Chapter 294 - 294 266 The Bloody Clothes and the Murder Weapon

Words : 2262 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

294: Chapter 266: The Bloody Clothes and the Murder Weapon 294: Chapter 266: The Bloody Clothes and the Murder Weapon Uncle Qi hadn’t yet been brought in when the news of breakthrough in case 513 spread throughout Changyang City. Wan Baoming sat in the car, his phone ringing incessantly. Shortly thereafter, Wei Zhenguo’s phone also began to buzz nonstop. “The news travels fast in Changyang City”, said Wei Zhenguo, familiar enough with Wan Baoming to joke with him now. Wan Baoming chuckled and said, “This is still without a confirmed result. If we really catch the right person, it’ll all be phone calls. Text messaging won’t do. Who will have time to answer the phone then...” “It’s him,” said Jiang Yuan, who was driving, his answer very certain. After taking control of Uncle Qi, the first thing Jiang Yuan did was check his footprints, and he basically confirmed that he was the murderer in this case. An 800-point player doing a 600-point problem can work through it very quickly if things go smoothly. When Wan Baoming had first looked at this set of problems, he did it with a 400-point team, and the feeling was completely different. He now said incredulously, “Are you that certain?” “We can’t be sure until the person is caught. I just checked the footprints and at the very least, he owns the bloody footprints, no doubt about it,” Jiang Yuan stated with conviction. Similar to fingerprints, footprints are also indirect evidence; they can prove only that someone has been there, as if someone had accidentally stepped into a puddle of blood, leaving a trace at the crime scene. But in reality, none of the onlookers at the scene had blood on their shoes; although they might not have understood the basics of criminal cases, or even how to protect a crime scene, they still avoided stepping in blood as much as possible. On the other hand, the murderer might not have been so careful, under the effects of adrenal excitement. Besides, Uncle Qi claimed he didn’t arrive at the scene right away but was taking a nap at home, which made it impossible to explain his bloody footprints. Wan Baoming wiped his face and decided to accept that Jiang Yuan had solved the case again. Once he accepted that premise, everything seemed suddenly clear. The case was solved! This was considered a famous case of random homicide by everyone! Though it was just a homicide in Changyang City, what Wan Baoming... and what Jiang Yuan needed was notoriety in Changyang City, wasn’t it? “Does that mean we’ve cracked the 513 open-door stabbing case?” Wan Baoming’s eyes widened, his tone filled with delight. He felt that life was becoming more and more rewarding. Wei Zhenguo coughed twice and said, “Our Jiang Yuan really has a knack for solving cases.” Wan Baoming nodded emphatically, “Truly, it’s as if we were singing folk songs and chatting casually, and the case got solved just like that.” Seeing that he held the rank of deputy director, Wei Zhenguo gave him a smile. His words were not wrong; some sang folk songs, others chatted away, and yet some solved cases just like that. Back at Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment. As soon as Wan Baoming appeared in the office building, many people greeted him. For a moment, Wan Baoming felt a bit dazed, but after responding to everyone, he laughed and said, “Why do I feel like a celebrity? I seem to have gained a bit of star-level fame.” Jiang Yuan remained silent, having already experienced similar treatment. The 513 Special Investigation Team’s sign was rehung in the large conference room. Wan Baoming led Jiang Yuan and Wei Zhenguo inside, where they were checked for their work badges and signed their names. Inside the conference room, there were many young officers coming and going. Seven or eight whiteboards had been moved to the side wall, lined up in a row. The ones in the front had mind maps drawn on them, the middle ones were adorned with photographs, and the ones in the back had various colored notes hanging, ready to be stuck on. At the front of the conference room, someone was testing the projector against one wall. Upon seeing people enter, they frowned and gave Jiang Yuan, Wei Zhenguo, and the other new faces a scrutinizing look. Wan Baoming coughed twice and said, “This is the 513 special case team restarting. After the meeting, I guess we’ll start working on the case.” Wei Zhenguo glanced at the 20 or so high-educated, “Wang Chuanxing”-like young people surrounding them and whispered, “I’m just a countryman and don’t understand. Hasn’t the case been solved?” “The case is just getting started.” Being in the conference room, a police officer who was organizing a whiteboard heard Wei Zhenguo’s remark. Not recognizing him, he emphasized, “We now have new clues and a crime suspect, but we still need to find evidence. The bloody clothes and weapon were disposed of, right? We need new evidence to supplement the case. The prosecution office should get involved early. There’s a lot of follow-up work to be done.” “How are you planning to find evidence?” Jiang Yuan asked curiously. The officer by the whiteboard was momentarily at a loss for words. Three years had passed; evidence was not that easy to find. The whiteboard officer looked annoyed and turned to Wan Baoming, “Director Wan, is this a new recruit from your unit?” “This is Jiang Yuan, the Ningtai County forensic doctor who has just confirmed Qi Yongbin as a crime suspect,” Wan Baoming replied coolly. The whiteboard officer’s expression grew solemn, and a tinge of red crept onto his face. “You’re joking, Director Wan,” the whiteboard officer said with a laugh before looking at Jiang Yuan and adding, “Detectives solve cases, investigators find evidence, and prosecutors handle the legal proceedings – we can’t mix them all up.” After speaking, he too felt embarrassed and immediately left the conference room. Wan Baoming licked his lips and smiled at Jiang Yuan, “Can’t help it, that’s just how it is in the bureau.” Wei Zhenguo added, “It’s just that they’re too idle. If there were more cases, they wouldn’t have time for all this nonsense.” Wan Baoming somewhat agreed but didn’t voice his thoughts. Ding. In front of Jiang Yuan, a system task slowly emerged: Task: Conqueror Task content: Solve cases, conquer the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment. Put your all into solving cases. Task Progress: 0/X Jiang Yuan waved his hand to dismiss the system screen. Turning his head, Jiang Yuan said to Wan Baoming, “That person just now, he was wrong.” Wan Baoming said, “Of course, he was just a petty bureaucrat...” “That’s not what I mean.” Jiang Yuan interrupted Wan Baoming, speaking in a low voice, “I’ve been thinking, the bloody clothes and the murder weapon, they may not necessarily have been dealt with.” He had driven all the way here, which meant he had already used 800 points of Bloodstain Analysis + footprints identification, and had pondered for over an hour, leading to new thoughts about the entire case. Wan Baoming was stunned to hear this, “Not dealt with? Is that possible?” “Not necessarily dealt with.” Jiang Yuan emphasized, saying, “Here’s what I’m thinking, after the murderer killed someone, he definitely had to dispose of the bloody clothes and murder weapon quickly. Looking at the time frame, he either discarded them or buried them nearby, or there was no other choice.” “Eh, why?” Wan Baoming didn’t understand for a moment. Jiang Yuan said, “Qi Yongbin was taken for a statement later, all noted down with timestamps, and furthermore, he didn’t go straight for the statement, but like the other people at the scene, he waited twenty to thirty minutes before giving his statement.” Jiang Yuan took out his notebook and flipped to the sketch he had made earlier, tracing with his finger, “There’s some distance from the scene to Qi Yongbin’s house. By that calculation, the time Qi Yongbin had to dispose of the bloody clothes was very short.” “From the murderer’s perspective, Qi Yongbin’s first course of action would definitely be to get home as soon as possible, change out of the bloody clothes, take a shower, and then consider disposing of the bloody clothes and weapon.” “Burning them was definitely not an option. Disposing of them somewhere or burying them on the spot were almost the only two options.” Upon hearing this, Wan Baoming started to grasp Jiang Yuan’s line of thought. After a brief reflection, Wan Baoming agreed, “It’s the same principle as disposing of a body.” “Right.” Jiang Yuan nodded. The so-called distant disposal and nearby burial is a common psychology among criminal suspects. The average person lacking the ability for reverse thinking, in those tense and dangerous moments, almost instinctively opts for such methods. Just as many people run towards home when facing danger, knowing it’s useless, but still, they do so. Jiang Yuan continued to sort through his thoughts, “After the 513 incident happened, the police conducted an intensive search in the area, turning over all the trash, even the trash from the following several days.” “Unless Qi Yongbin had some clever scheme, it’s reasonable to deduce that he must have disposed of the bloody clothes and murder weapon by burying or throwing them somewhere close to his home.” “From the perspective of the criminal’s psychology, burying the murder weapon and bloody clothes in his own yard is the most sensible.” “The only exception would be if the murderer dug them up later to dispose of them again. But I don’t think that is likely.” Wan Baoming had also thought about this in the car, and at that time, he decided to recognize Jiang Yuan’s ability to solve cases. Hence, he let Jiang Yuan lead his train of thought, saying, “Indeed, it’s possible. Many murderers who have buried bloody clothes or weapons might never dig them up again. Especially those who have only killed one person, many are reluctant to confront the issue again.” This was indeed a very typical criminal psychology. Often, some murderers initially dispose of the body hastily and, due to luck, evade punishment. Yet, for a long time afterward, they actually have the opportunity to manage the body more appropriately. However, many don’t do so; they selectively forget about it until the case is re-opened. But this time, Jiang Yuan shook his head, saying, “I was just thinking, there’s a well in Qi Yongbin’s yard, a dry well that’s not too deep.” Wan Baoming immediately followed Jiang Yuan’s train of thought, “You think he threw the things into the well?” “Threw them in, then dumped the dirt he had already prepared on top, and scattered some random objects. Even if someone had searched then, they might not have found anything.” Excavating a hole in the yard to bury something and then trying to make the surface even is actually not easy. Experienced people could take a careful look and recognize the fresh soil. Qi Yongbin planted things in his yard, so he should be aware of this point. Without hesitation, Wan Baoming immediately said, “Then let Mu Zhiyang and the others go there again, dig it up.” “Have Wang Chuanxing go.” Jiang Yuan said. Wan Baoming looked at Jiang Yuan in surprise, then with a bit of realization, said, “You’re handing over credit to someone else here.” “Otherwise, they’ll have to create their own credit.” Jiang Yuan pursed his lips, “The credit is fixed, it’s all about how it’s distributed.” A forensic doctor from a small county town couldn’t possibly take all the credit for an unresolved murder case. Even if a fair judge were to preside, there is no reason for one person to reap all the benefits while everyone else merely watches. If nothing else, the highly educated police officers could use PPT and whiteboards to vie for credit, showcasing their hard work through overnight meetings. Of course, the most important thing was that Jiang Yuan himself wasn’t from the Changyang City Bureau; thus, the merits from the case belonging to Changyang City couldn’t be awarded to an outsider. Nor was Jiang Yuan inclined to stay in Changyang City. The provincial capital was too restless, while Ningtai County, with its clear mountains and beautiful waters, was comfortable and pleasant. Many people from Changyang City would drive two to three hours just to set off fireworks in Siningshan, something that could also serve as proof. “You’ve thought it through, right? If we really find the bloody clothes and murder weapon, and the suspect hasn’t confessed, you might even get commended or awarded a third-class merit.” Wan Baoming sought confirmation from Jiang Yuan and glanced at Wei Zhenguo. Mu Zhiyang was after all his apprentice. Wei Zhenguo straightforwardly said, “Little Mu has already received a third-class merit, he’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future.” Jiang Yuan also said, “Let’s find a bigger case for Brother Mu later on. This time, let’s let Wang Chuanxing take the lead, it’s a hassle for him to make the trip.” “Wang Chuanxing should be on his knees with gratitude.” Wan Baoming chuckled and took out his phone to make a call.

Chapter 294 - 294 266 The Bloody Clothes and the Murder Weapon

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