National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 575 - 522 Tracking

Chapter 575: Chapter 522 Tracking

In the mountains, platoons of soldiers dressed in military uniforms climbed along the trail.

Above their heads, the buzzing of unmanned drones hardly ever ceased.

Along the road, vehicles were parked bumper to bumper for hundreds of meters, and in any slightly open spaces, there were piles of mineral water, bread, and instant noodles, a meter or two high.

Two field kitchens were already in place, belching white smoke; early arriving search team members would simply wash their hands and come over to eat.

One could say that these desolate wilds had never been so bustling before.

Yu Wenshu made a special trip by car. After Yuan Jiansheng had been captured, the major crisis was averted, and what remained was the normal process of handling the case.

The Jianyuan gang had a substantial number of members, with many part-timers or those involved as drug laborers; the special investigation team definitely wanted to capture everyone.

But Yuan Jiansheng refused to disclose the specific whereabouts of his gang members, so the only option left was a massive manhunt.

Still, upon arriving at the scene and seeing the lengthy convoy, Yu Wenshu felt a twinge of pain: "Xu Taining really knows how to spend."

This operation’s expenses were to be shared by the units involved, and the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment, having stronger capabilities than units such as the Qinghe City Bureau, took on more responsibilities.

"I heard he set up 7 checkpoints." Wan Baoming, who had come to review the personnel deployment of the forensic center, was equally impressed by Xu Taining’s capabilities, "With such spendings, he can’t afford not to produce results—higher-ups will have to ensure his success!"

Yu Wenshu understood what Wan Baoming meant but had a different view, saying, "With this scale of manpower deployment, if there’s one slip-up, there won’t be a next time. But seven checkpoints, is that necessary? Arranging 1000 vehicles?"

"Not that exaggerated; this is the biggest checkpoint. Director Xu thinks it’s most likely they’ll come from the north. This place should have one-third of the vehicles and manpower; the remaining six checkpoints total up to just two to three hundred vehicles. But the military police just dropped off their people and the vehicles went back; the numbers in the search teams should have already exceeded three thousand." Wan Baoming had specifically inquired about the situation, but even as he explained, it started to seem excessive to him.

"The number of personnel isn’t too much," Yu Wenshu remarked, then headed toward the largest tent.

The weather in Qinghe City might bring rain, and the tent served not only as shelter but also as a fully-equipped field command center; it was unclear whether this was an expense of Xu Taining or something arranged using military police resources.

The environment inside the tent was more comfortable, shielded from the sun and the wind. Yu Wenshu wiped his face upon entering and looked at Xu Taining, "Director Xu, you’re hosting another vehicle expo."

Xu Taining acknowledged and replied, "Using vehicles saves more money than using people."

Though correct, field kitchens could be deployed later; we could get by for a couple of days. Maybe we’d find them by then. Even our own searches and stakeouts are done under these conditions..." Yu Wenshu wasn’t truly frugal, but managing household expenses meant a fixed budget; spending on food and drink would mean less funds for solving the case. Field kitchens could be temporarily replaced with instant noodles, unlike the non-negotiable expenses for travel and accommodations when detectives go on trips.

As Yu Wenshu mentioned, during the first one or two days, everyone could make do with instant noodles, which wouldn’t be unacceptable. If it came to searching the mountains, the first two days wouldn’t delve too deep, and the supply of goods would be relatively abundant.

Xu Taining, with hands clasped behind his back, studied the map. After hearing Yu Wenshu’s words, he simply replied calmly, "If the search goes on for more than a week, the field kitchen will actually save you money. Really!"

Yu Wenshu was certain from his professional perspective that this wasn’t the first time Xu Taining had addressed this issue; he had even begun using the prospect of saving money as an enticement.

The usual Xu Taining would never mention saving money.

It was almost like Xu Taining’s poison.

"I don’t trust you one bit," Yu Wenshu could only play the fool. In the end, Xu Taining was spending his money, using his people, and won’t take responsibility for any mess left below. As long as he achieved his goal and turned around to leave, whatever Yu Wenshu said would be futile.

"The key now is to find some clues, at least to confirm that his gang members are within the encirclement, especially the main force. Next, we need to determine their direction," Xu Taining also had his concerns.

He could make a blockade impervious, but if the target wasn’t inside, it would become a joke.

Furthermore, while Xu Taining could now seal off the area surrounding Qinghe City, the cost was extremely high, and the pressure from society was significant. And a blockade-only approach, without searches, is meaningless.

Thus, what Xu Taining needed most now was to obtain partial clues about the target so he could turn the city-wide blockade into an area-specific one. Then, he could reallocate the saved manpower to search the mountains.

Of course, Xu Taining also had a backup plan: with absolutely no clues, he could call up three to four times more people to conduct both a blockade and mountain search—blockades were unsustainable over the long term and could only last for a few days. If the detectives didn’t produce results in this time, he would have to rely on himself.

Once this scale of search operation started, there was no possibility of stopping, for to halt would be tantamount to declaring failure.

However, even Xu Taining wouldn’t casually double or triple the budget without good reason.

Xu Taining checked his watch and said, "We need to hurry. If we have to adjust our deployment, it’ll take at least two hours. To be on the safe side, we cannot make any changes to our defensive positions three hours before nightfall. An extra night will significantly increase our expenses."

"Let’s see if the search dogs can go online in time," Yu Wenshu could only wait.

The chemical factory was rife with interference, and Jianyuan covered a vast area. Even though several search dogs were deployed, the search for Yuan Yushan and the others was not going smoothly.

Nevertheless, Yu Wenshu and his team were experienced and knew it was only a matter of time before they found traces of Yuan Yushan and the others; it was just a matter of when...

"Jiang Yuan is there," Yu Wenshu offered some consolation to Xu Taining.

With a grunt of acknowledgment, for Xu Taining, Jiang Yuan was a double-edged sword. Without Jiang Yuan, he lacked clues, and with Jiang Yuan... the last time, Jiang Yuan had solved the case while Xu was still setting up his dragnet!

...

Meanwhile.

Jiang Yuan followed Dazhuang down to the basement.

The pitch-black Dazhuang moved lightly in the dark basement, with an almost spectral grace.

Similar to the other search dogs, the myriad of scents from the drug factory affected it, causing it to wander restlessly at the feet of its handler, never quite ready to spring into action.

For the search dogs, this was a particularly uncomfortable state. Their noses were assaulted with unpleasant smells, and a sense of frustration built up as they struggled to work.

It was only because the dogs were well-trained and resilient. If a thief had been prowling from dawn to dusk without stealing a thing, and being scolded to boot, they would have long since given up and scampered off.

"Woof!"

Dazhuang walked a little, lingering in circles, then sniffed around a pillar, moving much like a pet dog out for a stroll.

Jiang Yuan found it somewhat amusing. He took a few steps forward, only to spot a set of footprints at the very spot Dazhuang had been sniffing.

The basement of Jianyuan was cleaned by special little carts, making dust scarce and leaving few footprints. However, the footprints near the pillar were somewhat more distinguishable.

"Crime scene lamp," Jiang Yuan called out as he stood firm.

Mu Zhiyang quickly took off the crime scene lamp he was carrying on his back.

After adjusting the light source of the lamp and finding the right position to place it, several distinct footprints appeared, one of which matched the sole pattern of Zambella’s shoes.

"Ahead," Jiang Yuan pointed, and including Li Li and Dazhuang, everyone followed him forward.

They reached a manhole cover after just a few dozen steps.

"Notify the surface, we’re going down," Jiang Yuan didn’t hesitate anymore.

"I’ll go first," Mu Zhiyang lifted the manhole cover, shone a flashlight down, and slowly climbed down the ladder against the shaft wall.

Li Li silently picked up a bag to let Dazhuang climb inside.

Then Li Li, with Dazhuang on her back, descended the shaft.

"This is definitely the place." As soon as Jiang Yuan descended, he immediately found footprints belonging to Yuan Yushan on the ground.