The next morning.

Several cars went down the mountain again, and it was another bumpy ride.

When they arrived at Zifeng Town, it was almost the same as yesterday, except that there were fewer people in line, and Xu Taining's white shirt was a little dirtier.

"You didn't change your clothes last night."

Even Wang Zhong could deduce Xu Taining's state with his little brain.

Jiang Yuan glanced at the people in line and asked Huang Qiangming, "Shall we go over?"

"Yeah, have you made up your mind?"

Huang Qiangming said, "This Xu is quite strict in his work. It's not like me. I'm more willing to listen to your opinions."

Li Li and Strong, who were in the same car, looked at Huang Qiangming askance.

Huang Qiangming's mouth curved into a proud smile of 22.2 degrees.

Jiang Yuan said, "As long as he wants to solve the case, he should listen to me."

"Oh?"

"Yesterday, thousands of people participated in the search, which was personally arranged by Xu. If there are no suitable clues yet, he should consider a new plan."

Huang Qiangming put himself in Xu Taining's shoes and nodded involuntarily.

The most admirable thing about Xu Taining was that he organized high-intensity and high-density large-scale investigation operations time and time again.

But the most admirable thing about him was also his most vulnerable point.

If such high-intensity and high-density operations end in failure, it would be a huge blow.

Of course, with Xu Taining's current qualifications, even if he fails once or twice, it is probably acceptable to his superiors.

But can Xu Taining accept it himself?

Organizing an operation involving thousands of people, with so few people investing time and energy, if there is no result in the end, anyone would feel frustrated and lose confidence.

Now, it has been less than 72 hours since Huang Qiangming went missing.

The golden 8-day period has passed, but Huang Qiangming is still missing, not yet considered disappeared.

And the difficulty of finding him is increasing.

If Liu Wenkai were in Xu Taining's position, as long as no one came up with a reliable idea, he would probably refuse.

That's not just a matter of responsibility, but also a matter of using available resources wisely.

Li Li needs people, vehicles, and resources, and she needs them now.

The resources are enough, and Xu Taining can get more.

A quick look at "pawread.com" will leave you more fulfilled.

Especially with Huang Qiangming confirmed missing, doubling the manpower and resources is a problem, as long as it is used reasonably, it can achieve the goal.

Liu Wenkai followed Li Li and walked over.

Before that, Li Li was also in line, and she went straight to Xu Taining.

Liu Wenkai wanted to pull me back and talk to Li Li about politics and current affairs, but for a moment, he followed Li Li's footsteps.

When he followed, the movement over there also caught Xu Taining's attention.

Xu Taining immediately saw the petite Li Li and gave her a shallow smile, beckoning for Ling Shan to come over and said, "Did you find any clues when you searched yesterday?"

The people around immediately focused on Li Li.

Everyone was inexplicably hopeful when they heard about the clues.

Li Li decisively shook her head and said, "No, we searched the area around Baqing Temple yesterday, and the police dog didn't find a starting point."

"Uh."

Xu Taining's face showed an expression.

Li Li continued, "Last night, you didn't have any ideas, so I went to the main peak again, and then to the location of the car accident where Liu was, and did some investigation after I parked."

"Did you find anything?"

"No."

Li Li's answer was still very direct.

The people around couldn't help but frown and said, "If you didn't find anything, just say so. There's no need to beat around the bush."

Li Li smiled, ignored the people around her, and continued according to her own train of thought, "I think that by focusing on the case of the car accident caused by the damaged tires and the case that Liu was investigating, and searching for a body in the distance from the parking place, it will be of no help in finding Liu's whereabouts."

Up to this point, no one had mentioned the word "body."

Although Li Li clearly stated that it was Huang Qiangming's body, everyone's emotions were still visibly affected.

Xu Taining couldn't help but ask anxiously, "Who does he want to search for the body?"

"I know. But do you think it's certain that a body can be found in the distance, and investigating this case first will be of no help in finding Liu's whereabouts."

Before Li Li finished speaking, several junior police officers around her shook their heads.

"How does he know that there might be a body in the distance?"

"What does it mean to investigate this case? Does he want to find an undiscovered body first and then investigate this case?"

"Is he joking? Finding a person is the priority, and then investigating a homicide case?"

Attacks in various forms followed one after another.

Liu Wenkai looked at Ling Shan with an expression of "you should have told me earlier," and inexplicably felt a little amused.

What everyone said was actually what I wanted to say.

Being a detective, you know too much about being a detective, and at the same time, being a detective, you know too much about the difficulty of investigating a homicide case and a backlog of cases.

Solving a backlog of cases really depends on luck.

If you've been in the circle of criminal cases for a long time, you'll know that some cases are really difficult to solve.

That's actually a euphemistic way of putting it.

To be more precise, some homicide cases become a backlog before you even start investigating them.

At the grassroots level, solving a homicide case backlog can earn you merit, but it's too cheap to earn merit.

Xu Taining looked at Li Li up and down and asked urgently, "He doesn't have confidence in solving this case?"

"Not much confidence."

Li Li's words were full of meaning.

Even so, in that kind of situation, it was a very unconfident performance.The surrounding police officers remained silent, allowing Xu Taining to make the decision.

Xu Taining said, "Tell me, what does he want to do?"

Li Li then repeated what she had said to Liu Wenkai, and then said, "You think Liao Chu must be getting close to the murderer, or, getting close to the burial site of the murderer, and that he hasn't obtained a definite clue yet. Otherwise, the murderer wouldn't have made a move."

"Yeah, if he made a move, Lao Liu would have definitely confirmed that there was no murder case."

Xu Taining's thoughts were also very direct.

I also confidently expressed my judgment.

Seeing this, Ling Shan became nervous and said, "Narrow down the search area for Liao Chu into eight sections. The area I searched in the late stages of the car accident, the area being searched during the car accident, and the area that could be searched according to the original plan. What do you think is the least likely, is the area being searched at the time."

"That area hasn't been thoroughly searched yet."

Xu Taining didn't seem disappointed.

The obvious thing was seen by Li Li, and Huang Qiangming could see it too.

Li Li shook her head and said, "The search hasn't been thorough enough, there are still obvious omissions."

"Oh? Bring the map over."

Xu Taining then scanned the area on the map, but it was not very careful.

The map was at hand, and it was a low-scale map made by the mining bureau, with detailed markings.

"The least likely place is the two wells over there."

Li Li pointed directly with her hand and said, "In fact, there hasn't been any other place searched, such as the mountains, which is definitely a place for burying bodies, but it hasn't been searched, or there are no caves outside. But the most important thing is those two wells."

Seeing that Xu Taining was not paying attention while looking at the map, Li Li slid her hand across the map and said, "Apart from the mountains, there is a parking lot a few hundred meters away, and there is also a good place for burying bodies in a remote mountain valley. However, the priority of those places is relatively high."

Xu Taining nodded in agreement, "Those places have all been searched."

"Yes, after several rounds of searching, the places that have been searched and the places that are easy to search should not be ruled out. But the mine is an exception."

Li Li discussed the meticulousness of the search.

She believed that the criminal did not have professional body-hiding abilities, so the requirements for the search were too low.

If that was the case, the search for the body itself would be meaningful. The case should be approached from a different direction.

An individual, a criminal, is always capable of being thorough and professional in everything they do.

The police need to find loopholes, and it's a fair fight in the game of attack and defense.

Moreover, Ling Shan, who had also conducted several searches, knew that once the manpower was gone, organizing a search in those places would be a big deal.

Only the search of the mine was too easy, and it was so obvious that it was the most trustworthy.

Xu Taining knew the specific details and said confidently, "Lao Liu really let those two wells go?"

Even the weakest white shirt is not limited.

Li Li immediately said, "According to what you know, Liao Chu sent people to search the mine at the time, but you think we might have searched carelessly. This might have stimulated the murderer instead."

"Those two wells were left behind before mining. They were filled and abandoned a long time ago, and they have accumulated water."

"So there are two problems. First, the water is very deep, maybe tens of meters deep, at that depth, even a water ghost can come up. Once it comes up, it's not difficult to search."

Xu Taining looked at a person next to him and asked, "Is the water outside very deep?"

A leader from the mining bureau said, "A few years ago, it was measured to be about 50 meters deep, and water ghosts can indeed come up. But that mine is really difficult to search, and we can't find a professional team to try it..."

"Pump out the water and then find someone to search. A special water ghost, once it's 10 meters above water, it's not difficult, and if the situation above is clear, there won't be any omissions."

Li Li's experience of searching for bodies in reservoirs made her requirements very low.

The leader of the mining bureau laughed, "Pumping out the water from the mine is a special hassle, and it's very low cost, but the effect is definitely good, it's like finding a better water ghost..."

"After Liao Chu didn't find a professional team to look at it, the water was too deep, so it was concluded that there was no effect. You think Liao Chu didn't encounter a similar problem."

Li Li interrupted the other party and said, "Liao Chu had no budget limit at the time, so he might not have been able to pump out the water, and that problem should exist now."

"The budget is always sufficient."

Xu Taining's face darkened as he said, "But it really wasn't necessary. Find someone to pump out the water and then search."

The first sentence was directed at the people present.

The leader of the mining bureau was stunned and quickly said, "Pumping out the water from such a deep mine will cost a lot."

Xu Taining made a decision, then looked at Li Li and said, "Not yet?"

"Not yet. You should suggest that all the people who participated in that operation, including police officers, local government officials, and employees of mining and industrial enterprises, should all be registered and records kept."

When Ling Shan said that, he raised his head slightly.

Xu Taining was taken aback, but then smiled and said, "You've already taken care of the records since you arrived."

Li Li and Xu Taining looked at each other and understood each other.

The police conducted such a small operation and invited a wide range of help from the public. Would the murderer take advantage of the chaos and escape?

In the eyes of Li Li and Xu Taining, the possibility was very small.The criminal returning to the scene is a psychological state. The reason for the low frequency of this happening is that the criminals still have no fear in their hearts.

However, there are definitely ways to return to the scene with relatively high costs that a small number of criminals will consider and attempt.

Just like the criminals involved in economic crimes, they will actively understand the development of the case.

For some criminals involved in violent crimes, if there is no high-cost channel, they will also try to ask around.

Even spies, if possible, would like to know the extent to which they are being investigated.

With the small-scale investigation and search in the Zifeng Mountain area, as long as the murderer is not likely, they will probably come back to help.

It's possible that the murderer is still the person who punctured the tires. The aggressiveness and initiative of that person exceed the normal level.

Xu Taining also reminded Li Li, "Be sure to protect yourself."

Then, I noticed Liu Wenkai and said, "In the past few days, their team has sent two people to protect Li Li, and the on-site protection work must also be done well."

Back outside the team, Ling Shanfeng was still grumbling.

Seeing my flat mouth, Xiao Zhuang raised his head, afraid of offending the instructor's old man.

Liu Jinghui just learned about the situation and asked curiously, "Did Xu reject Li Li's suggestion?"

"Yes."

Liu Wenkai snorted and said, "Just talking nonsense. This, Wenkai, pick two strong guys from his team to follow Li Li for the next few days and take protective measures."

"Okay."

Liu Jinghui agreed, and when Liu Wenkai left, he went to Li Li's side and laughed twice, saying, "Li Li, is the protection measure mentioned by Captain Huang the one you suggested?"

After thinking deeply, Li Li said, "To be honest, I don't know what kind of protection measures you are talking about."

"In any case, take it easy and don't overwork yourself."

Liu Jinghui laughed a few times and left.

Because of the new task, the detectives from Ningtai County became nervous. Taking advantage of the time when the other teams were leaving, they quickly retreated to the dormitory provided by the mining bureau to sleep outside.

There was no one after arranging the beds, so they slept until they were full.

When it was getting dark, there was no chance to sleep.

Only Ling Shan was a male police officer and brought a dog, so he stayed in the real guesthouse.

On ordinary days, a room for 100 yuan was worth it, but at this time, it was almost a luxury. Not to mention Xiao Zhuang, who got a cardboard box to sleep in, didn't seem grateful at all.

Li Li also slept very little and went to sleep first.

Whether it was pumping water from the mine or sending water ghosts up, it had to be specially arranged from inside, and it was estimated that it would be difficult to get it done in a day.

Li Li woke up after a nap, and it was already late morning. She wasn't hungry, so she called Ling Shan and found out that he was preparing dog food for Xiao Zhuang.

"Wait for you to come and do it."

Li Li said, and after walking a few steps, she arrived at the guesthouse.

Jiang Yuan borrowed the kitchen of the guesthouse and was busy outside.

The only other person working with him was a police dog trainer.

At that time, the level of busyness, those wearing white shirts could barely have time to eat, but the police dogs were different. They could eat more than once a day.

Li Li greeted them and started working.

There were only dozens of police dogs in Shannan Province, and the trainers all knew each other. They were originally observing Li Li as a newcomer, but with Ling Shan's operation, the trainers were all amazed.

"Is the food for the dogs made so meticulously?"

A trainer couldn't help but ask loudly.

"Mainly for balanced nutrition."

Li Li said casually, "It's better to be more detailed, so that the amount of various nutrients can be balanced. Xiao Zhuang consumed a lot of energy yesterday, so he needs to rest a bit today and adjust."

"That...isn't it too much trouble?"

The trainer speaking couldn't accept it.

I treat the dog better than I treat myself, but can it really be to that extent?

What kind of family is this, making dishes for the dog, and handling them one by one?

Li Li, with her minimal resources, quickly prepared a pot of well-balanced dog food.

The remaining food was seasoned, and Jiang Yuan and I each had a portion, distributed extremely evenly.

The other trainers didn't know what to say and just looked at us blankly, then went out to feed the dogs together.

"Squat! Good boy. Sit."

"Bai Zi, come eat."

Each family called their own dog, and the police dogs ran over excitedly. Behind the trainers, they lined up in a row.

Each dog held its own food bowl and eagerly looked at the trainers.

The meritorious dog Bai Zi held two stacked stainless steel food bowls, looking down on the others.

At that moment, the trainers signaled the police dogs to put down their bowls and poured the freshly made dog food into them.

Regardless of whether they were big or small, the dogs were all desperately trying to hold back their saliva and not move.

At the same time, each dog was also observing the food bowls of the other dogs, like workers peeking at each other's pay stubs.

One spoonful, two spoonfuls, eight spoonfuls...

Each dog's food bowl was filled to the brim.

It was the time when the police dogs were working hard, and the quality and quantity of the food had been greatly improved. This was what the police dogs valued most.

Behind the meritorious dog Bai Zi, there were two bowls of food.

Bai Zi proudly raised his chin, only the scent coming from his nose made him turn his head.

In fact, the eyes of all the police dogs were focused on the food bowl behind Xiao Zhuang.The dogs in the neighborhood all had the same canine noses, twitching at the slightest hint that there was nothing tasty beyond their bowls.

Generally speaking, the neighborhood dogs had rather meager meals.

Except for Baizi, a dog who had earned a seventh-class merit, the average meal allowance was 45 yuan, with anything above 10 yuan being a rare treat.

A matter of two chicken breasts.

However, today, Xiao Zhuang's meal was clearly above the standard.

Woof!

Another Rottweiler barked in protest.

All the dogs in the neighborhood were plump and wrinkled; why should he get so little?

Woof woof!

The whole yard erupted in barking.

Even Baizi joined in the commotion.

Woof!

Xiao Zhuang barked once, a bark of respectful acknowledgment.