National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 584 - 530 Reviewing Papers

Chapter 584: Chapter 530 Reviewing Papers

"Both of you, I’ll treat you to dinner tonight, we can enjoy some Ningtai County specialty dishes." Huang Qiangmin warmly invited them.

He had made similar invitations before, which Cui Xiaohu and Li Haochen politely declined.

This time, when Huang Qiangmin issued the invitation again, both of their gazes involuntarily fell on Jiang Yuan.

Some experts only need to be provided for during official business, while others truly emanate an irresistible charm, making people unconsciously want to be around them all the time...

"Let’s eat river fish together tonight." Jiang Yuan extended his own invitation.

He had seen through Huang Qiangmin’s intentions and, coincidentally, he was quite willing to cooperate.

The ministry indeed had many resources. Without looking too far, if he wanted to set up an additional laboratory or something of the sort, having the provincial level actors speak for him, and the Qinghe City Bureau putting in the lion’s share, the county bureau might be able to handle about a quarter of the costs by itself. But with the backing of the ministry, the county bureau might only need to cover an eighth, and the city bureau’s contribution could also be halved.

Moreover, the ministry could provide all sorts of interesting cases.

The creative power of a county city is limited but that of a province or a nation is truly extraordinary. Many people may spend months or even years conceiving crimes, then take time to practice and refine their plans before execution...

Bringing such individuals to justice is a small joy in a police officer’s career.

Receiving Jiang Yuan’s invitation, Cui Xiaohu and Li Haochen felt great satisfaction and quickly agreed.

They naturally wanted to get closer to Jiang Yuan.

Though the ministry is a lofty presence, concrete work must always be completed by those below. And most of these tentacles—their suction cups as loose as two-month-old masks—some can grip tightly but can’t handle heavy weights, or they might need to be placed for 24 hours or even longer to be effective.

Jiang Yuan was different, no waiting needed and he could handle extremely heavy loads, rendering his efficiency and capacity akin to that of a crane-level tentacle.

Seeing this, Huang Qiangmin smiled so hard his mouth almost flew off, thinking to himself that this must be what people refer to as "mutual rush towards each other". Truly beautiful.

Lunch was enjoyed at a riverside stall with delicious river fish.

Riverside stalls rely on relationships with fishermen to survive.

Those who maintain good relationships with fishermen receive more of the beautiful fish, which they can sell immediately or temporarily keep in fish enclosures.

This is an advantage that big hotels don’t have. Big hotels specialize in seawater tanks, housing seafood and lobsters from other regions, charging even more than big cities, catering to their own customer base.

Freshly caught river fish, full of bones and little meat, but the freshness is extraordinary.

Especially a two-pound coarse-scaled fish that was served, it was swiftly devoured by everyone within minutes.

"This coarse-scaled fish looks like a grass carp, but it tastes incredibly delicious." Cui Xiaohu praised while savoring the flavor.

"Fishermen also like to catch it, it feels good, a two-pound coarse-scaled fish feels like ten pounds in the water," Huang Qiangmin laughed as he explained, "Plus, the price of this fish is good too, one fish can cover the costs."

"This fish looks too much like a grass carp, if I caught it, I’d probably release it without realizing," said Cui Xiaohu.

"Its scales are much larger than those of a grass carp. You’ll recognize it after you see it enough times," Huang Qiangmin said with a smile.

"Could it simply be a kind of grass carp that, due to growing in a different environment, is like the crisp-fleshed bream of Guangdong?"

The crisp-fleshed bream is a grass carp that has been fed fava beans during cultivation, with no genetic difference, it’s only the differing environments that make the flesh become crisp and firm. By this logic, to say that human flesh is sour is scientifically inaccurate, or at the very least a gross generalization.

Jiang Yuan picked up a piece of cucumber with his chopsticks, cleared his mouth, and said, "The coarse-scaled fish is a carnivorous species, its habits are also different than those of grass carp. It’s rather fierce in the water."

"Oh, right, Captain Jiang is from Ningtai," Cui Xiaohu suddenly remembered.

"This is all thanks to Jiang Yuan’s influence, we wouldn’t have this coarse-scaled fish to eat. I’ve been here many times asking for it, and they always said they didn’t have any," Huang Qiangmin laughed.

"That’s because there really weren’t any, this was just a lucky coincidence," the stall owner, who happened to bring over a side dish, quickly explained.

After the owner left, Cui Xiaohu tentatively asked, "Do you know the stall owner, Captain Jiang?"

Jiang Yuan had no intention of hiding it and replied, "The land that the stall owner rents belongs to my family. So yes, we know each other."

"Huh?" Cui Xiaohu turned around and saw that the stall was scattered with dozens of tables and a kitchen of over a hundred square meters.

The land in the county city isn’t valuable, but for such a large area, the rent must be quite substantial.

Cui Xiaohu suddenly fell silent. In this way, Jiang Yuan was really not short on money.

There are many people in Beijing who are not short of money, and he knows such people, but he must say, dealing with such people is truly different.

At that moment, Huang Qiangmin smiled and said, "Jiang Yuan is rooted in his hometown, and he does live quite comfortably here. In fact, if Jiang Yuan wasn’t so driven, with the current situation in Ningtai, there would hardly be any cases to handle, and we could really spend our days clocking in at work and drinking after work."

"Yes..." Cui Xiaohu sighed deeply.

This guy doesn’t lack money and has technical expertise, and if he lacks ambition, he’s really a tough nut to crack. At least, he’s something that a simple kid like him can’t fathom.

Huang Qiangmin also noticed this, and said with a chuckle, "Actually, if the departments have case needs and give them to our Jiang Yuan to handle, that would be quite good. However, if we could screen the cases and pick those that are Jiang Yuan’s specialty, that would be ideal."

Cui Xiaohu said earnestly, "Of course, that’s precisely my job. Getting familiar with experts in various fields, finding the most suitable scope for everyone to excel in... preparing strength for solving major and serious cases is also part of our work..."

"Not bad at all..." Huang Qiangmin silently praised him as a naive child in his heart. However, for such a young man to be working in the departments, he must either have exceptional academic achievements or his family must have given him opportunities. Huang Qiangmin smiled and steered the conversation back to the dining table.

In the afternoon.

After a hearty meal, news from the Jingji area arrived, stating that the suspect had confessed and began to explain the criminal facts.

Cui Xiaohu came over to report the situation, saying, "The criminal is quite pitiful, unemployed at home, owing money on credit cards, unable to pay the mortgage. When the bank’s debt collection calls came, he grabbed a knife, thinking of robbing the people at the rural fair. But nowadays, people don’t carry much cash to the rural fair. He succeeded three times, only netting two thousand yuan, three mobile phones, a pair of headphones... The last time, he didn’t expect the other party to actually have money..."

Huang Qiangmin sighed, "These days, those who still think of robbing are all simplistic in thinking. A few thousand yuan worth of case value has attracted the department’s attention; that’s quite impressive."

"People still commit robbery, but to injure someone and continuously rob in Jingji area..." Cui Xiaohu shook his head. "This criminal is quite peculiar; he likes to rob tall people and then make them kneel and beg for mercy. In total, he committed four robberies, injured people three times, twice encountering resistance, and the last time, he actually stabbed someone to death..."

"He specifically targets those taller than him? He’s just wielding a dagger, not a gun. What was he thinking?"

"He must be obsessed with matchmaking. It’s not easy to find a match in the countryside, and the women all despise him for being too short. He must have been bullied often." Cui Xiaohu noticed Jiang Yuan’s height and quickly changed the subject, saying, "This case is essentially solved now. The sub-bureau leadership specifically asked me to express their gratitude to you..."

"You’re too kind," Jiang Yuan said.

Seeing that Jiang Yuan wasn’t upset, Cui Xiaohu silently praised him and continued, "There’s another case here. The main evidence left at the scene is footprints, and we would like to invite you to take a look."

Jiang Yuan glanced at Huang Qiangmin, who slowly nodded. Fishing doesn’t require haste, nor can one be reluctant to bait the hook. The bigger the fish you want to catch, the bigger the bait you should use.

Technical experts of average skill are plentiful in the departments, but Huang Qiangmin had seen those average experts, and there was a difference from Jiang Yuan’s expertise. Thus, Huang Qiangmin believed that, with a few more cases, Jiang Yuan would certainly become addicted and unable to stop!

Therefore, Jiang Yuan took the dossier to study.

The dossier, brought by special courier on a flight at noon, was the investigation dossier, commonly known as the vice dossier. It contained a vast amount of information and was supposed to record all evidence, documents, and processes that arose during an investigation.

Not counting the dozens of various decision documents and appraisal letters, just related to the evidence itself, there were "On-site Examination Records," site diagrams, site photographs, "Seized Item Lists," "Inspection Records" and photos, "Review Records" and photos, "Investigation Experiment Records" and photos, drawings...

The investigation dossier was confidential, not shown to suspects or lawyers; even the police from other departments often couldn’t access it if they wished to.

The fact that Cui Xiaohu was able to bring this dossier over indicated that he had trust in Jiang Yuan’s capabilities. The willingness of the original investigating unit to personally deliver the dossier showed that they were well aware of Jiang Yuan’s reputation.

So Jiang Yuan began to read the dossier in front of several people.

Huang Qiangmin called the three men to drink tea.

The police officer from the Jingji Hongqiao Sub-bureau who had delivered the dossier was a little uncomfortable but still sat down, took a few sips of tea, and glanced at Jiang Yuan, hesitatingly saying, "Otherwise, I’ll head back now, and if needed, I can come back in a few days..."

The vice dossier was much thicker than the main dossier, and it was normal to spend several days reviewing it.

However, Jiang Yuan had seen far too many such dossiers.

Whenever he ran off to other cities and counties for cases, there was never an instance when he couldn’t see the investigation dossier. Without access to the dossier, it would have been pointless to work on the case—as if he were a private detective.

Huang Qiangmin was also familiar with Jiang Yuan’s pace, so he persuaded the officer from the Hongqiao Sub-bureau, saying, "Captain Fang, since you’re here, let Jiang Yuan have a look at the dossier first. If there’s anything, it’s better to communicate directly. Later, when we’re off work, our bureau chief would like to personally entertain everyone."

Uncertain about which part had convinced them, the three settled down contentedly to sip their tea.

Jiang Yuan also began to read the footprints at the crime scene with ease.

According to the task force’s analysis, this was a case of burglary and murder in a rural home. The murderer might have been discovered by the victim or was just brutal in nature. He broke in by scaling the wall at night and bludgeoned the homeowner to death with a blunt object in bed.

Afterwards, the murderer casually ransacked the place, collecting a substantial amount of valuables, mainly some gold bars and jewelry that the homeowner had stored, along with a small amount of cash, mostly Yuan Shikai silver coins, as well as over thirty philatelic albums and yearbooks, and other collectibles.

It seemed the murderer’s motive for wealth was quite clear.

Of course, it was also a very slight possibility that the murderer targeted a specific individual and used theft as a cover. But judging from the thoroughness of the search, if it was just a disguise, it was far too earnest.

Also, the murderer likely wore gloves while committing the crimes, as the main evidence left at the scene included footprints from scaling the wall, a trail of footprints left in the courtyard, and a set of footprints in the soft ground outside the door as he left, along with suspected tire tracks from the motorcycle used by the murderer.

There were plenty of footprints and tire tracks, but the village wasn’t densely populated, mostly elderly people, and none matched the murderer. No clues arose from the victim’s social relations, and there was no information about the stolen goods being fenced, leaving the investigation at a standstill.

As per the task force’s analysis, it was as if the murderer was an infamous bandit from ancient times, coming from another place and fleeing afterward with almost no interaction with locals, leaving the police with nothing to pursue.

Whoosh whoosh.

As Jiang Yuan rapidly flipped through the photos, the noise attracted the uneasy attention of the several people present.