National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1104 - 1035: Investigation

"Victim: Yu Mingguo. Divorced. His ex-wife lives alone with a 12-year-old child and has minimal contact with the suspect."

"Yu Mingguo lived alone, had no steady girlfriend. After searching his residence and office, no blood residue or viable biological evidence was found, preliminarily ruling out these locations as the primary crime scene."

"Yu Mingguo’s last few calls were all to business associates. The signal of his final call disappeared within his own shop. The shop’s surveillance camera only covers the main entrance and did not capture anything useful."

"Additionally, Yu Mingguo managed a bakery and a Hunan cuisine restaurant near a school, also selling alcohol on the side. Both businesses were struggling. He had conflicts with many people and had previously been administratively punished for fighting while intoxicated."

Jiang Yuan’s autopsy was still underway when Wang Chuanxing brought over the preliminary investigation report.

Feeling better after vomiting, the female reporter Ye Xin shrank into a corner, copying answers from other reporters. Upon hearing Wang Chuanxing’s report, she immediately stood up. freёweɓnovel.com

Ye Xin was a seasoned reporter who often covered police activities. Not only did she hold various certifications, but she had also worked with production crews filming documentaries for police units, making her familiar with normal police operational procedures.

Ordinary police officers investigate cases in a multitasking manner, handling several cases simultaneously and advancing whichever one has an opening.

The task force, as the name implies, abandons this multitasking approach to focus entirely on one case.

However, just because a task force focuses on one case doesn’t mean other departments are obligated to cooperate. In fact, other units often have their hands full with their own caseloads. When you request assistance, you naturally become part of their multitasking lineup, unlikely to receive exclusive attention simply because you’re a task force.

Consequently, tasks requiring cooperation often drag on for ages, wasting time and even jeopardizing critical moments in the investigation.

This is why task forces frequently send their own personnel to investigate matters outside their jurisdiction. If you don’t travel to another location, the local criminal police team won’t prioritize your request. Offering their assistance is already considered courteous.

But Jiang Yuan’s task force was treated differently.

The victim Yu Mingguo’s residence was in Changyang City. If investigators were dispatched from Ningtai County, locating the site within four to five hours would already be considered efficient given the coordination time.

Instead, Jiang Yuan directly requested collaboration from the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment. One phone call later, not only did they investigate the residence and office, but they also dispatched field personnel for an initial scene assessment, which contributed to their conclusion that "this is not the primary crime scene."

In Ye Xin’s understanding, even cases under provincial-level oversight rarely achieve such efficiency in completing tasks of this scale.

Unable to contain herself, Ye Xin took out her phone and snapped several half-body shots of Jiang Yuan.

She avoided photographing the autopsy table, as the visceral images were too overwhelming for her. Ye Xin hadn’t trained for such scenes before and had no plans to do so in the future.

Jiang Yuan continued performing the autopsy with unwavering composure.

Having completed his report, Wang Chuanxing stood by quietly, showing no urgency.

Members of the Cold Case Squad gathered around and engaged in hushed discussions.

To be clear, this case had yet to be formally classified as a task force investigation, making it naturally a routine case handled by the Cold Case Squad.

Shen Yaowei spoke first, saying, "The primary conflict in the victim’s environment seems to be business-related. His last few calls were with business associates; we should profile and investigate these individuals."

Meng Chengbiao chimed in, "The man’s dead now. Getting the money back just got even harder."

"Maybe it was a sudden burst of anger," Shen Yaowei speculated.

"Possibly," Meng Chengbiao paused thoughtfully, "but we should also consider the possibility of a crime of passion. Although he didn’t have a steady girlfriend, owning two or three stores—however unsuccessful—doesn’t make it difficult to find a partner. We should investigate his romantic connections."

"Either an affair with a married woman, or solicitation. Both could potentially lead to crimes of passion," Liu Wenkai interjected, joining the conversation with enthusiasm after overhearing the discussion.

Liu Wenkai, now the captain of the Ningtai County Criminal Police Team, theoretically held equal standing with the Taihe Working Group. However, he made a deliberate effort to foster collaboration rather than division between their teams.

Upon noticing Liu Wenkai, Jiang Yuan greeted him proactively and added, "If it’s a crime of passion, Captain Liu, do you have any suggestions?"

Liu Wenkai perked up and replied earnestly, "Passion-based killings tied to solicitation are easiest to investigate. Whether it stems from a relationship formed over time leading to discord, or disputes over payment, the money trail is key. Transactions will either involve bank transfers or cash withdrawals. Here in Shannan Province, we’re not at the stage of using Bitcoin yet."

After a pause, Liu Wenkai continued, "Affairs with married women are also straightforward: once you identify her, it’ll either be her husband who did it, or the wife herself, or the couple working together. Finding them is easy—just investigate communication details tied to phone numbers. People still make calls, but nowadays, conversations mostly happen on chatting apps. They might deliberately avoid using WeChat, requiring investigation across multiple platforms."

"Why assume the victim’s partner is necessarily affiliated with a married person?" Wang Chuanxing asked, echoing the sentiment of many present, prompting everyone to look over.

Liu Wenkai smirked and shrugged, "If the partner were single, even if the intention wasn’t marriage, there’d be observable traces of their relationship. At the very least, the victim wouldn’t leave no evidence on his side. A 43-year-old man whose business is failing can’t be expected to charm someone just through looks...right?"

"Maybe he’s good at PUA or something," Shen Yaowei speculated.

"PUA still requires interactions, though. Furthermore, considering the victim’s circumstances, unless the woman insisted, there’d be no need to hide the relationship. This would mean Yu Mingguo was in a subordinate position in the relationship, which is inconsistent with the dynamics of a PUA manipulator," Liu Wenkai elaborated confidently, "Still, in my observation, the chances of solicitation seem higher. He doesn’t strike me as someone capable of attracting a married woman."

"Captain Liu, your insight is remarkable," Shen Yaowei conceded.

Detecting the shift in perspective, Jiang Yuan offered, "Then, Captain Liu, could you tackle the investigation into crimes of passion?"

"Not a problem!" Liu Wenkai readily promised.

With only 40 members on the roster of the Taihe Working Group—still not fully staffed—handling murder inquiries fully in-house was impossible. Cooperation from the Ningtai County Criminal Police Team was essential.

Mere changes in leadership, like Huang Qiangmin’s departure from dual roles, weren’t grounds for estrangement. Liu Wenkai’s visit this time aimed at recalibrating the teams’ working dynamic.

"On the business-related conflict front, I can narrow some parameters," Jiang Yuan said while removing his gloves. Turning to Wang Chuanxing, he added, "Preliminary estimates place the time of death between 15 to 18 days ago. Make calculations to determine the best strategy for investigation."

"We could analyze mobile phone spatial overlaps. Additionally, business partners who contacted the victim prior to his death but stopped initiating calls or messages afterward should be flagged for scrutiny," Wang Chuanxing suggested, demonstrating his growing expertise in formulating investigative plans.

Jiang Yuan nodded in approval as the team promptly initiated their tasks.

The female reporter’s wide eyes, accentuated by her enhanced pupils, took note of the scene unfolding. Jiang Yuan’s Cold Case Squad’s approach had evidently exceeded her expectations. In her mind, the narrative for her report was already taking form, along with its potential impact post-publication.