Chapter 329

Huang Qiang was promoted to Deputy Director and concurrently appointed as Captain of the Criminal Investigation Unit.

The news had been circulating for a long time, but over the years, rumors had been a mix of truth and falsehood, leaving everyone uncertain.

At this moment, seeing Huang Qiang's 55. -degree restrained smile, Jiang Yuan immediately said: "Director Huang, congratulations…"

Huang Qiang laughed heartily a few times, pulled Jiang Yuan over, patted his shoulder a few times, and said nothing—only showing clear familiarity.

The former head of criminal investigations, Director Zhang, glanced at the two, feeling a tinge of envy. In operational units, while it was possible to coast on empty formalities, having a god-tier investigator like Wang under you still made things much easier.

Jiang Yuan had once been under his command, so Director Zhang had also benefited from this arrangement—but with Huang Qiang's rise, Zhang could no longer hold onto the criminal investigation portfolio. Ultimately, it was because Huang Qiang and Jiang Yuan had built a closer rapport that Zhang became the one to step aside.

Of course, this situation was purely beneficial to Director Zhang. Criminal investigations were exhausting—even as a deputy director, any homicide case meant being dragged out of bed with a single phone call.

So this position was best served by just enduring it briefly; the longer you held it, the more you lost. It was far better to serve for a while, achieve outstanding results, and then move on—like Director Zhang.

"It's year-end. Are you planning to stay in the county for a while, Jiang Yuan?" Director Zhang asked on behalf of Director Guan.

Jiang Yuan looked at Huang Qiang and said: "I plan to stay for a while—the cases in Changyang City have basically reached a conclusion."

If he wasn't needed elsewhere, Jiang Yuan was happy to stay home longer. Earlier, he'd gone to Changyang to pioneer new ground; now, after months of constant travel back and forth, he'd resolved nearly all the cold cases within his reach. The novelty was gone, and he no longer felt urgent or eager.

Now, tackling cold cases in Changyang might mean spending months on a single investigation.

Such cases were the most draining. If you didn't solve them, the case hung unresolved—victims' families worried, and the victims themselves grew anxious in the underworld. But if you did pursue them, you'd expend enormous time, energy, and manpower—and if you hit a dead end, it was even worse.

Jiang Yuan preferred to wait until he'd upgraded his skills before handling such cases. With the right skills and direction, perhaps only a few days, one percent of the manpower, and minimal resources would be needed to resolve them.

Huang Qiang cut in sharply: "Just stay two more days. We've already built the structure—replacing police equipment can wait until next year."

"The cases I worked on recently should all be nearing closure, right?"

"About right. Most are closed." Huang Qiang exhaled, smiling: "The Criminal Investigation Unit has finally gotten a break after working nonstop."

As he spoke, Jiang Yuan's system interface appeared before him.

Task: Get Them Moving.

Task Description: The Ningtai County Criminal Investigation Unit's workload is insufficient. Solve a few cases to increase their workload.

Task Completion: 18/18

Task Reward: Forensic Odontology (Lv4)

A faint smile spread across Jiang Yuan's face.

Forensic Odontology—also called Forensic Dentistry—covers identification of teeth, mandible bones, bite marks, saliva, dental fillings, prosthetic teeth, and more. Essentially, anything related to teeth, it can handle.

In rank, Lv4 Odontology might not surpass Lv5 Dog Food, but Lv4 was more than sufficient. Moreover, odontology was a niche field within forensic science; most officers only dabbled slightly, making Lv4 exceptionally powerful.

Nearby, Director Guan spoke up earnestly: "I think we should first upgrade a lab. Jiang Yuan is a forensic science technician—he'll perform better with a proper lab as his base."

Huang Qiang looked puzzled but nodded: "Building a lab first is fine."

"Jiang Yuan, what kind of lab do you need most right now?" Director Guan expressed his goodwill fully.

Jiang Yuan hesitated slightly, then said: "Probably the forensic autopsy room and cold storage."

Judging by skill levels, the trace evidence lab might be the most needed.

But a standard trace evidence lab doesn't cost much—and Ningtai County's current equipment already meets basic needs.

As for high-end trace evidence labs, on one hand, Jiang Yuan wouldn't know how to use them; on the other, their price would skyrocket.

In comparison, the forensic autopsy room had far more upgrade potential. Just adding a more comfortable bathroom alone would significantly improve work quality.

Director Guan didn't even ask why—he immediately said: "Then let's upgrade the forensic autopsy room and cold storage first."

All eyes turned to the director. Though no one knew how much it would cost, the sheer boldness of buying outright was deeply impressive.

It also clearly demonstrated the director's authority.

Jiang Yuan couldn't help feeling pleasantly surprised—he thought: judging by how readily the director agreed, maybe we can actually get a negative-pressure autopsy table, a better bathroom and toilet, and even reserve a room for Master Wu to perform rituals. Then the only problem left would be how to scare people away from using the autopsy room as a toilet.

Jiang Yuan was happy, so the director was happy. He nodded to Huang Qiang and said: "Next year, if Jiang Yuan doesn't want to leave, he can work right here in our county—we can form a cold case task force."

"Our county's cold cases, especially homicides, have mostly been cleared," Director Zhang added. Though many cases from twenty years ago remain unsolved, realistically, solving such ancient cases is too difficult—even unwise to target.

The director smiled: "We're forming a cold case task force not just to limit ourselves to county cases—if other units need help, we can assist them."

Everyone looked at the director in confusion.

Criminal investigations were always money-losing operations—even if suspects had assets seized, those went to victims or the state treasury.

The director remained calm: "We can learn from Changyang City—use only our own people to train our team. And from what I understand, Jiang Yuan solves many cases right from his office, directing operations from afar?"

Huang Qiang quickly replied: "Jiang Yuan is a technical specialist—we usually don't send him to crime scenes."

"I'm not suggesting he go to scenes," the director smiled. "I'm saying, since Jiang Yuan can solve cases from his office or lab, he doesn't need to go to Changyang at all."

"Director is absolutely right!" Huang Qiang immediately understood, exclaiming: "Director has a grand vision—this way, we keep the initiative in our hands."

A few people unconsciously glanced at Jiang Yuan.

In truth, the initiative had always been in Jiang Yuan's hands—he just didn't care about such things and never fought for them.

Transferring this power to Huang Qiang or the director would shift the leverage entirely.

But first, it was clear that Changyang's demand for Jiang Yuan's services would come at a higher cost—not necessarily in money, but in overall sacrifice.

Moreover, the director's ambitions clearly extended beyond Changyang City.

Shannan Province was vast—focusing only on Changyang was inefficient. Changyang's cases had already been tackled extensively; next year's cases would be even more complex, and Yu Wenshu's willingness to pay might decline further.

"Jiang Yuan, what do you think?" The director still sought Jiang Yuan's opinion.

Jiang Yuan paused briefly, then said: "The personnel assigned by the Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade have been very useful. Could we possibly request a temporary transfer?"

Even Director Guan was momentarily stunned by Jiang Yuan's request.

A county bureau requesting temporary transfer of personnel from the provincial capital's criminal investigation brigade?

It wasn't impossible. Traditionally, provincial city bureaus borrowed from municipal bureaus, and municipal bureaus borrowed from county bureaus—but tradition was just tradition.

Traditionally, cold homicide cases were nearly unsolvable.

Sometimes, to solve a single case, the bureau had to break conventions. Jiang Yuan's idea, against the backdrop of having solved over a dozen cold homicides, now had a realistic foundation.

The director nodded generously: "Since we're going to make demands anyway, I'll make them myself."

Everyone nodded. Huang Qiang added: "Earlier, I already asked the Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade to lend us a few technicians—Director Yu agreed."

"Lending personnel to Jiang Yuan is more appropriate than lending them to the Criminal Investigation Unit," the director said, nodding to Huang Qiang. "Talk to Director Yu first."

Huang Qiang could imagine how Yu Wenshu's mood would shift—but he still accepted without hesitation.