I Play Dungeons in the Police Station-Chapter 418 - 253: Blood Trail Tracking, Meiqiu Arrives
"Let’s go, time to eat."
The two people and a dog returned to the task force office, which was still brightly lit. As soon as they entered, they were met with the strong smell of instant noodles. There was a box of instant noodles on the table, and the trash bin was filled with empty noodle containers.
"Still working overtime?"
It had already been two hours past quitting time.
"There’s a new direction in the investigation today, so everyone’s working hard to organize the day’s data and find new leads as soon as possible."
"By the way, have you eaten? Let me take you out to eat."
Overtime was the norm for the task force, especially when dealing with murder cases. Every second counted, and even meal times were not wasted. Most team members simply ate a couple of bites of noodles in the office to get by.
But Qiu Cang had decided to wait for Li Xiang to return so he could take them out to eat something.
After all, experts sent from the provincial level aren’t here to eat instant noodles.
Besides, he held Li Xiang’s background in some awe. He wasn’t afraid of giving Li Xiang a hard time, as long as it didn’t also affect the Longhai City Public Security Bureau.
"Why go out to eat? We have instant noodles here. Let’s just eat here."
Li Xiang entered, grabbing a box of instant noodles from the table and tossing it to Yang Ming to prepare, demonstrating how well his assistant had been put to use.
"Any leads so far?"
In the afternoon, Li Xiang hadn’t returned, so Qiu Cang, who had come back early to manage things, wanted to check if there were any new findings during this time.
"The killer and suspects probably aren’t locals. Xiao Wang village has a small population, only about two hundred households. Villagers are familiar with each other, and according to our investigation, no one has been reported missing recently. We suspect that Xiao Wang village is merely a dumping ground for the killer. Currently, we are intensifying video surveillance, though it’s challenging in rural areas where resources are sparse. We’ll do our best."
Yang Ming’s noodles were prepared quickly.
Seeing how Yang Ming catered to Li Xiang’s every need reinforced Qiu Cang’s assumption that Li Xiang must be some rich scion.
Hold on, with the surname Li? Province Public Security Bureau Chief Li Zhongqing also has the surname Li, but I’ve heard he has a daughter, and she’s married.
Could it be a secret... Oh!
Qiu Cang gasped, realizing he might have guessed right. This could explain why Li Xiang was here and why someone his age was assigned as an assistant to cater to his daily needs.
Otherwise, all being of the same age, who would willingly serve you?
At that moment, Li Xiang was clearly unaware of the mental gymnastics Qiu Cang was going through. If he knew that Qiu Cang linked him to Li Zhongqing, he would only praise his imagination, thinking, "With such imagination, how could he not solve major cases?"
Then he’d sharply admonish, "If you used that brain of yours for solving cases, would I even need to be here?"
Li Xiang took a bite of the noodles, reliving a familiar taste.
Back when he lived in an urban village and didn’t feel like cooking, he often ate instant noodles. But after life improved, he seldom ate them. Now, taking another bite almost made him nostalgic enough to cry.
Too nostalgic.
Li Xiang continued eating and asked, "Has there been any investigation into the missing persons from Yuquan?"
"All checked. Currently, three and a half people meet the age criteria. An external team will verify tomorrow."
Hearing this, Li Xiang set down his noodle fork, confused, "Three or four, make up your mind. What’s with the three and a half?"
"Well, those three were reported missing by family, but that half was reported by a landlord, who said their tenant couldn’t be found and the lease had expired with no contact. Such instances aren’t rare. Usually, the police advise the landlord to record the entire process when opening the place, clean the room, and store any valuables for the tenant to collect later, then re-rent the property. But since we’re looking for missing persons, we’re counting her in for now. We’re checking if she went back home."
After Qiu Cang’s explanation, Li Xiang understood what the half-person was about. Given the critical phase, even this half-person warrants investigation.
After finishing his meal, Li Xiang and Yang Ming followed Qiu Cang to their assigned dormitory.
The rest of the task force continued working overtime.
Early next morning, at eight, Li Xiang arrived promptly at the task force office. Those who had worked late last night had already returned to their posts.
Seeing Li Xiang’s prompt arrival, Qiu Cang stood up and said, "Now that everyone’s here, let’s have a meeting to review our current leads and assign tasks."
The meeting began, and each group presented their findings, giving Li Xiang a comprehensive understanding of the task force’s progress.
The task force had made significant strides; after a full day of investigation and overtime, they had clarified multiple leads, ready for a thorough investigation today.
"The video team should continue their review, focusing on non-motorized or suspicious vehicles like motorcycles, especially those with plastic bags visible. Verify all of them."
"The field team will verify the status of the three and a half missing persons."
"The reconnaissance group will expand its reach to find potential eyewitnesses."
...
Qiu Cang assigned tasks to the team and eventually turned to Li Xiang, "Team Leader Li, do you have any plans?"
Even if no hope came with his arrival, as long as this second-generation official was entertained, it was okay.
"I didn’t finish the walk along the Xiangshui River yesterday, so we’ll continue today with the dog. Update me if anything comes up."
Qiu Cang’s arrangements were detailed, and they were waiting for outcomes. As they hadn’t completed yesterday’s distance, they would continue.
Qiu Cang nodded at Li Xiang’s plan, letting them proceed at their discretion.
Li Xiang, with Yang Ming and the dog, returned to the Xiangshui River from the previous day.
"How far did you get yesterday?"
"Not very far, mainly because it’s slow."
Yang Ming pointed at the dog, which seemed to understand his criticism, immediately whimpering in dissatisfaction.
"It’s not your fault." Li Xiang petted its head comfortingly.
He then explained to Yang Ming, "After the rain, the scent of blood in the air is faint. Without thorough checks, it’s hard to identify."
The dog had undergone professional blood-trail tracking training; it would ensure that every spot checked was thoroughly eliminated.
This took time; just walking through wasn’t enough. It required repeated sniffing.
Especially after a downpour, the difficulty increased exponentially, so the dog’s slow pace was understandable.
"My bad, don’t worry. We’ll find it slowly, no rush."
Seeing the dog ignore him and even migrate to Li Xiang’s side, Yang Ming quickly apologized and moved closer.
After a whole morning of searching, they still found nothing. 𝑓𝑟ℯ𝘦𝓌𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝑐ℴ𝓂
At noon, Qiu Cang called them back for lunch and a discussion about the missing persons.
In the cafeteria, they talked about the morning’s findings over lunch.
"The main focus remains the missing persons. One has returned on their own after a domestic dispute. We located them and persuaded them to come back. We have no leads on the other two, but we have collected DNA samples from their parents for comparison. The last half-person, the landlord from Dongjin District provided the lease. Through identity verification, we discovered she used a fake ID, which blocks this lead."
"For now, we will await details on the other missing persons."
The direction for Yuquan was set by Li Xiang yet had shown no results. Although he felt the pressure, he knew that urgency alone doesn’t yield answers.
Every step needed to be meticulously executed.
