Chapter 252: Treating Talent Well Is Our Fine Tradition

This was the purpose of Yu Dazhang's investigation into that small group.

If the final number of members could be confirmed, it would be equivalent to knowing how many more targets the suspect still had.

The reason Ding Feng couldn't pick up the suspect's trail was, ultimately, that he had been chasing behind the suspect the whole time.

What Yu Dazhang was doing was running ahead of the suspect.

To achieve this, he had to master the suspect's entire plan and the targets he intended to go after.

At this moment, a chain of clues formed in Yu Dazhang's mind.

Sixteen years ago, a group of students from families with backgrounds formed a small clique.

Among them, a short student who resembled Jet Li became their leader.

Everyone who entered this group had a homicide on their record.

And the suspect was targeting members of this group, successively driving nine of them mad.

This chain of clues was still at the hypothesis stage.

Because there was no direct evidence yet to prove that these nine victims knew each other.

Only by confirming this point would the hypothesis hold.

"That planner should be their leader," Yu Dazhang murmured.

He had looked over the files of all nine victims; none of them were short, the shortest was over one meter seventy.

So the planner of that small group should not have been harmed yet.

Yu Dazhang then put himself in the suspect's perspective again.

"If I were the suspect…"

"Even if I can't punish every member of that group, I definitely won't let their leader go."

"That bastard is the one who most deserves to be brought to account."

"If it weren't for him, such a group would never have appeared, and none of those things would have happened."

"So, no matter what price I have to pay, I must find him and make him receive the punishment he deserves."

The serial case will continue!!

Yu Dazhang immediately arrived at this judgment.

Analyzed from the suspect's perspective, this matter was far from over.

The person who most deserved to be brought to account was still at large.

He calculated the days again.

More than half a month had passed since the Li Yong finger-chopping case.

Judging by the timeline, the suspect should soon make a move on the next target.

There wasn't enough time… Yu Dazhang couldn't help feeling a bit restless.

He had only just gotten a faint lead; he still couldn't determine the suspect's next target.

In other words, even though he knew the other side was going to act, he could only watch helplessly, unable to do anything.

He couldn't be impatient; the more critical the moment, the more he had to stay calm…

Yu Dazhang took a deep breath, then fished a cigarette out of his pocket, took one out, and held it under his nose to sniff.

The familiar tobacco smell surged up, clearing his head considerably, but he still didn't light it; instead, he played with it in his hand.

"I have to make use of every resource available."

"Compared to the suspect, my advantage is having a sufficiently professional team."

"Right—professional…"

Yu Dazhang's eyes lit up, and he immediately took out his phone and dialed Ma Jian.

The moment the call connected, he asked at once:

"Brother Ma, how's the investigation going on your end?"

"I just got out of the prison," Ma Jian replied:

"I got some information. I was about to find a place to sort it out, clear my head, and then go back to ask more questions."

Actually, inquiring into a situation with relevant personnel was much like an interrogation.

It required repeated questioning and constant verification, during which one had to keep adjusting one's thinking.

When one path was blocked, one had to immediately switch tracks, take a second path, and be fully prepared.

As a veteran criminal investigator, Ma Jian was quite practiced at this.

"Hold on a moment. Bring Xia Bin and come to me right away."

Yu Dazhang said in a commanding tone:

"I'll send you the address in a bit; get here as soon as you can."

Ma Jian on the other end was taken aback for a moment, but still agreed:

"Got it, I'll drive to Xicheng now."

"Wait," Yu Dazhang thought for a moment, then said: "Give the phone to Xia Bin."

A few seconds later, Xia Bin's voice came through the phone:

"Looking for me?"

Yu Dazhang didn't waste words and asked directly:

"Do you have your sketching tools on you?"

"I left them at the studio," Xia Bin replied:

"There was no need for a sketch on this investigation trip, so I didn't bring them."

Yu Dazhang recalled that, every time he saw Xia Bin, it seemed the man never deliberately carried his sketching tools on him.

"You have a studio at the provincial department?"

Hearing the other party bring this up, Xia Bin said with a hint of pride:

"Specially approved by the leadership."

For the sake of talent, they're really pulling out all the stops… Yu Dazhang sighed inwardly.

To set up a dedicated portrait studio just for Xia Bin shows how much they value and regard him.

Some people may have no concept of what an office inside the system is like.

!

In fact, there is a set area standard for leadership offices.

In a provincial-level agency, the office area for a department-bureau-level official is 24 square meters per person.

That's why many leaders, despite holding very high positions, don't have large offices.

There are fixed standards for all of that.

Now, looking again at the matter of setting up a dedicated studio for Xia Bin, it's easy to understand why Yu Dazhang was surprised.

To retain talent, the leadership arranged for Xia Bin the same treatment normally reserved for department-bureau-level officials.

"Um… what tools do you need for composite sketching?"

Yu Dazhang's tone softened as well, trying to make his voice sound gentler:

"Just say it, I'll get it ready right away."

Hearing that a sketch was needed, Xia Bin got excited at once:

"You found a witness?"

He had been following Ding Feng for over two months without drawing a single composite sketch, simply because no one had seen the suspect's true face.

Even surveillance cameras couldn't catch him, let alone a witness.

"Does it have to be the suspect?"

Yu Dazhang said in a teasing tone:

"As a sketch artist, your imagination shouldn't be so lacking."

"Tell me what tools you need, and once you arrive I'll tell you what to draw."

Since Xia Bin could hold a position at the provincial department, his abilities wouldn't be limited to composite sketching alone.

Moreover, composite sketching isn't only about reconstructing a portrait from a verbal description.

Recording the suspect's facial features in writing and then drawing out the likeness — that's the facial-description method.

Any sketch artist can do that.

Composite sketching, on the other hand, covers a much broader range.

"Get me HB, 2B, 4B, 6B, and 8B pencils — for the brand, Faber-Castell is best."

Xia Bin didn't speak fast, seemingly deliberately slowing down so Yu Dazhang could remember.

Yu Dazhang had already prepared for this; he had switched the call to speakerphone and was now scribbling furiously in his notepad.

"Go on, what else?"

"Also get sketching paper and drawing paper." Xia Bin thought for a moment, then added:

"And a drawing board — if you can't find one, a graphics tablet will do."

With money, what's there to be afraid of not being able to buy… Yu Dazhang grumbled inwardly.

"Anything else?"

"You'll need auxiliary stationery too, like a pencil sharpener and a clipboard." Xia Bin reminded him.

"Don't worry." Yu Dazhang replied, then hung up.

Two and a half hours later.

Yu Dazhang met Ma Jian and Xia Bin at the hotel.

Before that, he had specifically booked an extra deluxe king room.

"Why is there only one bed?"

Ma Jian saw the double bed in the room and felt uncomfortable all over.

"This room is booked separately for Xia Bin." Yu Dazhang explained:

"You'll stay with us tonight."

"I just checked — your room is only a twin too." Ma Jian figured Yu Dazhang had booked the wrong room.

Yu Dazhang gave him a helpless look:

"I'll go change to a triple room in a bit; if they won't switch it, the three of us can squeeze in tonight."

(End of this chapter)