Chapter 196: Within Seven Steps

Liu Jinghui, full of confidence and commanding with poise, formulated an investigation plan and pointed out the direction of the search.

Only after he stepped down did Team Leader Shen Feihong take the stage to emphasize and arrange specific tasks.

Jiang Yuan quietly passed the drawn map to Liu Jinghui.

Liu Jinghui was taken aback; he opened it and was left speechless.

Sensing he was drawing too much attention, Liu Jinghui quickly pulled out his phone and sent Jiang Yuan a message: "Is this your analysis of the suspect's location? How did you do it?"

He could guess some of it, but still needed to analyze.

Jiang Yuan typed a brief explanation, concluding: "There's no definitive physical evidence yet, but Zhangshan Town and Lichang Town should be prioritized."

"Indeed," Liu Jinghui agreed—it was precisely the analytical approach he excelled at and was accustomed to.

Still, Liu Jinghui did not interrupt Shen Feihong; instead, he pulled over another map and studied it carefully.

By the time he finished studying, Shen Feihong had nearly finished speaking.

Shen Feihong politely said: "If everyone has no further input, then today's meeting…"

"I'd like to add two points," Liu Jinghui stood up.

Those who had already risen to leave reluctantly sat back down.

"Forensic expert Jiang Yuan just gave me this map—I find it highly instructive," Liu Jinghui directly pinned Jiang Yuan's map to the front.

The map was small; those in the back couldn't see it clearly.

Liu Jinghui then had it passed to the rear.

As the others passed it around, Liu Jinghui said: "Dumping bodies outside residential and work zones follows a general pattern. Similarly, committing crimes outside these zones is an unconscious reaction among this type of offender…"

He didn't even need to explain—every detective in the room already understood these points.

Someone directly asked: "Should we adjust the deployment?"

"Adjust it a bit, Team Leader Shen?" Liu Jinghui politely deferred to Shen Feihong.

Team Leader Shen gave Liu Jinghui a gruff "Mm," but smiled at Jiang Yuan: "Forensic Jiang's skills are truly impressive—his methods are numerous and effective… This time, the body identification was thanks entirely to your help…"

He lavished praise on Jiang Yuan, slightly forced and awkward, but everyone laughed along.

If you solve the case, you're a god.

To solve a case, these rough men can go days without sleep, standing on the roadside for ten or twenty days in stinking clothes. A college graduate in a white coat can sieve through thirty-eight truckloads of sewage and test the solid residue.

So what's wrong with a little praise?

So what if it's awkward?

Shen Feihong is the Team Leader of the Qinghe City Criminal Investigation Brigade; Jiang Yuan is a forensic expert from Ningtai County's Criminal Investigation Team. Shen Feihong will need Jiang Yuan's support many times in the future.

This dismemberment case is tough, but not the toughest—another even harder one could pop up in a few days.

Yet Jiang Yuan's abilities keep improving.

The twelve forensic experts here are nearly all the forensic talent in Qinghe City; in effect, Jiang Yuan alone is delivering eleven-twelfths of the combat power.

Someone might ask: Can't the collective strength of eleven forensic experts surpass one? Isn't a city more than this?

Modern technology works this way.

It's not surprising if a city's forensic team in forensic anthropology is outmatched by one expert—even if an entire province's team is outmatched by one. Can a school's students pooling together solve an Olympiad math paper and win a silver medal?

Give them three years!

It hasn't been long since a city couldn't find a single college graduate—no one knew English, no one knew accounting, no one knew surgery, no one knew radio, no one knew computers, no one knew CAD, no one knew Photoshop—just three generations ago.

Pretending everyone is the same, pretending college graduates are the same, pretending 985 graduates are the same, pretending students from the same university are the same—that's only because you haven't met a real challenge.

Some cases can be solved by anyone; others can only be solved by a few.

Over these days, Shen Feihong had been deploying officers across teams while closely monitoring Jiang Yuan and the forensic team's work.

Now, looking at Jiang Yuan, he nearly wept with emotion. ωω

The strongest forensic expert in Qinghe City is Wang Lan—a top graduate from a medical university's forensic program, with nearly twenty years' experience, having autopsied hundreds, even thousands of bodies. But forensic anthropology is scarce nationwide; all forensic experts' experience is roughly the same.

When quantity can't compensate, talent becomes the deciding factor.

Of course, someone like Jiang Yuan is absurdly gifted.

Shen Feihong is just a Team Leader; if he advanced further, he wouldn't rely on criminal investigation anyway—otherwise, he'd do anything to keep Jiang Yuan.

Leveraging the group's goodwill, Shen Feihong spoke warmly to Jiang Yuan, then switched to a serious tone: "Adjust the plan—Zhangshan Town and Lichang Town are top priorities. Also, don't neglect the blank areas around them. Every area investigated must be clearly marked—no omissions allowed."

Liu Jinghui nodded in agreement: "The killer has been active for a long time—he must have a stable dismemberment site. But over such a long period, he's had time to hide it: a private cellar, concealed equipment, all possible. The reservoir has been dry for a week now; those with access to information may have heard rumors. In short, the search must be meticulous…"

Shen Feihong now fully backed Liu Jinghui, emphasizing: "The biggest fear is missing something. The old saying is right: you're meticulous ninety-nine times, but one lapse loses it. We must make this crystal clear to every officer. This time, give 100% of your focus…"

Everyone in the meeting room listened.

Everyone understood the logic—but how much they could actually achieve would test each team's combat effectiveness.

Shen Feihong's words were both a reminder and a unification of thought.

Meetings are held layer by layer; thought is unified layer by layer.

The next day, at the time of action, Jiang Yuan and the other forensic experts changed into police uniforms and moved out together.

Qinghe Bureau's police were clearly insufficient; as a non-operational municipal bureau, Qinghe Bureau's staffing and officers' combat capability were highly questionable.

For propaganda, Qinghe Bureau could still manage—but to rely on Qinghe Bureau as the main force for a sweep was like sending a stuffed doll to catch mice. It wasn't impossible, but could it actually work?

You'd fear that when the mouse appeared, the cleaner, the cat, and the mouse would all scream at once.

Police officers from nearby county bureaus had been secretly dispatched overnight.

Shen Feihong also mobilized a unit of armed police. Nowadays, calling in armed police wasn't easy—Shen Feihong mainly feared something going wrong.

In addition, the police stations of both towns had mustered all personnel to assist.

Unlike public order cases, criminal investigations rarely involve tip-offs—but even so, the specific tasks were only announced in the morning.

Simultaneous operations began in Zhangshan Town and Lichang Town.

At this moment, the importance of administrative boundaries became clear. Fortunately, Qinghe City and Jianjiang City both belonged to Shannan Province—if they'd been in different provinces, coordinating the operation would've been a nightmare.

Jiang Yuan chose to go to Zhangshan Town within his own city.

The police reinforcements from Ningtai County had been assigned to Zhangshan Town; Jiang Yuan, drawing from his previous experience, joined Mu Zhiyang's team.

The killer in this case was at least as brutal as the perpetrators of the "Wu Long Mountain Savage Case." Whether he had a gun was uncertain.

Though gun-related crimes seem rare now, the number of privately held firearms remains substantial.

It's even possible the victims were shot. So far, only one body showed knife wounds on the ribs and was judged stabbed; the causes of death for the others remain undetermined.

Since victims #2 and #3 were both healthy, physically strong laborers, killing them with a single knife alone would be difficult. It's not necessarily that he couldn't overpower them—but human jungles and animal jungles are the same: predators prefer hunting methods that avoid injury. Even a minor wound drastically reduces their willingness to kill.

Mu Zhiyang looked much healthier now, his limbs moving freely.

He was a bona fide detective; this time, he'd been issued a gun—he had real combat experience: fired shots, shot people, been wounded, earned commendations—all counted as seniority.

Standing beside Jiang Yuan, Mu Zhiyang gripped his gun and declared proudly: "This time, rest easy—I've got a Type 92, 9mm, dual magazine. Add an armored vehicle, and we could take on anything."

"That's exaggerated, isn't it?" Jiang Yuan glanced at Mu Zhiyang, thinking: Men really do become more confident the harder their gun. The Mu Zhiyang with the small pistol had clearly been much more timid.

"Before I left today, I fired a hundred rounds," Mu Zhiyang traced his fingers along the holster, reciting: "Beyond seven steps, the gun is fast; within seven steps, the gun is fast and accurate!"