CHAPTER 1276: CHAPTER 1203: BECAUSE ALREADY...

Jiang Yuan’s matter-of-fact approach ushered in a wave of silence.

The auditorium with two to three hundred people fell into a tacit silence, which itself was a kind of cry.

Everyone present had already started working; some, like Pang Jidong, had been doing it for years and were about to retire. Even those with shorter experiences had at least two or three years, and no newcomers were sent here for training.

Actually, anyone with just a bit of detective experience, having worked on a few cases, would know how absurd Jiang Yuan’s words were.

No matter which route you choose, cases can be solved. It sounds like all roads lead to Rome, but when it comes down to it, finding a route is hard, building a road is exhausting, and trying to walk it entails encountering countless obstacles.

Those special task forces for big cases, managing several investigation lines simultaneously, do so because there’s no clear direction. Moreover, those lines often converge into just one.

The rest are marked with "no access" along the central route.

As for small cases, they aren’t necessarily easier to solve than big cases.

When police find small cases relatively easier to crack, most of the time it’s because of the perpetrator. Either the perpetrator lacks discipline, or they’re an insider in the crime world, easily tipped off, or the perpetrator repeatedly commits crimes, creating connections that offer more information to investigators.

Ultimately, many small cases resolve because the perpetrators’ resistance is weaker. Although domestically speaking, unlike the USA where plea bargaining can be done, whether in the interrogation room or after being sent for inspection, those behind the bars use all possible means to coerce.

Suspects in major cases often have strong resistance, knowing that confessing might mean death. On the other hand, those involved in minor cases, especially facing choices where confession leads to reduced punishment or commutation, find it hard to persist.

Take the "Sunshine Supermarket" case; the small-time boss involved has some connection with everything, but even so, without a significant investment, solving such a case isn’t guaranteed.

As for rape cases, they’re considered larger cases, and the difficulty is naturally a lot higher than the theft case at "Sunshine Supermarket."

Comparatively, solving cases in the "all roads lead to Rome" manner is naturally even more challenging.

Yet among the two to three hundred people present, is there anyone who doesn’t believe Jiang Yuan? Is there anyone who dares not to believe? Anyone willing not to believe?

But to say they believe, anyone with some sense would first think of words like "lifting someone up only to let them fall."

Silence is the best answer.

Jiang Yuan seemed unaware.

He’s playing at a different level, lacking a proper understanding of the difficulty of certain cases; on the other hand, he’s also disinclined to engage in mundane matters. For Jiang Yuan, those are unnecessary. His dad has more rental properties than livestock, and Jiang Yuan spends the allowance given by his dad, having no reason to participate in everyday struggles.

Thus, Jiang Yuan turned a blind eye to the silence below.

If you have opinions, voice them. Without any feedback, Jiang Yuan wouldn’t adjust his approach based on their reactions.

Jiang Yuan composed himself slightly and said, "I’ll break down this case according to the proposals on the slips submitted by everyone. Hmm, any officers with subsequent ideas can continue to pass notes."

Jiang Yuan said this and noted it down in his notebook, continuing, "The ’Forensic Botany’ approach is quite labor-intensive. It sounds simple; both parties involved in physical contact could have exchanged spores. Keep in mind, some spores are difficult to transfer through simple contact, while others are relatively easy. This can be the basic thinking to differentiate native spores from those transmitted... Jidong, you’re in charge of this route."

"Yes," Pang Jidong stood at attention as a show of force.

Though he was an outsider in the team, Pang Jidong always respected his mentor Jiang Yuan, just like when he first joined the unit 20 years ago and began under his tutelage.

Jiang Yuan nodded reassuringly.

Pang Jidong’s skill tree in forensic botany was somewhat skewed; he himself did not have a botanical base, not even knowing the different types of sycamore trees, but his understanding of forensic botany had risen. He knew how to utilize forensic botany specialists, understanding which cases warranted finding people, which could be solved using forensic botany, and knew which methods were efficient, quick, and accurate.

"About the idea of linked cases... Wei Shikan, what do you think?" Jiang Yuan continued to call on his disciple’s names, causing admiration below.

Wei Shikan came back online.

This time, Wei Shikan was in a neat environment, his background deliberately tidied.

On the big screen in the auditorium, Wei Shikan’s square-meter face displayed a twisted expression.

Wei Shikan waited for quite a while before saying, "For solving a case through surveillance footage, we currently face three main challenges; first, it’s difficult to identify which person in a given timeframe is the suspect; second, even if there’s a suspected target, the lighting at the bar entrance makes faces unclear; third, even if faces are relatively visible, facial recognition fails to find them."

Jiang Yuan calling him certainly meant solving through video surveillance, and even with little detective experience, Wei Shikan managed through this understanding.

After discussing this, Wei Shikan was slightly more relaxed, and continued, "Considering linked cases could effectively address these three challenges. First, repeated appearance increases suspicion levels; second, even if faces aren’t clear, other physical characteristics can confirm identity; third, more camera feeds provide better data for facial recognition."

"Alright, it’s up to you. Hmm, Shen Yaowei, you assist Wei Shikan." Jiang Yuan assigned the local second group to Wei Shikan, hoping the two would work better together.

Wei Shikan felt inexplicably nervous, "Am I investigating independently?"

"Come to me if you have any problems. Also, produce an enhanced version of the image first." Jiang Yuan motioned Wang Chuanxing to close the communication, then turned and said, "Captain Liu, this plan might expand the case, please assign a team to focus on it. Don’t worry about Wei Shikan and the others, just interlink and check the cases first."

"No problem." Liu Wenkai responded immediately, "This person seems quite skilled in drugging and raping, it’s likely not their first time. However, locally, we only have this one report, so we’ll need to touch base with our counterparts in other areas."

Jiang Yuan pursed his lips, "Handle it as you see fit."

Liu Wenkai laughed, as most of the hall was filled with colleagues from outside areas, which was far more efficient than making phone calls or sending official documents.

"Yes, moving on to the third direction, the fiber analysis. I’ll handle this route." Jiang Yuan said as his gaze naturally drifted to his laptop.

The hall inexplicably went cold for about half a minute.

Huang Qiangmin looked up, coughed twice, and asked, "Jiang Yuan?"

"Oh, I’m done." Jiang Yuan sat up straight.

"For fiber analysis, would you mind explaining it in detail?" Huang Qiangmin asked.

"Um..." Jiang Yuan hesitated for a moment, "The main thing is, I’ve already finished it."

The detectives, who had been whispering among themselves, suddenly felt a quietness around them.

Huang Qiangmin coughed heavily a few times, "Well then, isn’t it a good time to explain it?"

"I was thinking, if I explain it here, it might make it harder to investigate the other two directions." Jiang Yuan’s expression was serious, as if he genuinely considered it for others.

Liu Wenkai: "Shall we leave then?"

"That works too." Jiang Yuan replied just as readily. It was indeed a solution.

"Alright." Liu Wenkai chuckled, feeling it was a bit odd, but indeed got up and left.

Even though solving the case was crucial, the focus here was on training, which seemed correct.

Shen Yaowei and Pang Jidong and others also left, leaving the remaining detectives wide-eyed, as if they were expecting a magician’s revelation.

Seeing this, Jiang Yuan took out a pen, scribbled a bit on his notepad, and outlined a simple agenda, then said, "Actually, solving cases through fiber analysis is something we all have experience with. As for this case, the evidence at the crime scene is of relatively low value. The most valuable and important evidence is actually the victim’s clothing, especially the front of the clothing."

Jiang Yuan had Wang Chuanxing display the evidence images again, finding the desired P31 image, and said, "This is the victim’s coat. After a meticulous examination by the lab colleagues, they found that the lining of this coat contains multiple fiber structures. Some of the fibers are from the victim’s own clothing, but there are also some unidentified fiber sources. Notably, there are tear marks on the edges of three fibers..."

Jiang Yuan circled areas on the magnified image, "Here, here, and here, all have similar fibers. After examination, it’s confirmed that the fiber is natural cashmere and has been dyed burgundy. Thus, combined with the surveillance footage at that time, we can actually confirm the suspect is this person..."

Wang Chuanxing quickly displayed image P219, showing a middle-aged man in a burgundy sweater.

"Can we perform facial recognition?" someone asked softly below.

"No, the face is not clearly captured, and the angle is not good either." Jiang Yuan replied, then added, "But we can find the vehicle he used to leave..."

This time, Wang Chuanxing had no image prepared, so Jiang Yuan operated quickly and captured a picture of the vehicle.

"Did he leave by taxi?" Someone noticed the operational information on the image and immediately said, "If we can find the information of the taxi rider through the vehicle, we can basically confirm the suspect’s identity!"

"That’s right. We’ll end the session here today." Jiang Yuan silently began packing up.

The detectives in the grand hall watched Jiang Yuan leave.

The moment the door to the grand hall closed, it erupted with noise and excitement:

"Damn!"

"Damn!"

"Damn!"