"That's the situation, Captain Chen. Do you have anything to add?"
After Zhang Jian finished his briefing, he looked toward Chen Chao.
Shen Xin's gaze followed everyone else's. He curiously looked over at Chen Chao, wondering what he would say.
Even though Fan Jie was already in custody, the sub-bureau still sent someone down to supervise the case, which felt a bit like they were trying to snatch the credit. Still, it didn't diminish Shen Xin's admiration for criminal investigators.
Shen Xin hadn't followed his parents' wishes to inherit their modest family assets. Instead, he chose to enroll in the police academy because he'd always wanted to be a criminal investigator.
If his test scores had been high enough, Shen Xin would have definitely chosen to major in criminal investigation instead of public security management when he applied to the academy.
Chen Chao gave off a very calm and steady impression. He spoke in an unhurried manner, "Zhang Jian, I need to remind you first to be mentally prepared for today's operation to yield nothing."
He immediately threw a bucket of cold water on Zhang Jian's hopes.
"I've gone through the case files and interrogation records. I noticed the suspect has extremely strong counter-surveillance awareness. He bought a Penguin account, and his first contact with Li Hao was in a local QQ group. Afterward, they traded theft techniques without any direct contact."
"And it was the same with the transaction with Fan Jie: untraceable cash, no face-to-face meetings, only online communication. All of this indicates he has counter-surveillance awareness. He's a smart guy."
"Without a high IQ, I doubt he could have developed this technique for bypassing electric scooter security systems."
"You also said his last contact with Fan Jie was on May 21st, which was 18 days ago, right? After so long, I think the chances of catching him in Xianghong Village are very slim."
At this, Zhang Jian's eyebrows knitted together.
But he had to admit, Chen Chao's assessment was reasonable.
Judging from the man's various actions, he was someone with an extremely high level of counter-surveillance awareness. How could he possibly leave a clear address for the police to find him?
Chen Chao continued, "So, Zhang Jian, you can't get your hopes up too high. Today's operation might only provide some new clues. To find this person, we'll need to find a new approach."
He stared at the question mark on the whiteboard, his gaze profound.
It's not the vicious and desperate criminals you have to fear, but the ones who have brains.
Criminals with even a little bit of intelligence aren't easy to catch.
Shen Xin nodded to himself.
'He's not wrong!'
'Just as you'd expect from someone who made it to deputy captain of the brigade.'
At first, Shen Xin had also subconsciously thought that since they'd already caught Fan Jie, finding his supplier would be a piece of cake.
But after hearing Chen Chao's analysis, he realized it wasn't that simple.
Beside him, Li Dongsheng also frowned.
It wasn't just him; almost everyone else in the room had a similar expression.
They had all thought the case was about to be closed.
Song Liang took in everyone's reactions and spoke up. "See? This is what experience looks like. Zhang Jian, you need to learn from this."
He praised Chen Chao, then offered some encouragement. "However, I still believe in that old saying: no matter how smart a criminal is, he'll always make a mistake, always slip up. For us, the most important thing is to hold firm to that belief. A case this big has landed on our shoulders. It's a show of trust from our superiors, and it's also a test for us. What I want to know is, are you confident you can crack this case and catch the suspect?"
He asked loudly.
The officers exchanged glances, then shouted in unison, "Yes!"
"If a case is filed, it must be solved." That was the rule Song Liang had established.
"Then let's get to it."
He stood up and told everyone to go eat. They would set out immediately after the meal.
Shen Xin had woken up late and already eaten, so he wasn't hungry. He stayed outside the cafeteria to play with Million.
"Shake!"
Shen Xin held out his left hand.
Fan Jie probably never properly trained Million, but the dog was exceptionally smart. After Shen Xin took its paw and demonstrated the motion once, it learned immediately.
It even extrapolated from the lesson. When Shen Xin held out his right hand, it immediately offered its left paw.
"Good boy."
Shen Xin praised him with a pat on the head, pulled a sausage stick from his pocket, peeled it, and popped it into the dog's mouth.
Its eyes lit up, and it scarfed the whole thing down in one bite.
The icon above its head actually grew by one bar.
Shen Xin instantly understood. This little guy loved sausage sticks.
'Well, that's easy then. I'll buy it a whole box later and let it eat to its heart's content.'
Shen Xin's thoughts then turned to Da Mei.
'To increase Da Mei's affection level, it seems the best way is still through food.'
Shen Xin recalled a video he'd seen online. It said that when a cat waits by the door for its owner to come home from work, it's not necessarily a sign of affection. Rather, the cat thinks its owner went out to hunt.
Domestic cats see their owners as more capable members of their own species, so they naturally entrust them with the duty of hunting for food.
If the owner comes back empty-handed, the cat will feel disappointed and think the owner is useless.
But if the owner brings back food, especially something delicious, the cat might start to idolize them.
Shen Xin mulled it over. 'Maybe I should bring something tasty home for Da Mei, too.'
Just as he was thinking, he felt a gaze on his back.
Shen Xin turned his head and jumped. He had no idea when Song Liang and Chen Chao had appeared behind him.
"Song Suo, Captain Chen!"
Shen Xin quickly stood up to greet them.
Song Liang smiled and nodded. Chen Chao, however, remained expressionless and asked, "You're fond of cats and dogs?"
He had read the case file.
Shen Xin had discovered the stolen electric scooter while helping a stray cat find her kittens.
And during Fan Jie's arrest, it was also Shen Xin who had dealt with the guard dog.
Chen Chao's gaze was deep and calm. Meeting his eyes always brought a sense of formless pressure.
Shen Xin nodded.
Chen Chao grunted in acknowledgment. "You're young. Focus on learning useful skills, don't waste your energy on pointless things like this."
It was meant as a word of advice.
With that said, he left with Song Liang.
Shen Xin didn't let out a sigh of relief until they were far away.
'Chen Chao's tone is a lot like my dad's,' he thought. 'Always so preachy.'
After everyone had eaten, they set out for the operation.
Xianghong Village was located in Tingyang District, the same district as Yunlin Street.
But it was in Huangtang Street, on the northernmost edge of Tingyang District.
The area was already quite remote. According to the Old Nanjiang People, this was considered the countryside.
For many years, there had been rumors of demolition and redevelopment, but nothing ever came of it. As a result, the area was still dominated by old-style residential houses.
And because of its proximity to National Highway 372 and several large logistics parks nearby, it had gradually become a logistics hub, with a large number of drivers choosing to rent homes in the area for convenience.
Adding in the people who worked in the parks, it slowly developed into a fairly large community, similar to an urban village.
A group of seventeen people set out. Almost everyone at the station who was free had gone, making it a major operation.
After they arrived, the Huangtang Police Station also sent people to assist.
It was the head of the public security team, a man named Zhao Shouchuan who was a bit older than Zhang Jian. He was a very amicable person, waiting for the group at the eastern entrance to the village. He greeted each of them with a wide smile and a handshake, welcoming them.
After the greetings, however, his tone suddenly shifted. He frowned and said, "Old Zhang, are you sure it's 113 Xianghong Village? I know about that family. The head of the household is a blind old man, and there's no one else living there. Logically, he shouldn't be involved in any kind of case."
Hearing this, Zhang Jian's heart sank. He immediately thought of what Chen Chao had said earlier.
It seemed Chen Chao had been right after all. This case wasn't going to be so easy to close.