Chapter 1197: Strange Case! (2)

Chapter 1197: Chapter 611: Strange Case! (2)

Director Tang smiled and said, “You flatter me with this compliment, I feel quite humbled.”

“I’ve moved from being the head of the Criminal Investigation Team to Deputy Director, but my skills haven’t improved. Instead, I have to ask you to travel so far to guide us on the case, which really makes me feel ashamed.”

“Oh, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. In the process of handling cases, we should indeed help each other, solve problems together, and handle difficulties as a team.”

“If we can work better together, we can achieve the goals we initially set.”

At this point, Director Tang spoke to Director Hou, “Director Hou, I suppose you already have a basic understanding of this case before you came.”

“The identities of the personnel involved are quite special, and the components inside them are rather strange.”

“Therefore, I ask you and Mr. Jiang to give us more guidance and broaden our thinking.”

“No problem.” Director Hou smiled, and turned to look at Jiang An, “Mr. Jiang has handled many major, critical, and difficult cases on the frontline of criminal investigation, and is very experienced in handling aftermath work.”

“We will consult together, discuss feasible strategies, and strive to clarify and understand this case sooner, making sure our conclusions stand up to the questioning of the family and the test of the law.”

Upon hearing this, Director Tang smiled and said, “Director Hou, with your high stance, I believe with just this statement, we have absolute confidence!”

“Haha, more compliments. Let’s go, we should first understand the details of the case.”

Upon hearing this, Director Tang looked at Jiang An’an, then at Director Hou, and said, “Two leaders, as you can see, it’s already close to eight in the evening. You have traveled a long distance. We invite you to taste some local specialty dishes nearby and then rest at the hotel, and start fresh tomorrow. How does that sound?”

Director Hou looked at Jiang An, and Jiang An said, “Director Tang, our time is very tight.”

“For cases where the family is dissatisfied, we can’t control their psychological characteristics. If they suddenly act out, it will put us in a very passive position.”

“Therefore, I suggest we immediately make use of the time, fully understand the whole case, reach a consensus on this case, and find the direction for the next step of work.”

Upon hearing this, Director Tang smiled and said, “Mr. Jiang, you’ve just arrived and are already very tired. We really feel quite apologetic.”

“There’s no need to apologize; it’s all for work. When I was in Jiangcheng before, I led a team to capture suspects over a thousand kilometers away and returned immediately afterward, spending almost two days and nights in the car.”

At this point, Director Hou also nodded, “Alright then, as per Mr. Jiang’s suggestion, we wouldn’t be able to sleep even if we returned to the hotel to rest now.”

“Then we appreciate your hard work.” Director Tang quickly added.

Soon after, the group went to a restaurant in Pudong City, where they ate some local specialties before returning to the Criminal Investigation Team.

By the time they returned to the Criminal Investigation Team, it was already ten o’clock in the evening.

At this moment, nearly twenty people were sitting solemnly in the meeting room of the Criminal Investigation Team.

Their expressions were rather serious, and they all puffed cigarettes while glancing around at each other.

They were not surprised about this emergency meeting tonight.

After all, the case had hung over them for several months.

However, what surprised them was the high-level involvement of the provincial leaders.

In the past, leaders usually rest first, listen to reports, inspect the scene, study the case, and make arrangements the next day, and then leave.

Now, in the meeting room, everyone was whispering, eagerly anticipating the visiting experts.

“I heard Director Hou brought along a young person from the Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau Criminal Investigation Team, who is supposedly very young.”

“Young? As the saying goes, if you have youth, your words hold little weight. If he’s too young, he might not handle the case well.”

“Wrong, he’s very experienced and capable. I think there’s no issue at all. Criminal investigation is all about practice; if you’re too young and lack practical experience, then all the theoretical knowledge is useless.”

“That’s not necessarily true. I’ve heard this young person is quite remarkable, having solved several serious cases in Guangling. They were going back for approval, but the provincial bureau assigned them here for guidance, do you know?”

“It should be a chance for experience-building practice.”

“We’ll wait and see.”

…

Amidst the discussions, the door to the meeting room creaked open.

Xu Ming was the first to enter, followed by Jiang An and Director Hou, with Director Tang and Li Jian accompanying them.

Once they settled like stars around the moon, all eyes fell on Director Hou and Jiang An.

Director Hou was no stranger to them, as he often provided training during visits or meetings at the provincial hall.

Jiang An, however, was a fresh face, looking quite young.

If he weren’t seated next to the leaders but rather sitting in the Criminal Investigation Team, his presence would blend in just like any ordinary criminal investigator.

Then Xu Ming spoke, “Dear colleagues, I appreciate everyone rushing here so late tonight.”

“The primary reason is that the case indeed is quite urgent. The provincial hall is highly concerned about its progress, specially appointing Director Hou and Mr. Jiang, two criminal investigation experts, to guide our investigations in Pudong City. Let’s first give them a warm welcome!”

As soon as he finished speaking, enthusiastic applause broke out in the meeting room.

Nevertheless, everyone’s attention remained focused on Jiang An.

Xu Ming continued, “Firstly, let me introduce the two experts visiting us this time.”

“One is Director Hou from the Major Cases Division, whom you are all familiar with from the training sessions at the provincial hall.”

“The other is Jiang An, the Criminal Investigation Team Leader from Jiangcheng City, who might be a bit unfamiliar to some, but whose skills and expertise are widely recognized.”

“He started as a forensic scientist, leveraging his unique forensic insights to gradually advance to the position of Criminal Investigation Team Leader. He is the province’s youngest team leader, as well as a distinguished representative adept in both forensic science and criminal investigation.”

“He has effectively utilized individual traits of people and victims, along with site analysis, to deduce the characteristics of the suspects in several major cases and unresolved incidents, showcasing rich experience and profound theoretical foundation. Let’s give him a round of applause!”

As these words were spoken, another round of enthusiastic applause followed, with eyes lingering on Jiang An for a long time.

Though the praise was brief, its weight was considerably heavy.

In the province, few transition from technical positions to criminal investigation roles.

The key point is that achieving such significant accomplishments in criminal investigation at such a young age is exceedingly rare.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Team Leader Xu Ming said, “Alright then, let’s start examining this case.”

“I will first use a presentation to show the current status of the case investigation.”

Just like every other case review meeting, the approach is to begin with the report of the incident, scene investigation, autopsy report, and investigative interviews in four aspects!

Xu Ming opened the presentation and began his report!

“This case happened on the morning of April 12th when factory workers discovered a person hanging in a grove while heading to work!”

“Next, after identification, the deceased is Li Mei, a 22-year-old female factory worker. Due to the location being quite remote, behind the factory, no surveillance footage is available and there’s a lack of witnesses.”

“As for exactly when she died, we don’t have a precise time yet, but according to the forensic estimation, the time of death should be around 12 midnight the day before!”

At this point, Xu Ming opened the next slide, showing the female victim with wide-open eyes, hanging from a branch…