National Forensic Doctor

78: Chapter 77: Pattern Innovation 78: Chapter 77: Pattern Innovation “Squat down and stay still!”

“Lie down, face down.”

“Hands behind your back!”

In the farmhouse yard, there were nothing but shouts.

If one didn’t dwell on the content, the level of excitement was almost like riding a roller coaster.

Of course, the expressions were similar as well.

Jiang Yuan followed a group of technicians from the Criminal Investigation Unit into the yard, and all seven suspects had already been handcuffed.

In the yard, several hundred square meters of land were covered with fruit trees, but it was uncertain whether they bore apricots, pears, or some other variety of fruit.

At the time, they were only the size of testicles, some hanging in pairs, others standing alone, or in threesomes, swaying on branches, flexible yet resilient.

The tables under the trees were all empty.

A few idle police officers sat down, but most were still wandering around the yard.

Wei Zhenguo beckoned Jiang Yuan over and whispered, “The three baldies are robbery suspects.”

After Jiang Yuan confirmed the source of the knives through surveillance video, detectives had been staking out near the residence of the three robbers.

And this farmstead was exactly where the three robbers had come from, so they were immediately confirmed as suspects in the robbery case.

But all three were bald…

curious, Jiang Yuan asked, “Why are you all bald?”

“Don’t know, looks recently shaved?” Wei Zhenguo said and went over to ask directly, “Why did you shave your heads?”

The criminals who had just been pinned to the ground and handcuffed were still figuring out how to resist interrogation, and were taken aback by such a question: “Just felt like shaving.”

“Is this your gang’s hairstyle?” Wei Zhenguo pointed and asked, “Like a uniform?”

“No…

that doesn’t count.

It’s not that,” was the reply.

“Realizing now that gang-related offenses carry heavier sentences?

Too late,” Wei Zhenguo pressured them on the spot, sending shivers down the baldies’ spines.

Some time later, detectives searching the yard found three knives used in the crime hidden under the seats of a van.

A few officers who were informed of the case details heaved a sigh of relief.

Having found the knives, the evidence chain was practically complete.

Next, even if these three robbers didn’t confess, they wouldn’t be able to escape conviction, as there was already a foundation for a verdict without a confession.

Of course, obtaining a confession was still ideal.

Shortly after, detectives confiscated a large quantity of contraband, including tobacco and alcohol, from a warehouse behind the house and from the basement.

The four suspects with hair had varying expressions on their faces.

The middle-aged man in the LV shirt coughed twice and said, “Uh, we’re running a legal agritourism business here, and we have tobacco and alcohol for sale normally…

for everyday business.”

Huang Qiangmin laughed upon hearing this and approached, saying, “Can you provide the account books, tax receipts, purchase orders, and invoices for your so-called legal business?”

The middle-aged man in the LV shirt’s mouth seemed glued shut, sticky and unable to open properly.

After a while, the middle-aged man finally asked, “How did you find this place?”

“Oh?

You think your spot is so hidden that I couldn’t find it?” Huang Qiangmin chuckled.

Once again, the middle-aged man was at a loss for words.

Truth be told, he had been in this business in Ningtai County for nearly three years, and it had always been safe and steady—Ningtai County being a strategic point with frequent movement of people and goods southward and northward, he had indeed been enjoying his work.

The middle-aged man’s mind was quick, and his gaze soon shifted to the three bald men.

The influx of so many police officers and their immediate questioning of the three men surely had a reason.

Jiang Yuan watched with interest, but at that moment, a system interface popped into his mind.

***

Task: Follow the vine to find the melon.

Task content: Using the stolen goods to solve more cases and to provide assistance in returning the recovered items to their rightful owners.

***

At first glance, the task sounds simple, but it’s anything but easy to accomplish.

Just looking at the pile of stolen goods in front of them, there were hundreds of items.

Besides the cigarettes and alcohol related to the robbery case, there were various kinds of jewelry boxes, watches, computers, cell phones, cameras, luxury handbags, and so on.

They were spaced out loosely, stretching out over ten meters.

Jiang Yuan couldn’t help but feel a headache coming on.

“That…

I’m not with them,” the young man on the far right regained his composure and whispered.

His courage mounting, he shouted again, “I came to enjoy the farmhouse fun, just wanted to have a look inside, I’m not part of their gang.”

Wei Zhenguo looked at him with a half-smile and asked, “You say you’re not with the others, so who are you with?”

“I’m not with anyone, I just happened to be passing by here…”

“Coming to the farmhouse for fun by yourself?

Seems a bit too leisurely,” Wei Zhenguo said, easily seeing through his lie.

The young man on the right faltered and murmured in a low voice, “I came here alone to unwind, just so happened to end up here…”

Wei Zhenguo interrupted him again, asking, “How did you come here?”

“Huh?”

“You came by car, didn’t you?

Which car is yours?”

“It’s…

it’s not necessary to come by car,” the young man said, his voice growing softer under Wei Zhenguo’s mocking gaze.

Jiang Yuan listened to their conversation and glanced at the footprints on the ground, then took a stroll around.

In a little while, he found a car key from a bush and asked, “This is yours, isn’t it?”

With a Level 4 crime scene investigation skill, this kind of task was quite easy for him.

Given the chaos just moments ago, even if the other party had buried the key, Jiang Yuan would have been able to find it.

The young man fell silent.

Wei Zhenguo smiled and said, “You’d better think carefully.

If you don’t claim it now, it will be considered unclaimed stolen goods, and later you won’t be able to retrieve it.”

“It’s…

it’s mine,” the young man had no choice but to give in.

Two crime scene technicians took the car key to conduct a search on the car.

Wei Zhenguo then took the young man’s phone, pressed his fingerprint to unlock the screen lock, and handed it to Jiang Yuan, saying, “Take a look.”

Jiang Yuan took the phone and started checking it.

As he browsed through it, a smile began to form at the corner of Jiang Yuan’s mouth.

Wei Zhenguo grew curious and asked in a low voice, “What’s up?”

“After he stole the items, he first tried to sell them on his social circle,” Jiang Yuan opened a social media post and showed it to Wei Zhenguo.

The text above the photo grid was ebullient: “Thanks to Brother Long for making a purchase worth tens of thousands of yuan at once and for getting a Coach wallet as a gift.

Wishing Brother Long joyous nights and daily happiness… The goods I brought in today have arrived, if interested chat directly…”

Further examining the grid revealed bejeweled earrings, a Gucci bag, AJ sneakers, and a tablet— an eclectic mix of items.

“This is an outright confession,” Wei Zhenguo couldn’t help remarking.

“What I did was…

innovative,” the young man argued back, once again refusing to accept defeat.