Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 552 The Last Chance
The following morning, the Criminal Investigation Division of the Maping Branch of the Dongzhou Public Security Bureau.

Detective Nie Chaofan, as usual, brewed a cup of strong tea, rubbed his forehead which was swollen from working on a case all night, leaned against his desk and sighed deeply.

As someone over forty years old, he was actually no longer able to do the job of a criminal police officer.

I never leave work on time; working through the night is the norm, and getting soaked in the rain all day is perfectly normal. No matter how late I leave, I still have to be on duty the next day. Business trips are also very frequent, practically a monthly occurrence. They can last anywhere from a week to half a month, or even a whole month or longer, without me at home.

However, he brought all of this upon himself.

Criminal police officers are generally busy, especially those in the major crimes squad. Sometimes they may be away from home for days or nights, or they may have to take a long-distance business trip that they can leave on a whim, regardless of day or night.

Even the busiest people have their free time; even livestock need rest.

When there are no cases, you can eat, drink, catch up on sleep, and even clock out at work and leave without a care in the world. The bosses generally turn a blind eye.

Cases can't happen every day; colleagues will also take turns helping out.

But Nie Chaofan was different; he was desperate for a promotion. With no connections and no background, he could only work himself to the bone. Cases came his way, he went; assignments came his way, he took them.

I always harbored a small hope that when I left the Criminal Investigation Department and was transferred to a grassroots position, I could obtain a minor official post, even if it was just a deputy director of a police station or a deputy captain of a traffic police squadron. That would be enough for me.

Twenty years passed in a flash, and Nie Chaofan, who had solved countless cases, finally became the most senior criminal investigator in the Criminal Investigation Department. A criminal investigator, a criminal investigator, is ultimately just a criminal investigator.

Seeing that he was getting old and couldn't handle the workload, his superiors advised him to become a community police officer at a local police station to retire, or to work at a traffic police post. Given Nie Chaofan's age, it was unlikely anyone would offer him a position.

But Nie Chaofan was unwilling to accept it. He had worked himself to the bone for twenty years without taking care of his family, and in the end, he could only retire as a lowly police officer.

He has elderly parents who criticize him for being unfilial, children who are neglecting their studies, and even his wife, with whom he shared many years of life, now only sees him as a roommate. Such sunk costs are truly too high.

He gritted his teeth and begged his superiors to transfer him to the Major Crimes Unit, giving him one last year to try and solve a major, high-profile case, hoping to make a final stand.

Knowing his inner conflict, the leader sighed deeply but still agreed to his request and set a one-year agreement.

Now, more than half a year has passed, and while property crimes, online fraud, and organized crime have occurred frequently in the area, there has not been a single high-profile murder case.

Like last night when the whole team went out to arrest a suspect.

This left Nie Chaofan, who had spent half his life as a criminal investigator and was finally transferred to the Major Crimes Unit, with mixed feelings. He didn't know whether to be happy about the improved public security or frustrated by his destined mundane fate.

"Detective Nie! Something terrible has happened!" A young man in plain clothes rushed into the office, looking very nervous.

Nie Chaofan's hand tightened suddenly on his teacup, his heart skipped a beat, but he remained calm on the surface: "Xiao Ma, what happened? Why are you so flustered? Do you look like a detective?"

Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Xiao Ma breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Detective Nie, the command center has forwarded a report that a female corpse was found on the side of Dongmu Road. Her head and neck were covered by a black vest, and her lower body was naked, lying in a ditch."

After a pause, the young policeman, Xiao Ma, spoke with a hint of excitement, or rather, anger: "It's a girl, Detective Nie. This is a rape and murder!"

coming!

Last chance!
Nie Chaofan's scalp tingled instantly, his adrenaline surged, his heart pounded like thunder, and his eyes widened like cowbells as he stared intently at Xiao Ma who pushed open the door and entered.

"Let's go!" he said hoarsely, suppressing his voice, as he stood up, his hands braced on the table.

Funeral home, forensic room.

In addition to Lao Cao, the forensic doctor from Ma Ping Criminal Investigation Brigade, the Dongzhou Municipal Public Security Bureau also sent four forensic doctors.

According to the regulations of the Municipal Public Security Bureau, for major homicide cases, such as multiple homicides, dismemberment cases, and arson cases, the Municipal Public Security Bureau's forensic experts can be requested to provide assistance. Sometimes, lower-level units cannot refuse.

"Looks like there aren't any major cases in the city this year, otherwise they wouldn't be rushing over here to do this dirty work." As the owner of the autopsy room, Old Cao was standing idly by the door complaining.

"More people means more help."

Eager to solve the case, Nie Chaofan hoped that the four forensic doctors from the Municipal Public Security Bureau could actually achieve something, even if it meant sharing some credit later. This rape and murder case, because the victim was female, had already caused a huge uproar in society within just half a day thanks to media coverage.

In addition to attracting the extreme attention of the city's Public Security Bureau Chief, the city's top official also expressed concern about the case, privately instructing the bureau to report the progress of the case to him as soon as possible, regardless of the circumstances.

As a result, more than a dozen people were crammed into the dissection room today.

In addition to six certified forensic doctors, there were four officers specializing in serious cases, a leader from the Criminal Investigation Division of the Municipal Public Security Bureau who came to guide the case handling, and several staff members from the branch office who came to coordinate or conduct publicity work.

It's said that the city government also sent a liaison officer, but he was treated well by the branch office and didn't cause any trouble. However, the pressure from higher-ups is evident.

The old air conditioner in the autopsy room creaked and groaned, but it couldn't keep up with so many people crammed into the small room. If the corpses could talk, they'd probably yell, "It's so crowded!"

Seeing that everyone had been frozen for a long time and hadn't started working, Nie Chaofan had no choice but to urge the only forensic doctor he knew, Lao Cao, to get started quickly.

Old Cao curled his lip: "With so many leaders here, why should I join in the fun?"

Old Cao is nearly fifty years old. He worked as a rookie forensic pathologist in criminal investigation for thirty years and successfully advanced to the rank of senior forensic pathologist. If you had to say what he saw most often, it would probably be these messy corpses.

It's no exaggeration to say I'm almost sick of seeing it.

Besides, he's getting old and will be retiring soon, so he doesn't want to take on any more work. If it weren't for the fact that the team still doesn't have a capable forensic doctor, he would never want to take on the responsibility of autopsies again.

Nie Chaofan could only coax him: "Old Cao, you're the head of the department, this is all your territory. How dare they make any moves without your permission?"

Old Cao chuckled: "You're trying to steal my credit, so can't I even lie down for a while?"

Nie Chaofan pointed at the naked female corpse on the autopsy table: "Old Cao, how can you bear to ignore this girl in such a terrible state? If you drag this out any longer, the suspect will escape! These forensic doctors from the Municipal Bureau are all delicate and soft-skinned; they obviously got their positions through connections. They probably don't have much practical experience. If something really happens, they'll just look at each other and sit here doing nothing. Old Cao, this job needs your expertise to keep things under control!"

"Alright, don't flatter me, I can't accept that." Nearly fifty-year-old Cao rolled up his sleeves and began putting on latex gloves. "But I'm doing this for this young lady's sake. Sigh, she hasn't even started enjoying life yet, and she's already suffering like this. If they catch her, she'll definitely be executed."

"You, what's your name again? Come and carry the body right now!"

"You, the one with glasses, I'm talking to you, go get the camera from that cabinet, the photo-taking is up to you!"

Old Cao glared, his previous demeanor completely reversed, and shouted with red eyes, "Work! Work! Get moving, all of you! Let's get this done!"

(End of this chapter)