Chapter 744: Chapter 399: Casting a Wide Net, Conducting Detailed Investigations! (Part 2)

"Even the slightest clue might help us clarify our direction."

Wan briefly gathered his thoughts and replied, "We’ve also attempted to obtain all surveillance footage within a five-kilometer radius of the crime scene."

"However, that area is a typical urban-rural interface, with very sparse surveillance coverage. We found a total of five cameras, but four have long been out of order due to age, making footage retrieval impossible."

"The only remaining camera is still operational but is installed in a remote location with a very limited view. After repeated checks, we still haven’t captured any valuable footage."

He spoke with a hint of regret, "So currently, it seems there’s little hope in pursuing the surveillance angle."

Jiang An nodded lightly, maintaining a steady tone, "This situation isn’t unexpected."

"Considering Jiangcheng’s current surveillance layout, urban-rural interfaces indeed have many blind spots. Weak infrastructure has consistently been a challenge in our investigation work."

"It’s alright, if surveillance doesn’t work, we’ll continue to break through other channels. Criminal investigation inherently can’t rely on just one path."

After speaking, he turned his gaze to Qin Feng and asked, "Brother Qin, have you discovered anything new regarding the deceased’s relationships?"

Qin Feng opened the notebook he always carried, and with clarity began his report, "We focused on visiting the deceased’s friends, neighbors, and several business partners."

"Most people conveyed that the deceased was easygoing and business-savvy, had a good reputation in the circle, and there were no apparent enemies or economic disputes."

"We also specifically investigated the deceased’s wife’s lifestyle, but those around them generally stated their relationship was stable, with no heard extramarital affairs or emotional conflicts."

"Everyone is deeply shocked by this tragedy, saying they couldn’t have imagined such a thing would happen."

Upon hearing this, Jiang An wore a serious expression and further inquired, "Regarding the emotional dynamics between the two male deceased and female deceased, have you conducted more in-depth cross-verification?"

"Is their marital relationship truly harmonious as it appears?"

"Is there any emotional intervention or hidden conflicts we’ve yet to detect?"

Just as he finished speaking, Qin Feng immediately took over, diligently reporting, "Captain, we’ve thoroughly investigated the emotional background of the two deceased, confirming both were originally married couples, not remarriages."

"The male deceased practically devoted all his energy to greenhouse crop cultivation, being pragmatic and low-key, currently showing no signs of infidelity or emotional entanglement."

"However, during our visits, villagers reported a single man in the village had, on numerous occasions, purposely approached the greenhouse to harass and provoke the female deceased with words when the male deceased wasn’t home, even with certain threats."

"But according to our multiple verifications, these actions remained verbal and didn’t progress to substantial infringement."

"It’s worth mentioning this man’s reputation is rather poor, not only having acted this way towards the deceased’s family but village women also reported similar harassment from him."

"Regarding his exact whereabouts on the night of the incident, we have yet to obtain concrete clues."

"Though this information is still unclear, I believe it requires further attention."

Jiang An nodded, calmly adding, "In the early stages of investigation, we must firmly adhere to a basic principle: ’cast a wide net and thoroughly probe.’

"For any case, initially we need to spread the net wide and broaden our thinking."

"Just like Mr Li emphasized to me today, the worst mistake in criminal investigation is making assumptions, we cannot easily overlook any possibility."

He paused briefly and continued, "Besides, the lab results are now available."

"We’ve conducted systematic analysis on more than two hundred samples extracted from the scene, confirming that there were indeed accelerant components present."

"Was it gasoline? Or alcohol?"

Wan couldn’t help but interject.

Jiang An gestured with his hand and firmly said, "Neither, the test results indicate the accelerant is the most common in our daily life—canola oil."

"That’s quite rare..."

Wan and Qin Feng exchanged a glance, a look of astonishment appearing on their faces simultaneously.

"Indeed very rare,"

Jiang An continued, "And precisely because of this, it appears especially unique."

"Moreover, through joint examination with the fire department, we’ve determined that there are independent ignition points in the living room and two bedrooms, totaling three."

"But does this directly confirm arson or intentional homicide by an outsider?"

"Currently, we cannot entirely rule out the possibility of internal factors causing the tragedy, such as heightened familial conflicts, and even in extreme cases, whether there was suicide or mutual destruction scenarios."

"These directions still cannot be ignored at this time."

Wan raised his eyebrows, expressing disbelief, "As the saying goes, ’a tiger, though cruel, does not eat its cubs.’ Would someone truly be ruthless enough to harm their own wife and child this way?"

"From common sense, it’s indeed unimaginable..."

Jiang An’s mouth subtly twitched, seemingly shocked and incredulous at this discovery.

He paused in silence, then picked up a stack of neatly printed papers from the nearby table, gently spreading them on the desk, his movements slow and solemn.

His tone was heavy and profound, "Frankly, when I first encountered these data, I was as skeptical as everyone else."