which is a superficial 'brightness' rather than an inner 'moisture'."

The large screen switched images again: "Look at the structure: Russian jade has a typical massive metamorphic structure, with larger, more prominent grains than Qinghai jade, and distinct boundaries. This is the root cause of its coarse texture, poor oiliness, and loose structure..."

Lin Sicheng spoke methodically, his clear voice echoing in the conference room.

The audience was unusually quiet; the pens moved across the paper like countless silkworms biting at mulberry leaves.

The heads of these basic evidence centers knew Lin Sicheng's background and details, and they also knew how useful what Lin Sicheng said was.

Some looked bewildered, wondering why the leaders were all so enthusiastic and serious.

There are also those who realize it only after the fact: This kid is quite good at talking!

It is organized, progressive, and easy to understand.

Only a very few people understand that it's not that Lin Sicheng spoke well, but that his research was thorough and his summary was insightful.

Is there anyone who has done more in-depth research and summarized things better than him?

Perhaps, but which one isn't considered a core skill, and which one is willing to share selflessly?

For this era, and for all organizations and professions related to "authentication," what Lin Sicheng said is nothing short of a secret manual...

Tang Nanyan didn't take any notes at all. Instead, she kept looking at the stage, her gaze becoming more and more confused and her expression more and more suspicious.

She felt that the person on stage was very strange, giving her an extremely eerie sense of disconnect: his face, his speech and demeanor at this moment were so far removed from her own.

At least thirty years away...

Just as she was letting her imagination run wild and making wild guesses, Xu Qin smacked her on the head with a stick: "What are you standing there for? Haven't you remembered yet?"

Tang Nanyan pouted: "Won't they send out the materials?"

Xu Qin scoffed: "Do you know how thick the documents that will be handed out later will be?"

It was less than five centimeters long, so I ate it by nibbling on it.

What Lin Sicheng is saying now is the essence of the essence of these materials.

I don't need to understand it deeply; as long as I can understand it, the time saved from studying it will be at least "years".

Just as he was about to give Tang Nanyan a piece of his mind, everything suddenly went dark.

Huh, why is the screen off?

Is that all?

Just as he was wondering, Lin Sicheng smiled and pointed to the surveillance camera in the corner: "If possible, turn this off too. Then, I'll share a few tips for identifying jade with the teachers..."

The leaders in the front row were immediately invigorated...