Lu Chuan carried the crime scene investigation kit and set off with Ren Qiang.
As for lunch, Team Two would handle it, and it had to be better than what the cafeteria offered; otherwise, who would join them for overtime next time?
Lu Chuan was well aware of Liu Guodong’s protection towards him.
This is the experience of a seasoned driver, knowing where the pitfalls and bumps are, crystal clear.
There was also a bottle of wine.
Before leaving, Liu Guodong specifically asked Lu Chuan to come back early; the crime scene office wasn’t working late today, so they could drink in the evening.
This was Lu Chuan’s first time attending a gathering of the crime scene office.
Analyzing from a workplace survival perspective, Lu Chuan was gradually integrating into this small group at the crime scene office.
Of course, Liu Guodong and the others weren’t frequent drinkers.
In the police line of work, cases could come up at any time.
Going to the scene drunk was never good.
Criminals wouldn’t choose a convenient time to commit crimes either.
So, during gatherings, everyone stops at an appropriate point most of the time, except for some who are looked after by others to drink more.
Also, at the crime scene office gatherings, it wasn’t just a few people like Liu Guodong.
Over the years, many people had moved on from the crime scene office.
Although not everyone was nostalgic, most knew where their roots were.
And these people are now mostly in management positions. Even though many still wear blue shirts, they are significant figures in various fields within the Haizhou City Public Security Bureau.
Liu Guodong invited Lu Chuan to the meal this time to introduce him to the seniors.
Ren Qiang’s vehicle was much worse than Qin Yong’s.
Compared to a ten-year-old Land Cruiser, it was not just a small difference, but fortunately, it could still provide shelter from the wind and rain.
September 4th, Friday, sunny.
South Suburb Ten-Mile Slope Village. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novèlfire.net
"The fire occurred at a warehouse rented out by a farmer in Ten-Mile Slope Village, storing many foreign trade garments with losses nearing a million."
After getting out of the car, Ren Qiang introduced the arson case’s general situation to Lu Chuan: "At the scene, we found a bottle used to hold gasoline. After analysis by the fire personnel, it was confirmed that the suspect sprinkled gasoline inside the warehouse, then caused the fire."
Arson cases are among the eight major types of crimes, mainly because once a fire is formed, it becomes exceedingly difficult to control.
And it often results in mass casualties.
But generally speaking, accidental fires have a higher ratio, with intentional arson being relatively low in the fire incident ratio.
The fire scene was a mess.
At first glance, the entire warehouse stretched about fifty meters long, with two-thirds already burned down, and the supporting steel frame of the corrugated iron house had collapsed.
However, a third was unburned, with many water stains present.
This should be due to the timely fire rescue.
"Basic Task: Survey the fire scene of the South Suburb arson case, extract at least two sets of burnt fingerprints, assist Team Two in solving the South Suburb arson case."
Just surveying the fire scene and extracting two sets of fingerprints, the task issued by the system was merely a basic task.
After a general observation of the scene, Lu Chuan pointed to the collapsed section: "Group Leader Ren, where is the ignition point?"
"Also, where did you collect the fingerprints from?"
"There are two ignition points, one at the main entrance of the warehouse, another at the back."
"The fingerprints we collected were from the periphery; the fire scene was mostly burned down, making it impossible to collect fingerprints."
The places where Team Two had already collected fingerprints were marked, and the scene was still preserved with all the marked points.
Needless to say, at least Team Two maintained procedural accuracy in their work.
Their attention to detail was very precise.
Lu Chuan nodded, looked around, and then walked around the warehouse.
The perpetrator seemed to have not taken any measures to prevent the fire from spreading outside the warehouse to allow the fire to burn more thoroughly.
Instead, they pried open the warehouse door and entered to start the fire from within.
However, due to the fire’s nature, the items the perpetrator touched were mostly destroyed, so Team Two didn’t manage to extract fingerprints from the warehouse ruins.
The fingerprints handed over to the crime scene office for comparison were extracted from the warehouse periphery.
The likelihood of these fingerprints belonging to the perpetrator aside,
even the clarity of the fingerprints, in Liu Guodong’s eyes, was not suitable for comparison.
The reason for the insistence on fingerprint comparison was that Ren Qiang suspected the perpetrator to be a villager from Ten-Mile Slope Village.
This warehouse was rented out, yielding a profit of thirty thousand a year.
The owner of the warehouse was a team leader in Ten-Mile Slope Village.
He had offended many people usually, so deliberate revenge and arson were very likely.
Ren Qiang and his team had already collected fingerprints from all the villagers, hoping to solve the case with a successful comparison.
Lu Chuan first observed the fingerprints already collected by Team Two.
The process of collecting fingerprints is essentially a form of damage to them.
Generally speaking, fingerprints that have already been collected cannot be collected again.
Even with intermediate fingerprint collection skills, Lu Chuan could do very little in this regard.
Especially fingerprints collected by non-professional crime scene forensic officers.
How to put it, it’s like even among flower thieves, there are different levels. Some, after taking, steal not only the flowers but also hearts.
Some, after taking, make it feel like having eaten a pile of dung.
The state of the fingerprint collection scene indicated Team Two’s technique was average, their methods heavy-handed.
Most fingerprints were collected using adhesive tape.
No wonder the fingerprints were incomplete; having them intact would be a surprise.
Abandoning the already ruined, distorted fingerprint scene, Lu Chuan had to find another way.
Unlocking the crime scene kit, Lu Chuan took out his exclusive fingerprint collection equipment.
Recently, aside from reading the novel "The Hundredth Blind Date: Catching the Blind Date at the Scene," Lu Chuan had become fascinated by short videos.
It must be said, watching those can become quite addictive.
There’s a skill in them called wave shake, which relies heavily on equipment for its artistic expression.
Much like collecting fingerprints, with the right equipment, a simple shake can cause a wave-like bombardment.
Without proper equipment, no matter how vigorously you shake, an airport remains an airport.
Ren Qiang, standing by, was a bit bewildered.
Since when did crime scene fingerprint collection brushes have to be from LV?
Is it just my lack of exposure?
"Lu, is that a brush..."
Lu Chuan didn’t keep it secret: "The bristles of this brush are made from the armpit hair of the Arctic fox, the softest and most resilient among all brushes."
"Not only does it feel comfortable on the face, but it also minimizes damage when collecting fingerprints, especially suitable for fragile environments like fire scenes."
Ren Qiang nodded without fully understanding; he hadn’t seen an Arctic fox before, but he knew what "soft" meant.
Watching Lu Chuan collect fingerprints, it felt rather indulgent.
Unlike the roughness of Team Two, Lu Chuan’s fingerprint collection technique felt like a young girl caressing tender skin, gentle like a breeze.
Of course, beyond technique, there were elements that Ren Qiang couldn’t comprehend.