Chapter 135 - 135 132 Everyone is Quite Foolish

135: Chapter 132 Everyone is Quite Foolish 135: Chapter 132 Everyone is Quite Foolish “Tired, I need a smoke,” Wu Jun said, digging in the yard for a while; the aches in his back and waist were enough to convince him to stand up without hesitation and step outside to light a cigarette. This time, he smoked his own brand of Liqun, which was strong enough that just half a cigarette could numb him. Jiang Yuan came out to join him for a quick drag and said, “Why don’t you just take a break outside? We can handle things in here.” “Okay,” Wu Jun surprisingly agreed without ado. Jiang Yuan was slightly taken aback; in his impression, Comrade Wu Jun was quite the hard worker, usually reluctant to slack off. Could it be that the sight of the garbage picker’s tragic state had suddenly triggered a reexamination of life? Seeing the look on Jiang Yuan’s face, Wu Jun laughed and said, “After all, for this trip, I’m just excess baggage, so why put in so much effort?” “That’s not true, considering your seniority,” Jiang Yuan consoled, though his words lacked sincerity. Wu Jun took a drag and chuckled, “Counting you, there are three forensic doctors. Surely you don’t really think they called me in to cut DNA?” Jiang Yuan felt awkward to say more; indeed, for the scene at hand, though the workload was not insubstantial, there really was no need to call in two forensic doctors. DNA material could be handled by the crime scene team. If the county’s own team wasn’t up to snuff, they could request assistance from the city bureau. For a homicide case of this level, they typically received as much support as possible. Of course, as things stood, Jiang Yuan and Wu Jun were this “as much support as possible.” Possibly, Jiang Yuan was sought after for his expertise in fingerprints. As the provincial fingerprint competition champion, who had also managed to solve 10 cold murder cases in one go, it was foreseeable that he would receive numerous invitations in the future. Longli County mainly invited them because they were too familiar with Ningtai County—so familiar, in fact, that they knew about Jiang Yuan and Wu Jun’s relationship and felt awkward inviting Jiang Yuan without also inviting Wu Jun... The role of Comrade Wu Jun, of course, had its uses; after all, an extra forensic doctor meant an extra set of hands, which was always a good thing. But if we’re talking initial intent, they really wanted Jiang Yuan for his fingerprints and crime scene investigation skills. Wu Jun was dragged into it by association. Wu Jun saw this clearly as well and had no intention of proving himself. His skills were already well-honed, and from here on out, they would only decline. To exert himself as unskilled labor in another county seemed pointless. “I’m going to treat myself to a feast of chicken with pork intestines and stomach. If you’re free, come join me. The county probably just has a modest meal, or at most a simple buffet,” Wu Jun said, finishing his cigarette, conscientiously collecting the stub, and strolling towards the shop. Jiang Yuan hurriedly followed, asking, “Can we walk there?” “It’s just a few hundred steps according to the navigation. Driving would require parking, so we might as well take a walk,” Wu Jun waved dismissively, greeting the people from Longli County, and ambled off on his own. It was already off-work time, and while police didn’t really have overtime, the Longli County folks still felt awkward directing the forensic doctors from Ningtai County. While lost in thought, Wu Jun had already reached the end of the alley, like a young maiden unburdening others of their worries. Jiang Yuan went back to the yard to continue working. All the bloodstained items had been wiped clean, and the items judged possible to have been touched by the killer had had their samples taken. Next, Jiang Yuan’s task was to lift fingerprints. Collecting fingerprints and DNA can sometimes conflict. For instance, latent fingerprints formed by sweat aren’t as readily visible as blood fingerprints and require a UV light or similar to be spotted. On the other hand, sweat can also be used to extract DNA, which is a technology that has only emerged in the last decade or so. If the sweat is wiped away to extract DNA, then the fingerprint can no longer be collected. It’s true that there are methods to lift latent sweat fingerprints without damaging them, but generally speaking, the difficulty is higher. For instance, the technicians from Longli County essentially had no ideas about this. It’s not that they were completely ignorant of the relevant techniques, but hearing about something and doing it, or doing it and mastering it, are worlds apart. Especially in a homicide case, it is not a place for technicians to practice. So, if the technicians haven’t practiced regularly, they won’t attempt it at a homicide scene. The technicians present for fingerprinting largely relied on the routine of dusting with powder. Or, to put it another way, if they were willing to attempt various methods, actively participate in training, and improve themselves day-to-day... then their status and skills would naturally be different. In Longli County, there was no need for Jiang Yuan to give guidance. So, he just worked on the fingerprints himself. Once he’d finished taking prints and photographed them, he would proceed to DNA. As a result, the process was even slower. As darkness fell and bright floodlights came on, Jiang Yuan’s work became more difficult. UV lights and similar tools were affected, and capturing clear images of the prints’ ridge details and patterns was challenging. Jiang Yuan stretched, falling into deep thought. Looking at this complete disorder! This wasn’t just a 72-hour job, it was a week’s worth of work. As for the number of items in a garbage picker’s yard, one could reference news articles about hoarders. For example, after neighbors could no longer tolerate it, the property management helped clean out a hoarder’s two-bedroom apartment, filled with heaps of parcels and other items. It took a dozen people two days just to clear the items from the room. It should be noted that “clear the items from the room” simply meant moving them out. If those dozen people had been technicians and had to dust every single item for fingerprints, wipe for DNA, and collect samples, not to mention doing it in more than one spot, consider how much time that would take. After busying himself for an entire day and night, Jiang Yuan finally realized: The criminal investigators from Longli County in charge of collecting evidence at the scene seem a bit dim-witted. Whether they’re fond of playing dumb or are genuinely clueless, Jiang Yuan is starting to wear thin. It’s only now that he remembered the master who went off to eat intestine and stomach chicken; he hurriedly made a call. “Yeah, tastes pretty good, if you want to eat, go there yourself, they serve it as a midnight snack. I’ll sleep a bit more; I’ll come over to help in the morning,” Wu Jun muttered a few words before hanging up the phone. Jiang Yuan then noticed that it was already the wee hours of the morning. He had never had to pull an all-nighter like this in Ningtai County. However, upon reflection, it made sense. He wasn’t a local to Longli County, so naturally, they would exploit his labor to the fullest before discarding him. “Aren’t you guys going to rest either?” Jiang Yuan looked around at the other technicians. Those present, who were all older than him, gave him a look that one might give to a silly child. Someone said, “We’ve already switched shifts.” “Hm... you’re right,” Jiang Yuan felt like he was called over, yet it seemed like he wasn’t... So, all things considered... he was quite foolish. “Take a break; let’s have a midnight snack together later.” Only regular technicians without any leadership positions or authority remained at the scene. Those with a bit of power had already gone home to get scolded by their wives, while the powerless technicians could stay at the scene with peace of mind, not even qualifying to be yelled at by their wives. This also proved another point: the grassroots composition of a typical county bureau resembled that of a monks’ temple. Although female officers join one or another of these monks’ temples each year, considering the homicides and economic cases handed down from higher-ups yearly, when it comes to hair loss from all the stress, the female officers would be frightened to jumping up and down. Jiang Yuan truly couldn’t continue any longer. He stepped out of the courtyard, took off his mask and gloves, and sat down across from the small yard, staring blankly and foolishly into the courtyard. When a person is too exhausted, their mind doesn’t want to work at all. It was the same for Jiang Yuan. Right now, he really didn’t feel like thinking about why a scavenging old man had been beaten to death— Was it a conflict arising from scavenging? But why did it happen in his own home? Moreover, no property was damaged, and there were no signs of rummaging through the rooms. It’s more likely that the killer came with the intent to murder someone. But still, was a scavenging old man worth committing murder over? Why go to such lengths? This was the most difficult part of the case, and why Longli County was so eager to call for reinforcements. Unless technical means were used to directly point to the killer, the usual strategies for solving cases were ineffective. The common analysis of motives? There were no benefits involved; theft-inspired crime? There was no property to steal; a crime of passion? There was no lust involved. Jiang Yuan looked at the courtyard gate, recalling the bloodstains he saw earlier and began to analyze subconsciously. The murderer likely followed the scavenging old man into the courtyard but knocked him over upon entering. This was deduced from the initial bloodstains, which were primarily splattered on the ground, indicating a top-down attack. Afterward, the old man did not resist further but attempted to flee, knocking over many objects in the process. These objects ended up covering the ground, leading to the second wave of beatings... Then came the third wave. Jiang Yuan slapped his forehead; the continued beatings were mostly out of revenge and venting rage. Who had the scavenging old man offended? Jiang Yuan picked up his phone, then put it down again. Such a straightforward criminal investigation approach would not be overlooked by Longli County’s investigators. Although they may be a bit dull from a forensic science perspective, they wouldn’t overlook such basic concepts outside of their technical expertise. Jiang Yuan then extended his thoughts to his own field of expertise... A prolonged beating and venting of anger suggested that the murderer would leave behind a great deal of evidence. In the midst of intense movement, sweat would fall, hair would drop, dandruff would fly, and in a fit of rage, the killer might blow his nose, sneeze, and if it were really an act of revenge, perhaps he would even weep bitterly and yell out, “I’ve taken my revenge!”? But where was the evidence? Or rather, with all the traces at the scene, how could one prove which were left by the murderer and not brought in by the scavenged items? The murder weapon and bloodstains! These two could not have been brought in by scavenged items. Now, the murder weapon had not been found, so the first choice was the bloodstains. The bloodstains on most of the items had been sampled, some of which were even done by Jiang Yuan himself. As for those not on items, the bloodstains on the walls and the floor were not within Jiang Yuan’s earlier scope of work. The problem reverted to what Jiang Yuan saw when he first arrived and entered the premises: he was looking at the cast-off pattern of bloodstains on the wall when Medical Examiner Wang Lan from Qinghe City said, “The bloodstains have been sampled.” Jiang Yuan now thought back to that moment, and the first thing that came to mind was the exhaustion from the past day and night, which sparked the thought: What does it matter whether Longli County’s technicians sampled these bloodstains or not? It was better for him to sample them again himself. It would certainly be more cost-effective than wiping down every item in the scavenging yard!