Chapter 799: Chapter 425: The Bottleneck of the Investigation
"As long as he shows up, he can’t completely have no shadow."
"If he took a vehicle... then how exactly did this vehicle come about?"
"Was it an ambush in advance?"
"A randomly stopped vehicle?"
"Or... an accomplice?"
He lowered his voice, as if talking to himself, "If he was soaking wet, or even had bloodstains, an ordinary driver wouldn’t let him into the car. Unless—"
Jiang An paused for a moment, his gaze scanning everyone’s face: "Unless, he had his own car."
He suddenly paused, lifted his gaze to scan everyone’s face in attendance, "We must also consider another more concealed scenario."
"The suspect might have parked the vehicle there beforehand."
He stood up, walked to the whiteboard and sketched a simple diagram: "You are all familiar with that area, there are no security patrols, no surveillance coverage, and even the street lights are spaced far apart."
"If there are more cars parked on the roadside, it would not attract anyone’s attention at all."
"In this way, after committing the crime, he could leisurely drive away without worrying about being captured by surveillance during the crime’s timeframe."
Jiang An heavily tapped the whiteboard with his finger, "His time of departure can be flexibly arranged—he could leave immediately after the crime, or wait until the next morning to blend into the rush hour traffic and disappear quietly."
"In this way, our previous investigation into vehicles within 3 hours before and after the crime was completely in vain!"
This statement hit Wan and Qin Feng in the face like a loud slap as they returned from the surveillance room.
The two exchanged glances, only feeling their faces burning.
Wan instinctively touched the back of his neck, recalling when he was in the surveillance room and confidently said: "Vehicles passing by within an hour before and after the crime must be the focus of our investigation."
At the time, Qin Feng even gave him a thumbs-up.
Thinking back now, it was simply laughable.
He glanced at Jiang An from the corner of his eye—the criminal investigation team captain who is five years younger than him, whose meticulous thinking is terrifying.
Wan and Qin Feng both sighed lightly, shook their heads with a bitter smile.
At this moment they finally understood why Jiang An could be promoted from an ordinary criminal policeman to captain in just three years, while they were still standing still.
Such precise grasp of criminal psychology and insight beyond conventional thinking cannot be achieved just by staying up late to watch surveillance.
"Immediately adjust the investigation direction."
Jiang An’s voice brought them back to reality, "I want you to re-check all potentially long-term parking spots within a five-kilometer radius of the crime scene."
"The timeframe is—" he paused, "from one day before the crime to now."
Then, his gaze swept across the room and finally landed on Wan and Qin Feng.
"This time, don’t just focus on surveillance tapes."
"Go visit nearby shops, residents, sanitation workers, and ask if they noticed any vehicles parked for a long time."
"Sometimes, the most traditional methods are actually the most effective."
Wan and Qin Feng immediately straightened up, a renewed determination in their eyes.
This time, they definitely wouldn’t disappoint the captain again.
Then, Wan quickly inserted a CD into the computer drive, the screen lit up, divided into the real-time footage of four surveillance cameras.
Sitting tense and focused, they carefully examined one camera after another.
One and a half hours later, the footage from camera number 2 in the southwest corner suddenly caught everyone’s attention.
At 5:50 AM, a black sedan quietly drove away.
Soon after, the traffic increased, and the frequent comings and goings of vehicles made the screen busy.
"Stop!"
Jiang An suddenly spoke, his finger heavily rapped on the screen, "Immediately check all vehicles that left between 5:50 AM and 7 AM, not a single one can be missed."
"This case involves a human life, we must be completely thorough."
"Before 7 AM? That’s at least a dozen vehicles!"
Someone nearby gasped.
Jiang An’s expression was grave: "No matter how many, we need to check."
With the order, the entire team immediately sprang into action.
One hour later, the vehicle list was quickly collated—by 7 AM, a total of 15 vehicles had left.
Jiang An stared at the list of license plates, suddenly looking up: "I’ll lead the team this time."
"I’ve been sitting in the office for the past years, almost forgetting what it feels like to run on the frontlines."
"Let me, this criminal investigator, indulge in one last thrill, who knows, this might be the ’last mile’ to catch the killer."
Zhang Yean laughed upon hearing this: "That’s right! There’s nothing like the freedom of us frontline policemen compared to leadership!"
"Then let’s team up once more to put an end to this case!"
The three exchanged smiles, the air filled with a long-lost sense of passion and camaraderie.
As they spoke, they quickly walked out of the office, heading straight for the underground parking lot.
A black business vehicle was quietly parked in the corner, the body reflecting a cold, hard gleam.
Jiang An opened the car door, and the group quickly got inside, the engine rumbled deeply, driving out of the criminal investigation unit.
According to the pre-arranged license plate information, they performed investigations and summons sequentially from nearest to farthest.
By 10 PM, all 15 target drivers had been brought back to the station.
The criminal investigation unit’s interrogation area was brightly lit at this time.
Five interrogation rooms were simultaneously active, shadows flickered, the sounds of phones, keyboards, and quiet whispers intertwined, criminal investigators walked briskly, the atmosphere tense like a taut string.
Despite the lack of personnel, Jiang Feng, Jiang An, and Wan each took charge of an interrogation room, personally getting involved.
Qin Feng, holding a notebook, began recording from the first suspect, following up on the records one by one.
Jiang An pushed open the door of interrogation room number 3, his gaze steadily landing on the man opposite him.
The man was around forty, wearing a plain jacket, looking a bit uneasy, his fingers constantly rubbing the edge of the table.
"Do you know why we brought you here?"
The man was taken aback, then forced a smile: "Officer, I’m driving a car right now... is it because I was running a black cab without an operational certificate?"
"I’ll admit to that, but it shouldn’t require such a large operation, right..."
"It’s not about the car," Jiang An interrupted him, his tone turning cold, "It’s about a murder case."
He paused slightly, watching the man’s pupils suddenly constrict, then continued: "The couple that died in the East River—have you heard of it?"
"Heard of it, they died pretty horribly..." The man swallowed, "You want to ask me for information?"
"Not for information," Jiang An leaned forward, lowering his voice more, "It’s suspected that you’re connected to this case."
"What!?"
The man’s head shot up, his face turning pale instantly, "Me? Murder case?"
"Officer, please don’t joke! I’m just driving for Didi, I don’t even run red lights, how could I possibly kill someone! You can’t just arrest people!"
Wan, who was recording beside them, raised his head and cast him a cold glance, "No one’s framing you, just cooperate with the investigation and explain clearly."
Jiang An continued to inquire: "Where were you last night?"
"At home asleep! I didn’t go out all night!"
"Can anyone verify that?"
"I live alone... the surveillance, phone records should be visible, right?"
"There’s no witness in the bedroom, but I have installed security windows, I couldn’t have climbed out of those..."
He spoke more urgently, sweat appearing at his temples.
Jiang An didn’t speak, only quietly observed him, until the man uneasily averted his gaze, then he spoke again:
"Did you notice anything unusual when passing by East River Road that night? People or vehicles both count."
"Unusual..."
The man lowered his head, his fingers pressed against his temples as if trying to recall.
After a moment, he suddenly lifted his head, eyes brightening:
"A car... seemed a bit strange."
"Parked by the roadside for a long time, didn’t turn on headlights either."
"I initially thought it was someone fishing at night and didn’t pay attention, but shortly after I drove past it, it moved too... followed quietly behind."
His tone turned hesitant, as if only now realizing some fear.
"That car... seemed to follow me for two blocks."
