Chapter 17: The South Suburb Arson Case

The criminal investigation detachment worked with high efficiency.

When Lu Chuan arrived at the office the next morning, he immediately saw a brand-new Land Cruiser parked in the detachment's courtyard.

"Morning, Xiao Lu!"

"Xiao Lu, is your arm feeling any better?"

"Xiao Lu, eat more pigskin, it's good for recovery..."

Stepping out of that ten-year-old Land Cruiser, Lu Chuan felt a strange sense of deja vu, as if he had traveled through time again.

The enthusiasm of his colleagues was almost overwhelming, but his lack of encounter with the detachment's "police flowers" left him feeling somewhat regretful.

It was like how manual practice can never quite match real combat—the result was similar, but the process was hard to describe.

In the crime scene investigation (CSI) office.

Picking up the familiar broom and mop, Lu Chuan began his primary duty.

For a fresh newcomer, the most important thing was to have situational awareness; no one said that solving a case meant you could stop cleaning the office.

After watering the increasingly vibrant anthuriums as usual, Lu Chuan began brewing tea for Liu Guodong and the others.

To be honest, working with one arm was indeed quite inconvenient.

The Great Hero of the Condor Trilogy must have had a very difficult life; Lu Chuan, for one, found it extremely unadaptable—even going to the bathroom was a hassle.

Not to mention anything else.

When there were no cases, Liu Guodong always arrived and left work right on the dot.

Sure enough, at exactly nine o'clock, Liu Guodong appeared in the office.

Sitting in the neat and bright office, Liu Guodong hummed a little tune, clearly in a very good mood.

Picking up his teacup and taking a sip of the perfectly tempered strong tea, Liu Guodong looked at Lu Chuan: "Xiao Lu, how's the arm?"

"It's nothing serious, just a scratch."

As Lu Chuan spoke, he lifted his arm to move it slightly, his thoughts drifting back to the scene of capturing the three thieves yesterday.

To tell the truth, Lu Chuan had been a little scared... and excited at the time.

If Lu Chuan had truly been just a fresh graduate, facing three armed criminals suddenly, even with training, he likely wouldn't have escaped disaster.

The reason he was able to successfully take down all three was largely due to his past life.

In his previous life, Lu Chuan had enjoyed combat sports and had learned some techniques.

Although he rarely used them in real combat, he possessed some actual skill.

He was prepared enough to deal with petty thieves.

As for the knife wound on his arm, there was a significant element of intentionality on Lu Chuan's part.

One cannot be too flashy; Lu Chuan needed to do things that were consistent with his identity.

A fresh college graduate facing three criminals would be lucky enough just to subdue them.

If he hadn't sustained a single scratch, it would have looked a bit fake.

Besides, it is always the child who cries who gets the milk.

The fact that Lu Chuan was able to go home in a Land Cruiser yesterday was the strongest proof.

"You, you're just too impulsive because you're young. What if that knife hadn't hit your arm, but your stomach?"

Liu Guodong's expression was one of heartfelt distress: "Do you know why there are at least two people when patrolling the streets? That's the reason."

"You must always remember one thing: we are the soldiers, and they are the thieves. We can call for backup openly and legitimately."

"If there had been a dozen police officers surrounding them back then, they wouldn't have even dared to draw their knives..."

Liu Guodong was being a bit long-winded, but thinking about it carefully, he made sense.

In fact, before today, Lu Chuan had never heard Liu Guodong be this wordy.

Or rather, he hadn't become familiar enough to tolerate Liu Guodong's rambling.

After a few cases, Lu Chuan's abilities had gained everyone's recognition.

Of course, ability is one thing, and serving tea is another; they were two different matters.

Just as Liu Guodong never put on airs in front of Old Bai, back when Liu Guodong first joined the force, he had learned a great deal from Bai Wenhai.

At the crime scene of Zhang Wen's murder, Liu Guodong had also spared no effort in passing on his experience in CSI, even though he didn't get paid extra for it.

In the future, Lu Chuan would also lead newcomers in this manner; this was how heritage was passed down.

Yang Sen and Old Bai also arrived right on time, taking the detachment's large shuttle bus.

They entered the gate almost exactly at nine, though most of the time it was a little later, just like today.

So they weren't considered late; everyone on the bus started work at this time.

Of course, that was for normal days. When there was a case, staying up until midnight was common.

"Xiao Lu, how is the injury? Didn't I tell you to rest at home?"

Captain Qin Yong visited the CSI office once again, a smile on his face like a blooming chrysanthemum.

Perhaps because he didn't smile often, his facial muscles were a bit stiff, but his eyes were very sincere.

Liu Guodong and the others quickly stood up. As the detachment leader, he rarely visited the CSI office more than a few times a year.

But these past few days had been something else—he had dropped by four or five times a day.

"Thank you for your concern, Captain Qin. It's a minor injury, nothing to worry about."

This morning was already the fourth time Lu Chuan had been rotating his arm.

Seeing Lu Chuan in high spirits, Qin Yong nodded: "Don't be careless. Also, in the future, if you encounter something like this, call for reinforcements immediately."

"Yes, Captain Qin."

Qin Yong nodded, looking satisfied with the teachable youth, and left.

As for Lu Chuan's merit, Qin Yong did not mention it.

After all, looking at the cases themselves, whether it was the investor's secretary's bag or the theft at the Bureau Chief's father-in-law's house, they were small cases.

Small enough that, under normal circumstances, a local police station might not even file a formal report.

It wasn't that they didn't meet the criteria for filing; the local stations had their own difficulties.

These days, everything was about performance and assessments.

The case clearance rate was the largest component of all assessments.

Therefore, for many small cases like petty theft, the local stations would take the reports.

But filing a formal case wasn't guaranteed; often, they would wait until the case was solved before officially filing it.

In the last two years, some felt the performance metrics were becoming outdated and had started implementing "Excellence Performance" models.

Just looking at that mountain of calculation formulas, few police officers could understand them.

However, the nature of the robbery and assault case was much more significant by comparison. One could say Lu Chuan had solved that case single-handedly.

At the very least, there would be an internal commendation.

As for anything higher, he shouldn't dream of it.

Cold cases are everywhere, and there are plenty of homicides; earning awards for merit was not that easy.

However, the two small theft cases had a significant impact, and the Bureau Chief was very satisfied.

The change in Captain Qin Yong's vehicle was proof of that.

And for Lu Chuan, gaining the favor of his direct detachment leader was nothing but beneficial for his future development.

The fact that he personally came to the CSI office early in the morning to check on him was proof enough.

The atmosphere of the entire detachment had been relaxed for the past few days.

The rapid resolution of Zhang Wen's murder felt somewhat surreal.

But no one would refuse a break.

Drinking tea and reading the newspaper was much better than smelling corpses at a crime scene.

Liu Guodong and the others had indeed rested for a few days.

However, after relaxation came work.

The Haizhou Municipal Public Security Bureau had a subordinate Technical Identification Center responsible for all technical identification work within the jurisdiction.

Previously, the criminal investigation detachment had to queue at the Identification Center for their technical needs.

Later, after the professional CSI team was formed and merged with the trace evidence unit, they no longer had to rely on others.

Especially in the last two years, after investing in DNA analysis equipment, they had truly become self-sufficient.

As a result, Liu Guodong and his team were now responsible for the detachment's own technical identification work.

The most common daily task was fingerprint comparison.

"Old Liu, regarding that arson case in the southern suburbs yesterday, Captain Qin is pushing for it urgently. Can you move a few sets of fingerprints to the front of the queue?"

(End of Chapter)