Chapter 388: Solving the Case

After lunch.

Wei Zhenguo led his team, strolling slowly into the Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade.

The Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade, as the provincial capital's unit, was a major organization, overseeing multiple criminal investigation battalions, each at the same rank as the Ningtai County Criminal Investigation Battalion. Its subordinate Criminal Science and Technology Center was also battalion-level, boasting the largest and most diverse laboratory facilities in the province—its equipment count alone was several times that of the provincial public security bureau.

Meanwhile, the Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade had its own office building: a twelve-story structure that inherently carried an air of unattainable prestige to smaller local police stations.

Inside the building.

A small conference room.

The air conditioner hummed, protesting the overcrowded room.

Chairs hastily brought in piled chaotically, occupying every inch of space; even the hanging orchid on the windowsill had been moved aside, leaving only a few scattered leaves on the floor, helpless as a cluster of tiny shrimp being scrubbed clean.

More than a dozen detectives sat inside. The most conspicuous was the man seated near the door, sporting a slicked-back jet-black hairstyle and two bars and three stars on his collar.

Everyone who entered would stiffen upon seeing him, sensing his exceptional presence—such a young man at such a high rank was truly extraordinary.

Jiang Yuan, upon entering, couldn't help but let his gaze drift over the man's slicked-back hair and crisp shirt.

Other detectives wore neatly trimmed short hair and slightly dirty, disheveled shirts; this man, however, had his hairstyle immaculate, his shirt spotless and pristine—as if a hairless cat had squatted among a group of long-haired cats, leaving everyone with a strange, off-kilter feeling.

"Everyone's here. Let me introduce you: this is Liu Jinghui, Senior Police Superintendent Fourth Class of the Provincial Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Division, and Gao Qiang, Senior Police Superintendent Third Class." The brigade commander, Yu Wenshu, seated inside, immediately began the introductions as Jiang Yuan and the others arrived.

Liu Jinghui, the young man with the slicked-back hair, rose politely and nodded to everyone.

Beside him, the section chief Gao Qiang looked ordinary—around forty, his clothes dirty and unremarkable.

Brigade commander Yu Wenshu then introduced Wei Zhenguo, Jiang Yuan, and the others.

Wei Zhenguo stood up with practiced social ease, apologizing to the group: "I wasn't familiar with the traffic conditions, so we arrived a bit late. Sorry for keeping you waiting."

"No problem. We timed our arrival accordingly." Yu Wenshu ended the topic with one sentence, then began introducing the brigade's detectives.

In this small conference room, detectives from three hierarchical levels had gathered—everyone realized the case must have taken a major turn.

Within the police system, the provincial bureau, city bureau, and county bureau were not subordinate to one another, but only provided operational guidance—similar to how the Department of Agriculture, Finance Department, or Education Bureau operated.

The county education bureau followed the city education bureau's operational directives, but on personnel and financial matters, it answered to the county government, while the city education bureau answered to the city government—no direct chain of command between them.

Similarly, the county criminal investigation battalion answered to the county bureau and county government on personnel matters, and operated independently from the city brigade's criminal investigation unit. The city brigade had its own criminal investigation battalion and could only command its own unit; when dealing with county bureaus, it could only supervise or offer operational guidance. At the provincial bureau's Criminal Investigation Division or Criminal Investigation General Team, the nature remained unchanged—operational involvement was even less. Most provincial Criminal Investigation Divisions didn't handle cases themselves; they were merely one ordinary department within the provincial bureau.

Yet, despite this concentrated structure, the personnel sent from the provincial Criminal Investigation Division were certainly not ordinary—those dispatched to supervise cases were definitely not inexperienced.

The presence of provincial bureau officials steadily heightened the excitement among the detectives present.

"Next, I'll read you the documents regarding Case 326, now renamed the 326 Kidnapping-Murder Case, and the reorganization of the Special Task Force… The task force leader will be me; deputy leaders will be Liu Jinghui and Gao Qiang…" Yu Wenshu's role within the city bureau was equivalent to Huang Qiangmin's in the county bureau—only the platform was a hundred times larger.

Wei Zhenguo and Jiang Yuan, from the Sixth Squad of the Ningtai County Criminal Investigation Battalion, had no opportunity to speak during Yu Wenshu's meeting— they merely listened as he read documents and delivered his remarks.

After nearly ten minutes, Yu Wenshu brought the topic back: "According to expert analysis, we preliminarily believe that the main suspect, Tan Yong, has been involved in more than one murder."

Whirrrr.

The sound came from the electric fan.

Everyone remained calm.

Seeing officials from the provincial bureau appear was like pulling a man wearing your own clothes out of your bedroom closet—he couldn't possibly be here to fix the air conditioner.

Likewise, if Tan Yong's case had involved only one death, why would the provincial bureau send two people? That would be excessive.

"Liu Chu, you speak." Yu Wenshu stepped aside.

"I'll speak right here," Liu Jinghui stood up. "There are several anomalies in the 326 murder case. First, the main suspect Tan Yong claims he kidnapped Ding Lan out of unrequited love and rage—a spontaneous act meant to scare her by abandoning her beside a highway. He then impulsively escalated to rape… after the rape, he intended to take Ding Lan back to his house, kill her, and bury her. But due to her pleading, he changed his plan to digging a basement to imprison her."

Liu Jinghui scanned the room with sharp eyes, speaking slowly: "The most illogical part is Tan Yong bringing Ding Lan back to Changyang City. From Ningtai to Changyang, they pass through toll booths and checkpoints. Taking such a huge risk just to bring her to his empty house for murder and burial makes no sense. Tan Yong must be concealing something critical in his confession."

Liu Jinghui observed the detectives' reactions, then continued: "Tan Yong works in construction—he knows how to operate heavy machinery, has access to familiar sites, and many options for dumping bodies. He claims he dug the basement to bury her, but because Ding Lan begged and offered herself, he switched to imprisonment. Is that harder or riskier than burying her in the wild or at a construction site? Is it even necessary? Especially since digging a basement requires machinery—did he really transport it specially? That's not easy."

"Also, Tan Yong has committed at least four crimes, including the female corpse we excavated from the basement—a prostitute. The three subsequent kidnappings of prostitutes left little evidence, indicating a highly meticulous mind. So why would such a person leave fingerprints on Ding Lan's bicycle?"… Liu Jinghui's gaze settled on Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan stared curiously at Liu Jinghui—this was his first time joining a special task force.

"What's your inference, Liu Chu?" Yu Wenshu knew Liu Jinghui loved deduction and had repeatedly proven his strength in the Criminal Investigation Division—he never challenged his "authority."

Liu Jinghui glanced around; seeing no one respond, he felt a flicker of disappointment, slightly lifting his chin: "I lean toward the idea that Tan Yong told part of the truth."

"Go on," Yu Wenshu prompted.

Liu Jinghui nodded, satisfied: "First, the fingerprints suggest Tan Yong's kidnapping of Ding Lan was indeed a spontaneous act—but not random. Choosing Ding Lan as a target was less convenient than picking a prostitute. He could have randomly selected a victim anywhere in the provincial capital and completed his crime."

Liu Jinghui paused, then continued: "Meanwhile, Ding Lan's status as the first woman imprisoned in the basement does explain why he shifted from burial to digging a basement and imprisoning her."

Some nodded, but most remained calm. Liu Jinghui's points were ordinary deductions—many in the room could make them too—only most dared not voice them so confidently.

Liu Jinghui closed his eyes in quiet pleasure—he loved the power that erupted from stillness.

After briefly outlining the case, Liu Jinghui finally uttered the word he had held back:

"But! None of these answers explain why Tan Yong returned to Changyang City!"

Liu Jinghui's sudden raised voice drew everyone's attention.

Several detectives frowned in thought.

"Indeed, he could have dumped the body on the spot, or at a familiar construction site, or even in another county—yet he chose Changyang. He's someone who travels constantly—he must have seen the city's road checkpoints."

"Correct. Tan Yong's company is a subsidiary of Luqiao Group, operating across the province, building highways, national roads, toll booths, and checkpoints… So his choice of Changyang must have had a very solid reason." Liu Jinghui stated his deduction: "I believe Tan Yong has a verified, tested method of body disposal."

The detective who had spoken earlier asked: "Maybe he just happened to think of a construction site in Changyang—perhaps one currently being dug?"

"Risking arrest by driving over a hundred kilometers?" Liu Jinghui firmly shook his head: "A cautious construction worker wouldn't make such a decision based on mere speculation or guesswork. If it weren't a verified disposal method—if he hadn't used it before and found it effective—Tan Yong's best choice would have been a construction site in Ningtai County. He already had a site under his direct supervision there, far more convenient and less likely to expose him than going to someone else's site in Changyang."

This was highly persuasive reasoning—the questioning detective had to nod. "Only a verified disposal method would make Tan Yong resolutely risk being caught on the road, returning directly to Changyang after the crime. I recommend immediately interrogating Tan Yong again, using Ding Lan as the breakthrough to uncover his disposal method." Liu Jinghui spoke with absolute certainty.

Everyone listened in silence.

Then Yu Wenshu said: "Then let's follow Liu Chu's plan—interrogate Tan Yong again. Make him believe he's now charged with murder; that'll make him more talkative. Liu Chu, that's your intention, right?"

Liu Jinghui replied: "Correct. Also, we should ask what Tan Yong did between kidnapping Ding Lan and his arrest. Since he escalated the crime, why didn't he dispose of the bicycle? Did he forget? Or did something else happen? I personally suspect he was delayed by some unforeseen event."

"Alright. That's settled." The brigade commander made the decision. The provincial bureau had clearly exerted its influence.

Liu Jinghui smiled politely at the group, waited for Yu Wenshu to conclude, then left the small conference room first.

Jiang Yuan watched the gleaming slicked-back hair vanish, then stepped out into a quieter corridor and turned to Wei Zhenguo: "Is this really acceptable?"

Wei Zhenguo smiled as expected: "Doesn't he seem incredibly impressive?"

Jiang Yuan whispered: "He has no evidence at all!"

Yes—based on Jiang Yuan's many years of forensic experience, the first thing he noticed was that throughout the entire meeting, Liu Jinghui spoke only of deduction, speculation, inference—never once mentioning evidence.

Wei Zhenguo glanced around: "That's why Liu Chu is famous for his deduction-based style. He doesn't care about evidence—he solves cases through pure reasoning, then leaves other cops to chase down the proof."

Jiang Yuan, from school to work, had always focused on evidence and evidence alone. Hearing Wei Zhenguo's description of Liu Jinghui, he was speechless, and muttered again: "Is this really acceptable?"

"Senior Police Superintendent of the provincial bureau—he can solve cases however he wants," Wei Zhenguo said, pulling Jiang Yuan away and adding: "The key is—he solves cases."

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