Chapter 186 - 186 178 Suspect List

Words : 1909 Updated : Sep 21st, 2025

186: Chapter 178 Suspect List 186: Chapter 178 Suspect List When Huang Qiangmin entered the forensic office, his mind was still not fully wrapped around what was happening. He was the one who had Jiang Yuan work on the cold case, but the general procedure for working on cold cases was definitely not like this. To be realistic, if the provincial department now launched some kind of “100-Day Cold Case Initiative,” by the end of it, some of the cases prepared in advance might not even get off the ground. After all, the criminal suspects are not going to cooperate with police operations. And when an active case becomes a cold case, there are always some difficulties involved. Even if there were none, once it became a cold case, troubles would surely arise. Therefore, finding a breakthrough from a cold case is almost impossible. For detectives working on cold cases, it’s nothing but complaints. In some places, being assigned to review cold cases is like being punished. It is indeed painful. It’s like being in sales and dealing with a customer you can’t handle no matter what you try; can replacing the salesperson actually solve the problem? Chances are high that it won’t—this refers to regular sales, of course. Huang Qiangmin did indeed have faith in Jiang Yuan’s abilities, but for Jiang Yuan to have a breakthrough within half a day of returning was still something Huang Qiangmin couldn’t quite grasp. Generally, breaking in a large beast requires several months, doesn’t it? Doesn’t it cost a fair amount of feed, waste labor, and take a fair bit of hustling before you see results? Isn’t it quite normal for a murder cold case to take three to five months to process? If it could be solved in just a few hours, straightforwardly, did they label it as a cold case for nothing? It’s not like a steak where aging would make it better. “Have you found any clues?” Huang Qiangmin still had a serious look when he entered. Although truly very curious, it was still important for the team leader to maintain his dignity. How could a leader manage his subordinates without dignity? “Jiang Yuan found it, let him tell you,” said Wu Jun, not taking any credit for himself. He didn’t need to worry about dignity; he had already secured a deputy section-level treatment and had no wishes or needs before retirement. While waiting for others, Jiang Yuan had prepared the photos and even made them into a PPT. At this moment, he turned the screen around and said, “It’s about the 611 He Jingqin case from thirteen years ago...” “Oh, I remember, the scene was covered in blood.” “Yes, and I reconstructed the crime scene based on the bloodstains,” Jiang Yuan explained, operating the PPT with his left hand and making gestures with his right. Wu Jun, sitting opposite, smiled but was surprised when he heard this, “When did you do the crime scene reconstruction?” “I did it while making the PPT,” Jiang Yuan replied casually. Bloodstain Analysis is high-end stuff, and to master it, you need to be on the LV3 level. But for Jiang Yuan, who was at the LV5 level in Bloodstain Analysis, reconstructing the crime scene was very basic. Having reviewed all the necessary photos and gathered the needed materials, it was just a process of integration and analysis. Jiang Yuan wasn’t verbose; first, he quickly flashed several photos, then said, “I won’t go into every detail about the crime scene investigation and the autopsy report; I’ll get straight to the reconstruction of the crime process.” “The murderer’s process can be divided into four parts,” he continued. “The first part. The perpetrator detained the victim near the fire exit and began to inflict the first knife wound. The victim had superficial cuts on her arms, probably from a low-intensity defense. The bloodstains behind the door might result from pushing and shoving. The main evidence includes: A, the bloodstains that flowed from the top down on the front of the victim’s shirt. B...” “The second part. The perpetrator took the victim to the rooftop. The victim probably realized the murderer’s intent and put up a more violent resistance, possibly involving screaming. The murderer held the knife in his right hand and slashed from left to right, inflicting a fatal wound to her neck, resulting in the spatter bloodstains...then, the perpetrator dragged the victim onto the rooftop, resulting in dragging injuries and some level of resistance... The main evidence...” “The third part. The perpetrator stabbed the victim again on the rooftop, causing her death. The main evidence: A, the flow pattern bloodstains... B, the formation of blood pools... C, the victim’s footprints... D, the appearance of spatter bloodstains after the victim fell...” “The fourth part, the murderer began to wipe and clean the scene. Mainly, the blood pools on the ground were cleaned, and the rooftop door was closed. I believe this was to conceal the crime scene and prevent it from being discovered too early. From this, it can be inferred that the perpetrator’s first thought after the murder was to flee. The evidence includes...” Huang Qiangmin watched, dumbfounded. He was the captain of the county’s criminal police. This type of reconstruction of the crime scene, where one looks at a photo and feels as though they’ve witnessed it themselves, describing the criminal’s behavior he had only watched in shows before. “Where did you learn this from...” Huang Qiangmin couldn’t comprehend. Jiang Yuan remained silent for two seconds before saying, “I have always liked pondering over these things since I was studying.” “Then you’ve really figured something out,” said Huang Qiangmin, not even knowing what to say anymore. It was as if he’d put an ox to work and it single-handedly finished the entire production team’s work. Now, as the team leader, what should he do? Jiang Yuan said, “I reviewed the previous files, which mainly investigated the killer based on the victims’ family backgrounds. I think, adopting a different investigative angle, might give us a chance to break the case...” “Fugitives with prior convictions right after committing the crime? That’s a broad range as well,” Huang Qiangmin instinctively sought out loopholes. The case of the unsolved homicide was set in motion, and in the blink of an eye, several officers might be thrown in, consuming months of investigation time. Thorough preliminary reasoning was indispensable. Therefore, Jiang Yuan reiterated his earlier judgment based on the footprints and continued, “I think we can narrow down the scope first, and if that doesn’t work out, we can broaden the search.” “How to narrow it down?” “I believe we can assume that the killer has a history of sexual offenses and was released very recently, say, within one or two months, not exceeding three months. Moreover, he fled quickly, likely on the same day, and at most no later than the next day.” “Why such a short time after release?” Huang Qiangmin felt that was the most crucial question. With only a few prisons within the province and adding criminals with Ningtai County origin, the number of sex offenders released on parole three months before the day of the crime should be very limited. It could be just a few individuals. A search among such a small group for someone between 25 and 30 years old would yield even fewer names. After carefully choosing his words, Jiang Yuan turned off the PPT and pulled out a few photos, saying, “From my understanding of the crime scene, the killer’s behavior seemed quite composed. However, his movements suggest some urgency and unfamiliarity. That is to say... he was very bold, confident during the act, but also quite hurried...” At this point, Jiang Yuan was describing an overall judgment, not just point-to-point assessments: “I think this time, it was the killer’s first offense after being released from prison, which is why he appeared especially... impatient.” Huang Qiangmin understood. Although he himself was not very familiar with Bloodstain Analysis, with Jiang Yuan having analyzed to this extent, Huang could only choose to believe it. “You guys start the investigation. See how far you need to go. I’ll find a couple of people to assist you,” Huang Qiangmin thought for a moment, then called Captain Wei Zhenguo over. If Jiang Yuan had found fingerprint or DNA evidence for the case, Huang Qiangmin would have immediately set up a task force. But for Bloodstain Analysis, Huang preferred to send out a couple of scouts first. This was also a standard operation within the detective squad, indicating no special treatment for Jiang Yuan. That was exactly what Jiang Yuan wanted. Once Wei Zhenguo arrived, they discussed briefly and started making phone calls. Prisons fall under judicial administration, especially those outside the province, which could be a bit more problematic to deal with. However, this trouble did not last long. Two days later. A list of only eight suspects was placed on Huang Qiangmin’s desk. “We only have these few suspects?” Suddenly, Huang Qiangmin’s level of attention sharply increased. Jiang Yuan nodded, saying, “Of these names, the first four are the most likely. The latter four could have initially been screened out and monitored. But Captain Wei thinks there’s no need to narrow the scope so much...” “Old Wei is right. Let me call some people over.” Huang Qiangmin stopped approving documents at hand and directly instructed the staff to summon people. In the lull while waiting for the personnel, Huang Qiangmin said, “For a cold case’s suspect list, what’s eight people? We could directly examine even eighty people. With this kind of case, we’re not afraid of startling the snake. With just eight people, assign enough personnel to cover them thoroughly...” “Yes,” Jiang Yuan, having been through several interrogations and arrests, knew exactly what the situation entailed. Police work wasn’t a game; they would not wait to have everything perfect to narrow down to one and only result. Four squadron leaders and their deputies were summoned in one go, heading straight to the conference room. “Jiang Yuan, later you’ll brief everyone on the case again,” Huang Qiangmin said as he stood up and headed toward the conference room. Jiang Yuan was ready. Whether hunting down eight people or four, the specifics of the case had to be communicated to the officers in charge. Capturing suspects always involved certain risks, and it was necessary to provide essential information. When Jiang Yuan arrived in the conference room, he once again put on the PPT, and with one hand controlling it, he reconstructed the crime scene more comprehensively. Compared to the explanation given to Squad Leader Huang Qiangmin, Jiang Yuan was better prepared this time and his narration was more comprehensive. The squadron leaders and deputies, all seasoned criminal detectives, were speechless after hearing Jiang Yuan’s case report. “Will cases be handled like this from now on?” After a while, Comrade Wu Junhao from the first squad couldn’t help but ask. “Of course not.” Liu Wenkai, the leader of the second squad, sighed and said, “No matter how well ‘K’ does, it won’t steal Feng Lou’s market, rest assured.” The colleagues mysteriously agreed and felt a slight sense of relief.

Chapter 186 - 186 178 Suspect List

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