Chapter 792: Chapter 422: An Important Discovery During the Riverbank Investigation!
Meanwhile, in the deputy director’s office at the Jiangcheng City Public Security Bureau, Li Jian was pacing nervously, reminiscent of an ant on a hot pan.
He hadn’t been in his position for long, yet in these few short months, he had deeply felt the heavy weight behind the title "director."
Endless tasks, responsibilities as heavy as a mountain.
Especially when major cases remain unresolved, attention and pressure from all sides form an invisible net, suffocating him.
Early this morning, as he stepped into the office, before he could even sip his first cup of hot tea, the phone from the media center rushed in urgently.
Jiangcheng City Television Station, Jiangcheng Daytime News, Jiangcheng Daily... Several major local media outlets unexpectedly applied to hold a press conference on the "double murder case."
Honestly, Li Jian didn’t oppose media interviews.
Informing the public after solving a case and showcasing justice is an important aspect of police work.
But the problem is—at this critical juncture?
The case is still unresolved!
The evidence chain isn’t complete, the key suspect isn’t identified, and the investigation is at a stalemate.
What could he say at a press conference now?
Should he confess to a dozen cameras that his team has made minimal progress over weeks?
Or dodge questions with vague official rhetoric?
He could almost foresee the consequences: not only being labeled as "ineffective" or "incompetent," but also damaging the reputation of the entire Jiangcheng Criminal Investigation Team.
What would the public think?
How would the leaders view it?
If the case is perfectly solved and then they show off, the press conference becomes a celebration and a shining moment for the criminal investigation team.
But now... the only "progress" he has is the forensic report which just got submitted—cold, direct, yet doesn’t point to the truth at all.
Every moment of delay is a betrayal of the public’s right to know.
But every word revealed without careful consideration might disturb the suspect or even mislead the investigation.
He thought about last night’s call with Captain Jiang An, whose voice was tired yet still forcefully energized, saying they worked overnight comparing and investigating but still found no breakthrough clues.
Reality was like a cold wall between expectations and abilities.
The phone rang again, urging him incessantly.
Li Jian took a deep breath, his brows knitted into a tight knot.
There was no time to hesitate any longer—an urgent response was needed.
He needed to reply, and it had to be appropriate, dignified, without discouragement or leaking secrets.
But what should he say?
At this tense moment, an urgent knock on the door resounded once more, almost shattering the door panel.
"Come in!"
"Emergency situation!"
The door was pushed open, and rushing inside was Director Zhang from the public relations department.
His forehead was covered in sweat, exuding anxiety.
"Mr. Ma, Mr. Li!"
Panting heavily, Director Zhang said, while tightly clutching a stack of documents.
"The media reporters have swarmed in!"
"We had clearly not decided on accepting interviews, only mentioned considering and responding later."
"But they didn’t wait for our response; they’re already on their way—they’re like sharks smelling blood, all coming for the traffic!"
Upon hearing this, Li Jian’s scalp tingled immediately.
He paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan, almost deforming the pen in his hand.
In distress, he grabbed his mobile phone, quickly searched for Jiang An’s number and dialed it.
As of now, the only thing that could stabilize the situation was whatever progress they had over there.
The call connected quickly, and Jiang An’s steady voice came through: "Mr. Li."
"Where are you now?"
"We’re still by the river at the crime scene."
Li Jian lowered his voice, with a hint of suspicion: "What’s the latest situation now?"
"Weren’t the bodies already autopsied, and the scene investigated?"
"Why have you returned to the riverbank?"
"According to our deductions, we suspect a third person exists, and the suspect might have left via the waterway."
Jiang An explained calmly, "Right now, we’re trying to find traces that the suspect may have left when climbing ashore, such as muddy drag marks, broken reeds, or footprints on the shoal."
Li Jian was momentarily stunned, even thinking he heard wrong.
"Wait... the suspect went into the water himself?"
"That’s an unusually unconventional method, isn’t it?"
In his years of handling cases, he’d dealt with many water-related dumping cases but hardly ever saw a suspect jump into the water to escape after disposing of bodies.
Taking a deep breath, Li Jian sought to calm his inner turmoil, then asked: "Are you sure this search is really useful? It sounds risky."
On the other end, Jiang An chuckled lightly but spoke with great certainty.
"Mr. Li, we’re reversing the behavioral logic from the bodies."
"Both deceased individuals weren’t capable of riding a motorcycle—the male victim’s blood alcohol level exceeded 200mg/100ml, already in a state of stupor."
"The female victim not only lacked a license but was never seen riding a motorcycle."
"Most crucially, neither of the bodies had internal thigh abrasions caused by motorcycle riding."
He paused briefly, letting the information settle in, then continued: "Therefore, we strongly suspect that the suspect pushed the motorcycle into the river as well."
"If he didn’t go into the water himself, how could the motorcycle end up in the middle of the river?"
"How could there be almost no traces left behind?"
"What we’re looking for now is that ’flaw’ when he climbed ashore."
