Chapter 1032 - 529: Return to the Original Death Scene

Thirty minutes later, Director Hou and Jiang An’s party arrived outside the construction site’s gate.

At this moment, Mr. Chen and Qin Feng were already waiting at the entrance.

Seeing the two approach, Mr. Chen stepped forward, "Director Hou, this construction site is considered one of the larger projects in our development zone."

"About five months ago," Mr. Chen continued to explain, "due to a sudden break in the funding chain, the site had to halt operations temporarily."

He paused briefly, his gaze sweeping over the silent buildings ahead, then said, "And that’s precisely why we now have the conditions to conduct another investigation on-site."

"Otherwise, if the project had proceeded as usual, the site would surely have changed beyond recognition after these few months."

Director Hou replied, "Thus, remembering to maintain strictness during the case investigation process is indeed of crucial importance."

Qin Feng said, "We would appreciate any guidance from Director Hou and Mr. Jiang."

Director Hou waved his hand, his tone calm, "Mr. Chen, you all have done a significant amount of work in the early stages of this case, and overall it seems quite solid."

He recalled briefly and continued, "During the meeting just now, the responsible person from the petition bureau also clearly expressed confidence in the current conclusions."

"This time we’re here, actually more to fulfill procedures, completing the tasks assigned by the province, and it’s also to provide the leaders with a detailed feedback."

Everyone present understood the unsaid thoughts shared among adults, all tacitly acknowledged by everyone.

Mr. Chen smiled and said, "The director of the petition bureau has his stance, after all, different fields are worlds apart, and conclusions are mainly drawn from written materials."

"But we frontline personnel face the tangible site and details."

He turned to Jiang An and said, "As mentioned by Mr. Jiang earlier, the three doubts, Qin and I also pondered over on our way here, indeed reflect that there are still lapses in our work, some areas are not thorough, not detailed, and not in-depth enough."

"Next, please offer your guidance to help us broaden our perspectives."

"We hope through this case, not only to solve the immediate problems but also to learn the methods and essence of case handling — as they say, ’teach a man to fish.’"

Director Hou listened and shook his head with a smile, "’Teach a man to fish’ might be overstating it, we’re here to learn from each other and clarify the case together."

"You’re really overestimating us with that statement, our level isn’t that high. But—"

He abruptly changed his tone, "Since we’re all comrades fighting on the same front, in the same trench, I might as well speak directly."

"The petition bureau is an outsider, they don’t have a clue when it comes to serious matters like human life!"

As he said this, Mr. Chen and Jiang An exchanged a glance, both seeing a touch of seriousness and embarrassment in each other’s faces.

Ten minutes later, the group of six arrived at the scene of that year’s incident.

A bright yellow police tape had been set up around the area, standing out conspicuously amidst the somewhat desolate setting.

Qin Feng quickly stepped forward, gesturing to the police tape as he explained to Director Hou, "Director Hou, see, this tape was put up immediately after the incident occurred."

"Originally, according to procedures, it should have been removed after the site inspection and related handling were completed, but then the site suddenly halted completely due to various reasons, and things were left as they are."

"So, this site, by a twist of fate, has been preserved almost intact to this day."

Upon hearing this, Director Hou carefully surveyed the area and nodded, "Hmm, in this case, the site is well-preserved and very valuable."

He then turned his gaze to Jiang An with profound meaning, "Jiang, don’t you think this might be destiny?"

"Heaven has provided us with such favorable conditions, allowing the site to be preserved, making it convenient for us to reevaluate and review the entire case. Therefore,"

He paused, his tone becoming solemn, "this time we must thoroughly clarify and understand this case, examine every detail meticulously, leaving no ambiguity open."

Jiang An nodded heavily, "Rest assured, that’ll certainly be the case."

As he finished speaking, he habitually reached into his pocket, pulled out a pair of disposable latex gloves, and expertly put them on.

Ever since he had been working as a forensic scientist, wearing gloves whenever and wherever possible had almost become his second instinct.

This wasn’t due to a dislike of dirt but rather a matter of professional rigor — any slight trace evidence at the scene is extremely fragile, and touching it bare-handed could easily lead to contamination or damage; gloves are the first barrier to prevent contamination and protect evidence.

Quickly putting on the gloves, Jiang An bent down and lifted the bright yellow police tape, nimbly ducking under it.

The others temporarily paused, standing outside the police line.

Jiang An’s gaze swiftly fell on the center of the site, where a human outline drawn with lime was still faintly visible.

Though the edges had been washed away somewhat by rain, the overall shape remained clear.

At this moment, Qin Feng also ducked under the police tape to come in.

He walked straight to Jiang An’s side, stopped, and pointed to an area not far ahead outlined with white chalk, saying in a deep voice, "This is the spot where the body was discovered."

Jiang An nodded slightly, his gaze following the direction of Mr. Qin’s finger, then asked, "What equipment was around when you arrived at the scene back then?"

"The excavator was parked in this direction, approximately five or six meters from the body, not too far."

"There was also a loader nearby at the time, both large machines were parked right in front of the surveillance camera, blocking the view entirely."