National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 528 - 528 486 The Sun Rises from the Southeast Corner

528: Chapter 486: The Sun Rises from the Southeast Corner 528: Chapter 486: The Sun Rises from the Southeast Corner Noon.

The detectives sent out for investigation gradually returned and pooled their respective clues.

Yu Wenshu came back to the conference room, bringing a fruit plate full of oranges.

He had learned this from the Deputy Director: if one bought fruits like grapes or strawberries that were easy to grab and eat, it goes without saying that once placed on the table, they could be gobbled up cleanly within five minutes.

Whether they tasted good or not didn’t matter; if everyone tried one, the whole plate would be emptied.

There are those who like sour, those who prefer bland, those who lick salt, those who fancy the taste of socks, those who like raw, those who prefer mushy, those who want firm, those who favor large, those who like small, those who prefer flat…

In short, catering to many tastes means the easy-to-eat ones will be quickly gone.

Like oranges, peeling them dirties one’s hands, and they tend to squirt juice when eaten, so most people would just look and leave them be.

Bai, not quite at ease, shifted awkwardly.

He was supposed to be the highest-ranking individual in the conference room.

Although Liu Jinghui holds the rank of a fourth-level senior superintendent from the provincial office, he has no specific duty, and in the police system, is still not comparable to Bai, the legitimate head of a county criminal police team.

But Yu Wenshu was different; clad in a white shirt, his mere presence in the conference room drew everyone’s full attention.

“Let’s start,” Bai took the lead to chair the meeting.

As he spoke, he lit a cigarette for himself.

That was the signal, as seasoned smokers around the room promptly lit up their own.

Jiang Yuan could only defensively light a cigarette of his own to fend off the secondhand smoke.

Yu Wenshu furrowed his brow but said nothing; his criminal police detachment in the provincial capital had long since abandoned such customs.

A captain from the Shiting County stood up and reported, “The last known location of Chang Jiagui’s cell phone signal was in Heping Town next to Changyang City, at an industrial park for logistics.

The industrial park has failed, and the largest business there now operates a parking lot.”

“Tech detectives took us there, but we couldn’t find Chang Jiagui’s truck.

The industrial park on Heping Town is right in front of the national road leading into the city, and a newly built road goes through it, leaving a vast open space.

When we went there, all manner of transport vehicles were parked, with a majority being long-distance trucks from other places, as well as smaller trucks for hauling goods.

The parking order was dismal, and the management lax.

It’s not unusual for the security guards there to secretly take money to let vehicles in and out.”

“The parking lot surveillance only stores footage for half a year and the original entry and exit records couldn’t be found anymore.

Afterwards, our discussion led us to believe that the detectives from Qi Province might have uncovered some information about this place, so we got in touch with them.”

The captain glanced toward Wang Chuanxing.

Naturally, Wang Chuanxing stood up and said, “A month after the victim Chang Jiagui went missing, his ex-wife reported the disappearance to the police in Qi Province.

Given that Chang Jiagui was an adult and would not disappear for no reason, local authorities dispatched staff to search extensively.

After confirming Chang Jiagui’s disappearance occurred in our province, four officers were sent to Shannan Province.”

After briefly consulting his notes, Wang Chuanxing continued, “We contacted the detectives from Qi Province who originally handled the case.

They had driven here following the vehicle’s trail, with the last confirmed sighting being when the vehicle left the province and took the highway in Xin County, Pingjiang Province, before joining the national road and never appearing again.”

“Didn’t the vehicle checkpoint capture footage of the person?” Liu Jinghui asked first.

Wang Chuanxing shook his head, “The driver took precautionary measures; they were fully kitted—mask, hat, sunglasses, you name it.

And at that time, it was summer, exactly when Pingjiang gets blasted with sun…”

He then projected a photo showing a person fully dressed in a suit passing through the checkpoint.

Though heavily disguised, during that season, unless halted by traffic control, no one would pay much attention to a driver’s attire.

Jiang Yuan took a glance and said, “It’s not the same person who took Wang Xingzhai away.”

Whoever took away Wang Xingzhai had a high chance of being the killer themselves.

Jiang Yuan remembered the gait very clearly.

He might not describe the physique accurately, but now with a photo to compare, he could assert they were not the same person.

Bai Jian grunted affirmatively, “That indicates there’s still a gang involved.”

Shiting County was in the midst of clamping down on black societies, having dismantled several vibrant criminal groups.

However, this side’s killers seemed unaffected, which irritated Bai Jian to no end.

Yu Wenshu then asked, “Didn’t the detectives from Qi Province pursue the investigation?”

Wang Chuanxing gently shook his head and said, “They didn’t find the body, only this vehicle clue.

The case was filed as a missing person case.

The locals collaborated in the search for many days, but they didn’t find the vehicle, and eventually, they had to withdraw.”

“The vehicle must have been pushed deep into the mountains,” Liu Jinghui said, familiar with the terrain of the surrounding provinces and cities, not even needing a map.

“There’s a long stretch of road leading out of Xin County that’s built alongside the mountains; the terrain is treacherous, with cliffs and rivers.

Many areas between the mountains are inaccessible.

If done well, the truck could dive headfirst into one of them, making it nearly impossible for even gods to find.”

Yu Wenshu commented, “So, you’re saying they also recognized the difficulty and backed off?”

“In such cases, either you have people go through the area step by step, scouring every ditch and hollow, or you could use drones or something…” As Liu Jinghui continued, his expression became serious.

The word “search” is common in the news, but it can also be understood in this way: cases that make it into the news featuring searches warrant specific mention.

Besides, not all searches are created equal.

The kind of search Liu Jinghui now spoke of was far less challenging than the previous searches conducted along the roadsides in Luyang City, as what they were looking for was a medium-sized truck.

Even after several years, it remained a significant target.

Yet the difficulty was not to be underestimated.

Searches by roadways rely on the roads, making provision for food, water, and other needs readily manageable.

Though those involved in the search found it arduous, it was considered a breeze compared to mountainous searches.

Bai Jian lit another cigarette.

Up to this point in the case, the foundation of him leading it was that Shiting County was footing the bill.

And the idea of conducting such a costly search in another province was something Bai Jian couldn’t bear to think about.

“Bai, consider it, and if it doesn’t work out, we at the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment can take over,” Yu Wenshu offered Bai Jian a choice after waiting two minutes.

It wasn’t a matter of bullying the weak, but purely offering an additional option.

If the case was too burdensome, it was fine to pass it on.

If they could find the truck, the case would be on a clear path.

From this standpoint, at most, Yu Wenshu was ready to carry the pot, still intending to cook the meal himself.

“No need.

We’ll handle it ourselves,” Bai Jian took a deep breath.

Although most of his manpower was still tied up in Shiting County, and he wasn’t familiar with Pingjiang Province, and the bureau might not know how much funding could be reallocated, Bai Jian had never lacked confidence.

Yu Wenshu was indifferent, chuckled, and said, “That’s good.

Actually, if we’re lucky, drones can discover a lot and save much effort.”

If the fortune was poor and the site remained inscrutable for a short time, truly sending people to traverse the mountainous ditches would be a thankless task, one that Yu Wenshu himself would be reluctant to undertake.

Smoking his cigarette, his brows furrowed, Bai Jian turned to Liu Jinghui and asked, “Director Liu, how about you direct the search?”

Now he was beginning to see Liu Jinghui as a pillar of support.

Liu Jinghui’s status in the provincial office made it easier for him to communicate with colleagues from other provinces, thanks to their mutual exchange mechanisms.

On the other hand, Liu Jinghui also possessed significant organizational ability.

He might not compare to Xu Taining, but organizing a small-scale, intense field search for his subordinates was not an issue at all.

Liu Jinghui glanced at Jiang Yuan and responded readily, “No problem.

I’ll speak to the department and then reach out to Pingjiang Province to see how we can coordinate.”

For cases at this level, the provincial office is supposed to offer subsidies and support.

Even impoverished counties can face severe incidents, and they can’t be ignored simply due to lack of funds.

Bai expressed his sincere gratitude, thankful indeed.

As the head of a county criminal police detachment, such assistance had rarely come his way before.

After the meeting was over, Jiang Yuan called over Mu Zhiyang, Wang Chuanxing, and several other male criminal police officers to go back to his place in Changyang to rest.

Though the house was small with only four large bedrooms, having a few more people stay there made it safer.

He was dealing with a professional killer, one bred by a drug trafficking gang, and the thought alone was enough to make one see how fiercely violent it was.