Chapter 384

"You're police, so you can solve cases and make arrests, right?" Cai Mian's expression was pained; years of labor had lined her eyes with crow's feet that spread across her entire face—she looked sixty or seventy, though she was under forty.

Jiang Yuan grunted, "Yes, we can."

He didn't mention any restrictions or conditions. The prior files had already made clear that Cai Mian had little education and likely didn't understand the bureaucratic requirements of the system.

So Jiang Yuan gave the most direct answer possible.

Cai Mian's eyes lit up instantly, and she whispered, "Then… can you help me arrest someone?"

"Who?" Jiang Yuan sat up straighter.

Mu Zhiyang, Tang Jia, and Gao Yuyan, who had come with him, also sat up straight. Though Cai Mian was a lowly cleaner, her position exposed her to far more human depravity than ordinary white-collar workers ever saw.

Xu Xuewu and Qian Mingyu, the chief and deputy chief of the Miaohé County Criminal Investigation Unit, also grew more serious. Though they worried Cai Mian might expose the wrong case, Xu Xuewu also hoped to use her as a bridge to keep Jiang Yuan involved in more major investigations.

Amid their conflicting thoughts, Cai Mian whispered, "Could you please… arrest my ex-husband?"

The sixty-square-meter rental apartment was silent as a morgue.

After a long pause, Tang Jia stepped forward and said gently, "Sister Cai, has your ex-husband committed any crimes? Has he broken the law?"

Tang Jia's voice was soft, and she took Cai Mian's hand.

Cai Mian, touched by this rare tenderness, became emotional: "He… he doesn't give me living expenses, and he beats me."

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"By living expenses, you mean child support, right?" Tang Jia asked.

"Yes. He doesn't care for the kids, doesn't pay for school. When I ask for money, he beats me." Cai Mian's voice rose.

"Did you get hurt? Where did he hit you?" Tang Jia's voice was soothing.

"He kicked my leg and shoved me." Cai Mian rolled up her pant leg, revealing rough skin—but no visible injuries.

Tang Jia knelt down to examine it closely. "When did he do this?"

"Six months ago," Cai Mian said.

Jiang Yuan, who had been ready to examine her for injuries, paused. A kick from six months ago would leave no trace.

Even if it were visible, it would be only a minor injury. And unless it reached the standard of minor injury level two, there's no compensation. Stories of someone slapping you once and demanding a car? Impossible. Even if you were slapped dozens of times or kicked until you limped, as long as there's no actual damage—like a ruptured eardrum, a ten-centimeter-long wound on the leg, or cumulative wounds totaling fifteen centimeters—it's considered just bad luck.

Even if the injury did meet the level-two standard, how much compensation you get depends on the perpetrator's situation. If they have no money, you get nothing—not even medical bills covered. Even if they have a little, if they'd rather go to jail or accept an extra two or three months in prison than sign a letter of forgiveness, you'll barely recover your medical expenses.

For Cai Mian, any conflict with her ex-husband would only result in mediation at the police station—she couldn't even expect a public security detention.

Of course, she could still recover some child support.

Tang Jia glanced at Jiang Yuan, then added, "Why don't I and Sister Gao go find your ex-husband and help you get the child support?"

"Fine. Wang Chuan goes too." Jiang Yuan glanced at Chief Xu Xuewu beside him.

Xu Xuewu laughed heartily. "For something like this, the police station should handle it. Wait a moment—I'll make a call."

Everyone relaxed. Seeing Jiang Yuan and the others were genuinely helping, Cai Mian called out her two children to greet them.

Cai Mian's own daughter, three years older than Cai Yan's, was already in fourth grade—the age when child communication techniques no longer worked.

Cai Yan's daughter, seven, was still within the effective range of child communication techniques—but barely.

Both children were good-looking and seemed well-behaved, but seeing the officers in uniform, they were both frightened.

The older girl gathered her courage and asked, "Are you here to arrest my mom?"

"No, we're your mom's friends, here to help her," Tang Jia smiled.

"Are you here to arrest my dad?" the fourth-grader asked again.

Tang Jia fell silent. She thought: We do intend to arrest your father—but it's your mother's request.

The girl, perceptive, sensed something wrong and immediately turned to Cai Mian: "Mom, if you send Dad to jail, won't he earn even less money?"

"He spends his days glued to internet cafés—when has he ever gone out to work? He comes over just to buy you sugary drinks, then beats me and demands money…" Cai Mian grew angry. "I get up at four every morning to sweep the streets, then spend afternoons collecting cardboard and bottles to feed you, clothe you, pay for your school. Your dad, healthy and strong, just lies around playing—why?"

As she spoke, Cai Mian began to cry again, explaining to Jiang Yuan and the others: "Before, my sister sent me money every few months—for formula, diapers, clothes, baby food—everything cost money. Now my sister's gone… my poor, unlucky sister…"

As the mother cried, both children burst into tears.

The scene of the three women hugging and sobbing plunged the room into heavy silence.

Xu Xuewu lowered his head and sent messages. In this state, the police station would need to proceed cautiously.

Jiang Yuan activated his child communication technique and turned to the first-grade girl: "Cai Yuan, what's your wish? Uncle can try to help."

"I… I want my Gui Hua back," the little girl, Cai Yuan, looked up and said.

"Gui Hua?"

"Gui Hua was the dog we raised for the kids," Cai Yan sighed. "During the New Year, everything was chaotic, the door was open, and Gui Hua ran off. We searched for days but couldn't find her."

"Police uncle, please help me," Cai Yuan's daughter, Cai Yuan, stared wide-eyed at Jiang Yuan.

At that moment, Jiang Yuan's long-dormant system interface popped up:

Task: Find the dog.

Task description: Gui Hua is Cai Yuan's pet and her friend. Her greatest wish now is to find Gui Hua. Fulfill it.

Reward: Cranial Reconstruction Technique (LV3)

Jiang Yuan stared at the interface, silent.

To be honest, Cranial Reconstruction Technique was a truly advanced skill. Even LV1, the entry level, was unknown in Shannan Province.

Mastering it required not only anatomical knowledge but also exceptional manual skill—sculpting background, artistic ability, computer proficiency, and forensic expertise. It was the profile of a rare composite talent, one who'd typically find forensic pay insufficient.

On the other hand, the power of Cranial Reconstruction Technique was bluntly effective: give it a skull, and it reconstructs the person's face—imagine how much effort forensic anthropology requires just to identify a body.

Now, with this technique, you could skip all the equations, all the investigations—saving immense time and money.

Sure, it's useless if the criminal hides the skull—but such criminals are rare. In the 805 Case, only the Level-4 pervert Tian Xiang had that awareness; the other two Level-2 idiots couldn't even imagine it, let alone carry it out.

Storing a corpse's skull in your fridge? Demands serious pressure resistance.

In short, Cranial Reconstruction Technique (LV3) was an excellent skill. But on the other hand, finding a dog wasn't as easy as it sounded.

Though some patrol officers joke that 110 calls for lost dogs are a waste of manpower, how many of them could actually find one?

Normally, officers find lost pets during patrols and return them to owners.

But when owners report lost dogs, few officers can actually locate them.

Sometimes, due to circumstances, officers might check surveillance footage—but that's the limit. Other investigative methods have extremely low success rates, and motivation is low.

Around Cai Mian's alley, surveillance cameras were scarce, residents were diverse, identities complex, and social standards uneven.

In such an area, finding a corpse is easier than finding a dog—even though corpses are harder to dispose of and more likely to be reported. Simply mobilizing manpower gives corpses a decisive advantage.

In truth, even Jiang Yuan wasn't highly motivated. Ordinary officers didn't want to find dogs—and neither did he.

Jiang Yuan even suspected the system had issued this task just to force him to be more proactive…

"Alright. I'll help you find the dog." Jiang Yuan stood up and said seriously, "Mu Zhiyang, ask in the group—see if anyone's free and willing to help."

The other officers were stunned.

Especially Mu Zhiyang, who imagined his upcoming duties: posting lost-dog flyers, showing photos to neighbors, tracking stray dog packs, visiting dog markets, reviewing surveillance, interviewing witnesses, chasing dogs, lying in wait for dogs, guarding dogs… He trembled with dread—more than leading a raid.

Qian Mingyu, seeing Jiang Yuan already mobilizing personnel and not treating this as a joke, whispered, "Chief Jiang, finding a dog is minor, but it's been half a month since it disappeared—it won't be easy to find."

Jiang Yuan listened, and thought Qian Mingyu had a point. He pulled out his laptop and asked, "Chief Qian, didn't you say earlier that one case had problematic fingerprints?"

"Ah, yes, yes!" Qian Mingyu forgot everything else and responded immediately.