Chapter 3: The Corpse on the Sofa

Outside the Baijinhang Hotel, a wailing police car took Wang Dahu away.

The bride of the day was taken along as well; with her husband suspected of murder, Song Yaoyao had to at least go in to give a statement.

The once-grand wedding was left in shambles, with only Lu Chuan and his three friends remaining at the venue.

Lu Chuan lit four cigarettes, handed them to Yang Lin and the others, and took a deep drag himself.

Damn it, this was his first time making an arrest. His chest was still pounding like a drum, and his legs felt a bit weak.

"Old Lu... how did you recognize that guy?"

Yang Lin exhaled a cloud of smoke, voicing the question they all shared.

The series of robbery-homicides at the wool textile mill twenty-eight years ago was a case they were all familiar with; it was a high-priority file at the Haizhou Municipal Public Security Bureau.

Whenever there was a campaign to clear cold cases, this one was always at the forefront. They had heard their professors talk about it plenty of times back in university.

Lu Chuan tapped his index finger to flick the ash. He couldn't tell them about the "Eye of Truth," of course—they wouldn't believe him anyway. "The blood mole. When Song Yaoyao was acting spoiled and asking him for money, the old bastard turned his head, and it just happened to reveal a blood mole behind his left ear."

"You dared to take him down based on just that mole?"

Lu Chuan gave a wry smile. "I wasn't sure it was him at the time, either. After all, his appearance was completely different from the suspect back then."

Lu Chuan’s cigarette burned out, and Yang Lin lit another one for him. "He had the mole, but his looks were different. I’m guessing this guy probably got plastic surgery."

"I just bluffed him, and sure enough, the old bastard’s eyes darted around in a panic. That meant there was definitely something wrong!"

This was what Lu Chuan had realized after the Eye of Truth initially gave him a 76% similarity rating.

Plastic surgery was clearly the most likely explanation.

Then, Lu Chuan continued to probe by using the name of the wanted criminal from back then, Chen Jianshe, and Wang Dahu had indeed shown a crack in his facade.

"Damn, weren't you afraid that if you got the wrong guy, we wouldn't be able to get our permanent positions?"

Lu Chuan snorted. "What’s to fear? Even if we got the wrong guy, the fact that he had a blood mole behind his ear is true, right?"

"Having features similar to a wanted suspect means this isn't called a brawl; it's called law enforcement!"

"At worst, it’s just using excessive force. It’s not like we’d lose our uniforms over it."

Yang Lin and the other two were stunned. They looked at each other and then gave a thumbs up. "Brother Lu, you're a beast!"

Although Wang Dahu’s physique had grown stout and his appearance had changed, his fingerprints hadn't. Combined with that blood mole, it was enough to secure a conviction.

One hour later.

Wang Dahu’s fingerprints were successfully matched against those from the crime scene all those years ago, confirming he was the murderer.

Lu Chuan was a sensation.

Just after joining the force, while attending the wedding of a classmate's ex-girlfriend, he had managed to arrest a Red Notice fugitive who had been on the run for twenty-eight years.

The kicker was that this fugitive was the groom of the "trashy" woman.

Even a scriptwriter wouldn't dare write it this way, and no novel would dare include it, yet Lu Chuan had pulled it off.

Thursday, August 1st, 3020.

Half a month had passed since the arrest of the groom at the wedding, and the higher-ups had issued a special commendation.

Lu Chuan was awarded a personal third-class merit, and his classmates were all officially commended.

Since everyone had helped, the credit was naturally shared; Lu Chuan wasn't about to hog the glory from his dorm buddies.

Beyond that, Lu Chuan, Yang Lin, and the others were all granted early permanent status, officially becoming People's Police officers.

Over the past half-month, Lu Chuan had adapted to life after his transmigration. The world here had a similar background and level of technological development to his previous life.

Haizhou Municipal Public Security Bureau, Criminal Investigation Detachment, Crime Scene Investigation Office.

Lu Chuan was watering a flamingo flower by the window. Due to his specialization, Lu Chuan was now a police officer in the Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) office of the Criminal Investigation Detachment.

A beautiful day begins with slacking off.

There were only four people in the CSI office: one supervisor and two active investigators. As for Lu Chuan, although he had been made permanent, he was currently just a gopher.

Cleaning and serving tea were his primary duties.

After mopping the floor, wiping the tables, and brewing tea for the others as usual, Lu Chuan returned to his seat and opened his computer.

Lu Chuan liked reading crime-solving novels. He had recently found one called *Arresting My Blind Date on the Day of Our 100th Date*. Although the title was lame, the protagonist was reckless from the start—he actually arrested the girl during their date.

It had a similar vibe to Lu Chuan’s own start, arresting his classmate’s ex-girlfriend’s husband at a wedding.

Bang!

The office door was pushed open violently. Liu Guodong glanced at the clean and tidy office. "Are Yang Sen and Old Bai not here yet?"

Lu Chuan quickly stood up and checked the time. "Master, at this hour, they should still be on the shuttle bus. They’ll be here in a bit."

Liu Guodong was the head of the CSI office and also Lu Chuan’s mentor. His eyes were filled with urgency. "No time. There’s a scene. Come with me."

Lu Chuan stood up immediately, his time for slacking off coming to an end. "Yes, Master!"

Shouldering the CSI kit, Lu Chuan followed Liu Guodong as he jogged out of the office.

38 Friendly Road.

The scene had already been cordoned off by police from the local station. The crime scene was an apartment in an old residential complex, and many residents were gathered outside the tape, watching the commotion.

Liu Guodong and Lu Chuan followed the main force of the Criminal Investigation Detachment and went straight into the scene.

"Old Liu, you guys start the investigation."

When a homicide occurs, the detachment immediately activates the homicide investigation mechanism. Qin Yong, the captain of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, was the on-site commander.

Liu Guodong was a veteran detective of the detachment. Ten years ago, following the needs of police specialization reform, he transitioned from a general detective to a CSI detective.

In fact, the biggest difference between so-called crime scene investigation and general detective work is specialization.

The main tasks are photographing the crime scene, collecting evidence, analyzing and preserving physical evidence, and identifying various traces.

Only larger criminal investigation detachments have full-time CSI detectives. Aside from scene investigation tasks, they do not directly participate in door-to-door inquiries or arrest operations.

It is a police branch that combines both internal and field duties.

Liu Guodong had been doing CSI work for ten years and was extremely experienced. He put on his shoe covers, mask, and gloves, then took the kit from Lu Chuan. "Little Lu, start with the photos."

Photography is the fundamental skill of CSI.

At a homicide scene, the CSI team is the first to start working, followed by the medical examiner. Although their work content differs greatly, there is some overlap.

In general, CSI focuses more on the investigation of traces and physical evidence at the scene, such as footprints, fingerprints, and the extraction of small debris, while the medical examiner focuses on the time of death, cause of death, and so on.

After receiving the order, Lu Chuan didn't immediately pick up the camera. Instead, he began to survey the entire crime scene.

Crime scene photography is very different from ordinary photography; it has strict rules and regulations. In the CSI profession, there is a specific workflow.

Lu Chuan, who had already received the "Primary CSI Photography Skill Card," was no longer limited to the "armchair theory" he had learned in school, which was all that remained in his fused memories.

The system's rewarded skills came in three levels: primary, intermediate, and advanced. The primary skill was equivalent to the level mastered by a typical backbone detective—comparable to the photography skills Liu Guodong currently possessed.

"Basic task issued: Complete an excellent set of homicide scene photos."

"Advanced task issued: Discover clues through scene investigation and assist the special task force in solving the case."

There were two types of tasks in the criminal investigation system. Completing basic tasks was a mandatory part of his job, while completing advanced tasks would earn system rewards.

The crime scene was a residential living room, rectangular in shape, about forty square meters in size. The victim was a middle-aged man.

The body was lying supine on the sofa, eyes wide open, looking as if he had died with deep resentment.

A sharp knife with half its blade buried was plunged into the left side of his chest. The victim’s right hand was gripping the handle. Crimson blood had soaked his clothes and pooled beneath his feet. It looked like a suicide.

(End of chapter)