Chapter 177 - 177 169 Yearning

Words : 1959 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

177: Chapter 169: Yearning 177: Chapter 169: Yearning Fifty to sixty burly men fixed their scorching gazes on Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan adjusted his flat-lens glasses and continued. Photoshop is a really interesting software. Girls all like it a lot. Its applications are widespread, mainly because of its high degree of freedom, and additionally, it has great depth. The stories that stem from it can be well described with the phrase “from entry to abandonment.” Of course, ordinary consumers typically only engage with the entertainment side of it, such as retouching photos or changing a scene here and there—a work of an afternoon can be flaunted on social media, while half an afternoon’s effort might land your leader on the trending searches. Those willing to spend an entire evening might graft a celebrity’s head onto the body of some odd animal. Or they might remake a set of wedding photos, allowing the bride and groom and their friends to feel rightfully as though they are attending someone else’s wedding. But on the flip side of entertainment, Photoshop can also be incredibly cruel. It can be used to forge official seals, and if used well, one could easily earn themselves a three-year stint in prison. It can also be manipulated to compile photos for blackmailing; Hunan Shuangfeng has developed this into an industry, specifically targeting officials, and its impact has been profound. Of course, it can also be used to solve cases, and it tremendously raises the difficulty of case-solving. During the provincial fingerprint competition, Jiang Yuan slaughtered his competitors with a combination of Qingdao-style Lv4 fingerprint analysis and Chongqing-style Lv3 fingerprint analysis, paired with image enhancement skills. His consecutive breakthroughs in cold cases actually meant that Jiang Yuan’s fingerprint identification skills had greatly surpassed the average level of provincial experts. The fingerprints now before him exceeded the difficulty of typical challenging prints. “Difficult fingerprints can often turn up surprises with a bit of Photoshop. PS, as we call it, is crucial in our criminal investigations for ensuring the accuracy of images. Any modifications must follow a set of rules.” As Jiang Yuan spoke, most of his attention remained on operating the software. Hands-on training comes first, followed by explanation. Chen Wenming straightened his back, watching Jiang Yuan’s operations for a while, and gradually, like Cao Keyang beside him, he relaxed into a reclined position. Some things you perceive differently when viewed from another angle, which affects both your mood and sense of achievement. For instance, Cao Keyang at first watched stiff-back and felt extremely uncomfortable. Once he lay down, it became much more comfortable. Cao Keyang’s suppressed emotions had all been released, and at some point, his face even took on a light smile. “Everyone seems to be enjoying this quite a bit.” Chen Wenming glanced around at all the forensic investigators flat on their backs and couldn’t help but sigh out of helplessness. The overwhelmingly advanced techniques significantly dampened everyone’s enthusiasm for learning. A forensic investigator from the district bureau overheard Chen Wenming and disagreed, suggesting as he looked at the projection, “Chief Chen, you need to look at it from a different perspective, and then you’ll find it interesting.” “What perspective?” “Well, for example, I never knew fingerprint identification could reach this level. It’s like a godly skill,” the district bureau’s investigator, who was just a bit younger than Chen Wenming, said calmly. Chen Wenming still shook his head, replying, “Dragon-slaying technique.” Another forensic investigator, unconcerned, added, “As long as it’s cool, that’s all that matters. Next time my nephew asks what I do all day, I’ll actually have something impressive to brag about. It’s not like you can be the hotshot you see on TV all the time; in reality, you’re nothing special.” Cao Keyang nodded in agreement. In his heart, he naturally hoped to become such an identification expert, but such sentiments were unsuitable to voice, especially in front of colleagues and particularly not in front of a minor superior. Even if he couldn’t achieve it himself, bragging about a colleague could also be a source of joy. Jiang Yuan was now considered one of their colleagues. Chen Wenming was even more aware of how difficult it was to learn fingerprint identification skills of Jiang Yuan’s caliber. Photoshop skills were equally tedious and boring, requiring knowledge of mathematics and other related subjects in the latter stages. Thus, Chen Wenming sighed again: “To think that we’ve arranged a half-day training session only to end up admiring his coolness.” “There are plenty of training opportunities, no, I mean learning opportunities. That’s what training is all about,” another forensic investigator whispered, joining the discussion. Up on the lectern, everyone wasn’t really focusing on the specific technical details anymore. Some things, if you don’t get them during the first lesson, don’t expect to catch up in the second. However, when it came to the methods and extent achievable by advanced fingerprint identification, the crowd was still keenly interested. So now, the spectator seats were filled with more whispers and quiet conversations, and the smiles on everyone’s faces had multiplied. Seeing the forensic investigators beside him opposing his view, Chen Wenming had nothing more to say. In fact, discussing the cutting-edge capabilities of a technology and its boundaries is a form of training in itself. Take fingerprinting technology, for instance. Now that it’s possible to extract prints from clothing and bedsheets, it’s crucial to communicate these abilities to the frontline police officers. Otherwise, what’s the use of having this research done only within the lab? Similarly, training sessions for fingerprint collection are conducted by various levels of units every year. The aim is to reinforce training and raise the grassroots’ awareness to perform better and do more. The expansion of the frontiers of DNA is even more obvious. In earlier years, DNA profiling was limited to blood, saliva, bodily tissues, and semen. Many places began to promote the use of sweat around 2008. A decade later, the updated knowledge for the police on the ground was that any spot touched by a suspect was worth trying. Today’s training was originally intended as a session on fingerprint identification, which is why the first lesson was so disheartening. However, by the second lesson, more and more people began to treat it as a cutting-edge lecture, which turned out to be fantastic. After all, those who often come to give cutting-edge lectures aren’t usually cutting-edge themselves. And what Jiang Yuan showcased today, in the eyes of the criminal police specializing in trace evidence, could be called nothing less than beautiful. “Alright, after processing it like this, let’s run it again,” Jiang Yuan commented on the processed fingerprint image. Some of the forensic officers in the front row couldn’t help but laugh: “It doesn’t look anything like it anymore.” “In fact, it’s the exact same image; this can be directly proven. If the suspect’s lawyer raises this point, we can conduct a criminal investigation certification... Should we do it? It might take about ten minutes...” Jiang Yuan was courteous, always attentive to any comments and ready to respond. But the forensic officer in the front waved his hand: “Don’t mind me, just follow your own teaching outline.” Jiang Yuan didn’t really have a teaching outline, but seeing that this forensic officer wasn’t particularly interested, he continued, “Then I’ll carry on. Now, it’s a matter of marking the characteristic points again, and this time, we should still choose a smaller area...” “As for which area to choose specifically, my advice is to judge based on the shape of the fingerprint.” “We’ve already uncovered two cases, with two sets of fingerprints for reference. From this, we can actually discern some of his habits of hand use.” “Right, here we can actually apply a bit of the mindset used in footprint identification...” Jiang Yuan briefly mentioned this point, without elaborating further. After all, today’s lecture was about fingerprint identification; it was best not to stray off topic. Chen Wenming couldn’t help but sit up straight. In his usual fingerprint work, he indeed applied the mindset used in footprint analysis. It was a natural choice; humans have 10 fingers—normally—and when using them, there are habitual movements, different manipulation techniques, including preferences for using the left or right hand, using one finger or two, favoring the index and middle finger or the middle finger and ring finger, etc. However, unlike the development of footprint analysis, there are no standards and rules when it comes to usage habits in fingerprinting. Everyone is figuring it out on their own. Chen Wenming was also figuring it out, but he didn’t have many opportunities to apply it. At this moment, he really wanted to hear what Jiang Yuan had to say. Although the art of slaying dragons was in a state where there were no dragons to slay, he believed that absorbing the essence of that art would be excellent for slaughtering cows and sheep. However, Jiang Yuan didn’t continue on the subject of the mindset used in analyzing footprints from fingerprints. Because the characteristic points of the fingerprints had already been marked, once they were sent back to the fingerprint database, the new results came back quickly. “Look, after processing it this way and comparing it with the existing fingerprints, the results come out quickly, because it’s a value assignment process. After processing with Photoshop, its value assignment can be significantly improved...” Jiang Yuan began to explain the key points. The forensic officers below were already anxious, with some shouting, “Call first, call first!” “I’m dialing right now.” Jiang Yuan took out a cell phone from under the table, then added, “No rush, the person is in jail.” After dialing and reporting the situation, the brigade commander of the Miaohexian Criminal Police expressed his heartfelt thanks and happiness. Even if the suspect was in prison, the case was considered solved. Moreover, the suspect had to continue to be prosecuted and more charges would be added, saving the time and effort of a capture. Jiang Yuan also suggested to keep digging into the case, then he hung up the phone. The forensic officers in the audience listened with rapt attention. Especially the last part felt like a dream. Typically, brigade commanders at the criminal police would chew up both the suggestion and the one who made it, spitting them out together. Jiang Yuan was somewhat used to the courtesy of brigade commanders from other counties, but seeing everyone’s expressions, he quickly adopted a more serious demeanor and said, “Let’s continue with the course...” ... The vibration of a cell phone sounded out. Jiang Yuan glanced at it and quickly explained, “It’s a call from Miao He County; I don’t know if there’s an emergency, I’ll take it.” After saying that, Jiang Yuan answered the call. Over the earphone, the voice of the Miaohexian Criminal Police Brigade commander was deafening: “Jiang Yuan, thank you so much, we’ve caught him.” “That’s great, congratulations to you.” “It’s congratulations to us. This case owes a lot to you for bringing a dead case back to life.” “Has the suspect confessed?” “Not yet, but it should be soon. We found some evidence at his home, so even without his confession, we are okay. It’s just a matter of time,” the Miaohexian Criminal Police Brigade commander exchanged pleasantries, and it took a while before he hung up. Turning around, he saw a room full of forensic officers with gleaming eyes. The long-lost passion was surging once again, as each of them fantasized about being the one making the call.

Chapter 177 - 177 169 Yearning

Comments (0)