Chapter 46: Squat

The time Wei Zhenguo's phone call came, Jiang Yuan was sitting at home eating.

After answering the phone, Jiang Yuan said "Understood, I'll go back and see now," and immediately got up to change clothes.

To verify fingerprints and related information, it is more convenient to return to the office.

Watching his son get off the table, Father Jiangfuzhen, who was eating beef with Hunan chili sauce in a crooked way, was a little anxious: "Dead person? Do you want to bring something to eat on the road? You have to work overtime and stay up late at this time. Things bought outside are not good..."

"No dead person." Jiang Yuan coughed twice and said: "Whether there is or not, I can't say. Food... bring some."

At this time, the cafeteria must have no food. It is not appropriate to go to the police dog squadron to find the Rottweilers.

Doing fingerprints also belongs to the activity of looking relaxed, but actually very brain-burning. If you don't eat, you will soon be hungry and scratching your head.

"Drive there. At this time, riding a small electric donkey is not safe." Jiangfuzhen pointed to the key cabinet again.

Jiang Yuan only hesitated for two seconds. Thinking that he was going to do the Ding Lan missing person case today, and Ding Lan was riding a bicycle... So, Jiang Yuan obediently opened the key cabinet and chose a white G63 key.

Father Jiangfuzhen has no preference for vehicles, just likes hard, big, and sturdy ones.

In contrast, Jiang Yuan had just graduated from school and didn't care about brands other than vehicles. Until he parked in the parking lot of the county bureau and was surrounded by two police officers who joined the job at the same time, he realized it.

"You haven't finished work yet?" Jiang Yuan asked first.

The two looked at each other and smiled bitterly. The one walking in front said: "It's just dark, what work is finished? Are you technical people so relaxed?"

"It's busy when it's busy." Jiang Yuan felt that it was not good for him to let other technical police officers carry the pot, and added: "Mainly I am a forensic doctor, it's okay in the past few days, isn't this back again."

"That is to say, there are really many cases recently." The two were psychologically balanced. Looking at the big G behind Jiang Yuan, they asked: "Yours?"

"Family's." Jiang Yuan couldn't lie about this kind of thing.

The two envied again.

"By the way, I brought some meat, you heat it up and eat it, my old man boiled it." Jiang Yuan took out a lunch box from his backpack and handed it to the two.

Jiangfuzhen is extraordinarily generous in sharing food, and the boiled beef prepared for Jiang Yuan includes a share for his colleagues.

There was also light in their eyes instantly.

"I'll go up first

Those working overtime to write reports, those working overtime to handle cases, those working overtime to avoid their domestic duties—all gathered together, each with their own anxieties.

When Jiang Yuan first joined the force, he wasn't very willing to work overtime, nor were there many tasks requiring it, but at this moment, he understood everyone exceptionally well.

Right now, it was potentially the critical moment to solve the Ding Lan case. Wei Zhengguo was still gnawing on a pancake downstairs from the suspect, so Jiang Yuan naturally couldn't drop the ball.

Considering that Ding Lan might still be alive, Jiang Yuan only had the option of pushing forward.

It was easy to imagine that the police officers working overtime at this moment, or on any given day, shared the same or similar feelings to his.

Forensic office.

Power on, enter password, spread out the boiled beef, lay out the small white pancakes, and serve the chili sauce and small pickled vegetables.

On the screen, several fingerprint images unfolded together.

Jiang Yuan examined them carefully once, then confirmed them again.

Fingerprinting is an extremely meticulous job; the more critical the moment, the more one must ensure accuracy.

Jiang Yuan compared the fingerprints clearly and meticulously, ate a few quick bites of beef, and then called Wei Zhengguo, saying: "Tan Yong only left one fingerprint, on the bicycle handlebar. This... can also be explained as an accidental touch. Of course, if he is strong enough, it could also be used to move it."

"That's enough. I'll go meet him first." Wei Zhengguo's voice came through the phone, sounding quite somber.

Jiang Yuan gave an "Mm," then reminded him: "A fingerprint alone is not enough to serve as evidence."

"I know. We'll stake him out for two days and see how things go."

"Shouldn't we ask Captain Huang for reinforcements?"

"We don't have any evidence yet, so it's hard for Captain Huang to provide support." Wei Zhengguo said very clearly: "I've called the brothers from the Sixth Team to come and help."

Wei Zhengguo knew that if he asked Jiang Yuan to call Huang Qiangmin, the captain would most likely send people to support them. Nothing else was needed; just considering the previous homicide case, a police officer like Jiang Yuan was qualified to call for two rounds of reinforcements.

However, as of now, the Ding Lan case had not truly manifested. Even in his view, Tan Yong was repulsive and had major suspicious points, but after working as a criminal investigator for a long time, one would know that these were still far from the core of the case.

Calling over the criminal investigators from his own team was just enough in terms of manpower; it was nothing more than everyone having to work a bit harder.

Wei Zhengguo merely adjusted his tone and added an extra instruction: "However, I haven't told the brothers from the Sixth Team which case I'm specifically investigating. Wu Wu Fa Yi Jiang, you should also be careful to keep it confidential; don't notify anyone yet."

Jiang Yuan subconsciously responded, then asked: "Are you worried about a leak?"

"In our small county, everything is interconnected with a thousand threads of relationships. This Tan Yong works at a state-owned enterprise; if he happens to know one or two people who are well-informed... In short, let's keep it confidential for now and tell no one. This is the safest way."

This was a lesson Wei Zhengguo had summarized only after working as a county criminal investigator for many years.

The ecological model in a county is completely different from that of a city or even a provincial capital. Because of its scale, it is larger and more complex than townships and villages, and interpersonal relationships are hidden deeper.

And the threat of criminal cases, or even the death penalty, is enough to activate every single connection.

"Okay. I understand." Jiang Yuan knew the gravity of the situation, agreed once more, thought for a moment, and then whispered: "If you confirm the scene, call me over. I am still quite confident in crime scene investigation."

"Good, no problem." Wei Zhengguo felt inexplicably much more at ease. At this very moment, the image of his wife couldn't help but surface in his mind.

Shaking his head, Wei Zhengguo put away his phone, which was hot from use, looked at Mu Zhiyang beside him, and asked: "Any results?"

"Mm... During the period of the incident, Tan Yong's main job was to be responsible for the construction of the slope protection at the factory where Ding Lan was. I just checked, and the area and earthwork volume of this slope protection are not small. If... if he wanted to bury something inside, it would be very hard to find." Mu Zhiyang hid in the back seat of the car, covering his laptop with his clothes so that not a single glimmer of light was exposed.

Wei Zhengguo did not follow Mu Zhiyang's line of thought, but instead pressed: "What about other things? He couldn't have stayed at the construction site for a long time. Does he go home?"

"He should go home. The construction site only left color-steel rooms for the workers." Mu Zhiyang looked at Wei Zhengguo strangely and whispered: "Master, if someone is buried in the slope protection, what should we do?"

"If someone is buried, we don't have the evidence to dig it up right now."

"Ah... then what should we do now?"

"Just keep watching." Wei Zhengguo looked up at the lights on the 12th floor not far away, his eyes narrowed as if he were asleep.

Mu Zhiyang couldn't help but feel disappointed: "Just keep watching? That's... that's too passive."

Wei Zhengguo gave a scoff, too lazy to pay him any mind.

"In television reports, when they talk about major cases, they always use overwhelming force..." Mu Zhiyang said.

"Do you know why major cases require the use of overwhelming force?" Wei Zhengguo wrapped his clothes tighter around himself and shifted his posture slightly.

Mu Zhiyang: "I don't know."

"Because the superiors are pressing hard. A three-day deadline, a seven-day deadline..." Wei Zhengguo's voice was small as he said: "With time so tight, if you don't use overwhelming force, what other tricks can you use?"

"This..."

"Our biggest advantage this time is that we have time. Three years have already passed; if she is dead, she can afford to wait. If she is alive..." Wei Zhengguo said indifferently: "If she is alive, assuming Tan Yong is the suspect, only by watching him can Ding Lan continue to live."

"Why?"

"To prevent him from killing her to silence her, and to see when he delivers food to Ding Lan."

Mu Zhiyang felt that his master might be a bit obsessed, and couldn't help but say: "It's been three years. Even if she's alive, he couldn't possibly be delivering food often. Buying some biscuits or similar food and leaving them there could last a long time."

"He wouldn't store a lot of food." Wei Zhengguo glanced at Mu Zhiyang, muttered "young pup" to himself, and added: "If he illegally detained Ding Lan, was it just so she could survive on his biscuits?"