National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 398 - 398 365 Direction of Investigation

398: Chapter 365: Direction of Investigation 398: Chapter 365: Direction of Investigation Jiang Yuan, Mu Zhiyang, and Liu Jinghui, among others, walked out of Ma Zhongli’s house under the scorching sun.

They had arrived in the afternoon, had dinner, then went to see the body, and now, almost into the next afternoon, they had essentially worked a full shift.

Everyone was a bit tired but still fairly spirited.

By the car, Mu Zhiyang asked, “Where to next?”

“The investigation should be considered complete,” Jiang Yuan looked towards Liu Jinghui.

As a senior police chief from the provincial department, he deserved certain respects.

Liu Jinghui pondered for a moment and said, “I also think we have enough leads now.

It’s not like the suspect will jump out at us all of a sudden; next, it’s a matter of filtering and searching.

Shall we go to the Chiyong City Bureau to meet some people and discuss the situation?”

“Then let the others rest,” Jiang Yuan had brought a team out for the convenience of the investigation, which was no longer necessary.

Liu Jinghui didn’t mind and simply said, “Let Mu Zhiyang come along; he can help run errands.”

“Sure thing,” Mu Zhiyang agreed super willingly.

The case had already taken shape; why not be proactive unless he feared the credit would be too heavy?

When Jiang Yuan and his group arrived at the Chiyong City Bureau, the bureau’s investigation meeting was in session.

Commissioner Liu gave the brigade commander a heads-up, hurried out to greet them, bringing only Yuan Ben with him.

After a warm handshake, Commissioner Liu still maintained an easy smile and casually asked, “So I hear there are new leads?”

“Yes, we have a small hypothesis,” Jiang Yuan said.

As the safe and the manner of breaking into it were mere guesses, they naturally had to present them as hypotheses.

Commissioner Liu acted pleased and said with a smile, “Then you’ll have to share with me.”

Liu Jinghui, having spent years guiding investigations in various counties, started with a simple explanation, “We found traces suggestive of a mini safe at the scene, with dimensions also resembling a mini safe.

We asked the female relative and her close friends, confirming she indeed owned a mini safe.

Now, with the safe missing from the scene, we suspect the killer took it.”

Commissioner Liu nodded; this was still following the robbery angle.

However, he had some doubts about this line of thinking.

In the recent meeting, Detective Lao Feng’s approach was quite persuasive.

Over the past few years, most family annihilation cases had stemmed from domestic disputes.

Categorizing by the identity of the murderer, there were cases of fathers killing their sons’ families, sons killing their fathers and stepmothers’ families, and sons-in-law killing their in-laws’ families…

Generally speaking, these incidents all involved money, but the primary reason was definitely not money.

Of course, such an overview wasn’t enough to prove that only relatives could commit family annihilation.

But it did indicate that those driven by financial gain were rare.

It might be more common abroad, but in recent years, such cases had indeed become less heard of domestically.

Thinking this, Commissioner Liu felt awkward saying it outright and instead replied with a smile, “Director Liu presents a good direction…”

“Do you have any different ideas about the direction of the investigation?” Liu Jinghui, a shrewd man indeed and an experienced one who had spent 20 years in the field, immediately noticed a change in Commissioner Liu’s demeanor.

As police officers, they were cunning and deceptive with suspects, but in real life, they tended to avoid such tactics.

Seeing that he had been found out, Commissioner Liu gave an embarrassed smile and said, “Indeed, we now prioritize the idea that the killer acted out of personal vendetta, taking violent measures due to emotional issues.”

“Which smart person came up with that?” Liu Jinghui asked bluntly.

Commissioner Liu couldn’t help but laugh, “Everyone is free to speak their mind; it’s just based on analyzing the recent family annihilation cases…”

“As long as it’s not a leader’s idea,” Liu Jinghui interjected, cutting off Commissioner Liu’s words, and added, “The recent family annihilation cases were all committed by individuals.

Triple-perpetrator cases have no comparability with these.”

Commissioner Liu was taken aback; he hadn’t conducted detailed research but listening to Liu Jinghui’s statement, his perception immediately shifted.

Indeed, the dynamics of three people committing a crime were radically different from a single person.

While both could act out of emotion, did Ma Zhongli’s family really provoke such hatred?

Murder was no small matter, family annihilation implied an immediate death sentence for the murderer; it was not a decision made lightly.

If the motive was robbery, during the crime process, the killer might have accidentally killed someone due to the victim’s resistance, and eventually decided to annihilate the family.

But if it was premeditated murder, the intention from the beginning was to kill, so the possibility of an ‘accident’ doesn’t exist, and the reason becomes less sufficient.”

“Another thing, if it’s a relative out for murder, they wouldn’t waste time turning the house upside down and even taking the safe with them, right?

It’s too time-consuming and unnecessary,” Liu Jinghui said, and Commissioner Liu understood without needing further explanation.

Relatives choosing murder over money and then searching through drawers and cabinets for valuables – it doesn’t fit the emotional profile.

It’s like a father who has just killed his son and his family, then searches the house for money – it doesn’t make sense – unless the house contains martial arts secrets or rare treasures.

Commissioner Liu’s expression became stern as he seriously said, “So, Director Liu’s suggestion is that we follow the lead of the safe?”

“Pretty much, the key is how to open the safe.” Liu Jinghui recounted the previous discussion with Jiang Yuan, which made Commissioner Liu nod in agreement.

“This is indeed a good lead,” Commissioner Liu concurred, “In that case, I will report to the brigade commander first…”

“We’ll head back then,” Liu Jinghui didn’t want to cause any conflict, knowing everyone was there to do their job, he simply added a reminder, “I don’t know what the policy is like here in Chiyong, but if there’s a registration for the cylinders, it might be easier to trace.

Regardless, the search must be conducted quickly, otherwise, even if we find a clue, the killer might have already fled.”

Commissioner Liu nodded again and again.

Liu Jinghui, taking Jiang Yuan with him, turned and left.

Commissioner Liu returned to the conference room and elaborated on the recent conversation in detail.

The conference room, where everyone had been discussing Detective Lao Feng’s approach, suddenly fell silent at this interruption.

The brigade commander hesitated for a moment before agreeing, “That makes sense…”

The others in the conference room did not voice any objections at that time.

It’s easy to guess an investigative direction, but to be definitively committed to one is unquestionable.

In no time, the police officers of the Chiyong City Criminal Police Brigade were out in force, scouring the districts to inquire about individuals who had recently used or purchased gas cutting equipment.

This was meticulous and laborious work.

It took hundreds of officers a day and a half to cover all the outlets in Chiyong City, with disappointing results.

To explain in three words, there was “nothing”!

“It seems that this lead is also a dead end.”

The brigade commander invited Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui to attend the meeting and presented the investigation results to them.

To Jiang Yuan, it felt a bit like they were saying “it’s all because the enemy is too cunning.”

The group once again engaged in discussions about the direction of the investigation.

Jiang Yuan closed his eyes, carefully recalling every detail of the case.

Frankly, the difficulty of this case lay not in the search for information, as there was an abundance of it.

The crux of the issue was how to narrow the search and find the trace of the killer.

“I suggest that we continue to inspect the counties and towns surrounding Chiyong City,” Jiang Yuan didn’t wait for them to come to a conclusion before standing firm on the previous decision.

The brigade commander hesitated, saying, “But that would widen our scope considerably.”

“I know,” Jiang Yuan’s voice was very clear.

He was also aware of the pressure the brigade commander faced, but solving cases was always like this.

In a case of family annihilation, capturing the culprit is never an easy task.

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