Chapter 304: Advancement

In the office bearing signs reading "Jiang Yuan Cold Case Special Team" and "Jiang Yuan Youth Rapid Response Team," everyone was busy.

Yu Wenshu walked in, cleared his throat twice, and was greeted by a chorus of greetings, but everyone's expressions showed calm indifference.

Yu Wenshu came by every morning, so everyone had grown used to his presence—unlike in the past, when seeing the squad leader once in a while made everyone pretend to be diligently working.

Jiang Yuan also stood up and politely said, "Chief Yu is here."

Yu Wenshu suspected Jiang Yuan greeted his uncles and aunts the same way at home—warm and familiar, yet lacking proper respect, unlike everyone else.

But given Jiang Yuan's exceptional combat ability and unique status, Yu Wenshu refused to dwell on such details.

"How's the case progressing?" Yu Wenshu asked with high expectations.

"Progressing steadily, but no results yet," Jiang Yuan replied.

"Oh… that's normal, that's normal…" Yu Wenshu's tone revealed little disappointment, but he still felt a flicker of concern.

The Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade had reached a serious bottleneck; breaking through it during Yu Wenshu's tenure would be extremely difficult. Even just planning required vast resources and support from multiple departments—layer upon layer of complex headaches.

In contrast, Tang Jia's breakthrough was bold and gave Yu Wenshu immense hope.

"Yes, you understand, you understand." Yu Wenshu truly understood—but he was genuinely anxious.

Miao Liyuan received the call and nearly spat blood from rage.

And combining those eight parties wasn't just a money-sucking beast—it was a monster.

We consider ourselves involved in this case, whether there's fruit or not, just wanting to swing a couple of poles.

Tang Jia nodded and said, "All leads are being tracked; give it some time, results should emerge."

Tang Jia picked up the phone, and a smile instantly spread across his face.

"Changyang's intense, isn't it?" Tang Jia glanced at the PPT and sighed.

"Let's go. Grab as many merits as we can," his partner suggested grimly.

Afternoon.

Yu Wenshu pulled out his own phone and asked, "Has the suspect's motorcycle rider been identified?"

Their thoughts aligned, yet they hadn't communicated—so Yu Wenshu could only enjoy his own satisfaction.

That's why I keep dropping by from time to time these days.

Which unit would provide me with direct firepower support?

Yet no decisive breakthrough had emerged.

Miao Liyuan grunted and reluctantly agreed.

"Take the call first," Yu Wenshu stepped aside.

Simply put, modern criminal investigation advances through personnel training on one hand, funding on the other, with organizational strength binding the two.

Despite this, everyone still wore broad smiles.

"If you need anything, just notify me directly," Yu Wenshu instructed Tang Jia.

Tang Jia quickly processed an image on his computer, producing a clearer version, then had it printed.

If all leads had truly broken, how could this case have become a cold case?

In homicide investigations, throwing bodies at the problem is standard procedure—just like providing firepower support in battle.

Wang Chuan suggested, "Should I show this to the victim's family?"

Soon after, Tang Jia and the others saw the video footage found by Shen Yaowei on their screens.

That meant identification was followed by immediate arrest.

Shi Ai's eyes welled with tears. "No," Tang Jia said, then added, "Take a few people,

If it's a relative or villager, don't arrest them outright."

"Wait, I'll send someone to him," Yu Wenshu, fearing the person might vanish, abandoned all other concerns and immediately arranged it.

The video came from a

factory's rear camera; the clarity was decent enough to make out the victim's face, but the suspect wore a helmet, revealing only half his face.

From Yu Wenshu's perspective, this wasn't groundless worry—it was a common occurrence.

On the map, a cross marked a farmstead offering fishing, dining, and lodging, located close to the crime scene,

in the suburban fringe. The cross indicated it required follow-up investigation, but Miao Liyuan's team had originally planned to investigate toward Changyang City—they'd prioritized this location instead.

Yu Wenshu, whose toes had already turned toward the door, spun around: "Found it? Found who?"

Yu Wenshu didn't fully grasp Shi Ai's state—other case team leaders in similar homicide cases would already be screaming for resources.

The chiefs of the Image Investigation Unit and the Public Security Unit also arrived at Tang Jia's Cold Case Special Team office.

Meanwhile, Shi Ai called Miao Liyuan internally to update him and urged him to re-search the primary crime scene.

Shi Ai couldn't fully understand Yu Wenshu's anxiety—he believed his arrangements were sound, having effectively surrounded the killer with firepower, now just waiting for results.

"We've traced the victim's route—he left on a motorcycle along the main road. The victim was in the passenger seat; the rider was likely an acquaintance." Tang Jia dumped the new information at once, then added, "The motorcycle had fishing gear and a tent—probably headed for fishing."

Shi Ai received two well-prepared PPTs from Shi Ai. The two PPTs presented the case progress and process from different angles—done without Tang Jia ever requesting them.

Tang Jia's phone rang.

Shi Ai shook his head: "Soon. Shi Aixia is heading to the scene… photos and video will be sent back immediately."

Tang Jia had always been purely a technician—or more like a consultant. Though his performance in solving the case had steadily increased everyone's trust and obedience, compared to actual managerial duties, there was still a clear difference.

Yu Wenshu wandered around the office a while longer, found nothing he could do, and finally said, "Alright, if anything happens, just go back. If you need anything later…"

Usually, cases involving villagers require extra caution.

"Shen Yaowei found someone," Tang Jia put down his phone and reported to Yu Wenshu.

Arresting a murderer with ten detectives might seem excessive in films, but in reality, it's barely sufficient.

"All that suffering was for nothing," Shi Aixia wanted to smash her phone.

If none of these leads yield results, won't the case just stall?

If none of those leads yield results, the case would be stuck.

Not just cold cases—even active ones often lose all leads.

His partner pulled out a map and silently extended one finger toward the center.

Yu Wenshu couldn't help worrying and questioning his decision: Could assigning Tang Jia a team actually make things worse?

Yu Wenshu didn't care—he was the Criminal Investigation Brigade chief; solving a case meant maximum credit, and whether other departments contributed or gained merit didn't affect his own brigade.

Shi Ai had requested Image Investigation's help and sent trace evidence to the lab, but for a single homicide, that was excessive.

He had just been doubting whether he'd made the wrong decision, staring at that office—but now, watching Tang Jia and the others, he felt his decision was absolutely right.

At such moments, Yu Wenshu's mind would flash phrases like "If unnecessary, do not add entities."

"Well done!" Yu Wenshu instantly perked up.

For a homicide cold case to make this much progress, the solution couldn't be far off.

Yu Wenshu could see Tang Jia's nervousness—but he worried it was feigned.

Yu Wenshu could see Tang Jia's panic, but I was more worried it was feigned.

Panic.