Chapter 334 - 334 301 Celebration

Words : 1723 Updated : Oct 7th, 2025

334: Chapter 301 Celebration 334: Chapter 301 Celebration “Ah, I should have run up there and pulled him down with one tug,” Wang Bo sighed with regret after getting back to the survey vehicle and learning most of the details. Jiang Yuan smiled, showing no hint of blame, and said, “So many people didn’t catch up, and that guy is good at parkour; even if you had chased him, it might not have been certain that you’d catch him.” Wang Bo heaved a heavy sigh. In the end, he had chickened out; otherwise, his level one athlete certificate might have come in handy one more time. He himself was trained in gymnastics; though it wasn’t as wild as parkour, it was still possible to poke someone off a wall if he approached from behind. Actually, everything happened too quickly. While he was still weighing the pros and cons, the murderer, Qi Penghu, had already started to jog away, and after that, once the guy was up the wall, the opportunity was pretty much gone. Wang Bo felt he could have climbed over the wall, too, but that would not have been just about earning a third-class merit or receiving some commendation. “I was just too slow to react,” Wang Bo lamented. If he hadn’t thought too much and just pounced, maybe he would have caught Qi Penghu right there. With so many police officers following, there probably wouldn’t have been too much danger. Yet from a practical standpoint, considering how long it had been since the incident, it was still difficult for Wang Bo to stop overthinking. Jiang Yuan stopped paying attention to Wang Bo. He had never intended to intervene. Even when he sparred with Uncle Qiang, who was already of retirement age, he never won. Where would he get the confidence to best a hardened criminal with a scarred face? Most importantly, Qi Penghu’s murder weapon had not been found yet; it might still be on him. The initial speculation that it was a steel bar lacked proof. It might be some kind of modified cold weapon; judging from the wounds, something like the paired maces said to have been used by Qin Qiong matched well... But what mattered most to Jiang Yuan was his reluctance to tangle with a cornered beast. Qi Penghu may have been bold and skillful, even harboring a desire to test his mettle against the police. Many criminals, after successfully pulling off several jobs, often develop that kind of attitude. They always underestimate the police. Actually, that’s not entirely wrong. Criminals are fighting for their own lives, while most police officers are just clocking in and out of work. Even those willing to work hard don’t need to risk their lives against a wretched criminal’s life. Those who think their own lives are incredibly precious are actually just the criminals themselves, yet paradoxically, they parade it around in public as if it holds no value. Even more tragically, in this day and age, criminals rarely get the chance to fight desperately. In cities like Changyang City, the provincial capital, contingency plans for such scenarios have already been made. What really hinders the process is the criminal’s value. Is it worth the city paying the cost for him? In this respect, Qi Penghu had indeed proven his worth. Brigade Chief Yu Wenshu was quick to act, picking up the phone and arranging personnel. Within just half an hour, several teams of officers totaling over three hundred people arrived at Qi Penghu’s last known location and formed a perimeter to begin their search. Local traffic was disrupted and subjected to strict checks. Subsequently, Qi Penghu once again chose his strongest tactic, abandoning his vehicle to proceed on foot, and using his parkour skills to avoid surveillance cameras. The man in the white shirt commanding the scene therefore slightly expanded the perimeter and continued the search while maintaining communication with the Image Reconnaissance Brigade. While Jiang Yuan was away taking notes, Qi Penghu was already cornered inside a shopping mall. Qi Penghu still did not understand that when such an organization is in operation, it may seem flexible, but it is also persistent. He relied too much on past experiences, thinking it was the era when surveillance cameras were scarce, and as a target not of high value, he could easily break free from the encirclement as long as he ran fast enough. In modern cities, especially provincial capitals, not only are there many surveillance cameras, there are also many image investigation personnel monitoring them. With a reduction in the total number of homicide cases, a robber and murderer like him could easily stand out. When half the city’s police force begins eagerly looking to make their mark, Qi Penghu’s only chance really was to leave Changyang City as fast as possible. In the first hour, Qi Penghu didn’t manage to get out of the nearby shopping district, making it nearly impossible for him to think about leaving thereafter. Of course, even if he was surrounded in the mall, he could still resist stubbornly for a long time. But this time, the police would no longer indulge him. After the crowd was cleared, a large number of SWAT officers with guns entered the mall, and Qi Penghu had no chance at all. At dinner time, Yu Wenshu invited Jiang Yuan to the Criminal Police Brigade, where everyone celebrated together in the cafeteria the smooth resolution of Qi Penghu’s case. A group of police officers, some familiar and some not, came up to Jiang Yuan to chat, slapping his back and toasting with tea instead of wine, filling their stomachs until they were round and full. “Solving the case on the same day, Ningtai Jiangyuan, your reputation is well-deserved.” “No need for proof now; you’ve solved cold cases and murders, present cases are really too simple for you.” “Too simple? You say that, but Chief Yu will be the first to disagree. Wasn’t it Chief Yu who called Jiang Yuan back? Jiang Yuan was on vacation at that time. It really wasn’t easy; as soon as he heard that we had a case here, he immediately rushed over. If that’s not like family, it’s pretty close.” “And on top of that, Jiang Yuan caught him on the spot. That kid really had guts; he even came back to watch our crime scene re-enactment, not thinking at all about what’s going through our heads—as if we were made of clay.” “Now he’s done for—home invasion, murder, arrest, and even assaulting an officer. Add to that his previous cases and his status as an escaped convict, he’s as good as dead.” “Ningtai Jiangyuan, truly daunting.” “Hahahaha.” Everyone laughed, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Nowadays, murder cases are set at such a high standard, and they also come with great pressure. Even for the Criminal Police Brigade in a provincial capital city, while it’s one thing to handle other cases well or poorly, failing to solve a murder case would attract much criticism. Even if many of the people present might not be directly affected, they all still hoped that this case would be solved—a collective sense of honor is both metaphysical and practically significant. Jiang Yuan felt a bit embarrassed by the praise and repeatedly tried to deflect it, saying, “The murderer was just too careless. If he had prepared better, we might not have caught him so quickly. Returning to the crime scene was just child’s play.” “This Qi Penghu might not have even finished high school; he wouldn’t be capable of very complex thoughts. He’s just a brute,” someone agreed with Jiang Yuan indirectly. Yu Wenshu gave this person a disapproving glance and said flatly, “Don’t dismiss the murderer as foolish. If he’s foolish, what does that make us, with all these unresolved murders we can’t solve...?” As the talk turned to unresolved murder cases, the crowd fell silent. For senior officers tasked with investigating unresolved murders, it’s often a thankless job. That’s why most cold case teams are actually not very high-ranking in terms of the officers in charge. Most importantly, the clearance rate for cold murder cases is genuinely low. While current murder cases can sometimes be solved by piling on resources, cold cases no longer have that luxury. And with this in mind, considering the cold cases Jiang Yuan had worked on recently... The whole table felt a shiver of excited anticipation. He Guohua sat far away, watching the changing expressions of the leaders at the main table, and quietly posted in the “Shannan Fingerprint Exchange Group”: Shuidong District – Forensic He Guohua: [Jiang Yuan solved a current murder case, throw flowers, celebrate!] Shan Nan Li Zemin: [Jiang Yuan solving a current murder case, feels too normal.] Shuidong District – Forensic He Guohua: [This case was quite tricky, Chief Yu specifically asked Jiang Yuan to handle it. Good thing he was called over, otherwise, if we had to look into personal relationships, it would’ve been explosive...] Shan Nan Li Zemin: [Got any details?] Shuidong District – Forensic He Guohua: [The killer was a friend of a coworker at the construction site, originally brought in to gamble. After losing money and hearing that the site was about to pay wages, he inquired about the timing and came in at the right moment, initiating the robbery. You see, investigating personal relationships for this kind of random crime could’ve taken forever.] Shan Nan Li Zemin: [...] Provincial Department – Fingerprint Section – Yang Ling: [Seems like seeking out Jiang Yuan was indeed the right move.] Shuidong District – Forensic He Guohua: [Indeed. Plus, the murderer is an escaped convict who also practices parkour; he’s just too broke. If this guy had some money or even a car and left a day earlier, we’d be left waiting for a fugitive pursuit.] As Qi Penghu had always lingered around construction sites, if he planned to flee, he would have to take his belongings with him. Otherwise, once the police started their search, he would certainly become a suspect. In reality, the streets are full of economic fugitives, who are often on the run for monetary reasons. With money, even a fugitive could live a life of different grades and classes.

Chapter 334 - 334 301 Celebration

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