Chapter 794: Chapter 423: Deductive Analysis by the Riverbank
Soon enough, Wan and Qin Feng arrived after hearing the news.
In an instant, the four stood in a line along the riverbank, their eyes all fixed on the muddy river edge.
The sunlight scattered on the slightly rippling water, reflecting glimmering patches.
Meanwhile, the grass on the shore appeared disordered, with some fallen marks standing out, mixed with footprints of varying depths.
Wan crouched down and couldn’t help but ask, "Mr. Jiang, could these markings have been left by people nearby fishing or catching shrimp?"
"Could they possibly be made by swimmers when climbing ashore?"
"This riverbank usually sees a lot of people coming and going; maybe these are just ordinary traces?"
Qin Feng rubbed his chin while nodding in agreement, "Makes sense."
"Although this part of the river is deep, I often see someone bringing ’followers’ to swim, making a mess when they come ashore."
Jiang An didn’t respond immediately but slightly turned, directing his gaze to Zhang Yean standing next to him.
His tone was steady, with a touch of inquiry, "Sis, you’ve just returned from training in the Imperial City, specializing in trace examination. Can you judge—are these traces possibly left by the suspect?"
Zhang Yean smiled lightly upon hearing this, her eyes slightly lifting, "Mr. Jiang, are you testing me?"
Jiang An waved with a smile, sincerely saying, "Don’t say that, professionals should do professional work."
"We in criminal investigation deal with a lot, but systematic knowledge relies on you all."
Zhang Yean nodded, with her gaze falling back to the ground.
She retracted her smile, focusing gradually, pointing at one of the footprints, "In that case, let me attempt to analyze."
She paused slightly, her tone becoming firm, "First, these footprints are not made by barefoot but are left by shoes. Notice the heel part,"
As she spoke, she crouched down, pointing lightly at several key positions.
"There are obvious protrusions and nipple-like patterns here, which are distinctive characteristics, often found on some outdoor or work shoes."
She stood up, dusted off her hands, and continued explaining, "Based on this, we can basically rule out the possibility of swimmers."
"Who would swim wearing shoes?"
"Especially with soles having obvious protrusions—not comfortable, nor reasonable."
"Secondly,"
She turned to Wan and Qin Feng, her tone calm, "As for those fishing or catching shrimp—such activities usually happen near shallows or stony beaches, while where we are now is moist, deep river edge, unsuitable for such activities."
"More importantly, the footprint directions, stride, and pressure distribution indicate purposeful walking, unlike casually searching for fish and shrimp or playing in the water."
She concluded, "Therefore, current evidence strongly supports that these are traces left by the suspect."
"Of course, further model extraction and comparison validation are needed, but the initial judgment is highly significant."
The four fell silent, with only the gentle sound of river water hitting the shore.
Zhang Yean looked around and lowered her voice, saying, "Consider this, if it were just regular villagers fishing or shrimp-catching, who would choose this spot?"
"Look on both sides—not far away, there are gentle steps leading to the shore, obviously more convenient for getting in and out of the water."
"Yet here, the terrain is steep, the water flows swiftly; it’s not a spot seasoned pros would choose."
"Moreover, those who truly get in the water at night would definitely bring lights, knowing the river’s depth, shallowness, slipperiness, and stability thoroughly."
"But look at the footprints on the muddy beach, some are deep, some shallow, with even signs of slipping and supporting up—clearly hurried, rolling and scrambling up."
"How does this look like someone here for fishing? More like... being chased, picking any route to escape hard from here."
He slightly turned his head, looking at Jiang An, with a hint of inquiry in his tone, "Mr. Jiang, what do you think?"
Jiang An nodded, a touch of admiration smiling on his lips, "Sis analyzed brilliantly."
"These aren’t just footprints; they’re like a ’emergency escape’ video clip."
"From the chaotic stride and the flipped soil, you can see they aren’t familiar with underwater terrain—especially at night, dim lights and psychological tension more easily leave struggle traces. This isn’t the behavior of regular villagers, highly likely left by the one we’re looking for."
Wan and Qin Feng by the side listened with bright eyes, as if suddenly promoted from ’looking at footprints’ to ’seeing a story.’
Wan couldn’t help but open his hands and laugh, saying, "My goodness, a bunch of mud prints."
"I only saw someone walked through here?"
Qin Feng also rubbed the back of his head, responding, "Exactly, do your eyes have magnifying lenses + story interpretation function?"
"We just see footprints, you see a whole ’Riverbank Escape Chronicles’!"
Jiang An and Zhang Yean exchanged looks and both laughed.
"Traces speak; the key is you must learn to listen."
Then, Jiang An crouched down, thoughtfully continuing, "If the suspect indeed came up from this spot, where would he go next?"
"Behind is this forest—though not dense, it is not easily passed."
He stood up, dusting off his hands, with his gaze sweeping over the somewhat messy lawn, his tone gradually heavier, "More importantly, did you notice?"
"This lawn has some not-so-obvious depressions, though wet with dew, still shows signs of someone having walked."
