Chapter 311: This Case Is Too Dangerous

Yu Dazhang and Li Jun exchanged a glance, both seeing a helpless look in each other's eyes.

Right, which jurisdiction does it fall under?

They can't very well investigate both sides at once.

It really was hard to handle — on a matter like this, neither of them dared to jump to conclusions.

"See, you've got no ideas either."

Director Liu seemed to have long anticipated their reaction; there wasn't much disappointment on his face:

"Besides, a case like this is both troublesome and complicated, and five whole years have already passed — finding new leads now will be extremely difficult."

"We're all colleagues in criminal investigation; you can tell at a glance what's going on. After all, nobody wants a cold case hanging on their own department."

Hearing that last part, Yu Dazhang couldn't help but get a little irritated.

Way too calculating.

But on second thought, what Director Liu said was also fact.

Take those famous unsolved cases in the country, for example — they're like a stain you can never quite wipe clean; no one wants to be tied to a case like that.

Besides, nobody wants a major or serious case happening within their jurisdiction, so naturally they'll avoid getting involved whenever they can.

Yu Dazhang figured those two local city bureaus had both already been contacted.

The replies were easy to guess — nothing more than saying they'd need to verify first, and only after confirming the situation would they open an investigation.

Five years had already gone by; the difficulty of verifying what happened back then was easy to imagine.

"There's a reason I've asked you to take over the investigation."

Seeing that neither of them spoke, Director Liu continued explaining:

"This case may not seem directly related to the kidnapping case you have on hand, but there is a causal connection between them."

"The kidnapping case is actually Fang Peng imitating the criminal methods of the underground prison; even without a joint investigation, it should still be yours to continue handling."

"Besides, this case was originally uncovered by you — nobody knows the situation better than you do, so it stands to reason you should be fully in charge of it to the end."

Still a bit of a stretch… Yu Dazhang could tell Director Liu was forcing the handover on him.

If it were truly reasonable and logical, would the number-one at the city bureau come explain things to him in person?

This was plainly making him shoulder the pressure and solve the difficult problem.

At the same time, Yu Dazhang could also tell this probably wasn't Director Liu's idea alone — the city bureau would have had to hold at least two meetings before settling on this.

If the case were handed off, no matter which city it went to, the other side would have to take it,

but whether they'd actually open a case file in the end was anyone's guess.

If it ultimately wasn't filed, let alone the city bureau being unwilling to let it go — even Yu Dazhang would feel it was dereliction of duty.

So the best approach was for the Songhai City Bureau to take the lead, dispatch personnel to investigate out of town, and have the local police cooperate and assist on-site.

But doing it this way also carried a risk.

If the case went unsolved, it would ultimately hang on the Songhai City Bureau — a blemish on this side as well.

To address that, they needed to find someone capable of cracking the case…

You really think highly of me, huh… Yu Dazhang quickly figured out what the city bureau leaders were thinking.

"I accept the city bureau's arrangement."

Yu Dazhang answered firmly, not a hint of retreat in his eyes:

"As a criminal investigator, my job is to solve criminal case after criminal case — it's my unshirkable duty."

Old saying revisited: when the boss gives you face, you have to take it.

Besides, what Yu Dazhang said was also from the heart — criminal investigators have no business picking and choosing cases.

"Good, very good." Director Liu nodded with satisfaction:

"I knew you'd agree to it."

As if I could refuse… Yu Dazhang responded with a faint smile, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.

"Put the cases on his plate aside for now and hand them to others on the detachment to handle." Director Liu looked at Li Jun:

"No problem?"

"Yes." Li Jun replied immediately:

"I'll arrange it as soon as I'm back."

Director Liu shifted his gaze back to Yu Dazhang:

"If you have any requirements for the task force, feel free to raise them."

That was just Director Liu being polite with him.

Out-of-town investigation cannot do without three things: personnel, vehicles, and funding.

Yu Dazhang had just returned from S Province not long ago and knew this well; this time the destination was even farther, so ample preparation had to be made in advance.

"Manpower's a bit short." Yu Dazhang said with a frown.

Vehicles and funding were easy to solve — since it was a task assigned by the city bureau, full support would naturally be given.

The hardest to solve was the manpower issue.

Criminal investigation posts were already short-staffed — it wasn't quite one carrot per hole, but close.

Many officers handled over two hundred criminal cases a year; in truth, the small cases were the most exhausting.

Before Yu Dazhang investigated the Severed Finger Case, he often took Ma Jian and Liu Miao to help others on the detachment handle minor cases.

For this out-of-town investigation, all three members of the Cold Case Unit would definitely have to go.

But pulling more people from the detachment would undoubtedly add to the detachment's case-handling pressure, and over time problems were bound to crop up.

"Besides your Cold Case Unit, I can add two more slots to your task force."

Director Liu said, choosing his words carefully:

"If that's still not enough, I'll think of another way."

Counting himself, five people... Yu Dazhang did some quick math in his head.

Barely enough to get by.

He couldn't help but feel nostalgic for his days in Province S. Back then, his task force had nearly twenty people — truly a strong and well-staffed outfit.

Besides, the severed-finger case had only one suspect, and the danger level was low.

Unlike the case before him now — clearly organized crime. According to Fang Peng's statement, the other side very likely possessed firearms.

Comparing the two cases, you could say the danger level had shot up in a straight line.

If the three of them really went, that wouldn't be investigating a case — that would be throwing their lives away.

"Fine, fine then."

Yu Dazhang sighed and said, somewhat awkwardly:

"Five people will have to do, but this case is fairly dangerous. With more people, safety can be better guaranteed."

Director Liu nodded:

"Good, then it's settled. You're in charge of setting up a five-person task force. I'll give you one day to prepare, and you set out tomorrow."

Yu Dazhang:...

Did Director Liu not catch the meaning behind his words just now?

He'd made it pretty clear — five people weren't enough.

How did he just decide it on the spot like that?

He did it on purpose... Yu Dazhang turned the thought over in his head for a moment and guessed what Director Liu was thinking.

He'd picked the wrong argument!

Just now he'd only mentioned that the case was dangerous, but had overlooked the fact that criminal police work is inherently about dealing with danger.

So...

His reasoning didn't hold up, and Director Liu had shot it down.

Seeing Yu Dazhang's thoroughly deflated expression, a smile crossed Director Liu's face:

"I know the task force is a bit short-staffed, but I believe you can overcome that. Also, I'm giving you the right to pick your own people."

"You can choose two more members from your own trusted team. Within the scope of my authority, you may pick anyone you like."

"If you choose people from Hongkou Branch, I'll have someone transferred over here to fill the post."

Hearing that he could pick his own people, Yu Dazhang's spirits lifted again.

Of course he preferred working cases with people he knew — the higher the trust, the faster the efficiency.

Director Liu really is sharp... Yu Dazhang couldn't help but sigh admiringly to himself.

How did he know for sure that he'd pick people from Hongkou Branch?

(End of chapter)