National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 1156 - 1087: Giant Dragon Breath

Conference room.

The thirty or so people Jiang Yuan brought along were sitting together, buzzing with discussion.

Through the wide glass panes, one could see the lively scene inside.

Some criminal investigators from the Lanyue City Bureau purposely passed by, glancing in, their emotions tense as well.

Dai Mingsheng and other leaders of the Criminal Police Brigade intermittently listened to reports from below, sitting in their offices, unable to steady their emotions entirely.

Jiang Yuan’s impact is simply too powerful. If used correctly, it could be delightful, but if he and his team pick some peculiar case, it could indeed be quite troublesome. Dai Mingsheng wasn’t afraid, but he still hoped things could be kept simple and effective. There are plenty of cold cases in Lanyue City, and he truly needs Jiang Yuan’s Cold Case Squad.

"I wonder what case Jiang Yuan will choose to tackle," said his deputy Lin Xunlei, as curious as he was, though less burdened.

"In recent years, there haven’t been many homicide cases left. I guess he might pick the Li Yaoji murder case. That case is famous enough. Li Yaoji’s Changxi Group is a big corporation, and the details involved in the case are comprehensive..."

"Just stop talking already. The Li Yaoji case, if investigated, means combing through a bunch of corporations. It’s not that they can’t be investigated; their tangled interests are too much trouble, requiring significant manpower. A lot of these matters are internal to their small circles, which makes them exceedingly difficult to break into."

"Could be a crime of passion. Li Yaoji had more than a dozen mistresses, who had children and sometimes even lovers of their own. Being murdered by any one of them wouldn’t be surprising."

"And that’s precisely why investigating this case is so tricky—throw in the issue of inheritance rights..."

Listening to this heated discussion gave Dai Mingsheng a headache. He hastily waved his hand and said, "Enough, stop speculating. Whatever Jiang Yuan chooses, let’s hand it to him and let him work on it. When the time comes, Old Lin can lead a team to collaborate. Let’s elevate the support specs a little; inviting him again in the future will be easier." freēnovelkiss.com

"I’m just worried Jiang Yuan might end up arresting a group of famous figures, turning the detention center into a media circus."

"Which is why I told you to go—screen them beforehand. If any celebrities are among them, quietly arrest them. Don’t make it a public spectacle. It’s better for them not to have such things publicized. Cooperation all around: we discreetly arrest them, they quietly comply. Isn’t this the best way forward?"

"Nowadays, some self-media leaks information at the drop of a hat. A family member posts one message and the whole plan goes to waste."

"If the family doesn’t care about reputation, then broadcast their story wide and far." Dai Mingsheng sneered. "The people Jiang Yuan arrests always have solid evidence against them. The ones who should be worried and scared are their lot. Why bother ourselves with their feelings? The key now is pushing forward the pending cases quickly, closing what we can. You first pull back your fist before you throw a stronger punch."

"I wonder how hard Jiang Yuan’s punch is going to land."

"I’m actually quite looking forward to it. Maybe tackle the 1120 case—homicide, robbery, and drug trafficking combined. If the specialized task force gets started, the provincial department might send people over instantly."

"Could even attract central oversight. But without leads, what’s the point of forming a task force? Jiang Yuan isn’t meant to be wasted like that."

"That’s because you haven’t seen the kind of cases Jiang Yuan solves. I’m telling you, Jiang Yuan works exactly like this. You give him a dead-end case, and bam! He cracks it open..."

...

Meanwhile, the conference room was filled with lighthearted chatter.

"’Breaking News: Famous actor Liu Yueyang arrested for alleged rape.’

’Liu Yueyang, Ma Qinghe among those arrested for rape and group debauchery.’

’Duoyuan Film and Television Company announces replacement of cast members for its new series.’"

Wang Chuanxing read the news updates on his tablet, his excitement palpable. He remarked, "No wonder this place has a film city; crack one case, and it’s straight into the headlines."

"Isn’t that because the people arrested were famous?" Liu Jinghui chimed in, while scrolling through the news, still not spotting his name anywhere.

Wang Chuanxing, young and easily pleased, grinned and said, "As long as we’re famous, it’s a win. From now on, not only do we enjoy reputations on the street; when we introduce ourselves as members of Jiang Yuan’s Cold Case Squad, our pedigree will speak for itself, won’t it?"

"That’s true," Liu Jinghui muttered, rolling his eyes. Then, as he thought further, he mused. The Dragon Knight, despite wielding extraordinary control, was ultimately bound to stand out amidst the ignorance of humanity. Achieving greater renown seemed inevitable, not something worth fretting over.

Turning his head, he noticed Jiang Yuan at the computer, typing away furiously.

Liu Jinghui perked up immediately, like a knight hearing his steed snort in anticipation of battle. Unable to resist, he urged, "Jiang Yuan, do you have a target yet? Honestly, don’t pick anything too complicated. We’re not that familiar with Lanyue City yet. We could start with a few simpler cases to warm up, work on team coordination across the board. Like Dai Zhi and the others—they’re probably already feeling nervous. Let’s not scare them too much."

"Hmm... Let’s take a closer look at the suspects for this case first," Jiang Yuan replied, sending a file over to Wang Chuanxing and instructing him to project it. Then he rose and said, "We’ll need to collect fingerprints and footprints from some suspects anew. Let me first present the situation."

As the projection screen rolled down, everyone caught sight of the bold headline on top—410 "Li Yaoji Murder Case."

The officers in the room immediately sat up straighter in their chairs. The term "murder case" alone carried a significant weight.

In an era dominated by crimes of passion, a murder case wasn’t necessarily rare—but it required visiting multiple places to encounter one within a fresh and unique mold.

Murder is like ripe fruit on a tree; passion killings are the artificially ripened kind. Everyone claims their fruit to be naturally grown, but those in the know understand that most of it is processed.

Turning murder cases into passion killings happens more often than one might think, with many plans for homicide derailing into crimes of fury instead.

Given that the 410 Special Task Force formally labeled this a "murder case," it should hold true to that designation.

Standing below the projection screen, Jiang Yuan began, "Let me briefly introduce the 410 Li Yaoji Murder Case. The previous task force explored four main lines of investigation. First, a possibility of an attempted home burglary escalating into murder. The crime scene showed that significant quantities of cash, jewelry, and other valuables were missing. However, the task force determined the burglar was not professional, having left many items untouched and only targeting Li Yaoji’s bedroom, which deviates from typical burglary patterns. Additionally, despite continued follow-ups in recent years, these stolen items have not surfaced on the market, invalidating the first hypothesis."

"Another avenue was business disputes. As the founder and major shareholder of Changxi Group, a notable enterprise, Li Yaoji held significant say in boardroom decisions, leading to conflicts with minor shareholders. There had already been several lawsuits resolved or in progress at the time, not to mention friction with his business competitors."

"The third theory revolved around a crime of passion. At the time of his death, Li Yaoji was 68 years old, relatively healthy, and had maintained relationships with 16 mistresses, all of whom received salaries from Changxi Group. Some of their lovers were also on the payroll, which was one factor certain minor shareholders were dissatisfied with. Then there were mistresses he had broken up with for various reasons—some still harbored resentment, others had begun rekindling relations. These details can be found in the case files."

"The fourth approach investigated inheritance disputes. Li Yaoji had one son and one daughter from his legitimate wife. Additionally, he had fathered 13 illegitimate children with 8 different women. Among them, 9 were under the age of 16, while the remaining 4 comprised three sons and a daughter."

Given the time constraints, Liu Jinghui, who hadn’t reviewed the files, began analyzing Jiang Yuan’s explanation. He chimed in, "From the way you’re articulating this, you seem inclined toward the fourth hypothesis—one of his sons might be responsible?"

"Correct," Jiang Yuan nodded.

Liu Jinghui furrowed his brow. "You’re probably not making this deduction purely through logical analysis, right? Are there traces at the scene that directly support this conclusion?"

As the dialogue continued, Wang Chuanxing switched through slides on the projection screen.

Images of the crime scene began flashing onto the screen behind them.

After waiting a few seconds, Jiang Yuan called out, "Pause," then switched back a slide. Pointing at the screen, he said, "This is a panoramic photo of the bedroom. On the night of his murder, Li Yaoji was sleeping alone. The perpetrator entered the room, directly slit his throat in bed, and left behind a knife bearing fingerprints. However, the fingerprints couldn’t be matched."

"You got a match?" Liu Jinghui asked in surprise. This seemed almost like wiping out an enemy nation in one fell swoop.

Jiang Yuan shook his head, "No."

Liu Jinghui exhaled, then remarked, "Slashing someone in bed wouldn’t align with typical burglary behavior."

Jiang Yuan nodded, "And judging by the footprints and fingerprints collected from the room, while the footprints were chaotic, there were relatively few fingerprints left behind."

"Were they all fingerprints belonging to his household?"

"Not entirely. There were some prints from outsiders, but most of them could be explained," Jiang Yuan paused before continuing, "However, I found a notable pattern: one individual’s footprints were scattered throughout the room. They lingered at multiple spots—near the headboard, the sofa and coffee table, the small dressing area, and the bathroom in the bedroom. Yet, at those places, no fingerprints from this individual were found."

At this, Liu Jinghui burst into laughter, which indeed felt akin to annihilating an opposing army with one superhuman gesture.