Chapter 8: When Cheats Can Be Used Through the Screen

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The procedures for transferring the case were said to be complicated, but under Yuan Chenxi’s handling, the actual handover was surprisingly swift. Perhaps due to a severe shortage of personnel, she brought Cen Lian and Tang Hua along to report to Cheng Ming, the captain of the district criminal police squad.

“I’ll give you a brief overview of the case first,” Yuan Chenxi said, speaking as fast as she typed. On the way from her workstation to Cheng Ming’s office, she rattled off all the details of the case with clarity.

Cen Lian’s mind slowly replayed the case details. He thought to himself that the district’s criminal police squad was indeed intense. Yuan Chenxi’s professional competence was arguably the pinnacle for internal staff.

In fact, the case wasn’t particularly complex. The crime scene was in a relatively remote industrial park in Taishan District. On the morning of October 22, a sanitation worker found the body of a teenager in a trash bin. Forensic examination confirmed it was a homicide.

The urgency of the case stemmed from the victim being only thirteen years old, a junior high school student, which sparked significant public attention.

As everyone knows, once public opinion flares up, the pressure to solve the case visibly intensifies, and higher authorities become highly involved.

This was Cen Lian’s first serious homicide case, so he was somewhat curious about the investigation process.

After all, he was used to solving cases by directly accessing answers through a system—like having the solution handed over without the process.

Cheng Ming, the captain of the Taishan District criminal police squad, was just over forty, with thinning hair and dark circles under his eyes, exuding the aura of someone overworked.

“Captain Cheng, these are Cen Lian and Tang Hua, seconded from Xinhe Police Station,” Yuan Chenxi introduced them rapidly.

“Oh, it’s you two,” Cheng Ming’s gaze briefly lingered on them. “Your investigation skills are decent. The newly formed Third Squad is short-staffed lately. You’ll be assigned there to work.”

After this procedural welcome, Yuan Chenxi led them back.

Only then did Cen Lian realize that Wu Qiushan must have known they were going to the Third Squad and had directly handed them over to the squad’s internal staff.

“So this case was originally under the Third Squad’s jurisdiction,” Tang Hua said belatedly. “Where do we go now?”

“Of course, to meet our team leader,” Yuan Chenxi smiled. “There’s still a lot of door-to-door investigation to do. It’s good you two are here; you can start right away.”

Cen Lian: ...

Very well, now he truly felt the workload intensity in the district criminal police squad.

The Third Squad leader was Tan Tonghui, thirty-five years old, at the age when one might be phased out at a major internet company but the youngest among the squad leaders in the criminal police unit.

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The extent of his receding hairline suggested he was a formidable individual.

“Captain Tan,” Cen Lian and Tang Hua called out together, trying to appear obedient.

Tan Tonghui glanced up at them and immediately said without hesitation, “Chenxi, the last remaining area is theirs. Set off now.”

It seemed that before their arrival, their tasks had already been assigned.

“Yes, we’ll go right now,” Cen Lian felt it necessary to make a good impression on the new leader.

After all, loafers couldn’t survive in the criminal police squad.

Tan Tonghui remained silent; clearly, this case was giving him a headache.

While returning to examine the map, Yuan Chenxi carefully explained the details of the case to them.

“At present, we’ve extracted a partial fingerprint from the body. We’ve brought in a fingerprint expert from the city bureau to restore and compare it. However, the primary crime scene hasn’t been located yet. We’re conducting door-to-door inquiries to gather more clues,” Yuan Chenxi said clearly. “Although the industrial park has many surveillance cameras, their positions are fixed, so it’s easy to avoid them. The area is rarely trafficked, so progress has been slow.”

“So now our task is to find other cameras in our sector and investigate any witnesses?” Cen Lian quickly pieced together the logic.

“Exactly. Looks like you’re quite sharp,” Yuan Chenxi relaxed and pointed out their assigned area. “Here’s the car key. It’s a manual transmission. Can you drive it?”

“No problem,” Tang Hua said confidently.

Yuan Chenxi handed Tang Hua the key to an old Santana, signaling them to head out.

As Cen Lian went downstairs, he happened to see Wu Qiushan exiting an office.

“You’re starting work already?” Wu Qiushan asked, though his tone showed no surprise.

Tang Hua went to find the car while Cen Lian glanced toward the office Wu Qiushan had just left.

“The expert is restoring the fingerprint?” he inquired.

Wu Qiushan massaged his temple and nodded. “The fingerprint is heavily damaged, but the expert is working on it. I just stepped out for some fresh air.”

“This case still has no leads—it’s really troubling,” Cen Lian analyzed the situation. “Has no footage been captured on any surveillance?”

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“No. The killer is probably not a first-time offender,” Wu Qiushan’s brow furrowed deeply, as if he could crush a fly with the crease. “You must have seen the autopsy report—the victim showed signs of assault, but no bodily fluids were found. We tried cross-referencing with unsolved similar cases, but cases involving young boys as victims are extremely rare. Not just in Kang’an City, but throughout Yunling Province, no second case has been found.”

Cen Lian nodded. This case was indeed both complicated and rare.

“We’re heading out now. Contact us anytime if anything comes up,” Cen Lian held up his phone, ready to start canvassing for clues.

After all, his method of solving cases didn’t rely on sitting in an office.

When Cen Lian got into the car, Tang Hua had already come to terms with the aging Santana, managing to start it amid a faint buzzing noise.

“Not bad. It’s slow, but it shouldn’t fall apart,” Tang Hua said, hesitating slightly on the word “fall apart,” as if unsure.

“Look on the bright side—it at least has four wheels,” Cen Lian, a longtime community cop used to riding a bicycle, was easily contented.

Tang Hua considered this and agreed, then drove the old car off.

When they reached the industrial park, Cen Lian peered out the window, looking around.

“What are you looking at?” Tang Hua nervously searched for a parking spot.

“Just seeing if there are any suspicious-looking passersby,” Cen Lian said casually. “Anyway, we have no solid leads yet.”

Tang Hua was skeptical but parked the car.

The two went into a convenience store in the park to check the surveillance footage.

“This is the full footage from yesterday,” the clerk quickly pulled it up.

Cen Lian hadn’t expected much, but as he watched, a line of speech bubbles suddenly popped up on the screen, startlingly out of place.

This ability—he could even use his system through the screen.