[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi":3,"chapter-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-37":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Reborn in 2014: I Am the King of Criminal Investigation",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2315893,4529,"Chapter 37: He Is a Cautious Man","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-37",37,"\u003Cp>The scope is getting smaller… Logically, Yu Dazhang should be relieved, but he grew increasingly tense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is precisely when carelessness is most likely to creep in—he had experienced something similar in his past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever a case nears its end, people naturally relax.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They subconsciously assume that if they just let things unfold, the case will solve itself.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But reality often contradicts expectation; the closer you get to the end, the more easily clues vanish.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once broken, reconnecting them becomes nearly impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So as long as the real killer remains at large, Yu Dazhang dare not slack for a single moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, the Technical Division arrived at the scene.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After explaining to Zhang Yan’s mother, the investigation officially began.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this, Yu Dazhang had already instructed Qian Cheng to photograph the bed in sections and take separate close-ups of key areas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Collecting traces, comparing and verifying them, reconstructing the scene—these tasks naturally fell to the professionals.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Qian Cheng, being from the Technical Division, naturally joined them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang and Lu Zhongxin went to the living room and sat on the sofa beside Zhang Yan’s mother.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, is your husband at home?” Yu Dazhang asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Inside,” Zhang Yan’s mother pointed to another room: “He’s bedridden.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang’s heart tightened slightly, and he asked with concern:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t you take him to the hospital?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sensing Yu Dazhang’s concern, Zhang Yan’s mother’s tone softened:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We went, but it’s nothing serious—just a burst of anger. A community clinic nurse will come by tonight to give him an IV.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin sat beside them, listening to their casual chatter, saying nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After days working on this case, he noticed his apprentice never made unnecessary moves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Whenever Yu Dazhang acted, he always gained something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, as the two chatted idly, Lu Zhongxin had a strange feeling—his apprentice had a purpose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sure enough, after a few more minutes, Yu Dazhang suddenly changed the subject:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Have any outsiders come to the house these past few days?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Perhaps the question came too abruptly—Zhang Yan’s mother paused before answering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Only my younger brother came once.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your biological brother?” Yu Dazhang pressed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Zhang Yan’s mother nodded instinctively:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He only found out about the child’s incident when he came over.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hearing this, Lu Zhongxin’s heart sank slightly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Could Zhang Yan’s uncle be the killer?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His apprentice wouldn’t ask this without reason—he must have deduced something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Yu Dazhang didn’t dwell on Zhang Yan’s uncle at all; he immediately switched topics:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has anyone called to ask about the case’s progress? Even if just out of concern?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hmm…” Zhang Yan’s mother realized the fat policeman was probing for clues, so she strained to recall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a long silence, she shook her head:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No one. Not a single call.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This isn’t an ordinary criminal… Yu Dazhang was quietly astonished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since it’s someone familiar, they likely know Zhang Yan’s parents—but the killer somehow endured days without inquiring about the case.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’s a cautious man.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After that, Yu Dazhang said nothing more, simply sat still, staring blankly at the coffee table before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a while, he lightly tapped Lu Zhongxin’s thigh, then stood up and walked outside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin knew his apprentice wanted to speak with him privately, so he rose and followed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the hallway, Yu Dazhang looked at him and spoke quickly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Check all vehicles that left the compound between 2:30 and 3:00 p.m. on the day Zhang Yan disappeared.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Record every private car’s license plate—don’t miss a single one.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin immediately understood his apprentice’s intent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The most direct, easiest way to evade surrounding surveillance was to drive out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He focused on private cars because a taxi driver who saw a young girl unconscious being carried into a car would definitely report it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, no one wants to become an unwitting accomplice. “Leave it to me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Lu Zhongxin turned to leave, Yu Dazhang reached out and grabbed his arm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wait—I’m not done.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a moment’s thought, Yu Dazhang continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then eliminate all vehicles that entered the compound before 1:00 p.m.—no, make it 1:30 p.m. Exclude everything before 1:30 p.m.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“For the remaining vehicles, investigate the owners—exclude any residents of the compound, keep only information on outsiders.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After confirming he hadn’t missed anything, Yu Dazhang released his grip and nodded for his master to go.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why exclude residents of the compound?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The reason was simple: Yu Dazhang didn’t believe anyone with money would still live in such an old neighborhood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A wealthy household might not buy luxury goods, but they’d definitely spend in four areas: clothing, food, housing, transportation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Lu Zhongxin left, Yu Dazhang pulled out his phone and called the two officers investigating Zhang Yan’s social background.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come to Zhang Yan’s house—I’ll wait here.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please… collect… 6…9…books…!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We’ve just started uncovering something.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Come over—your assignment’s changing.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Half an hour later, the three met downstairs.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two officers glanced at the police cars parked below.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Technical Division’s vehicle—why are they here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Investigating the crime scene,” Yu Dazhang replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean the crime scene is at Zhang Yan’s house?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yeah. I only realized it today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“… ”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The two stared at the fat man before them like he was a deity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In just two days, he’d found the primary crime scene!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How efficient can you possibly be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Don’t you realize how much pressure you’re putting on us?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Tell me what you’ve found,” Yu Dazhang said, ignoring their stunned expressions as if they’d never seen anything unusual.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, we haven’t uncovered anything particularly crucial,” one replied.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t modesty—they’d gathered some information these past two days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But compared to the fat man before them, their efforts seemed like nothing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then tell me the insignificant stuff,” Yu Dazhang suspected they’d been slacking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Uh… well…” One officer thought for a moment:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We kept focusing on Zhang Yan’s classmates. You remember that boy from the next class, Zhou Yewei?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I remember,” Yu Dazhang’s memory was sharp, especially in this life—he spoke quickly:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The one who had a vague romantic connection with Zhang Yan.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Right, him,” the officer continued:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“We dug up more about their relationship.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A few days before Zhang Yan disappeared, someone reported their affair to the teacher.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The teacher called both sets of parents and asked them to supervise their children.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That teacher’s move was brutal… Yu Dazhang mentally grumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It saved effort and solved the teenage romance problem—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>but completely ignored the kids’ feelings. It was basically public execution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You should’ve found out how far they’d gone first, then acted accordingly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the officer pause, as if struggling to phrase the next part, Yu Dazhang prompted:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just tell me how this connects to Zhang Yan’s disappearance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This incident isn’t directly related to Zhang Yan’s disappearance, but something else that followed is suspicious…” The officer stalled again, struggling for words.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1135,"2026-06-20T14:22:46.062Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8c69e90fe4a745eff9a8331cb6818decada61259e8c19282cf4e6189ec5c1e3f","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-38","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-36",763,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-cover.jpg"]