Chen Chao remembered his master telling him during a casual chat.
He'd said that ordinary criminal detectives have to be like a slow bird that starts flying early—they have to compensate with hard work.
In a homicide case, for instance, you just follow the most basic playbook. First, identify the body to confirm the victim's identity. Then, using that identity as a starting point, you investigate their social circle—love, money, or grudges. Ninety-nine percent of homicide cases fall within one of those three categories.
Then, don't think of yourself as some Sherlock Holmes or a brilliant detective from a TV show. Just do the legwork. Don't shy away from hardship or exhaustion, and diligently investigate every single lead.
Ninety-nine percent of cases can be solved that way.
Of course, Chen Chao had asked what the truly exceptional detectives were like.
