National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 726 - 669: The Reasoning Clan

Chapter 726: Chapter 669: The Reasoning Clan

"Regarding the investigation conducted by the Zhengguang Bureau, have you questioned the residents near the body disposal site? Any progress?" Liu Jinghui asked, having gleaned information from the case files, but was aware that many details wouldn’t be updated in real time.

Wang Chuanxing sat up straight and said, "There have been some unusual reports, such as noises heard at night, the sound of a motorcycle, someone flying a drone, and sightings of an electric tricycle coming and going... In fact, there are a lot of witnesses, but so far, there’s nothing that can be used as evidence."

"What’s the situation with the electric tricycle?" Liu Jinghui asked. Transportation was a key point in cases of body disposal. No one would transport three bodies without a vehicle.

Wang Chuanxing said, "We’ve checked the records of this resident, who has reported the tricycle multiple times for dumping garbage."

"Really?"

"Yes. The tricycle is unlicensed and untraceable; we hadn’t found it before. This time we sent someone to stake it out, and the driver, who runs a shop nearby, has already been penalized."

"Did the drone capture anything?"

"No."

"The motorcycle?"

"Ghost Fire Boy."

"Anything else? Feel free to share anything else you have," Liu Jinghui wasn’t in a rush; he knew that final answers don’t come with just one question.

Wang Chuanxing checked his notes, cleared his throat, and said:

"Half a year ago, for a period of time, there were often multiple people entering the vacant lot at noon and not leaving until evening. Later, it was confirmed they were workers from a nearby market who came to play cards during their lunch break."

"Several residents reported burglaries, with losses ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands of yuan, only cash and jewelry were taken. After fingerprint analysis and inquiries, it was the work of a gang coercing local youths into committing the crimes."

"Some residents claimed that there were strangers sneaking around, watching and taking photos, but it turned out to be a false report. The ones taking photos and watching were street office workers wearing their badges..."

Wang Chuanxing read for two to three minutes before stopping, then he gave a wry smile and said, "This vacant lot has been empty for more than two years, almost three. There have been several rumors about redevelopment, and some people even try to pressure the street office and district government into starting demolition by using the police’s name."

"In Beijing, demolition can mean a lot of money," Liu Jinghui paused before asking, "Is there an actual plan for redevelopment?"

"Not in the short term," Wang Chuanxing had also asked about this matter.

"We can continue to investigate this angle, keep questioning and ask more in-depth questions. Transporting three bodies and digging holes to bury them would be very difficult for just one person. With multiple people involved, it could easily lead to mistakes, and timing would be hard to manage. It would be easy to get caught during daytime, and working at night without any light is not an option either."

Liu Jinghui spoke with strong logic and could clearly articulate his points.

The detectives from Jiang Yuan’s Cold Case Squad were invigorated. Frankly speaking, working on cases with Jiang Yuan gave them a strong sense of achievement, albeit not an overwhelming one.

They had solved numerous cases, bringing justice to many victims and comforting many families. To date, some of the arrested criminals had begun to be executed sequentially, marking significant accomplishments.

However, Jiang Yuan’s method of solving cases was always a head-on approach, using expert skills and solid evidence to capture both the smart and the foolish criminals. This felt a bit like electrofishing: did they catch fish? They did, and quite a few, but the method was inelegant, far from stylish.

But Liu Jinghui’s approach was more like angling, perhaps even the technique-intensive sport of lure fishing, holding a rod elegantly without needing bait, impressing with skillful moves.

If you asked the detectives of Jiang Yuan’s Cold Case Squad what they aspired to be, it was naturally to be like Jiang Yuan. But the sense of achievement they felt when involved in cases with Liu Jinghui was genuinely greater.

Liu Jinghui listed several points to note in one go, then turned to Jiang Yuan with a smile and said, "Sorry for talking so much all at once."

"Let’s follow Director Liu’s direction. It’s good," Jiang Yuan truly believed that Liu Jinghui’s investigative approach was sound. The bodies didn’t provide much information, so canvasing was a pretty good strategy.

Before the advent of surveillance cameras and DNA technology, many cases were solved in this manner. Hence they say a detective needs a good pair of legs, as house-to-house visits used to take a long time. If there had been a pedometer leaderboard back then, every detective would be an outstanding member of their family.

Jiang Yuan’s Accumulated Case Team detectives each went about their tasks, while Liu Jinghui sat down next to Jiang Yuan, sighed softly, and asked in a low voice, "Jiang Yuan, what’s your take on this case?"

"The technique is seasoned, and the crime scene has been thoroughly cleaned up, with hardly any mess; finding direct evidence is going to be quite difficult," Jiang Yuan shook his head slightly.

Liu Jinghui nodded slowly: "This case still poses quite a challenge."

"Hmm."

"The murder happened over two years ago and the killer hasn’t been caught; they’ve had plenty of time to refine their skills," Liu Jinghui paused before continuing, "If they have altered their appearance and are continuing to commit crimes or have stopped altogether, for us to catch them... honestly, I’d say to another detective squad... the difficulty is incredibly high."

"The murderer can eliminate their own traces, but it’s very difficult, if not impossible, to get rid of all the information from the body itself. I’ll have another look at the body," Jiang Yuan’s approach remained technically focused.

Liu Jinghui said, "It would certainly help if we could identify the source of the body."

This indicated that Liu Jinghui also didn’t have a solid idea for the moment. Of course, there was nothing surprising about it; seasoned criminals knew well that once they got past the police’s initial routine investigation, they could elude capture for a long time.

Mastering an investigative technique is hard work, and if the current methods are inapplicable or ineffective, the difficulty of the case increases tenfold. Some younger detectives might only be familiar with one or two methods of investigation, and when these prove ineffective, they have little to fall back on besides their fervor.

"Let’s go for dinner first, and meanwhile, meet the people from the special case team," Jiang Yuan made arrangements for Liu Jinghui.

Being a forensic doctor, his priority was dealing effectively with corpses, but Liu Jinghui, as a reasoning expert, inevitably had to interact with people, especially with detectives of all ranks, otherwise, what would be the point of making him run around investigating all by himself? Even pairing him with a Watson would be in vain.

When Jiang Yuan offered to dine, it was the most complete gathering outside of the official meetings of the special case team.

Moreover, they were going to eat special produce delivered from the Jiang Family farm, including beef, mutton, poultry, fish, and vegetables, all fresh and appealing.

Having been out of town for the last couple of months, Liu Jinghui sat down at the table and couldn’t help asking after hearing Jiang Yuan’s introduction, "When did your family start raising fish?"

"Fish from the reservoir," Jiang Yuan paused before adding, "a small reservoir, but we had to buy it to ensure a stable water supply for the farm."

"Then they really are your own fish," Liu Cheng commented with a couple of clicks of his tongue and quickly took a few bites of fish to neutralize the acid in his stomach.

As the meal progressed, Li Haochen, who was sitting across, swapped places to sit next to Liu Jinghui and asked in a subdued voice, "Director Liu, how do you see this case?"

Li Haochen and Cui Xiaohu, both officers from the ministry, had previously visited Ningtai County to work on cases with Jiang Yuan and were acquainted with Liu Jinghui as well.

He shared some similarities with Liu Jinghui in that both made a living through deduction, but unlike Liu Jinghui’s relatively relaxed and free status in the provincial office, young people in the ministry faced tremendous pressure and had high expectations for themselves.

Liu Jinghui gave Li Haochen a smile, took a sip of beer, and laid out the investigative approach he had discussed with Jiang Yuan - there was nothing to hide. The purpose of this meal was to integrate into the special case team and work together to crack the case.

If we go by the usual standards, for a case of this level, Liu Jinghui reckoned the special case team would be running at full capacity for over three or four months. If there was significant pressure from various quarters and the case was complex enough, it could be possible for the team to operate for half a year; of course, this was under the scenario of an investigation not going smoothly.

If progress were smooth, naturally, the case would be solved as soon as possible, followed by a celebration and a farewell party.

Li Haochen had a keen interest in this case and was also here to assist in his capacity as a ministry officer. Now, listening to Liu Jinghui’s analysis, he nodded thoughtfully, considering for a while before slowly saying, "If I were the killer, I would definitely have a flexible short-range tool to abandon the body here. Otherwise, it would be safer and more convenient to bury it a bit farther out in the suburbs, wouldn’t it?"

"Indeed, killing someone in the city and burying the body is somewhat challenging; the killer must have buried the body at least twice, suggesting there must be something special about that place," Liu Jinghui agreed with a nod.

"But there’s also a possibility that I could lure the victim... I mean, if I were the killer, I could invite the victim onto the grounds for some reason, kill them, and then collect their clothing and other items to take away..." Li Haochen delved into the discussion.

Liu Jinghui replied, "That would require avoiding surveillance footage, and the victim might not cooperate."

"Not necessarily, what if I lured them under the guise of some sexual game?"

"Are you young people really playing that wild these days?" Liu Jinghui had come to understand the unrestrained thinking patterns of the younger generation.