Chapter 101 - 101 99 Involvement with Guns

Words : 1994 Updated : Sep 12th, 2025

101: Chapter 99: Involvement with Guns 101: Chapter 99: Involvement with Guns Gun-related case! Jiang Yuan was busy with the evidence collection phase and had no time to think further. Only when the half-blackened bullet dropped into the evidence bag did his head start buzzing. As a detective of the new age, phrases like “gunshot case” were seldom heard. Instead, the term “gun-related case” was already quite telling. For the grassroots police officers, in most cases, “gun-related” merely indicated the involvement of firearms, and it likely did not reach the point of actually using the guns, let alone cases resulting in death by shooting. Even when it came to gun-related issues, there were different levels. Not counting toy guns with less than 2 joules of energy, the most common were imitation guns, followed by air guns, then homemade iron shot guns, a bit more advanced were homemade shotguns, and more advanced than that... Generally speaking, that was as advanced as it got. At most, it would escalate to old firearms, which would already attract significant attention. Once there was touching upon “real” firearms, all police units treated it as seriously as a murder case. All the above referred to gun-related cases. “Real” shootings, in many places, hadn’t been heard of in years. The bullet trace examination reports of the Ningtai County Criminal Police Squad had turned yellow with age, and the technicians had gone on to part-time clerical work long ago. But the bullet Jiang Yuan had extracted was a genuine bullet. So, the Wu Long Wilderness case was about to become a bona fide shooting case. Jiang Yuan secured the evidence, then stood opposite the campfire, making a single-handed aiming gesture toward the other side. Based on the angle and position where the bullet became embedded, Jiang Yuan deduced that the perpetrator must have been standing when they shot through the seated Li Sanqiu’s abdomen. The bullet then lodged into the wall of the cave about 30 centimeters above the ground and shattered. Jiang Yuan sighed lightly, and after searching around the bullet again, he found no further evidence. On the cave walls here, there were layers of soil, stones, plants, insects, fungi, or moss present; searching clearly and quickly was unrealistic. Jiang Yuan packed up the tripod and camera, then stepped out of the cave, calling out to Liu Jinghui not far away. Liu Jinghui had gone to get a higher vantage point; meanwhile, the guide had come over but was stopped by Jiang Yuan’s gesture. He didn’t offer an explanation. Detectives who had served for a while had a high level of discretion, especially when it came to not revealing information to outsiders. Although Liu Jinghui appeared close by, it took him more than ten minutes to return, during which he fell twice, dirtying his clothes beyond recognition. Despite this, when Liu Jinghui reached Jiang Yuan, he subconsciously straightened his shirt before asking, “What did you find?” “Let’s talk inside. You guys wait out here,” Jiang Yuan said, leading Liu Jinghui into the cave alone. Going from outside to inside the cave, one’s vision darkened abruptly and took a while to adjust. At this moment, Jiang Yuan took out the evidence bag containing the bullet and held it up for Liu Jinghui to see. Liu Jinghui’s pupils dilated instantly, as if toyed with by the contrasting light inside and outside the cave. “Did you just find this?” Liu Jinghui’s expression was calm, as if he had expected it all along. Sherlock Holmes-like deducing enthusiasts were like that, only they were allowed to throw out surprising comments, nobody else was permitted to bring forth evidence outside of logic... Jiang Yuandao said, “The entire evidence collection process was recorded on camera.” Jiang Yuan switched on the camera, showing it to Liu Jinghui. Liu Jinghui only glanced at the bullet’s position before handing the camera back to Jiang Yuan. Standing opposite the campfire, he imitated Jiang Yuan, looking past the fire and gesturing twice, then slowly said, “The perpetrator shot standing up.” “Hmm.” “Then there was someone else present at the scene.” “Hmm?” Jiang Yuan looked at Liu Jinghui. “Li Sanqiu was a cultured man who enjoyed seclusion but was polite. If there was only the perpetrator and him, he would instinctively stand up to greet them or at least make a bowing motion,” Liu Jinghui speculated. “Only if someone else was there, engaged in conversation, could the perpetrator come in and shoot him from a superior position.” Jiang Yuan neither agreed nor disagreed, as he was more inclined to let evidence do the talking. Glancing at Liu Jinghui, Jiang Yuan asked, “What should we do now?” “What’s your suggestion?” Liu Jinghui, no longer annoyed by the interruption, held Jiang Yuan in very high regard at this point. Such crucial evidence had been overlooked in three iterations of the Wu Long case, which spoke volumes in itself. Jiang Yuan was not at all complacent and simply said, “My suggestion is to call for backup. Get more people involved; different numbers of people will result in different approaches.” “Are you looking for more crime scene investigators? Or trace evidence analysts? Maybe experts in bullet trajectory analysis?” “It would be best to have a scene investigator who is familiar with bullet trajectory analysis. This bullet definitely needs to be sent to the lab below for examination, which I am not capable of.” Jiang Yuan paused, then added, “As for the number of people, that’s up to you. The approach varies with the number.” “Someone who will follow orders?” “As long as they can get the job done. Whether they want to follow orders or not, that’s not something you decide, right?” Jiang Yuan was very clear-headed at this moment. His rank was too low, his experience too shallow and young, and he was not familiar with the local situation. If the technicians who arrived were willing to listen to him, that would be great, but if not, it wouldn’t really affect anything; he could conduct the investigation on his own. Local crime scene investigators were likely mediocre at best. Just like the ones from Ningtai County, who might even fail to detect the evidence in the restroom, one could not expect them to be as meticulous and dedicated in the complex conditions of the mountains as they would strive to be in simpler circumstances. Many people live their entire lives without ever achieving a perfect score, and clearly, it’s not because they don’t want to. Liu Jinghui easily guessed what Jiang Yuan was thinking and said earnestly, “Just tell me what kind of people you need, and I’ll try my best to get them for you. Don’t worry about other factors. We’re dealing with a firearms-related homicide now; we have the leverage to request resources.” “Then let’s get several obedient crime scene investigators, one or two who understand bullet trajectory analysis, and turn the cave inside out. Also, check the stream. In addition, we could use another dog, like a cadaver dog, to look around for any other bodies or scattered remains,” Jiang Yuan said, looking around without making any overly complicated demands. From Jiang Yuan’s perspective, the cavern was not so large, and a day and a night had been spent searching it meticulously. Although two more days could be spent for an even more thorough search, digging three feet into the ground if necessary, with key evidence like the bullet found, the direction of the search should naturally change. However, this was an issue of investigative direction, which fell within the natural jurisdiction of Liu Jinghui. Jiang Yuan was reluctant to encroach upon it lightly. Liu Jinghui also clarified his thoughts, nodded, and went to retrieve his backpack stored in the cave. Then he pulled out a satellite phone and motioned for the guide to help look for a signal. In no time, Liu Jinghui came back, nodded, and said, “We’ll have people coming up tonight. The department is organizing manpower now, with more to come tomorrow and the day after.” “People coming tonight... It’s not from the police station at the foot of the mountain, is it?” Jiang Yuan asked. “No, I made it clear we need someone capable of crime scene investigation. Liyuan City is close by, and they can quickly draw people from the city and district bureaus,” Liu Jinghui replied, somewhat excited, and asked, “What’s next? What are you planning to do, and do you need any help from me?” “I’ll search the bottom of the cave again. In the afternoon, inspect the location where the body was found.” The bullet Jiang Yuan had just found was at the bottom of the cave, which, if compared to a residential home in the city, would be at the height just above the skirting board and below the wall outlets. This location is typically overlooked by people passing by in their daily routine. Moreover, because of the damp and cold conditions, the bottom of the cave is a common habitat for many organisms. Liu Jinghui gave an “Hmm” and stood by the central fire pit in the cave, quietly observing. “After being shot, Li Sanqiu may have stumbled out, or may have been dragged out of the cave. You’ll know when you get there; sleeping there at night makes a huge difference. The killer probably didn’t want the corpse, blood, and contents of the abdominal cavity to contaminate the cave environment,” Liu Jinghui speculated, then asked, “So, why did they shoot and kill Li Sanqiu?” Liu Jinghui looked at Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan quietly looked back at Liu Jinghui. With no one to play along, Liu Jinghui quickly lost interest and said bluntly, “Anyone who makes it to this spot, if they’re not hikers, has a problem... But to shoot and kill Li Sanqiu, that’s quite aggressive.” “Cold weapons can easily cause injury,” Jiang Yuan pointed out from a forensic doctor’s perspective. There are many online videos explaining that if an attacker comes at you with a knife, your best strategy is to run away, which is very wise. However, there are few explanations to the attacker that when you aim to knife someone who has nowhere to run, the victim’s counterattack can easily injure the attacker, even leading to a reversal of roles. When forensic doctors examine bodies killed with cold weapons, the first thing they distinguish are defensive wounds. Some bodies have as many as twenty or thirty defensive wounds, which means that even if you want to kill an ordinary person, you may need to strike dozens of times. This can easily fatigue the attacker and lead to mistakes. In short, it is easy to be killed, but killing someone is not so easy, and killing someone without injury requires even more strategy. Liu Jinghui understood Jiang Yuan’s point and, after thinking for a moment, said, “We previously mentioned there was a third person by the fire. This suggests that there were more people on the killer’s side. Additionally, Li Sanqiu was sitting, implying he didn’t anticipate an attack. Attacking with a numeric advantage, prepared against the unprepared, and even using firearms suggests at least one thing—they’re not short of bullets and are skilled with guns.” “Perhaps,” Jiang Yuan replied without having seen the evidence, yet he did not refute Liu Jinghui’s theory. “That’s a minor issue,” Liu Jinghui said, tapping the fire pit with his finger. “The key question is why they left the body so easily. I’ve just climbed up to check, and if you walk another one or two hundred meters into the mountain, although it’s challenging, throwing the body far from the path would substantially increase the safety. At least it wouldn’t be possible for a passerby hiker to discover it.”

Chapter 101 - 101 99 Involvement with Guns

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