Chapter 242: Persuasion

Jiang Yuan couldn't stay in the autopsy room.

He looked at the bones for so long, and the clues he finally found still couldn't play a role.

Now thinking about it, from the beginning of solving this case to now, everyone had found quite a few clues, but from locking the suspect, there was always a relatively long distance.

This on one hand explained the killer's strong anti-investigation ability, and on the other hand, it also disguisedly explained that the number of times he committed crimes might be more, which couldn't help but make the investigators frustrated.

Jiang Yuan's frustration might be even stronger.

This case was a case he was extremely eager to solve--the reason didn't need to be said, Liu Jinghui was temporarily in a missing state, but the longer the missing time, the smaller the chance of being found back. This was a point everyone was unwilling to think about in detail.

And in previous cases, Jiang Yuan had a feeling of being invincible

His skills completely crush the county-level standard, so even for cold cases that everyone fears, there is a chance for a breakthrough in Jiang Yuan's hands.

However, this case has no room for maneuver.

It must be solved, and it must be solved quickly.

Instead, it is stuck firmly in place.

Jiang Yuan didn't want to look at the bones anymore; subconsciously, he felt that the evidence provided by the "King of Evidence" was also insufficient.

Looking at his colleagues still busy in the autopsy room, Jiang Yuan found Wang Lan and whispered, "Sister Wang, I want to go to Fang Jinxiang to take a look."

"Did your Team Leader Huang call you?" Wang Lan thought naturally.

"No, I'm feeling a bit stifled and want to go out for a run." Jiang Yuan answered quite bluntly; his status in the police force is rising, so he doesn't have to be as cautious as a young rookie anymore.

Wang Lan isn't Jiang Yuan's direct supervisor either. Seeing that he really wanted to go, she smiled and said, "The smell of the boiled bones has dissipated, so you don't like staying here anymore, right? Fine, going out to get some fresh air is good too. Just say something in the group chat yourself."

"Okay. If you boil bones again, call me." Jiang Yuan replied cooperatively and typed in the "Ningtai Zifeng Police Group":

Jiang Yuan: 【@Huang Qiangmin, Team Leader Huang, I'm heading to Fang Jinxiang now.】

Huang Qiangmin: 【It's fine if you want to come over and take a look. How are you getting here? I've already taken the new car.】

Jiang Yuan: 【I'll find a car and come over.】

Qinghe City is Jiang Yongxin's main battlefield, and his rental car company has plenty of good cars. Jiang Yuan switched out to send a message, figuring that by the time the car arrived, he would have changed his clothes.

Switching back to the group chat, he saw Huang Qiangmin's message: 【Fine. If you can't find one, take a taxi; remember to get a receipt for reimbursement】.

As soon as this was said, countless people immediately popped up in the group:

Liu Wenkai: 【Team Leader Huang, I want reimbursement too!】

Wei Zhengguo: 【Team Leader Huang, I want reimbursement too!】

Wu Junhao: 【Team Leader Huang~】

【Wu Junhao has been removed from the group chat】

Huang Qiangmin: 【Who added people who aren't in Zifeng? Anyone else who wants reimbursement, come directly to me, and I'll reimburse you.】

The "Ningtai Zifeng Police Group" was silent, as if nothing had happened.

Jiang Yuan silently closed his phone, smiled at Wang Lan, went to the shower room to wash up, and changed his clothes.

Clothes stained with the smell of corpses are easier to deodorize if they are aired out for a day before washing.

When putting new clothes in the closet, it's also best to isolate them well with plastic bags.

This is because the conditions in the Qinghe City autopsy room are average; a forensic autopsy room one level higher would usually have independent shower and changing rooms. Such things don't make the autopsy results clearer, but they make the forensic doctors more comfortable.

Stepping outside, a Range Rover arrived just in time. The driver locked the car doors tightly, looking around with a vigilant expression.

Knock, knock.

Jiang Yuan reached out and knocked on the window.

The driver gave a start, and his body visibly slumped.

Jiang Yuan watched him slump and then stiffen again silently, then knocked on the window again.

The driver's body trembled slightly, and he opened the car door.

"Brother, the place you work is truly extraordinary." The driver looked back at the rearview mirror.

"You're a bit timid, aren't you." Jiang Yuan sat comfortably in the back seat and laughed, "The funeral home is actually very safe; there's no need to be afraid."

"I'm not afraid of people; I'm a bit afraid of ghosts." The driver shifted gears and started the car, smiling embarrassedly.

Jiang Yuan nodded and said, "If you think about it, ghosts are what dead people turn into, and the dead people in the funeral home were either in poor health, had illnesses, or were old and frail before they died. What are you afraid of with such ghosts?"

The driver felt a bit more relaxed, smiled, and said, "But aren't there also murder victims and accidental deaths?"

"Oh, so if those turn into ghosts, they're called vengeful spirits." Jiang Yuan said, describing the appearance of a vengeful spirit. As a forensic doctor, he comes into contact with this knowledge far too frequently.

The driver silently turned on the interior lights and occasionally flashed the high beams.

The Range Rover arrived smoothly in Fang Jinxiang.

This is a township that looks even poorer than Zifeng Town. A few two-story buildings were scattered along the street, most of them with rolling shutters pulled down, and it was unclear if there was anything inside worth stealing.

However, extending back from the main road, the area is quite large, with many self-built houses and courtyards dotted throughout.

Jiang Yuan got out of the car early, found Huang Qiangmin, and smiled, "Team Leader Huang, I'm here to help."

"Right, I wanted you to rest for a while... you'd better be in the same team as Old Wei." Huang Qiangmin called Wei Zhengguo over.

Wei Zhengguo smiled and nodded at Jiang Yuan. When solving cases, he quite likes Jiang Yuan; it saves time and effort and provides a sense of accomplishment. By comparison, following Huang Qiangmin is a bit... draining on one's willpower.

"Are you still checking motorcycles?" Jiang Yuan asked in a low voice when he reached Wei Zhengguo.

"We are." Wei Zhengguo replied, "We've found all the motorcycles we could, but the killer's last crime was two or three years ago. If he sold the motorcycle or moved during this time, it's hard to say."

"Then I suggest checking them all." Jiang Yuan gave a very firm answer.

Huang Qiangmin had been typing on his phone, but he looked up at this point and said, "So certain?"

Jiang Yuan had thought about it the whole way in the car and immediately said, "I think, first of all, we must be certain that the killer is definitely around Zifeng Mountain. Otherwise, the disappearance of Director Liu and the others cannot be explained."

Huang Qiangmin gave an "en" sound.

"Therefore, the killer's last crime wasn't two or three years ago, but 9 days ago. The one before that was a month ago. If the killer's behavioral pattern hasn't changed, this means he has used a motorcycle at least twice within a month." Jiang Yuan said, counting on his fingers.

Wei Zhengguo couldn't help but nod.

Everyone has already climbed Zifeng Mountain; if you don't use transportation and just walk, it's too exhausting.

"The pickup truck Director Liu and the others were driving is also missing; the killer must have driven it somewhere and hidden it. But this at least proves one thing: the killer knows how to drive, so he likely has a driver's license."

Xu Taining had arranged a team specifically to look for the vehicle and updated each team with the latest needs and news daily. The fact that the vehicle hasn't been found yet only proves that the killer's familiarity with Zifeng Mountain is extremely high.

The reason for thinking this is that the team responsible for image investigation also didn't find Director Liu Jinghui and the others' vehicle at any of the checkpoints—after watching 9 days of footage, it can basically be ruled out.

Jiang Yuan explained the two types of saw blade marks he found on the fourth corpse source, then emphasized, "I think the killer changes them very casually. It's not that a saw blade broke before he replaced it. Moreover, after he changed the saw blade, the parts he sawed were relatively delicate... from my understanding, if the conditions weren't met, he wouldn't have needed to dismember the body into such small pieces."

"There are many clues, but we just can't find the person." Huang Qiangmin was actually a bit frustrated too.

After participating in many investigations, one realizes that the investigation tactic is truly very useful. Generally speaking, once you get close to a suspect, you can basically discover them through various means.

It's not just about finding evidence; sometimes, when a criminal police officer stands in front of a suspect, they can even smell their "criminal scent."

During wartime, spies who had undergone special training couldn't necessarily evade such investigations.

The social atmosphere now is certainly more relaxed, but the training level of criminal suspects is also too low.

With so many clues and so many people, the fact that we still can't find the suspect makes the more experienced criminal investigation officers feel uncomfortable.

Director Liu Jinghui probably had similar thoughts that day.

Perhaps there were clues even then.

"There's one more thing, we mentioned it at the time..." Jiang Yuan looked at Huang Qiangmin and said, "The killer is very likely mixed in with the crowd helping with the investigation and search..."

This is also the reason why Jiang Yuan insisted on coming in person.

On the phone, some topics are hard to discuss.

Huang Qiangmin sighed and said, "Director Xu has also sent people to check, and I've been paying attention in Fang Jinxiang too." Huang Qiangmin sighed and said, "At least from the perspective of household registration, we haven't found anything yet."

"If there's a list of suspects, compare it with Fang Jinxiang, and also compare those who ride motorcycles and have driver's licenses..."

"People are already doing that." Huang Qiangmin said.

"Then focus on motorcycles; I think we can visit more meticulously. Especially within Fang Jinxiang."

"Hmm..." Huang Qiangmin was a bit hesitant.

In the process of solving a homicide, especially a cold case, clues emerge one after another.

The problem is which clue to follow that is more likely to lead to the killer.

Just like the clue about the saw blade that Jiang Yuan just provided, in Huang Qiangmin's view, it is still insufficient.

There is too little objective evidence and too much subjective speculation.

Should we put the scope of searching for motorcycles within a few kilometers of Fang Jinxiang and search again?

Huang Qiangmin couldn't make a decision for a moment.

Jiang Yuan's attitude was extremely serious, emphasizing, "Team Leader Huang, now is the time to dig three feet into the ground to find the motorcycle. If there aren't enough hands, I can join the investigation."

"Then you go check with Old Wei." Huang Qiangmin's trust in Jiang Yuan is still quite high, so he gritted his teeth and made the decision.

Checking again will definitely double the persuasion work required. Whether it's for police officers or the public.