I'm not a genius detective

Chapter 83 Drowning Investigation
The young man in yellow led the way, and the group followed behind, heading towards the large lake to the east of the village.

The Criminal Investigation Brigade brought a full complement of criminal police officers this time, including two forensic doctors and four trace evidence examiners, among whom were Yang Rui and Sun Yujie.

Yang Rui was accompanied by her master.

The confrontation with the villagers just now made the young police officer realize the difficulty of investigating cases in remote mountain villages. The lack of surveillance was one aspect, but the villagers' lack of cooperation was the most important.

It will probably not be easy to carry out large-scale visits in the future.

Even if it's difficult, we must investigate; it's the duty of criminal investigators, and we must overcome numerous obstacles.

If Cao Kexuan really died in an accident, that's fine. But if suspicious points are found, and there are obstacles later, then we'll have to take a hard line.

Yang Rui and Sun Yujie didn't care about these things; they only needed to be responsible for the on-site investigation. The "rough work" was left to investigators like Han Ling.

Han Ling's actions just now were very decisive; that's what an investigator should be like.

They're too easy to talk to; you'll never get any case investigated properly.

"How much further?" Fangzhou asked during the journey.

The blond-haired youth walked ahead without turning around: "Two minutes."

Fangzhou hummed in agreement.

Han Ling looked at the retreating figure of the young man in yellow and said, "Your name is Wei Tianyong?"

Wei Tianyong remained silent, only nodding.

Soon we arrived at the lake beside the village. It wasn't very big; you could see the end of it at a glance. There were signs that read, "Deep water, danger. Swimming and fishing prohibited," reminding passersby.

The warning signs are only meant to warn, not to restrain. If someone wants to go into the water to fish, no one will care.

If the moat in the city is like this, imagine how it is in remote villages.

With warning signs in place, the relevant authorities can bear much less responsibility.

It had rained a few days ago, and the ground was still a bit damp, which made the forensic examination work even more difficult.

“Right there.” Wei Tianyong stood by a tree by the lake and pointed below, saying that the lake was lower than the ground.

Fangzhou stepped forward.

The location Wei Tianyong pointed to was relatively flat, with a shallow bank protruding and a few stones piled up. Scattered nearby were cigarette boxes, packaging bags, and other garbage.

It's clearly an old fishing spot; experienced anglers would choose it without hesitation.

“The stone, right?” Fangzhou asked.

Wei Tianyong: "Yes, Cao Kexuan usually fished there. When the villagers found him, his body had already drifted far away, and only his fishing gear remained on the shore."

Fangzhou turned around and waved, and the forensic pathologist and trace evidence collector immediately began their work.

Han Ling also jumped in, picked up a long stick from the ground, went to the fishing spot, and immediately inserted the stick into the water to test the depth.

More than two meters.

It looks like a shallow beach, but if you take half a step forward, it's deep water, which is quite dangerous.

Han Ling returned and asked Wei Tianyong, "What's your relationship with Cao Kexuan like?"

Wei Tianyong was somewhat afraid of Han Ling, and replied, "It's...it's fine."

Han Ling: "Can he swim?"

Wei Tianyong: "Yes, he drowned because he could swim. I told him before that those who drown are usually good swimmers, but he just wouldn't listen!"

Those who drown are all swimmers.

That makes some sense.

Because swimmers are often overconfident, they easily overlook dangers, rely on their skills, and lack respect for the water.

A person who cannot swim will absolutely not be able to go into the water.

This is similar to a master in an electric company teaching his apprentice: no matter how familiar you are with electricity, you must still have a sense of awe.

Upon hearing Wei Tianyong's words, Fang Zhou asked, "Why do you say it was because they could swim that they drowned?"

Wei Tianyong sighed: "When the villagers found Cao Kexuan, his fishing rod was floating on the water nearby. It's so obvious that a big fish pulled the fishing rod into the water and Cao Kexuan jumped in to chase it."

Ark: "When did you discover it?"

Wei Tianyong: "The Sunday before last, in the morning."

The Sunday before last, which was April 18th.

Fang Zhou: "When did Cao Kexuan come back?"

Wei Tianyong: "I ran into him at the village entrance on Saturday morning and we chatted for a bit."

Ark: "You came back specifically to fish?"

Wei Tianyong: "No, I came back to see my parents and get some clothes for the changing season, and also to go fishing. He's really into fishing."

Fang Zhou nodded slightly: "I understand."

This situation sounds reasonable.

A fisherman's lifelong pursuit is to catch a big fish in wild waters, not for the fish itself, but for the act of fishing. The sense of accomplishment is unparalleled, and it requires a great deal of luck.

Some people say that the dopamine released from catching a big fish in the wild is even higher than the dopamine released from sexual activity.

Of course, this statement has no scientific basis and varies from person to person, but it is enough to indirectly illustrate the difficulty for fishing enthusiasts to catch big fish in the wild.

Cao Kexuan had finally managed to catch the fish, but the fishing rod got wet. Since he could swim, it was not surprising that he jumped into the lake to chase after the fishing rod; it was quite normal.

"Have you retrieved the fishing rod?" Han Ling glanced at the calm lake surface, where only the floating net cage markers were visible, indicating that the villagers had been raising fish in the lake.

Wei Tianyong nodded: "It's in." Han Ling: "Was there a fish on the hook?"

Wei Tianyong: "No, it has already come off the hook. Even if you lift the rod immediately, the fish might still get away, let alone after so much time has passed."

While questioning him, Han Ling looked around but found no surveillance cameras.

"Are there people raising fish in the lake? Aren't there any surveillance cameras?" he asked.

Wei Tianyong was surprised: "Install surveillance cameras? How much money do you make from fish farming? Surveillance cameras are expensive. Besides, we're all from the same village, who would steal fish? It's too easy to be discovered."

Fangzhou continued, "Who was the first to discover the body?"

Wei Tianyong: "Xiao Jie from the Cao family, who is Cao Kexuan's cousin, quickly went to call for help after discovering the situation, and together they pulled Cao Kexuan out of the water."

Fangzhou: "How did you retrieve it?"

“Use a boat.” Wei Tianyong pointed to the lakeside not far away. “See that boat over there? It’s used for raising fish.”

The details of the incident are now clear; the criminal investigation team needs to verify the authenticity of the information.

Did Cao Kexuan come here to fish on the day of the incident? If so, were there any other people lingering nearby?

Has the fishing rod gone into the water?

Did anyone hear the cries for help?

What exactly did the first discoverer see?

and many more.

Every detail needs to be confirmed, including whether there are any signs of a struggle near the fishing spot, whether Cao Kexuan has any enemies in the village, and whether he has had any conflicts with any villagers...

Once it is confirmed that there are no suspicious points, the criminal investigation team's work is considered complete, and the "Resident Death Certificate" can be issued normally.

As for the person who sent the text message to scare the deceased's girlfriend, we can investigate that as well. If we can't find out, there's nothing we can do. As long as Cao Kexuan's accidental death is not a problem, this matter is not important.

"Scatter," Fangzhou ordered.

Han Ling, Tong Feng, and the others began searching the vicinity for any suspicious locations.

"It sounds like there's nothing wrong?" Tong Feng put on gloves, rummaged through the trash at his feet, and discussed the case with Han Ling.

Accidental deaths of anglers are not uncommon in Qingchang City, especially when the deceased jumped into the water voluntarily, making it even more dangerous.

You might think you can swim without any problems, but in reality, there are too many variables. If your legs get tangled in seaweed or you get a cramp, the chances of drowning are extremely high.

Getting into the water is easy, getting out is hard.

Han Ling: "I can't really hear anything wrong, but don't you find the illegal cremation and that text message strange?"

Tong Feng nodded: "That's true. It's a bit like destroying evidence. We need to ask if there have been similar cases in the village before. It's impossible that Cao Kexuan is the only one who has violated the cremation rules over the years, right?"

If it's just Cao Kexuan alone, then there's really a problem.

As for that text message... um..."

Fang Zhou had said on the way here that the two things were independent and had no causal relationship, and that it might just be a prank. He agreed with this, but Han Ling had previously criticized him for not being able to convince himself, so he chose to keep quiet.

As they talked, the two expanded their search area. It had rained a few days ago, and the rainwater would wash away many traces. Even if there were any small clues, they would probably have been covered up.

Han Ling secretly hoped that Cao Kexuan's death was an accident and that it wouldn't involve any other complicated matters.

The person is already dead; the outcome is already predetermined.

If there are problems with Cao Kexuan's death, then the missing crime scene and the missing body will be a significant test for the branch's criminal investigation team.

The surrounding area was quickly searched, but nothing was found.

Han Ling and Tong Feng went to the house of the villager closest to the lake to find out what was going on. The house was fifty meters away from the lake in a straight line, so they should be able to hear any noise.

There was only one man in the villager's house. After a brief conversation, the man belatedly realized that the police had come to investigate Cao Kexuan's accidental death.

"The Wei and Cao families told us to tell the outside world that he died of illness."

The man didn't think it was a big deal. When the police came to ask, he told the truth. Whether he died of illness or drowning, he didn't see any difference.

"Yes, I saw Cao Kexuan on the afternoon of April 17th. He was carrying fishing gear and went fishing by the lake. He often goes fishing."

There were many ducks in the yard, and the man was feeding them while answering questions.

"Did you hear any sounds after that? Like cries for help?" Han Ling asked.

Man: "No."

Han Ling: "Are you home all day?"

Man: "Yes, I'm home all day."

Han Ling: "Didn't you go for a stroll by the lake?"

Man: "No."

Han Ling felt something was amiss. It was understandable that a non-swimmer wouldn't have a chance to call for help when drowning, because the instinctive struggle and water entering the airway would quickly silence the drowning person, leaving no time to call for help.

However, Cao Kexuan can swim, so even in an emergency, she should be able to make a brief cry for help.

Is it because the distance was too far and the sound of drowning had weak penetrating power that we didn't hear it? That's also a possibility.

Then, Han Ling asked about Cao Kexuan's basic information.

The villager said that Cao Kexuan was a sensible and good child who was very polite to his elders. When he returned home after fishing, he would often leave a few fish for himself to eat as he passed by the door.

"To be honest, I'm so tired of eating fish when my child is home for vacation, sigh."

In the end, the man sighed deeply, feeling sorry for Cao Kexuan's death. No one knows whether an accident or tomorrow will come first.

(End of this chapter)