Accidental Hero: The Rookie Who Outshines the Force - Chapter 51

Lu Cheng’s [Trace Detection] skill was now Level 2, allowing him to notice even subtler clues.

He deliberately re-checked the areas Officer Su Qingwu had already examined. Hmph, can’t trust even my “future wife”? Fine, I won’t trust you either.

By sheer coincidence—or perhaps fate—he spotted a faint fingerprint on the window hook.

Su Qingwu’s eyes flickered. She quickly instructed her colleagues from the forensics team to collect it.

Xiao Zheng said, “It should still be Wu Hao’s fingerprint. He must have left it accidentally while climbing through the window with the body.”

Xiao Hu glanced at Lu Cheng. One fingerprint… is it really worth all this fuss? He probably expected some earth-shattering discovery.

But this was the trainee officer’s first time examining a homicide scene. Finding anything at all was enough to get him excited.

And to be fair, the kid had sharp eyes—catching a fingerprint on a window hook wasn’t easy.

Su Qingwu understood why Lu Cheng had checked the window: he was trying to one-up her. Childish.

Her cold, composed face betrayed no emotion, but a single glance conveyed a silent message: “I’ll deal with you later.”

The forensics team ran a comparison and discovered that the fingerprint did not belong to Wu Hao, nor to Lin Xiaoman.

Su Qingwu frowned. A third person’s fingerprint?

“Fingerprints on metal hooks don’t last long. Typically no more than three days,” the officer explained.

Xiao Zheng stroked his chin. “So that means someone else was at the apartment within two days of the crime?”

Xiao Hu asked, “Who is this person? And why leave a print on the window hook?”

Su Qingwu thought for a few seconds, then shook her head. “Preserve the evidence and bring it back first. We’ll figure it out later.”

Wu Hao remained the prime suspect. Capturing him would be a major breakthrough.

Her phone, still connected, buzzed. It was Qin Mian. “New fingerprint?”

“Yes,” Su Qingwu replied. “A third person’s print. No link to the case yet. We’ll reassess once Wu Hao is caught.”

Qin Mian’s voice was firm. “Be thorough. Don’t miss any traces of evidence.”

He directed the comment to Su Qingwu, Xiao Zheng, and Xiao Hu. And here a rookie trainee had spotted a fingerprint they hadn’t. Wouldn’t that be embarrassing if it got out?

Su Qingwu glanced at Lu Cheng. She had expected him to be smug, but he was frowning in thought.

“What are you thinking about?”

“Nothing.”

Lu Cheng shook his head, but in truth, he was analyzing the scenario: if Wu Hao, the victim’s ex-boyfriend, wasn’t the killer, then who was?

There was no doubt Wu Hao had a motive due to friction with Lin Xiaoman. But only Lu Cheng knew he wasn’t the culprit. This knowledge couldn’t be revealed yet—he had no way to justify it.

So he had to work backward: if Wu Hao wasn’t the killer, the culprit was the third person—the one whose fingerprint had been left.

And naturally, that person was also the one who disposed of the body. The murder weapon must carry their prints.

The weapon had to be found.

Lu Cheng now had a clear line of thought. But for the entire criminal investigation team, the focus was still solely on finding Wu Hao.

Su Qingwu, puzzled, gave him a glance before instructing Xiao Zheng and Xiao Hu to pack up and meet Qin Mian at the body disposal site.

Sanliqiao Precinct—Before the Canvassing Operation

Chen Weimin and Zhao Han returned to the precinct. Lin Wenbin peeked around, searching for Lu Cheng.

“Eh? Director Chen, where’s Brother Lu?”

Lin Wenbin had been looking forward to seeing the “Lu-Lin duo” shine during the canvassing operation.

With a homicide in the precinct, this was a rare chance for hands-on experience.

“Brother Lu? Which one of you is older?” Chen Weimin glanced up.

“He went to inspect the crime scene,” he replied.

Lin Wenbin, Chen Zelong, and Guo Lei widened their eyes in surprise.

“Inspect the crime scene? That’s the criminal investigation team’s job! Did someone poach Brother Lu?”

Chen Weimin’s expression darkened. He glared at Lin Wenbin. “Poach my men? Over my dead body!”

Lin Wenbin scratched his head and fell silent.

Zhao Han said, “Brother Lu stole the spotlight again in the meeting. Team Leader Qin made an exception and allowed him to follow the criminal investigation team to the scene.”

What?!

The young officers exchanged glances. Making a scene in a meeting and getting to go to the scene? Over the top!

Chen Zelong nudged the silent Yuan Jie. “Isn’t criminal investigation your specialty? Why didn’t you get to go?”

“Humph!” The top student glared, inwardly seething.

Lin Wenbin shook his head. Little Chen, you really picked the wrong thing to complain about.

Chen Weimin then assigned tasks per the meeting instructions.

All available Sanliqiao officers were sent out for field canvassing, following Wu Hao’s known routines.

Meanwhile, the criminal investigation team pulled surveillance from gas stations and convenience stores along the body disposal route.

Under Binjiang Bridge

Along the riverbank, five or six police cars were parked beside the road, cordoned off with police tape.

About thirty to forty civilians stood on the bridge, pointing and whispering.

A reporter from the local Rainflower District news channel was also present, hoping to get some firsthand coverage. She was stopped by the police guarding the scene.

When Su Qingwu arrived with Lu Cheng and the others, the reporter’s eyes lit up. She recognized Lu Cheng—the trainee officer she had interviewed at Sanliqiao Precinct just a few days ago.

“Wait, Officer Lu is with the criminal investigation team now? Was he promoted already? That was fast!”

She wondered if she could get some inside information from him.

“Team Leader Qin!”

A group approached Qin Mian, descending the slope where seven or eight criminal investigators were searching through knee-high grass for footprints and the murder weapon.

A straight drag line led from the roadside down to the river. There was no doubt—the killer had dragged the body along this line into the river last night.

Qin Mian smoked silently. “Coincidentally, there was a rain shower last night. It washed away the footprints, and no useful evidence has been found so far.”

His gaze swept over the group, stopping on Lu Cheng.

He suddenly smiled. “Lu Cheng, you found a fingerprint on the window hook? Sharp eyes, huh?”

“My eyes are 0.8 each—pilot standard,” Lu Cheng joked lightly.

Though it was a joke, his vision likely exceeded 1.0, possibly a hidden bonus from his system attributes.

Qin Mian raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Then help us find the murder weapon?”

“Sure.” Lu Cheng nodded.

Qin Mian blinked. He had only made a casual remark, not expecting Lu Cheng to take it seriously.

Most of the site had already been searched, and the police dog had combed it as well. The weapon had most likely been dumped in the river.

Qin Mian was about to call the salvage team.

Nearby, two officers led a police dog through the grass, and shortly returned.

“Team Leader Qin, the dog searched the area twice. No luck.”