Chapter 292 - 292 264 Flaws Everywhere_2

Words : 1643 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

292: Chapter 264 Flaws Everywhere_2 292: Chapter 264 Flaws Everywhere_2 Mu Zhiyang crawled on the ground, moving like a worm. Once he was positioned, Jiang Yuan stood up, took a photo, and then said, “Curl up a little more, you’re slightly taller than the corpse.” Thus, Mu Zhiyang curled up a bit more. Jiang Yuan then said to Wei Zhenguo, “Captain Wei, stand here, bend over and touch him, see where on Mu Zhiyang you can reach.” Wei Zhenguo, looking at the spot Jiang Yuan indicated, knew it was where the half footprint of blood had been left on that day; he curbed his curiosity and did as instructed. Wei Zhenguo, being just over 1.7 meters tall, of standard height, reached out with his hand as he leaned sideways and could just touch Mu Zhiyang’s chin. “What do you think?” asked Wei Zhenguo as he stood up. Wang Chuanxing and Wan Baoming also looked over curiously. Jiang Yuan looked at Mu Zhiyang and Wei Zhenguo’s positions for a while longer, then turned to Wan Baoming and said, “I think this case wasn’t committed on a whim.” Wan Baoming, anticipating this, said, “It’s clear you’ve had some thoughts, is there a problem with the footprint?” Even though his stance on the case being random showed his understanding of the issue, at that moment, he was just waiting to hear Jiang Yuan’s explanation. Jiang Yuan nodded and said, “From the bloodstains, this footprint is the most unnecessary.” Making a circle with his hand above Mu Zhiyang and Wei Zhenguo’s positions, Jiang Yuan continued, “The formation of a pool of blood takes time. If the murderer didn’t stab the victim in the chest and withdraw the knife immediately, he wouldn’t have stepped in the blood. That’s the first point.” “Perhaps he was just searching for valuables,” suggested Wang Chuanxing, who had probably discussed similar topics within the special case team. “The personal belongings of a solitary elderly person?” Wei Zhenguo immediately countered after listening. “Maybe keys, or a watch, necklace, or some kind of jewelry like a pocket watch.” Wang Chuanxing had a preconceived answer and it made sense. Jiang Yuan inwardly shook his head. As Jiang Yuan initially suspected, the Bloodstain Analysis and footprint identification capabilities of the Changyang Municipal Criminal Police Team were about average, providing a certain level of analytical capacity, but ultimately not equipped to solve major cases. However, LV5 Bloodstain Analysis combined with LV3 footprint identification was in this era akin to an 800-point achievement, completely outshining the standard level. If Jiang Yuan were given a current crime scene, there was a high probability that he could solve the case quickly, just as the criminal investigation experts did decades ago. Bloodstain Analysis plus footprint identification was the standard configuration for a technical series criminal investigation expert 40 years ago. Today, it’s more about crime scene investigation, image investigation, fingerprinting, and DNA analysis. The case-solving efficiency and combat capability of current detectives are definitely higher, but the effectiveness varies with each case. In cases with ample clues, be it for experts from any category, there are ways to break through and solve the case, which is the norm for most cases. But some cases require a bit of specificity. For the case at hand, another avenue of breakthrough could involve the forensic doctor. However, Jiang Yuan had also reviewed the forensic report, which likewise offered no useful leads. At this moment, Jiang Yuan was like a student who had just scored 800 points on a test, making a sweeping gesture with his hand and saying, “Regarding the murderer stepping into the pool of blood and bending over, I have another theory.” “I think he was checking for breath or carotid pulse to determine if the victim was dead.” “Stepping into a pool of blood means that the murderer waited at the scene for some time; I believe it was at least over a minute. For a murderer, this time must have been very valuable.” “Rifling through possessions doesn’t quite fit. Not to mention that the murderer could have simply used the knife to coerce the victim into handing over their valuables. Even if he killed first and then took the property, there really wouldn’t be a need to wait. What difference would it make if the victim still had a little ability to resist at this point? The victim was a frail elderly person; after taking a stab, there wasn’t a need to wait for him to breathe his last before searching the body. If there were two people committing the crime, it would be even easier.” Wang Chuanxing listened with wide eyes. Though it wasn’t a particularly surprising theory, the fact that Jiang Yuan could analyze to this extent with just a glance was slightly beyond his expectations. At this moment, Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but think of Liu Jinghui. He made deductions based on bloodstain analysis, yet he wondered how Liu Jinghui might reason if he got hold of a piece of evidence scoring 400 points. “Let’s leave the speculative motives there for now. I’ll talk about the footprints themselves.” Jiang Yuan flipped through his phone and said, “I see you’ve consulted with several footprint experts. Summing up their judgments, ages range from 40 to 65...” Jiang Yuan paused, then continued, “The scene’s footprints were chaotic, and with only half a bloody footprint, the analysis indeed involves more variables. I lean towards an older age, 55 to 65, and we could even broaden that range a bit.” This time, without waiting for Wang Chuanxing to voice his opinion, Jiang Yuan added, “Next, let’s talk about the bloodstains, which I think are more important.” Jiang Yuan swiftly brought up several photos, then squatted in front of the door and said, “Leaving other parts aside for now, the most important point from the photos is that there are blank areas in the spray patterns here...” Jiang Yuan circled an area by the door seam. Standing a bit forward himself, he said, “Combining this with the forensic doctor’s autopsy report, I believe the murderer was standing right where I am, and here, around his waist and legs, he got splattered with blood, which created a strip. That’s why there is a small blank space by the door seam.” Wang Chuanxing tried hard to make sense of the photos on Jiang Yuan’s phone and the position of the door seam, but to no avail. This difficulty belonged to the third sub-question of the penultimate major one, with a challenge level around 400 to 500 points, but usually requiring 600 points to solve. This case was somewhat special; it’s likely the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment hadn’t assembled the most suitable investigation team. It’s normal that bloodstain analysis wasn’t done well. Nowadays, few in the police force specialize in bloodstain analysis. Moreover, this case had less blood evidence than usual, and many at the scene probably didn’t consider this aspect. Wan Baoming asked with calm focus, “If the murderer’s position was indeed as you say, that means after the victim opened the door, the murderer took a couple more steps inside. Isn’t this social distance a bit too close?” Jiang Yuan nodded slowly, “That’s why the murderer is very likely someone the victim knew. And considering that his clothes and shoes would be bloodstained, using public transportation would be inconvenient. It’s highly possible that he lives nearby.” A gust of wind blew from behind them, making everyone’s skin crawl. Wang Chuanxing shivered abruptly and asked, “What about the sound of the electricity meter being read? If it was a nearby resident, wouldn’t they be recognized at a glance?” “No other households had their electricity meters read, indicating that the victim was probably the first to be called to open the door. With this in mind, the murderer shouting about reading the meter would have only shouted a few times,” Jiang Yuan paused, then continued, “I can’t explain the witness testimony for now, but I think we should start the investigation following the clues of the bloodstains and footprints first.” At this point, Wan Baoming added, “Leave the witness testimony aside for now. These are all neighbors and were gathered at the scene long before the police arrived, influencing each other, or perhaps even hinting at each other. There are many such cases, especially since the witnesses in this case are elderly, and the incident occurred during nap time...” Wang Chuanxing felt a bit unconvinced but didn’t know how to refute at the moment. Jiang Yuan suggested, “Let’s not worry about that for now. I recommend we go over the list of nearby residents, then find out who wasn’t at the scene after the police arrived, and we can pay them a visit.” Wan Baoming nodded, “The murderer would need to return to his dwelling to change and deal with the bloody clothes and weapon, and perhaps even take a shower, so he wouldn’t be able to be at the scene in a short time.” “I remember seeing the list of people who gave statements yesterday, I’ll look for it.” Wang Zhong finally found something he could do, promptly taking out his notebook to start working. As Wang Chuanxing watched the others’ actions, feeling various kinds of discomfort, he asked in a low voice, “But what if we visit the murderer?” “Then we’ll catch him,” Captain Wei nodded and pointed at his team. To be honest, six people apprehending a murderer did seem insufficient, but four robust young men in their twenties, along with two middle-aged people, subduing a suspect who was likely in his sixties didn’t seem too dangerous.

Chapter 292 - 292 264 Flaws Everywhere_2

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