National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 534 - 534 491 The Way Back

534: Chapter 491: The Way Back 534: Chapter 491: The Way Back The return journey was somewhat simpler.

Firstly, the road conditions were more familiar, with trees on both sides of the path frequently watered.

Secondly, Liu Jinghui had hired more locals to help; apart from the evidence, which the police officers carried back themselves, items such as tents and supplies could be transported by the locals.

Nevertheless, when Jiang Yuan made it back to the main road, he felt like he had narrowly escaped death.

“Murderers who choose places like this should have their crimes upgraded a level,” Jiang Yuan said, grabbing a can of water from the side of the road and gulping it down in one go.

To lighten the load, they had brought very little water and used it sparingly along the way, but now it was completely finished.

Zhao Jing and the other middle-aged and elderly people were even more exhausted.

They seemed okay yesterday, but after a night’s sleep, while the young people were mostly refreshed, the older ones still felt sore in the back and legs.

Of course, Li Li had it the worst.

She was so exhausted from carrying the police dog that her tongue was hanging out, and she said, “Later on, suspects should be made to walk down to the cliff to the scene with handcuffs and leg irons on.”

The Rottweiler wasn’t much lighter than she was, and if it hadn’t been for the constant help from other police officers and Dazhuang managing to walk sections by himself, Li Li wouldn’t have made it out.

It also proved from the side that her fine figure was indeed well-earned, with no slackness in the muscles of her glutes.

The police officers waiting by the road couldn’t help but notice Li Li’s physique and eagerly said, “When identifying the scene, the suspect has to walk there on their own, us bringing them doesn’t count, right?”

“Just kidding,” Li Li turned her head to glance at the other party.

The police officer, who had been daydreaming about his married life, took a good look and silently lowered his head, indeed, I was just joking.

Together, they quickly packed the few personal items they had into the vehicles and got back on the road.

By that time, no one was complaining about bad smells anymore.

Near the Panshan Highway, not even a tollbooth could be found, let alone conditions for a bath.

After driving hundreds of kilometers, they arrived in Changyang City and directly checked into the police department’s guest house to take care of themselves.

Jiang Yuan entered the shower, thoroughly washing off, and after getting clean, he put on a new pair of underwear and then called Director Liu.

As soon as the call connected, he asked, “Director Liu, has the suspect confessed?”

“He has confessed, and I was waiting for you to come for the details.

How about you?

Do you need to rest, or are you coming to the meeting?” Director Liu considerately offered Jiang Yuan a choice.

“I’ll come over, I got some sleep on the road.” That stench in the car was unbearable even for a forensic doctor without sleep.

…

The meeting room.

Yu Wenshu still sat in the corner of the meeting room like a guardian deity, but at least a third of the people present knew that the Criminal Police Brigade was already starting to gather its personnel.

There hadn’t been any major cases in Changyang City in the last two months, and considering Yu Wenshu’s appearance, the purpose of him gathering personnel was suspicious.

However, only Bai Jian cared about which department was going to make the arrests; Director Liu didn’t mind who did it.

When Jiang Yuan arrived, Director Liu stood up and said,

“Let me first update everyone on the current situation.”

“The case was initially filed in Shiting County after a modern male corpse, named Victim One, was discovered in a Qing Dynasty tomb exposed by a landslide.

Subsequently, Shiting County invited experts for analysis and unearthed Victims Two, Three, and Four.”

Director Liu also mentioned several unsuccessful attempts and the identification of the sources for Victims Four and Two, then shifted the conversation, “Yesterday’s arrestee, Wang Qiliang, although only having been penalized twice for public security offenses, has many relatives who are tomb robbers!”

“Wang Qiliang is our current breakthrough.

According to him, he has been employed long-term by someone claiming to be Li Jun,”

“According to Wang Qiliang’s statement, his job was to find suitable tombs, assist with burying and concealing bodies, and also handle some scattered evidence…”

Yu Wenshu, who had also just arrived, couldn’t help but interject, “Did he really confess so thoroughly?”

“Yes, because he also hopes that we catch Li Jun to prevent himself from being silenced,” Director Liu paused, “The second victim, the truck driver, was silenced.”

“Tell us about this Li Jun.” Yu Wenshu sat back down, ready to listen attentively.

Director Liu nodded and continued, “Although Li Jun is an alias, he indeed started murdering several years ago.

Once Wang Qiliang was chosen by him, he received regular payments every month, and additional income after burying the bodies.

Having seen Li Jun’s methods, he didn’t dare run away…”

“Of course, he was afraid, and perhaps he was also reluctant to give up the money…” Liu Jinghui didn’t delve into Wang Qiliang’s psyche but immediately continued, “Regarding Li Jun, Wang Qiliang was always contacted passively.

Initially, it was about disposing of corpses, and later other tasks cropped up, like abandoning vehicles.

The phone numbers used each time were also different.

However, he provided two distinct details, which I think are important.”

Liu Jinghui glanced at everyone and said, “Li Jun likes to smoke San Wu cigarettes, and most of the time, he arrives riding a Haojue motorcycle.”

In the conference room, the mood among the attendees began to stir.

Bai Jian smiled and said, “It seems a bit mismatched, but there shouldn’t be many shops selling San Wu cigarettes nowadays, so he must buy them frequently…”

Jiang Yuan cut Bai Jian off, asking, “Wang Qiliang and Li Jun must have met regularly, right?

Can he provide precise times and locations?”

The killer was cautious during the crime, but even when meeting an accomplice, precautions wouldn’t be that strict.

Moreover, riding a motorcycle exposes more physical details.

Bai Jian had yet to witness Jiang Yuan’s skills in image analysis.

His Shiting County didn’t have any noteworthy imagery to speak of.

Liu Jinghui and Yu Wenshu immediately realized the implications, exchanged glances, and Liu Jinghui clarified, “The time can be pinpointed to at least the hour.

The locations are accurate.”

Yu Wenshu promptly took out his phone and said, “I’ll notify the Image Reconnaissance Brigade.”

“It’s a matter of following the vine to get to the melon from here,” said Liu Jinghui, though his relief was fleeting.

Following the vine to find the melon wasn’t difficult, but if the vine were severed, it would mean the clues were cut off as well.

“Let’s go directly to the Image Investigation unit,” Yu Wenshu suggested as he hung up the phone, then smiled at Bai Jian and said, “When it comes to Image Investigation, as soon as they hear it’s Jiang Yuan, there’s no need to schedule.

Let’s go.”

Bai Jian followed with a serious expression.

Image Reconnaissance Brigade.

Upon arrival, they were escorted into the operation room.

The full-wall screen and the multiple monitors in front gave the room an instant surge of technological atmosphere.

“Screens are firepower,” the brigade commander said with a smile, before adding, “The screens on the wall are for the leadership, the monitors here are all set up, and the times you provided…”

He glanced at the notes he had just made and said, “To be honest, these are fairly old times, and even the most recent one is almost a year old.

I’ll do my best to find some surveillance footage, but it certainly won’t be complete.”

The eager group’s faces fell slightly, and Liu Jinghui commented, “That comes out to just seven or eight months.

In my experience, the data storage for many surveillance systems doesn’t rotate that quickly.”

“It’s not that strict.

I’ll find what’s available,” the commander didn’t explain further and had his team start pulling up the footage while saying, “This is also our new system, with some of the data still stored in street-side boxes.”

The place where Wang Qiliang and Li Jun met was naturally out of surveillance coverage.

Using that location as the center, they expanded their search outward, looking for men riding motorcycles…

The members of the Image Reconnaissance Brigade quickly completed this step and identified a large number of men riding motorcycles.

But at this point, the team members hit a wall.

“Let’s judge based on their physique and behavior,” Jiang Yuan suggested as he pointed out a few individuals on the screen and said, “Check to see what kind of cigarettes they smoke.”

“The brands are unclear on the video,” the officer working on the task responded, a bit puzzled.

Jiang Yuan smiled and said, “Just look for it, once you find it, I’ll take care of the image enhancement.”

With his level 5 Image Enhancement skills, while he might not be able to clearly identify a single cigarette, discerning certain characteristics was still very easy.

At that moment, a new mission appeared before Jiang Yuan:

Mission Progress: 362/x+1+1+1…

The progress bar had risen again and was continuing to climb.

One must admit, the Image Reconnaissance Brigade did have people who knew their stuff.