National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 675 - 618 Achievements in Learning

Chapter 675: Chapter 618 Achievements in Learning

With An Zhiqiang’s testimony, it was sufficient to apply for the arrest of Zhang Yi.

But the key to deciding whether to bring charges was whether the subsequent evidence could keep up. Otherwise, when the time came, they would still have to release the person.

Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui, based on the evidence at hand, had assumed that the victim was Liu Hongbing, who collected clothing for a living. This was still risky, as much of it was speculative and based on facts from six years ago.

In a normal investigation, this sort of hypothesis wouldn’t be an issue—it was just a matter of forming bold conjectures and verifying them carefully.

As for now... there really was no difference; they still had to make bold conjectures and verify them carefully.

Wang Chuanxing was quickly dispatched to Jianjiang City to locate Liu Hongbing’s family and investigate the situation.

The investigation in Ningtai County was handed over to various individuals for implementation.

Liu Hongbing’s financial situation was given special attention.

This was because there were suspicions that Zhang Yi and Li Gan had received economic benefits, which might not be limited to cash.

One astonishing fact that might seem inconceivable to the average person is that many robbers, after committing a robbery, will demand the victim transfer money to their own bank account, Alipay, or WeChat. Furthermore, some will use the victim’s bank card to withdraw cash from an ATM.

Many robbers are caught in this way. Robbery is already a crime that’s difficult to solve, characterized by random acts, strangers, outdoor locations, and high tension among numerous other unfavorable factors—even though it is still a low-cost-effective criminal activity—it is a crime that significantly lowers the intelligence of the criminals, greatly increasing the solve rate of robbery cases.

Everyone hoped that Zhang Yi would conform in this respect as well.

Unfortunately, she did not.

In the early hours of the morning,

the special case team reconvened to report on their findings.

Disappointed by the feedback, Liu Jinghui surmised, "I think Zhang Yi is messing things up, it is the prudence of a female criminal. Otherwise, with Li Gan’s stupid behavior, how could it be so flawless. How about the mobile number?’

As this involved technical investigation, it was Liu Wenkai who interfaced, replying, "No result."

After a brief moment of contemplation, Liu Jinghui proposed, "I think we should proceed in two steps."

Everyone listened intently.

Liu Jinghui continued, "The first step is to interrogate Zhang Yi and Li Gan. They should be interrogated separately, and we need to design the interrogation questions carefully. We need to consider whether to use Liu Hongbing as a bluff, whether to spring a surprise with An Zhiqiang – these things need careful thought."

While speaking, Liu Jinghui looked over at Meng Chengbiao, who nodded somberly.

This was a very pragmatic and also very challenging request, and for Meng Chengbiao, an extraordinarily difficult challenge.

Liu Jinghui went on, "The second step is to assume the victim is Liu Hongbing. He must have gone to Zhang Yi’s home on his own initiative because it was a crime of passion, right. Otherwise, Zhang Yi and Li Gan would have likely arranged to meet him at a warehouse or somewhere similar – more convenient, safer."

"Liu Hongbing went to Zhang Yi’s home to collect old clothes or to talk, perhaps. What transportation did he use? And if he was dismembered, where was his body sent, and what transportation was used for that?"

Tang Jia had investigated the transportation and promptly said, "Liu Hongbing had an electric trike in Ningtai County and rented a storage unit. Usually, he’d collect items, deliver them to the storage, sort them with his spouse, and sell the better and newer clothes secondhand, while disposing of the rest in bulk."

Liu Jinghui raised his eyebrows: "His workload seems a bit too much."

"It’s said to be very tough, so he was planning to find a business partner in Ningtai County." Wang Chuanxing, who had rushed back overnight, shared what the wife of Liu Hongbing had said.

Liu Jinghui asked, "What kind of partner?"

"Liu Hongbing would provide the capital and labor, while the partner could contribute labor without capital, or they could split everything fifty-fifty. These were ideas from six years ago, which may have changed."

"So, it’s possible that the partnership negotiations failed," Liu Jinghui nodded slightly.

Tan Jing immediately agreed, "Possible. In a line of work that’s too hard to make money, partners are prone to conflict."

"Could there be other partners involved, or competitors? Who’s in Ningtai County currently in this business?" Captain Pang poked his head out of the complex field of legal botany to add thoughtfully.

As a captain of a criminal investigation team from a big city, his question was of high caliber.

"I’ll ask about that," Tan Jing promptly said.

"And Liu Hongbing’s previous warehouse. I wonder how his family dealt with it after reporting him missing. Are the items still there, were they sold by the family, or did someone flip them..." Liu Jinghui lined up the questions one by one:

"How was the lease dealt with?"

"Liu Hongbing’s WeChat, mobile phone, etc., must also be checked again. The previous investigation was based on a missing person’s framework, this time it can be considered from the perspective of homicide."

Tan Jing nodded again, taking note.

One question after another was thrown out, all waiting to be verified.

Taking advantage of the night, the team dispersed like petals, each blending into the local area like farmyard manure, silently carrying out their investigations.

Up to now, there hadn’t been much for Jiang Yuan to do.

The current investigation somewhat resembled searching for a needle in a haystack. It required the detectives’ relentless legwork; everything else had to be put aside.

Jiang Yuan simply grabbed a stool and sat down beside Pang Jidong.

Pang Jidong was here to learn, and had volunteered to study Legal Botany, but he still felt a bit inexplicably intimidated as Jiang Yuan approached.

Mainly because Jiang Yuan was too strong, and the content of Legal Botany was just too vast.

"Any questions?" Jiang Yuan asked casually.

Pang Jidong hesitated for a moment, then said, "There are quite a few questions."

"Let’s hear them."

So, Pang Jidong pulled out a notebook, opened it, and Jiang Yuan saw lines and lines of black characters, squiggling like earthworms, filling the pages.

In no time, Pang Jidong had buried Jiang Yuan in a slew of questions.

Were it not for the case being at a crucial stage, Jiang Yuan would have invoked a skill increase on the spot.

However, having questions was a good thing for learning. Jiang Yuan composed himself and began to answer each one.

The next morning.

After half a night’s sleep, Jiang Yuan woke up and came over to see everyone exchanging information.

The most important thing was the interrogation of Meng Chengbiao...

Meng Chengbiao was also seated in the middle of the meeting room, but with a benign smile on his face.

Great, as expected, nothing came out of the interrogation.

When it comes to life-or-death matters, people are generally unwilling to commit.

More news came from Liu Hongbing, and people like Wang Chuanxing continuously collected, organized, and turned it into documents to share with everyone.

Jiang Yuan opened and read it for a while, frowning.

The news from six years ago was full of speculations and forgetfulness, making the information gathered difficult to judge.

"So, do you feel the difficulty of dealing with a cold case now?" Liu Jinghui came over with a smile when he saw Jiang Yuan.

"It would be a bit better if we had the body," Jiang Yuan smiled back.

No matter how chaotic the external changes, the body itself is excellent evidence.

"I also want to find the body. If we can’t find the body, even the reasons for detaining Zhang Yi are not sufficient," said Liu Jinghui, pausing before adding, "According to the information feedback from everyone, Liu Hongbing’s electric tricycle is also missing. So I have this thought, how did they dispose of the body after dismemberment?"

"Carried it away with the electric tricycle?" Jiang Yuan responded naturally.

"Right, otherwise, even in chunks, the body would be quite heavy," Liu Jinghui nodded, "And since the electric tricycle had to be disposed of too, they couldn’t possibly bury the body nearby."

"Correct."

"Nobody has touched Liu Hongbing’s warehouse, or at least it’s unclear if it’s been touched. But I think, if Zhang Yi and Li Gan committed the crime, they would at least go to the warehouse to have a look."

Jiang Yuan’s eyes brightened at the suggestion.

Liu Jinghui stood up and started drawing several routes from Zhang Yi’s house to the warehouse on the map on the table, saying, "There are quite a few remote spots in between. Considering the body has not been found in six years, I think we need to prioritize the burial sites."

The focus of everyone’s gaze then fell on several parks in the center.

"How do we search for it?" Tan Jing felt a sense of frustration suddenly.

Captain Pang, Pang Jidong, who had been studying all day yesterday, looked at the map and suggested, "We could use forensic botany to locate potential burial sites!"