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墨書 Inktalez
Old Shao turned to look back, his tone still kind. "According to the plan, I would train you for a few weeks and then select the most suitable candidates to join the project team. However, due to unforeseen circumstances, this training is no longer possible. If there’s an opportunity, perhaps next time."
As he spoke, several people began to walk out.
One of the detectives muttered, "While every province has its special task force, not everyone can join the one led by you. Who knows how many years it will be until the next opportunity? Besides, how did he get in directly?"
Another detective nodded in agreement. "According to your standards, he should have been eliminated."
It was indeed somewhat unfair for Jiang He to be taken away like this. If it were someone else, they might not have complained, but the fact that a person who seemed rather foolish was joining the project team made them uneasy.
Waving his hand, Old Shao instructed Director Wen to leave first.
"Listen," Old Shao paused, lightly tapping his fingers on the table. "I have a question. Whoever gives the closest answer will come with me."
"Alright," everyone nodded.
Old Shao continued, "The ones remaining have all observed this conference room as a whole. So I ask you, how many people participated in the exam today?"
"One hundred and seven," several people quickly answered.
"Correct," Old Shao nodded.
Three people answered correctly while the others remained silent, including Jiang He.
The three exchanged glances filled with pride. Seeing that Old Shao seemed to favor Jiang He and that he hadn’t answered either only fueled their arrogance.
"Now, how many people were wearing white tops?"
Old Shao's question left the three dumbfounded.
These individuals were sharp enough to remember the total number of participants, which was already impressive. However, since everyone was in plain clothes today with a variety of colors, they hadn’t kept track of how many wore white.
"Ten?" one person ventured. "As long as it's the closest answer, right?"
Old Shao nodded.
"Fifteen items."
"Then I guess twelve items."
Old Shao glanced at Jiang He. "Fine."
Jiang He nodded seriously and said, "There are a total of seventeen people wearing white clothes or with most of their clothing being white."
"Let's go." Shao waved his hand.
Everyone watched as Old Shao led Jiang He out of the conference room. In the end, Old Shao did not reveal what the correct answer was.
As one foot stepped out the door, Jiang He suddenly turned back. He stood at the entrance and spoke, "Among these seventeen people wearing white tops, five have buttons, three have zippers, and the remaining nine are white shirts."
With that, Jiang He walked out of the conference room again.
"Is that for real? Are they trying to trick us? Can anyone really remember that?"
Walking down the hallway, Jiang He said, "Based on your actions, I have a sixty percent chance of believing that I am now a member of the project team."
Old Shao listened to Jiang He's methodical words, reminiscent of a science student, and couldn't help but smile. "No need for sixty percent; it's a hundred percent."
"So what case are we dealing with?" Jiang He asked straightforwardly.
Old Shao didn't waste time. As they walked into the Provincial Police Headquarters, he explained, "Just now, we received an invitation call from the Shangxi City Public Security Bureau regarding a bizarre case. Director Wen is currently sending someone to follow up. As a newly established project team, this will be our first case to handle."
The two hurried along in the rain. Despite Old Shao's age, he didn't seem to show any signs of slowing down.
A detective led them into a conference room where several leaders from the Provincial Public Security Department were already seated. Old Shao took a seat, and Wang Chao then presented a document detailing the case:
The incident took place in the neighboring city of Shangxi City, specifically in the Anxiang District, on August 10th.
Around two o'clock in the afternoon on August 10th, the rain had eased, and the long-awaited sun broke through the clouds, casting light and warmth upon the earth. It was summer vacation, and several students from Anxiang District had gathered to play. After stepping out of Fengyang Street, they spotted an old football discarded in the distance among the greenery.
With playful spirits ignited, the students rushed towards the football and began to chase and kick it along the roadside. According to their accounts, the ball felt a bit hard when kicked and was somewhat heavy. However, they assumed it was just a worn-out football and didn’t think much of it.
As they played more energetically, they kicked the ball onto the motor vehicle lane and then one student gave it a strong kick.
Ultimately, under one student's powerful kick, the football flew straight into a nearby Gift Shop, followed by a series of crashing sounds as items shattered. Realizing they had caused trouble, the students turned and ran without a second thought for the football.
The boss of the Gift Shop was a middle-aged man in his forties with a large belly. He had been engrossed in watching a crime scene show during lunch when suddenly he felt a shadow flash past him, startling him greatly. Once he calmed down, he saw that a football had come flying in and crashed into his shelf, knocking porcelain cups and toys all over the floor.
He rushed outside cursing but only caught sight of the students’ figures disappearing into the distance.
After muttering a few curses about his bad luck, he turned back to clean up the mess.
Spotting the culprit football, he felt an intense anger rising within him. He aimed it at the door and kicked it with all his might.
The kick was disastrous; he felt as if his toes had broken as he fell to the ground rolling in pain.
The football flew out with such force that it soared high into the air before splitting open down the middle. Following that, a round object tumbled out of it. This round object bounced several times on the ground before rolling back towards the Gift Shop and coming to rest beside its boss.
What fell out from inside the football was not some inner bladder but rather a bloody human head.
When the Gift Shop boss regained consciousness, he found himself in a hospital.
At around two-thirty in the afternoon, police received reports from citizens who discovered that there was a human head hidden inside an old football.
After analysis, local police concluded that this was likely a murder and dismemberment case—a serious crime for Shangxi City—prompting them to establish an investigation team. However, during their inquiry, they encountered difficulties. They did not even know who this victim was; comparisons with missing persons reports revealed that this individual was not listed among them.
Moreover, the location where the football appeared was peculiar; surveillance footage did not capture how it ended up hidden among the grass in the greenery. There were two possibilities: either too much time had passed and surveillance records were deleted or the murderer had evaded detection and stealthily placed the football in that spot without anyone noticing.
Their leads had come to a halt after tracking down that group of students.
After a night of contemplation, the local police decided to invite a special task force to solve the case.
Currently, the head was still in the morgue and had not yet undergone an autopsy, so the cause of death could not be determined.
Aside from that, the police had not found any additional clues. However, one thing they could confirm was that the greenbelt was definitely not the primary crime scene.
That was all the information they had at the moment.
“Old Shao, what do you think?” a leader spoke up.
Old Shao did not hesitate: “Investigate.”
Director Wen nodded. “I’ll notify the police in Shangxi City immediately.”
Wang Chao looked at the case and said, “This case seems a bit tricky. So far, all we know is that a head was found inside a ball; everything else is a mystery. We don’t know the identity of the deceased, how they died, or even where the primary crime scene is. It’s difficult.”
Shao the Elder replied, “Difficult? Are you interested?”
“Me?” Wang Chao pointed to himself.
Old Shao nodded.
“Of course I want to go,” Wang Chao said somewhat shyly. “It’s just that when it comes to observation and reasoning…”
“Jiang He, what do you think?” Old Shao turned to Jiang He.
Jiang He spoke up: “If the task force is selecting the most outstanding detectives, then they must excel in both observation and reasoning skills. Based on my experience, Wang Chao does not meet those criteria in either aspect. Physically speaking, neither of us has good stamina; we both fall short. Overall, Wang Chao’s chances of joining the task force are below ten percent.”
In front of so many leaders, Jiang He’s words left no room for doubt; they were blunt and served as a harsh slap in Wang Chao’s face.
Wang Chao's expression fluctuated, clearly uncomfortable; at that moment, he wished he could find a crack in the ground to hide in.
"You know," Old Shao said, looking at Jiang He, who wore an indifferent expression, "if it weren't for Wang Chao mentioning your name multiple times in that case report, I wouldn't even know who you are. You wouldn't have joined the project team; he could have easily taken all the credit for himself, especially since you're not even a police officer."
Jiang He nodded, but his face showed no change in emotion.
Old Shao understood why the neighbors had labeled Jiang He as a White-eyed Wolf in his file.
Wang Chao had long been accustomed to this; Jiang He was someone who simply did not understand social niceties. In this regard, he was like a blank slate. Wang Chao truly didn't know whether this was Jiang He's fortune or misfortune. Jiang He shone in certain aspects, yet he also evoked disdain in others.
However, after just a brief interaction with Jiang He, Wang Chao felt that the gap between them was insurmountable; being part of the project team was a dream he could never dare to imagine.
Old Shao sighed. "We need to set off soon, but before we do, our project team is lacking resources. We still need many capable individuals, and right now we urgently require a Forensic Doctor who can examine the bodies."
Upon hearing this, Jiang He spoke up. "I have a candidate."
Everyone looked at him in surprise.
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