Chapter 1360

Another 11 teams were dispatched to various locations, and Jiang Yuan only then returned to rest.

By now it was naturally past quitting time, but the criminal investigation teams sent out were resting even later.

As for the criminal investigation team of Anwan Municipal Bureau that had not yet been assigned tasks, they also seized the time to bid farewell to their families……

Judging by Jiang Yuan's current progress, anyone could see that he had no bottleneck in fingerprint identification. With so many backlog cases, though not all necessarily aligned with Jiang Yuan's investigative direction, even if only one percent matched, they would have to dispatch personnel in droves here.

Jiang Yuan's mood was also quite high-spirited.

After playing with fingerprints for so long, the development of tertiary features had greatly enhanced his detection range.

If LV3 or LV4 fingerprint skills still fell within the ordinary person's understanding of fingerprint experts, LV6 or even higher fingerprint experts had already entered a new domain, involving expertise that were also recent research achievements from the past twenty years or so.

Of course, this was also limited by equipment. The high-resolution spectral imaging device Jiang Yuan currently used was still ordinary commercial grade; a decade earlier, such research might have relied on scanning electron microscopes, which most universities could not afford or barely manage.

And technology that slightly exceeded common sense was precisely good technology for apprehending criminals.

In the coming days, Jiang Yuan, inspired as he was, simply turned on Skill 1 and began researching various new fingerprint-related technologies.

First introduced was the latent fingerprint development technology based on nanomaterials fluorescence.

Although the term "nano" has been frequently used by charlatans in recent years, in real laboratories, nanotechnology is indeed slowly being implemented.

Not as miraculous as legend claims, but certain nanomaterials do indeed exhibit better optical, electronic, and surface modifiability; in plain terms, shine a light and it glows, apply a substance and it glows, bake it and it glows.

Once the fingerprint glows, it can naturally be used for comparison.

Jiang Yuan's first choice was N-acetylcysteine-coated nanomaterial fluorescence. He chose it for two reasons: first, because it applies to plastic, and there happened to be a case where it could be used; second, because ready-made materials were available for purchase.

Anwan Municipal Bureau was responsible for the purchase.

Soon, two experts from the Ministry's Physical Evidence Appraisal Center arrived upon hearing the news.

They were originally responsible for promoting various fingerprint identification technologies, but within the system, they had achieved no significant results, and the criminal investigation teams, busy as they were, had little inclination to apply new technologies. Only when old methods failed would they consider new ones.

After all, for the vast majority of cases, old techniques sufficed. To truly popularize new technology, either criminals must universally improve their personal qualities, forcing police to upgrade their technical level; or the new technology must demonstrate an extraordinary breakthrough or high efficiency.

The most typical example is DNA technology, which is more disruptive than fingerprint technology; the latter took far too long to popularize and improve, and in the pre-computer era, even a single fingerprint database search consumed untold amounts of technician and expert time.

The experts from the Physical Evidence Appraisal Center also understood this principle, so upon hearing that Jiang Yuan was interested in the new technology they promoted, they immediately came to his door.

Even the best technology needs people to use it to demonstrate breakthroughs and efficiency. Moreover, merely using new technology to compare fingerprints, for publicity purposes, is completely ineffective compared to using new technology to solve major cases.

Jiang Yuan's current fame also stems from solving cases, not from technological breakthroughs.

Simply saying the technology is good—every bureau has a few such people—but saying how good it is, why it's better than others, this is extremely difficult to quantify.

Solving cases is different. Those who can repeatedly crack major, serious, and backlog cases are few nationwide, and even fewer at any given time.

Anwan Municipal Bureau organized a solemn welcome ceremony for the experts sent by the Ministry. Not only because they came from the Ministry, but also because the two individuals brought many related materials, allowing Anwan Municipal Bureau's strained finances to truly catch a breath.

The two experts were also quite excited, and after slightly cooperating with the bureau's activities, they followed Jiang Yuan into the laboratory.

Together, they spent two days in the lab, changing materials and conducting consecutive experiments.

At the same time, the teams dispatched by Liu Zhuangshi were increasing in number.

Jiang Yuan and the others tried fingerprints on plastic, coins, chemical fiber fabrics, and various other materials, with three people working together, and the effect naturally became significant.

Liu Zhuangshi felt both pain and joy.

These were technologies he usually could not access, experts he could not hire; now they were working for him for free, even doing black-market work—it was truly exhilarating, but the expenses were also truly enormous.

Aside from that, the various nanomaterials used by Jiang Yuan and the Ministry experts were themselves custom-made by external companies, not cheap to say the least, and increasing quantity still required a price increase, as production could not keep up.

Furthermore, Jiang Yuan took advantage of having help to attempt to reproduce some "common" materials mentioned in papers, such as nanoparticles co-doped with Li, Na, K elements, or more complex dopants like rare-earth components Eu, Sm, Mn in nanoparticles……

All these developing agents, at their core, were meant to make fingerprints glow, just as humanity's current way of obtaining energy is boiling water.

Only, the cost varies with the method of glowing, and it is also rising sharply.

Weekend.

Liu Zhuangshi sat down in the municipal bureau's office and would not leave again.

Seeing him, the bureau chief also felt a headache, and knew exactly why he had come, helplessly saying: "You spend money too fiercely; our Anwan Municipal Bureau is a poor bureau……"

Bang!

Liu Zhuangshi picked up a packet of documents from the floor and placed it on the chief's desk.

"What is this?" the chief asked, startled, lifting his teacup, taking a tactical sip of water.

"Cases 617 and 1012 have been solved; this is some basic information about the involved personnel, plus some case-related materials. After you've reviewed them, I'll send them to the procuratorate." Liu Zhuangshi said, sitting back down in his chair, stretching lazily in a tactical manner.

In China, numeric names are the most formidable; the bureau chief, upon hearing Liu Zhuangshi mention the two cases, recalled them after a few seconds and formed an impression.

The bureau chief picked up the documents on the desk and asked: "Is that the case where someone fled after causing accidental injury?"

"Yes, a group of campers quarreled over a spot or something, one side beat the other into serious injury, then fled. We later visited many other campers nearby, showed them sketches, but got no results." Liu Zhuangshi paused, then said: "Jiang Yuan found several suspects via fingerprints; we went there once and confirmed one."

"How confident are you?" the chief asked professionally.

"One hundred percent!" Liu Zhuangshi: "Our people went to his home, and he immediately knew what it was about. He even said he thought we should have come earlier……"

"Based on fingerprints?" the chief asked.

"Yes, during the fight, there was a struggle, mutual shoving, fingerprints left on clothing, but our recent extractions have been partial fingerprints, unable to lock suspects." Liu Zhuangshi paused, then said: "Jiang Yuan used the new technology to extract them."

Bureau chief: "So you're coming here with righteous indignation to demand funds?"

Liu Zhuangshi: "My people are already deployed, simultaneously handling four cases."

Bureau chief nodded slowly: "How much?"

Liu Zhuangshi handed over a small slip of paper.

The bureau chief opened his mouth wide, looking at Liu Zhuangshi.

Liu Zhuangshi spread his hands and said: "Anyway, since I've spent this much, if you don't give it, I'll just stay at your place……"

Bureau chief: "You're asking for too much……"

"If it really doesn't work, I have a method." Liu Zhuangshi whispered: "You contact the criminal investigation teams of a few other cities……"

"I've already used this method." The bureau chief remained calm and composed.

"Used it?" Liu Zhuangshi was stunned for a moment before realizing, the bureau chief meant: "You went to other criminal investigation teams for money before Jiang Yuan even agreed? You…… you…… this is fraud."

"Jiang Yuan didn't check their fingerprints? If he checked, it wouldn't count as fraud." The bureau chief hardened and shifted the topic, saying: "In short, this trick won't work anymore."

Liu Zhuang swore he didn't care anymore, plopping down: "Anyway, I can't go back, I can't get the funding, those running the companies will come after me. Bureau chief... you look at these cases, you say..."

"I'll think of a way, I'll think of a way." The bureau chief still focused on soothing, finally scraping together some money for him, and managed to send Liu Zhuang away.

Seeing Liu Zhuang off, the bureau chief hesitated no longer, had his subordinates sort some documents, and took off running toward the city center.

Soon, in the courtyard of the city hall, some kind of legendary superstition began to echo.

"Anyway, since so much has been spent, if you don't give it, I'll just stay at your place..."

"You contact the other few cities..."

"If checked, it doesn't count as fraud..."