Chapter 392: With Care

Xu Xuewu kept on the phone nonstop, and in between calls, he sent a team to dig up the yard and another to catch the gray donkey.

By the time he returned, Meng Chengbiao's interrogation was already over; several men stood idly in the hospital corridor, waiting for Xu Xuewu.

The only person qualified to take this case was Jiang Yuan, but Jiang Yuan had no interest. All he wanted now was to find Guihua and exchange it for a Level 3 cranial reconstruction technique.

The system didn't release tasks frequently; when it finally did, it was usually just a trivial job like finding a dog, so Jiang Yuan had no reason not to complete it.

If he missed this chance, he might not get another chance to learn cranial reconstruction for a long time.

Jiang Yuan was still very interested in it. Even within forensic anthropology, cranial reconstruction was an extremely advanced skill—it bridged science and art, was highly difficult, had broad applications, and wasn't limited to criminal investigations alone. Acquiring it would greatly expand Jiang Yuan's path in forensic science.

As for ownership of the case, from Jiang Yuan's perspective, he didn't care much. If superiors later wanted him involved, he'd join; if not, it didn't matter.

Big cases weren't always interesting—they came with too many restrictions, making it hard to achieve the pure investigative environment Jiang Yuan preferred, so he didn't bother fighting for them. Besides, even if he did fight, he might not get anything.

Below Jiang Yuan, the other officers didn't even dare take out their phones; each chose to stand in areas of the hospital corridor with cameras and colleagues nearby.

Everyone knew the rules: at such times, you simply waited for instructions from superiors; acting on your own brought no benefit. When Xu Xuewu returned, he directly asked Jiang Yuan: "What did Director Huang say?"

"I haven't asked yet," Jiang Yuan said. "This case will go to another province—I won't be involved."

Xu Xuewu smiled slightly and hurried to say: "You might not know yet—the ministry is sending experts over. This case has reached the highest levels; if solved, it'll draw nationwide attention."

"It has nothing to do with me."

"How can it not? Strictly speaking, you're the one who spotted the clues and uncovered the case. Others hoping to join might be screened by the experts—you just need to say yes, and it's settled."

"Forget about me—what are you planning to do?" Jiang Yuan thought: this case is so complex, if I get dragged into it, I'll probably have to travel again, and by the time I return, even if Guihua held out this long, she'd be rotten by now.

And whether it's a lost dog, a lost sheep, or a missing person—the sooner you search, the better your chances. Without Guihua, the cranial reconstruction technique he was about to obtain would vanish.

Xu Xuewu found this odd. In truth, the difficulty of major cases wasn't necessarily higher than that of ordinary ones. Difficulty wasn't ranked by importance—everyone understood that.

So, the chance to participate in solving major cases was what many criminal investigators, especially young ones, most eagerly anticipated.

Jiang Yuan had casually traveled all the way to Miaohé County to handle a case, yet he refused to touch this spectacular 503 robbery-murder case—it left Xu Xuewu utterly baffled.

But at this moment, Xu Xuewu had little time to worry about Jiang Yuan.

First, he arranged personnel to re-guard Jia Chengfeng's ward. Now, Jia Chengfeng was a key witness; even if he died, he had to die with dignity.

If Jia Chengfeng was treated so carefully, the more important suspect and possible witness, Liao Baoquan, needed even greater attention. Xu Xuewu called the director that night, coordinated with the detention center, moved Liao Baoquan into a solitary cell, and postponed interrogation until he received word from the ministry.

Though Xu Xuewu told Jiang Yuan about the case "reaching the top," he himself only intended to play a supporting role.

Because attention from the ministry only came after a case was solved—and only if someone played a key role in solving it.

Xu Xuewu wasn't a young rookie; after more than a decade in criminal investigation, he knew exactly what his capabilities were. Did he really expect to impress ministry supervisors with a dazzling performance?

Xu Xuewu wanted to, but he wasn't foolish.

So he didn't dare interrogate Liao Baoquan, fearing he'd botch it and get burned later.

Liao Baoquan probably didn't even know he'd been sold out by Jia Chengfeng, but he'd surely raised his guard—interrogating him was risky, but not interrogating him was impossible.

After finalizing everything, Xu Xuewu returned home, lay on his bed, and still pondered how to handle tomorrow's reception of the leaders.

His wife, half-asleep, patted him twice, found he was still "in stock," then happily shoved him aside, not needing sex but chatting: "Our son said he wants new sneakers—I gave him 300, he said it wasn't enough, so I told him to save up. Do you know any counterfeit shoe sellers? Get him a pair."

"The counterfeit shoe sellers I know are all in prison. Don't you have plenty of fake handbag sellers on WeChat? Just ask them for a shoe seller's WeChat." Xu Xuewu replied offhandedly.

"Oh right, I could do that." His wife snapped awake, picked up her phone, and started messaging. Xu Xuewu sighed: "I'm going to sleep—I've got an important reception tomorrow…"

"Then wear the belt I bought you tomorrow. Look sharp." His wife reminded him. "You mean that fake Gucci belt?"

"Everything I bought you is super-A grade—no one can tell. I only buy high-fakes myself; super-A has such fine craftsmanship, just a few details aren't perfectly authentic—non-experts can't tell the difference."

"Got it, got it." Xu Xuewu surrendered quickly. As he hugged his pillow and drifted off, a thought crossed his mind: if only I could buy a super-A-grade dog. A super-A Guihua—surely that little girl wouldn't notice.

"Alright, alright," Xu Xuewu quickly gave in; as he hugged the pillow and was about to fall asleep, a thought popped into his mind: If only he could buy a super-A-grade dog—super-A-grade Osmanthus, surely that little girl wouldn't be able to tell.

The two ministry inspectors arrived in Miaohé County via the first morning flight, transferring through Changyang, spending half a day in strenuous travel.

Their enthusiasm, seen by everyone, signaled the case's importance.

"I'm Feng Qiong. This is our technical expert Kang Zhichao. First, let's examine the evidence—then we'll discuss." Feng Qiong was a round-faced man who spoke calmly, as if it were a routine office day.

Kang Zhichao looked even more laid-back. He was an external technical expert—called in when needed, dismissed when not.

But to Miaohé County's leaders, both were still important personnel sent from higher authorities; they responded with full cooperation, and Xu Xuewu led them straight to the evidence room.

When Jiang Yuan saw them return to the county bureau, he went out to greet them.

Feng Qiong politely stayed behind, chatting casually with Xu Xuewu and others. Technical expert Kang Zhichao disappeared into the evidence room and didn't reappear.

Much later, Kang Zhichao emerged and gave Feng Qiong a slight nod: "The pistol used in the 503 robbery-murder case—confirmed. The police ID is genuine."

Xu Xuewu thought uneasily: this guy's got real gear? "Let's go meet the suspect." Kang Zhichao stood again.

Feng Qiong rose in sync and said casually: "Check if anyone reported fake police activity at Liao Baoquan's former residence."

Xu Xuewu and the others exchanged glances, unsure who should respond.

Feng Qiong turned and asked: "What do you think, Jiang Forensic?"

"Good idea. A valid direction to pursue," Jiang Yuan replied quickly.

Feng Qiong smiled: "He kept his police ID and gun in a safe for easy access—he couldn't have stayed so law-abiding forever."

Someone said: "Leaving the police ID behind is too risky."

Feng Qiong replied: "The gun has a serial number—you can trace it immediately. On the run, having both gun and ID is better than having just the gun."

Xu Xuewu asked: "Did they use the police ID during their escape?"

"We don't know. By the time we thought to check, all leads were gone," Feng Qiong said, sounding regretful.

Only then did Xu Xuewu realize: Feng Qiong had participated in the previous investigation.

Xue Wu only now realized that Feng Qiong had participated in the previous case investigation.