Police officer Chen Shu

Chapter 765 Provincial Departments and Grassroots Levels

Half an hour has passed.

"Officer Chen, open the curtains." Ma Rongcheng glanced at his watch, pleased with his speed, and subconsciously instructed his subordinate to do the work.

Some police officers, having gotten used to working in the provincial department, unconsciously assume they are superior to others, when in reality it is a status bestowed upon everyone by the platform they belong to.

For example, police officers at the provincial level and those at the grassroots level may both be staff members in terms of rank, but in reality, police officers at the provincial level also have the added benefit of the "provincial level" platform.

Let alone grassroots police officers, even if a section chief from the grassroots level comes over, you have to politely offer him a cigarette and say a few nice words before discussing business.

Therefore, the starting point is very important, whether in "life" or "work".

After Ma Rongcheng finished speaking, he straightened his back, which had been bent over for a long time, and used his right hand to gently pound his back in reverse to relax his slightly sore lower back.

I'm exhausted after working for just a short while.

I don't know if it's because of his age or because he's been spoiled by being raised in the provincial government.

Sigh, I don't even know what's going on with the anti-fraud case series I've been following for half a year.

Ma Rongcheng paused immediately, the thought of going back surging in his mind. He wondered if he could finish this grassroots assistance mission as soon as possible and return to the task force earlier, so that he might still be able to get some benefits.

Chen Shu walked quickly to the window, pulled back the curtains, and his eyes, which were used to the darkness, were suddenly exposed to the direct sunlight from outside the window, and he couldn't help but lower his head to look away.

At this moment, Chen Shu noticed a brown mark about five or six centimeters long on the bottom of the beige curtain. He bent down and looked closer. It looked like dirt. Upon further reflection, it did resemble the patch of grass downstairs.

"Huh?" Chen Shu squatted down and carefully observed this unusual mark.

Seeing this, Ma Rongcheng glanced at it and continued to work on his re-examination. In addition to the shoe prints at the scene, there was a whole bunch of things waiting for him, such as a large bed, a bathtub, and a washbasin.

After watching anime for a while, Chen Chuan put down his phone, too lazy to move. He craned his neck to look at it from afar for a few moments, found it rather boring, muttered a few words, and then buried himself in studying his "locked room murder" anime.

The young police cadet Jiang Hai has disappeared.

A moment later, Chen Shu suddenly shouted, "Expert Ma, come and take a look! Doesn't this brown mark on the curtain look like a ligature mark on the deceased's neck?"

Ma Rongcheng strode over, squatted down, and huddled with Chen Shutou, staring at the curtain with unusual marks.

He adjusted his glasses and recalled, "It does look a bit like it. Judging by the size, it resembles the rope used to hang someone. But I remember that rope was quite clean."

Chen Shu squinted and said in a deep voice, "We searched the room carefully. There was only one rope in the bathroom, and the deceased was hanging from that rope. Since that rope was clean, there must have been a second rope covered in mud at the scene!"
"This second rope that was taken away might be a crucial clue in solving the case. Dr. Ma, could you please collect some soil from this? I think it might come in handy. Hmm, I feel it might be from the grass downstairs."

With suspicion rising, Chen Shu examined the windowsill more carefully. He gently touched the clean windowsill with his white gloves, including the corners, and found no dust at all.

"Although I don't know the cleaning standards of a five-star hotel, there wasn't a speck of dust on the windowsill, including the corners on both sides, which made it hard not to be suspicious."

As he spoke, Chen Shu couldn't help but glance back at the toilet where the girl had hanged herself. His eyes revealed deep sympathy. He could feel the fear and despair that the room had once held, as well as the intense anger towards the murderer hiding behind the scenes.

Ma Rongcheng was startled by the sudden burst of murderous intent from Chen Shu. He was stunned for a moment and didn't react immediately.

He turned his head slightly and glanced cautiously at Chen Shu, only to feel that he exuded a murderous aura, somewhat unlike a criminal investigator, more like...
"This wasn't suicide, it was a meticulously planned murder!" Chen Shu gritted his teeth and slowly uttered the two words, the hotel general manager's regretful sigh flashing through his mind: Alas, the poor child.

This colleague from Donghai seemed like someone who had been to the battlefield and seen blood, somewhat like me back when I was working in criminal investigation at the grassroots level. But what's the use of working so hard at the grassroots level? In the end, wouldn't I just end up as a beast of burden? I wondered to myself, lost in thought, as I subconsciously superimposed my younger self onto this policeman from another province.

If Huang Mao were to jump out at this moment and point at Chen Shu, bringing up Chen Shu's exploits of fighting his way through southern Xinjiang, it's hard to say whether this provincial expert would still think he and Chen Shu are somewhat similar.

Jiang Hai, like a cat that has smelled blood, crept over from the corner and stood quietly behind Chen Shu and Ma Rongcheng, who were squatting. Perhaps intimidated by Chen Shu's sudden burst of momentum, he did not make a sound at this moment.

For some reason, Chen Shu suddenly thought of the deceased's parents, and his momentum abruptly vanished. That couple, driven by the desire to make money, eagerly came to the hotel and demanded tens of thousands of yuan, then ran away without even glancing at their dead daughter.

just ran.

Oh, how pitiful.

Chen Shu looked at Ma Rongcheng beside him.

The other person adjusted his glasses, but said dismissively, "Officer Chen, although we found that there were disguised shoe prints at the scene, this only means that there was a second person at the scene on the night of the incident, and it does not confirm that this is a murder case."

However, the hotel's surveillance footage showed that no one else had entered the room in the preceding and following days. Chen Shu refuted this in his mind, but did not directly contradict the expert.

Ma Rongcheng stood up, holding his knees, and continued, "Officer Chen, you have to understand that with so much social pressure these days, the number of people who commit suicide far exceeds the number of people who are murdered. So when we enter a crime scene, we can't assume it must be a murder case from the outset. Subjectively, that limits our thinking."

After a pause, Ma Rongcheng continued, his tone now much gentler, like that of a senior mentor patiently instructing others: "When we police officers are handling cases, we must never let our emotions affect us; everything must be based on facts."

Chen Shu remained silent.

Chen Chuan locked and silenced his phone, watching the show with a smirk.

After all, this is their territory. The fact that he, as a policeman from another province, could get involved in this case is already considered a great favor by others.

If the provincial expert in front of them hadn't been too lazy to deal with the affairs of the grassroots criminal investigation team, Chen Shu and the others wouldn't have even been able to get into the crime scene.

Even if he felt sorry for the deceased, he would never interfere in the case.

"Teacher Ma," Jiang Hai said in as calm and sincere a tone as possible, "I think you're right. How about we check the windowsill one last time?"

Ma Wing-shing laughed when he heard this, and the tense atmosphere caused by Chen Shu immediately relaxed.

He understood what Jiang Hai meant, and smiled as he pointed at him with his index finger: "You're the youngest here, and I'm the oldest. What, you're the one comforting me?"

The young police cadet quickly waved his hand: "Teacher Ma, that's not what I meant, that's not what I meant."

Chen Shu stepped forward and pulled Jiang Hai back. He took a breath, and with a hint of sympathy for the deceased girl, as well as a sense of responsibility that even he found inexplicable, he said in a deep voice:

"Expert Ma, I need your help."

The expert didn't respond. He was even a little puzzled as to why this policeman from another province was so persistent about a case that was thousands of miles away from his hometown.

Police officers are naturally more suspicious than the average person.

The situation became somewhat awkward because of Chen Shu's request for help.

“Expert Ma.” Chen Chuan walked over, abandoning his usual flippant expression, and said in a somewhat humble tone, “I’ve known this brother for over ten years, and this is just his temper. To put it nicely, he’s the kind of person who’s quick to help those in need, but in reality, he has zero emotional intelligence. Please bear with him.”

Ma Rongcheng didn't say anything, but looked over at everyone one by one, and then burst out laughing.

"Does this make me look like a bad cop?"

After saying that, he personally pulled the curtains back up, then turned the footprint lamp in his hand to the highest setting. With a whoosh, the bright light shone out, and the footprints on the ground became clear instantly.

His attitude also became clear.

(End of this chapter)