Chapter 406 - 406 373 Leaving a Trace

Words : 1959 Updated : Oct 13th, 2025

406: Chapter 373: Leaving a Trace 406: Chapter 373: Leaving a Trace Returning to Bar Street, shops around the “Utopia Craft Beer Pub” had reopened for business. The afternoon wasn’t the usual business time for pubs, but today, the bar next to the cordoned-off “Utopia Craft Beer Pub” was bustling with people coming and going. In the small county town, a murder case at a bar was a rarity that sparked the interest of fashion-conscious men and women. After all, this was an Internet-famous incident that could compete with big city happenings. Let’s see you have two deaths in a public place in your big city! No? Well, then we’re even for today. Mu Zhiyang, annoyed, waved his hand to shoo away several people taking selfies at the police line: “This is nothing to celebrate, stay back.” “Officer, we’re recording,” said a young man, thrusting his smartphone camera forward. Mu Zhiyang frowned slightly and before he could speak, Tang Jia, who had come with him, stepped forward and said sternly, “You can take photos, but you’re not permitted inside the police line, nor are you allowed to touch it. Also, you can upload videos, but they must be uploaded in full, with no start or end cut off, only a selected segment. If you edit out of context, our colleagues from the Network Security Brigade will contact you.” Tang Jia, who had experience working in Changyang City specializing in crowd management, spoke not quickly but with commanding authority. Combined with her good looks, she quickly dispersed the group of youngsters in front of her. “Let’s take a group photo,” one of the youths wheedled, pressing closer. “Do not approach the police line, and I will not pose for a photo with you,” Tang Jia declined without hesitation, pushing away the boy who had moved closer. Police controlling a crowd doesn’t mean they must refrain from using force. On the contrary, the traditional function of the police is inherently based on force; “meeting force with force” might not be the police’s only option, but it is certainly one of them. Jiang Yuan glanced back and saw that most people were just holding up their phones to record, and that Tang Jia had things under control. He bent down to enter the cordoned-off area and stepped into the “Utopia Craft Beer Pub.” For the second crime scene investigation, there was no need to lay down planks; Jiang Yuan directly led his team to observe each of the exits. The killer couldn’t have vanished into thin air. His absence from the security cameras simply meant he didn’t take the usual routes. However, from a crime scene investigation standpoint, as long as one considers this and notices this behavior of the killer, things are back on track. Moreover, as Jiang Yuan said in the meeting room, by acting this way, the killer would leave behind more traces and provide more information. From the perspective of trace evidence, using the main entrance is the way to leave the fewest clues. This is because it’s not just the killer who uses the main entrance; every subsequent entry and exit by others is a disruption of the crime scene, which is the most troublesome aspect of crime scene investigation. On the other hand, traces left by not taking the usual path are simpler, and thus, there is a better rate of utilization for such evidence. The only question is, where are they left? Jiang Yuan was not in a hurry. At every possible entry and exit point, he took a careful look, using a magnifying glass for places that were unclear to the naked eye and those he couldn’t confirm. The killer, in his haste to flee, wouldn’t have spent much time covering his tracks, and even if he did, Jiang Yuan’s approach meant it would still not be enough to conceal them. In an era where leaving a single hair at the scene is akin to leaving a whole adult video behind, it’s rare for a killer to leave no trace. Especially indoors, the difficulty is too high, requiring not only specialized knowledge but also extensive practice. The killer at hand was quite skilled, but faced with Level 4 crime scene investigation and Jiang Yuan’s two hours of meticulous searching, his whereabouts were easily exposed. “This window was closed from the outside, with a bit of trickery,” Jiang Yuan said, upon reaching the second-floor bathroom window and easily discovering multiple traces. This level of concealment could deceive a Level 1 trace examiner, but even a slightly attentive half-step Level 2 examiner could make similar conclusions. Leaving no trace is extremely difficult, especially when trying to use a very short crime time to counter the longer search time of trace examiners, which multiplies the difficulty. The police officer from the local police station who had accompanied them looked at the position and said, “This is the second floor, and right below is the back alley of the bar, but there are surveillance cameras in the alley too.” “Bring over a chair.” Jiang Yuan asked for a chair and stood on it, pushing the window open. Without touching anything, he leaned out to look closely. “There are footprints on the air conditioner, and there’s an extruded section about ten centimeters wide along the wall with footprints too, most likely recent. Mm, bring a car over,” Jiang Yuan didn’t even step out but took a few photos with his phone and then continued to check the other doors and windows. Once all the doors and windows had been checked, an aerial work platform, borrowed from who knows where, had also driven into the alley behind the pub. Jiang Yuan climbed up the work platform again to retake photos and collect samples. Dust covered the outside of the bar building; the extracted footprints were crystal clear. With Level 3 footprint analysis, Jiang Yuan felt he could almost draw the perpetrator’s silhouette. Although these footprints could have been left by some transient lovebirds, given the lack of corresponding traces at other doors and windows, the suspicion associated with these prints was extremely high. “The sample is about 176 cm tall, weighs between 70 to 75 kg, and is around 35 years old. There should be signs of physical exercise, with a low body fat percentage, probably similar to the victim’s—akin to an athlete’s build. There seems to be good balance as well; the individual wears size 43 athletic shoes but appears to have low arches, so unlikely to be a professional athlete.” Jiang Yuan read the footprints in no time. Mu Zhiyang quickly pulled out a notebook to record everything. “This way,” Jiang Yuan indicated and followed the direction of the footprints. The prints extended past six buildings, meaning the culprit had used the second floor as a platform, walking over a hundred meters from that height. In Jiang Yuan’s mind, he immediately thought of a parkour expert he had encountered in the past. However, this person didn’t seem to practice parkour, as there were hardly any handprints along the way. It appeared they relied mainly on their superior balance to move forward. As a result, Jiang Yuan gathered a wealth of gait information. The more you try to hide, the more you expose. Seeing these clear footprints, Jiang Yuan felt as if he could recognize the person by their walk alone. The prints stopped at an alley entrance. Jiang Yuan looked around and quickly focused on the sign of a 24-hour hotpot restaurant. “Ask them if they had any customers around three or four in the morning,” Jiang Yuan instructed and circled the hotpot restaurant once more, pointing out several distant cameras for the team to check the morning’s surveillance footage. After completing these tasks, Tang Jia, who had gone to inquire at the hotpot restaurant, called back, “Captain Jiang, we found something!” A group of police officers crowded into an elevator, filling it to capacity. Hotpot restaurant. Tang Jia was busy helping the staff to remove the hard drive. Seeing Jiang Yuan and the others come in, Tang Jia showed Jiang Yuan the photos on her phone, reporting, “Last night at 3:50 AM, this individual entered the restaurant alone, ate hotpot until after 6 AM before leaving.” The man in the photos was dressed in black, and both his height and build matched the profile Jiang Yuan had just constructed. “Quite smart,” Jiang Yuan smirked. Just over two hours of difference—if they hadn’t found this hotpot restaurant and if they had merely scrutinized the surveillance blindly, they could have missed the person entirely. However, this individual was already exceptionally adept. For an average person, it would be incredibly difficult and dangerous to traverse the exterior of buildings as Jackie Chan had done, let alone determine which areas had surveillance cameras and which didn’t, and then plan a route. It was quite an arduous task. “Have Zhuang Wei update the timeline to see if we can find his mode of transportation. Interview all the staff, including those not on duty, those who have taken leave, and anyone who has resigned recently,” Jiang Yuan thought for a moment and then gave instructions. It was clear that the case involved meticulous prior scouting, but it was unclear how the non-local criminal had made his decisions. If it had been a minor case, finding the criminal could have wrapped things up, but not with a murder case. Everyone employed at the hotpot restaurant had to be investigated. Having said that, Jiang Yuan took out his phone and called Huang Qiangmin, requesting technical investigation support for tracking mobile phones. Given their technical expertise, the tech investigators usually operated in a ‘black box’ fashion—detectives would make a request, and the tech investigators would simply provide results. Huang Qiangmin readily agreed, then suggested, “If it’s a professional hitman, it could be a contract killing, right?” “Possible,” Jiang Yuan considered such a possibility in the perpetrator’s modus operandi and slowly said, “Anyone calm enough to enjoy hotpot at a crime scene must have more than this one case under their belt. Pity the staff have already cleaned and put away the tableware. For now, we cannot confirm the assailant’s identity.” “It’s already very good progress, and you should also be cautious about your safety,” Huang Qiangmin advised earnestly, “Avoid encountering the criminal at the crime scene again, and make sure to have at least two people with you at all times. We’ve made significant progress with the case; don’t be too anxious...” Huang Qiangmin started to express concern for Jiang Yuan’s well-being, drawing a parallel to the adage: work the beasts hard during the plowing season but take good care of them during the slack season. Jiang Yuan’s mind was teeming with thoughts. Truth be told, after handling so many cases across various provinces and cities, he had never come across a professional hitman, or a case of murder-for-hire. This made Jiang Yuan grow interested in both the murderer and the victim simultaneously. “Oh and, search the restaurant’s trash... Search all the garbage in the building too, see if we can find the murder weapon.” Before leaving, Jiang Yuan added one last instruction for Tang Jia. After a strenuous day, the thought of sifting through a large hotpot restaurant’s waste, including food scraps and garbage from the entire building, overwhelmed Tang Jia. She took out her phone, pointed it at her face, and her mind filled with doubt: Was it because I didn’t put on makeup properly today, that I have to sift through trash? If only I had known...

Chapter 406 - 406 373 Leaving a Trace

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