Animal Detective

Chapter 26 was left unfinished.
However, this conversation with Chen Chao made Shen Xin realize that Chen Chao was practically a walking storybook.

"Captain Chen, have you handled any other cases as bizarre as this?"

The case Chen Chao just mentioned is something even TV dramas wouldn't dare to portray.

Both the criminals and the victims were incredibly foolish.

“Yes.” Chen Chao nodded: “I heard about a case, it was in 14, in our Ningjiang Province. A murder occurred in the suburbs. The place was very deserted, there were no cameras, and there were no witnesses.”

"There wasn't much evidence left on the victim, but guess how they eventually identified the suspect?"

Shen Xin shook his head, completely unexpected.

Chen Chao himself found it unbelievable, saying, "At the time, I don't know which senior had a flash of inspiration and checked a nearby network base station. It turned out that during the time the suspect was killed, only two mobile phone numbers were connected to this base station, one was the victim's and the other was the suspect's."

Shen Xin exclaimed in surprise, "Holy crap!"

Finding a suspect in this way is utterly absurd.

"Captain Chen, does this case tell us that we shouldn't bring our phones when we commit murder, or at least we should put them on airplane mode?" Shen Xin said with a smile.

Chen Chao smiled too.

"So, just like this time, I think Li Jin never dreamed that you would find him through a stray cat."

Shen Xin nodded.

If I didn't have that magical icon, I wouldn't have thought of such an incredible method.

As the two were talking, Song Liang came out. He had come out to look for Chen Chao because he hadn't gone in for a while.

"Captain Chen, that kid's done for."

Song Liang's face lit up with joy.

Shen Xin was stunned. No, they dropped out so quickly? They were only inside for half an hour, right?

Shen Xin glanced at Chen Chao.

Chen Chao just said the case would be closed soon, and he was right.

The main problem is that I overthought things, thinking Li Jin was a high-IQ criminal and even considering using Wu Zhicun. Now it seems that, just as Chen Chao said, I had overcomplicated things.

"Director Song, did he admit to everything?" Shen Xin asked hurriedly.

Song Liang shook his head and said, "No, he only admitted half of it. This kid must have checked the criminal law and concluded that he didn't directly participate in the theft, but merely sold the theft tools without knowing their purpose."

"So he immediately admitted to selling hacking tools, but insisted that he didn't know what the other party wanted to do, saying that he thought they were electric vehicle repairmen and didn't know they wanted to steal electric vehicles."

Chen Chao scoffed, "Does he think he's like the murderer who bought the knife from him, and he's just selling the knife and therefore has no responsibility?"

“That’s right, that’s exactly what I mean.” Song Liang nodded hurriedly.

Shen Xin still found it unbelievable.

If that's the case, then Li Jin is being far too... far too presumptuous.

If you say you didn't know the other party was going to use cracked software to steal things, will the judge believe you?
You took the money, claimed exclusive rights in Nanjiang City, and even modified the cracking tool for them a second time. To then insist you were unaware of it is just burying your head in the sand.

"Chief Song, so this case is closed?"

Shen Xin asked.

Li Jin admitted it, and the case should have been closed.

After several days of work, I never expected it to end like this.

For some reason, Shen Xin felt a little listless.

"How can it be."

Song Liang shook his head: "He's still clinging to a sliver of hope, so we need to strike while the iron is hot and find a way to complete the chain of evidence. Captain Chen, I'd like to ask the branch office to provide some technical support to see if we can compare the internal code of the hacking device with the software code on Li Jin's computer to prove that the code for the hacking device came from Li Jin."

"Okay." Chen Chao nodded; that was what he thought too.

This isn't over yet; many things about Li Jin still need to be confirmed.

For example, the house he rented in Houzhuang Village.

He left in a hurry, leaving behind a lot of electronics-related items, which we should also investigate.

As for Wu Zhicun, we also need to confirm and investigate his relationship with Li Jin.

With this going on, there's no way I'll be able to leave work.

Originally, Song Liang wanted Shen Xin to go to Xianghong Village to confirm information with Wu Zhicun, but Chen Chao stopped him.

Chen Chao suggested that Shen Xin be involved in the case, for example, by taking notes during the interrogations.

"also."

Song Liang smiled, realizing that Chen Chao's attitude towards Shen Xin had changed drastically; he wanted to give Shen Xin an opportunity to train and develop. He naturally wouldn't refuse such an offer.

People naturally strive for better opportunities, and if Shen Xin has the ability to be a criminal investigator, he certainly wouldn't stop him.

The police station has a dedicated interrogation room.

It's small and rather simple.

After all, there aren't many criminal cases in the station on a regular basis.

Although it was Shen Xin's first time participating in a case interrogation, it was just taking notes, which was not a difficult task. So after calming down, he got the hang of it quickly.

Just write down everything Li Jin says and everything Zhang Jian asks, word for word.

Not to mention there's surveillance footage.

Sitting behind the computer, Shen Xin silently observed Li Jin during a break from recording.

When he was at that tech company, he appeared very calm. Even when the police came to his door, he only panicked for a moment before calming down and demanding that he finish his work.

The whole process was frighteningly calm.

But now he's completely changed. His brows are furrowed, his eyes dart around, and his face is filled with panic and irritability.

He would occasionally argue with Zhang Jian, claiming that he really didn't know Fan Jie bought the hacking device to steal electric bikes.

Zhang Jian slammed his hand on the table and said, "To be honest, I really admire you. You're really bold. You developed the technology to crack the No. 6 electric vehicle anti-theft system, and you even dared to apply for a job at the No. 6 electric vehicle company as a software engineer to help them upgrade the anti-theft system."

This was the first time Shen Xin had heard of this situation, and he couldn't help but show a surprised expression.

If that's the case, then Li Jin's audacity is truly remarkable.

Li Jin retorted, "Well, I'm a tech person by profession. Since I know about No. 6 electric vehicles, is there a problem with me applying for a job at their company?"

There really is no problem, not a single flaw.

At this moment, Wu Kaishan entered and handed something to Zhang Jian.

Zhang Jian immediately changed the subject, holding up the circuit board in his hand and asking Li Jin if he recognized it.

Li Jin looked even more flustered and shook his head in denial.

"Stop trying to deny it!" Zhang Jian slammed his hand on the table and shouted, "This is the circuit board we found in your rented room. It's exactly the same as the circuit board of the hacking device we seized. What else do you have to say?"

Shen Xin glanced at the circuit board in Zhang Jian's hand and suddenly felt something was off.

Chen Chao had previously said that we shouldn't think too highly of criminal suspects.

The fact that Li Jin was able to develop this kind of hacking technology at least proves that he is not an idiot.

He also has sufficient counter-surveillance awareness.

Even if he isn't as smart as those high-IQ criminals in movies and TV shows, he should still be a person with a very high IQ.

How could a smart person leave such a valuable piece of evidence, which could identify him, in the rented house while fleeing?

Perhaps it could be said that when he discovered the black and white cat dashcam, he was in such a panic that he forgot about it and had to leave.

But Shen Xin still felt something was off.

Zhang Jian continued, "As for the programs in your laptop, we've already had technicians examine them. They told me directly that a person's code is like a fingerprint, with specific habits. Once we confirm that the code for the cracker was written by you, it's useless for you to confess."

"So now I'm giving you a chance, do you understand?"

These words seemed to break through Li Jin's psychological defenses, and he said with a sob in his voice, "I really didn't know they were going to steal electric bikes."

He offered a defense, gritted his teeth, and asked himself if he would be sentenced to prison and how many years.

Zhang Jian's eyes lit up. He knew Li Jin was about to back down, so he immediately said, "I'm not trying to scare you, but in your case, you're an accomplice to theft, which carries a minimum sentence of 3 years. However, if you confess and return the stolen money, there's a chance you can get a lighter sentence."

"I need to think about it." Li Jin seemed to be on the verge of a breakdown.

Zhang Jian nodded, gestured for Shen Xin to go out, and poured Li Jin a glass of water.

Shen Xin stood up.

In the instant the door opened and then closed, Shen Xin subconsciously turned his head to look at Li Jin.

Li Jin lowered his head, his legs shaking uncontrollably, looking as if he was having an internal struggle.

From an angle that Zhang Jian couldn't see, Shen Xin happened to see Li Jin, who was looking down, twitch at the corner of his mouth, and a contemptuous and disdainful expression flashed across his face.

The feeling was like having fooled the other person and then feeling incredibly smug.

Shen Xin's heart skipped a beat, and when he looked again, he found that Li Jin was still the same as before.

That expression I just saw seems to have been just my imagination.

(End of this chapter)