Chapter 393: Never Forget the Original Intention

Feng Qiong, the round-faced officer, verified the evidence and immediately headed to the detention center, planning to interrogate Liao Baoquan in person.

The 503 case was originally carried out by two people; now that Liao Baoquan had surfaced, identifying the other accomplice became the focus of the investigation. If Liao Baoquan was willing to confess fully, the case would be reduced to final procedures: new arrests, interrogations, and evidence collection.

But this task was clearly not easy. Xu Xuewu had weighed all factors before deciding to report it promptly; otherwise, he could have handled the interrogation, investigation, and evidence gathering himself, then announced the resolution of a major case under central supervision.

As Jiang Yuan knew, Xu Xuewu had a good relationship with the detention center's director—they were classmates from police academy—and Liao Baoquan's few days in detention were more than enough for an experienced officer to assess his condition.

Xu Xuewu spent hours on the phone yesterday, likely because he lacked confidence in extracting a confession, hence his decision to escalate the difficulty. In fact, Xu Xuewu made a very mature choice.

Because the 503 case held not only opportunity but also immense difficulty—if Liao Baoquan couldn't be broken, where would the case go?

If one looked only at the best-case scenario, Liao Baoquan would crack under interrogation, spill everything like beans from a bamboo tube, weeping and sobbing as he detailed every aspect of the crime; Xu Xuewu and his team would be draped in red ribbons, standing on stage to receive thunderous applause, sharing their success stories.

But what if they couldn't break him?

A ten-year-old cold case that even central oversight failed to solve—now half-resolved by Miaohé County, the remaining half was neither swallowable nor spittable. That would be bad enough; but if it became something you couldn't pull out or suck back in, that would be truly nauseating.

In contrast, Xu Xuewu handing the case upward simplified matters.

First, Liao Baoquan was arrested in Miaohé County, and Jia Chengfeng's interrogation took place in Miaohé's interrogation center. The suspect had lived in Miaohé for years; if they investigated using Liao Baoquan as a lead, Xu Xuewu himself would inevitably be sent running errands—and when the case was solved, the red flowers and honors would inevitably include him.

If the case failed, it wouldn't reflect badly on the captain of Miaohé County's Criminal Investigation Unit.

Xu Xuewu, with the demeanor of a landlord, watched Feng Qiong and Kang Zhichao drive off, then turned to Jiang Yuan and smiled: "The rank is too high—I'm terrified of making mistakes, the pressure's overwhelming."

Released from pressure, Xu Xuewu looked every bit the handsome senior officer today, dressed in a crisp uniform, radiating justice and intelligence.

Jiang Yuan checked his phone and added: "Boss Xu, I need to report—I've called all officers in the unit who haven't taken leave; they'll arrive in one or two hours."

"That's excellent," Xu Xuewu, ever perceptive, grinned, raised an eyebrow, and pointed at Jiang Yuan with clear expression: "I was worried you wouldn't get it. Right—your Jiang Yuan Cold Case Team should make its name now. Don't be fooled by how serious Feng Chu and the others look; when you deliver results, they're even more generous than the provincial bureau."

Jiang Yuan nodded with a smile and added: "I'd also like you to assign me two people."

"No problem—Zhang Qi stays with you."

"Yes." Xu Xuewu said seriously: "Don't think just because Zhang Qi is a squad leader, he can't speak up at any police station around the county. Between us, some hotheads don't know any better and just waste time. Don't worry about Zhang Qi being upset—he's thrilled at the chance to work on a ministry case. Running errands? What's that? I run errands too..."

"No, you need him," Xu Xuewu said seriously. "Don't underestimate Zhang Qi—he's a squad leader, but anywhere in the county, he can speak with any police station. Frankly, some greenhorns waste time. Don't worry about Zhang Qi being upset—he'd be thrilled to join a central case. Running errands? What's that? I've run errands too…"

Jiang Yuan's expression grew more complex, and when he heard the end, he sighed: "I'm not ready to join the 503 case yet. So…" He stretched out the word "so," hoping Xu Xuewu would understand.

Xu Xuewu didn't understand. He stared at Jiang Yuan for a long time, tentatively asking, "You're not… planning to… keep… going… right?"

"I think it's better to see things through," Jiang Yuan paused.

"I want to find Guihua while the 503 case hasn't fully kicked off yet."

Level 3 skull reconstruction—honestly, spending a few months on it isn't shameful.

But Xu Xuewu didn't know that. The poised Xu Xuewu lost his balance and blurted out loudly: "Jiang Team, don't say you're looking for Guihua—it'll make people think you're searching for a missing person. Even… even if you're looking for a dog, we can find it later!"

"We won't find it later," Jiang Yuan understood the logic but had no alternative.

Xu Xuewu looked as if he'd eaten a Neanderthal: "If we can't find it, let's think of another way. Jiang Team, I volunteer—I'll go comfort the kid! Honestly, I'm great with kids."

He was a police officer, handsome, a father—he naturally knew how to soothe children. But did Jiang Yuan need soothing?

Cranial reconstruction is so rare—if measured in time, a normal person needs at least Lv1.8 Forensic Anthropology, Lv1.5 Art, Lv1 Practical Skills, Lv1 Computer-Related Skills, and Lv1.5 Art Appreciation as prerequisites to learn it...

Skull reconstruction was rare. To learn it normally, one needed at least Level 1.8 forensic anthropology, Level 1.5 fine arts, Level 1 manual dexterity, Level 1 computer skills, Level 1.5 art appreciation…

Just Level 1.8 forensic anthropology—someone with talent needed three or four years; an average student, even with a master's from a top university, still needed a Ph. D. Other skills weren't individually strong, but all had to be mastered—more like life experience than textbook training.

All this was for Level 1 skull reconstruction.

To reach Level 3, prerequisite skills must be strengthened, practice intensified, and natural talent indispensable.

Look at fingerprints: in all of Shannan Province, the number of Level 3 fingerprint experts could be counted on one hand—like a panda's or a lemur's fingers. Level 3 skull reconstruction, even with perfect talent, required far longer training. Nationwide, experts were vanishingly rare.

Of course, learning skull reconstruction didn't guarantee solving many cases—if it did, experts wouldn't be so scarce. In a country as vast as China, if a skill was needed, they could instantly find dozens of candidates with explosive natural talent.

But for Jiang Yuan, who aspired to be a forensic scientist, skull reconstruction's appeal went beyond solving cases. Forensic anthropology, after all, wasn't limited to criminal investigations.

For example: if Qin Shi Huang's tomb were opened, his coffin unearthed, and inside lay only bones—not an immortal Qin Shi Huang—then skull reconstruction would be needed to reconstruct his face.

Or, the reconstructed images of Peking Man or Australopithecus in textbooks could be made using skull reconstruction. If archaeologists ever unearthed the bones of a young Cao Cao, or the remains of Liu, Guan, and Zhang's childhood oath, skull reconstruction could reconstruct them too.

Jiang Yuan had been studying related materials in his spare time. Now, to suddenly say he wouldn't look for Guihua—he simply wouldn't accept it.

Jiang Yuan's resolve was absolute. Xu Xuewu couldn't understand it, and couldn't control it.

Xu Xuewu could only look up at Jiang Yuan, thinking: They say tall people don't grow wisdom—there's some truth to that.

Jiang Yuan's Cold Case Team regrouped in Miaohé County.

Those who had just returned from leave were physically and mentally energized, eager to press on, achieve more, and crack another major case.

Psychologically, the team members underestimated themselves, the world, and Jiang Yuan.

Especially the newcomers—they'd followed the case online, but when Guihua's photo was handed out, a strange atmosphere spread.

"That's the bug dog," Shen Yaowei, who understood Jiang Yuan best, held the photo and sighed deeply.

"Let's find it within two days. After that, when the 503 case restarts, we won't have the freedom to move." Jiang Yuan spoke plainly. Once the 503 case officially launched, all other cases in Miaohé County would be sidelined—finding a dog would no longer be so convenient.

Liu Jinghui joined in, smiling: "How do you plan to find it?"

"You tell me," Jiang Yuan said. With Liu Jinghui around, he didn't feel like thinking about it.

Liu Jinghui smiled: "You've already done direct searches. If you were looking for a person, you'd establish territorial control."

"Explain," Jiang Yuan listened humbly.

"Use the suspect—the current owner of the bug dog—to map out possible routines: eating, drinking, living, shopping, entertainment. Control all related venues: where the dog's food is bought—pet stores, supermarkets, online shops, veterinary clinics. If necessary, inspect every single one…" Liu Jinghui spoke casually, truthfully, but with a joking tone.

Jiang Yuan nodded instantly: "Then we go this route!"

"Wait… you're serious?" Liu Jinghui was stunned. "You really want to go this big?"

【56】 "Complete the mission within two days!" Jiang Yuan didn't waste words—he directed personnel to begin territorial control over pet-related businesses. Jiang Yuan's Cold Case Team and Zhang Qi's Third Squad could only obey silently. Their only worry: would Miaohé's pet industry workers understand they were under territorial control—and resist posting about it on WeChat Moments?