Chapter 65: Commendation

Monday.

Upon entering the office, you could see Wu Jun sweeping with a feather duster.

He lowered his head to check the old almanac on his phone—sure enough, today was auspicious for worship, sacrifice, travel, and cleaning the premises…

Jiang Yuan figured that if things kept going like this, he’d only need to check the old almanac each day to predict Wu Jun’s movements.

Of course, knowing what Wu Jun planned to do wouldn’t help much.

“Master, let me help you,” Jiang Yuan stepped forward, ready to pitch in.

Wu Jun let out a startled “Oh!” and jumped off his chair, waving his hands. “I do my own chores—no need for you to fuss. If you’ve got free time, read some books. Your fingerprint work is excellent, you could handle crime scene investigations, yet your core duties are still rusty. If word gets out, people’ll think I’m hiding things from you.”

Jiang Yuan laughed. “Fingerprint and crime scene work I can practice on my own, but autopsies—I’ve got nowhere to practice those.”

“That’s fair,” Wu Jun said, his expression turning nostalgic as he loosened his grip on the duster. “When I first started, there were so many corpses. In our Taijiang River, bodies kept floating down from upstream—sometimes accidental falls, sometimes suicides, sometimes murders. Back then, funding was tight, and every county along the river argued over who should handle them…”

Jiang Yuan sat down, pressed the power button, and waited calmly for the computer to boot.

These past few days, he hadn’t had many assignments—mostly writing reports. Luckily, Wang Zhong helped with daily tasks, so it wasn’t too burdensome.

Wu Jun also brewed a cup of tea, leaned back, crossed his legs, and quietly pondered the relationships between humans and the world, humans and society, and the world and the almanac.

Just as the office settled into a relaxed rhythm, someone entered and interrupted Wu Jun’s thoughts.

“Lao Wu, Jiang Yuan,” Colonel Huang Qiang stepped in, smiling broadly.

“Colonel Huang,” Jiang Yuan and Wu Jun both stood up.

“Good news,” Huang Qiang emphasized, then turned to Jiang Yuan. “Your investigation into the Ding Lan case was outstanding. Various departments are pushing for rewards. Our county bureau has awarded Wei Zhenguo a Third-Class Merit, and you a Personal Commendation.”

He spoke plainly, avoiding mention of the provincial bureau or the Changyang City Criminal Investigation Brigade, simply stating the rewards for Wei Zhenguo and Jiang Yuan.

Jiang Yuan blinked in surprise, then quickly thanked him. “Didn’t expect a commendation.”

Huang Qiang’s lips remained at a 55.5-degree smile, gazing warmly at Jiang Yuan.

A Personal Commendation was the lowest rank in the police merit system, yet still hard to earn. Most patrol officers might wait years for one, and often they were accumulated over time.

A case involved countless steps—from receiving the report to the verdict—each stage requiring teamwork: gathering clues, collecting evidence, analyzing investigative directions, making arrests, interrogations, and supplementary investigations.

Who did what well, who went above and beyond—some knew, others pretended not to notice.

Seeing Jiang Yuan didn’t fight for credit or haggle over recognition, Huang Qiang respected him even more, smiling: “Whether it’s a Third-Class Merit or a Commendation, the practical effect is about the same for now. What matters is getting it. One award opens the door to another—next time, you’ll have another chance.”

Leaving that opening, Huang Qiang called in Lu Jianfeng, the captain of the Criminal Science Platoon. “Let’s make it official. Hold a proper ceremony.”

Lu Jianfeng happily agreed and went to gather others.

Soon, the small conference room was decorated with banners, artificial flowers, and a photographer with a large camera in position.

A little later, Wei Zhenguo and Jiang Yuan arrived, neatly dressed.

All three had changed into police ceremonial uniforms—the kind almost never worn.

Compared to the regular uniforms, the men’s ceremonial uniforms featured a sash on the right chest, giving them a sharp, formal appearance.

Even Wei Zhenguo, in his formal attire, looked less awkward when he smiled.

“Good, very good,” Huang Qiang adjusted Jiang Yuan’s collar, then patted Wei Zhenguo’s shoulder. “You both took the initiative, uncovered critical clues and evidence, arrested the suspect, and located the victim’s hidden body—remarkable. Wait a moment—the director will arrive, and we’ll take a group photo…”

The award ceremony for the Third-Class Merit and Personal Commendation took place in the small conference room.

Unlike the military, the police system didn’t favor loud, grand celebrations. If a major meeting or oath-taking ceremony happened to coincide, rewards were usually bundled into it.

Most of the time, no such event occurred. For awards like Third-Class Merit or Commendation, a small gathering was enough.

Huang Qiang pulled a red-leather-bound certificate from his briefcase, handed it to the director, who then presented it one by one to Wei Zhenguo and Jiang Yuan.

A Third-Class Merit came with both a medal and a certificate; a Commendation came with only the certificate.

Jiang Yuan opened his certificate—the name field clearly read “Jiang Yuan,” and the award level stated “Personal Commendation,” with a large red seal on the right.

At the same time, a translucent system interface appeared before Jiang Yuan’s eyes:

Reward: Personal Commendation

Reward Content: One selectable option (upgradable)

While everyone queued for photos, Jiang Yuan clicked on “selectable option.”

A list appeared:

Criminal Imaging Technology (LV2)

Document Examination Technology (LV2)

Trace Evidence Examination Technology (LV2)

Biological Evidence Examination Technology (LV2)

Audio-Visual Evidence Examination Technology (LV2)

Electronic Data Examination Technology (LV2)

Lie Detection Technology (LV2)

Toxicology Examination Technology (LV2)

…

Jiang Yuan, curious, clicked on Lie Detection Technology (LV2).

Another list appeared:

GKT (Knowledgeable Test) (LV3)

CQT (Control Question Test) (LV3)

POT (Peak of Tension Test) (LV3)

R/IR (Relevant/Irrelevant Question Test) (LV3)

Jiang Yuan nearly clicked one.

Lie detection sounded cool.

But it seemed useless in the county bureau.

He thought: these lie detection methods required specialized polygraphs, and even then, their accuracy was low and courtroom acceptance even lower…

Jiang Yuan reconsidered and clicked on Criminal Imaging Technology (LV2).

A new list opened:

Crime Scene Photography (LV3)

Evidence Photography (LV3)

Image Enhancement Technology (LV3)

Image Analysis Technology (LV3)

Counterfeit Image Examination Technology (LV3)

…

Honestly, whether it was criminal imaging, document examination, or any of the others—all were case-solving skills that would serve Jiang Yuan well.

But scrolling from top to bottom, he most wanted imaging technology.

Using surveillance and visual techniques to solve cases was the simplest, most direct method—and nearly the best.

In contrast, lie detection and electronic data examination were either not yet implemented in Ningtai County or easier to get external support for. Good as they were, Jiang Yuan believed imaging technology would be used far more often and would be easier for colleagues to accept.

Jiang Yuan selected Image Enhancement Technology (LV3).

Image enhancement meant making blurry images or videos clearer; image analysis meant extracting measurable data from images—like estimating a suspect’s height.

Jiang Yuan had already gained some basic image enhancement ability after acquiring fingerprint skills, but what he gained now was far more professional.

This skill was like the movie trope where a beautiful or handsome character shouts, “Enhance!” and suddenly the blurry license plate becomes crystal clear.

But while movie heroes could accomplish it with a shout, in the real world—in a place like the Ningtai County Bureau—no one could do it. Even the director, if he screamed until hoarse, still couldn’t… hehehe…

Of course, now that Jiang Yuan had learned image enhancement, he still couldn’t just shout and see a license plate clearly. Even if he shouted again, he still wouldn’t have time to make out a blurry plate.

What he could do was use Photoshop or WBY Criminal Investigation Image Processing Software to reduce noise, sharpen, filter, and make images relatively clearer.

To move beyond existing software into algorithmic processing, he’d need LV4 or even LV5.

“Keep it up. If you need anything, just come find me…” Huang Qiang noticed Jiang Yuan’s stunned expression and couldn’t help but smile wider—his lips lifted to 66.6 degrees.

While the Personal Commendation was the easiest award to earn, earning any award at all was still difficult.

Without Huang Qiang’s advocacy, it was uncertain whether the higher-ups would have granted the commendation—or when.

Seeing Jiang Yuan’s expression, Huang Qiang felt certain he understood his efforts—and was thoroughly satisfied.

After chatting a while, taking photos, and receiving applause, the director added: “Send a copy of these photos to the Honor Room—hang them on the wall. Your team should also pay more attention to young officers. Today’s youth have access to more information, value individuality, and prioritize personal growth—we need to adjust our thinking accordingly…”

“Understood,” Huang Qiang agreed.

The director said a few more words, urged everyone to strive for more achievements, then switched to a serious expression and turned to leave.