Chapter 1128 - 578: A Bizarre Death Scene

Then, Qin Feng turned his head, his gaze sweeping over Mr. Chen, Director Hou, and Jiang An.

He smiled awkwardly, "The work of a criminal investigator is really exhausting, another body has been found across the street."

Just as he finished speaking, Director Chen Guan helplessly shook his head and sighed deeply, "That’s why, among all the police professions, criminal investigation really is the most grueling and demanding job."

"Working around the clock, seven days a week, never daring to turn off our phones, not even able to enjoy a peaceful meal."

Director Hou quickly spoke up, saying, "After all, the occurrence of homicides is entirely beyond our control."

"The greatest characteristic of our job is its uncertainty—you never know what news the next call might bring, nor can you predict what will happen the next second."

"I think Mr. Jiang must deeply understand this; the frontline criminal investigations surely give an even deeper impression."

Jiang An nodded, "That’s true, I’m long accustomed to it."

"I remember encountering cases while eating, being woken up by calls in the middle of the night, and even receiving reports while in the bathroom."

After a brief pause, he laughed and said, "In our line of work, there’s really no such thing as ’off-duty time’."

Chen Guan thought for a moment and said, "Mr. Qin, take a couple of guys and go over to check the situation first. I’ll stay here with Director Hou and Mr. Jiang."

But before he could finish, Director Hou quickly interrupted with a wave of his hand: "Mr. Chen, let’s call it a day here."

"With a case happening nearby, it’s not appropriate for Mr. Jiang and me to drink and dine here."

"Ah! No need." Director Chen hurried to persuade, "It’s rare for us to gather and have a drink to relax."

"It’s a case of non-natural death, probably not too complex. Mr. Qin and his team are experienced and fully capable of handling it."

Speaking, he lifted his glass, trying to lighten the mood, "Director Hou, come, let’s continue drinking; let’s not let these incidents spoil our mood."

Director Hou looked around hesitantly.

At this moment, Jiang An spoke up, "Mr. Chen, wine gets better with age. Let’s first see what the situation is with this non-natural death."

"If it’s relatively simple, we can follow up with a second round, chat at another place."

"But if the case is complicated, even involving some sensitive factors, then sitting here drinking indeed wouldn’t be appropriate."

Seeing the two decline, Mr. Chen didn’t insist further after hearing this.

He knew well that these two were part of the special task force sent down from the provincial department. If they really encountered a complicated case, drinking and eating so close by wouldn’t be easy to justify when they got back.

So, Mr. Chen nodded, "Alright then! Let’s finish our drinks here, and then we’ll head over together. That way, everyone feels at ease."

"Okay." They both replied in unison.

After that, Mr. Chen glanced at a young officer nearby, instructing him quietly, "Li, go to the cashier and get some masks."

"We’ve all had a bit to drink; going to the scene with a strong smell of alcohol could easily lead to misunderstandings."

"Alright, Mr. Chen, I’ll go right away." Li responded and quickly left.

Then, Mr. Chen lifted his glass again, "The dishes were quite good; I wasn’t expecting Guangling’s public security... even having a meal is restless."

"But with over five million residents in Guangling, a case of non-natural death isn’t surprising; probabilistically speaking, it’s quite normal."

"Let’s drink this toast. Once this case is resolved, we can find a place for a late-night snack, chat, and catch up."

"Sure, no problem."

Then, everyone drank up their wine.

Soon, Li hurried in with several masks.

After putting them on, the group left the restaurant together.

The police car was parked just about a hundred meters away, so they walked directly over.

As they approached, Station Chief Li Ming quickly came up to greet them.

The first thing he said was, "Mr. Chen—" Seeing everyone with masks on their faces, he instantly understood something, a look of realization flashing in his eyes.

"Mr. Chen, Mr. Qin, I’m really sorry; I didn’t expect you to come to our jurisdiction, and I haven’t had the chance to show proper hospitality, and such an incident happened. I’m truly ashamed."

Qin Feng nodded, then turned to make introductions: "This is Director Hou from our provincial department, and this is Jiang An, the head of criminal investigation at the Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau."

Hearing this, Station Chief Li Ming hurriedly stepped forward to shake hands, warmly saying, "Welcome, welcome! I’ve heard a lot about you!"

He then looked at Jiang An, "So it’s Mr. Jiang; I’ve heard a lot about your fame."

"At the open lecture during the province’s advanced training last time, your talk was truly excellent, and I learned a lot."

"Many practical investigative ideas and methods I noted down in my book, studied repeatedly afterwards. It’s an honor to meet you in person today."

Jiang An waved his hand, "How’s the situation at the scene?"

Almost immediately, Li Ming wiped the smile from his face and grew serious.

"Half an hour ago, we received a report from the victim’s colleague."

"They noticed that no one answered their calls to the victim all day, worried something was wrong, so they came over after work to check. Unexpectedly, they found the victim deceased inside."

"Just one person?" Qin Feng asked further.

"Yes, we did a preliminary inspection inside and found only one person deceased on the ground next to the sofa, no others were found. Details still need the technical squad’s further examination."