SFTD -Chapter 286 Come On, Let’s Fill You Up!

As he spoke, he didn’t dare run too fast. With his legs pressed tightly together, he hurried downstairs in tiny quick steps. Given his height, combined with that awkward movement, it was an absolutely hilarious sight.

Behind him, Xu Biao still wouldn’t shut up, even matching his teasing to the rhythmic drumbeats of a Peking opera entrance tune. Da Zhao scratched his head furiously before disappearing down the stairwell.

Everyone entered the conference room and took their seats.

A cardboard box sat on the table. Zhou Hai did not ask about it, knowing the report meeting was about to begin anyway.

A moment later, Da Zhao came running back upstairs, panting heavily. He had changed into a brand-new pair of pants. Shooting Xu Biao an annoyed glare, he sat beside Huang Zhongsheng. Huang Zhongsheng gestured toward Zhang Chao.

“Alright, everyone’s here. Let’s begin. Zhang Chao, explain the suspect’s identification of the hiding place and the excavation of the buried evidence.”

Zhang Chao stood and opened the cardboard box, revealing a black backpack inside.

“Last night, we took the suspect, Ji Cheng’an, to Zhong Village Residential Complex and excavated the location he remembered. However, we didn’t find the backpack there. Later, this black backpack was dug up in front of Unit 2, Building 16.

The cash inside had become moldy and corroded. After photographing it, specialists counted the money. The total came to 251,300 yuan, with 3,700 yuan damaged beyond use.

According to Ji Cheng’an’s confession, he only took out ten thousand yuan, so the amount of missing money matches up.

We also found a knife, gloves, a crowbar, masks, an iron hook, and a crumpled wad of toilet paper. Inside the toilet paper, we discovered a used condom, along with half a roll of tape.

All these items were sent for testing last night, and the lab reports are now complete.”

As he spoke, Zhang Chao pushed a stack of forensic reports forward.

“A complete fingerprint was found on the inside of the tape, and it has been confirmed to belong to Ji Cheng’an.

The bloodstains on the gloves and knife contained DNA from three people: Ji Heping, Ji Chenglong, and Ji Chengxue.

Inside the condom, Ji Cheng’an’s DNA was detected.”

Huang Zhongsheng nodded and closed his notebook.

“Alright. The evidence in this case is conclusive. There’s nothing more to discuss. Captain Xu, do you have any further opinions?”

Captain Xu shook his head.

“We can finally close this case. Never would I have imagined the suspect would turn out to be Ji Cheng’an. But now that the entire Ji family has been killed, these assets will still end up going to Ji Jianguo’s family. To say something superstitious… perhaps this is the only repayment for saving Ji Cheng’an back then.”

Zhou Hai did not continue that topic.

If this was considered “repayment,” then why had Ji Heping’s family been murdered? Simply because their daughter had fallen for someone else? Or because her mother was narrow-minded and greedy?

If those reasons were enough to deserve death, then far too many people in this world should die.

The root of everything lay with Ji Cheng’an himself.

Once he learned he had been adopted, his inferiority complex and sense of identity completely shifted. In an instant, he excluded himself from the family. In Ji Cheng’an’s eyes, Ji Heping’s family were no longer relatives.

Faced with Ji Heping’s pleas, and the thrill of murdering four people in succession, Ji Cheng’an’s psychology had become horribly twisted. He had even become sexually aroused during the murders. Afterward, he handled the cleanup with terrifying perfection.

After leaving the military, he used Zhang Chao to enter the police system. Every move had been carefully designed to learn more about the investigation and ensure his own case sank permanently into oblivion.

The entire plan had been meticulous beyond belief.

Zhou Hai quietly let out a breath, only then noticing Huang Zhongsheng poking his arm.

“Director Zhou, Captain Xu is asking whether we’re still going to investigate that dismemberment case from twenty-five years ago.”

Zhou Hai shook his head.

“Without any new leads, we shouldn’t reopen that case for now. Too much time has passed. There’s little evidence left, the original crime scene has completely changed, and the witnesses can no longer be contacted. Even if we invest manpower and resources, it’ll be difficult to achieve much. We’ll rest and reorganize this afternoon, then head to Jinzhou. They’ve already reported several cases to us.”

Captain Xu clapped his hands.

“Sounds good. Let’s put the dismemberment case aside for now. Since you’re taking a break, I’ll have someone take you all to the hot springs!”

Before Zhou Hai could object, Xu Biao instantly leaned forward.

“A bunch of grown men going to hot springs? Forget that nonsense.

What, we’re all supposed to sit around shirtless comparing who has more flab? No need to look—I’d win without question.

I think you should hurry up and finish the paperwork for this case. We’ll just do our own thing. We were up until after midnight last night and only slept two or three hours. Everyone should get some proper rest.

Hai Zi, Captain Huang, what do you think?”

Zhou Hai glanced at Xu Biao.

He knew exactly why Xu Biao reacted this way. He was worried Zhou Hai would think about Lu Xi again. After all, the last time they were in Mocheng City, Lu Xi had confessed her feelings to him.

Zhou Hai nodded.

“Alright then, let’s head back, eat, and rest. Xu Biao can decide the afternoon schedule. When it comes to food, drinks, and entertainment, he’s the expert.”

Xu Biao grinned crookedly, and Huang Zhongsheng nodded in agreement.

“That’s absolutely true. Xu Biao’s research into eating, drinking, and having fun has already reached the pinnacle of mastery. If there were rankings for it, he’d definitely be at the very top.”

Xu Biao rolled his eyes at them.

“Enough already, let’s go. My stomach temple is already protesting loudly. Let’s eat something simple first—I need a nap. My brain’s running out of blood, and I can’t think straight anymore.”

Huang Zhongsheng paused.

“You serious? You’re not saving room for a good dinner tonight?”

Xu Biao shrugged and waved at everyone.

“Let’s move.”

The entire inspection team quickly left the conference room.

Huang Zhongsheng and Zhou Hai exchanged a few polite words with Captain Xu and the others. Seeing that Zhou Hai’s group had already made up their minds, they did not insist on keeping them.

After all, they would still meet often in the future.

However, Zhou Hai gave Captain Xu one suggestion: they really needed their own forensic examiner. Regardless of skill level, having one would make things much more convenient.

Captain Xu naturally understood the importance.

“I want one too, but I can’t recruit anyone.”

Zhou Hai thought for a moment.

“You should first improve the hardware conditions. As for forensic and trace evidence personnel, we can discuss that further. I actually have an idea, but I’ll need to discuss it with Director Liu and Director Pang after we get back.

In many cases, the first crime scene investigation and autopsy are decisive. That’s the most direct examination you’ll ever get. The classification of the case and the direction of the investigation are usually based on that initial assessment.

Take your case as an example. Even though you invited forensic experts from the center to conduct the autopsy, a crime scene can’t always be fully investigated in one visit. New clues can appear at any time and require further verification. That’s why having your own forensic and trace evidence personnel is extremely important.

As for methods, you could either recruit independently or select officers from your criminal investigation unit and provide specialized training. Think about it—a skilled detective who also understands forensic science and trace analysis would be twice as effective.

And this kind of training wouldn’t require an overly deep medical background. As for the training content and specific methods, I’ll think it through further. Ideally, even a short-term course could provide real practical working ability.”

Captain Xu’s eyes widened.

What Zhou Hai described sounded practically perfect.

If even a few detectives in his unit could double as forensic or trace evidence specialists, even without exceptional expertise, it would eliminate a great deal of trouble. Add better salary incentives, and morale would rise even higher.

Zhou Hai had no idea what Captain Xu was imagining. He only saw Captain Xu suddenly gripping his hand tightly.

“This plan is excellent. Criminal investigation personnel are relatively stable. If they could master more related skills, I’m sure they’d be willing. I’m registering Mocheng City in advance. Make sure to reserve more spots for us.”

Zhou Hai smiled faintly.

“Let’s wait and see.”

Behind Zhou Hai, Xu Biao coughed loudly twice, wearing a deeply aggrieved expression.

“Cough, cough! Hai Zi, I’m starving to death here. At least let me eat something before I sleep!”

Zhou Hai laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

“Come on, let’s fill you up!”