Animal Detective

Chapter 319 - 261: Task Force, Part 2

Moreover, sixty percent of them were technical staff.

In other words, the municipal criminal investigation division now primarily provided technical support for solving cases. The actual investigations were still handled by the various district criminal investigation squads.

Just as he was thinking this, Liu Baoqing arrived with his men, the last to get there.

Kong Lingzhi cleared his throat, and the room immediately fell silent.

Zhao Tong and the others stood up and immediately drew the curtains, plunging the room into darkness.

"Everyone."

Kong Lingzhi spoke in a grave tone, giving a speech about the severity of the situation, encouraging everyone not to fear hardship, and stressing that the murder must be solved.

It was the kind of speech you couldn’t not listen to, and one the leadership couldn’t not give.

The point wasn’t the specific content, but to make it clear that the leadership was taking this matter very seriously.

That was the most crucial part.

Zhang Hancheng was the deputy leader of the task force, so he was in charge of its specific operations.

After Kong Lingzhi finished speaking, he handed the floor over to Zhang Hancheng.

Zhang Hancheng knocked his knuckles on the table to get everyone’s attention, then glanced at his watch. "It is now 12:23 PM, March 26th."

On March 19th, Huang Weili was murdered.

Therefore, this task force was named the "3/19-3/26 Serial Murder Task Force."

Based on the evidence from the crime scenes, there were sufficient grounds to combine the cases.

Zhang Hancheng continued, "It has been six hours since the crime was discovered. That means our deadline to solve this case is noon on March 29th—72 hours from now."

When they said there was a deadline to solve the case, they meant it.

Shen Xin and Zhao Tianxing both sighed quietly at the same time.

Over the next three days, Shen Xin felt he’d be lucky to get even ten hours of sleep.

"Lao Liu."

Without any further ado, Zhang Hancheng called on Liu Baoqing to present the case details.

After finally getting the projector working, Liu Baoqing began his briefing.

He started with Huang Weili’s case.

"Using police dogs, we were able to pinpoint the suspect’s escape route."

Liu Baoqing was explaining the part about the police dog tracking.

Then Shen Xin, who was looking down in thought, suddenly felt intense gazes upon him.

He looked up to find that the group around the conference table had all turned in unison to look at him.

Liu Baoqing gave Shen Xin a slight nod and continued his presentation.

Shen Xin was quite startled.

When he got to Xu Rulin’s case, after summarizing the situation, Liu Baoqing also mentioned the theory Shen Xin had proposed.

"This idea that Xiaoshen—ah, no, Shen Xin—proposed is one I tend to agree with."

Liu Baoqing certainly wasn’t trying to take credit for himself.

At that, everyone in the room once again turned in unison to look at Shen Xin.

Shen Xin stared straight ahead, keeping his composure.

Zhao Tianxing secretly nudged Shen Xin with his elbow and gave him a covert thumbs-up.

In front of his buddy, Shen Xin shot back a look that said, ’It was nothing,’ and went back to listening.

After the situation was fully briefed, the medical examiner and the technical department also gave their respective reports.

Zhang Hancheng knocked on the table again and asked if anyone had anything to say.

Ren Haiguang looked left and right, then spoke up. "I think the direction that Captain Liu and Xiaoshen proposed is worth investigating thoroughly."

"In the preliminary stages, Captain Liu and his team did so much work centered on Huang Weili, eliminating Hu Yueqin and others as suspects."

"And assuming it’s the same killer, the only connection between Huang Weili and Xu Rulin is that they often fished together and even shared meals."

"So it’s highly likely a conflict arose between them."

"Otherwise, there’s no way to link these two cases."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Then Qian Hao, the deputy captain of the Lishan District Branch’s criminal investigation squad, also raised his hand.

He was wearing a jacket, and his medium-length, side-parted hair was a bit messy. He had small, single-lidded eyes.

But his small eyes were focused, and his gaze was sharp when he spoke.

He said gravely, "Everyone, if our theory is correct, then we must consider the possibility that the killer will strike again."

A chill went down Shen Xin’s spine.

’He’s right.’

’If the conflict arose from fishing, then it might not just be Huang Weili and Xu Rulin.’

’What about Zhao Cunyong?’

’Could he become a target?’

Captain Liu and his team hadn’t been idle that morning; they had already investigated Zhao Cunyong and confirmed his alibi.

He wasn’t the killer, which meant he could be a target.

The atmosphere in the room grew heavier.

Zhang Hancheng asked again if anyone else had something to add.

The officers exchanged glances but remained silent.

Six hours had passed since the discovery of the crime, and Zhang Hancheng had clearly familiarized himself with the case and formed his own ideas.

"Time is short, so I’ll get straight to assigning tasks."

"Lao Liu, you and your team follow the angler lead. I want every single person who has frequently fished at Shitang Reservoir in the past month identified and accounted for."

"The ones who ate with Huang Weili and the others are the top priority."

Liu Baoqing nodded.

Zhang Hancheng continued, "At the same time, keep investigating Xu Rulin’s social connections. Focus on any unknown links between him and Huang Weili."

"Hai Guang, you’re in charge of that."

"Lao Qian."

Zhang Hancheng leaned forward to look at Qian Hao, pointing to the fleeting image of the suspect on the projector screen. "Your priority is to investigate this suspect. Go find Xiaolin in a bit."

"He’s an image processing expert. Have him enhance the surveillance footage and see if he can extract any important clues. Then, concentrate your efforts on checking surveillance cameras, expanding outward from the reservoir."

"Check the footage going back one month. I’m betting this guy didn’t just show up this one time."

Qian Hao nodded and took notes.

That left the team from Tingyang.

Zhang Hancheng smiled at Chen Chao and said, "Lao Chen, your team has the tough job. I’ve discussed it with Director Kong, and we’re pulling people for you from public security, economic crimes, and the local police stations."

"I want you to conduct a large-scale canvass in a five-kilometer radius around the crime scene."

"Draw up a specific plan for the canvass and give it to me in a bit."

Chen Chao nodded slightly.

Zhao Tianxing sighed, a little dejected.

Canvassing was definitely the most exhausting work.

"As for the technical investigation side, you’re all familiar with the process. Find your respective contacts and report directly to Lao Du. Don’t hesitate to make any requests."

He pointed to a middle-aged man next to him in a gray jacket, who looked older than his years.

This was Du Yong, the deputy chief of the criminal investigation division.

"The crime scene needs to be re-examined, with an expanded search area."

"Also, the suspect’s escape routes, especially today’s. The suspect might have fled over the mountain. Lao Liu, I’ll coordinate with the special police to get you more men. Get up that mountain and search."

"It’s only been six hours. There might still be clues on the mountain."

"Finally, regarding Lao Liu’s theory that the suspect has a prior record, I’ll take charge of checking the case files."

"Any questions?"

He looked at the crowd, having assigned all the tasks with swift efficiency.

Seeing that no one spoke, he turned to ask Kong Lingzhi if he had anything to add.

Kong Lingzhi did, in fact, have something to add.

It was likely something Zhang Hancheng had deliberately left for him to say.

It was the old saying: sharpening the axe doesn’t delay the work of chopping wood, and a healthy body is the capital for revolution. It was lunchtime, so they should eat first and work after they’d filled their stomachs.

He also mentioned that the cafeteria was ready and would be serving food twenty-four hours a day.

Dormitories and other arrangements had also been taken care of; in short, he would ensure all logistical support.

Zhang Hancheng nodded and said in a low voice, "Then let’s not waste any time. Eat first."

Everyone stood up with a RUSTLE of movement.

Shen Xin also stood up, about to leave with Chen Chao, when Zhang Hancheng suddenly called his name.

"Shen Xin, don’t go with them. Stay here at the branch and check case files with me."

"At the same time, you’ll be in charge of K-9 support. Be ready at a moment’s notice."

Shen Xin was taken aback. He hadn’t expected Zhang Hancheng to assign him a special task.

He figured this must have been why he was specifically named to the task force in the first place.

"Yes, Chief Zhang."

Shen Xin quickly agreed.