Chapter 397 - 397 364 Details

Words : 1648 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

397: Chapter 364 Details 397: Chapter 364 Details “Actually, just based on Jiang Yuan’s side, which is the suggestion from Shan Nan, I think we can already try to conduct a screening.” Commissioner Liu spoke up in the middle of the meeting, silencing the lively discussion. It was clear to anyone with eyes that the information sent by Jiang Yuan indeed met the fundamental conditions for a screening. It was just that Jiang Yuan had only arrived for one day, and to start a large-scale screening from this point... “We have to define a scope,” stated the squad leader, peeling an ugly tangerine. The ugly tangerine was sent by Director Xu, who is in charge of criminal investigation. Director Xu did not come to the meeting, but in the past few days, he had been sending fruit with increasingly higher value, much to everyone’s bitterness. The neighboring team leaders each received a share of the tangerines distributed by the squad leader. The tangerines were sweet and juicy, continuously raising everyone’s tolerance. Indeed, compared to a bit of face, it was the director and such who were truly terrifying. “I think we can conduct the screening from the angles of being skilled with a hammer and having a height of one meter eighty. The victim, Ma Zhongli, was an interior design decorator, and a high-end designer at that. He must have come into contact with many decoration workers on construction sites. If we narrow it down based on this height, we may get some results,” he said. The team leader from the fourth team swallowed a segment of tangerine and provided a relatively reasonable scope for the screening. The squad leader gave an “mm” of approval and added, “Construction workers are highly mobile, have a weaker legal consciousness, and are in good physical condition. If it’s for financial gain, they indeed have the motive. Being skilled with a hammer is also a good point of inquiry... However, it’s not easy to define the scope of construction workers.” “Ma Zhongli mainly designed villas and large flats, earning money from design fees. Although he also visited construction sites, he didn’t interact with many workers. We have already questioned those who have worked on the recent construction sites and received wages,” recounted the leader of the first team, shaking his head slightly. “Without those judgments on height and skills before, we can re-screen, looking more closely,” the squad leader still found the direction attractive and was unwilling to give up on it easily. The team leader agreed, sketching a few notes in his work notebook. It’s easy to talk during meetings, but actual work is complicated. Even something as simple as screening workers is challenging to carry out flawlessly. The team leader then said, “As far as I know, Ma Zhongli often took on private jobs and occasionally traveled out of town on business. If the workers are from outside the area, it will be difficult for us to round them up here.” “Even if they’re hard to round up, we have to do it. Otherwise, what should we do? Should I go find police from other places to help you with the screening?” the squad leader retorted, unwilling to accept excuses, and firmly delegated the task. The team leader sighed, nodding in expected agreement. As long as the squad leader didn’t back out when it came time to approve the travel paperwork. “The murderer might not have necessarily targeted Ma Zhongli,” said another detective, waiting for the conversation to settle. “Looking at the numerous cases of family annihilations over the past few years, those in rural areas are most commonly motivated by emotions, or rather, emotional reasons. The primary cause is family disputes...” “Jiang Yuan’s judgment is that it was an armed robbery, with the motive being financial rather than personal,” Commissioner Liu interjected. The detective calmly continued, “I have studied several family annihilation cases that have occurred in recent years, and the criminal suspects are almost without exception related to the victims’ families by blood or marriage. The majority were triggered by family disputes...” Everyone listened quite attentively. Including the squad leader, who after the remarks were concluded, praised, “Old Feng has seriously studied this; indeed, the murderer killing four people in one go means this case is too big. The simple objective of theft doesn’t quite fit common sense. So Old Feng, you take your squad and continue digging along the line of family relationships.” One dilemma the Chiyong City detectives faced was that many investigative directions had already been examined, and previous inquiries had not yielded clues. Whether re-examining them now would lead to any breakthroughs was still hard to say. But no matter how difficult, the work still had to be divvied up. The squad leader did his utmost to make arrangements. At this point, how to proceed was tough, and the cost of solving the case was no longer a consideration. Yet, regarding solving the case, he was still not very confident. ... Jiang Yuan took Mu Zhiyang and others, along with a crime scene investigation vehicle, and together with two of Chiyong City’s scene investigators, began to examine the crime scene. Similar to an autopsy, re-examining a crime scene tends to yield much less information. Some evidence might have already been collected, so getting an overview of the scene often relies on photos. However, Jiang Yuan came to experience the scene firsthand. From the moment he entered, he didn’t exert much effort in things like fingerprint detection but focused on the traces of the perpetrators’ actions instead. Jiang Yuan had been simulating the process of the assailants’ violent acts in his mind. “These higher drawers must have been opened by the guy who is six feet tall. He’s quite strong; some of the drawers are broken. The lower drawers... It’s not easy to determine who searched through them...” “The bolt was knocked open with a sledgehammer.” “These guys basically just violently dismantled everything. It doesn’t seem like they have any lock-picking skills.” As Jiang Yuan walked and observed each floor, his thoughts continued to evolve. His Level 4 crime scene investigation skills, much like his forensic pathology expertise, are well above that of an average technician. But it was still not easy to deduce the assailant from the chaotic scene. Even the experts from the ministry occasionally come across cases they can’t crack. The key lies in the details. If one can find a detail that the assailant overlooked and link it to their identity, then the case is practically solved. Of course, this is just a delightful expectation of a technician; in reality, such discoveries lead to a breakthrough in very few cases. Most cases are cracked using somewhat foolish, inelegant methods. As Jiang Yuan made his way to the female homeowner’s room, a patch of dust caught his attention. “Something was placed here and has been taken,” Jiang Yuan said, standing in front of a wardrobe. Using the light from his flashlight, he could see a layer of dust had settled but noticeably, there was a rectangular area that was free of dust. Liu Jinghui immediately came over to look and nodded, “It’s quite large... Hm... a small safe?” This response was somewhat unexpected to Jiang Yuan. “What makes you say that?” Liu Jinghui explained, “Firstly, the size fits. Also, this is the female homeowner’s room, and I noticed that there isn’t a specific jewelry box or case here. It’s very likely that jewelry and similar items were kept in this small safe. Moreover, this family has two children, and being in a rural setting, storing jewelry in a safe is indeed more secure than a jewelry box. The main function is to prevent accidental removal...” Mu Zhiyang remarked, “And the robbers took the entire safe away.” “That’s the nature of these safes, simple convenience with a certain level of protection is enough.” Mu Zhiyang asked, “Is it possible that the robbers took away a jewelry box or something similar?” “No. You’ve seen movies about gold heists; robbers typically dump the jewelry out and take it. Jewelry boxes are generally heavy and don’t hold much jewelry, the robbers wouldn’t take that.” Mu Zhiyang nodded subconsciously. Liu Jinghui continued, “Later on, we can ask someone who might know. I think the female homeowner wouldn’t hide it; someone should be aware.” At that moment, Jiang Yuan stroked his chin in silence, waiting for the others to finish before saying, “If it was a small safe, then how it was opened becomes interesting.” Liu Jinghui immediately looked at Jiang Yuan. Jiang Yuan said, “None of these three people seem capable of picking locks, a point we’ve already discussed. So, whoever got the safe could only resort to a violent break-in.” “Right, they wouldn’t call someone specifically to pick the lock, not just because it would mean dividing the loot for nothing, but it could also lead to leaks,” Liu Jinghui agreed. “What kind of violent break-in methods are there?” “Go to a small workshop, or even a recycling center, and you’ll find a cutting machine,” Jiang Yuan paused, adding, “But they probably wouldn’t dare let them operate independently. So like lock-picking, hiring someone would mean risking a leak.” Understanding, Liu Jinghui asked, “So you’re saying that if they’re going to open the safe on their own, what would they use?” “An oxyacetylene torch, a cheap one costs just a few hundred yuan. However, they probably wouldn’t have the patience to wait for an online order, so...” “They bought an oxyacetylene torch locally?” Liu Jinghui nodded vigorously. “That’s possible; we can use this lead to investigate. It should dramatically lower the workload!”

Chapter 397 - 397 364 Details

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