National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 761 - 704: Hunting the Culprit

Chapter 761: Chapter 704: Hunting the Culprit

Qi Changye trudged through the mud, one deep step followed by a shallow one.

He wasn’t actually skilled at tracking down enemies; in fact, he hadn’t had many opportunities to learn or practice such techniques. Most of the time, Qi Changye’s work involved communication or, occasionally, helping colleagues clean up their cases.

But this time, he had moved a little too quickly, so fast that colleagues from other departments hadn’t even had time to react before he had the chance to show off his skills.

It was just his luck to run into a downpour.

Qi Changye looked up at the sky, wiped the water from his face, and then continued to trudge forward with his head down.

Deep down, Qi Changye had a sense that he probably wouldn’t catch the suspect. The person had clearly received professional training and might even be a former special forces member. Considering that his own side had only suffered two injuries so far, they were lucky.

However, Qi Changye still wouldn’t give up. As long as he was in pursuit, the suspect, feeling the pressure, would have fewer options, making it easier for others to track him down.

What Qi Changye feared most was alerting the suspect, allowing him to flee a thousand miles away—that would be a real problem.

The criminals they were trying to apprehend weren’t like ordinary suspects; many of them had complete sets of fake IDs, backup phone numbers, and mobile phones. Once they decided to flee, it would be very difficult to capture them again.

Thinking this, Qi Changye also encouraged his companions, saying, "Let’s hold on a bit longer; backup might arrive at any moment."

"As long as we hold out until the rain stops, we can send for a helicopter." His companion pretended to be optimistic as well.

Qi Changye nodded emphatically. Despite being scattered, the other police officers in Jingji were numerous. Given the slightest chance, they could quickly form a cordon.

The rain, however, continued to pour even harder.

The three of them supported each other, struggling to move forward, until... they lost their way.

o’clock at night.

Covered in mud, Qi Changye knocked on the door of Jiang Yuan’s residence, his shoes squelching, his trousers rustling, and while shaking his hair, he rapped on the door.

"Is it Da Hai with the drinks? Let me tell you, even in a drinking game, you need the right booze!"

"Someone brought peanuts, right?"

"Hurry back and drink; don’t think of ditching us..."

When the door opened, the strong scent of alcohol and meat mixed with the stinky human odor and the smell of leftovers, alongside the lively noises brimming with vitality and joy.

With his body chilled to the bone, Qi Changye felt as if he had entered another world for a moment.

"Who are you?" The officer who opened the door didn’t recognize Qi Changye, but seeing that he was wearing a police uniform underneath his raincoat, he still called for Jiang Yuan.

Upon seeing him, Jiang Yuan quickly welcomed Qi Changye inside and asked, "What happened? Do we need to call a doctor?"

"No need. Are you... having a party?" Qi Changye was somewhat unsettled.

Jiang Yuan smiled and replied, "My dad cooked some beef and asked me to invite colleagues over to eat. Then we started drinking beer, and here we are. Is there something wrong?"

"Hmm." Qi Changye nodded.

"Then let’s go to the study," Jiang Yuan suggested, leading Qi Changye inside.

Qi Changye passed through the entryway and found himself unable to move any further.

The massive, towering mound of meat captivated him with an absolute visual shock, locking his gaze firmly in place.

Qi Changye hadn’t eaten a bite since noon, having only gulped down some rainwater. He had traversed several mountains, his mental stress reaching a peak.

"Director Qi, come have a drink, eat something." Liu Jinghui didn’t need any high-level reasoning; Qi Changye’s expression said it all.

Qi Changye sighed and ultimately shook his head, saying, "Business comes first."

Swallowing hard, Qi Changye followed Jiang Yuan into the study.

After taking a seat and looking around, Qi Changye said, "Today, I went to apprehend a suspect related to remote-controlled electronic cigarettes."

"Oh? Found it already?" Jiang Yuan was a bit surprised, as the efficiency was quite high.

Qi Changye nodded and said, "The remote control definitely has to have a range, and it only works if it explodes while the victim is using the electronic cigarette. So, it was necessary to have visual contact with the victim’s room. Based on these two points, we checked the surveillance on the two buildings opposite and identified several suspects..."

Qi Changye licked his lips, then shook his head, saying, "In short, the suspect was not successfully apprehended, and all their identity information turned out to be fake, so I had to come back."

"With your efficiency being so high, the suspect wouldn’t have had time to clean the room, right? You should have been able to find fingerprints or DNA," Jiang Yuan said. In most criminal cases, finding either of those two things meant the case was half solved.

However, Qi Changye was not so optimistic, and with resignation, he said, "We found DNA, and it matches with the previous two cases, but there is no matching subject."

Jiang Yuan thought about it from Qi Changye’s perspective and also found it quite challenging.

In modern society, it’s incredibly difficult for an ordinary person to evade a powerful authority’s pursuit, but the most challenging part is just at the beginning. Once you successfully leave the crime scene and understand and blend into the local environment, when you’re caught depends on luck and your own willpower.

But if there’s an organized flight, the pressure falls on the side of the police.

If you have complete identification, a phone, some money, and know a bit about makeup, you essentially have a fifty to sixty percent chance of success. Afterward, it’s all about the strategies chosen by both sides and whether they can be resolutely executed.

The suspect that Qi Changye was looking for met all these criteria.

Now that he had escaped, it was like a fish slipping into the sea; trying to catch it again was easier said than done.

Seeing Jiang Yuan silent, Qi Changye sighed and said, "Captain Jiang, I’m out of options here. This suspect is connected to multiple leads. If we let him go, or even if he’s silenced, this case could be ruined."

Jiang Yuan spread his hands: "It’s hard for a clever woman to cook without rice."

Qi Changye clenched his teeth and said, "I can ask the higher-ups for permission for you to review the evidence involved in this case..."

"The previous evidence, does it have anything about the suspect we’re tracking now?"

Qi Changye hesitated and said, "No."

Jiang Yuan thought, just as expected, it was a complete cold case.

"Then there’s not much I can do," Jiang Yuan said frankly.

"Now I’m the one who can’t do anything," Qi Changye said with a wry smile, then added, "Captain Jiang..."

"Even to look at the files, I still need Director Huang’s permission," Jiang Yuan still needed Huang Qiangmin to back him up, otherwise, who knows what kind of case Qi Changye had brought over.

Qi Changye readily agreed.

Jiang Yuan thus didn’t dwell on it further and went out of the study to sit at the table and partake in the meal.

Qi Changye wolfed down his food, finally getting a bit of satisfaction.

After making a phone call and discussing for a long time with Tao Lu, Huang Qiangmin finally received confirmed news, which he then explained to Jiang Yuan.

With confirmation on this side, and Qi Changye having eaten his fill, he asked Jiang Yuan, "Where do we start?"

"If there’s a crime scene, we start there," Jiang Yuan did not have any special requests, sticking to very conventional operations.

Qi Changye felt a hint of disappointment, although he wasn’t sure what exactly he had been hoping for. Perhaps because the prior two times, Jiang Yuan had solved the cases in mere moments, raising his expectations too high?

"Shall we leave now?" Qi Changye turned back to Jiang Yuan and asked again.

"Oh, wait a moment," Jiang Yuan said, slightly lowering his head so that his facial expression couldn’t be seen.

In front of him, what actually appeared was a pale blue interface from the system:

Mission: Apprehend the Criminal

Mission Content: An experienced criminal with high anti-investigative capabilities must be brought to justice!

Mission Reward: Skull Restoration Skill +1