The Forensic Doctor Better Than a Detective

Chapter 618: Chapter 344: The Deep Bond Between Police and People (Part 2)

Jiang An looked around at everyone and cleared his throat:

”Fellow team members, you’ve all worked hard!”

”Today, we’re having our work meal in this special way...”

He paused, then smiled and corrected himself, ”No, this isn’t a work meal; I’m personally treating everyone to a late-night snack.”

”Since I transferred from Jiangcheng to the city bureau, I’ve deeply felt the spirit of our criminal investigation team: ’We will not rest until the case is solved.’ Just like the case before us...”

He turned his gaze toward the fishpond still being drained, his voice growing firm, ”As the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team, I sincerely thank everyone for their efforts.”

”I hope in future work, I can continue to have everyone’s support!”

”Come on, let’s raise a glass of drink as if it’s wine, and toast!”

With the crisp sound of glasses clinking, everyone raised their heads and took a sip of their drinks.

Jiang An picked up a string of grilled chili peppers, took a bite, and was immediately gasping from the spiciness.

Wan chuckled and said, ”Mr. Jiang can still handle the heat!”

”If you ask me, there must be a ’big catch’ hidden in this pond that hasn’t dried up in three years.”

”If there really are big fish, should we just grill them on the spot?”

Someone nearby joked.

”Come on now, our focus isn’t on the fish; it’s on the clues in the silt.”

Another officer said seriously.

Everyone ate and chatted, the atmosphere light and lively.

Jiang An suddenly turned to Zhang Yean: ”Senior, once the water’s drained, how do you plan to handle this silt?”

Zhang Yean gestured with her hands as if digging: ”Just dig it out.”

”That method is too inefficient.”

Wan chimed in, ”Plus, it’s easy to miss important evidence.”

”Before I set out, I specially prepared a few fine-mesh fishing nets...”

”I’ve already contacted the gardening bureau, they’ll send high-pressure water trucks over.”

”Once the water is drained, we can use water guns to scatter the silt, then filter it with fine nets, and finally pack it into woven bags for individual checks.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang An’s eyes lit up, ”Senior, that’s a brilliant idea!”

”If we use a grid management approach to divide and process the silt, it will certainly improve the search efficiency.”

”Let’s hope so.”

Wan looked at the fishpond, ”But, I’m worried that after working all night, we might only end up with a few big fish.”

Jiang An laughed heartily, ”If there really are big fish, we’ll bring them back to the bureau and have the cafeteria make braised fish or Taian fish for everyone!”

And so, amidst laughter and conversation, the task force members continued their ”special late-night snack” until the sky in the east began to lighten.

The roar of the pumps mixed with the officers’ chatter, adding a touch of warmth to this unusual night.

At 6:30 in the morning, the sky was getting light.

The water in the pond was almost drained, the muddy surface shimmering with sparkling waves.

A red sun was slowly rising on the eastern horizon, scattering the morning light onto the ground.

Jiang An and others stood by the shore, eyes focused on the gradually drying bottom of the pond.

”The water level is only five centimeters now.”

Jiang An squatted down, measuring the waterline with his finger.

Despite the murky water, it was still clear to see plump grass carp swimming in the water; a rough count showed at least several hundred.

”Whoa!”

Wan couldn’t help but exclaim, ”These fish are really big; I guess there are about 2000 pounds.”

He turned his head to look at the reeds swaying in the wind, musing, ”If these fish were taken to market, they’d fetch a good price.”

”But since the original pond owner chose to raise them here, he must have planned to keep them for himself.”

Jiang An turned his head upon hearing this, ”Senior, did you contact the original pond owner yesterday?”

”I did.”

The officer being asked nodded, ”I learned from the village cadre that the original pond owner was a solitary elderly person who passed away two years ago.”

”Being elderly and without any family, this pond is now ownerless.”

After a brief pause, Wan smiled and said, ”How about we take these fish to the cafeteria?”

”But with 2000 pounds of fish, even our entire police station can’t finish them in a month.”

As he spoke, Jiang An noticed a few households scattered around the pond and had a sudden idea.

”I actually have an idea. Look, the nearby residents are mostly elderly and children who are left behind. Why not distribute these fish to them?”

”Let the kids eat more meat and get some nutrition.”

”Great idea!”

Zhang Yean immediately clapped in agreement, ”This can help the villagers and also improve relations between the police and the public.”

Other officers also expressed their agreement: ”Let’s do it!” ”We’ll just keep a few for ourselves to taste.”

”Or better yet, let’s not keep any and give them all to the villagers.”

Seeing everyone’s agreement, Jiang An decisively said, ”I’ll contact a professional fishing team... wait, why don’t we do it ourselves?”

”Put on waterproof pants and go down to catch fish; once caught, distribute them directly to the nearby villagers, then ask the village chief to help notify each household to come and collect the fish.”

”Decided!”

Jiang An made the call.

In no time, it was 7 AM.

The once quiet pond suddenly became lively, with nearly 200 villagers gradually gathering, most of them grandparents with their grandchildren.

Jiang An, holding a loudspeaker, stood at the front: ”Folks, you all know this old pond; three years ago, someone had an accident here on a motorcycle.”

”Today, our criminal investigation drained the water for an investigation and found that there’s a lot of fish in it.”

”We’ve decided to distribute these fish to everyone for free!”

Upon hearing this, smiles spread across the villagers’ faces, and someone responded loudly.

”We want big fish!”

Jiang An put down the microphone, his gaze sweeping over the shimmering water surface.

By this time, Wan and several seniors had already put on waterproof pants and walked into the pond, and even the usually clean-loving policewoman Zhang Yean had set aside her restraint, stepping into the water in rubber boots, eager to experience the fun of catching fish.

”Li Jian, want to come down and give it a try?”

The village chief walked over with another set of waterproof pants and invited him.

Jiang An smiled and took them: ”Sure, let’s do it together!”

And with that, he swiftly put on the gear and walked into the pond shoulder to shoulder with the village chief.

The scene that followed was lively: villagers and officers caught fish with their bare hands, and plump grass carp dashed around amid the crowd, with splashes of water and mud flying everywhere.

In less than twenty minutes, everyone was covered in mud, even Zhang Yean’s long hair had mud splatters.

But everyone had happy smiles on their faces because these fish were about to become delicious dishes on the villagers’ tables.

By 9 AM, the fishing work was nearing its end.

The muddy officers walked ashore.

Jiang An instructed the village chief, ”Please distribute these fish to the villagers, free of charge, not a single cent.”

The elderly village chief gratefully shook Jiang An’s hand, ”Thank you so much!”

”The Jiangcheng police are truly the protectors of us ordinary people!”

After the villagers left, Jiang An immediately switched to work mode, ”Now, to business.”

”We haven’t carefully surveyed the crime scene area yet, it’s estimated to be thirty to fifty square meters.”

”Next, we need to focus on searching this area to see if we can find any valuable clues.”

Hearing this, the officers immediately collected their smiles, becoming serious.

Just then, two water trucks rumbled up.

Jiang An joked, ”Senior, your call was impressive; they timed it perfectly, right as we finished catching fish.”

Wan also laughed, ”They came just in time; they can be a big help.”

Then, Jiang An turned around and directed, ”Brothers, get the nets and shovels ready, we’re going to start clearing it one scoop at a time.”

Under Jiang An’s leadership, Wan, Zhang Yean, and the other officers got to work immediately.

They first used fishing nets to scoop the silt, then used high-pressure water guns to wash it, carefully checking every place where evidence might be hidden.

Meanwhile, in the criminal investigation team office.

Li Jian opened the deputy captain’s office door, finding the lights on but no one inside.

He walked to the main office of the criminal investigation team and found Wan and Fang Yan were also not there.

He said to himself, ”Their bags are still here.”

He barely finished speaking when Li Jian, the captain, furrowed his brow, ”They haven’t come back from the field yet.”

”Their bags are still here.” He added just as he finished speaking, and then fished out his phone to make a call to confirm Jiang An’s activities...