Chapter 390

The next day.

Jiang Yuan woke early and went with Zhang Qi to investigate the logistics company.

Multiple officers were already following up on Guihua's leads. Although all personnel from the Third Squad had been withdrawn due to the Dongyan Machinery Factory theft case and the upcoming Jia Chengfeng case, the Fourth Squad of the Miaohé County Criminal Investigation Unit had taken over, beginning to trace the series of leads connected to Guihua—such as relevant license plates, buyers and sellers at dog markets, vendors who regularly came to the county to collect dogs, and even various dog meat restaurants. Some officers were even scrolling through local short videos to find photos of people posing with Pugs for comparison.

Compared to the previous Third Squad officers, the newly reassigned Fourth Squad officers clearly showed more energy. Based on the past few days' experience, following Guihua's leads would likely waste only two or three days of time; once a real case arose, they could immediately shift focus and be freed from this task.

Considering Jiang Yuan's priority involvement in cases related to Guihua, the officers tracking Guihua's leads had a high probability of directly reaping the crab roe.

Eating crab with someone else peeling it for you—that kind of satisfaction, once tasted, is unforgettable; those who haven't tried it are certainly eager to give it a shot.

So now, the officers of Miaohé County no longer found following Guihua's leads burdensome; they merely refrained from openly saying "it's fun" due to social expectations, each of them like people having sex in a car at a scenic spot like Mount Sining—anticipating pleasure inside, but tightly clamping their mouths shut.

Jiang Yuan, by contrast, was no longer in a hurry to pursue Guihua's leads.

The dog had been missing for twenty days; if it had been eaten, its flesh would have long since turned to shit.

And until relevant leads emerged, Jiang Yuan could not yet contribute meaningfully. The three pillars of criminal investigation are criminal intelligence, criminal technology, and criminal informants.

Informants include tipsters or undercover agents—some officers have infiltrated drug lords to crack major cases, others live as double agents, and more commonly, newspaper reporters disguise themselves as clients to gather evidence through photography and video, or female lawyers report their superiors after being ignored during four-person outings.

Criminal intelligence relies more on traditional investigative methods: collecting and organizing information, analyzing and reasoning to solve cases.

Jiang Yuan's strength lies primarily in criminal technology; when technical means stall, he must wait for breakthroughs in intelligence or informants.

In comparison, Jia Chengfeng's logistics company showed clear potential for breakthrough.

Jia Chengfeng had been detained the previous day; those in his company who didn't answer two phone calls were simply ignored.

When Zhang Qi arrived with half of the Third Squad and borrowed half of the Fourth Squad to launch a surprise raid on Jia Chengfeng's office, none of the employees there had any idea what was happening.

"Captain Zhang, we found several controlled weapons." Without needing a complex search, officers first discovered multiple daggers, short swords, electric batons, and extendable batons beneath Jia Chengfeng's desk.

Zhang Qi wasn't surprised. As he put on gloves and examined the weapons with Jiang Yuan, he said, "Modern logistics has become a dumping ground—anyone can slip into it. If Jia Chengfeng keeps this up for a few more years, he'll turn into a full-fledged organized gang."

"Isn't he already?" Jiang Yuan asked.

"We could try coordinating with the inspection department, but classifying these items is easy and hard at the same time."

Jiang Yuan made an "oh" sound and didn't press further. Every region has its own operational patterns; outsiders can't assume things are obvious.

"There's more over here," another officer called out, summoning the photographer to take pictures. Though everyone wore body cameras, Miaohé County's criminal investigators still preferred calling for photographers for key evidence collection, as if still haunted by past bites from snakes.

The newly discovered items were even more numerous—not just weapons like knives and swords, but also hydraulic cutters, pry bars, wrenches, and various other tools.

One of Jia Chengfeng's employees hurriedly explained, "These are our everyday tools. We often need to change tires on big trucks or cut iron chains. We also use spray guns—we sometimes operate in extremely cold areas where brake pads freeze overnight, and we need to use spray guns to ignite and thaw them before we can drive."

Zhang Qi, unable to find the dog, was adept at handling these half-criminal thugs. With a sharp hiss, he pulled out a knife, held the blade toward the sunlight, and pointed it at the young man speaking.

"What about this one? Also one of your everyday tools? What's it used for?"

The young man was flustered and defended himself: "When you're on the road, situations vary—we can use it to cut meat for cooking, can't we..."

"No. Any knife or sword with a sharpened blade exceeding the legal length is a controlled item." Zhang Qi measured it with his hand and added, "You store controlled knives alongside these heavy tools, then claim they're just tools—do you really think the law is joking with you?"

Zhang Qi's final words were sharp and forceful, radiating such intense pressure that the usually arrogant young man instinctively shrank back.

Jiang Yuan, meanwhile, was examining items inside a plastic crate. A thought struck him. He asked, "Who among you used this spray gun?"

The young man he looked at hurriedly replied, "I don't know."

"Didn't you just say you needed the spray gun to ignite and thaw the brakes? Who took it before?"

The young man stammered.

"Then check the fingerprints," Jiang Yuan said bluntly, placing the spray gun into an evidence bag.

Zhang Qi glanced curiously at the spray gun and asked, "What did you notice?"

"I remember a case I saw yesterday—a man reported being robbed and forced to transfer all his money to an online gambling platform. His face was burned with a spray gun." Jiang Yuan recalled. "That's an old unsolved case too."

"I remember that case," Zhang Qi said. As a Miaohé County criminal investigator who had personally handled these cases, he instantly recalled it upon Jiang Yuan's mention. He asked urgently, "Can we confirm it was the same spray gun?"

"Almost certainly. There were still impressions on his face from the nozzle being pressed against his skin," Jiang Yuan said casually.

A middle-aged man in the office, hearing this, couldn't hold back—he bolted for the door.

Naturally, he didn't get far.

Several burly men in cotton-padded jackets were waiting. They lunged and pinned him to the ground the moment he ran.

"Well, another case solved," Zhang Qi said, no longer bothering to marvel.

The clearance rate of domestic criminal investigation units may not be as high as ordinary people imagine. In places like Shannan Province, counties or cities achieving a 40% clearance rate are considered quite good. For a county-level unit like Miaohé's, thousands—even two thousand—unsolved cases pile up every year. Some are truly unsolvable; most are simply neglected due to overwhelming workload.

Jiang Yuan's efficient and precise case-solving speed had a profound impact on Zhang Qi—more than just the weight of five men pinning someone down.

After bringing Jia Chengfeng's employees back, Zhang Qi led his team to raid Liao Baoquan's company.

This investigation was far more serious.

Since Jiang Yuan believed there was hidden context linking Jia Chengfeng and Liao Baoquan, Zhang Qi—who had gained two days of insight—could no longer treat this lightly.

But Liao Baoquan's company had only a nominal office; all his assets were in three vehicles.

This raised the mystery to another level. As Jiang Yuan had said, if Liao Baoquan had only a few vehicles and a handful of people, even if bullied by Jia Chengfeng, he could simply leave—why escalate to murder?

Moreover, if he was capable of murder, why didn't he fight back directly? Anyone with experience in bullying knows the primary target is someone who offers zero resistance. Any hint of resistance renders bullying ineffective. But Liao Baoquan's background, experience, and abilities didn't resemble a victim of bullying.

Therefore, the leverage Jia Chengfeng held must be devastating.

After consolidating all available information, even Zhang Qi felt the answer was on the verge of emerging.

"I'll go extort him," Meng Chengbiao volunteered enthusiastically.

Team Leader Xu Xuewu nodded in approval. He turned to Jiang Yuan and saw him scrolling through years of unsolved cases on his phone.

Xu Xuewu moved closer, watching the Arabic numerals representing unsolved case files change on Jiang Yuan's screen—his heart warmed.