Chapter 265: Perfect Assist — Nicely Done

Extracting fingerprints is very simple.

In modern technology, there is a water-soluble, non-toxic fluorescent spray that can make fingerprints appear within seconds.

It is worth mentioning that this spray was jointly developed by Songhai Normal University and the University of Bath abroad.

What is truly complicated is fingerprint identification.

For example, how does one determine whether two fingerprints belong to the same person?

This depends on whether the features of the fingerprints match.

If two fingerprints share seven or more matching points, and the differences can be reasonably explained, they can be identified as belonging to the same person.

During this process, one carefully observes the basic type of the fingerprint and the minutiae points, such as the bifurcation points and ridge endings of the friction ridges.

So, when the technical section staff member said "ten minutes," Yu Dazhang was somewhat surprised.

Being able to complete fingerprint verification in such a short time must mean he is a highly experienced professional.

The reason he wanted to confirm the fingerprints was to verify a hypothesis in his mind, so he could proceed with the next step.

The fingerprint identification process went smoothly. Just past five minutes, the technical section staff member gave his conclusion:

"The fingerprints on the cleaver belong to one person."

Yu Dazhang nodded, then took out a piece of paper from his bag and handed it to him:

"See if the fingerprints match this person's."

The technical section staff member looked at the bright red bloody handprint on the paper, then raised his head to look at Yu Dazhang and frowned:

"Your method of collecting fingerprints is quite unusual."

Yu Dazhang replied with a smile:

"You're too kind."

Was I praising you? The technical section staff member glanced at him and took the paper.

This time it was even faster — before two minutes were up, he gave his answer:

"The five fingerprints match perfectly. He held the cleaver with this hand."

Just as I deduced... Yu Dazhang nodded at him, then turned and left the stairwell.

He could now basically confirm that He Tianxin's four fingers had been chopped off by He Tianxin himself with the cleaver.

The suspect never came!

Then how did he give He Tianxin instructions?

Come to the hospital in person and say it face to face?

No, that would be too risky.

The hospital corridors and lobby are both covered by surveillance. If he showed up at the hospital, his face would definitely be captured on camera.

If he wore a hood like before, the medical staff would have called the police long ago.

Assaulting doctors is no longer anything new these days.

Going to a hospital wearing a hood is not much different from going to a bank — it would definitely alert the staff.

Process of elimination...

The suspect didn't come in person, didn't send anyone to pass a message, and He Tianxin doesn't have a mobile phone.

What other method could be used?

Arriving at the door of the operating room, Yu Dazhang looked at He Tianxin's wife, who was sitting on a chair waiting anxiously, and a thought suddenly popped into his mind.

Could it be that she passed on the message?

Once this thought emerged, it was like a seed sprouting, quickly occupying Yu Dazhang's thinking space and making his train of thought more active.

That's right — it was her!

If I were the suspect, this would be the most convenient and also the most covert method... Yu Dazhang walked quickly up to her and asked:

"After we left during the day, did someone call you looking for He Tianxin?"

"How did you know?" The woman stared at Yu Dazhang in surprise:

"There was a person who called, saying he was an old classmate from school. He heard He Tianxin was sick and specifically called to ask about his condition."

Just as expected... Yu Dazhang asked again:

"Didn't you ask him how he got your phone number?"

"Didn't ask." The woman shook her head:

"He must have found out somehow. My phone number isn't some secret number — many of Lao He's friends know it."

A perfect assist... Yu Dazhang looked at her helplessly:

"You let them talk?"

"Yes." He Tianxin's wife looked matter-of-fact:

"He said he wanted to hear Lao He's voice. It happened that Lao He had just taken his medicine at that time and was in pretty good shape, so I handed him the phone."

Nicely done!

Yu Dazhang was already at a loss for words.

What happened next he had already deduced. The suspect used family members as leverage to make He Tianxin harm himself.

He had even specially prepared the cleaver for He Tianxin and placed the knife on the half-landing of the fifth floor, deliberately making him climb two extra floors.

Delivering the cleaver was something he didn't need to do in person either — there were plenty of ways to find someone to do it for him.

There is no surveillance in the hospital stairwell, and many people come and go every day, making it very troublesome to investigate.

Even if the person who delivered the knife is eventually found, it would be difficult to trace the suspect through him.

What a clever scheme.

At this moment, Yu Dazhang somewhat understood Ding Feng.

The suspect's logic was truly meticulous—every step had been carefully thought out, and the arrangements were thorough.

Then Yu Dazhang asked He Tianxin's wife for the phone number the suspect had used.

He knew in his heart that this phone number was most likely an unregistered black card.

!

It was 2014 now—any mobile phone card shop could sell you this kind of unregistered SIM.

Even ten years later in 2024, such phone cards still existed; only the purchasing channels had become more covert.

As long as telecom fraud exists, these phone cards will exist.

It's a business.

Where there's money to be made, there will always be people willing to do it.

Then Yu Dazhang gave the phone number to the local police and asked them to help investigate.

At the same time, checking surveillance and investigating the knife-deliverer were also handed off to them.

Although he knew the odds were slim, the work that needed doing still had to be done.

You can investigate and come up empty-handed, but you can't miss any lead—this too is the most basic professional quality of a criminal investigator.

The next morning.

Yu Dazhang and Liu Miao were just about to head to the hospital to check on He Tianxin's condition, but before they could leave, his phone rang.

A call from the team investigating Han Lianwen?

Yu Dazhang had labeled all these officers' phone numbers—the point of grouping them was exactly this.

"We found him."

The officer on the other end of the line sounded a bit heavy, as if not in a very good mood.

Finding the person should be cause for celebration… Yu Dazhang of course knew who that "him" referred to.

"Where is he?" Yu Dazhang asked.

"Xicheng," the officer on the other end answered quickly:

"I'll send you the specific address shortly."

I'm getting worn out… Yu Dazhang couldn't help but groan inwardly.

Ever since coming to S Province, he'd shuttled back and forth between cities by car countless times, and it felt like his body was about to fall apart.

He calculated the distance—driving from his current city to Xicheng would take about an hour and a half.

Not bad, not too far.

A little over a hundred kilometers was hardly a long haul for Yu Dazhang.

"You've already made contact with Han Lianwen, right?"

Yu Dazhang thought for a moment, then said:

"Tell me what you've learned from him first—be as detailed as possible."

He decided that before going to Xicheng, he still needed to see He Tianxin at the hospital first.

Having more new information would help him hold the upper hand in his upcoming conversation with He Tianxin.

"We did make contact, but we didn't get any valuable information from him."

The officer on the other end sounded a bit helpless:

"Han Lianwen's IQ is forever stuck at six years old."

(End of chapter)