Chapter 182 - 182 174 The Weakling

Words : 1479 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

182: Chapter 174 The Weakling 182: Chapter 174 The Weakling The number one suspect had the largest suspicion. The criminal police who went to investigate did not hesitate to bring the person back. When the person was taken into custody, the atmosphere in the office visibly became more positive. Although there were still some risks associated with the long-distance escort, overall, the torture of the criminal police team seemed to have ended. Not just the detective squad, the mood both inside and outside the district bureau also lightened. If this had been an unresolved murder case, or even worse, if it had turned into a cold case, not a single police officer in the district would have had an easy time. Forget about clocking in and out on time or eating meals regularly—Ideally, even hoping for enough time to take a dump was a luxury. If you disappeared for a bit too long, the squad leader’s howling would only make constipation more likely. Ironically, not eating on time could also lead to constipation. In summary, not being able to quickly solve a homicide case was a test of every policeman’s life. Just looking at how fiercely the acne was breaking out on the girls’ faces told you how difficult the case was. As for the distinction between office officers, and those in the field and in-house, that all became insignificant in the face of a murder case. In an environment where even the police dogs were called into action, how could there possibly be an easy post? Jiang Yuan finally had a day off, and in the evening, he got a shipment from his old man Jiang Fuzhen, including hand-torn beef jerky, braised beef shank, and many other boxes of delicacies. The meat, still warm after traveling over a hundred kilometers and more than an hour’s drive, seemed to retain its temperature. Jiang Yuan casually took out his mobile phone to check, and sure enough, there was another message from the bank. His old man was always like that, not knowing how to express his feelings. When he missed his son, he wouldn’t just make a phone call to check in, he would either send money or food. Now that Jiang Yuan had graduated and was back home, it turned into both sending money and food. There was about five pounds of beef jerky and several pounds of braised beef shank, not to mention a sliced pig ear and four pig trotters—more than Jiang Yuan could eat on his own. Jiang Yuan simply brought them to the detective squad to share with the officers on duty. Suddenly, the officers who had instant noodles were instantly upgraded to a higher class of humans, eating instant noodles with beef and pig trotters, making the squad leader Lei Xin restless in his office. “When this case is over, I’ll buy drinks for everyone,” Lei Xin declared after getting a luxurious combo of old altar pickled cabbage noodles with beef slices and pig trotters, chewing away and simultaneously making promises to the others. The officers present naturally reacted enthusiastically, and Jiang Yuan laughed along. He was just happy to see the case resolved smoothly. Lei Xin devoured half a bowl of noodles in one go before wiping his mouth and laughing, “I was thinking once we had this guy in custody, we’d go out for a nice meal. Turns out this kid is skinny as a rake, but he can take a lot.” Jiang Yuan frowned upon hearing this, “Is the suspect very thin? How tall is he?” “A man of about 100 pounds; you can see his ribs. As for height... he’s just over 1.6 meters,” Lei Xin said, shaking his head. “No wonder the girl’s affections turned elsewhere. The guy from the house worth 288,000 always looks about 1.75 meters tall, not fat either.” “Has the suspect confessed?” “He’s being evasive, but it should be him, can’t get away from it,” Lei Xin replied confidently. He was in the business of eating this kind of rice, and he could tell at a glance if a suspect had issues. Jiang Yuan had no doubts about Lei Xin’s judgment. Being the head of a detective squad was a highly challenging position in the police force, to say the least. Just consider the one or two homicides each year as substantial projects; they require organizing hundreds of people to overpower, in limited time, an individual who may have been plotting for many years, both intellectually and physically. Not every case is particularly thrilling, but in a detective’s career, there are always a few moments that are truly heart-stopping. And all of this was routine for the captain of the criminal police. However, Jiang Yuan thought back to the autopsy and spoke softly, “The victim, Zhang Ying, did have considerable muscle mass.” Lei Xin, sensitive like a stray cat, instantly pulled his face out of his noodle bowl and looked at Jiang Yuan, “What do you mean by that?” Jiang Yuan explained, “My feeling is that Zhang Ying was likely the kind of girl who had done farm work and worked out in the gym. Her thigh muscles, abdominal muscles, and upper arm muscles all showed signs of training. If the suspect only weighs 100 pounds, they might not even be able to overpower this girl.” As he said this, the detectives who were burying their heads in their food all stopped. Wang Lan, who was holding a strip of jerky and had been tearing at it for a while, had already ceased his actions. He now chimed in, “Jiang Yuan didn’t mention it, but I had forgotten. Indeed, this girl was quite sturdy. Just by looking at the abdominal wall, you could tell—her abs were impressive.” “In that case... was she hit with a blunt object?” Lei Xin reluctantly followed the line of thought proposed by the two forensic doctors. He also understood clearly that although the victim was a girl, she was a robust one. And the suspect... indeed appeared excessively frail. “The victim’s skull was relatively intact. There were no signs of being hit with a blunt object,” Jiang Yuan said. Wang Lan nodded in agreement. “Is it impossible that she was hit with a blunt object, or is it not ruled out?” Lei Xin emphasized, as these two concepts were fundamentally different. If it was not ruled out, then he would prioritize the possibility of the victim being hit with a blunt object. As for whether it had happened or not, that would become clear after the interrogation. Jiang Yuan and Wang Lan exchanged glances, with Jiang Yuan speaking first, “Impossible. If the skull is relatively intact, it’s impossible for it to have been hit with a blunt object without any signs showing.” “Hmm...” Lei Xin fell silent. The toxicology tests had just been completed, with common toxins testing negative. As for the uncommon ones, the suspect, being an ordinary rural youth, would have difficulty accessing them. Furthermore, the conditions for using poison weren’t suitable. The murder occurred at the victim’s home, and although the suspect was engaged to the victim, they were in the midst of a dowry dispute, so it was hard to say if they could even share a peaceful cup of tea. Poisoning would not have been easy to achieve. So, how could a smaller build attack a larger build without using tools or poison? What could they rely on? The only possibility was a numerical advantage. Lei Xin slowly came to understand this and observing Jiang Yuan and Wang Lan, he saw they both seemed to have high emotional intelligence. Then Lei Xin said it himself, “Are you saying there might have been accomplices?” “I think it’s very likely,” Jiang Yuan’s inference was indeed such. He continued, “The body was found without clothes, suggesting that there might have been sexual assault before death. Additionally, there were no signs of violent beating on the head and face of the body, which is consistent with the characteristics of a group committing the crime.” Sexual assaults by a single individual often accompany violent beating. This is because for a male to completely control a female and expose his vulnerable reproductive organ for the act, it’s quite difficult and risky. A simple experiment can be done at home. Try to see how much force it takes to forcibly part your girlfriend’s legs. In the event of a woman’s vigorous resistance, many offenders use violent beating to force the victim to submit in order to complete the sexual assault. Or... it could be a group acting together, cooperating to control the victim. Lei Xin finally fully understood. He tossed down his chopsticks and said, “I’ll ask around.”

Chapter 182 - 182 174 The Weakling

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