National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 764 - 707 Girlfriend

Chapter 764: Chapter 707 Girlfriend

Drip.

Huang Qiangmin pressed the code to unlock the door, entered, and asked, "Have they left? Is Director Qi here?"

Mu Zhiyang, hearing the noise, hurried out and said, "Director Qi is inside, asleep and snoring away."

Upon hearing this, Huang Qiangmin indeed detected a faint snoring sound coming from the bedroom.

"Seems he’s sleeping pretty soundly," Huang Qiangmin chuckled, then asked, "Nothing else was said after that, right? Jiang Yuan didn’t deal with him, did he?"

"What else could there be? I just didn’t expect them to be so flat broke," said Mu Zhiyang, grinning as if he himself had made a sale.

Huang Qiangmin waved his hand and said, "Nobody’s funds are overflowing. Not having to cover last year’s shortfall with this year’s budget is already an upturn."

As he spoke, Huang Qiangmin stood tall and straight. In this past year, he had built up the Ningtai County Bureau more than the previous ten years combined; if there were a "Bureau Chronicles," it would only be fair to write that his "contributions were indeed immense."

Huang Qiangmin smiled to himself, then asked, "And, where’s Jiang Yuan?"

"Catching up on sleep, gathering his energy. Should I go wake him?"

"Call Director Qi first. Let him take a shower and wake up, then we’ll talk."

Even Mu Zhiyang showed a look of pity, "Director Qi just fell asleep. Waking him now might just kill him."

"It’s fine, their bereavement benefits are generous," said Huang Qiangmin, not preparing to wait. Not to mention if the case could wait or not, Qi Changye’s attempt to poach someone didn’t entitle him to lounge high in the Jiang residence, sleeping with thunderous snores.

Mu Zhiyang, receiving the order, went to wake Qi Changye.

Huang Qiangmin brewed himself a pot of tea, leisurely sipping, when Wu Jun and Jiang Fuzhen joined him, one after another. They were like different breeds of fish in a river, the kind that needn’t worry about being snatched away in a crocodile’s casual bite.

Soon, from the room where Qi Changye was sleeping, angry howls could be heard.

The voice of Qi Changye was clear and distinct:

"I’ve only slept for a short while, can’t one get a full night’s rest?"

"What a grudge."

"I haven’t slept for two days."

"Even if the Jade Emperor himself arrived, I wouldn’t care!"

Latter, Qi Changye still emerged, freshly washed and slightly unsteady on his feet, but his expression not quite in a daze.

"Old Huang, is there something so urgent that we must discuss it now?" Qi Changye asked unhappily as he took his seat on the other side of the tea table.

"Jiang Yuan needs to arrange his schedule," said Huang Qiangmin calmly as he brewed tea, pouring a cup for Qi Changye before continuing, "This time was an exceptional circumstance, and we tried our best to accommodate you. Everyone is happy with the smooth progress of the case, but if you continue to need Jiang Yuan’s involvement, you first need his agreement. Secondly, you have to arrange a time. He cannot be at your beck and call anymore. Some units have been waiting for several months already. It’s first-come-first-served, which is why I had Mu call you to get up..."

"Then I’ll reserve for the next three months!" Qi Changye immediately said.

"It doesn’t work like that," Huang Qiangmin chuckled, then suggested, "If you don’t have a lot of case work, I recommend you arrange by the number of cases. Complete one and tally one. That way, you won’t lose out, and our pressure is also lessened."

"Then let’s arrange for three cases," Qi Changye responded.

Huang Qiangmin nodded, "Then we’re looking at starting from the second half of next year, handling the three cases one by one?"

"Next year... How could it be next year!" Qi Changye almost laughed, but his expression changed immediately because Huang Qiangmin did not seem to be joking.

"So I’m saying there’s a time crunch, even if I help you push it forward, it would still be next year..." Huang Qiangmin muttered, as if he were truly helping Qi Changye schedule something.

"Wait a minute... If we’re talking about working on one case at a time, we haven’t even finished our current case yet." Qi Changye, who had not slept in a long while, was thinking sluggishly, only just realizing the loophole in Huang Qiangmin’s words.

Huang Qiangmin immediately countered, "The criminal has been caught; how can you say the case is not finished! You can’t pull out one clue and say it’s part of the same case."

"It is the same case," said Qi Changye with effort, catching his breath. "The criminal has been captured, but our case doesn’t just revolve around catching the criminal. Moreover, the criminal’s contacts above and below are still hidden. Even if we can’t catch them all at once, we still need to capture the key figures inside to consider it complete."

Huang Qiangmin frowned, "How many people would that be? Wait, I’ll call Tao over."

Qi Changye’s face reddened, and with a cough, he said, "We can discuss it ourselves, no need to share a piece with him."

"Tao’s cases on this side, the recent ones, have all been solved in a matter of days, a little over a week at most." Huang Qiangmin glanced at Qi Changye and continued, "If your case goes on this long, it’s not just a matter of how much time is spent; all the subsequent arrangements will be thrown into disarray."

Qi Changye had countless retorts but ultimately decided against voicing them. After all, it was all official business. As a small cog in the machine who just passed orders up and down, there was no need to quibble over such details. The higher-ups could do the talking.

Tao Lu arrived quickly.

In theory, he was still Qi Changye’s direct superior, so Tao Lu had also brought along the political commissar, the squad leader Liu Cheng, and Cui Qishan. The group mixed together, talking in a messy and lively manner.

The loudness of the conversation eventually woke Jiang Yuan.

"Did we wake you?" Seeing Jiang Yuan come out, Huang Qiangmin waved and said, "We’re just discussing the case with Director Qi. It seems there might be some follow-up work to do."

Jiang Yuan, recalling the unfinished task, nodded immediately, "I was also thinking there might be some loose ends to this case."

Jiang Yuan sat down at the tea table, drank two cups of tea, and sighed with relief.

Qi Changye couldn’t hold back his curiosity and eagerly asked, "Do you have any leads?"

Jiang Yuan slowly nodded and said, "I looked over the case file yesterday and examined the crime scene photos again, and I’ve got a bit of an idea..."

Qi Changye sat upright, listening intently. Crime scene investigation wasn’t only carried out by Jiang Yuan; others also did their work, but if their findings didn’t guide the investigation, they would only get an "Appreciate your efforts." But if someone like Jiang Yuan could come up with clues and leads to break a case, naturally, he had to be held up with respect and admiration.

In terms of managing expressions, Qi Changye definitely had some strength.

Tao covered his face with a hand and turned his head towards Jiang Yuan.

"I’ve noticed something. The criminal must have spent a lot of time observing the victim, mostly staying indoors, and he used the dumbbells and other simple fitness equipment quite frequently," Jiang Yuan paused, then continued, "Also, in the bathroom, there are facial cleanser, sunscreen, face cream, serum, and other skincare products... Plus, he regularly bought luxury items like Zegna clothes and shoes. That seems quite excessive for a single man, doesn’t it?"

Qi Changye immediately caught on, "Are you saying he had a mistress?"

Jiang Yuan found it distasteful, "It could also be a girlfriend."

"A girlfriend wouldn’t stay away from home without leaving a trace. Impossible! It could only be a mistress, maybe even a married woman!" Qi Changye, acting as if he was well-versed in such matters, nodded slightly and said, "Indeed, the guy isn’t bad-looking, over six feet tall, well-exercised, and wearing Zegna. Finding women wouldn’t be hard for him!"

Whether the killer’s woman knew about his line of work or anything else was not discussed. Everyone was an experienced detective; they knew that some people truly could keep their lips sealed. But from another perspective, it’s natural for two people who spend a lot of time together, often sharing a bed, to know certain information about each other.

Whether or not the killer talked about it, the people close to him would always end up knowing something after spending time with him.

"Let me report this first." Qi Changye quickly stood up and made a phone call. Returning, he thought unconsciously: Jiang Yuan, twice now, has used the absence of evidence at the scene to make judgments. That’s a good method. I should learn this and won’t have to depend on others from now on!