Rebirth 2014: I, the King of Criminal Investigation

Chapter 590 Twenty-Seven Seconds
Why is the upper age limit set at 40?
Yu Dazhang made the calculation based on the two brothers' ages.

Qi Jiandong is 29 years old and Qi Jianhua is 27 years old; both of them are in their youth.

Between people of the same sex, a five-year age difference usually means they can't really get along, and a ten-year age difference means there's a generation gap.

And 40 years old is a watershed moment.

Below that is youth, and above that is middle and old age.

Therefore, in Yu Dazhang's view, keeping the age between 18 and 40 is just right.

Young people are more likely to be fooled, but people over 40 are less likely to be fooled.

Most importantly, there isn't that much time left.

With only one day left, he must narrow down the scope of his investigation as much as possible.

Lü Zhongxin immediately adopted his apprentice's suggestion and reported it to the team.

After he finished his report, Yu Dazhang suggested:

"Time is a bit tight. We'd better split into two groups. I'll go back to the branch office to the technical department to see if we can pinpoint their location. You wait here for the team's support."

"We definitely need to leave someone here to arrange the investigation," Lü Zhongxin immediately replied.

"Go ahead, contact me anytime if you need anything."

Back at the branch office, Yu Dazhang went directly to the technical section.

Qian Cheng happened to be here too, so he didn't have to look for anyone else.

Why not let the elderly person come back and cooperate with the police in making phone calls?

Yu Dazhang had already considered this when he was still in the village.

With the father and son having such a strained relationship and not in contact for nearly three years, it's obvious to anyone with a brain that the police have already tracked them down to their home if they make a phone call at this critical juncture.

"Brother Qian, I have the other party's phone number now and I want to locate them."

As Yu Dazhang spoke, he handed over his phone.

Qian Cheng took it:

"wait for me."

Ten minutes later, he and another officer returned.

"Try to extend the call time as much as possible." Qian Cheng handed the phone back to Yu Dazhang and instructed him:

"The minimum duration is 30 seconds, and the longer the call, the smaller the error."

As he spoke, another officer sat down and placed a laptop on the table.

After doing this, he nodded to Qian Cheng.

"Let's begin," Qian Cheng said, turning to Da Zhang.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Dazhang decided to dial Qi Jianhua's mobile phone number first.

Wasn't Qi Jianhua dead?

Although the man was dead, his cell phone was not found at the scene, indicating that it had been taken by his accomplices.

Not only his cell phone, but all of Qi Jianhua's belongings that could prove his identity were confiscated, and not even a key was left behind.

As the ringtone sounded, Yu Dazhang's heart clenched. It was the first time he had ever called a dead person, and he never expected to get through.

He now both hopes the other end of the phone will answer and fears that the other end will say that they are Qi Jianhua himself.

No one answered the phone until the ringback tone ended, and Yu Dazhang breathed a sigh of relief.

When I called again, the phone just gave a message that it was switched off.

This at least proves that Qi Jianhua's phone was in the other party's hands.

After thinking for a moment, Yu Dazhang dialed Qi Jiandong's number again.

He dialed the same phone number repeatedly, trying to convince the two brothers that they wouldn't be curious.

The ringtone rang for a long time again, and just when Yu Dazhang thought the other party wouldn't answer, the ringtone suddenly stopped, and then a man's voice came from the phone:

"Hey?"

This caught Yu Dazhang off guard, but luckily he had prepared his explanation before making the call.

"You're Qi Jianhua's brother, right?"

"Yes, who are you?" Qi Jiandong's voice sounded fairly friendly.

Yu Dazhang introduced himself in a calm tone:

"My name is Qian Cheng, and I'm your brother's friend."

After he finished speaking, he stopped and waited for the other party to reply.

This was also a way to buy time; logically, he should have stated his purpose directly. But the more he did this, the more likely he was to arouse suspicion.

That kind of rapid-fire language is the easiest way to expose one's identity; the more you say, the more mistakes you make. Right now, Yu Dazhang just wants to make sure the call isn't disconnected.

"You're his friend, why are you calling me?"

Qi Jiandong's tone was somewhat impatient, but still relatively polite:

"Besides, how did you get my phone number?"

This question was exactly what Da Zhang had expected.

In fact, he had already made dozens of assumptions on the way back.

He had considered almost all the questions the other party could raise, and had even prepared himself for the worst possible outcome.

"I can't get in touch with your brother, his phone is off, so I can only contact you."

Yu Dazhang deliberately raised his voice a few decibels and said somewhat angrily:
Do you have any other way to contact him, or could you have him contact me?

Qi Jiandong on the other end didn't answer, seemingly hesitating about something. After pausing for two seconds, he finally asked:
"What do you want from him?"

"He owes me money!" Yu Dazhang suddenly shouted.

"No, he cheated me out of my money! Six months ago, he told me he had a unique recipe for raising poultry."

"Later I gave him 5,000 yuan, promising to give him the secret recipe. But after he took the money, he disappeared and canceled the phone number he gave me."

His tone revealed anger and helplessness:

“If it weren’t for a friend of mine who knew where he lived, I would have lost five thousand yuan and wouldn’t even have had anyone to ask for the money back.”

The reason for making up this excuse is that when Yu Dazhang was looking at Qi Jiandong's information, he remembered that Qi Jiandong had once been involved in the aquaculture business.

Aquaculture is not a business that just anyone can do.

First, you need the technology.

The techniques I'm referring to aren't the ones taught in animal husbandry schools, nor are they found in books.

Rather, it is experience truly gained from practice.

The so-called exclusive formula is simply the feed they formulated themselves.

For example, raising chickens.

If raised correctly, they can be ready for market in as little as 40 days; if raised incorrectly, they won't even gain three pounds in six months.

Of course, there are also unorthodox methods that allow animals to be ready for market in just half a month; these days, this is called "technology and ruthless work."

Yu Dazhang had some understanding of the ins and outs of this, which is why he used that as a reason.

Almost everyone involved in food and animal husbandry has their own secret recipes.

I thought this reason was foolproof, but unexpectedly, Qi Jiandong on the other side suddenly said:
"Wait a moment, I'll call you back later."

After saying that, he hung up the phone immediately.

Hearing the busy tone from his phone, Yu Dazhang was momentarily stunned.

Seen through?

It shouldn't be.

Yu Dazhang recalled that he hadn't said a single unnecessary word, and his attitude and tone were fine.

Is it...

Is the other party calculating the time?
Upon considering this possibility, he immediately turned to look at Qian Cheng and the others.

The police officer operating the computer was sitting in front of it, staring intently at the screen. After a moment, he gently shook his head.
"No, 27 seconds is too short; we won't get enough data."

It can't be such a coincidence, right?

Yu Dazhang heard it clearly; Qi Jiandong's tone was urgent, as if he couldn't wait even a second longer.

The transition was too sudden.

One second they're patiently listening to the phone, the next they're eager to hang up.

Why does it feel like someone is keeping track of time next to him?

Just as he was considering whether to dial again, the phone in his hand rang.

Qi Jiandong actually called back!
Yu Dazhang immediately pressed the answer button:
"Hey?"

"Officer, stop making up stories." This time, Qi Jiandong's tone had completely changed, filled with coldness and sarcasm:

"You should just say what you have to say."

(End of this chapter)