Xinjian Village is one of the dozen or so villages surrounding Longjiang Road.

The population is not large, with just over two thousand people in the entire village.

Because of its proximity to the city, most villagers in Xinjian Village grow cash crops, such as strawberries for picking.

Quite a few people have also opened farmhouses, doing rural-themed tourism business.

In November, just entering winter, the picking season is over, and business for farmhouses isn't particularly good either.

Many farmers in the village go out for odd jobs.

However, the older villagers are not strong enough and lack skills.

So, in the winter, they start to gather in small groups in the village to chat.

The sun was just right today, and as usual, Wang Chengshun sat on a stone pier at the entrance of his house enjoying the sun.

"I saw it this morning, the front of the car seemed to hit something and drove west."

Facing the traffic police's inquiry, Old Wang spoke without reservation, vividly describing the scene.

"Around what time?"

"About two hours ago, I had just come out of my house and happened to see it."

Wang Chengshun pointed to a neighbor sunbathing alongside him: "They also saw it, Old Zhang, was it that white car?"

"Yes, yes, an SUV, definitely hit something, headed towards the western end of the village."

Pursuing the hit-and-run vehicle quickly yielded results.

The criminal police following this line of traffic police were led by none other than Li Kai, the squad leader of the High-tech Zone Criminal Investigation Team and also Song Kun's apprentice.

"Let's go, pursue it!"

As long as there was a trail of the other party, the chances of catching up were very high.

Indeed, as Li Kai expected, they found the hit-and-run vehicle less than half an hour after leaving Xinjian Village.

To be precise, it was the vehicle's wreckage.

Leaving the just-burned shell of the SUV in the ravine, Li Kai's expression was grim.

At 1:20 PM.

Lu Chuan and the others arrived at the scene.

"Is this the car?"

Liu Guodong arrived first, opened the crime scene kit, and began preparing: "The car's burned, and there's no license plate, but the engine and chassis numbers can still be recognized. The traffic police have already identified the vehicle's owner."

Lu Chuan put on gloves, preparing for the crime scene work: "Have they confirmed the identity of the hit-and-run driver?"

Liu Guodong shook his head: "No, the car was stolen last night, and the owner reported it this morning. The Friendship Road police station accepted the case, and it's confirmed."

Qin Yong also arrived at the scene, discussing with Ren Qiang and Yuan Shaokang the next steps in the investigation.

Lu Chuan and Liu Guodong have a heavy task of investigating the burned vehicle.

Old Bai and Yang Sen are already on their way.

"There's a strong smell of gasoline; the perpetrator had planned it in advance."

Lu Chuan sniffed and could smell the evaporating gasoline.

The criminal was cunning, not intending to hide the hit-and-run vehicle at all.

In a ravine about fifteen kilometers away from Xinjian Village, they doused the car with gasoline and burned it completely.

"The car is severely burned, making it very difficult to extract fingerprints, footprints, and other evidence."

Liu Guodong had experienced similar crime scene investigations.

A burned scene is generally very tricky to handle.

The culprit's intent was to use the fire to erase his traces.

"This place is so secluded; how did the other party leave after burning the car?"

Lu Chuan put on a triple pair of gloves, began adjusting the camera, and prepared to take photos: "Did they walk or take a car?"

Liu Guodong shook his head: "We don't know yet. Let's investigate the scene first."

"Regardless of whether they walked or drove away, they must have left traces."

This is why crime scene investigation comes first.

Even though the criminal burned the vehicle and destroyed his traces inside the car,

In such a remote area, they must have left other clues.

It depends on whether Lu Chuan and his team can find them.

The first step, crime scene photography.

This is a routine procedure, with the burning vehicle still emitting heat, and the smell of burnt rubber is very unpleasant.

Lu Chuan started marking all the scattered items.

Fallen car doors, melted gas cans, and half-melted headlights.

Meanwhile, the vehicle fragments expelled after the gas tank exploded.

This is why Li Kai and his team were able to find the burned vehicle.

They were drawn by the sound of the explosion and the thick smoke.

"Master, the vehicle has just burned down to the frame; we need to wait for the temperature to drop before conducting further investigation."

"I'll go check the surroundings to see if there's anything we can find."

Liu Guodong nodded: "You go ahead; Old Bai and the others have also arrived. We'll start collecting the surrounding fragments."

Unlike in movies where police investigate cases,

In reality, every detail must be considered, like the fragments around the vehicle.

Liu Guodong and his team have to find each piece, number them, photograph every single one, and examine and analyze them carefully.

Maybe they can collect one or two fingerprints.

It's tedious and boring work, and finishing in an afternoon is considered fast.

In the ravine, Lu Chuan traced the path of the SUV inch by inch.

From the asphalt road on the country road into the ravine, there was only one set of tire tracks.

So, the perpetrator must have left the ravine on foot after starting the fire.

Lu Chuan hoped to find some footprints, which would help narrow down the perpetrator's physical traits.

The first police officer to discover the burned vehicle was Li Kai of the High-tech Zone Criminal Investigation Team, who was also Song Kun's apprentice.

Although Li Kai was emotionally agitated about his mentor's death, he demonstrated a seasoned detective's professionalism when it came to work.

By the time they arrived at the scene, the vehicle had mostly burned away, leaving only the frame; all interior parts were gone. Although they could have put out the fire, Li Kai decided not to.

Putting out the fire would require using a fire extinguisher.

The police cars were equipped with dry powder extinguishers, and if sprayed onto the car, it would essentially result in a thorough cleaning of the vehicle.

Crime scene investigators can find useful information on burnt vehicles, but not on vehicles sprayed with extinguishers.

Although Li Kai was a squad leader, he didn't have much power, equating to a team leader with a tactical unit under him.

Li Kai also had to work, sometimes even harder than others.

And this kind of position isn't tied to rank.

Song Kun was actually just a detective in Li Kai's squad, with a higher rank than Li Kai.

Li Kai, who had been cracking cases on the front line for years, often had to act as a crime scene investigator or even a forensic doctor.

In general, everyone in the Criminal Investigation Team was a workhorse, and they'd be put to use regardless of their specialization.

Additionally, other evidence at the scene was relatively well preserved.

After Li Kai and his team found the vehicle, the traffic police braved the heat to verify the chassis number; the rest was left untouched.

The soil in the ravine was soft and elastic, and the footprints left were relatively clear.

Lu Chuan didn't have to exert much effort to collect about a dozen sets of footprints.

Of course, many of these footprints were left by detectives at the scene and needed to be excluded during later processing.

Lu Chuan, holding a UV flashlight, climbed out of the ravine.

When he reached the roadside down the ravine, Lu Chuan examined more closely.

And he made some discoveries.

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