Chapter 733: Chapter 395: Instructions from the Leadership

On the other end of the line, Mr Li’s taut nerves loosened slightly, and an indescribable sense of relief and appreciation surged up in him.

He responded again and again, his tone full of affirmation and trust: "Good! Good! This is exactly what I wanted to hear, exactly the drive I want from you! Since you have this judgement and confidence, I’m handing this case over to you for full command—every aspect of on‑scene examination and investigation will be coordinated by you!"

He paused briefly, his voice sinking, carrying the guidance and expectations of a senior: "Jiang An, you’ve just taken the post of Criminal Investigation Team Captain; this is the critical moment for you to establish your authority."

"Remember, on this line of work, authority doesn’t come from your position, it’s fought out case by case, battle by hard battle."

"Only by gnawing through major, tough cases like this can you truly win the brothers’ respect and show the bureau your sense of duty and your capability."

"This will be an important cornerstone in your career."

These words landed heavily on Jiang’s heart. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

He immediately felt the burden on his shoulders grow heavier, yet at the same time an unprecedented sharpness and sense of responsibility rose within him.

The mountain before him that had seemed insurmountable now appeared like a battlefield and an opportunity he could not afford to miss.

An excellent platform to prove himself, to repay the trust placed in him, and to lead his team to honor.

But as the deputy bureau chief in charge of criminal investigation, Mr Li’s responsibilities went far beyond encouragement and authorization over the phone.

For such a major case, he had to be present at the scene himself—this was both regulation and a statement of attitude.

So he immediately instructed, "Jiang An, you’ll stay in command on site, direct everyone to continue meticulous examination, go over everything inch by inch, don’t miss a single trace; you must dig out every valuable clue! Hold the line; I’ll make arrangements and get there as soon as I can!"

"Understood! I guarantee we’ll complete the mission. We’ll be awaiting your arrival." Jiang replied in a deep voice.

After the call ended, He slowly lowered the phone, but didn’t put it away. Instead, He raised His eyes again, sweeping a solemn gaze over the devastated scene.

The scorched stench mixed with indescribable dust still stung the nose; between the broken ceiling and the tottering walls, smoke and ash continued to drift and settle, as if the disaster had not yet truly subsided.

Over these years in the Criminal Investigation Detachment, He had grown from a rookie officer, full of ideals and running errands to learn the trade, into an investigator who could handle cases independently, then deputy captain, and now captain.

Along the way, setbacks and successes intertwined; He had shed sweat and even blood. Every step of growth was accompanied by unspeakable hardship, yet also by the regretless satisfaction and sense of achievement that came with solving cases.

But there was no doubt that the case before Him now—whether in terms of the number of deaths, the brutality of the scene, or the difficulty of investigation caused by the fire—far surpassed anything He had ever experienced.

The blaze had not only devoured lives; with its destructive force it had greatly increased the difficulty of reconstructing the truth—countless key pieces of physical evidence might already have been reduced to nothing in the flames, or been completely destroyed by the high temperatures and the deluge of water.

This was, without question, an extremely severe challenge—a hard battle among hard battles.

Jiang subconsciously gave a slight shake of His head, as though trying to shake off that trace of crushing pressure.

Then He drew in a deep breath of the air heavy with the tang of burning, His gaze once again becoming sharp and resolute. He stepped forward, striding back toward the core of the scene without hesitation.

At this moment, inside the scene, everyone was moving quickly, busy at their tasks.

Some were carefully placing items of physical evidence into bags, to await further examination.

Others were collecting traces of burning at the scene, preparing to carry out corresponding accelerant tests.

It had to be understood that in fire scene examinations like this, the presence or absence of accelerants was a crucial basis for judgement.

If no traces of accelerant were found at the scene, the likelihood of arson would be relatively low, and it was highly possible that this was an accidental incident.

But judging from the current situation, that possibility was relatively small.

The signs indicated that accelerants might be present, but where exactly they had been used would require further in‑depth investigation.

The area was large, and only at the point of ignition was it likely that accelerants would be found.

At this moment, Jiang stood at the entryway to the living room. Looking at the outline of a human figure drawn on the floor, He summoned up in His mind the distribution of the bodies throughout the scene and the pattern of burning.

He narrowed His eyes slightly, entering analysis mode.

What exactly had happened here?

During the blaze last night, was there really no shouting?

How had the killer gotten in?

If it had simply been a fire, who among them would have injuries on their bodies?

If the killer had set the fire immediately upon entry, why was the male victim in the living room?

Why wasn’t he killed and burned on the bed?

There were also some very strange aspects: why had the female victim and her child crawled under the bed to hide?

Under normal circumstances, hiding under the bed was likely an act of evasion, of seeking shelter; did that mean that...

As Jiang’s thoughts churned inside Him, a group of reporters gathered outside.

If it hadn’t been for the police tape blocking them, they would probably have rushed straight into the scene.

Some of them were reporters from formal newspapers; others were from self‑media outlets.

At this moment, they held up cameras and microphones, repeatedly pressing: "Officer, hello, we’d like to know about the burning inside, how many people have died? What are the circumstances of their deaths?"

Was it homicide or an accident?

Or was it a case of suicide?

Please tell us. We reporters and our media colleagues are especially concerned, and the people of the entire city are paying very close attention as well.

This concerns our personal safety. Right now many people don’t dare go out; they suspect the killer may continue to commit crimes, continue to kill and set fires."