Chapter 179: List of Suspects

Huang Qiang arrived at the forensic office still dazed.

He had assigned Jiang Yuan to cold cases, but the usual procedure for cold cases was never like this.

Realistically, if the provincial bureau launched a "Hundred-Day Cold Case Crackdown," by the time it ended, some pre-prepared cold cases still wouldn't even be activated.

The suspects won't cooperate with police operations.

And once a current case becomes a cold case, it inevitably carries some level of difficulty.

Even if it didn't have any before, it should have some now.

So, there's almost no one who can pick up a cold case and solve it.

Cops assigned to cold cases always complain bitterly. In some places, being assigned to clear cold cases feels like being deliberately sidelined.

In reality, it really is painful.

It's like a salesperson who can't close a deal no matter what they try—will switching to another salesperson fix it? Probably not—this is for legitimate sales.

Huang Qiang truly believed in Jiang Yuan's abilities, but Jiang Yuan had only been back half a day and already made progress—Huang Qiang still couldn't understand it.

Even a big ox plowing new land needs months of work. Doesn't it require plenty of feed, wasted labor, and a lot of effort before yielding results?

Isn't it normal for activating a homicide cold case to take three to five months?

If it's solved in just a few hours, were they crazy to classify it as a cold case?

It's not a steak you can age.

"What clues have you found?" Huang Qiang entered with a serious face. Though genuinely curious, he still had to maintain his squad leader's dignity.

If a leader loses dignity, how can he manage subordinates?

"Jiang Yuan found them. Let him tell you." Wu Jun didn't take credit. He didn't need to worry about dignity—he'd already secured his deputy section chief benefits and had nothing left to desire before retirement.

While waiting, Jiang Yuan had already prepared the images and turned them into a PowerPoint. He switched the screen and said: "It's the 611 He Jingqin case from thirteen years ago…"

"Oh, I remember—the scene was covered in blood."

"Yes. I reconstructed the crime scene based on the bloodstains." Jiang Yuan operated the PowerPoint with his left hand and gestured slightly with his right.

Wu Jun smiled across from him, but at this point, he blinked in surprise: "When did you do the scene reconstruction?"

"While making the PowerPoint, I did it Shunbian." Jiang Yuan replied.

Bloodstain analysis is a high-end discipline—you need at least Level 3 expertise to master it.

But for Jiang Yuan, who possessed Level 5 bloodstain analysis, reconstructing the scene was basic.

He had all the photos he needed, all the data—he just had to integrate and analyze.

Jiang Yuan didn't waste words. He quickly displayed several photos and said: "I won't rehash the crime scene investigation or autopsy reports—I'll go straight to the reconstructed sequence of events."

"From the bloodstain analysis, the killer's actions fall into four parts."

"First part. The killer abducted the victim and inflicted the first wound near the fire exit, wielding a knife. The victim had superficial cuts on the arm—likely minor resistance. Bloodstains on the wall behind the door were probably caused by shoving. Key evidence: A, blood flow down the front of the victim's shirt from top to bottom. B…"

"Second part. The killer dragged the victim to the rooftop. The victim likely realized the killer's intent and resisted fiercely, possibly screaming. The killer, holding the knife in his right hand, slashed from left to right, delivering a fatal neck wound, creating spatter stains… Then, the killer dragged the victim onto the rooftop, leaving drag marks and signs of resistance… Main evidence…"

"Third part. On the rooftop, the killer stabbed the victim again, causing death. Main evidence: A, flow stains… B, blood pool formation… C, the victim's footprints… D, spatter stains appearing after the victim fell…"

"Fourth part. The killer began wiping and cleaning the scene—mainly removing large pools of blood and closing the rooftop door. I believe this was to conceal the crime scene and avoid early discovery, suggesting that after the murder, the killer's first priority was fleeing. Main evidence…"

Huang Qiang stared, dumbfounded.

He was a county police squad leader.

Describing a killer's actions by merely looking at photos—as if witnessing it firsthand—he'd only ever seen such reconstructions in performances.

"Where did you learn this…?" Huang Qiang simply couldn't comprehend it.

Jiang Yuan fell silent for two seconds, then said: "Back when I was in school, I always liked studying these things."

"You really did study them well." Huang Qiang didn't know what to say. It was like leading out one ox to work, and that single ox finished the entire production team's workload. What should the team leader do now?"

Jiang Yuan said: "I reviewed the old case files, focusing on the victim's family background to find the killer. I thought changing the investigative angle might offer a breakthrough…"

"Criminals with prior records who flee after committing crimes? That's still a huge pool." Huang Qiang instinctively looked for flaws.

Once a homicide cold case is activated, it could immediately require several officers and months of investigation—preliminary reasoning couldn't be skipped.

Jiang Yuan then explained his footstep-based height estimation and added: "I think we can narrow the scope first—if it doesn't work, we can expand later."

"How?"

"I assume the killer has a prior sexual offense record and was released very recently—say, one or two months ago, no more than three. He fled quickly, likely leaving the same day, at most the next day."

"Why so soon after release?" Huang Qiang felt this was the most critical question.

There were only a few prisons in the province. Combined with offenders from Ningtai County, the number of sex offenders released within three months before the crime was likely very small—maybe just a few people.

Among so few, finding someone aged 25 to 30? The number drops even further.

After carefully choosing his words, Jiang Yuan turned off the PowerPoint and pulled up several photos: "From my understanding of the crime scene, the killer's cleanup was calm—but his movements showed urgency and slight awkwardness. He was bold and confident during the attack, yet rushed…"

What Jiang Yuan described now was a holistic judgment, not isolated points: "I believe this was the killer's first crime after release, so he appeared especially… impulsive."

Huang Qiang understood. Though he didn't understand bloodstain analysis himself, Jiang Yuan had explained it thoroughly enough that Huang Qiang could only believe him.

"Start investigating. See how far you get. I'll assign you two people." Huang Qiang thought for a moment, then called Wei Zhenguo over.

If Jiang Yuan had found fingerprints or DNA evidence, Huang Qiang would've immediately formed a special task force.

But with bloodstain analysis, Huang Qiang preferred to send out just two investigators first.

This was standard procedure in the detective squad—nothing special for Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan wanted exactly this. When Wei Zhenguo arrived, they discussed briefly and started making calls.

Prisons were managed by the judicial system, especially those outside the province, which were more complicated.

But this complication didn't last long.

Two days later.

A list of only eight names sat on Huang Qiang's desk.

"Only these few suspects?" Huang Qiang's level of attention instantly spiked.

Jiang Yuan nodded: "The first four on this list are most likely. The last four could've been filtered out for later review, but Comrade Wei thought we shouldn't narrow the scope too much…"

"Old Wei's right. I'll call people in." Huang Qiang stopped approving documents and shouted for his clerk to summon everyone.

While waiting, Huang Qiang said: "An eight-person list for a homicide cold case? What's that? Eighty names could be checked directly. These cases aren't afraid of alerting suspects—eight people? We'll assign plenty of manpower…"

"Yes." Jiang Yuan had participated in several interrogations and arrests—he knew how things worked.

Police investigations aren't video games—you don't wait until everything's perfect and you've isolated the single answer.

Four squad leaders and deputy leaders were summoned at once and taken straight to the conference room.

"Jiang Yuan, you'll brief everyone on the case next." Huang Qiang stood and headed to the conference room.

Jiang Yuan was ready.

Whether arresting eight or four people, the details of the case had to be communicated to the officers on the ground—arrests carried inherent risks and required proper information.

Jiang Yuan entered the conference room, reopened the PowerPoint, and with one hand operating, reconstructed the crime scene more thoroughly than before.

Compared to his briefing for Huang Qiang, this version was better prepared and more complete.

The squad leaders and deputies were all veteran detectives, but after hearing Jiang Yuan's report, they remained silent for a long time.

"Will all future cases be handled like this?" After a long pause, Wu Junhao of the First Squad finally spoke up.

"Of course not," sighed Liu Wenkai, Second Squad leader. "No matter how good ShangK is, it won't steal Fenglou's market. Don't worry."

Everyone silently agreed, feeling a faint sense of relief.