Chapter 146: The Suspect Outside the Line of Sight

Wang Zhong felt a surge of energy all over his body.

He hadn't expected Jiang Yuan to actually extract something from the footprints.

Although he was only a level-1 trace evidence technician, he had been on the force for years and knew one thing clearly: if the perpetrator was definitively a suspect 193 centimeters tall, finding him wouldn't be hard.

In other words, this cold homicide case might actually be solvable.

The thought made Wang Zhong ecstatic.

In past years, Ningtai County would dedicate one or two months each year to clearing a batch of cold cases, but for major homicides, the target was often just one case—and even that wasn't always achieved.

Yet all Jiang Yuan had done was stand beside him for a few minutes.

True, the case hadn't been officially solved yet.

Even whether Wu Junhao could produce a list of suspects was still uncertain, but since this analysis came from Jiang Yuan, Wang Zhong trusted it completely.

In Wang Zhong's mind, Jiang Yuan was now the embodiment of authority.

"Shall we keep going?"

Wang Zhong looked at Jiang Yuan with eager anticipation.

"Wait for Captain Wu," Jiang Yuan shook his head.

If Wu Junhao returned with a suitable suspect, the entire cold homicide case file would be activated immediately.

And with Ningtai County's resources, any major homicide cold case would require forming a dedicated task force.

Once the task force began, you wouldn't be allowed to handle anything else.

So if Jiang Yuan started examining other cases or opening new cold files now, it wouldn't save time—it would only hinder his own team.

Cases must be solved one at a time.

Especially cases requiring reports, evidence collection, arrests, and interrogations—no matter how simple, they'd still demand intense effort.

Solving a single cold homicide case means at least one suspect must be punished. Under modern judicial systems, sentencing a citizen to death or life imprisonment is never a decision made lightly.

Jiang Yuan returned to his office, turned on his computer, and quietly studied several old cases with footprints.

Honestly, although these cases had been solved through other means, the footprint evidence used later for comparison could still reveal a lot.

In fact, many real-world cases can be solved from multiple angles.

Most criminals, even those with some counter-investigation awareness, can only manage to evade level-1 or level-2 techniques; against level-3 forensic technology, any trace left behind is dangerous.

From a footprint analysis perspective: if you're too tall, don't commit crimes; if you're too short, don't commit crimes; if you're too fat, don't commit crimes; if you're too thin… being too thin is fine; if you're disabled, don't commit crimes…

All of this can be seen from footprints.

…

"Bang! Bang-bang!"

The office door was knocked hard twice.

Jiang Yuan and Wu Jun both turned to look—it was the burly Captain Wu Junhao.

Two broad-shouldered men stood beside him; the three together blocked the doorway, with Wu Junhao's body shielding it while the other two peered over his shoulders, making them look like a single man with three heads.

Like a three-headed ogre.

"Captain Wu," Jiang Yuan rose and asked, "Have you identified a suitable suspect?"

"I have," Wu Junhao said with grave seriousness.

A cold homicide case held near-sacred significance for any police officer.

Wu Jun also looked over curiously—he still didn't know what Jiang Yuan had done earlier.

Already dead?

Wu Junhao said in a low voice: "In my notebook, I recorded a suspect from Ningtai County—he was a high school student at County No. 3 High, on the basketball team. Two days before the murder, he had a conflict with the victim's son."

"I asked the victim's son who he'd had recent disputes with, and he gave me this name."

"But when we called him, we specifically asked his height—he said 188 centimeters. His father brought him in for questioning, and he seemed about that height."

Even as he spoke, Wu Junhao's expression grew heavier.

This 188-centimeter suspect's father was a civil servant in the county finance bureau and knew many police officers.

Tomatoes

When the father and son came in for questioning, the father was smooth-talking and charming, and since his son's height exceeded Chen Wenming's 178–185 cm range, they were quickly dismissed together.

Wu Junhao continued: "This case originally focused on the victim's network of relationships; later, the investigation shifted toward burglary or robbery turning into murder. We never considered the victim's son's circle…"

In other words, this 188-centimeter teenager had merely flashed past investigators' eyes without ever truly entering their field of view.

Wu Junhao looked at Jiang Yuan: "Does a height of 188 fit your judgment?"

Jiang Yuan unexpectedly shook his head: "No."

One of Wu Junhao's officers blurted out: "You don't have to take responsibility—even if he's not 193, we still need to question him…"

"I suspect the suspect lied about his height," Jiang Yuan calmly interrupted. "He claims 188, but is actually 193. We can measure him on-site. He might claim he grew taller later, but if he were truly 188, that would reduce his suspicion."

"Makes sense," Wu Junhao nodded. "Then let's go check him. If he's 193, I'll bring him back."

"Good," Jiang Yuan gave a firm reply.

Wu Junhao wasted no more words and turned to leave, saying as he walked: "Gather everyone—we're going to measure that kid."

The three large men walked down the corridor, their footsteps shaking the hall as if thirteen men were marching.

Wang Zhong poked his head out of the office. Once they were gone, he whispered to Jiang Yuan: "You're sure it's him?"

"We'll know when we bring him in."

Jiang Yuan returned to his office and called Colonel Huang Qiangmin.

As expected, Huang Qiangmin had already received Wu Junhao's report.

"Send Lao Wu to measure him. Come with me to report to the director," Huang Qiangmin was always decisive.

Jiang Yuan was slightly surprised and asked: "Don't we wait until he's brought in before reporting?"

"The kid's father works for the government—he's been promoted these past few years. Let the director know ahead of time," Huang Qiangmin's lips tightened into a 180-degree line, looking stern.

Homicide cases are entirely different—they involve human lives; no amount of caution is excessive.

Jiang Yuan quickly prepared for meeting leadership: drank water, used the restroom, tidied his clothes.

Finally, fully dressed, he went first to Colonel Huang's office, then together to the director's office.

In the modest office, the director sat silently studying the case file for two or three minutes.

"We'll know soon enough, right?" the director set down the file and spoke with a serious expression.

Huang Qiangmin grunted in agreement, glancing at Jiang Yuan: "If the suspect's height is confirmed at 193 centimeters, we must re-examine his background and classify him as a major suspect."

"We don't even need 193—1. meters already exceeds his claimed 1. 8."

The director sat calmly in his chair and continued:

"The key is the case itself. The suspect's father and family connections don't need excessive consideration."

"Understood!"

Huang Qiangmin expected this outcome, but hearing the director say it outright gave him peace of mind.

"Then let's wait together. Sit on the sofa—you're probably right that Wu Junhao will arrive soon."

The director's expression shifted from stern to calm to gentle, gesturing for them to sit, then opened another file and began reading carefully.

Jiang Yuan and Huang Qiangmin exchanged glances; Huang the Colonel gave him a subtle 33. -degree lip movement, signaling him to relax.

Jiang Yuan leaned back against the sofa and closed his eyes to rest.

Huang Qiangmin exhaled in relief—he feared young officers might be too casual and pull out their phones to watch videos, which would be awkward.

Soon, Huang Qiangmin's phone rang.

He stood up immediately, answered, and switched to speaker: "Captain Wu, I'm in the director's office—give your report directly."

"Yes," Wu Junhao replied, then organized his words: "I've measured the suspect's height—exactly 193 centimeters."

"Bring him in, collect evidence on-site, and I'll call the prosecutor's office," Huang Qiangmin's face lit up with excitement!

So far, everything regarding this homicide case had proceeded smoothly.

Finding the killer for the victim and bringing justice to the dead was a police officer's duty.

And clearing one cold homicide case this year would make this year's achievements explode!

The director sat upright, nodded approvingly at Jiang Yuan, then said to Huang Qiangmin: "Immediately form a special task force and solidify the case."