The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 867 - 455: Broad Net, Subtractive Approach

6:30 PM, inside the private dining room of the Qinzhou City Public Security Bureau’s internal restaurant.As the banquet began, Political Commissioner Li was the first to raise his teacup and said, "Director Hou, Mr. Jiang, first of all, a warm welcome to both of you!"

"Not only have you come to provide guidance, but you’ve also secured important additional resources for us. This act of kindness in our time of need will be remembered by all of our officers."

"Considering today is a weekday, we’ll use tea instead of wine to express our gratitude."

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone raised their cups, and the clinking of porcelain teacups in the air sounded like a harmonious work symphony.

Once everyone was seated for the meal, Political Commissioner Li enthusiastically took on the role of culinary guide.

He picked up the public chopsticks, skillfully lifted the golden yellow river fish from the plate, and placed it onto the plates of Director Hou and Jiang An.

"Come, try our most famous river fish from Qinzhou."

"This fish comes from the rapid currents of the Qin River, with meat that is especially tender and smooth, with few bones and thick flesh. It’s a must-have delicacy for entertaining distinguished guests in our area."

Director Hou and Jiang An quickly leaned forward to express their thanks, repeatedly saying, "Political Commissioner Li, you’ve gone to such trouble, it’s too kind."

At this moment, Mr. Qin across the table joined in with a smile: "It’s not just the river fish; our free-range mountain chickens in Qinzhou are also exquisite."

He pointed at the plate of golden, enticing white cut chicken on the table and said, "These free-range chickens forage in the mountains and forests on their own, getting plenty of exercise, making the meat firm yet tender, with crispy skin and fragrant meat."

"Director Hou, Mr. Jiang, you must give it a proper taste."

"Alright, thank you very much!"

The atmosphere at the table immediately became warm and harmonious.

During this time, the Qinzhou City Public Security Bureau displayed immense enthusiasm, as if welcoming distinguished guests from afar.

From the moment they stepped through the door, the special operations group felt thoroughly attended to.

This enthusiasm, for Director Hou, naturally reflected the local public security system’s respect for higher authorities.

But for Jiang An, this warmth seemed especially special—when it comes to rank, he and Mr. Qin were on the same level, and Political Commissioner Li was clearly higher than Mr. Qin.

Yet at this moment, everyone was wearing genuine smiles, welcoming them with the fullest enthusiasm.

This unconventional reception confirmed an unwritten consensus within the public security system: in the journey of solving cases, external factors like age and rank dissolve naturally.

As long as one can contribute to solving a case, they receive the most sincere welcome.

This brings to mind a widely known Chinese saying, "It doesn’t matter if a cat is black or white; as long as it catches mice, it’s a good cat."

In this special arena, investigative ability is the most important credential.

At 8:20 PM, after finishing the local specialty dinner, Political Commissioner Li had arranged vehicles and was preparing to send the special operations group members to the nearby hotel for rest.

At that moment, three police cars roared into the courtyard from outside, and lined up perfectly in front of Political Commissioner Li and Mr. Qin.

The car windows rolled down slowly, revealing the slightly weary yet still determined faces of the officers inside.

Mr. Qin stepped forward quickly, inspecting carefully under the bright courtyard lights, with surprise in his voice: "Oh, you’re back?"

"Aren’t these the investigation teams dispatched this morning? Well done, well done."

Just as the vehicles were about to leave, Jiang An suddenly turned around and earnestly suggested, "Political Commissioner Li, Mr. Qin, the investigation teams have just returned. Should we hear their preliminary reports right now? Anyway, it’s still early to sleep."

This suggestion was quickly supported by Director Hou, who added with a smile: "Yes, we usually don’t sleep until after 11, and it’s just past 8 now. There are nearly three hours before rest."

"This is just the right time to hear the firsthand investigation findings."

Upon hearing this, Political Commissioner Li and Mr. Qin exchanged a glance, their eyes briefly meeting in the air.

Political Commissioner Li pondered for a moment, his voice steady and strong: "Since there’s still time, let’s have the experts move to the meeting room for a short break."

"We can take this opportunity to hear about their investigation progress today."

Saying this, he turned to Mr. Qin, with a clear directive in his gaze.

Mr. Qin immediately understood and responded, "I’ll arrange the meeting room right away, please wait for a moment."

Ten minutes later, the meeting room of the criminal investigation team was already full.

The projector cast original photos of the scene onto the screen. Although these photos were a bit old, they were preserved excellently.

Every detail in the images was clearly visible, and the passage of time hadn’t erased the essential elements of the scene.

Mr. Qin scanned the room and was the first to break the silence: "Well then, please give a detailed report on today’s investigation."

The young police officer opened his notebook and said solemnly, "Political Commissioner Li, Director Hou, Mr. Jiang, Mr. Qin, today we proceeded along the investigation direction established at the special meeting, conducting in-depth interviews on Wang Xiu’s interpersonal network before her death."

"However, before reporting specific progress, there’s an important situation that needs to be reported to all the leaders first—"

He paused briefly and continued: "We learned that Wang Xiu’s husband and children had moved away years ago and now reside and live in the city."

"This situation may have certain impacts on our subsequent investigation work."