Chapter 39: Has our detachment really changed this much?

The Vehicle Management Office, or VMO for short.

Lu Zhongxin and another team member were there to look up vehicle information. Why not check with the traffic police department? Because the data held by different departments varies. The traffic police department only has basic vehicle information, such as the owner, brand, model, and usage status. For the average person, going to the traffic police squad is sufficient for daily business. While the process of consulting the VMO is relatively cumbersome, it provides the most accurate and comprehensive vehicle information. As a criminal investigator, Lu Zhongxin could naturally bypass the standard inquiry procedures—interdepartmental cooperation, after all.

Just as he was intently staring at the spreadsheet on the screen, his phone suddenly rang. He didn’t even glance at the caller ID before pressing the answer button.

"Hello, this is Lu Zhongxin."

"It’s Li Jun. Where are you?"

"Ah, Branch Chief Li. I’m at the VMO checking some vehicle records."

"I’m coming to find you."

"If there’s something up, can’t we discuss it over the phone? Even if it needs to be face-to-face, I should be the one coming to you."

He’s actually being quite considerate of me... Li Jun, on the other end of the line, briefly wondered if he had called the wrong person. If a phone call could solve this, he wouldn't have been scolded by the Chief today. Could it be that he forgot about the time I slighted him? Very likely!

"Enough with the pleasantries. Wait for me there."

This guy is as stubborn as a mule... It was precisely because Li Jun knew this that he insisted on meeting Lu in person. Only by laying it all out face-to-face could he possibly get this stubborn mule to bow his head.

Fifteen minutes later, Li Jun found Lu Zhongxin in an office.

"Old Lu, put down what you're doing and bring the case file with you. Come with me." He tried once again to use his authority as Branch Chief to command Lu.

"Where to?" Lu turned his head toward Li but didn't move his body; his hand remained on the mouse, showing no intention of getting up.

Actually, there was a tactical nuance to Li Jun's words. He didn't ask to see the file; he only told Lu to bring it. This way, he didn't have to face a refusal—the file was in Lu's hands, and as long as he followed, someone would eventually demand it. If Lu had the nerve, he could try to stand his ground to the end. You don't reach the position of Branch Chief without knowing how to manage people. Li Jun believed Lu was a man who knew when to advance and when to retreat; he was stubborn for the sake of the case, but he knew when to yield when necessary.

As the saying goes... adapt to circumstances to survive.

Time for a little shock. "The Chief wants to see you," Li Jun said in a deep voice.

The Chief! Lu Zhongxin felt his scalp tingle. He dared to refuse Li Jun for the sake of work because they were in the same branch—if the case was solved well, everyone looked good. The Branch Chief would certainly understand. Moreover, Lu knew one thing: Li Jun was protective of his subordinates and never made things difficult for them.

"The Chief wants to see the file, right?" He still wanted to confirm. Although the Chief's orders were unquestionable, if it violated principles, that would be another matter...

Li Jun saw through Lu’s hesitation immediately and snapped, "Old Lu, are you losing your mind?! The Chief wants to see you, and you’re questioning it? Has this one case muddled your head that much?!"

Seeing his superior angry, Lu Zhongxin immediately shut up. He could tell Li Jun was looking out for him.

"Forcing me to lose my temper..." Seeing the stubborn mule soften, Li Jun's tone eased. "Let's go. Ride in my car."

"Wait a moment," Lu said, pulling out his phone. "Let me check."

"No need to ask the team leader," Li Jun said confidently. "I'll talk to him later."

"It's not him I'm asking," Lu replied, not even looking up as he swiped across his screen.

Li Jun: ??? Not the team leader... Then who else could he be asking? Who exactly was leading this investigation? Did he have another superior? This stubborn mule wouldn't even give him, the Branch Chief, any face, yet now he was asking someone else for permission! Had a 'mole' infiltrated the branch? That couldn't be right; if someone from above had been sent down, he would have known, and the Chief would have certainly notified him.

Under Li Jun's bewildered gaze, Lu held the phone to his ear. "Da Zhang, the leadership wants to see the case file. What do you think..."

"Mm, I see."

"I understand. Alright, alright."

Ending the call, Lu turned to Li Jun. "The file is in the car downstairs. Let's go."

Li Jun blinked. "Wait, who did you just call?"

"Someone from our special task force," Lu said, surprised that the Branch Chief was so gossipy. Since he asked, he answered truthfully: "His full name is Yu Dazhang. A rookie who just arrived, my apprentice."

When he said the words "my apprentice," Lu unconsciously puffed out his chest. He looked as proud and smug as a parent whose child had finally been admitted to a top university.

A rookie? Li Jun was even more confused. You, a veteran criminal investigator and deputy leader of the task force, report to a rookie before doing anything? Looking at it, if that rookie hadn't agreed, even the Chief wouldn't have been able to see this file today. How incredible. The master listening to the apprentice... Has our branch changed that much? A rookie apprentice leading his master in solving cases. I just can't get used to this!

Twenty minutes later, in the Chief's office.

"Chief Wu, here is the case file." Lu Zhongxin placed the file on the desk.

"Sit. Both of you, sit. Let me look over the case details first."

Li Jun quickly tugged at Lu, who was staring fixedly at the Chief, signaling him to sit. He noticed Lu's gaze was strange—it looked like he was watching a thief. Was he just nervous? No, he was watching the file! His apprentice must have told him something, probably: "Go along with him, but don't let the file out of your sight."

Chief Wu didn't notice their odd behavior; his attention was entirely on the file. The first page contained the basic information: the time and location of the crime, as well as personal details of the reporter and the victim.

When he turned to the second page, he paused. The content seemed to have a magical quality, firmly capturing his gaze.

The suspect is taking the fall for someone else? Intentionally setting a trap for the police, luring the interrogators in to achieve his goal of acting as a scapegoat? How was this discovered?

Turning the page... The rental unit wasn't the primary crime scene! No footprints of the victim, no signs of a struggle. Using the high adsorption properties of activated carbon to preserve the body and delay the estimated time of death.

Turning again... Using new clues to dismantle the suspect's lies, proving he wasn't the real killer. Finding the local police station and, through a previous missing persons case, learning the detailed circumstances of the day the victim vanished. Then, using surveillance footage to deduce the true primary crime scene.

Turning once more... Confirming the victim's room was the killer's crime scene, with the technical department verifying and reconstructing the scene.

Seeing this, Chief Wu felt his brain buzzing. A sense of suffocation made it hard to breathe, and his heart rate quickened significantly. He hadn't paid much attention to this case because everyone knew it was just a murder with simple logic. He also knew that some departments had stuffed people who were due for promotion into the task force. Gilding the lily, he understood.

But the current situation... This was clearly a trial by fire! Was there someone this capable in the task force? To investigate such a complex case to this extent? No, should he say, was there anyone like this in the entire branch? Even if experts from the provincial department came, they might not be able to investigate this case to this degree in such a short time.

Who is it?!!!