Chapter 271: Simplicity

For the next two days, Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui did not immediately begin their second collaborative case.

Even though they had solved a long-unsolved homicide in just one day, both knew such a result was nearly impossible to replicate.

Every case was different; every case had its own unique complexities. Solving a case involved probability, and believing one could solve any case with 100% certainty was sheer arrogance.

Especially when collaborating on a case.

Most importantly, once they started a new case, they'd be responsible for it for a long time—if one day wasn't enough, they'd need two; if two days weren't enough, they'd need three; and when they found themselves working day and night, they'd regret having started the case so lightly.

Jiang Yuan and Liu Jinghui both chose to rest well for a few days.

Liu Jinghui drank and ate meat with several old comrades, played mahjong for two days, and only quietly returned home after his wife came back.

Jiang Yuan took the opportunity to buy a small house.

Jiang Yuan simply didn't want to live in the dormitory anymore.

Some people had stinky feet.

Others snored too loudly.

Better to buy a small house.

Jiang Yuan bought a 220-square-meter, fully renovated secondhand apartment near the Criminal Investigation Brigade, tidied it up a bit, moved in, and posted a Moments update:

"Acquired a base in Changyang City."

The photos attached were of the living room and a scenic view.

After testing the bathroom, likes and comments surged.

Dad: Remember to close the windows when coming and going, and take your keys.

Lei Xin, Captain of the Qianjin District Criminal Investigation Team, Qinghe City: Qinghe is beautiful too—come do a case here when you have time.

Hou Le, Captain of the Longli County Criminal Investigation Team: Come do a case in Longli County, and I'll arrange a single dorm for you.

Captain Huang, you don't need a base in Changyang City—just stay temporarily at a hotel. They even clean the rooms. If they don't reimburse you, come back and see me.

…

Jiang Yuan politely replied to everyone, then switched back to WeChat and saw a row of red dots.

He glanced at them, then took out his portable notebook, sat at the small table by the window facing the river, and silently began recording.

Income: Travel allowance, 2160 yuan… Father's housing subsidy yuan (red envelope). Uncle Three's red envelope yuan (housewarming + pride fee). Uncle Four's red envelope yuan (housewarming + pride fee). Aunt Hua yuan (housewarming + pride fee). Uncle Five's red envelope 8888 yuan (housewarming + pride fee), Uncle Six's red envelope 6000 yuan (housewarming + pride fee)…

As Jiang Yuan tapped the red dots on WeChat, he kept recording, and soon his hand went numb.

It has to be said that doing the same repetitive actions too many times can become very exhausting.

Even receiving WeChat transfers felt tiring.

It was strange how the people of Jiang Village preferred WeChat transfers over bank transfers—no one knew why.

Only because his father's housing subsidy was large did he use a bank transfer.

Maybe because it was simpler? No need to input so much information?

Jiang Yuan spent nearly half an hour just recording accounts, but the process was overall pleasant; when he totaled everything, including his travel allowance, the house payment was fully covered.

Thus, without a mortgage, he felt considerably lighter.

Jiang Yuan placed his newly purchased books on the shelf—mostly research on cremation.

After handling so many cases, Jiang Yuan found that, in forensic pathology and forensic anthropology, identifying bodies after cremation remained extremely difficult.

In similar cases, most conclusions hinged on the tools, locations, and methods used in the cremation.

And in such cases, forensic experts were precisely where their value lay.

Every additional piece of information about the victim made solving the case easier.

One book finished, he picked up another…

Jiang Yuan never read such books cover to cover—he treated them like academic papers: skim the beginning, hypothesize the conclusion, then check the end; if the conclusion matched his guess, he skipped the middle and flipped through it casually.

At most, he recorded useful formulas,

remembered key conclusions and inferences.

When he first graduated university, he wouldn't have dared read this way. But now, with his Forensic Anthropology Level 3 ability, he was, frankly, stronger than many authors of specialized texts—there was no need to follow the textbook method anymore.

When Jiang Yuan had just graduated from university, he naturally wouldn't have had the qualification to read articles this way. But now, with his Forensic Anthropology Level 3 ability, he was in fact stronger than many monograph authors—there was no need to follow the usual routine anymore.

The next morning, Jiang Yuan visited a Cantonese restaurant and leisurely enjoyed a Cantonese breakfast.

Perhaps because he was in Shannan Province, the breakfast tasted unremarkable, but the relaxed atmosphere was still excellent.

After days spent among corpses, charred bone fragments, and suspects, this was exactly what Jiang Yuan needed.

He ate breakfast until noon, the tea now tasteless. He packed up, stood, and walked slowly around the Criminal Investigation Brigade, finally entering a restaurant with many positive online reviews to enjoy lunch.

Jiang Yuan ordered few dishes and ate little, yet he enjoyed staying in the bustling restaurant.

Especially in unfamiliar surroundings, restaurants offered a high level of comfort.

Especially in unfamiliar environments, the friendliness offered by restaurants was quite high.

His phone lit up with another message.

He opened it—it wasn't a new transfer, but a message from Heng Qiongsi of Qinghe College: "Mr. Jiang, I've arrived in Changyang City. Shall I bring some documents for you to review?"

Jiang Yuan hesitated briefly, then agreed, and sent her the restaurant's address.

Serving as consultant to Qinghe College's president had been agreed upon long ago—he couldn't casually back out.

Soon, a slightly plump woman with long black hair burst in.

Jiang Yuan signaled for more dishes, then asked: "Beer or soft drink?"

"Just tea," said Heng Qiongsi, sitting across from Jiang Yuan, panting slightly, patting her chest, blushing as she trembled a little before handing him the documents.

"Just tea is fine." Heng Qiongsi, a black-haired, long-straight, slightly chubby woman, sat across from Jiang Yuan, panting as she patted her bear, trembling slightly with embarrassment before handing him the documents.

"The college's surveillance system layout," Heng Qiongsi said. "There are also some quotes—I'd like you to check if they're reasonable. My father wants your opinion too."

"I don't handle pricing—I don't know the market rates," Jiang Yuan said, opening the file and flipping through the pages.

Heng Qiongsi quietly murmured "Mm," sat at the other side of the table, sipped tea slowly, and didn't press Jiang Yuan for conversation.

Jiang Yuan finished reading in one go, then pulled out a pen and asked: "Can I write on this?"

"Of course—this document is prepared solely for you," Heng Qiongsi added specifically.

She often represented her father in dealings with academics and knew many people didn't care much about money but deeply valued respect.

For instance, providing a separate document for review mattered more than the payment amount.

Jiang Yuan also felt comfortable and began scribbling directly on the file.

He had previously earned a Level 3 skill in Technical Surveillance via a Third-Class Merit—this was the skill he'd planned to use to upgrade Ningtai County's surveillance system.

Guiding Qinghe College was a breeze.

The number of surveillance cameras in China grows by 20% annually—roughly doubling every four years. The current total is 78. million units.

The number of surveillance cameras in the country is growing at an annual rate of 20 percent, roughly doubling every four years. The current total is 78. million units.

This is also why murderers increasingly prefer killing at home.

The larger the city, the more surveillance cameras there are, leaving less room for contact crimes.

Of course, crime never stops. Nowadays, very few kill for money; those willing to do anything for money are mostly concentrated in telecom fraud.

But beyond serious violent crimes, surveillance cameras serve many other purposes.

For example, preventing electric bike theft.

Preventing student couples from having sex outdoors.

Preventing students from spying on student couples having sex outdoors, which leads to more outdoor sex.

Preventing students from gathering to watch student couples having sex outdoors, leading to widespread cuckoldry and further outdoor sex.

To prevent students from gathering to watch student field exercises, which could lead to widespread green hats and thus field exercises.

Jiang Yuan felt Qinghe College still needed more cameras.

Monkey thefts were a hallmark incident—back at his own university, even a 150, 00-yuan monkey kept in a classroom wouldn't be stolen, because everyone knew you couldn't resell it, and even if you did, you'd never get the original price.

But no matter how little you sold it for, sentencing still treated it as 150, 00 yuan.

A Qinghe College female student might spend two or three years in prison for a monkey worth 600, 00 yuan. By comparison, trafficking smuggled beef for millions in profit earned the same sentence—the cost-benefit ratio was wildly uneven.

"Done," Jiang Yuan handed the annotated file to Heng Qiongsi.

Heng Qiongsi gasped, quickly set down her teacup, and stammered: "Already done?"

"Mm. Just a few minor suggestions from my perspective—please consider them, Director Heng," Jiang Yuan said.

"Okay, okay," Heng Qiongsi slowly tucked the file away, moving with extreme slowness.

"Stay and finish your meal," Jiang Yuan politely invited.

"Um… okay," Heng Qiongsi agreed,

and swiftly tucked the file away.

Jiang Yuan signaled the waiter, handed her the menu, and asked her to order two more dishes.

Jiang Yuan himself fell into thought. In fact, the Jiangcun District could also upgrade its surveillance system—then connect it to property management, and electric bikes wouldn't be stolen anymore.

Thinking this, Jiang Yuan sketched a rough plan in his notebook.

After finishing, he took a photo and sent it directly to his father.

Soon, the Jiangfuzhen WeChat replied: "Still thinking of the village? Good, good. Did you buy a house and run out of money?"

Two red envelopes popped up—each worth one yuan.

Jiangfuzhen: "If you need renovation, hire villagers. But don't overdo it—everyone's talking about environmental protection and health now."

Jiang Yuan replied: "No renovation planned. I've learned Technical Surveillance and am now advising Qinghe College—I'm considering installing a similar system in the residential area."

Jiangfuzhen: 【If you want to renovate, you can hire people from the village. But don't renovate too much—these days everyone talks about environmental protection and staying healthy.】

Jiang Yuan replied: 【I'm not planning to renovate. I've been learning technical defense and surveillance, and I'm currently consulting for Qinghe College, considering whether to install a system in the neighborhood too.】

To prove what he said, Jiang Yuan took out the document again, took a photo of the names on it, and tapped send.

In the photo, the words "Qinghe College Security Monitoring Plan" were clearly visible, and half of Heng Qiongsi's face—long black straight hair, bulky, and imposing—was captured, looking elegant.

Transfer to you

Transfer to you

Jiang's father sent two chunks of money through the air, along with a message:

【Son, this is your dating allowance.】