Chapter 49: A Seven-Day Stakeout

A black Latin restaurant.

Lu Chuan and Shen Yan were enjoying a pleasant conversation.

However, their dialogue was something an average person might not appreciate.

"We don't have many cases here in Haizhou City. Sometimes, we forensic pathologists go an entire month without performing a single autopsy."

Shen Yan expressed some concern regarding her professional development: "A few of my classmates went to big cities, and they basically have a corpse every week..."

The skill progression of a criminal investigator is much like that of a sharpshooter.

One is fed by cases, the other by bullets.

This was also why some smaller places, like the BR County criminal investigation team, had no forensic pathologists.

In small places, there might not be a homicide for five or even ten years.

Without autopsies, a forensic pathologist would become obsolete within two years.

The same applied to the crime scene investigation work Lu Chuan did.

In small places, there aren't many major cases throughout the year; even a stolen electric scooter could set the whole department in motion.

Even if positions for crime scene investigation and trace evidence were established, they couldn't be sustained.

Tomorrow was the start of the National Day holiday. Aside from those on duty, most people would be off.

Lu Chuan wasn't on duty this holiday, but he had to be on call for three days.

This meant he couldn't leave Haizhou City; if an emergency occurred, he had to reach the detachment within half an hour.

Shen Yan had it a bit better; the life of a forensic pathologist was relatively leisurely.

As long as there were no homicides, they mostly existed in a state of invisibility.

For the most part, they could actually enjoy the holiday.

*Ding!*

"Basic Task Completed: The host has collected twenty-seven fingerprints, successfully matched twenty-four, and identified the owners of the fingerprints."

It was a pleasant dinner.

Lu Chuan had completed his system task, and he and Shen Yan had enjoyed a wonderful conversation, gaining much more understanding of one another.

Of course, there was still a vast distance between "knowing your strengths" and "knowing the depth of your character."

The two would have to keep working hard.

Of course, not everyone could enjoy a candlelit dinner filled with laughter like Lu Chuan and Shen Yan were doing right now.

The officers of the Haizhou City Economic Investigation Detachment had just received the fingerprint identification report sent by Liu Guodong.

Currently, they were staking out the residential complexes of several targets under investigation.

Their dinner consisted only of instant noodles and ham.

Another group of investigators from Tianzhou City was also currently waiting outside a residential area.

October 8th.

Having passed through the long National Day holiday smoothly, Lu Chuan was full of energy.

Compared to him, the red palms in the office were somewhat dehydrated, their color not quite as vibrant.

Lu Chuan was tending to them meticulously.

Liu Guodong had gone to attend the morning meeting, while Yang Sen and Old Bai had already entered "wellness mode."

"Xiao Lu, I heard from Old Bai that you helped the Economic Investigation team with fingerprint matching before the holiday. What was the result?"

Yang Sen liked strong tea; every time the tea leaves in his enamel mug expanded, they filled up a third of the cup.

Lu Chuan nodded. "The matching results have been handed over to Master. He should have given them to the Economic Investigation team before the holiday, right?"

Seven days ago, once the basic task information was completed, Lu Chuan hadn't paid much attention to the subsequent results.

"In your matching results... was there someone named Luo Cheng?"

Huh?

Lu Chuan was slightly stunned. "Brother Yang, how did you know?"

Yang Sen hadn't been at work before the holiday; there was no way he could have seen his fingerprint identification results.

"Look at this..."

Yang Sen handed his phone to Lu Chuan. On the screen was a news report.

"Luo Cheng, Vice President of Haizhou Bank, is under investigation by relevant authorities on suspicion of corruption and bribery."

Lu Chuan was momentarily stunned. He hadn't expected them to strike so quickly.

"Xiao Lu, last time you said you weren't very good at fingerprint matching. Were you just being modest?"

Lu Chuan gave a wry smile. "I've learned a lot from Master during this time. The main difficulty in this matching was the non-destructive extraction of fingerprints from the envelope."

Compared to extraction, matching was indeed simpler.

At the very least, Liu Guodong, Yang Sen, and Old Bai could all perform fingerprint matching.

But non-destructive extraction from an envelope was something only Lu Chuan could pull off.

That said, Lu Chuan compared his acquired "Junior Fingerprint Identification and Analysis" skill to the others.

He was likely at the same level as the three of them, except that when performing the same matching, he was significantly faster.

*Thud.*

The office door opened, and Liu Guodong returned from the meeting.

"Xiao Lu, Captain Qin wants to see you."

Captain Qin?

Lu Chuan was slightly puzzled.

Today was the first day back after the National Day holiday. Why was the Captain calling him so early?

There hadn't been many cases lately.

Could it be the Economic Investigation case?

But that didn't seem right. If he had made a small contribution because of that, Captain Qin would usually come to the crime scene office to offer words of encouragement.

Seeing the questioning look in Lu Chuan's eyes, Liu Guodong picked up his enamel mug. "It should be something regarding the Tianzhou City Criminal Investigation Detachment. I heard Old Ren say this morning that a few investigators from their side have come over."

*Slurp.*

Taking a sip of tea at the perfect temperature, Liu Guodong spat out a tea stalk. "They probably have a case here. It seems they've been staking it out for seven days during the holiday."

Lu Chuan nodded as if realizing something. "But Master, the bone identification I did for them last time shouldn't have anything to do with a case, right?"

Liu Guodong shook his head. When Lu Chuan went to the Tianzhou City Criminal Investigation Detachment to help before the holiday, it was in his capacity as a forensic pathologist.

Liu Guodong hadn't asked about what happened afterward.

"Go take a look. Captain Qin is waiting for you."

Lu Chuan nodded, straightened his police uniform in the mirror, and then turned back. "By the way, did they really stake it out for the entire holiday?"

"That's not common. When I was an investigator, there was one Chinese New Year where I staked out for fifteen days..."

Old Bai, sitting nearby, snorted as he recounted a tale of his heroic past.

"Reporting!"

This was Lu Chuan's first time in Qin Yong's office.

"Come in."

Lu Chuan straightened his collar and pushed open the office door.

Inside, forensic pathologist Wang Changjiang was seated, along with three middle-aged men in plain clothes.

Among them, Lu Chuan had seen one man before at the Tianzhou City Public Security Bureau—it was the forensic pathologist, Li Kai.

Seeing that Lu Chuan was the one entering, Qin Yong broke into a smile. "Come, come, Xiao Lu, come in."

Qin Yong was not sitting behind his desk but on the sofa next to a broad-faced man. He stood up.

"Xiao Lu, this is Wang Chuanmin, the Detachment Captain of the Tianzhou City Criminal Investigation Detachment."

"Hello, Captain Wang!"

*Snap!*

Lu Chuan snapped to attention and saluted.

"Hello, Comrade Lu Chuan!"

Wang Chuanmin returned the salute and stepped forward with a smile. "Thanks to Comrade Lu Chuan's help last time. The case was so urgent that day that we didn't have time to thank you. I've come today on behalf of the Tianzhou City Criminal Investigation Detachment to express our gratitude."

"Captain Wang, you're being too kind. Haizhou and Tianhai are neighboring cities; it's only right that I help where I can."

Lu Chuan shook hands with Wang Chuanmin very politely. Beside them, Qin Yong's face was twitching from smiling too much. "Old Wang, don't be so polite, haha!"

"In the past, it was always the Tianzhou Criminal Investigation Detachment supporting us. It's only right that we can give something back this time."

Qin Yong's mood today was as bright as a clear sky. The slight unpleasantness with his wife from last night due to his prostate acting up had long since vanished.

Being able to show face in front of his old rival and old friend made Qin Yong feel a bit lightheaded with pride.

How could Wang Chuanmin not read the implication in Qin Yong's words?

In the past, it was always Qin Yong coming to him to ask for favors.

But the tables had turned, and now it was the Tianzhou City Criminal Investigation Detachment coming to Haizhou to ask for help.

However, when asking for a favor, one must act the part. Wang Chuanmin had learned quite a bit from Qin Yong in this regard. "Captain Qin, you say that, but besides thanking Lu Chuan for his help last time, I really do have something I need your assistance with."

*Huh?*

Qin Yong's expression froze, and his heart suddenly tightened.