Song Rui’s arrival halted the dispute. Everyone began to ignore Fan Jialuo as they elaborated on the specifics of the theft case. They put all of the relevant evidence onto the whiteboard one by one, before taking out a laptop to play the surveillance footage from the subway station.
“We obtained more than 700 videos from the footage. Based on the times when the phones were stolen, we investigated all of the passengers standing near the owners. This person was the most suspicious, but was also the first person we ruled out,” the policeman who disliked Fan Jialuo the most explained as he pointed to a photo. This policeman was Sun Zhengqi. As his name suggested, he was very righteous, and he did not believe in doctrines of gods and ghosts, only advocating for science.
Song Rui stared at the photo carefully
Fan Jialuo took a stack of photos from Liao Fang and slowly held each one. He did not pay attention to Sun Zhengqi’s speech.
Sun Zhengqi glared at him angrily and continued, “Why do I say that he was the most suspicious? It’s because every time a theft occurred, he was standing near the owner, sometimes very close to them, so it would be very convenient for him to act.”
Song Rui mused, “He appeared near the owner every time? This is certainly not a coincidence, right?”
“Yes, we don’t believe it was a coincidence either, so we listed him as the number one suspect. However, you can see why we ruled him out after looking at the surveillance footage.” Sun Zhengqi pulled up the footage and started playing each of the clips one by one.
The first video: the suspect was reading a magazine with both hands, turning a page every few minutes. He looked focused, and a woman sitting next to him was circled in red, the phone’s owner.
The second video: the suspect was holding a train strap in one hand and his phone in the other, reading something with a serious expression. A middle-aged man standing next to him was the phone’s owner.
The third video: the suspect was playing a mobile game on his phone. His fingers kept swiping on the screen and he appeared very busy, while the stolen phone’s owner was sitting beside him.
The fourth video……
After watching more than a dozen videos, Sun Zhengqi explained, “Dr. Song, did you notice how he was reading or playing on his phone when the owner was very close to him. His hands were never free, so how could he steal anything? We previously suspected that he may have used a prosthetic hand as a cover, but look at his hand, is that a prosthetic? Can a prosthetic hand move so freely? And according to our investigation, he lives in Liuhe district and works part time at a restaurant in Fengyang district. He goes back and forth every day on this line, so it’s not surprising for him to appear on Line 6 at a fixed time. Many people live regular lives like him, and after ruling him out, we did identify other recurring and suspicious figures. However, after a follow-up investigation, these suspects were all ruled out one by one.”
Sun Zhengqi said dejectedly, “As of now, we still haven’t found the thief. It’s as if he’s invisible, and the phones he’s stolen have not ended up in the black market, but inexplicably disappeared. His main purpose is not to sell used phones, but to steal the owner’s finances. That money is quickly wired to a domestic account, and then to an anonymous overseas account, which is simply untraceable. The domestic account he uses to wire money was also opened with someone else’s stolen ID card, so after following the trail to the account owner, they were not even aware that they had such an account, and the trail was broken. Now, the amount of money he’s stolen has accumulated to more than 800,000, and will soon break through 900,000, almost one million! His behavior is growing increasingly rampant, and there’s nothing we can do about it! We’ve tried to lure him out, but he seems to be able to smell the police and never takes the bait, he’s too cunning!” Sun Zhengqi slammed his fist on the table with a frustrated expression.
Song Rui analyzed the videos frame by frame, and a glint of understanding crossed his eyes. He seemed to have gleaned something, but he did not tell the confused police officers anything. Instead, he looked at Fan Jialuo and asked in a low voice, “What do you think?”
Sun Zhengqi’s lips twitched a few times, seemingly dissatisfied with him asking a nonprofessional, but he held back stiffly.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
When Fan Jialuo saw the 28th photo, he did not continue to flip through the stack. He stared at the person in the photo for a long time, who was coincidentally the first suspect that Sun Zhengqi mentioned. He stared at the photo silently with a mysterious light in his eyes. It was not until Song Rui tapped the back of his hand with his index finger that he came back to his senses and said with certainty, “It’s him.”
“Who are you kidding? We’re analyzing the case here. If you want to pretend, then go to the TV station to pretend. Our police station does not lack funds, so we don’t need you to tell us what to do! You know, you will be held legally accountable for every word you say!” , and he immediately slapped the table and scolded him furiously. They worked hard and investigated more than a month in order to rule out the suspects. Why did this starlet identify the other without even a single piece of evidence? Did he think this was an audition?
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Fan Jialuo nudged the back of Song Rui’s hand with his slender index finger, his voice warm and calm as he said, “You speak first.”
The hairs on the back of Song Rui’s hand all stood up, and he suppressed a layer of tiny goosebumps just before they surfaced on his skin. He turned his head away and looked at the computer screen, the light refracting off of his lenses immediately hiding his deep but shining gaze. He rewound the video a few minutes before pausing, then pointed to the first suspect and said, “I suspect him for five reasons. First, he wears oversized jackets every day, and the biggest feature of this type of clothing is that they have many pockets, which makes it easy to move and hide stolen goods. It’s one of the most popular items of clothing worn by habitual thieves. Second, the issue of his clothes. It’s now summer and the weather is very hot. Even if his jacket’s material is very light, it would not be comfortable to wear, and yet he still wore it 30 or 40 days in a row. To not wear short sleeves even one day, don’t you think it’s abnormal? Third, he always appears near the stolen phone’s owner. For this to happen 30 or 40 days in a row, every day, I don’t believe that there is such a coincidence in the world. Fourth, he always seems to be focused on his own business and has no free time, but if you look closely at his eyes, you will find that every few minutes, he will lower his gaze, look sideways, and squint at the stolen phone’s owner, which means he’s secretly observing them. Fifth, after observing them secretly for a while, he will suddenly stop observing them and turn his attention back to whatever he was doing. Why is that?”
Liao Fang watched the video while listening to his explanation, and suddenly realized, “I understand, he got the phone, so he didn’t need to observe anymore!”
Song Rui nodded and said, “Yes, he got it. Afterwards, you will notice that he starts to look at the platform warning lights frequently, which is a sign of eagerness to get off. Then, he will slowly move forward or backward to go two, three, or even four train cars away from his original position. Think about it. After you get on a crowded morning or evening subway, would you want to move around like that?”
Liao Fang shook her head repeatedly and exclaimed, “Definitely not! There are so many people in the subway cars, so even just squeezing in takes a lot of effort. I can’t wait to find an empty seat to plop my butt on, so I’d never want to abandon my seat, not to mention walking three or four train cars away. Isn’t he tired?”
Song Rui randomly clicked on the screen to let the surveillance footage play normally, and then took off his glasses and began to wipe the lenses slowly. He asked sharply, “Such abnormal behavior should be the focus of your investigation, so why was he the first one you ruled out?”
Just as he said this, the video happened to be at the part when the owner realized that they had lost their phone, so they were looking everywhere and asking everyone. The people standing around them were all suspects and were interrogated by the police one by one, while the man in the jacket was not implicated at all since he had walked away long before the incident.
The police officers stared blankly at the video and asked themselves repeatedly: Yes, after Dr. Song’s analysis, he is indeed very suspicious, so why did we rule him out?
Sun Zhengqi raised his hand and said loudly, “But Dr. Song, when he stood near the phone’s owner, his hands were occupied within our line of sight, so what method do you think he used to steal the phone? Did he use his toes to grab it? But he didn’t take off his shoes!”
Yes, the man in the jacket was indeed suspicious, but how did he steal? How could this be explained?
Song Rui put his glasses back on and smiled meaningfully, “You will have to ask Mr. Fan about that.” He stretched out his arm and gestured towards Fan Jialuo. It was an elegant and respectful gesture, indicating that the other was important. His unspoken words were: my profession can only guide you halfway, and you will have to rely on him to reach the end.
The police officers followed Dr. Song’s guidance and looked at Fan Jialuo, but their expressions were more confused than suspicious. It was good that the case had been analyzed, but the more you analyzed it, the more confusing it became. How could someone steal something without using their hands? Could they have used their minds?
Liao Fang also turned her head to look at Fan Jialuo. Her eyes were wide, her ears perked up, and her hands tightly grasped the pen and paper, waiting for him. She would never doubt Mr. Fan’s judgment.
Fan Jialuo held the suspect’s photo in his palm. His eyelids drooped slightly, covering the dark light in his pupils, and he said slowly, “I can’t provide an analysis based on reason. I can only point out a path for you. This is by no means an ordinary case of theft, and in fact, as long as the thief doesn’t reveal any flaws, I believe you will never catch him for the rest of your lives.”
Sun Zhengqi sneered and spoke with contempt, “Here we go again, you pretender.”
The female police officer sitting beside him agreed with him, but did not want to diss Fan Jialuo in public.
Fan Jialuo didn’t care about their reactions and he placed down the photo, lowered his gaze, and said quietly, “I saw a pair of hands, bones as thin as dry branches, that were wrapped in gray charred skin. Densely packed, thick black blood vessels lay under the skin, providing nourishment for the extraordinarily strong and firm muscles, and short blue nails appeared like sharp blades, shining with a cold light. These hands were powerful and flexible, but they were a sinful pair of hands. Find them, and you will find the thief.”
Sun Zhengqi smiled contemptuously and said, “Ha! Is he drunk or high? Was that a description of a pair of human hands? How about we take him to the hospital later for a urine test?”
The female police officer rolled her eyes and scoffed at the fantastical story. The rest of the officers also stopped taking notes and watched Fan Jialuo’s performance indifferently. What the fuck was he talking about? How did a good analysis of the case become a ghost story?
Only Liao Fang and Song Rui looked at the youth without a moment’s hesitation and listened to him very intently. Seeing the pair’s expressions, everyone could only suppress their doubts and resentment and listen to him finish speaking.
Fan Jialuo let go of the photo and took out a pen instead, speaking as he drew, “Through this mark, you should be able to find this pair of sinful hands, but move fast, as they will disappear after four o’clock in the afternoon.”
Liao Fang hurriedly craned her neck to see the logo drawn by him, and she exclaimed, “I know this pattern! It’s so familiar, I remembered it for a moment, but I forgot it again! Think, think, think!” She slapped her forehead hard, as if she wished she could slap out the lost memory fragments.
Sun Zhengqi whispered, “She’s crazy!”
The female police officer nodded and said quietly, “She’s under a lot of pressure, please be considerate!”
The rest of the police officers held their foreheads and closed their eyes. They couldn’t bear to watch Liao Fang embarrass herself while being scammed by a con man.
Song Rui pointed out, “Luyi.”
Liao Fang slammed the table and roared, “Yes! It’s Luyi! This is the logo of the Luyi Waste Treatment plant!”
Song Rui looked at his watch and reminded her, “They compress and dispose of household garbage every afternoon at four o’clock. It’s now 2:30, so you don’t have much time.”
Fan Jialuo added, “Get the suspect’s hair and do a DNA comparison. I’ll go first if there’s nothing else.”
“Then I’m leaving too.” Song Rui stood up immediately.
Before leaving the office, Fan Jialuo looked at Liao Fang and warned, “He is very dangerous, so call me when he is arrested. My phone is on for you 24 hours a day.”
“Good, good, I will definitely call you. Thank you, Mr. Fan. I will send someone to Luyi now!” In fact, Liao Fang didn’t understand Fan Jialuo’s words at all, but she knew what to do.
“Then, see you later.” Fan Jialuo waved his hand and led Xu Yiyang and Song Rui away unhurriedly.
The three of them chatted as they walked, and their voices gradually faded away, but Liao Fang’s loud voice echoed in the office, “Come on, let’s divide into two teams and act separately! A team of people are going to covertly collect the suspect’s DNA, making sure to avoid scaring the snake. Another team of people will go to the Luyi Waste Treatment plant and look for the hands!”
Sun Zhengqi was the first to stand up and object, “What do you want us to do? Sister Liao, is your brain flooded with water? Don’t you think that you are contradicting your previous words? You want to compare the suspect’s DNA to a pair of severed hands, how can the results match? Do you think his hands are not attached to his body? And what does a pair of severed hands have to do with our case? The thief was discovered by the owner, so his hands were cut off? What does this have to do with our suspect? Do we need to find him to do a DNA comparison? Let’s go directly to the hospital to find an injured person with both hands severed! Sister Liao, take a good look at Fan Jialuo’s words, are they logical? Are they truthful? Are they relevant?”
Liao Fang stopped.
The female police officer also stood up and said patiently, “Sister Liao, after running around outside for more than a month, everyone is very tired, so you should stop wasting everyone’s time and energy, okay? I know you are under a lot of pressure. Why don’t you go home and rest first? Don’t worry about anything, we will stay to meet and work overtime to summarize all the clues, and report back to you when you are well rested.”
Her words sounded nice, but they were actually an attempt to seize Liao Fang’s authority. Liao Fang wanted to laugh, but she nodded at the group and spoke coldly, “Fine, fine, you guys refuse to listen to me, right? I’ll find someone to check it out myself, I don’t need you guys. Let me announce that this task force will be disbanded effective immediately, so everyone can go back to their own homes and find their mothers!”
Liao Fang slammed the door hard to show her anger.
Sun Zhengqi chased after her and shouted, “Liao Fang, this task force was formed by the captain, and the captain has the final say in whether to disband it. It’s not up to you! I’ll go to the director so he can decide what to do, you just wait for your punishment!”
Thanks for the chapter!!
Also, gossip and talking bull is something to do in private. Dirty laundry shouldn’t be aired outside but taken care of at home — what gives them the confidence to so blatantly offend someone when they don’t know what capabilities Fan Jialuo has, and when these capabilities might come in handy? They’re lucky that Fan Jialuo doesn’t give a d*mn about other people’s opinions regarding himself.
Also, everything has its retribution — so does talking sh*t.
thank you for the chapter.
I agree, it’s ridiculous how blatantly disrespectful they are being even when Dr Song agrees with FJL
Cant wait for the inevitable face slapping
Thank you for the chapter’
If you can run around for a month, you can run around for a couple more hours.
And the absolute disrespect ohhh I can not wait for the faceslaps!!!
Thanks for the chapter!
Haha! They are all gonna get slapped in the face and its gonna be great🤣💀Thank you for the chapter!
Dumb~ dumb~ dumb~🎵🎵🎵 dumb people, hump! Thanks for the chapter (･´з`･)♡♥♡.
Thanks for the chap
Thanks for the chapter!!
they’re so annoying!! Just you wait, FJL will face slap you!!