Chapter 25: The Soaked Electric Vehicle

Qin Yong's worst-case scenario did not materialize.

There was no second corpse in the reservoir; what the salvage team pulled up was an electric scooter.

This fell within the scope of the forensic investigation team's work.

Liu Guodong had already conducted a preliminary inspection of the scooter.

"Captain Qin, long hair was found tangled inside the rear wheel bearing of the electric scooter."

Wearing three layers of gloves, Liu Guodong held up a piece of hemp rope. "This rope was found on the rear seat of the scooter. It is very likely a tool used to bind the corpse."

"Tow the scooter back to the detachment first. The forensic team needs to conduct a detailed examination here."

Facing the electric scooter, which was highly likely to be the tool used for body disposal, Qin Yong gave it high priority.

"Ren Qiang, your group will conduct a screening of the nearby villagers."

"Sun Jun, you are responsible for checking the nearby surveillance cameras, with a particular focus on the footage from three days ago."

"Yes, sir!"

Sun Jun was the leader of Action Group One. After receiving their orders, the two immediately commenced their work.

With a deep frown, Qin Yong got directly into his car to report to the Municipal Bureau.

A corpse dumped in a reservoir, and at least three days had passed; theoretically, the difficulty of solving this case was much greater than the Zhang Wen murder case.

Of course, the specific circumstances would depend on the results of the door-to-door investigations and screenings.

There were also many homicide cases that were solved directly during the public screening process.

After all, in matters of murder—aside from rare serial killings—it is difficult for anyone to accumulate much experience.

Take Zhang Minlu, who killed Zhang Wen, for example.

Although he had cleaned the scene very thoroughly, that single burnt cigarette butt betrayed him.

According to Zhang Minlu's confession, he had smoked while wiping down the scene.

He had also thought that leaving the cigarette butt in the ashtray would serve as evidence.

So, he only flicked the ash into the ashtray and took the butt with him.

However, after finishing his second cigarette, he threw the butt into the trash can.

A single oversight—that is what an ordinary person is like.

To be flawless requires extraordinary talent.

And in this society, the vast majority of people are ordinary.

Take the young masters in the clubs, for instance; most are only skilled with their hands or their tongues.

Those who are truly gifted are more likely to find higher earnings working for certain platforms.

Even if they don't earn much, the quality of the clients they serve is usually quite high.

***

Criminal Investigation Detachment.

Lu Chuan had already completed the extraction of the deceased's DNA information, and the fingerprint comparison was also finished.

He was currently reporting to the recently returned Liu Guodong.

"The deceased is named Wang Lin, female, a local from Haizhou, aged 26."

*Ding!*

"Basic task completed: The host has successfully extracted the fingerprint information from the soaked corpse, completing the identification of the deceased."

It was a stroke of luck; the deceased had just replaced her ID card last month, so her fingerprint information was recorded in the system.

Liu Guodong was somewhat surprised by how quickly Lu Chuan had identified the deceased.

"With a soaked corpse, the extracted fingerprints tend to swell. System comparison shouldn't be that easy, right?"

Liu Guodong had dealt with fingerprints from soaked corpses before.

Extracting such fingerprints wasn't difficult, but the comparison was highly challenging.

Due to the swelling of the corpse, the imprinted fingerprints would expand, requiring secondary adjustments.

This process wasn't as simple as just shrinking the fingerprint image as a whole.

It required technique, and more importantly, experience.

Whether a successful match could be made often depended on luck.

Given the skill levels of Liu Guodong, Yang Sen, and Old Bai, this process would typically take over ten hours.

Yet, Lu Chuan had managed to finish it alone in less than two hours?

After washing his hands, Yang Sen leaned in and took the fingerprint identification report Lu Chuan had produced. "Last time Ren Qiang asked for your help, didn't you say you weren't very good at fingerprint analysis..."

Huh?

Upon receiving the report, Yang Sen froze slightly. "These fingerprints..."

Liu Guodong also noticed the problem.

The fingerprints Lu Chuan had extracted showed no signs of swelling!

The fingerprints from the soaked corpse had not expanded!

"Xiao Lu! How did you do it?"

Lu Chuan didn't think much of it; in the Mid-level Fingerprint Collection skill, this was a minor matter.

"I used a hollow steel needle..."

Lu Chuan explained the collection process. "Fingerprints collected this way basically don't swell."

The three of them—Liu Guodong, Yang Sen, and Old Bai—exchanged silent glances.

*Damn it.*

All those years of experience, wasted.

However, getting a free skill... was also acceptable.

It was just a bit embarrassing.

"Uh... Xiao Lu, once this case is wrapped up, let us treat you to a big meal."

"Yes, yes, my treat!"

Holding the fingerprint report with Lu Chuan's name on it, Liu Guodong went directly to report to Qin Yong.

This time, regardless of whether the case was solved, the forensic team had already secured a small merit.

One should not underestimate the importance of identifying the deceased.

In the vast majority of homicide cases, the killer has a specific motive.

Whether it is passion, revenge, or murder for profit, the proportion of crimes committed by acquaintances is quite high.

The type of case criminal investigators fear most is a crime of passion.

For example, killing a stranger on the street and then fleeing.

That is the hardest type of case to solve.

It would be like a single man walking past an alleyway in the dark and seeing a particularly striking young child.

Who would know who that man was after the fact?

The child wouldn't remember either, unless they possessed extraordinary talent.

But as long as the identity of the deceased is confirmed, one can trace through the deceased's social network.

The possibility of finding the killer increases significantly.

Additionally, it sounds much better when reporting to the superiors.

At the very least, you know who the victim is.

Otherwise, how would you report it?

"Some person or other?"

And if you don't even know who died, it would be a miracle if you could find the killer.

***

In the forensic office, Lu Chuan showed off his skills once again.

Liu Guodong went and returned quickly.

"We only have one task left."

In the courtyard, the four of them stared at the electric scooter, circling it again and again.

"Where do we start?"

Liu Guodong's brow was furrowed.

Xingfu Reservoir was the disposal site, and the surrounding searches had yielded nothing so far.

Regarding the examination of the corpse, Liu Guodong had just come from the autopsy room.

The autopsy was underway, but according to Wang Changjiang's preliminary judgment, the corpse would not provide much information.

Only the cause and time of death.

Lu Chuan had also examined the surface of the body and found nothing significant.

As the tool used to transport the deceased, this electric scooter was the most likely place for the killer to have left traces.

However, the scooter had been submerged in water for three days.

Over such a long period, even if the killer had left fingerprints, they would be impossible to collect.

"First, extract the hair tangled in the rear wheel bearing. Perform DNA extraction and compare it with the deceased's DNA to confirm this was indeed the transport tool," Old Bai suggested.

"Lu Chuan and I will conduct an external inspection of the vehicle body to see if we can find any fingerprints," Yang Sen said, crossing his arms and standing by the rear seat, observing closely.

Liu Guodong nodded. "Let's proceed in that order."

The four of them divided the labor and began the forensic examination of the electric scooter.