National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1092 - 1023: Cunning Rabbit Has Three Burrows

Police arrests also require preparation. To put it in terms more understandable to the average person—it requires an appointment.

The kind of "one command, everyone assembles" scenario applies to the military or SWAT teams, but not to criminal police.

Everyday criminal police are either traveling, completing assignments, buried in office computers writing reports, filling out forms, and adding supplementary materials, or attending meetings, listening to directions from superiors—apart from that, it’s evident that, as humans, they also need rest.

If you call people without scheduling... of course, given Jiang Yuan’s current status, issuing an order to assemble hundreds of people is not a problem. However, being in such a position of responsibility, if he has the authority to issue orders, he must also consider that one command increases the workload for everyone involved.

For this case, although urgent, arrests were not something that could be immediately carried out. First, identities and locations needed confirmation. Jiang Yuan estimated it would take a day to finalize this.

By tomorrow, whatever number of suspects had been confirmed would be arrested. Considering these individuals might be scattered across different cities, today was largely dedicated to coordinating with the local police departments.

Jiang Yuan was using his time efficiently inspecting the van.

The fingerprints on the surface were thoroughly scanned, revealing six individuals’ prints, including one from a victim, three from ex-convicts, and two from previously clean individuals.

Still, at this stage, even those with no criminal record needed to be brought to the police station for scrutiny.

Following a sequence of Level 3 + Level 4 fingerprint analysis, the investigation escalated to a Level 5 crime scene inspection. Hair, skin flakes, and other DNA samples inside the van were meticulously collected. Jiang Yuan subsequently sorted out the trash inside, using Level 4 garbage classification. He swiftly categorized it by type and time, identifying further fingerprints and DNA within.

Finally, Jiang Yuan instructed the dismantling center to elevate the vehicle and conducted a Level 3 vehicle trace analysis, completing the entire vehicle inspection process.

If Jiang Yuan initially lacked opportunities to apply his skills, with this gray van he truly utilized every ability to its fullest, exposing every single secret.

"That’s about it," Jiang Yuan remarked, signing the last report before checking the time. It was already 3 a.m.

The accompanying officers swayed, clearly exhausted beyond measure.

Jiang Yuan felt relatively fine. Although tired, he didn’t experience the usual deathly fatigue. Thinking it through, he suspected this was due to the overnight (Level 2) energy boost effect.

"Sleep, sleep. We’ll sweep the house tomorrow." Jiang Yuan had no intention of pulling an all-nighter. Everyone was overwhelmingly fatigued, and collecting evidence required clear-headed intelligence. Forcing the issue could easily lead to mistakes.

The team burst into applause at the suggestion, quickly finding a nearby budget hotel to crash for the night.

The next morning.

Jiang Yuan woke naturally at 9 a.m., suspecting that the less-than-six-hour sleep was still linked to the overnight (Level 2) side effect.

Most of the detectives hadn’t slept until that late, having been called back to their respective teams by their captains. Jiang Yuan had scheduled today’s arrest operations, but since fewer personnel were needed, the remaining officers naturally returned to standby mode.

The topic of insufficient police manpower, though discussed endlessly, was a real and persistent issue.

Jiang Yuan assembled a team comprising two forensic technicians from Yuwan City, along with Mu Zhiyang and Shen Yaowei, to investigate the previously-identified rental property.

Wang Chuanxing was heading to Qingshi City’s command center to manage communications. Jiang Yuan also instinctively transferred command authority to the provincial headquarters’ leadership.

This case spanned two provinces, with the arrest radius covering their capitals. Over more than a month, seven suspects had been identified, currently dispersed across four different cities. Given their connections to organized crime, the police anticipated their "collateral damage capacity" to be exceptionally high.

Compared to this, despite Jiang Yuan’s stellar reputation—even capable of leading a national task force on cases—it remained focused on investigative areas. While he was qualified to direct physical operations, Jiang Yuan intentionally refrained.

This wasn’t a power Jiang Yuan relished. Without allocating sufficient skill points, he still preferred technical work.

The group, traveling in two vehicles, quickly arrived at the rental property’s neighborhood.

Situated near the city center, it was an older residential area made up of sub-fifteen-story aging buildings. Despite its prime location and cheap property fees, management was relatively lax. The outdoor parking lot had long opened itself to public vehicles, serving as the main profit source for the property staff. The community’s demographic mix was complex, with privately-operated guesthouses, nail salons, beauty stores, and even apartment spas scattered throughout.

For the locals, this type of setup offered relatively low living costs—property fees recently raised to two cents per square meter—but living quality tended to be lower. Still, for those without high standards, such apartments were quite convenient.

One forensic policeman from Yuwan City remarked, "The guesthouse we’re investigating today operates on a short-term rental model, with a minimum rental period of one week and fairly low rates averaging 189 yuan per day. The suspect rented it for two months straight, so the landlord stopped leasing it to others afterward. The traces inside should still come directly from the suspects."

"Renting a guesthouse for two months? Even at 189 a day, that adds up, doesn’t it?" Shen Yaowei asked.

The forensic officer replied, "The landlord gave them a deal, charging 150 a day, the equivalent of 3,000 yuan monthly, 6,000 for two months. Normally, renting similar properties long-term would cost 1,300 or 1,400 a month. But yearly leases require a two-month deposit. It’s standard practice for Yuwan City."

Shen Yaowei scoffed, "For ex-cons driving a broken-down van, 6,000 yuan is significant. Renting this kind of place definitely has a purpose, perhaps like a rabbit’s burrow?"

"Probably for their next crime," Mu Zhiyang said. "They might be gauging our reaction before deciding whether to continue."

"Nice deduction, Old Mu," Shen Yaowei remarked, playfully feigning admiration. Truth be told, Mu Zhiyang’s speculation matched the gang’s current operational pattern.

Typically, crime syndicates rarely face concentrated police raids. Synchronized and prepared arrests were virtually unheard of, requiring thorough investigation, coordinated manpower, and immediate action across departments. To warrant such treatment, the crime level—or their sheer bad luck—needed to reach at least Level 3.

In most cases, law enforcement first apprehends one or two members of a gang. Using these detainees, they build the case and pursue subsequent arrests. It’s not unusual for gang-related cases to span one or two years; by then, the suspects arrested earlier often await bail hearings while the investigations are still incomplete.

As a result, some criminals keenly aware of severe legal consequences opt to flee. While escaping carries steep costs for ordinary folks, advancements in tracking technology have reduced police expenses, leaving fugitives at higher risk for additional charges.

For experienced offenders—frequent jail visitors or former active gang members—the mental burden of fleeing is much lighter. They often treat their companions as probing tools.

Correspondingly, preparing safe houses, money, identification, and vehicles becomes crucial when evading law enforcement.

Modern escape technology boils down to a handful of areas. Proper preparation for hiding spots significantly boosts the odds of success. Cars, cash, IDs, spare SIM cards—increasing layers translates to higher probabilities.

At this, Jiang Yuan’s eyes gleamed: "Alright, let’s search thoroughly and see if we can uncover anything left behind by the suspects."

Buoyed by this idea, everyone’s enthusiasm soared, speeding up their preparations upon entering the guesthouse. If they could locate evidence of suspects’ contingency plans, it would surely make headlines in the forensic community.

Jiang Yuan donned his hood and mask, systematically collecting samples and carefully searching in sequence.

Beep. Beep. Beep...

The room’s keypad lock chirped three times, followed by steady beeps—beep... beep... beep—as someone keyed in the code.

In the first half-second, no one inside reacted, continuing their tasks as usual. A moment later, they all furrowed their brows and cautiously scanned their surroundings.

"Who else knows the passcode? Has it been changed?" Jiang Yuan quickly and quietly asked.

"No one. Our officers have left, and even if they’d come here, they’d be too lazy to enter the code themselves," remarked one Yuwan City forensic policeman swiftly.

This guesthouse featured a twelve-digit password, longer than a phone number, requiring more time to input—barely enough space for exchanging two sentences.

Mu Zhiyang decisively stepped out of the bedroom, bent down, and retrieved police gear from a single-officer equipment bag on the floor.

Jiang Yuan also came to quick realization, sprinting out of the bedroom while calling out in a low voice, "Prepare for tactical action. It could be the rabbit returning."

Beep.

The person outside pressed the final # key, triggering a click that unlocked the door.