hsntnovel Chapter 5: Hidden Clues
Chapter 5: Hidden Clues
She immediately flipped to the novel's page and handed over her phone.
The surrounding police officers all gathered around, looking on with curiosity.
Zhou Guoping took the phone and looked down at it.
Once he started watching, he became completely absorbed, watching with great focus, and didn't utter a sound for a long time.
Those around them didn't dare to disturb them and all took out their phones to search for the novel.
After Zhou Guoping finished reading, he suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with shock, and hurriedly asked, "What about the rest? Why hasn't it been updated?"
Lin Xiaoyu said with a helpless expression, "This is his latest serialized novel. He was taken away by the police after only a few chapters were released, so I was sure that he could help us find clues to solve the case."
...
The task force members paced anxiously back and forth at the temporary investigation site, their phones ringing but no one answering; the atmosphere was incredibly tense.
Veteran detective Zhao Gang's phone suddenly rang urgently.
He immediately answered the phone; it was Su Wan from the Municipal Public Security Bureau's Criminal Investigation Team calling.
After a brief exchange, Zhao Gang hung up the phone and turned to Zhou Guoping: "Captain, they've agreed. We can have a video call with Jiang Chen now."
"Great, that's wonderful!"
Zhou Guoping's eyes were full of anticipation, and his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally felt a little relieved.
A short while later, the video call was successfully connected.
"Hello, you must be Captain Zhou?"
Jiang Chen saw the middle-aged man on the other side of the camera and took the initiative to greet him.
He had heard of Zhou Guoping before; he was a veteran in handling major cases in the bureau and had a high reputation.
Zhou Guoping didn't beat around the bush and went straight to the point: "Mr. Jiang, you should know our purpose. The serial case we're investigating has been stuck for too long, and all the leads have gone cold. I don't care what your past was like. As long as you can help us find the key clues, I will definitely plead with the higher-ups on your behalf and try to get leniency."
Jiang Chen's lips twitched, barely suppressing his speechlessness.
"Captain Zhou, please don't be so polite. Just call me Xiao Jiang. I'll say it again, I have nothing to do with the case. I'm just a novelist. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to find any clues. I can only try my best."
"Alright, alright, you're a novelist." Zhou Guoping didn't dwell on his identity; solving the case was the most important thing right now.
"No matter what, I'm extremely grateful if I can be of any help to the task force."
"Captain Zhou, you should have surveillance footage of the surrounding area, right? Pull up the surveillance footage from the surrounding intersections and forests, I want to take a look at them one by one," Jiang Chen said.
Zhou Guoping nodded repeatedly: "No problem, I'll have someone arrange it right away."
"Zhao Gang, do as Mr. Jiang says right away and pull up all the surveillance footage."
"Captain, we've already reviewed all the surveillance footage in the area. We've looked at everything we need to. If we had any clues, we would have found them already."
Zhao Gang looked reluctant, feeling from the bottom of his heart that a novelist couldn't be of any help at all.
"Just do what I tell you to do, stop talking nonsense!" Zhou Guoping reprimanded in a stern voice.
"Okay, whatever you say."
Zhao Gang sighed. Since there was no other way, he went along with the captain's idea and decided to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.
"Captain, you take a break, I'll check the surveillance footage." Young police officer Xiao Wu stepped forward and quickly started operating the computer.
The surveillance footage was transmitted to Jiang Chen's mobile phone screen in real time.
Jiang Chen knew that the modus operandi of this case highly overlapped with the plot he had conceived in his new book, and the murderer would most likely take a hidden route through a blind spot of the surveillance cameras.
If not, there's nothing he can do.
The surveillance footage clearly shows the streets, alleys, and entrances to the suburban mountains surrounding the crime scene.
Jiang Chen stared at the screen, his mind racing through the crime deduction information provided by the system, not missing a single detail.
"After committing the crime, the perpetrator will not take the main road, but will choose blind spots with few surveillance cameras and poor visibility to escape, which will not be noticed by ordinary investigations."
Su Wan sat down next to Jiang Chen and couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are you muttering about? Have you noticed anything?"
Jiang Chen smiled and said, "It's nothing, just some theoretical knowledge of criminal psychology. The terrain and surveillance layout in this area are very special, and the murderer probably left a hidden route."
"Really? You can figure that out just by glancing at the surveillance footage? You're not just guessing, are you?" Su Wan asked, her face full of doubt.
Jiang Chen calmly responded: "Whether it's the perpetrator committing the crime or fleeing, they will follow environmental and psychological patterns. As long as you understand these patterns, you will have a direction in finding clues. This is all based on the information I collected while writing my novel."
"Xiao Jiang is right. The killer's movements are all patterned, especially those who commit serial crimes. They will deliberately avoid surveillance cameras and crowds, but these patterns are very difficult to detect."
"We've tried to deduce the killer's route before, but we still can't figure it out," Zhou Guoping said to the camera, agreeing with Jiang Chen's statement.
"From what I'm saying, Mr. Jiang, you seem to have a deep understanding of crime profiling?" Zhou Guoping asked with some curiosity.
Jiang Chen smiled faintly: "Writing novels requires material. I've done a lot of research and know a little bit about it."
"I see." Zhou Guoping didn't take it too seriously, assuming he had just read some professional books and didn't expect him to actually find a breakthrough.
"Wait, pause this surveillance footage!" Jiang Chen suddenly spoke, his tone firm.
The footage freezes on the entrance of an old alley on the outskirts of the city, a secondary surveillance camera that was overlooked during previous investigations.
The surveillance footage was paused.
"Pull the camera closer to the depths of the alley and adjust the image quality."
"Okay!" Xiao Wu immediately operated the system to zoom in on the surveillance footage.
Everyone crowded around the screen, their eyes wide with surprise.
This alley looks like a dead end, with high walls on both sides, but upon closer inspection, you'll find an inconspicuous narrow gap on the right side of the alley, just wide enough for one person to pass through, leading directly to the mountains and forests behind.
"This...this actually has a hidden passageway?"
Zhao Gang and the rest of the task force were stunned. They searched the surrounding area repeatedly but hadn't noticed this hidden blind spot at all.
Jiang Chen, however, remained calm.
"Move the surveillance camera behind the narrow passage and look towards the back of the mountain."
"good!"
Xiao Wu was filled with anticipation and quickly switched to the monitoring screen.
The camera follows the narrow passage backward, ending in a dense forest on the back mountain. At the edge of the forest, there is a small entrance covered by weeds, leading directly into the depths of the mountains.
"My God, there's such a hidden passage here! How come we didn't notice it before!"
"Quick, Xiao Wu, check the surveillance footage from the back mountain again and see if there are any traces of the murderer in this passage!" Zhao Gang became excited instantly, and his tone changed.
"good!"
Xiao Wu immediately retrieved the surveillance footage from the back mountain and clearly saw traces of someone entering and exiting through this hidden passage. Although the traces were blurry, they were enough to pinpoint the route.
"Captain, we've found it! We've finally found the killer's escape route!" Xiao Wu shouted excitedly.
Zhou Guoping clenched his fist, unable to hide his excitement: "Great! With this route, we can follow the surveillance footage and look for clues. The case finally has a breakthrough!"
The officers on the task force breathed a sigh of relief, and long-lost smiles appeared on their faces. The atmosphere, which had been suppressed for a long time, finally became lively.