Chapter 385

"Did the 1017 case really get solved?"

Xu Xuewu wore only his police uniform liner, one foot resting on a bench in the residential compound, watching officers haul the suspect into the patrol car, unable to suppress his sigh.

Case 1017, following official case-naming rules, refers to the incident that occurred on October 17 last year.

It was a rape case in the city's suburbs; the victim didn't report it until the next morning, leaving incomplete evidence. The victim faced away from the assailant throughout and gave a vague description. Qian Mingyu managed to extract half a fingerprint from the tree trunk at the scene using his Level 2.5 super fingerprint technology.

But extracting the fingerprint was one thing; matching it was another matter entirely.

Qian Mingyu had been working on this fingerprint for months. Not continuously, of course—he'd occasionally remember it, annotate it, then run it through the database.

Deep down, Qian Mingyu still believed part of the reason the fingerprint hadn't matched was that the suspect's prints weren't in the database.

Yet once Jiang Yuan took over, all speculation vanished.

The killer was indeed a repeat offender, living right near the crime scene.

Only after the suspect's patrol car vanished from view did Xu Xuewu remove his foot from the bench, exhale deeply, and ask Qian Mingyu: "What now?"

Qian Mingyu thought: You're the team captain—why ask me, a trace evidence tech, what to do? Like my opinion matters.

Still, Qian Mingyu was a man in his forties, the type who could bow his head without hesitation. After a quick mental recalibration, he said: "This case is mostly my fault—if I'd matched the suspect's print sooner, ah…"

Hearing this, Xu Xuewu grew curious and asked: "Old Qian, tell me—what exactly makes Jiang Yuan so good?"

Qian Mingyu recalled Jiang Yuan's actions, his expression shifting. After a pause, he said: "If you ask me exactly where he's strong, I can't pinpoint it—but at this level, his technique is first and foremost about confidence."

"Confidence?"

"With a fingerprint, I go over and over it, terrified I've mislabeled the features, worried it won't match, or that the database lacks it or has incomplete data. Jiang Yuan doesn't. He gets a fingerprint, runs a quick comparison, if it doesn't match, he instantly judges whether it has potential—why it failed, whether to switch prints, or just push forward. When he says it, his expression changes again: 'Truly formidable.'"

"He really can solve cases!" Xu Xuewu murmured.

Qian Mingyu spread his hands and added: "On the bright side, even he needs our help for a dog theft case."

Xu Xuewu wanted to laugh, but ended up with a bitter smile.

The top-tier combatant of Shannan, arriving in Miaohé County, chose a dog theft case as his first assignment—by a detective's standards, it was laughable. Worse, his own detective squad was about to be dragged into this dog theft case by Jiang Yuan.

He wanted to refuse.

Xu Xuewu's entire life had been defined by his face—and his reputation was built entirely on its handsomeness.

He was unquestionably the most handsome detective captain in Shannan.

The reputation of "Dog Search Team," he feared, was one he couldn't bear.

"Let's talk again when we get back. We'll discuss it when we meet Jiang Yuan." Xu Xuewu couldn't decide yet, called to Qian Mingyu, and slid into the passenger seat of his new Passat.

The Passat's seats were luxuriously spacious, far more comfortable than his old Santana. He reclined the seat and closed his eyes, lost in thought.

Qian Mingyu sat in the back, pulled out his phone, opened WeChat, and indeed saw someone in the "Shannan Fingerprint Exchange Group" thanking Jiang Yuan and chanting "Ten Thousand Years!"

When idle, Jiang Yuan was terrifying—he'd randomly help someone match a fingerprint without warning.

Most of these cases weren't especially difficult. This one, Qian Mingyu estimated, if he devoted a few days to focused study, he might have matched it himself.

But he'd never actually do it—not because he couldn't sacrifice sleep for others' fingerprints, but because while he was burning the midnight oil, someone else would casually match it.

So for fingerprints at this level, if you wanted Qian Mingyu's help, you had to visit in person, formally invite him—no second requests allowed.

The same applied to Jiang Yuan. At Qian Mingyu's level, everyone was a provincial-level fingerprint expert. If he couldn't solve it, Jiang Yuan had to be formally consulted.

Of course, now that Jiang Yuan had solved it, it was only right to mention it in the group.

Qian Mingyu carefully typed in the "Shannan Fingerprint Exchange Group":

Miaohé County Qian Mingyu: 【Just arrested a suspect in a rape case. Thank you to @Ningtai Jiang Yuan for the fingerprint work—I struggled for a long time and couldn't match it.】

After thinking, Qian Mingyu imitated the young ones and added another line:

Miaohé County Qian Mingyu: 【Jiang God is awesome, yyds!】

Asking for help isn't shameful!

As soon as Qian Mingyu posted, the trace evidence officers rushed to respond:

Changyang City - Shuidong District - Trace Evidence He Guohua: 【Jiang God is so cool!】

Shannan Li Zemin: 【Ningtai Jiang Yuan, his aura is overwhelming!】

Changyang City - Shuidong District - Trace Evidence He Guohua: 【Jiang God never misses!】

Provincial Bureau - Fingerprint Unit - Yang Ling: 【Ningtai Jiang Yuan, his aura is overwhelming!】

…

Seeing everyone fawning over Jiang Yuan, Qian Mingyu felt relieved, leaned back in his chair, and exhaled deeply.

Xu Xuewu glanced curiously at the rearview mirror, unaware his trace tech had already surrendered.

Detective Squad.

Jiang Yuan sat in the Image Investigation Team's office, watching surveillance footage. Though he found nothing, he kept watching, thinking.

Miaohé County's detective squad operated differently—the Image Investigation unit had long been independent, actively monitoring footage and arresting suspects, unlike Ningtai County's old setup where the video office only provided logistical support.

Of course, Ningtai County now had its own Image Investigation Team—over a hundred personnel, with independent case-handling authority.

But Miaohé County's Image Investigation Squad had such limited camera coverage that when cases arose, they could often arrest suspects themselves, making it hard to even assist the main team.

Jiang Yuan's attempt to find the dog via surveillance was extremely difficult—and this should have been the simplest path.

"Jiang Team Leader, still watching surveillance?" Xu Xuewu rubbed his face before entering, instantly looking three times more handsome.

Jiang Yuan smiled and stood up: "Did you catch the suspect?"

"Caught him, sent him for interrogation—no issues." Xu Xuewu paused, then asked: "How about you? Find anything?"

He didn't even want to say the word "dog"—it felt embarrassing.

Jiang Yuan shook his head: "I checked all nearby cameras, tracked vehicles on main roads, even called a few drivers—but efficiency is low."

"I see… Missing people are hard to find; missing dogs are even harder. Our camera coverage here is insufficient… Could we buy a similar dog for the little girl?" Xu Xuewu ventured.

Jiang Yuan said: "Now I'm the one who wants to find this dog."

Xu Xuewu sighed helplessly—some people were just hard to reason with…

Seeing Xu Xuewu's hesitation, Jiang Yuan didn't press him, silently handing him another sheet of paper.

"What's this…" Xu Xuewu took it, glanced, and frowned.

"Case 613. I reviewed the file—the weapon used is quite interesting." Jiang Yuan had Level 6 toolmark analysis; identifying weapons was easier than eating fried dough sticks—just a quick glance and it was clear.

Case 613 was an old unsolved homicide, from two years ago. Xu Xuewu quickly flipped down, eager for the conclusion—but there was nothing below.

"Still… not finished?" Xu Xuewu's curiosity burned.

Jiang Yuan grunted: "Too many demands on my time."

Xu Xuewu's handsome eyes blinked repeatedly. He stepped closer to Jiang Yuan and whispered: "Jiang Team Leader, let me handle the dog case—you focus on the homicide."

"Not necessary," Jiang Yuan smiled. "I'll still participate in the dog case. For Case 613, I'll just keep close watch."

"But… this is a major case—how can you split your attention?"

"You need to talk to Director Huang. Otherwise, he'll count me as absent without leave." Jiang Yuan smiled, then returned to watching surveillance.

Xu Xuewu chuckled, not taking it too seriously. He pulled Qian Mingyu out, handed him the paper, pulled out his phone, and dialed Huang Qiang while asking: "What do you think? Any hope?"

"Yes!" Qian Mingyu stared at Jiang Yuan's toolmark analysis, studied the numbers, swallowed repeatedly, then began scrolling through familiar yet distant regression formulas on his phone.

Xu Xuewu smiled, his phone connected—he walked out laughing: "Director Huang, hello hello…"

By the time Qian Mingyu understood the regression formulas and began pondering why these ones were chosen over others, he saw Xu Xuewu walking back, hands in his pockets.

Let's be honest—the warm police liner, like a down jacket or cotton-padded coat, always made ugly people uglier and handsome men more striking.

Xu Xuewu was a perfect example—even walking casually in his thin cotton liner, his broad shoulders and narrow waist formed a perfect inverted triangle.

Qian Mingyu smiled and stepped forward: "Director Xu, Jiang Yuan's toolmark analysis is genuinely sophisticated. Continuing this work is feasible."

Xu Xuewu's eyes lit up: "Can you do it?"

"I… I might… If I do it alone, success rate would be low." Qian Mingyu hurried to explain: "Jiang Yuan uses these regression equations too aggressively—the later choices are far more complex…"

"Alright then. Let Jiang Yuan keep working on it." Xu Xuewu sighed. "Tell the office to clean out the Passat—remove everything, then send it and the old Santana in for maintenance."

"Got it. What car will you use these next few days?"

"I'll stick with the old Santana. The Passat is loaned to Ningtai County. When it's worn out, they'll return it." Xu Xuewu shook his head. "I'll go explain to the director…"

Qian Mingyu blinked, watching Xu Xuewu's back: "What about the dog…"

"Let the Third Squad handle the dog… and Jiang Yuan."