CHAPTER 43: CHAPTER 43: MR. MA’S ADVICE

After seeing off Mr. Guan and his team, Captain Li Jian rushed to Mr. Ma’s office without delay.

Such good news must be immediately reported to him.

Of course!

Reporting is just the path, the goal is the reward.

Five minutes later, Captain Li Jian raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

"Mr. Ma! You were at a meeting in the city this morning, and I haven’t had the chance to report good news to you in person."

Mr. Ma put down the documents in his hand.

He glanced at Li Jian, saying nonchalantly: "What good news could there be?"

"At the city meeting this morning, the city leaders in charge of education repeatedly urged me to solve the case as soon as possible."

"Right now, the best news for me is that you have found a breakthrough in the murder case of Li Yan from Jiangcheng Information College."

Captain Li Jian smiled and said, "Mr. Ma, you couldn’t be more pleased with this news."

"The case has already been solved!"

Mr. Ma picked up a pen and started making notes on the document.

He didn’t take Li Jian’s words to heart, just replied indifferently: "Hurry up and find leads, I don’t have time to listen to your idle talk here."

Captain Li Jian stood up and said solemnly, "Mr. Ma, the case has truly been solved; how could I joke about something like this with you?"

"The suspect Jiang Yu is in the interrogation room!"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ma suddenly put down his materials and raised his head abruptly, "Really?"

"So soon?"

It’s important to know that from the time this case changed from a suspected suicide to a confirmed murder, less than 24 hours have passed.

"Quickly, tell me what happened?"

Immediately, Captain Li Jian detailed the whole case-solving process to Mr. Ma.

He especially highlighted Jiang An’s role in solving the case.

Mr. Ma, after listening, applauded and seemed very excited.

He said, "The resolution of this case was excellent!"

"Very impressive! Later, organize the case-solving process and include it in the major case database of the Jiangcheng Police Team."

Captain Li Jian exclaimed excitedly: "Yes! Mr. Ma!"

This was the first case solved under Captain Li Jian’s lead to be included in the database.

For him, it was as valuable as a third-class merit award.

Immediately, Captain Li Jian said: "Mr. Ma, last night, the entire criminal investigation team worked tirelessly through the night to apprehend the murderer and conduct the interrogation."

With the successful resolution of the case, Mr. Ma was in a very good mood and smiled as he said, "I know, credit where it’s due!"

"Especially the new forensic expert Jiang An; you should nurture him well. He has a talent for criminal investigation and might succeed you in the future."

Li Jian laughed and said, "He indeed is a promising talent for criminal investigation. Please, Mr. Ma, continue to support him in the future."

Mr. Ma responded, "With ability comes opportunity!"

"That is a principle I have always maintained. As long as you work hard, you will certainly be rewarded!"

"Thank you, Mr. Ma! Then I will immediately fill out the application form."

Captain Li Jian was passionate about two things.

The first was solving cases.

The second was applying for merit awards after solving cases.

Thirty minutes later, the merit award application was approved, granting the criminal investigation team a collective second-class merit, Jiang An a personal third-class merit, and Zhang Yean a personal commendation.

At 6:30 in the evening, at the entrance of Zhang’s Roasted Whole Lamb Restaurant under Zizhu Mountain.

From a distance, seeing another large batch of guests, the owner’s face was all smiles.

However, when he got closer and recognized familiar faces, he paused slightly and said, "Inside, please, honored guests."

Li Jian said, "Owner, do you remember us?"

The owner smiled and said, "Yes! Yes, I remember!"

He asked, "Should we wait a bit before serving the dishes this time?"

Li Jian turned and looked at the other members of the criminal investigation team and said, "No need to wait."

"I don’t believe our luck could be that bad again!"

Ten minutes later, a delicious full lamb banquet was served.

It included lamb offal soup, roasted lamb, dry pot lamb, and braised lamb tripe...

Captain Li Jian stood up and raised his wine glass.

He said, "Brothers! Today, we gather here, and it is a rare opportunity!"

"On one hand, it is to make up for the regret of having to leave a previous gathering due to a case, and on the other hand, it is to reward everyone for their hard work over the past few days."

"At the same time, I believe there is another theme, which is to welcome Jiang An to our criminal investigation team."

"Jiang An is the youngest member of our criminal investigation team, but also the most quick-witted and outstanding young talent in investigation technology."

Finally, Captain Li Jian said, "Our criminal investigation team is celebrating multiple joys, let’s drink to that."

In an instant, everyone drank in one go.

That night, amidst the clinking of glasses, Jiang An became the center of attention.

....

The next morning, in the criminal investigation team’s meeting room.

Mr. Ma led the political work department to present the awards.

After a round of applause, Mr. Ma said: "Criminal investigation is the sharp edge of the police team, a weapon to combat crime and maintain social stability."

"The resolution of this murder case once again demonstrated the sharpness of the criminal investigation’s blade. To capture and bring the murderer to justice within 12 hours of confirming it was a murder is no easy feat."

"This fully proves that the criminal investigation team is a battle-ready, reliable, and resilient team."

"In order to recognize the outstanding work and boost morale, the criminal investigation team is awarded a collective second-class merit, Jiang An a personal third-class merit, and Zhang Yean a personal commendation."

As soon as the words fell, applause erupted in the meeting room.

Many people silently looked at Jiang An.

Gaining two third-class merits within a week of starting the job puts him in the top three in the entire Dragon Country.

Moreover, the criminal investigation team received a collective third-class and a collective second-class merit in one week.

This had never happened in the history of the Jiangcheng City Bureau.

Zhang Yean received her first personal commendation since joining the police force, and she turned to Jiang An with gratitude in her eyes.

After the award ceremony, Captain Li Jian said with a smile: "Thank you, Mr. Ma, for personally presenting the awards. There is an important matter I’d like to report."

"Go ahead!"

"Mr. Ma! We plan to reopen the mass murder case from eight years ago."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Ma’s smile froze.

The conference room fell silent immediately.

This was the murder case that occurred in Jiangcheng during his tenure as the captain of the criminal investigation team.

After a brief pause, he said solemnly: "Are there any new leads now?"

Li Jian replied: "The murderer of Li Yan, Jiang Yu, reported that on the night of the case, he left a nearby internet cafe and brushed past two suspicious men who had a faint smell of blood, and they eventually left by car."

After a long pause, Mr. Ma asked, "Is the information reliable?"

"Jiang Yu is eager to gain merit; he doesn’t seem to be lying."

Mr. Ma sighed and said, "This is a tough case!"

Li Jian said, "Mr. Ma! Having consecutively solved two murder cases, our criminal investigation team is very confident."

Mr. Ma instructed, "This morning I received a notification; the whole province plans to launch a campaign to tackle cold cases from previous years."

"If we can find a breakthrough in this case, it will be the first shot fired in the special operation."