Chapter 26 - 26 26 Persevere and Redouble Your Efforts

Words : 1736 Updated : Sep 10th, 2025

26: Chapter 26 Persevere and Redouble Your Efforts 26: Chapter 26 Persevere and Redouble Your Efforts “Who matched the DNA?” Jiang Yuan climbed up from the collapsible bed, took a sip of water, and casually used the remaining water in the cup to wash his face, feeling somewhat more alert afterward. Wang Zhong chuckled and said, “You seemed pretty confident yesterday.” “They wiped it first,” Jiang Yuan replied naturally. In crime scene investigation, being the first to act is definitely an advantage; if done thoroughly enough, there might be nothing left for others to do. Moreover, whether or not one can wipe and detect DNA is all a matter of probability. When DNA technology was new, criminals didn’t understand it; they’d leave pools of blood at the scene, large amounts of seminal stains on the ground, and tufts of hair on the bed. Naturally, the success rate was high. Nowadays, the truly foolish criminals are becoming fewer, making it not so easy to work with “trace” DNA testing. Furthermore, there is a particular sophistication to DNA testing in the lab, and Ningtai County’s technology is far from reassuring. However, Wang Zhong smiled proudly, “No need to be modest, we were the ones who found it.” Wu Jun glanced at Wang Zhong. “We?” “I followed the case all day yesterday... Ah, let me just enjoy this moment,” Wang Zhong said, letting out a heavy sigh. “You have no idea, the feeling yesterday was like spending an entire day finishing holiday homework. Today feels like the teacher is checking the holiday homework in detail and there’s a huge reward or punishment at stake!” Jiang Yuan was also quite pleased, not just because they got a match, but also because his newly acquired skill had proven its value. Thinking about the opportunity to gain more skills in the future, he couldn’t help but take a big gulp of water and then asked, “Where was the matched sample collected from? Does the suspect have a prior record?” Given that the DNA was a direct match in the database, it likely indicates a prior record, as DNA data is much less common than fingerprint data. Wang Zhong didn’t keep him in suspense, “The guy was caught once for causing trouble. The matched sample was taken from the mortar in the wall of the bathroom toilet. I think it must be the murderer.” “What’s the relationship with the victim?” Wu Jun asked. Wang Zhong said, “On the surface, there’s no relationship, but that’s where the problem lies, isn’t it?” “Yeah, if there’s no relationship, he wouldn’t have gone to someone else’s bathroom to take a shower,” Wu Jun also leaned toward Wang Zhong’s judgment. The bathroom was obviously cleaned and disinfected by the murderer, and most of the samples previously collected did not yield DNA. Now that they’d finally detected one, Wu Jun didn’t believe it was a coincidence. Real-life cases don’t have that many coincidences; instead, it’s the slip-ups that tend to be revealed. “Has the person not been caught yet?” Jiang Yuan was now somewhat worried about the capture. Wang Zhong said, “Captain Liu is an old hand at capturing people. As long as the murderer hasn’t gotten away early, he’ll be caught and brought back.” “He won’t run. If he was willing to run, all those cover-ups would’ve been a waste.” While Wu Jun speculated, he wasn’t entirely sure either. Inside the Ningtai County Bureau, Wu Jun wasn’t the only one lacking certainty. The most anxious of all was Captain Huang Qiangmin of the criminal police squad. On the one hand, he hoped for good news from Captain Liu; on the other, he feared his hopes would be dashed and he had to urge other detectives to keep working on various leads. He felt conflicted about this approach, but his experience told him any relaxation during the critical first 72 hours was not allowed. However, looking on the bright side, having significant leads was extremely good news, far better than the anxiety of groping in the dark like yesterday. Huang Qiangmin couldn’t sit still in his office either. He roamed aimlessly, strolling from the first floor to the second and all the way up to the fourth, where he arrived at the forensic doctor’s office. The few people in the office had been relaxed, but they tensed up at the sight of Huang Qiangmin walking in. “Carry on with your work; I’m just taking a look,” Huang Qiangmin said with a hint of awkwardness, forcing a smile and then inquiring with genuine concern, “How’s work going? Are you tired from staying up all night?” He didn’t think much of it, but his smile was pointedly directed at Jiang Yuan. “I’m a bit tired, the camp bed is a little small,” Jiang Yuan said whatever was on his mind. After all, someone with a system is bound to be a bit willful. Captain Huang was taken aback by the response; in his years of comforting the public, the usual official response he received was “not tired” or something along those lines. However, considering Jiang Yuan had displayed impressive capabilities since joining the force, Captain Huang’s smile returned and he kindly said, “They say the young people of today are different, and indeed you speak differently than we old folks do. Ah, you’re tall too, sleeping on such a small camp bed must be tiring... I’ll think of something...” “I went to the re-examination of the scene with Jiang Yuan yesterday...” Comrade Wang Zhong popped his head in. Since there were only two forensic technicians in the department, and Captain Huang knew them both well, he gave Wang Zhong a reassuring smile. But the corners of his mouth stretched into the 33.3-degree angle unconsciously adopted when facing cruel criminals, and he said, “Well done.” Comrade Wang Zhong’s heart suddenly clenched, feeling as if he himself was a heinous criminal who had been on the run for seventeen years and had just been caught. “You can stay in the dorm for a while, the bureau’s dormitories are quite tight, and I’m afraid a single room is out of the question. I’ll try to free up a bunk for you to use for naps...” When Captain Huang looked back at Jiang Yuan, his gaze was gentle, and the corners of his mouth curved into a 66.6-degree smile. “No need for now,” Jiang Yuan replied, not fully grasping how scarce the bedding situation was within the police station, but he didn’t actually need it. The Jiangcun Residential Area wasn’t too far, and his reluctance to go home wasn’t due to inability, but laziness. Wang Zhong blinked in disappointment for a long time. His home wasn’t in Ningtai County, and despite working for so long, he had yet to receive a dormitory spot from the bureau. Wu Jun observed from the side, revealing a smile of understanding. Having been in the Ningtai County Bureau for two or three decades, he understood the ecosystem at hand all too well. To sum it up in one phrase: those in drought die of thirst, and those in flood drown. After all, the bureau’s resources were limited, and so were its talent resources. Because of this, they were willing to provide more resources than the municipal bureau to retain talent, but to spare these resources, there inevitably had to be a significant amount of dry land. It was precisely because he saw through this ecological environment that Wu Jun caused a major stir a few years ago, threatening to transfer as a leverage to get the bureau leaders to solve his problem of receiving a deputy section-level treatment. After all, the professional and rarity level of forensic doctors was considerably high compared to other positions. By this account, Jiang Yuan’s appearance could even be considered as a byproduct of Wu Jun’s previous ruckus. In the midst of his smugness, Captain Huang’s phone rang. Everyone lowered their heads and perked up their ears. “Captain Huang, we’ve caught the person, we’re going to the scene for identification now,” Captain Liu’s voice came through, laden with triumphant overtones anyone could detect. Only the murderer or eyewitnesses would theoretically know the details of the scene, so identification of the scene was in itself excellent evidence. “Did you find the murder weapon?” Huang Qiangmin asked immediately. There was a moment of hesitation before Captain Liu’s voice lowered a bit, “The kid confessed, said he threw it into the Tai River.” “I’m going to apply to the higher-ups now. Once you’ve identified the scene, go confirm the location of the weapon and organize a team to dredge it up,” Huang Qiangmin said, not considering the cost at the moment. The Tai River was wide and not very deep, and its current wasn’t strong, so there was a chance of recovering a metallic object dropped into it, and the police had experience in this area. Captain Liu agreed immediately and added in a lower voice, “We also found some ashes in his house. This guy washed the bloody clothes and brought them home, then burned them. I asked him why he didn’t just throw them in the river? He was worried about leaving his own DNA and such on the clothes. Throwing them in with the weapon, he feared they might be dredged up years later and used to incriminate him...” “That cautious?” “Educated folks,” Captain Liu said, smirking on the other end of the phone. “Bad hearts think too much. Poor psychological quality. When we came knocking, he started talking nonsense. Captain Huang, we’ve cracked the case.” “Hmm, excellent work!” Huang Qiangmin encouraged him and after a few more instructions, ended the call. Turning back, Huang Qiangmin looked at Jiang Yuan again and broke into a 66.6-degree smile, saying, “Take the opportunity to get some rest. You can head home early today.” Seeing Wang Zhong poking his head around, Huang Qiangmin added another line, “Jiang Yuan will get a good sleep at home. The young ones should try not to overexert themselves either, and the rest of us... we’re old comrades now, let’s keep it up and work to solidify the case today! Pin down the murderer!”

Chapter 26 - 26 26 Persevere and Redouble Your Efforts

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