Chapter 23: Your Eyesight Is Too Good

The car stopped in front of a residential building.

“It’s right here.” Qian Cheng pointed to a window on the third floor:

“After the landlord filed the report, our Technical Division arrived at the scene immediately; I was responsible for photographing and preserving all traces collected.”

Qian Cheng already regretted telling the other man he was from the Technical Division.

Throughout the drive, Yu Dazhang had bombarded him with questions, probing every angle of his judgment and findings at the crime scene.

Now he was certain: this fat man was genuinely here to find clues.

“Do you have the crime scene investigation report?” Yu Dazhang asked.

“Yes, it’s in the car.”

Qian Cheng got out from the driver’s seat, opened the back door, and pulled a file folder from a cardboard box on the rear seat.

Yu Dazhang also got out, watched as Qian Cheng retrieved the report, then waved him over:

“Come on, follow me upstairs.”

Follow you upstairs? Qian Cheng nearly dropped the report.

Does this fat man think he’s my superior?

I did offer to come with you, but you’re the newcomer, aren’t you?

Even if we’re just inspecting the scene, you should be following behind me.

Yu Dazhang took a few steps forward and noticed Qian Cheng hadn’t moved; he urged again:

“Come on, don’t dawdle.”

Still complaining I’m slow… Qian Cheng’s temple twitched; he wanted to throw the report.

But for some reason, his legs moved on their own, obediently following.

His mind said no, but his body was honest.

He’d see what useful clues this fat man could possibly find.

If he couldn’t find anything…

Hmph~

Just wait to be humiliated!

Upstairs, Yu Dazhang followed Qian Cheng’s directions to a room that had been partitioned off.

This was typical of Songhai rental apartments: a single unit divided into several small rooms, each rented to different tenants.

By doing this, landlords earned more rent, and financially strained tenants could afford cheaper accommodations.

A win-win.

After all, this was a top-tier city—every inch of land was gold; low-income workers had no choice but to rent these tiny partitions.

Yu Dazhang first scanned the empty fifteen-square-meter room, then fixed his gaze on the single bed against the wall.

“After the body was removed, the bed wasn’t moved, right?”

Crime scene investigation was the Technical Division’s job; Yu Dazhang wasn’t especially familiar with it—each department had its own responsibilities and expertise.

“Of course,” Qian Cheng replied confidently:

“The principle of scene preservation is: maintain the original state, prevent any alteration.”

“The most basic requirement is: nothing added, nothing removed.”

“Any facility at the scene could bear traces related to the crime.”

When it came to crime scene investigation, Qian Cheng transformed—he shed all his earlier casualness, replaced by focused seriousness.

“Good enough.”

Yu Dazhang didn’t argue; after all, the man was the professional here.

He walked to the bed, crouched down, positioning his head at a ninety-degree angle to the mattress, then slowly moved from head to foot.

His eyes scanned every detail on the bed.

Qian Cheng watched Yu Dazhang’s every move, thinking the fat man was utterly unnecessary.

I’ve got the report right here—just look at it.

Your actions clearly show you don’t trust our Technical Division’s professionalism!

After watching for a while, Qian Cheng couldn’t hold back anymore.

“What are you looking for?”

“Don’t speak.”

Yu Dazhang raised a hand, signaling him to stay quiet.

After another moment, Yu Dazhang reached the foot of the bed and stayed there for two full minutes—as if something there held him captive.

But to Qian Cheng’s eyes, there was nothing at the foot of the bed.

“Show me the footprint evidence,” Yu Dazhang stood up and turned to Qian Cheng.

“Oh, sure.”

Qian Cheng quickly flipped to the designated page and pointed to the image:

“After examination and collection, all footprints at the scene were determined to belong to one person. Based on these prints, the individual is an adult male—likely the suspect, Kong Lingjie.”

Yu Dazhang nodded, then asked for confirmation:

“Are you certain only his footprints are present?”

Qian Cheng froze, confused by the question, but answered:

“There’s another set near the door—after comparison, confirmed to belong to the landlord.”

What’s the point of confirming this… Qian Cheng grew more baffled.

He’d assumed this fat man was just pretending to be diligent, but his serious expression didn’t seem faked.

Please... collect 6...9...books....!

“Alright, now it’s your turn.”

Yu Dazhang gestured for Qian Cheng to come to the bed, then pointed to a spot slightly left of center at the foot:

“See that tiny black dot? Collect it and send it for testing.”

“Where?”

Qian Cheng followed Yu Dazhang’s finger, shifting angles—but saw nothing.

“There it is!”

Yu Dazhang was getting impatient.

These days, anyone can be a detective? With eyes like this, how are you even doing crime scene work?

You’re wasting time.

“I don’t see it!”

Qian Cheng pressed his head almost against the bed’s foot—still nothing.

“Look at my finger—right where my fingertip is,” Yu Dazhang gently pressed one finger onto the sheet.

“I see it! I see it! Aaahhh, it really is a tiny black dot—your eyesight is insane! How did you even spot that?”

Qian Cheng exclaimed excitedly.

He still kept his head pressed against the sheet, like a child who’d just found his favorite toy.

“Even from this close, I can barely make it out—it blends into the sheet’s pattern. How did you find it?”

This must be what they call a tech nerd… Yu Dazhang noticed Qian Cheng became unusually excited whenever professional matters arose.

He also realized his own vision wasn’t just sharper at distance—it surpassed ordinary people in detecting fine details.

“It doesn’t matter. Get to work.”

Yu Dazhang ignored Qian Cheng’s question—this kind of thing was impossible to explain.

Yu Dazhang ignored Qian Cheng’s question; this fact was simply impossible to explain.

Qian Cheng dashed downstairs, returned moments later with a forensic kit and a camera.

He extracted the sample with his tools, then placed the glass container holding it back exactly where he’d found it.

After photographing it for documentation, he stood up and nodded to Yu Dazhang:

“Done. I’ll have the test results by noon at the latest.”

Seeing Yu Dazhang lost in thought, Qian Cheng asked:

“You came here specifically to find traces our Technical Division missed?”

Qian Cheng didn’t believe it was an oversight.

Such a tiny black dot was nearly invisible to the naked eye—even with a magnifying glass, it might not be found.

This had nothing to do with expertise—it was purely about who had better eyesight.

“No,” Yu Dazhang shook his head:

“Our goals are different. You look for traces that already exist; what I’m looking for…”

“Is the trace that should have been there—but wasn’t.”

(End of Chapter)

(End of chapter)