Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Life needs a little surprise.

Looking at it now, the effect is quite good.

"Wanted to give you a surprise."

Lu Chuan magically pulled out a bouquet of fresh flowers from behind his back: "For you."

Who said police officers don’t understand romance? If Lu Chuan doesn’t, isn’t there still the internet?

Recently, Lu Chuan downloaded a dating guide app, which specifically recommends some tricks on how to make a girlfriend happy.

Lu Chuan has tried them a few times and feels they’re quite useful.

Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Lu Chuan returned from a mission today. According to the team’s rules, he could have gone home to rest, but in order to see Shen Yan, he went straight to the team instead.

"A new hotpot restaurant opened on Friendship Road. Brother San said it’s pretty good. Shall we go tonight?"

"Sure, coincidentally there’s a new movie out today. Let’s catch it after dinner."

Shen Yan doesn’t usually have much entertainment, or rather, most people’s entertainment activities aren’t very varied.

For couples in love, dining and watching movies is the most common form of entertainment.

"Alright."

After chatting for a while, someone came for a bone density test, so Lu Chuan left first.

Back at the Crime Scene Investigation office, Liu Guodong had just returned.

"Lu, you’re back?"

"How’s the case this time?"

The usual way police greet each other isn’t about having eaten yet, but whether the case is solved.

"Not bad, quite smoothly."

Lu Chuan handed a Chunghwa cigarette to Liu Guodong, then opened the drawer, tore open a new pack of cigarettes, and placed it on the table for everyone.

"Did Brother Bai and Brother Yang just mention a theft case?"

Usually, cases from the Criminal Investigation Team, if not particularly challenging, don’t escalate to the level of the Criminal Investigation Team.

And the case consultation meeting is a mechanism that lies between handling it themselves and reporting it upwards.

The Criminal Investigation Team can request experts from the higher team for assistance.

"It was a burglary. The money’s gone, but the culprit didn’t leave any clues."

"No footprints, no fingerprints, and no clues on the surveillance video. Nothing at all. It’s like the thief appeared and disappeared out of thin air."

Hmm?

It’s understandable if there are no fingerprints; thieves these days are clever and know to wear gloves. But there shouldn’t be no footprints, right?

"Were the footprints wiped away?"

Liu Guodong shook his head: "The homeowner’s footprints are all there. No signs of cleaning in the room. The High-tech Zone’s Criminal Investigation Team couldn’t manage, so they requested a joint meeting."

Old Bai joined the conversation: "How much was stolen?"

"Not much money, over ten thousand in cash, plus some jewelry."

Oh, Old Bai instantly lost interest. Just over ten thousand yuan, it’s not considered a big case.

Lu Chuan also lost interest. For someone who often deals with homicide cases, such a small amount doesn’t seem significant.

However, what may seem insignificant here must be taken seriously by the High-tech Zone’s Criminal Investigation Team.

Because the victim was the brother-in-law of a local official in the High-tech Zone.

In their words, is the public security in the High-tech Zone really this bad now?

The team has been quite peaceful lately without any cases, so in the afternoon Zhang Hui came over for a chat.

"Lu Chuan, have you heard about the case in the High-tech Zone?"

Lu Chuan nodded: "I heard from Master this morning, he mentioned that the suspect left no clues."

Zhang Hui nodded: "They found Brother Qiang over there and asked me to go over as well."

"But as you know, my skills are more suited for apprehending people, less so for dealing with thefts..."

It’s not likely that the High-tech Zone’s Criminal Investigation Team would formally request help from the Criminal Investigation Team for such a small break-in.

However, that doesn’t stop them from seeking help through personal connections.

In fact, the captain of the High-tech Zone Criminal Investigation Team, Yuan Shaokang, initially wanted to ask Lu Chuan for assistance.

However, after calling yesterday, he learned that Lu Chuan was on a business trip, so he didn’t follow up.

Today, even after the joint meeting yielded no major breakthroughs, they contacted Ren Qiang.

"I don’t have much going on tomorrow either, I’ll go with you to check it out."

Lu Chuan naturally understood Zhang Hui’s intentions. There wasn’t much to do at the Crime Scene Investigation office, so he might as well go along.

Although Lu Chuan wasn’t too interested in this case in the morning, he was still curious about how the suspect managed to leave no traces.

From a crime scene investigation perspective, it’s impossible for a suspect to be at a scene and leave absolutely no trace—it’s just a matter of whether the investigators can find them.

Early the next morning, after picking up Forensic Doctor Shen, Lu Chuan mentioned the matter.

After Liu Guodong finished the morning meeting, the two headed directly for the High-tech Zone Criminal Investigation Team.

"Haha, Brother Lu, didn’t expect Zhang Hui to bring you along too!"

Though Yuan Shaokang is the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team, he showed full respect to both Zhang Hui and Lu Chuan.

"Captain Yuan, you’re too kind. I just came back from a trip to Tianzhou City yesterday. Brother Hui said there’s a case here, and since the team isn’t busy lately, I thought I’d come and see if I could help out."

"With both you and Zhang Hui on board, this small case should be a breeze."

After some pleasantries, the group headed straight to the scene.

"In all my years as a police officer, this is the first time I’ve encountered such a case."

In the car, Yuan Shaokang explained the basic situation of the case: "The victim reported the case the day before yesterday, but the exact time of the burglary is uncertain. The victim left for a business trip seven days ago, and his wife and child went back to her parents’ home."

"Captain Yuan, I heard from Master yesterday that the suspect didn’t leave any traces—no fingerprints, no footprints, is that right?"

Yuan Shaokang nodded: "Not just that. The victim’s residence is in a development built a few years ago, with quite comprehensive security features, including surveillance cameras at the entrance. We reviewed all the footage from the past seven days and checked everyone entering and exiting—besides the homeowners and food delivery personnel, other visitors were also investigated, but nothing was found."

"How well is the scene preserved?"

"We communicated with the victim; after the incident, he didn’t stay at home. Only three of our people have been inside."

"No property management staff went in?"

"No, after discovering the theft, the victim reported it directly, and no property management staff entered."

In that case, the scene should be relatively intact.

Half an hour later, Tianrun Garden District.

Building 2, Unit 3.

Standing at the entrance, Lu Chuan looked up at the surveillance camera at the unit’s entrance.

A fixed-angle camera facing the entrance of the unit building.

Anyone entering or leaving the unit cannot avoid being captured by the surveillance.

Entering the unit, directly facing the elevator, there are entry doors on both sides.

Evidently, the brother-in-law of the official resides in a well-off property, with each floor having only two apartments.

South-facing apartments are comfortable to live in. In contrast, buildings with three or more apartments per floor are less neatly arranged than those with just two.