Chapter 17: Bonus Points

After a few people chatted for a while, the sound of leather shoes stepping on floor tiles came again from the corridor.

Everyone could guess a little, sat up straight, and saw Team Leader Huang Qiangmin enter the office with several others.

“Oh, you all got together.” Huang Qiangmin walked in with the group, looking in high spirits.

“Team Leader.”

“Chief Huang.”

Wu Jun and the others all stood up.

“Sit down, sit down.” Huang Qiangmin waved his hand lightly and said, “Jiang Yuan, your fingerprint work on this case was excellent—twenty-year-old cold case, not easy, really not easy. When this case happened, I was still at the police station, following my master around chasing leads; I still remember it clearly…”

Yan Ge’s blood surged to his head as he listened—he was barely any older than Huang Qiangmin, and his memories were nearly identical: twenty years ago, he too had been at the police station, following his master to investigate leads… yet now, his fate was vastly different.

“This case was solved cleanly and efficiently—everyone saw it.” Huang Qiangmin spoke seriously to Jiang Yuan, then added, “I came up here to ask you: what are your plans next? If you want to switch to trace evidence, I think it’d suit you well…”

The blood that had just begun to recede from Yan Ge’s head surged forward again like a rabid dog turning back.

Yet no one cared about Yan Ge’s thoughts.

For Huang Qiangmin, the head of the Criminal Investigation Team, there were multiple swords hanging over his head; the “Combat Power Ranking” was undoubtedly one of the thickest—blunt, heavy, but when it fell, it would give anyone a headache worse than death. Jiang Yuan solving a cold case with fingerprints was the high-level combat power Huang Qiangmin had longed for.

Simply by the numbers, solving this one case would raise Ningtai County’s Criminal Investigation Team’s points from the current 565 to 600.

The “Combat Power Ranking” was a points-based system under big data, with complex calculation rules that changed subtly every day, every month, every year—unknown to outsiders…

But one thing was extremely powerful: it was an instant feedback mechanism, just like young people playing games—you defeat a monster, catch a suspect, and get immediate feedback. Every criminal investigation team, government department, even every county and city bureau could see it instantly.

Regarding the “Liu Yu assault case,” as soon as the Criminal Investigation Team finished the investigation and the Procuratorate confirmed receipt, the points for solving the robbery cold case would be awarded. Conservatively estimated, a twenty-year-old cold case, previously listed as a key case multiple times, a 30-point increase was perfectly normal.

Capturing the suspect also earned points. For such a long-standing serious assault case, catching the perpetrator deserved 10 to 15 points.

In other words, this single case, solved in two ways, earned nearly half the points of a homicide. Not only would it greatly benefit the Criminal Investigation Team, but it could lift the entire bureau’s points by several ticks.

As for how hard it was for the Criminal Investigation Team to raise its points from 565 to 600, just treat it like the college entrance exam—no problem at all.

If the year-end is like the college entrance exam, then right now is equivalent to the team’s mock exam score, rising from 565 to 600 or higher.

No wonder Huang Qiangmin’s face lit up with a smile.

In past years, Ningtai County’s Criminal Investigation Team had always solved a few cold cases—not like winning the lottery. To solve a similar cold case with existing leads, a squad of ten or so officers would work for a month, then another squad would join for another month, and even then, solving it quickly was considered fast.

But one must consider that with new cases constantly occurring, diverting the equivalent of three months’ work from an entire criminal investigation squad consumed enormous investigative resources.

The team’s original 565 points already included deductions—they had to constantly deploy manpower to solve current cases just to maintain those 565 points.

To have any spare capacity left was truly difficult. It was like a college entrance exam student who knew their weak subject but couldn’t spare time or energy to strengthen it, because they had to keep up with review schedules while preserving grades in other subjects, lest they neglect one for another.

Jiang Yuan solved a decades-old cold case with near-single-handed effort. From Huang Qiangmin’s perspective, it was like receiving bonus points on the college entrance exam—Olympiad-level bonus points.

Suggesting Jiang Yuan switch to trace evidence was Huang Qiangmin’s inner desire for a direct admission to a top university made manifest.

Jiang Yuan, however, shook his head without hesitation: “I still want to be a forensic pathologist. As for trace evidence, I only really understand fingerprints—I can handle them whenever I have time.”

“Fine.” Huang Qiangmin was delighted to confirm Jiang Yuan still wanted to keep doing fingerprints, then smiled at Wu Jun: “Old Wu, your little apprentice belongs to everyone now—don’t hoard him all for yourself.”

Wu Jun laughed heartily, patted Jiang Yuan on the shoulder, and said, “Use him freely—as long as someone helps me carry corpses.”

Huang Qiangmin chuckled a few more words, then stood up: “Jiang Yuan, keep it up. If your master can’t handle something, come find me.”

“Got it.” Jiang Yuan replied cheerfully.

“One more thing.” Huang Qiangmin glanced at the other three, then turned to Jiang Yuan: “This case originally had a reward, but the amount was updated only a few years ago. I checked—it’s just one yuan. Hmm… I’ll have them process the paperwork later…”

Jiang Yuan nodded with a cheerful grin.

Seeing Jiang Yuan showed no sign of disappointment, Huang Qiangmin left, reassured.

The police force allowed both economic and spiritual rewards, but spiritual rewards were primary. Cases with rewards were rare; whether the bounty was a few thousand or tens of thousands, it was beyond their control.

After Huang Qiangmin left, Xiao Wang let out a long breath, patted his chest, and sighed: “Didn’t expect Chief Huang could look so amiable when he smiles—too bad he’s missing that left dimple.”

Everyone’s minds instantly conjured the image, and all lost interest in talking.

Xiao Wang turned to Jiang Yuan: “Want to check another fingerprint? Maybe there’s a high-reward case out there…”

“Don’t worry about the reward yet—cases you can solve directly are more interesting.” Jiang Yuan replied, and Xiao Wang immediately got busy again.

Before the results came up, Jiang Yuan’s system alerted him:

Task completed: Assisted in solving the Liu Yu assault case.

Reward: Crime Scene Investigation (LV4).