Animal Detective

Chapter 23 Inducement of Confession
Around 11:00 AM, the dashcam captured a photo of Li Jin, but he has since disappeared.

Shen Xin's first thought was that Li Jin was going to run away.

But not necessarily.

He might have just gone out.

Although Shen Xin hoped that Li Jin was the suspect they were looking for, bringing this theft case to a satisfactory conclusion.

But the evidence is insufficient.

Or rather, there is no evidence.

He just fed a stray cat, happened to live near Xianghong Village, and happened to have a lot of electronic devices in his home.

He might simply like cats and kindly fed that calico cat.

Having electronic products at home might simply be a hobby.

Solving a case cannot begin with an assumption that the other party is a suspect, and then try to apply the existing evidence to the suspect in order to find connections.

Ultimately, it all comes down to evidence.

Otherwise, even if you find the person, they'll just deny everything, and what can you do?

Great Memory Restoration Technique?

That's definitely not possible.

So even though Zhang Jian was certain that Li Jin was the suspect and made a move to kick open the door, Song Liang grabbed him immediately.

"Zhang Jian, you've been a policeman for over twenty years, how can you still be as impulsive as a young man!"

Song Liang scolded him, pushed him out, and ordered, "When we entered the village just now, I saw a surveillance camera at the intersection. Go check the footage and see if you can find this Li Jin and see what he's up to."

Zhang Jian nodded.

"We definitely need to check the surveillance footage," he said. "Chief Song, this guy is definitely going to run away. Contact the branch office to monitor his identity information and have our colleagues from the railway and aviation departments intercept him."

"I know what I'm doing. Go check the surveillance footage."

Song Liang glared at him, signaling him to hurry up.

After Zhang Jian left, Wang Shuwei stepped forward and said, "Old Song, the evidence is still unclear, so we can't act recklessly."

"I know."

Even without Wang Shuwei's reminder, Song Liang knew what the situation was like.

There is no clear evidence that Li Jin is involved in the theft.

And when you notify the railway and aviation authorities to restrict him from purchasing tickets to leave Nanjiang City, what is that? It's equivalent to issuing a warrant for his arrest.

Doing this will lead to a mistake.

Even something like what Zhang Jian just did—kicking open the door to someone's main room without any legitimate reason—could lead to a whole host of troubles.

"We must find a way to confirm that Li Jin is involved in the case."

Song Liang crossed his arms and said.

Wang Shuwei also fell into deep thought. After a moment, he pulled the middle-aged woman aside and asked her for more information about Li Jin.

At this moment, Shen Xin suddenly had an idea.

"Director Song, I have an idea, but I don't know if it's feasible."

"Oh, tell me."

Song Liang looked at Shen Xin and gave him an encouraging look.

Through this case, he discovered that Shen Xin was indeed a young man with many ideas, some of which were quite imaginative.

Shen Xin immediately shared his thoughts, concluding, "Chief Song, I'm not sure if what we're doing constitutes inducement."

The regulations are now very strict.

Memory recovery techniques are unacceptable, and inducement to confess is also unacceptable.

Because the criteria for measuring this kind of inducement are very subtle.

If you handle the fraud properly, it might produce amazing results.

But it can't be done well...

After listening, Song Liang was unexpectedly struck by a sudden inspiration and felt an urge to slap his thigh and applaud.

But then he heard Shen Xin express his concerns and worries, and laughed, "Not bad, you're quite cautious. You need to have this kind of spirit when handling cases in the future."

“Many people from our generation don’t take these things seriously and think it doesn’t matter, unlike you young people who know how to protect yourselves first.”

He sighed and then called Wang Shuwei over.

Upon hearing Shen Xin's idea, Wang Shuwei's eyes lit up as well. "Little Shen, that's great! Your idea is excellent!" Wang Shuwei praised Shen Xin highly, and added, "As for your concerns, it's alright."

He further explained, "Xiao Shen, regulations are regulations, but they are a red line, warning you where the bottom line is."

"But when it comes to actual work, you have to look at each situation specifically. Let me give you an example and you'll understand."

"For example, if someone commits murder but there is no clear evidence, I tell him during the interrogation that we have found an eyewitness who saw him commit the murder, and then he confesses. Finally, we find the murder weapon and complete the chain of evidence."

“Logically speaking, when we say we've found eyewitnesses, that's considered coercion. But you have to understand one thing: the reason we coerce suspects is to find more evidence to prove that they did indeed commit the crime. The ultimate goal is to get the case closed with zero confessions.”

"And Xiao Shen, don't think of criminal suspects as so simple. If they would confess easily just by being tricked, then solving cases would be too easy for us."

Shen Xinyi thought so too.

Did the suspect believe me when I said someone witnessed it?

"Instructor, I understand."

These are real experiences, different from what's written in books.

"Then what are you waiting for? Let's go."

Wang Shuwei gave a signal, and the three of them immediately set off.

Zhang Jian was not notified at all.

Soon, the three returned to Xianghong Village.

"Xiao Shen, you go." Song Liang pushed Shen Xin.

The idea came from Shen Xin, and he also wanted to give Shen Xin a chance to prove himself.

Shen Xin nodded and led the way into the courtyard.

Wu Zhicun was still sitting in the main room, muttering something as if he were possessed.

"uncle."

Shen Xin called out.

Wu Zhicun immediately shouted, "What do you want now? Anyway, I'll say it again: if you have the guts, then take me back."

He stretched out his hands, his attitude remaining firm.

Shen Xin glanced at Song Liang and the other man who had followed him, and without hesitation, went straight to the point: "Sir, this won't do. If you don't tell us, do you think we can't find out? The reason we've talked to you repeatedly is that we hope you can take the initiative to explain the situation."

"Anyway, we've investigated the situation pretty well. The suspect's surname is Li, right?"

Wu Zhicun's expression suddenly changed, and he subconsciously exclaimed, "What...what Li?"

Shen Xin noticed his reaction.

It's definitely Li Jin.

Shen Xin paused subconsciously, but Song Liang reacted quickly and immediately said, "Alright, Xiao Shen, there's no need to talk to him anymore. We've investigated Li Jin's situation quite thoroughly, and now we're just waiting for him to show up."

He interrupted with this sentence, not giving Wu Zhicun much time to think or react.

The name Li Jin instantly shattered Wu Zhicun's defenses, and he exclaimed, "How did you know?!"

He immediately shut up after he finished speaking.

But his face was already filled with panic.

His hand gripping the white cane trembled uncontrollably.

Song Liang and Wang Shuwei exchanged a glance, feeling reassured.

"Let's go, Xiao Shen."

Song Liang called out and turned to leave.

He didn't need Wu Zhicun to give a complete account all at once; a simple response confirming Li Jin's involvement in the case was enough.

Shen Xin quickly followed.

There was a whooshing sound behind me.

It was the sound of a chair being knocked over.

Wu Zhicun stood up in a panic, grabbing at the air in a daze, shouting, "Don't go! Don't grab Xiao Li! He's a good kid, a good kid!"

As he shouted, his voice became choked with sobs.

Shen Xin's heart sank. He felt inexplicably reluctant and suddenly became curious about this Li Jin.

Without a doubt, he is a criminal.

But what exactly happened between the landlord and the tenant that made Wu Zhicun insist on keeping the truth, even willing to go to jail himself, to help Li Jin cover it up?

(End of this chapter)