Chapter 205: Direction of Investigation

Conducting on-site investigations has always been Jiang Yuan's specialty.

At LV4, if the perpetrator isn't a professional criminal, you can usually find something.

But after Jiang Yuan entered, the first thing he noticed was blood.

His bloodstain analysis is LV5—equivalent to a sprinter running 100 meters in under ten seconds, where every motion from the start is optimized.

Though he hadn't performed detailed identification or thorough analysis, what Jiang Yuan had seen so far was already enough to draw many conclusions.

For instance, the bloodstains showed that from the moment of attack to its end, the perpetrator's movements were extremely large.

With movements this large, any ordinary crime scene investigator should have been able to spot some trace evidence.

Especially the victim, who, when facing violent attacks, might have resisted slightly and left behind physical evidence linking the perpetrator.

But there was none.

In Jiang Yuan's understanding, this meant the perpetrator had made relatively thorough preparations—wearing gloves, protecting the neck, covering the hair, and so on.

Jiang Yuan's mind immediately pictured a perpetrator clad in a full-body suit, head completely enclosed, wielding a sharp blade, forcing the victim to retreat step by step, then stabbing… pursuing… finishing off…

During this process, the victim's minimal resistance—even if scratching the perpetrator's body—was deflected by the smooth fabric, making it impossible to even tear off a single fiber.

But… if someone went to such lengths to prepare a full set of gear, why use a knife—a primitive weapon—for murder?

Wouldn't arson be simpler?

Especially at 3 a. .

At this hour, most people are asleep; if the perpetrator was familiar enough to have a key, he should have slit the victim's throat at night. Though bleeding would be heavy, it wouldn't be this extreme—blood sprayed everywhere across the room.

Judging from the sheer volume of blood now, the perpetrator's preparations were anything but thorough.

The more Jiang Yuan looked, the more contradictions he saw.

Hou Lejia prompted at this moment: "Jiang Forensic, should I assign you some assistants or how do you want to proceed?"

At this point, the different working styles of detectives became clear.

Hou Lejia was more of a managerial type—he had his own ideas and stubbornness regarding investigation direction and criminal investigation matters. As for forensic or crime scene technicians, he treated them purely as tools, never listened to their opinions, and only wanted answers that matched his own direction.

Most veteran detectives were like this.

Some detectives in the early 2000s were repeatedly humbled. Back then, DNA labs were like Aladdin's lamp, spitting out answers to cold cases every few days—no criminal investigation thinking, no flashes of insight, no late nights or running. Early DNA technology was as easy as digesting spicy hotpot.

Yet even before the most advanced technology, stubborn conservatives remained.

Hou Lejia needed technology, but he never liked handing over the authority to set the investigative direction to technicians.

Conversely, he wasn't overly concerned about technicians' mistakes—as long as they followed his orders, even if they messed up, he wouldn't lose his temper.

It was probably because of this personality that the careless Ye Forensic and the LV0. crime scene technician could live comfortably.

But Jiang Yuan didn't like this model.

Or rather, Jiang Yuan, who possessed LV5 bloodstain analysis, disliked obediently following orders in a room splattered with blood.

Xiao Hou was too weak—his orders weren't worth listening to.

Jiang Yuan didn't argue with him; after thinking for a moment, he turned and said: "Let's eat something first—I'm too hungry. If we start the investigation now, it'll take at least five or six hours to finish…"

"Oh, look at my stupid head," Hou Lejia slapped his forehead and laughed. "What do you want to eat? That pig's intestine and tripe chicken from last time? That might take a while—don't know if the vendor's out yet…"

"Snail rice noodles," Jiang Yuan interrupted Hou's rambling. "Something stinky—to mask the smell."

"Uh, eat it right here?"

"Definitely not at the crime scene. Eat it at the door once it's cooked," Jiang Yuan said.

"Fine. Uh… Cui Xiaohu, go get some snail rice noodles. One portion enough?"

"Enough. Eating too much makes it harder to work," Jiang Yuan paused, then added to Cui Xiaohu: "Add a sausage and two eggs."

While the noodles cooked, Jiang Yuan pulled out a notebook and began sketching the crime scene.

Hou Lejia didn't understand the field and couldn't force Jiang Yuan, who hadn't eaten, to scrub the floor—he could only wait patiently.

After a while, a smell unlike corpse odor swept in.

"Jiang Forensic, come eat your snail rice noodles?" Cui Xiaohu poked his head in.

"Wait a moment," Jiang Yuan made two more gestures, stepped outside to glance, then returned and said: "Director Hou, I have an idea I'd like to discuss with you."

Hou Lejia blinked. "Go ahead."

"I've briefly examined the crime scene and reconstructed a simple version of the incident. Let me explain?" Jiang Yuan stood by the door.

"Go ahead," Hou Lejia said, nodding.

Jiang Yuan extended his hands flat. "Here, the victim's neck had a dagger resting against it, skin slightly pierced, being pushed inward by the suspect. The direction of these blood droplets on the floor points toward the bedroom, and they're all slow-moving blood…"

Hou Lejia stared at Jiang Yuan, confused.

Jiang Yuan took two more steps forward, then turned. "Here, the perpetrator launched the first attack…"

"The victim may have resisted, but was shoved aside."

"From the bloodstains, we can see the perpetrator pushed the victim to this spot."

Jiang Yuan continued reconstructing the crime scene as he entered the bedroom.

Then he stopped speaking, turned around, and walked back out to the front door. "If the perpetrator were an acquaintance, wouldn't it be contradictory to enter at 3 a. . and immediately threaten with a knife?"

Hou Lejia frowned.

"I believe it was a stranger," Jiang Yuan said. He had reconstructed the entire crime scene—albeit a rough version—but if needed, he could produce a detailed one.

Under these circumstances, Jiang Yuan spoke with firm authority.

Hou Lejia asked: "If it's a stranger, how did he enter the victim's home at 3 a. .?"

"The victim let him in."

"The victim?"

"Yes. I just checked outside—I suspect the perpetrator's original intent was theft." In recent days, Jiang Yuan had extended sentences for many petty thieves and understood their typical profiles.

Hou Lejia didn't believe it. "Steal what?"

"The bicycle and motorcycle at the door. Maybe he planned to break in. Only a petty thief would cover himself so completely."

"Then the victim came out to check the door?" Hou Lejia began filling in the gaps himself.

Jiang Yuan nodded. "And was taken hostage back inside."

Jiang Yuan's reasoning made sense. Hou Lejia now worried—this completely changed the investigation direction.

"If the perpetrator is a stranger, the little girl is in extreme danger," said Ye Forensic slowly. Everyone's expression darkened.