National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 1248 - 1175: Do Not Trouble Two Masters with One Matter

Chapter 1248: Chapter 1175: Do Not Trouble Two Masters with One Matter

After seeing off Liu Wenkai and finishing Wu Junhao’s pancake, Jiang Yuan continued to watch the surveillance footage, feeling as monotonous as a high school student repeating their senior year.

Everything in front of him seemed familiar, like questions with clear answers, but when it came time to move forward, he often worried that what had been done previously was insufficient, and the answers given might not be accurate.

As he watched, Jiang Yuan picked up his cup and started drinking tea. The surveillance video continued playing in front of him, but his gaze had already begun to drift.

Seeing this, Liu Jinghui realized that the ’dragon’ had some thoughts. He picked up a pack of Soft Chinese cigarettes, opened it, handed one to Jiang Yuan, put one in his own mouth, and lit both, puffing away.

When the cigarette burned halfway down, Jiang Yuan pressed the whole cigarette into the ashtray, saying, "From Shipozi Gas Station heading northeast, within a 400-kilometer range, there are no traces of Ren Kuangshan at any gas station."

"Is he being more cautious?" Liu Jinghui asked.

"Maybe, can’t rule it out, but it’s unlikely."

Seeing Jiang Yuan use several vague terms in one breath, Liu Jinghui immediately bolstered his confidence, saying, "Speak according to your judgment; with so many cases solved, Ren Kuangshan isn’t anything special either."

It’s just that the crimes he commits are unusual, and he’s well-prepared.

However, in modern times, the criminals who manage to evade capture for a while are considered somewhat filtered out. Such criminals, in a way, have a bit of talent.

Jiang Yuan pondered for a moment and said, "There are surveillance cameras at the gas pumps, and I paid special attention this time to see if anyone was refueling outside of the surveillance area. In fact, the pumps at Shipozi Gas Station are already quite non-compliant."

"Particularly small private gas stations?"

"I’ll check the surveillance on the nearby roads leading in and out." Jiang Yuan had a high level of authority and strong support, allowing him to access surveillance footage across departments.

Liu Jinghui suggested another possibility to help Jiang Yuan judge, saying, "There are many instances of private fuel sales everywhere. Ren Kuangshan drives a large vehicle, so he should have similar channels. If he secretly contacted a private fuel seller and bought private fuel, or even stole fuel himself?"

Driving a large vehicle generally means dealing with fuel thieves, so much so that many vehicles have special anti-theft fuel tanks installed. Even so, fuel thieves come up with various innovative and reckless ways to steal fuel.

Having driven a large vehicle for so long, whether or not he had similar experiences, Ren Kuangshan certainly possesses the relevant knowledge. Most importantly, he definitely has channels to access such information, whether stealing or buying.

"What do you think?" Jiang Yuan asked Liu Jinghui in return.

"If it were me..." Liu Jinghui pondered for a long time, saying, "I would choose a gas station. Because private fuel sellers are unstable and unreliable. By refueling at a station, Ren Kuangshan could wear a motorcycle helmet, could wear a facekini for sun protection, but would the private seller allow him to buy fuel like that?"

Liu Jinghui’s words were down-to-earth, pointing out that although privacy isn’t heavily emphasized domestically, neither is anyone bothered about one’s attire, whether wearing a mask or sunglasses or even a facekini. But in black market transactions, it won’t work; they ask you to remove it, and you have to comply. Likewise, black-market dealers, engaging in illegal trades, wouldn’t mind getting an extra bounty from a warrant.

"For now, this lead on fueling has run its course." Jiang Yuan shook his head helplessly.

Instead, Liu Jinghui wasn’t in a hurry, sitting across from Jiang Yuan, saying, "Leaving aside the broken lead, what have you discovered so far?"

"No discoveries." Jiang Yuan spread his hands.

"No discoveries might be a sort of discovery too." Liu Jinghui paused, saying, "Although it’s said that proof of existence doesn’t prove non-existence, if you’ve been searching all day and found nothing, can we say that Ren Kuangshan hasn’t refueled again?"

"Hasn’t refueled at a gas station." Jiang Yuan corrected.

"Private fuel sellers... although I think choosing private sellers isn’t suitable, proving it is simple enough — just catch a batch for questioning." Liu Jinghui said, calling Wang Chuanxing over and phoning the command center and the head of the Mei Yang City Criminal Police Brigade, Wang Sheng.

For a city’s head of the Criminal Police Brigade, private fuel selling is a minor gray industry that’s too small to usually attract attention, but when it’s given proper attention, to private sellers, it feels like a heavy slap.

After making the call, Liu Jinghui turned back, saying, "Assuming there’s no news from the private sellers, if so, we must consider that Ren Kuangshan has stopped refueling."

Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

"If he’s stopped refueling, he likely abandoned the vehicle." Liu Jinghui decisively judged, with an expression of certainty.

The major difference between police investigations and detective games is that police can continuously increase known factors through investigation.

Detective games and solving problems are quite alike; both start with a series of known conditions, then proceed to deduce the outcome, seeking answers.

In police work, however, the deduction part is often rather rigid. For most detectives, it comes down to using a few mature tactics, repetitively applying them. The difference is, during police investigations, known conditions can always be increased.

In this aspect, police investigations are entirely opposite to detective games.

It’s the old unsolved cases that resemble detective games.

This is also one reason why regular criminal cases seem less sophisticated.

Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but look at Liu Jinghui, saying, "If we decide he abandoned the vehicle, did he switch to public transport?"

"Probably. Driving on his own also requires refueling, and switching electric cars... renting an electric car is less convenient than refueling a motorcycle." Liu Jinghui shook his head, "You could follow this line of refueling; it’s something Ren Kuangshan wouldn’t have considered. Don’t overthink his actions."

"I’ve also checked the charging stations, but now many parking lots can charge too..." Jiang Yuan paused, then continued, "He couldn’t possibly have entered the city. There are too many checkpoints for vehicles entering and leaving the city. It’s possible to slip through on a motorcycle, but driving a car would be difficult."

"Then I think there are two directions: one, he settled around the Shipozi Gas Station, or he switched to other transportation. But I lean towards the latter because settling nearby, staying in a city, still faces city entry-exit issues. It’s not difficult but does carry considerable risk. Moreover, he’s most familiar with Meiyang City; it’s still too close to the crime scene."

Liu Jinghui’s judgment carried a bit of a gamble.

But in terms of time efficiency, comprehensive reasoning is hardly feasible and lacks practical significance.

Jiang Yuan immediately agreed with Liu Jinghui’s judgment, saying, "Then it’s two steps: first, increase the sweep in Meiyang City since we’re here; let’s ask for more cooperation from the Mei Yang City Criminal Police Brigade."

Liu Jinghui smirked, "Only you could say that."

Jiang Yuan: "Second, we search for public transport heading to the Northeast."

Liu Jinghui nodded, "That includes several options: airports, high-speed rail stations, train stations, bus stations, car rental outlets, carpooling. As a truck driver, he might look for a freight truck ride-share, or hitch a ride on a truck, small probability, but we can’t rule it out."

"Flying would be tough, and so would the high-speed rail station. For the others..." Jiang Yuan mused, saying, "Renting a car still requires refueling; hitching a ride on a truck is similar; when passing vehicle checkpoints, he’s still likely to be captured in photos. However, sending wanted notices to these places and checking through all can’t hurt."

"That’ll bother the Mei Yang City Bureau again." Liu Jinghui laughed.

Jiang Yuan cleared his throat, took out his phone, "Well, it’s like not bothering the same person twice for the same thing."