58: Chapter 57: Meritorious Service 58: Chapter 57: Meritorious Service Noon.
The scorching sun hung high, beaming down intensely.
The rocks atop the mountain were so hot from the sunlight that they seemed to sear like a young man’s groin.
The sandy gravel and shattered ore on the ground shook under the breeze, coarse and rough, even the dogs scorned it.
“Dazhuang, sit down.” Li Li’s voice was both light and crisp, like a breath of wind that soothed everyone’s hearts.
The exhausted and overheated detectives of Changyang City sought shade from the light, and hearing Li Li’s voice was like having their hearts cooled in an air-conditioned room, instantly comfortable.
“Which unit are they from?”
Such a soft-spoken girl as a police officer, she must sweet-talk the suspects to death.”
“Actually, when you think about it, being a dog isn’t so bad.”
During rest time, a group of people simply chatted idly as they sat.
The leaders also moved a few rocks to sit on the ground, turning a deaf ear to the discussions of the officers beside them.
The command vehicle was right there with air conditioning, but no one suggested retreating inside for a rest.
Today’s operation involved multiple parties: people from the provincial office, Changyang City Bureau, Ningtai County Criminal Police Detachment, forest public security, local police stations, and also a few journalists invited by Liu Jinghui and others, plus several units of police dog squads.
In such circumstances, even those who feared hardship and fatigue didn’t want to show weakness in front of everyone.
At the very least, they shouldn’t become a laughingstock in front of the dogs.
“Let’s rest for another fifteen minutes, and then we start heading into the mine.
The police dogs can rest for an extra fifteen minutes,” said Brigade Chief Yu Wenshu of Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment, who was today’s on-site commander.
The case was too big, not to mention its far-reaching facets, but even the social impact it generated demanded everyone’s heightened attention.
At times , even a fruitless effort wasn’t feared, what was feared was a lifetime of fruitless efforts.
Liu Jinghui wiped his sweat and responded.
As soon as they entered the mountain, he became noticeably quieter.
The abandoned mine was much more complex than the report had indicated.
Even with nearly three hundred people gathered, which clogged the path up the mountain, once they spread out inside, it was still like following one’s wife on a weekend shopping spree—utterly bewildered, aimless, clueless, unsure where to stop…
Not far off, under the sparse shade of roadside trees, Dazhuang struck a similar figure.
In front of him was his familiar food bowl, filled with de-boned chicken thighs, fresh chicken cutlets, large chunks of beef, and an abundance of vegetables.
Without even lowering his head, Dazhuang could smell the familiar scents, unquestionably prepared by Comrade Li Li with her long legs—gorgeous presentation, exquisite taste.
Under normal circumstances, with a little mental preparation, Dazhuang would contentedly dig in.
But today was different.
Today, sitting beside Dazhuang was Heizi, the meritorious dog from Longli County.
In Heizi’s food bowl lay de-boned chicken thighs, large chunks of beef, even larger chunks of beef, eggs, tender yolks, diced fruits, and even more vegetables, along with yogurt…
The sheen and look of the food alone were enough to make any dog drool.
Besides, Heizi had another bowl, filled with meat porridge and mysterious contents.
When have you ever seen a dog with two bowls?
There are no stray dogs, no pet dogs, no police dogs, and certainly no military dogs!
One dog, one bowl, each carrying its own bowl and lined up to follow commands, eating just one meal a day—this is the standard for police dogs, and it’s the most basic knowledge Dazhuang has learned since he joined the police force.
It is the cornerstone of all the knowledge he has acquired.
Today, the cornerstone was shattered.
The dog from the county next door really had two bowls!
It wasn’t just Dazhuang who was stunned; on another side, the police dogs Hu Zi and Bao Zi from the Changyang City Police Dog Detachment were also staring with eyes as big as copper bells at Heizi in the middle.
Heizi, nonchalantly wagging his tail and looking straight ahead with a slightly raised head, seemed to pay no attention to the gazes around him at all.
Meanwhile, whether it was Dazhuang, Hu Zi, or Bao Zi, they all stood with their tails rigid, their heads in disbelief.
Li Li, looking at her own police dog’s expression, couldn’t help but squat down and persuasively whisper, “Dazhuang, we shouldn’t compare ourselves with others.
It’s getting old and needs to stay healthy.
We’re on a mission, and eating too much can make you sleepy, which is not conducive to performing well.”
The dog trainer from the neighboring county could only squat down and persuade: “Being a police dog, it’s not about how much you eat or wear, but about combat effectiveness.
It has been awarded second-class merits, so a slightly higher daily food budget is normal, isn’t it?
If we earn a second-class merit this time as well, you’ll also get to eat food worth 90 yuan each day, how does that sound?
The police dogs remained silent.
At the trainers’ command, the police dogs started searching in the designated directions.
Jiang Yuan craned his neck to watch.
He hadn’t been sent out and stayed near the “leadership group,” ready for consultation.
Brigade Chief Yu Wenshu of the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment issued orders one after another, and only after everything was on track did he take a sip of the hot tea he had brought and then turned to Jiang Yuan with a smile, “Are you nervous, Xiao Jiang?
This time we’re following your ‘script’.”
Snapping back to reality, Jiang Yuan hurriedly said, “Not at all, I just did some insignificant work.”
“Speaking of that term, I heard about trace evidence twenty years ago, but when it really comes to solving cases, the number of times it has played a crucial role can be counted on one hand,” Yu Wenshu commented thoughtfully, “From now on, even the slightest clues are leads to solving crimes.”
“I only understand the extraction of trace evidence; I don’t know how to survey a crime scene or perform analyses.
For that, we rely entirely on the provincial department’s trace evidence laboratory,” Jiang Yuan had to modestly admit.
Yu Wenshu, however, pointed to Jiang Yuan, saying, “You hit the nail on the head.
Our detachment’s trace evidence laboratory, when they report to me, always talk about how many tests they can perform, how rich their testing methods are, but they don’t mention scene investigation.
They don’t talk about their ability to collect trace evidence at the scene.
They don’t bring it up, and our detectives don’t understand it either.
If the two sides can’t work together, how can we solve cases?”
“Technicians don’t understand the field, and field officers don’t understand the technical side,” Gao Qiang, a third-grade senior police superintendent from the provincial department, nodded in agreement.
“It’s like taking fingerprints; a good sample is essential for forensic technicians to utilize their skills.
Oh yes, Jiang Yuan is also very good at trace evidence examination; he led the resolution of case 326.”
“Jiang Yuan’s main profession is forensic doctor.
When I first joined the police force, technicians were all like Xiao Jiang: versatile, able to handle fingerprints and footprints, conduct autopsies, work with poisons, even analyze gun cases if necessary…” Yu Wenshu spoke with increasing admiration as he looked at Jiang Yuan.
Nowadays, the tough, combat-ready detectives are no rarity, with police academy graduates generally possessing good physical health, while detectives who have been in the force for a while may not stay in top physical condition.
Ordinary technicians are also not unique, with university graduates aplenty.
As soon as there’s a job opening with a permanent position, people rush for it, and with some training, anyone with a related degree can handle the routine work.
But those who can truly use their technical skills to solve cases, rather than just follow up after the fact, those technicians are indeed very rare.
In the Changyang City Criminal Police Detachment, there are certainly many experts, but who would refuse the addition of more?
A general is happier the more skilled warriors are under his command.
Before Yu Wenshu could speak again, his walkie-talkie crackled to life at his waist.
“We have a situation at location number 4, we’re preparing to send someone down the well.”
In the background of the walkie-talkie, the sound of police dogs barking could be heard.
Liu Jinghui, who had been silent up to that point, leaned over to pull out a map and quickly set it up on the spot.
“It’s a ventilation shaft.
It’s 60 meters deep,” said Liu Jinghui as he exhaled deeply, casting a complex glance at Jiang Yuan.