Chapter 172: I'm Familiar with This Case

The news of the cold-case investigation team being established quickly spread throughout the detachment.

Yu Dazhang suspected this was Li Jun pressuring him.

Only the two of them knew about this matter; he hadn't told anyone else, so only he could have leaked the news.

Over the past two days, anyone in the squad who saw him would light up at the sight.

They were just short of fawning all over him.

Why was that?

They wanted to get into the investigation team, of course.

Now the entire branch bureau knew this fatty had the ability to crack big cases; sticking with someone like that was bound to be the right call.

If you wanted a promotion, a police rank alone wasn't enough.

A police rank only represented seniority, while merit represented ability.

The vast majority of officers ended up with high ranks but very low positions.

The reason for this outcome, when traced to its source, was insufficient ability.

A police rank could be endured through years of service, but a position couldn't.

Many police officers worked their whole lives without ever becoming even a squad leader.

As everyone knew, the police were also the hardest to get promoted in.

Yu Dazhang's current situation was that his seniority wasn't enough, but his merits were absolutely something the entire bureau looked up to.

Such a treasure right before their eyes—whoever saw it would get itchy fingers.

In the eyes of the criminal investigators at the detachment, as long as they got into Yu Dazhang's investigation team, earning merit was a done deal.

His case-solving ability was right there on display—whoever didn't accept it could step forward and compare.

This also invisibly placed enormous pressure on Yu Dazhang.

If in the end not a single cold case was solved, although it wouldn't affect him personally, it would surely disappoint his colleagues, and might even earn him ridicule.

He really couldn't outplay the leadership… Yu Dazhang understood this was Li Jun using this method to urge him on.

But this move was just too underhanded.

He couldn't help but feel a bit of anger.

Later it developed to the point where people actually started arguing over the team member slots.

Anyone who became a police officer was someone with a heart full of passion; saying they didn't want to earn merit would be outright hypocrisy.

But most people weren't afraid of hardship, exhaustion, or danger—they just lacked the ability.

So what could they do at this point?

They could only gravitate toward those who had the ability.

In the end, this matter even alarmed Bureau Chief Wu.

Bureau Chief Wu was even more decisive—he tossed the difficult problem straight to Yu Dazhang and let him pick his own team members.

Fine, fine, fine, playing it this way, huh… Yu Dazhang simply went with a hands-off approach, not selecting a single team member.

He'd wait until there was a real need; if there was a way to avoid offending people, he'd avoid it as much as possible.

Another two days passed, and Yu Dazhang still hadn't gone to the archives to pull case files.

Since they were cold cases, he couldn't appear too eager.

He didn't want others to mistakenly think he had these cold cases all figured out and was bound to crack them; doing so would only backfire.

Besides, he still had a procedure he hadn't completed.

Just that day, two inspectors arrived at the branch bureau, wanting to talk with Yu Dazhang.

To put it plainly, it was to cooperate with an investigation.

Regarding the previous attack, he had fired a gun after all; not just him, but Ma Jian and another officer were also under investigation.

"It's only been a few days, and we're meeting again."

Seeing Yu Dazhang, the two inspectors joked with a smile.

They were the very same inspectors who had spoken with Yu Dazhang during the trafficking case.

Meeting again this time wasn't awkward either.

Moreover, before coming they had already investigated this incident and knew Yu Dazhang had acted in self-defense.

"What a coincidence, isn't it—it's you two again."

Yu Dazhang had a good impression of them; last time they hadn't given him a hard time during the talk.

Unlike some inspectors who, before even starting the investigation, had already decided you were guilty.

This also led to criminal investigators frequently losing control of their emotions during interviews.

In Yu Dazhang's view, there was absolutely no need for that.

After a gun was fired, a scene investigation would always be conducted; if the account given didn't match the facts, it would certainly be seen through.

People can lie, but evidence cannot.

This conversation went just as smoothly; facing the two inspectors' questions, Yu Dazhang answered truthfully, explaining every detail clearly.

He had nothing to hide in the first place, and no reason to lie.

When the two inspectors left, he even accompanied them to the door.

"Hope we meet again." The two shook hands with Yu Dazhang in turn.

Why did that sound so awkward… Yu Dazhang sincerely didn't want to see them again. Meeting them came with a prerequisite: he had fired his gun and killed someone again.

The next day.

The first thing Yu Dazhang did when he got to work was go to the archives to pull case files.

Even cold cases had a specific retention period.

Take public order cases, for example.

The standard processing deadline for a case is thirty days; complex cases can be extended to sixty days.

The retention period for criminal cases is more complicated.

It's divided into permanent, long-term, and short-term.

Fifteen years is the dividing line — under that is short-term, fifteen to fifty years is long-term.

Once expired, they're destroyed after appraisal.

!. Read

Major and special cases, however, are preserved permanently.

With today's criminal investigation methods, once a case is filed, very few go unsolved.

But there's always an exception to everything.

Few doesn't mean none.

"Just these four?"

Yu Dazhang stood at the door of the archives room, glanced at the four files on the counter, then cast an inquiring look at the female officer inside.

"How many more were you hoping for?" the female officer replied, a little annoyed:

"Do you have any idea how many times the leadership has been criticized over these four cases?"

"Just during my time on duty, these cases have been pulled and reviewed over twenty times."

Hearing her complaint, Yu Dazhang immediately realized his earlier words had been a bit inappropriate.

Who complains that their bureau has too few cold cases?

Anyone hearing that wouldn't be able to stand it either.

"I'm impressed by our bureau's case-handling ability," Yu Dazhang quickly explained:

"I thought there'd be at least ten-plus cold cases — didn't expect only four. Shows our criminal investigation team's clearance rate is really high."

As he spoke, he set down a plastic bag he'd been carrying on the counter:

"You go ahead, I'm heading back to the squad."

After Yu Dazhang left, the female officer curiously glanced at what was inside the plastic bag.

A bottle of drink and a bag of pistachios.

Back at the detachment.

Yu Dazhang laid the four files on his desk, first glancing at the date and number on the file folder.

He picked out the one with the most recent date, took out the documents inside, and began examining them carefully.

"Liu Zhengyang sudden death case?"

This one I know well… Yu Dazhang immediately recalled hearing about this case in his previous life.

When the case was later solved, it caused quite a stir at the bureau.

This case occurred in May 2013 — last year.

But it was actually solved in June 2015.

Truth be told, it wasn't really solved by the police — the suspect got spooked and fled, and only then did the investigating officer confirm the target.

Does this count as a rebirth perk?

Yu Dazhang couldn't help feeling a secret thrill.

Before even taking over the case, he already knew who the suspect was — wasn't that just like cheating in a game?

The reason this case caused such a sensation in his previous life was purely because no one expected how it would ultimately turn out.

Combined with the special status of the victim, it drew a great deal of extra attention.

Liu Zhengyang, founder of Songhai Zhengyang Group.

A well-known domestic entrepreneur, he held considerable sway in the construction industry and the business world.

On May 7, 2013, he dropped dead at home.

A forensic examination later determined the cause of death: sudden heart failure leading to cardiac arrest.

Put plainly — natural death.

Death from aging or disease without external force falls within the category of natural death.

Since Liu Zhengyang already suffered from heart disease and had long been taking cardiac medication, this conclusion was quite reasonable.

It should have been uncontroversial, yet someone stepped forward to question it and report it to the police.

The reporter was Liu Zhengyang's daughter, Liu Qi.

The reason she gave for reporting was…

Half a month before Liu Zhengyang's death, he had told her in person: if he died suddenly, it was definitely because someone had harmed him.

(End of chapter)