Chapter 19: Overheated Fingerprints

Lu Chuan picked up his forensic kit and set off with Ren Qiang.

As for lunch, Action Group Two would handle it. The standard would certainly be higher than the cafeteria; otherwise, no one would bother working overtime with them next time.

As for Liu Guodong's protection of Lu Chuan, Lu Chuan was well aware of it.

This was the experience of an old hand—he knew exactly where the pitfalls and traps were.

He also brought a bottle of liquor along.

Before leaving, Liu Guodong specifically instructed Lu Chuan to come back early, noting that the forensics office wouldn't be working overtime today and they would be drinking tonight.

This was Lu Chuan's first time attending a dinner gathering for the forensics office.

From the perspective of workplace survival, Lu Chuan was gradually integrating into this small collective of the forensics office.

Of course, Liu Guodong and the others didn't drink frequently.

In the police profession, a case could break at any moment.

It wouldn't be good to show up to a crime scene drunk.

Criminals don't pick their timing, either.

Therefore, during most gatherings, everyone knew when to stop. Except for a few individuals who were given extra attention to drink more, everyone else tried to avoid letting it affect their work.

Furthermore, a forensics office gathering wasn't just limited to Liu Guodong and his immediate circle.

Over the years, many people had moved on from the forensics office.

While not everyone held onto old sentiments, most knew where their roots lay.

Many of these people were now in management positions; although most still wore the blue shirt, they were undoubtedly influential figures in various fields within the Haizhou Municipal Public Security Bureau.

The reason Liu Guodong had invited Lu Chuan to this dinner was to introduce him to these seniors.

Compared to Qin Yong, Ren Qiang's vehicle was quite subpar.

It wasn't even close to a ten-year-old Land Cruiser, but at least it provided shelter from the wind and rain.

September 4th, Friday, Sunny.

Tenli Slope Village, Southern Suburbs.

"The fire occurred in a rented warehouse belonging to a farmer in Tenli Slope Village. It was storing a large amount of foreign trade clothing, with losses totaling nearly a million yuan."

After getting out of the car, Ren Qiang gave Lu Chuan a brief overview of the arson case: "We found gasoline bottles at the scene. After analysis by the firefighters, it was determined that the suspect splashed gasoline inside the warehouse to ignite the fire."

As one of the eight major categories of crimes, the fundamental reason arson is classified as such is that once a fire breaks out, it is extremely difficult to control.

Moreover, it often results in mass casualties.

However, generally speaking, accidental fires account for a larger proportion, while intentional arson makes up a relatively low percentage of total fires.

The fire scene was a mess.

At a glance, the entire warehouse was about fifty meters long, with two-thirds already burnt to ashes; the steel support frames of the color steel prefab building had collapsed.

However, one-third had not burned, and there were many water stains on it.

This was likely due to the timely response of the fire rescue services.

*Ding!*

"Basic Task: Investigate the southern suburb arson scene, extract at least two sets of burnt fingerprints, and assist Action Group Two in solving the southern suburb arson case."

Simply investigating a fire scene and extracting two sets of fingerprints—the system's issued task was merely a basic one.

After a rough observation of the scene, Lu Chuan pointed to the collapsed section: "Group Leader Ren, where is the point of origin?"

"Also, where were the fingerprints you collected found?"

"There are two points of origin: one at the main entrance of the warehouse, and another at the back."

"The fingerprints we collected were all from the perimeter. The fire scene has been almost completely burned; it's impossible to collect fingerprints there."

The places where Action Group Two had already collected fingerprints were marked, and since the scene was still being protected, the marked points were all present.

Setting aside everything else, at least Group Two's procedural work was decent.

They were very rigorous with certain details.

Lu Chuan nodded, looked around, and then walked a circuit around the warehouse.

It seemed the perpetrator had not set the fire on the perimeter of the warehouse to ensure the fire burned more thoroughly.

Instead, they had pried open the warehouse doors and entered to commit the arson.

However, due to the fire, almost everything the perpetrator had touched had been destroyed, so Action Group Two had failed to extract any fingerprints from the ruins inside the warehouse.

The fingerprints handed over to the forensics office for comparison were all extracted from the perimeter.

And as for the fingerprints extracted from those areas—setting aside the possibility of whether they belonged to the suspect—the clarity was so poor that, in Liu Guodong's eyes, they were impossible to use for comparison.

As for why they were so persistent about fingerprint comparison, it was because Ren Qiang suspected the perpetrator was a villager from Tenli Slope.

This warehouse was rented out for a profit of thirty thousand yuan per year.

The owner of the warehouse was a local village squad leader.

He had offended many people; there was a high possibility that someone had committed arson out of revenge.

Ren Qiang and the others had already collected fingerprints from all the villagers. As long as a successful match could be made, there was a high probability of solving the case.

Lu Chuan first observed the fingerprints already collected by Action Group Two.

The process of collecting fingerprints is, in itself, a form of destruction to the prints.

Generally speaking, once fingerprints have been collected, it is basically impossible to perform a second collection.

Even with his Intermediate Fingerprint Collection skill, Lu Chuan's ability to remedy this was limited.

This was especially true for fingerprints collected by non-professional forensic technicians.

How should one put it? It was like how flower thieves have different skill levels; some, after "plucking," not only steal the person but also their heart. Others, after "plucking," leave you feeling like you've eaten a pile of shit.

The state of the fingerprint collection site indicated that the members of Action Group Two had mediocre skills and were too heavy-handed.

They mostly used brute force, essentially using transparent tape to lift the prints.

No wonder the fingerprints were incomplete; it would be a miracle if they were whole.

Abandoning the ravaged, unrecognizable fingerprint sites, Lu Chuan had to find another way.

Opening his forensic kit, Lu Chuan took out his exclusive fingerprint collection equipment.

Recently, besides reading the novel *The Hundredth Blind Date: Arresting the Date on Site*, Lu Chuan had also become obsessed with short videos.

It had to be said, that stuff was addictive.

There was a skill in those videos called "Wave Shake," which was an art form requiring extremely high-end equipment.

Just like collecting fingerprints, if the equipment is right, a few casual shakes can produce a "Wave Bombardment."

If the equipment is wrong, no matter how much you shake, you're still just shaking.

Ren Qiang, standing to the side, was somewhat bewildered.

Since when did the brushes used by forensics to collect fingerprints become high-end luxury items?

Was his knowledge lacking?

"Xiao Lu, is that a brush..."

"You mean this?"

Lu Chuan didn't hold back: "The bristles of this brand are made from the underarm hair of the Arctic fox. It is the softest and most resilient of all brushes."

"Not only is it comfortable to use on the face, but when collecting fingerprints, it causes the least amount of damage, making it especially suitable for collecting prints in fragile environments like fire scenes."

Ren Qiang nodded, not quite understanding. He had never seen an Arctic fox, but he understood the meaning of "soft."

Watching Lu Chuan collect fingerprints felt somewhat enjoyable.

Unlike the brutality of Action Group Two, Lu Chuan's technique looked like a young girl stroking soft skin—as gentle as a breeze brushing against the face.

Of course, besides the technique, there were other things that Ren Qiang simply could not comprehend.