National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 763 - 706: Good

Chapter 763: Chapter 706: Good

Dawn.

On the balcony, the flowering crabapples exposed their tender, red leaves, glistening with sweet dew, their branches enticing the early-rising insects.

The pine trees in the community lazily stretched their needles. Just yesterday, they were thoroughly watered and, shielded by the surrounding buildings from wind and basking fully in the rain, they still liked to show off their needle-like shapes, as if to pretend they were in the wild, enduring heroes of cold and drought.

The homeowners, burdened with mortgages, walked briskly in their suits and leather shoes; they needed to set out before the morning rush to avoid being late.

A man in a dirty jacket, with bloodshot eyes and a limp, was walking against the tide of people, passing through the shadows of the pine trees, beyond the field of crabapples, and into the building at the center of the community.

Living room.

Thin wisps of blue smoke were already rising.

After bathing and changing his clothes, Wu Jun felt refreshed, and it seemed so casual for him to light three sticks of incense in the living room, timing it just right.

Knock, knock, knock.

Qi Changye knocked on the door and was first met with the long, lingering, and substantial scent of the incense.

Qi Changye blinked his eyes and suddenly felt a great urge to sleep through it all.

He had been running around again all of last night and, by his count, had almost gone two days without sleep. Although he hadn’t reached his limit, he was relying on sheer willpower and adrenaline to keep going.

"Where’s Jiang Yuan?" Qi Changye asked straight away.

"He’s still sleeping. If it’s urgent, I’ll wake him up," Wu Jun guessed it wasn’t urgent, or else a phone call would have sufficed. Making a trip here in person, with Wu Jun’s wealth of experience, was akin to the pride of a hen after laying eggs.

Indeed, Qi Changye swallowed and said, "It’s not urgent, let him sleep a bit longer; he’s had it tough, too, following up at the scene yesterday. I can wait a bit."

Actually, he wanted to sleep, but considering how drowsy he felt right now, he feared he wouldn’t wake up until evening.

Wu Jun chuckled and said, "In that case, it’s perfect, the chefs are starting to make breakfast. The chefs hired by Jiang Fuzhen are pretty skilled, and though there aren’t many varieties, the taste is good. You should try it."

As they spoke, four chefs in white uniforms and tall white hats filed out of a room, nodding at Wu Jun as they entered the respective Chinese and Western kitchens, taking their stations and busying themselves.

Qi Changye, who was worldly wise, was still a bit taken aback and decided to wait for breakfast, meanwhile wrinkling his nose and laughing, "The incense you lit smells quite nice. Is there a particular reason?"

"Nothing special, it’s just to help everyone concentrate and calm their minds, revitalizing and awakening the senses. Those asleep will naturally wake up upon smelling it, and it helps to rejuvenate and lighten the body," Wu Jun said with a calm smile, like a true master—which he really was, as his reputation had grown, his apprentice was exceptional, and his work was leisurely.

Qi Changye felt Wu Jun’s strong confidence and could not help but be slightly mesmerized, maybe too overtired to keep up with the conversation.

Soon, the chefs began to serve breakfast.

The police officers who woke up early gathered in the dining room automatically and voluntarily.

Four chefs bustled about, with the pastry chef even beginning to make bread in batches—these breads could be eaten not only by the officers living in Jiang Yuan’s house, but also by the members of the Cold Case Squad at the unit, who were quite fond of them. And it wasn’t just for breakfast, but for lunch, dinner, and even afternoon tea, making for a convenient and tasty choice.

This was very similar to what Jiang Fuzhen did in the village, except that it was carbohydrates instead of meat, and the chef wasn’t Jiang Fuzhen himself.

Jiang Yuan also preferred this kind of atmosphere. When there were many people outside, he left his bedroom and sat down in his usual spot, saying, "Mr. Zheng, I’ll have the savory porridge today, with fried dough sticks and a few dishes."

"Okay," the chef replied. "Today it’s a meat and vegetable porridge. I personally went to pick out the meat this morning; it’s really fresh. I’ll also prepare a couple of buns for you. I’ve got a piece of pork belly which I first boiled, then chopped, and now I’m steaming it; it’s sizzling with fat."

"Great," Jiang Yuan responded with a smile, and then noticed Qi Changye next to him, looking grubby.

Compared to the casual officers getting ready for work, Qi Changye looked like he had fallen on hard times, with messy hair and a dirty face, and his eyes were deep.

"Director Qi, when did you get here?" Jiang Yuan greeted him with a smile.

"Just arrived. I was out on a case last night. Shall we talk in the corner?" Qi Changye picked up his bowl and moved to another table.

Jiang Yuan had no choice but to follow and asked, "Did it go smoothly?"

"It did," Qi Changye perked up, quickly took a couple of gulps of soy milk to soothe his throat, and continued, "This guy has spent a few million at Zegna. We found his payment records and uncovered one of his deeper hidden identities. Then we got his email address and mobile number, sent a few probing emails, and the guy bit..."

Qi Changye, looking proud, added, "Actually, once we got to this point, he was pretty much trapped. There were so many ways to find him. There was also a problem with the address he used for sending packages. He probably felt this identity was too secure, and he used it too much. He thought using a neighboring community’s address and leaving it at Rookie Station would suffice. Naïve... Eventually, we even found him on the surveillance video, although it was no longer necessary by then."

Jiang Yuan didn’t quite understand the details of apprehension, but he was a bit curious, "Wasn’t it said that he ran off to the mountains? Did he go back again?"

Qi Changye’s face flushed for a moment, and after downing two more mouthfuls of soy milk, he said, "The scoundrel can certainly run, but he hadn’t finished his task. Moreover, he was confident his identity was secure, and indeed, it would have been really hard to find him. He didn’t expect the shoes he discarded to betray him, and that could only happen to households like yours..."

A pair of shoes costing seven or eight thousand, some even more expensive; ordinary people could hardly afford them, just like a family that has chefs for breakfast, clearly beyond the ordinary.

Jiang Yuan shook his head but didn’t explain.

To identify the shoe model required more than the LV5 footprint analysis and LV5 crime scene analysis skills—it depended largely on the LV2 trendy clothing recognition skill. Although it was only LV2, the content it covered far exceeded the requirement of recognizing the brand.

"So is the case closed now?" Jiang Yuan asked somewhat relieved.

"We’ve caught the person, but as for the entire case... We want to dig deeper. What do you say, Jiang Yuan? Join us?" Qi Changye was eagerly convincing. "Honestly, this case has widespread implications. The perpetrator’s motives and his previous work involve a broad spectrum. Uncovering it all would be extremely significant..."

"Solving criminal cases holds the same importance for society," Mu Zhiyang interjected without hesitation. "Director Qi, if you have a case, just contact Commissioner Huang. The case can be solved, and the societal impact will be just as significant."

"Commissioner Huang... your Commissioner Huang..." Qi Changye said, shaking his head, and then, with anger, took a big bite of a steamed bun, "Tao is no saint either."