1995, Starting as a Criminal Investigation Expert

Nanjiang Railway Station.

The transition from August to September coincides with the arrival of the "autumn tiger" (a period of hot weather in late summer).

Under the influence of the subtropical high, the temperature is hot and humid, and rain is frequent.

Around dusk, a sudden rainstorm struck.

Around 11 a.m., the rain stopped, but it did not bring any coolness; instead, it became even more humid and hot.

On the train platform, Li Shu and the others waited anxiously for the train to arrive.

They said they would arrive at 12:13.

As a result, it was late, almost an hour late.

"This is urgent!"

Han Jianjun paced back and forth in frustration.

Li Shu and Tan Guoxiong squatted in a corner of the platform.

Naturally, the conversation turned to the case at hand.

"Why can't we find it?"

Tan Guoxiong looked dejected.

All roads leading out of the city have been blocked, and all available police officers have been deployed to the streets to check vehicles and ID cards.

The grassroots level was also mobilized, with joint defense teams cooperating with the police station to check temporary residence permits and migrant workers.

Just like at a train station, armed police are stationed at the entrance, strictly checking everyone's ID.

But after searching all day, there was still no progress.

Li Shu pulled at his collar and fanned himself vigorously, but still couldn't stop the sweat from pouring down his face. He sighed and said, "There's nothing we can do. The main problem is that we don't know what those two people look like."

That's like saying nothing at all.

But that's the truth. All I know now is that he's 1.8 meters tall and has a strong physique.

The other one is 1.7 meters tall, with a normal build.

With these characteristics, you can find them everywhere on the street. How do you find them?

There are also motorcycles.

According to statistics, there are more than 37,000 Jetta 100s and more than 20,000 Honda CG125s in the city.

This is still registered.

There are countless unregistered bikes that people rode from other cities and registered with license plates from other cities.

Tang Weidong said he would spare no expense; at worst, he would check all the motorcycles.

But this isn't something that can be done just by talking; someone has to investigate.

If we were to investigate thoroughly, I don't know how long it would take.

Li Shu stood up, stretched his back, and then said, "So, this half of our fingerprint is still very important."

Li Shu thought about it. Precisely because these two people were experienced in committing crimes and left no physical evidence, it could prove that they were veterans and had probably been caught before.

Especially the owner of this half fingerprint.

Perhaps then a match can be made, thus confirming the other party's identity.

Tan Guoxiong gave a wry smile and said with a sigh, "I hope so."

They say they have an AFIS system and a comparison method, but whether it will actually work is anyone's guess.

After all, this is a damaged fingerprint.

After waiting for a long time, the train, which was almost an hour late, finally arrived.

The train came to a stop.

Passengers disembarked in droves.

Cao Junfei said that there were seven cars, and as soon as the doors opened, the people were standing at the door.

This was the first time Li Shu had met the instructor since joining the team.

He was pretty much as I had imagined: a middle-aged man, slightly tall and thin, with medium-length hair parted to the side, regular features, and a gentle demeanor, like someone who had been doing ideological work for a long time.

With his bag on his back, as soon as the train door opened, he quickly called on everyone to come forward and help him move his things.

"No, no, no!"

Behind him, a young man wearing black-rimmed glasses hurriedly waved his hand: "No need for help, we can do it ourselves."

Everyone stopped and looked at each other in bewilderment.

This must be someone from the manufacturer.

The train aisle was crammed with packed wooden crates.

The train attendant was also nearby, so they must have given prior notice that there were no other passengers on this side.

Three people from the manufacturer arrived, and after calling out to everyone, they started moving things out on their own.

Cao Junfei smoothed things over, saying that these were all precision instruments and should be handled with care.

They said they should have hired a truck, but they were in a hurry, and it would take three or four days for a car to travel from Anjing to Namgang, so they had no choice but to use the train.

The manufacturer was still hesitant to use freight trucks for transport, given the risk of theft on trains, so they ultimately opted for passenger buses.

Han Jianjun was anxious, but still offered to help.

Just tell everyone to pay attention.

Moreover, since this thing cost money, it already belongs to the Nanjiang Municipal Bureau.

"Really, you don't need to."

The young man still refused, saying, "To be honest, I was extremely worried the whole way, afraid that the train's vibrations would damage the equipment."

After he said that, everyone had no choice but to watch helplessly as they finished moving the goods.

Li Shu watched silently from the side.

They were all packed in wooden crates, and there were no signs indicating what was inside.

But there's a lot of stuff.

A complete AFIS system is not as simple as a computer.

Scanners, processors, disk arrays, image workstations...

There are plenty.

The key is the price, a full 115 million.

After moving the items to the platform, the young man carefully checked them again to make sure everything was in order before turning to greet Han Jianjun.

"Liu Weikun!"

He pushed up his glasses, seemingly unaware that there was anything inappropriate about leaving Han Jianjun and the others waiting for so long, and asked where the car was.

Han Jianjun didn't bother arguing with him and pointed in the direction.

They also pulled a handcart.

When they got here, Liu Weikun and the others were still worried, so they insisted on pulling it themselves, afraid that someone else might accidentally damage it.

Li Shu felt that this person was a bit rigid.

Besides, this instrument shouldn't be that fragile, right?

Anyway, it took another half a day of tinkering before we finally got all the equipment loaded onto the vehicle.

The group then took a car back to the municipal bureau.

Once in the car, Liu Weikun seemed to relax a little. He looked at the police at the intersection with curiosity, chatted for a bit, and asked if the case hadn't been solved yet.

He knew that the equipment was urgently needed because of a major case, which was why they rushed to transport it over.

Han Jianjun sighed deeply, which served as his answer.

Cao Junfei, standing in the middle row, turned his head and asked Li Shu which of the two men was who.

The two quickly introduced themselves.

"Good."

Cao Junfei smiled broadly; he was happy that a new member had joined the team.

"Especially Li Shu."

Cao Junfei looked at Li Shu and said, "Old Han told me that you have a lot of ideas. You just came to the team and you've already come up with this positioning method."

"And this half fingerprint, I heard it was because of your zoning method that the department decided to implement it. Now that the team has just been upgraded, we need capable young people like you. Anyway, do a good job, and if you have any problems, come to me anytime."

Li Shu nodded quickly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Weikun, who was in front, turned around and said, "Instructor Cao, I told you before about this incomplete fingerprint. It's basically impossible to compare them. Don't have too high hopes."

He speaks very bluntly.

Han Jianjun said, "We know that, but Xiao Li has come up with a good idea that should work, and we'll need your cooperation, Engineer Liu."

He pointed at Li Shu, preparing to give a detailed explanation of the partition comparison method, but was interrupted by Liu Weikun.

Liu Weikun glanced at Li Shu and shook his head, saying, "Captain Han, no matter what method you're using, the working principle of the AFIS system is what it is. It just won't work for comparing these incomplete fingerprints."

After saying that, he solemnly added, "This is science; if it works, it works; if it doesn't, it doesn't."

His words were so direct that Han Jianjun didn't know how to respond.

Li Shu also found it unpleasant to hear.

Before AFIS existed, did they not solve cases?

Many of the methods in my own system are makeshift solutions that I was forced to come up with because of the limitations of the system.

This is enough to show that the AFIS system is not a panacea, but merely a tool to improve efficiency.

Cao Junfei continued to smooth things over, asking Liu Weikun and the others if they wanted to rest for a while and start installing the system tomorrow, since they had been on the train all day.

"Need not."

Liu Weikun's tone remained unchanged as he said, "Aren't you in a hurry? Anyway, we've been taking turns resting on the bus, so it's fine. The sooner we get the equipment installed and tested, the easier it will be for you to start your work."

After he said that, Li Shucai felt a little more favorably toward him.

At least when it comes to work, he's very capable.

The train station isn't far from the municipal bureau compound; it's just a short drive away.

Tang Weidong and his team came after hearing about the expensive equipment.

Xu Qiang, watching Liu Weikun and his men unload wooden crates from the truck, couldn't help but say, "Over a million yuan, and they only bought this little bit of stuff?"

It's said to be a lot, but it's actually only a dozen or so wooden crates.

As they carried the items upstairs, Liu Weikun and his team unpacked them while turning to Han Jianjun to ask who would be in charge of liaising with them.

In other words, they need to teach who to use this system.

Han Jianjun immediately pushed Li Shu to the front: "Little Li, he understands the AFIS system."

Upon hearing this, Liu Weikun was visibly taken aback.

"How do you know about the AFIS system?"

There aren't many sets of this in the whole country.

How could someone who isn't a professional in this field understand this stuff?

Li Shu knew that Liu Weikun probably didn't have any bad intentions; he was just straightforward.

But hearing his tone, I couldn't help feeling a little awkward.