[{"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-40":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},2315896,4529,"Chapter 40: Gang Crime?","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-40",40,"\u003Cp>Li Jun saw Wu Ju looking utterly baffled and couldn’t help rising to lean over and peer at the file.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Technical Division had surveyed the new crime scene… and when they saw those words, his expression became just as stunned as Wu Ju’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crime scene was changed?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suppressing the urge to snatch the file, Li Jun whispered:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Ju, I’d also like to see that case file…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Ju?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wu Ju!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As his voice grew louder, Wu Ju snapped back to attention:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What did you say?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The case file.” Li Jun pointed at the documents on the desk, his curiosity now unmistakable:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Let me take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ju said nothing, simply pushed the file forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jun immediately grabbed it and flipped rapidly to the first page.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ten minutes later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The room was unnervingly silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You could even hear the breathing of the three men.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jun’s facial muscles had frozen stiff.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This… this can’t be right!” Unable to accept what he saw, he kept muttering:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How could this happen? It was such a simple case… how could it possibly…?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was a veteran detective, had handled many cases, but never one this complex.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that the case posed a major threat to society—it was just impossibly difficult.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Honestly, if he’d been in charge of this murder, he’d likely have fallen straight into the suspect’s trap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even now, with the suspect exposed, he couldn’t help feeling a chill of dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he’d made a mistake, his position as squad captain would bear direct responsibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same time, he noticed… there was a capable person in the task force!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And someone he didn’t know. The veterans, he was confident he knew all of them—could name them, knew their backgrounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>None of them, including himself, had such ability.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the hell is it?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jun couldn’t help glancing at Lu Zhongxin beside him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He must know the answer!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Li Jun could speak, Wu Ju’s gaze had already settled on Lu Zhongxin:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Lu, we’ve worked together a few times—we’re familiar. I know you fairly well. Tell me, how was this case investigated to this point?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s leadership.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both skill and emotional intelligence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He asked exactly what he wanted while preserving his subordinate’s dignity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A seemingly ordinary question, yet layered with meaning.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To translate it back into Chinese, it would be…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Old Lu, we’re all familiar—no bullshit. You know your own limits. Just tell me who solved this case.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That version is straightforward, but brutal.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>See through but don’t say it outright—still can be friends~\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin naturally understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He never intended to take credit for this—he hadn’t even considered it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since his superior asked, he answered without hesitation:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yu Dazhang is leading the investigation. He’s a new recruit assigned here this year, and he was the first to suggest the suspect was hiding in a small inn.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“All the clues mentioned in the case file were discovered by him during his investigation.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You could say he’s driving the entire case forward.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Also, he’s my apprentice.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No need to be embarrassed—he admitted it calmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ask anyone in the task force—you’ll find no one who objects.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My apprentice earned his position by ability; we’re happy to support him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disagree?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then you step up!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean…” Wu Ju chose his words carefully:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You were led by a newcomer? And this newcomer, Yu Dazhang, led you all to solve this case?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Zhongxin nodded firmly, replying seriously:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ju fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jun opened his mouth but couldn’t think of anything to say.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By convention, when a case reaches a major turning point beyond the task force’s capability, the best course is to halt the investigation immediately.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, higher-ups assign a new task force to take over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the current situation was unusual. Someone in the task force had the ability to solve it—but his status…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A probationary officer, just recently assigned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wasn’t that a bit ridiculous?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If he solves it, great—everyone wins.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But if the trail goes cold and it leaks out, it’ll become a joke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>#Hongkou Branch lets a brand-new probationary officer lead a murder investigation—and actually solves it#\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who could take that?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thinking of this, Li Jun clenched his teeth and said to Wu Ju:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Maybe we should stop.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If the task force continued, it’d be like gambling.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The case must go on—but within proper procedure.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stopping is easy,” Wu Ju stared at Li Jun, his eyes sharp:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Please... collect 6...9...books....!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who in the bureau can take over this case?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was the real problem!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hand it over to higher-ups?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’d be even more humiliating.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Disband the task force and assign someone else from the bureau?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jun didn’t need to think—he scanned the entire branch:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No one. Not a single person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t that he looked down on others—he knew everyone in the branch too well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides, if there really were someone that exceptionally talented, the bureau couldn’t keep them—they’d have been transferred up long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But… maybe… then…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Jun began stammering, using only filler words, hints, and evasions—never stating anything concrete.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No choice. The responsibility was too great—he couldn’t shoulder it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All he could do was suggest, but couldn’t speak plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What if the bureau chief finally said: “Fine, do it your way.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That would be disastrous.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d already decided: even if he had to gamble, he wouldn’t be the one placing the bet.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ju knew exactly what Li Jun was thinking—he saw through him in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Keep an eye on them,” Wu Ju said to Li Jun:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Support the task force in any way you can. Make sure this case is solved. As for the deadline…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wu Ju paused, seeming uncertain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, he waved his hand:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Forget it. Don’t pressure him. It’s tough enough for him to handle a case like this for the first time.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Li Jun and Lu Zhongxin understood that “him” referred to Yu Dazhang.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They nodded quickly—though silent, their thoughts were nearly identical.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Big Cat really has guts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only daring to bet—but betting big.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Yu Dazhang was reviewing the freshly issued crime scene investigation report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides Zhang Yan and her family of three, we found footprints from two other individuals at the scene,” Qian Cheng pointed out to him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two people?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This result exceeded Yu Dazhang’s expectations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Adding Kong Lingjie, who had already been taken into custody, the number of suspects in this case rose to three.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A gang killing?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That doesn’t make sense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kong Lingjie’s role was to take the blame for someone else—that still fits within normal logic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But the presence of two killers at the scene left Yu Dazhang baffled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Yan, a nineteen-year-old girl in the prime of her youth—why would two people team up to kill her?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Moreover, the strangulation marks on her neck had been confirmed as the work of a single person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if another person had helped hold down Zhang Yan’s feet, her ankle would have shown bruising or other signs from her violent struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet in reality, the only mark on Zhang Yan’s entire body was the strangulation mark on her neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wavelike creases at the foot of the bed also indirectly proved that no second person had held her down during her violent struggle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is truly bizarre.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What was the extra person doing at the scene?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Standing by watching?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yu Dazhang himself felt the absurdity of it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The killer hasn’t been found, but we’ve uncovered a bystander.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A bystander who watched the killer commit the murder at the primary crime scene!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Who the hell is it?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1274,"2026-06-20T14:22:46.062Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","8e3ba243011d48d8748c9ed4eb7089b14c1877fe1674067ba60e263f37bbd458","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-41","reborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-chapter-39",763,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Freborn-in-2014-i-am-the-king-of-criminal-investi-cover.jpg"]