Chapter 307 - 307 275 Coming Right Away

Words : 2319 Updated : Oct 3rd, 2025

307: Chapter 275: Coming Right Away 307: Chapter 275: Coming Right Away Jingling Community was built almost twenty years ago, but with the later addition of phases two and three, the overall area still looks quite new. However, as it was one of the earlier developments, the concept of separating pedestrian and vehicular traffic doesn’t really apply here. Inside the community, there are only narrow roads a few meters wide that serve both as walking paths for residents and as routes for vehicles. The maintenance of the community itself is rather good. There are shade-giving trees, the roads are clean and tidy, and the benches along the sides of the roads are regularly wiped down. It’s obvious that in order to sell houses, the developers are willing to forego the income from property management fees. Take the trash cans, for instance: they have a rather nice design, mainly made of metal, and are different from the regular municipal trash cans, and are also quite numerous. But when it comes to storing human remains, they aren’t much different. The trash cans used to contain the charred bone fragments had all been removed that day; new ones had been brought in—they even changed their locations. Yet the original positions of the trash cans were marked with white lines. Looking at the shapes of the trash cans nearby, Jiang Yuan’s investigation wasn’t disrupted. “All of them are trash bins by the roadside. They’re in spots where things can easily be thrown out,” Jiang Yuan concluded after walking around once and then again on a second round. Wan Baoming had been following him and immediately remarked upon hearing Jiang Yuan’s comment, “Indeed, they’re all in pretty convenient spots for discarding things.” “Ashed bone fragments, in fact, could just be bagged up and discarded casually,” Jiang Yuan added, glancing back at Wan Baoming. Wan Baoming said, “We’re also leaning towards the idea that they were discarded on foot. Fourteen pieces of bone, spread over five trash bins, all at no great distance from one another. It would actually be more conspicuous to drive, park, get out, and then dispose of them, with no real need to do so.” Jiang Yuan nodded and said, “But we can’t rule out the possibility that they were discarded by residents from other communities, can we?” “Yes, that’s right. In fact, Jingling Community has already had a round of checks to look for households with commercial-grade ovens or larger ovens, and we’ve sent people to check on those,” Wan Baoming sighed. “There was quite a bit of resistance, and it caused a number of disputes. It would be even more challenging to expand the search to the five or six communities around here.” Conducting searches and thorough investigations are different matters. Door-to-door investigations, in particular, are extremely difficult, and even less so when the area to be covered is vast. The searches they were conducting mainly involved the villa owners who have higher demands for privacy, making it even more challenging to proceed. Entering every house to check and search is unthinkable anywhere. It could easily lead to utter chaos. Jiang Yuan understood this; if someone came to his house saying they wanted to look at the oven, perhaps even poke around in the ashes, Jiang Fuzhen would certainly be reluctant. Jiang Yuan continued to stroll and ponder. Wan Baoming and his associates followed suit in their casual walk. Wang Chuanxing roamed with a vexed expression. In his understanding, this case had hit a dead end, and it was unsurprising. Few bone fragments were found, providing hardly any clue at all. If solving a case relied entirely on imagination and could indeed be solved in such a manner, he wouldn’t mind wrecking his brains over it. However, with hundreds of officers focused on this case, nobody really knew what to do... “Actually, we don’t have much at our disposal right now, especially evidence, which is far too scant,” Jiang Yuan spoke up, then suggested, “How about we ask Director Liu for his opinion?” Handling cases with little to no evidence was a common task for Liu Jinghui. Although his success rate wasn’t extraordinarily high, compared to regular detectives, Liu Jinghui was already considered highly skilled. Wan Baoming was startled for a moment, surprised that after roaming the scene, Jiang Yuan’s suggestion was to call in Liu Jinghui. But upon second thought, it was no big deal. Whether it’s calling for one or two beds—what does it matter? “Then I’ll report to Captain Yu and ask Director Liu. I’ll say you’re the one who asked for it,” Wan Baoming said with a smile. He wasn’t too familiar with Liu Jinghui, so it would be best to have a go-between. Besides, the case was under the direction of Brigade Chief Yu Wenshu, and any adjustments needed his approval. After agreeing, Jiang Yuan continued his stroll around the community. That afternoon, Jiang Yuan had someone find a villa, and began grilling meat in the backyard using the homeowner’s barbecue stove. The owner of the villa, Yuan Songping, was a friend of Yu Wenshu. In his forties, Yuan was a businessman involved in the liquor trade and also had other ventures like restaurants. He was quite a character; knowing a bit about the case and seeing that Jiang Yuan had no reservations, he suggested, “Why don’t we simulate the scene? I could bring over a sheep, skin it and grill the meat, then crumble the bones in the charcoal.” Something clicked in Jiang Yuan’s mind, and he readily agreed. He added, “Sheep bones are a bit too soft; perhaps we should find some pig bones instead. Pork ribs from a local pig, with a slightly longer growth period—those should be able to simulate the condition of the discovered sternum. Moreover, get a pork leg bone and burn it too. I’m a bit curious. The tibia is supposed to be the hardest to deal with...” “Alright, my restaurant has plenty of those. Wait a moment, I’ll have them bring over some fresh ones, just like they were freshly slaughtered,” Yuan Songping sounded eager to help. Jiang Yuan was reminded of something else and hurriedly said, “If you have stock, frozen bones would also do.” The murderer didn’t necessarily have to burn the body immediately after killing. Many people, especially those committing homicide for the first time, are often bewildered after the act. Some drag the body away to bury it—usually the more impulsive type. Some who are slower to react may leave the body lying around for a while before it starts to smell, then stuff it in a fridge and later decide whether to bury or discard it. Those who choose to burn a body at home are the ones with money and patience. Think about it, how much fuel would it take to incinerate a mouse or a cat down to bones? How much smoke and odor would that produce? For those living in high-rises or apartment buildings, this method is practically out of the question. But in a villa, there’s much more freedom to act. For example, if there’s a swimming pool, emptying it and using it to dismember a body would be a lot more comfortable than using a bathroom. Yet, completely burning a body is an exceedingly time-consuming task. Domestic ovens, regardless of their chamber size or temperature, can’t match the crematory furnaces used in funeral homes. Considering this, freezing the body in a fridge and burning it slowly seems like a reasonable option. If that’s the case, perhaps the larger and harder tibia has yet to be dealt with? Could it be possible that the detective team began their investigative work during the murderer’s initial body disposal phase? If we follow this line of thought, the murderer’s luck seems not so good after all. The stove in Yuan Songping’s house is an American-style barbecue, the kind often seen in American dramas, usually in either a coffin shape or a head shape. The Yuan Family’s is coffin-shaped, just large enough to fit a person who is 1.5 meters tall and weighs 150 pounds. Its basic structure is also quite simple: a charcoal fire below, a grill on top to cook the food, and a dome-shaped lid, reminiscent of an American coffin. When closed, it can create some heat reflection, thereby heating the food more steadily. Jiang Yuan took some charcoal, put it into the fire starter, and then lit an alcohol block underneath. The alcohol block burned, turning all the charcoal inside the chimney-like fire starter red hot, then he poured it into the barbecue, adding more charcoal. Everything was ready, and soon the meat and bones were delivered. Half a sheep, a rack of pork ribs, some beef, and a basket of bones. Jiang Yuan took two pig’s shank bones, or tube bones, put them on the grill to roast for a while with no issues, and then threw them into the charcoal fire. During this time, Yuan Songping proactively brought out a large amount of seasonings to marinate the pork ribs and lamb. With everyone working together, it wasn’t long before large amounts of smoke began to billow. “To roast so much at once, it doesn’t seem to produce much smoke,” Jiang Yuan’s attention was instantly diverted. “Because it’s a slow roast. Look, the bones directly on the charcoal give off more smoke; when placed on the middle rack and flipped a bit, they don’t smoke so easily,” Yuan Songping explained. Jiang Yuan nodded slowly, “So you’re saying, as long as a body is dismembered and roasted slowly, you could even do it in the yard without any problems?” Yuan Songping nearly had a heart attack hearing this and hurriedly said, “It wouldn’t be a problem, but people can’t be that twisted...” Before Jiang Yuan could respond, a few detectives nearby couldn’t help but laugh. Yuan Songping shook his head, “I’m going to get you guys some drinks. I can’t hear this kind of talk while eating.” He turned around and left, giving Jiang Yuan and the others a chance to chat privately. Jiang Yuan turned the meat pieces and looked at the bones on the charcoal fire, saying, “It seems the burned bone fragments involved in the case were also subjected to at least two burnings.” Wan Baoming frowned, “Do you mean the murderer first used a stove like this one to burn them and then took them somewhere else to burn again?” “Yes, the murderer’s goal was probably just to reduce the weight and volume of the remains. They could first use a large-volume stove, and when the bones could no longer burn, deal with them slowly afterward.” “So... should we go to the stove seller for repairs?” Wan Baoming sounded unsure. “Or, I think we could look for charcoal,” Jiang Yuan corrected him and pointed to the slow-cooking barbecue in front of them, “With the amount of charcoal this thing uses, the murderer would have to buy a lot of it to prepare.” Wan Baoming wasn’t quite sure but still nodded, “That’s easy to check—we’ll have the courier companies make a list of the weights of the goods from the past few months, and we’ll know whose express deliveries were heavier... But the suspect might also have bought the charcoal at the market.” “Then that’s out of our control. Hmm... Maybe the property management saw it. A truckload of coal—surely they’d stop it to register.” Wan Baoming nodded repeatedly, “I’ll go ask. Right, the property side should also be suspicious; these guys rented two rough apartments as dormitories.” He immediately went to notify Brigade Chief Yu Wenshu and to arrange work. When Wan Baoming returned, Director Liu had also almost arrived. “Encountered a tough problem?” When Liu Jinghui saw Jiang Yuan, he broke into hearty laughter. After years of requesting help, he finally saw Jiang Yuan’s plea for help—though such a thing didn’t really exist. Still, hearing Jiang Yuan’s request, Liu Jinghui laughed all the way there. Jiang Yuan handed Liu Jinghui a skewer of lamb and then said, “We’ve found too little evidence, so I thought of you.” “Let’s hear it,” Liu Jinghui said as he ate, his mouth dripping with grease. Jiang Yuan gestured Tang Jia to come over and said, “Tell Director Liu.” Tang Jia then detailed the ins and outs of the case. Liu Jinghui rested his chin on his hand, sinking into thought. Jiang Yuan didn’t disturb him and simply continued grilling in silence. Tang Jia watched the two of them and suddenly felt incredibly excited. Liu Jinghui was a unique figure in the criminal investigation field of Shannan Province, often cited as an example by many—a mixed reputation, to be sure. But, undoubtedly, the cases Liu Jinghui solved often had a legendary tinge to them. And now, Jiang Yuan’s reputation in Shannan’s criminal investigation scene was also rising rapidly—just look at Brigade Chief Yu Wenshu and his respectful attitude towards Jiang Yuan, more so than towards many other leaders. The cooperation between these two figures to tackle a murder case... The thought alone filled Tang Jia with joy. Just then, Liu Jinghui slowly spoke up, “With only these clues at present, I think it won’t be easy to investigate normally. It might be better to lure the snake out of its hole, to think of a way to draw the murderer out...” While talking, Wan Baoming’s mobile phone began to ring. “Excuse me, I have to take this,” Wan Baoming said quickly, picking up the call. Then, they heard Wan Baoming repeatedly utter “Yes,” “Yes,” followed by an exclamation, “Really found it? Wait for us, we’ll be right there!”

Chapter 307 - 307 275 Coming Right Away

Comments (0)