Although the Crime Scene Investigation office does not keep case files, all the evidence from the cases is stored there.
Lu Chuan plans to try his new skill on the cold cases left behind by the Criminal Investigation Team.
Cracking murder cases is a nationwide objective, but that doesn't mean every single case can actually be solved.
Take for instance the series of murders at the textile factory twenty-eight years ago.
If Lu Chuan hadn't obtained the Eye of Truth through the system, who would have thought that a dignified five-star hotel manager would turn out to be a fugitive wanted for twenty-eight years.
This is just like not every child can find their biological father.
Of course, Lu Chuan is not so confident that a Basic Footprint Analysis skill alone can resolve a cold case.
For one thing, not every murder scene leaves behind footprints.
On the other hand, any cold case has definitely been through multiple investigations over the years.
The ones that remain unsolved have an exceptionally high difficulty.
Even though Lu Chuan feels his knowledge in footprint analysis now surpasses Liu Guodong, he isn't confident he can outdo the provincial experts.
Lu Chuan knows that top-notch footprint analysis experts can determine someone's profession, lifestyle habits, and even leg types, such as bow-legged or hunchbacked, just from shoe prints alone.
Moreover, Lu Chuan doesn't want to be hard on himself; isn't it more rewarding to solve an easier case and experience the thrill of being a great detective?
Soon, Lu Chuan pinpointed a target in the system: a robbery and assault case that occurred a year ago in Haizhou City's High-tech Zone.
The victim's arm was slashed, and 820 yuan in cash was stolen.
The assailant wore a head cover and it was late at night, so the victim couldn't even identify whether it was a man or a woman, let alone get a clear view of the suspect's face, thus no sketch was made.
No fingerprints were left behind, and Crime Scene Investigation managed to only collect a bunch of footprints at the scene.
Logically, a "small" case like this wouldn't normally escalate to the level of the Criminal Investigation Team, considering only 820 yuan was stolen and the victim wasn't severely harmed.
However, as robbery is one of the eight major cases, regardless of the amount, it must be monitored by criminal investigations, and the case received some attention last year due to a crackdown.
Unfortunately, although the Criminal Investigation Team specifically assigned a group to follow up, there was no progress.
"Alright, it'll be you!"
The case isn't major but is of a heinous nature, and with only footprints as evidence at the scene, it matches Lu Chuan's criteria.
It's like a burglar scouting locations; without knowing the looks of the household members, one must determine the target using other means.
Mansions have their own guards, posing too high a risk, and small households typically don't harbor any attractiveness. The house of an average wealthy family is just right, with at most a few watchdogs that can be settled with some buns.
The Crime Scene Investigation office has a dedicated evidence storage warehouse, so although it's only a team of four, their resources are quite decent.
Old Liu enjoys definite deputy section chief treatment, and Yang Sen and Old Bai hold significant positions.
Apart from having a dedicated vehicle (a specialized crime scene van), there is also a specialized laboratory, and a dedicated warehouse is located beneath the building.
This warehouse is meticulously constructed; according to Liu Guodong, three years ago the team spent heavily on renovations, and now the warehouse is temperature and humidity controlled.
The reason is quite odd. Years ago, there was a strong alkali murder case, where the perpetrator was quite sly and wore protection during the crime, discarding it in a nearby trash can afterward.
It was by following this clue that the suspect was identified.
The suspect was eventually sentenced to death, but a death penalty case requires regular reviews.
When this crucial piece of evidence was re-examined, the warehouse's excessive humidity nearly caused the protective gear to be corroded.
It's worth noting that the case back then was handled by the current deputy director; if a mishap had occurred, it would have been a significant faux pas.
So with a swift approval from above, funds for the renovation of the evidence storage warehouse were disbursed.
A week ago, Liu Guodong personally led Lu Chuan to the warehouse to introduce him to each area.
In Liu Guodong's opinion, when he retires, it will inevitably be these young people like Lu Chuan who take over, and eventually, the foundation has to be handed over to them openly, without concealment.
As young people grow, the seniors can have a more relaxed life.
However, this time Captain Qin gave Lu Chuan a break, leaving just a few of them to handle the work...
All the materials are stored according to the timeline and categorized. There are only five boxes of unsolved robbery cases.
In the cold case section, Lu Chuan easily found evidence materials for last year's robbery case.
Picking up the evidence box, Lu Chuan started the comparison directly at the warehouse's desk.
Everyone upstairs was busy with the final report on the Zhang Wen father-son case, and Lu Chuan felt his presence wouldn't matter.
He decided to stay in the warehouse to experiment with his new skill.
After all, the warehouse is temperature and humidity controlled and has a fresh air system, which is much better than the chaotic environment upstairs.
Unlike fingerprint comparison systems, footprint analysis doesn't have an automatic comparison system.
Strictly speaking, it's not that there isn't one; some Criminal Investigation Teams have their own footprint identification experts who build their systems, but Haizhou City's Criminal Investigation Team clearly doesn't have one.
Spreading out the photographs, Lu Chuan began to meticulously measure the footprint data. On the day of the crime, it had just rained, leaving the suspect's footprints quite clear.
The vague edges of the footprint, the weight distribution, stride length, and pressure marks were all very evident.
When solving the case last year, Haizhou City's Criminal Investigation Team did invite an expert for analysis, but it was just a crime scene officer from the neighboring city.
Though much better than Liu Guodong, there was a significant gap compared to an actual expert.
Therefore, only some basic judgments were made, suggesting a male suspect, with a height between 1.70 to 1.80 meters.
Other details were sparse.
As for hiring experts from the provincial capital's Criminal Investigation Team or even the provincial department, Qin Yong gave up.
Despite it being a robbery and assault case, the sum involved was too small and the victim didn't even suffer minor injuries, so pushing the case upwards would probably result in the case file being thrown right back.
"Ding"
"Basic task, use footprints to analyze the suspect's physical appearance in the robbery and assault case."
Though it's just a basic task with no reward for completion, it helps Lu Chuan become familiar with the skill, so he continues his observation.
"Insufficient pressure on the vague edges... weight centered backward..."
Lu Chuan was now in the zone, placing several sets of footprints together for comparison.
He opened the calculator app on his phone and began calculating the measured data.
"Something's not right..."
Half an hour later, Lu Chuan frowned tightly, holding all the measurement and calculation data.
There's no doubt he ran into trouble.
Indeed, any case that becomes a cold case is never simple.
At any time or place, never underestimate the diligence of the police.
Although this robbery case isn't huge, it is one of the eight major cases. Within such a case, the bureau has performance indicators for the Criminal Investigation Team.
This is even a critical performance metric for city bureaus evaluated by the provincial department.
Therefore, those working the case last year must have put forth their best efforts.
The reason for Lu Chuan's furrowed brow isn't due to doubts about the system's skill reward.
It's because his calculated results differ greatly from the suspect profile established during last year's case.
In fact, it is even a groundbreaking revelation.
Because, according to his calculations, the owner of the footprints should be female!