Chapter 140: Chapter 140: Who Needs a Tagalong?

Chapter 140: Who Needs a Tagalong?

6:00.

Like an in-built human alarm clock, Xiao Yu opened his eyes.

He glanced outside the window and a slight smile played on his lips.

Sis is probably still snoozing, huh?

The early light stirs the world awake, though she might not have gotten up with any real purpose.

Good morning, to the sister who sleeps apart from me…

Without wasting time, Xiao Yu quickly washed up and dressed.

He stepped out of his room at around 6:30 to 6:40.

Guo Qiang had already been up and even grabbed some breakfast.

The two ate as they climbed into the car loaned by the Criminal Investigation Team.

By 7:00, everyone had gathered in the meeting room.

Xiao Yu was the first to step out, declaring, “Let’s go check out the scene!”

When it comes to investigating a case, the scene is where you need to be.

In S County, a reservoir lies a few miles away from a certain village.

There, Xiao Yu crouched on the dam…

“Wangdie’s Nose” was useless outdoors – no scent can be picked up in the open air.

Activating his “Falcon’s Eye,” Xiao Yu carefully walked along the dam until he stopped at some barely noticeable footprints.

“No…” Xiao Yu shook his head. The depth of these prints was off.

Under the scrutiny of “Falcon’s Eye,” the prints clearly looked like those of an ordinary walker.

If a body had been dumped – carried or hoisted – the weight would have made the prints deeper…

Xiao Yu continued his measured steps, then paused again.

Huh?

He slowly crouched down to examine a shallow depression that resembled a footprint.

It wasn’t a pit exactly, but more like an impression from something stepping on it.

It looked a lot like a footprint but lacked any sign of a shoe, easily missed by the naked eye.

Yet nothing escapes the gaze of “Falcon’s Eye”!

Guo Qiang knelt down beside him, scrutinizing the depressions. “This is weird – it looks like a footprint yet isn’t quite one…”

“It’s a footprint, plain and simple!”

Xiao Yu sneered as he ordered a criminal police officer to bring over the crime scene toolkit, from which he retrieved a stack of shoe covers.

He first slipped one on and stepped onto the dam, examining the mark.

It left a trace.

After donning five shoe covers and taking another step, the prints matched perfectly.

“Looks like something’s attached to the shoes… Is this movie knowledge or what? How do you even know this trick?”

Xiao Yu scoffed, “The depth and angle of a shoe print change when someone’s carrying a body. The prints differ if you’re shouldering a corpse versus merely holding it!”

The team members stared in astonishment, as though watching a miracle.

Guo Qiang had long grown immune to Xiao Yu’s knack for analysis.

He remembered Xiao Yu’s very first day on the force at the ‘Storage Room Murder Case’ scene.

With one glance, he knew it wasn’t the primary crime scene.

Analyzing a single footprint – is that really a big deal?

Following the prints, Xiao Yu walked steadily to the edge of the dam and looked up at the reservoir, saying, “With normal strength plus the weight of a sunken body and stone, this is clearly where the body was thrown in!”

Qian Long, who had been silent, now showed a look of sheer shock as he stared at Xiao Yu.

Incredible!

Bu Wenhui’s body was found floating right at this spot.

“So then…”

Xiao Yu turned around and traced the prints back along his path, moving slowly.

Until he left the dam and reached a small road, where he paused.

“The shoe prints are fading?”

Xiao Yu murmured, “And they’re a bit disorganized…”

Why would the prints grow fainter?

Because without the weight of a body, the pressure is less – the prints naturally lighten.

What does that tell us?

It indicates that someone picked up the body from here and headed toward the reservoir.

So, how was the body transported here?

It certainly wasn’t carried by hand… perhaps some equipment was used?

Xiao Yu crouched again, closely inspecting the surface of the small road.

He noticed numerous footprints and tire marks.

The footprints belonged to pedestrians, their gait entirely normal.

As for the tire marks, they were unmistakably from motorcycles.

If a motorcycle was used to transport the corpse, Xiao Yu blinked and began studying the tire tracks intently.

“Why is there no sign of a turn here? It kept going straight, with no trace of coming back the same way?”

Xiao Yu bent down, nearly pressing his face to the ground as he examined the tire impressions line by line.

His gaze shifted steadily while his body moved slowly, until…

Xiao Yu finally stopped and fixed his eyes on a particular tire mark.

“Is it this one?!”

A person carrying a body leaves deep footprints.

A motorcycle hauling heavy cargo would likewise leave deep tire marks.

Yet these marks were subtle – nearly imperceptible to the eye.

Xiao Yu had nailed it!

Under the scrutiny of “Falcon’s Eye,” the slight differences in depth were unmistakable.

“Record this tire mark!”

Xiao Yu stood and issued the order.

How do we capture a complete tire mark?

If the motorcycle’s tire turns, the full impression will appear.

But what’s the use?

Aren’t there plenty of identical motorcycles? How do we tell them apart?

By their wear patterns!

Different levels of wear mean different tire marks.

Even among identical motorcycles – unless they’re all brand new –

their tire wear will vary unmistakably!

Two criminal police officers knelt with cameras, carefully photographing the tire mark.

They meticulously recorded the complete impression, shot after shot.

“Find this motorcycle!”

After the team finished recording, Xiao Yu issued further orders.

Several criminal police officers departed.

Xiao Yu watched their retreating backs with a subtle smile.

If they can’t handle such a basic task, then they’re nothing more than dead weight.

………….

Obviously, that wasn’t possible.

Those assigned to the Special Investigation Team are undoubtedly the elite of Y City’s police force.

Two hours later, the motorcycle was found!

It was discovered in a village.

Not in the village where suspect Dong Qi resided, but in the neighboring one!

The village housed a good number of motorcycles – a dozen or twenty at least.

Similar motorcycles aren’t common.

By analyzing the tire wear patterns, they identified the involved vehicle.

This task was trivial for the seasoned detectives.

Perhaps because it was so simple, many team members – including Qian Long – ended up blushing with embarrassment.

They had searched for days with no leads while Xiao Yu gathered clues in a single sweep.

And just like that, evidence emerged!

What is this?

Their faces looked as if they’d been beaten to a pulp.

It must have hurt terribly!

If Xiao Yu knew what they were thinking, he’d laugh like a hog.

“Isn’t it pathetic to compare yourselves to someone like me who’s practically on cheat mode?”

If only you had “Falcon’s Eye,” you’d be able to do it too!

And now…

Seven or eight criminal police officers burst into the courtyard of a household.

Bang!

They fired warning shots.

“Don’t move!”

Several dark pistols were aimed at a trembling couple.

It was a homicide case – a police officer had died.

Warning shots had been fired; if anyone dared to resist, the criminal police wouldn’t hesitate to shoot.

At that moment, Xiao Yu strode in without even glancing at the couple.

He approached a motorcycle, bent down to take a sniff, and his face instantly turned steely cold.

Found it! Case closed.