National Forensic Doctor
Chapter 822 - 763: Settlement in Silver and Goods

Chapter 822: Chapter 763: Settlement in Silver and Goods

The journey from point 1 to point 2 took about fifteen minutes.

In the night of Beijing, Wu Junhao, who was in car 2, and Jiang Yuan, in car 1, sped along and finally arrived at the foot of a shopping mall that was undergoing renovation.

Once in the parking lot, Jiang Yuan immediately understood the predicament of team two.

In the early hours of the morning, the mall was buzzing with renovations at multiple stores, with hundreds of workers busily at work, continually moving materials with carts and elevators.

The noise inside the mall was not loud, but there were plenty of people, and a large number of color steel houses could be seen throughout.

Likely for fear of theft or injury to passersby, the periphery of the mall was surrounded by soft barricades. One could get by, but doing so would surely draw attention and bring things to a halt. Furthermore, there were guards stationed at the real entry points.

Whether the police revealed their identity or entered directly, the target would be alerted to some extent. And in a mall at night, there were simply too many potential escape routes.

Not to mention the sprawling staircases, in the middle of the renovation there were ropes used for moving goods, and nearby large stores had their own internal staircases. If the target decided to imitate Jackie Chan, with just team two’s ten people, they might really end up being taken for a walk.

The critical issue was that the location of target number three, Liu Xichen, had not yet been confirmed.

Seeing Wu Junhao and Jiang Yuan arrive, the captain of team three breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly said, "I sent Liuchi and Dangong inside, both armed and in plain clothes. I gave the order to capture Liu Xichen if possible, or if not, just to confirm his position and status before withdrawing."

"Isn’t Liu Xichen a contractor? At this time, shouldn’t he be asleep?" asked Wu Junhao, glancing at his watch. The target’s location was determined through his cellphone first, and then they began to gather indirect information.

"We’ve found out that Liu Xichen often likes to play cards at the construction site," said the deputy captain, pausing before changing his tone. "It’s uncertain where he is playing cards now. The personnel inside are rather mixed up, coming from various construction teams, and many workers are temporary hires. A lot of people do not recognize Liu Xichen, but there are definitely workers inside who are familiar with him."

"You were right not to launch a direct assault," said Wu Junhao, checking his watch. "There’s still plenty of time, no need for direct action. How long have Liuchi and Dangong been inside?"

"About ten minutes."

"Hmm. So, your plan is to confirm the location before going in for the capture?" Wu Junhao asked.

If they were to go in directly, the safest plan would be to cordone off the entire area like they do at a bar, blocking front and back doors, watching over gates and windows, and then moving in for the arrest.

The construction site environment might be more complicated, but as long as they reveal their identity, the workers definitely would not get involved. This plan has the highest margin for error, but for a mall of this size, it’s feared that it would take a force of hundreds to be feasible.

Capturing him after confirming his location would make the current number of personnel sufficient. The police could quickly enter the premises, find a small space to surround, and then move in for the arrest. Or they could be more wild and just storm in for the capture, not bothering with blockades or control.

But while this might be effective against ordinary people, Liu Xichen could potentially have received special training. Although it’s not clear whether he has or how well he has been trained, or even what condition he’s in now. With all the iron shovels, hammers, nail guns, and chainsaws at a construction site, what if he turned them into weapons, and it turned into a scene out of a Jackie Chan movie?

This would be more than just a risk of injury or accidental harm, there’s also the fear that the target might just escape, or someone might film a short video and upload it, then big data spreads it to certain people...

By then, they might not have captured the target, have injured police officers, have an incomplete mission, and even possibly alarm the suspects unknown to the police...

Wu Junhao’s first squadron was responsible for making arrests year-round and did not always have to bulldoze their way through.

Looking at Jiang Yuan at his side, Wu Junhao thought and said, "We trick him into coming out for the arrest. You mentioned someone manages the entrance, right? What do they manage?"

"Mostly the inflow and outflow of materials. How much goes in, they weigh it, how much comes out, they weigh that too, then they wash the tires and such," the deputy captain replied, having not been there long but already relatively knowledgeable about the situation.

Wu Junhao nodded: "We’ll find him. Go together with Captain Fang? We’re not familiar with Beijing, and our credentials aren’t suitable. Maybe ask local police station colleagues to come over?"

Making a phone call could be very simple, but it could also easily be seen through.

Fang Peimao didn’t refuse and nodded, "Let’s go together."

The two men then adjusted their clothes, donned some casual outerwear, and went together to the construction site entrance to find the materials manager responsible for the inflow and outflow.

The others split into several teams, each controlling strategic points, with Jiang Yuan following behind Mu Zhiyang, both taking up positions at the main entrance.

At this time, there were only a dozen or so police officers on-site, not enough to speak of any place being safer, and no one was overseeing them. In fact, even Liu Jinghui, who should have been commanding from the rear, was on the scene.

The materials manager was a local young man. Seeing Fang Peimao’s flashed badge, he was extremely excited. He glanced at the vague silhouettes of nearby officers, spat, and said eagerly, "Alright, you just knock it. I’ll definitely trick him into coming out."

"Don’t get too excited, act as usual," advised Fang Peimao.

"Don’t worry, just like always," responded the materials manager, then assured solemnly, "Guaranteed to complete the mission."

"Be as normal as you can, as normal as you can."

"Rest assured," said the materials manager before he started dialing. As soon as the call connected, he yelled, "Shit, where’s Liu? Damn, how many times have I said, your materials can’t just be fine! Fuck... "

After hanging up the phone, the materials manager smirked with satisfaction and said, "Wait a bit, he’ll be here soon."

A few minutes later.

A bald-headed middle-aged man came running out, greeting cheerfully from afar. Once he reached the materials manager, he reached out for a cigarette.

"Don’t move, try reaching and I’ll blow your spine out!" Two burly criminal police officers clamped Liu Xichen from both sides, while jabbing their guns into his waist.

Following this, the criminal police officers who were hiding further away rushed forward, pinning Liu Xichen to the ground and handcuffing him.

At the same time, standing ten meters away and watching the scene unfold, Jiang Yuan saw the system screen pop up again:

Mission 2: Leading by Example

Mission Progress: (2/X)

Mission Rewards: Bullet Mark Identification (Level 2)

Jiang Yuan felt that the system was quite fair in its dealings.

Moreover, the improvement from Level 1 to Level 2 seemed like it should be more than double if there was some sort of experience points algorithm.

Level 2 skills were already quite useful. If there was any trace left by ordinary criminals, most could be properly handled with Level 2 skills. If occasionally there was an unmanageable situation, he could still adequately prepare for the aftermath and then call for reinforcements.

For Jiang Yuan, having a Level 2 Bullet Mark Identification meant that if he encountered a similar problem, preserving the evidence and calling in reinforcements would be enough. When the time came, national experts, except for those who were busy, there would likely be none he couldn’t call over.

Of course, having a Level 3 would be even better. He would then possess the capabilities of a regular expert.

"How is Team 3 doing?" Jiang Yuan watched as car number seven drove off.

Currently, cars number 1, 2, 5, and 6, with a dozen people in total, remained at the scene, still only amounting to a middle squad capacity, which was just right to support Team 3.

However, Wu Junhao lifted his phone and said, "Team 3 is fine now, the target has been captured and brought back."

Jiang Yuan’s disappointment flashed by, and he smiled, "The apprehension went smoothly."

Everyone relaxed a little, with many loosening their collars and taking a short rest.

Wu Junhao checked his watch and then suggested, "I say we go have some late-night snacks. With four suspects, the interrogation might take a while. If we get results, it could probably be within the span of a late-night meal. If not, we’ll go back and rest. Anything else can wait till tomorrow."

Jiang Yuan readily agreed.

The four people captured were all former employees of the Chaikolab Import and Export Trading Company, and among the few who weren’t dead, they were the ones that could be found.

Realistically speaking, their roles within the criminal gang probably involved minor offences at most, akin to little Karamis.

But precisely because of their low status, and with potentially limited involvement in crimes, it was very likely that they would quickly confess to the criminal facts.

By then, after cross-referencing with the initial information gathered, they might have to catch another group of people tonight.

If all four kept silent, revealed nothing during the interrogation, or even colluded to tell false lies, it would imply a more significant case. By tomorrow morning, it should be handed over to Qi Changye, or even his colleagues behind the scenes, and this case could be considered closed.

Old cops like Liu Jinghui didn’t need an explanation to understand this logic clearly.

The group sought out a nearby food alley and, after considering options like casserole porridge, barbecue, and meat pie shops, they settled on meat pies.

Meat pies involve wrapping a hearty amount of meat filling in dough and frying it in an iron pan until cooked, usually served with some thin porridge or pickled vegetables and seaweed soup.

The meat filling in the meat pies didn’t need to be excessive—just a resilient dough surface would suffice. The subtleties relied on the seasoning of the meat and the control of the pan’ heat, testing even a big hotel’s chef but a trivial matter for a night snack stall owner.

Because, without the need for a chef to bend over and inquire, patrons would simply comment while chewing on their meat pies:

"Boss, the pie is too salty!"

"Boss, the fire is too hot!"

Wu Junhao and the others were not too fussy, requesting the owner to turn up two burners and quickly fry up two batches before they hungrily devoured the food.

It had been nearly six or seven hours since their last meal in the afternoon. They hadn’t dared to eat too much before the operation to avoid getting sick during a chase. During these hours, most of them had gone through two rounds of apprehension missions, and along with their natural muscle demands, each was as famished as a starving ghost.

Jiang Yuan, too, quietly ate before speaking. If there was new information soon, they might have to be on standby all night. By then, complaining about hunger wouldn’t gain any sympathy.

As the meat pies on the table were quickly consumed and new ones were still cooking, everyone woke up from their feeding frenzy and started to chat in soft laughter:

"Liu, go grab some casserole porridge, and some other ready-to-eat dishes. How can you be so dumb, only sticking to one shop?"

"Get some skewers too."

"How about some barbecue?"

"Nah, skip the barbecue; it’s bad for the hair." Wu Junhao, touching his bald head, was somewhat fastidious.