"Special consultant?"
Li Wei seemed to have heard the funniest joke of the century. He pointed at Shen Xingling, then at Qin Xiao behind her who looked completely calm, and laughed in anger.
"Shen Xingling, have you been bewitched by him? When has our Major Crimes Unit ever needed a civilian as a consultant? What qualifications do you have to hire him? Who gave you that authority?!"
His voice echoed in the empty, unfinished building, filled with offended anger.
The surrounding police officers were also stunned. They looked at their captain and then at Shen Xingling, who was standing in front of Qin Xiao, and for a moment they didn't know who to listen to.
After saying those words, Shen Xingling was somewhat stunned. It was a slip of the tongue in the heat of the moment, and she hadn't thought about the consequences at all.
But now that the words have been spoken, she cannot back down.
She could feel Qin Xiao's gaze behind her. That gaze was devoid of any warmth, yet it felt as if it had a tangible weight pressing down on her back.
Just as she was about to bite the bullet and continue arguing with Li Wei, Qin Xiao walked out from behind her and stood beside her.
He patted Shen Xingling's shoulder, the gesture intimate and natural, like soothing a cat with its fur standing on end.
"Officer Shen, don't get agitated. Arguing with someone who lacks professionalism is a waste of time."
After saying that, he completely ignored Li Wei, whose face had turned as black as the bottom of a pot, and spoke to a young police officer next to him who was taking photos and collecting evidence.
"You, come here."
The young police officer paused for a moment, then subconsciously looked at Li Wei.
"I told you to come here." Qin Xiao's tone wasn't harsh, but it carried an irresistible sense of command.
The young police officer hesitated for a moment, but still walked over.
“Captain Li,” Qin Xiao turned his head, as if he had just remembered Li Wei’s presence, “Since I’m a consultant hired by Officer Shen, I have to do some work, otherwise I’d be wasting my consultant fee. You wouldn’t mind if I gave your subordinates some guidance, would you?”
Li Wei gritted his teeth and squeezed out a few words: "I want to see what kind of brilliant ideas you, this 'advisor,' have!"
Qin Xiao smiled and turned to the young police officer, saying, "Go examine that body, the one whose throat was slit. Ignore the throat, go straight to his lower back, about three inches below the belt buckle. There should be a hidden pocket there secured with Velcro, and it contains something."
The young police officer walked over with some skepticism and, following Qin Xiao's instructions, bent down to begin the inspection.
A few seconds later, he looked up in surprise.
"Captain! There really is a hidden pocket here! Inside... inside there's a very small pistol!"
These words shocked everyone present!
Li Wei's pupils suddenly contracted.
Qin Xiao, however, seemed to have expected this, and continued to order the police officer: "Go check that travel bag again, but don't open it. Let the technical department handle it. But you can check the bag's handles and zippers now. There should be a second blood type on them, not the deceased's, nor the two wounded, but the one that escaped. When she kicked the bag away, she was shot in the wrist, and blood should have splattered on it."
He then pointed to the ventilation duct opening.
"And there, on the concrete ground at the edge of the entrance, there's a very faint scratch, made by a high-heeled shoe. The woman was wearing disguised hiking boots, but there was a weapon hidden inside. She must have changed her shoes when she escaped, or rather, those shoes themselves had a mechanism. These are all key clues that can pinpoint her identity."
Qin Xiao's voice wasn't loud, but every word struck the hearts of all the police officers clearly.
Professional, precise, and calm.
Every detail he pointed out was something these "professionals" completely overlooked at first glance!
In an instant, all the police officers' gazes towards Qin Xiao changed, from looking at a troublemaking civilian to looking at an unfathomable expert.
Li Wei's face was completely unrecognizable. He felt like a clown, stripped naked in front of everyone by this unknown man.
Just then, Shen Xingling's phone rang.
She glanced at the caller ID, her expression changed, and she immediately answered the call.
"Chief!"
After hearing what was said on the other end of the phone, Shen Xingling's expression grew increasingly serious, eventually even revealing a hint of horror.
"What?! The chips are...the batch that the Ministry of State Security is tracking? Okay, okay! I understand! We'll seal off the site immediately and wait for the special investigation team to take over!"
After hanging up the phone, Shen Xingling looked at Qin Xiao with an extremely complicated expression.
Shock, admiration, and even a deeper level of... apprehension.
She walked up to Li Wei, her tone devoid of any emotion.
"Captain Li, the director has ordered that this case be taken over by the joint task force of the Municipal Bureau immediately, with personnel from the Ministry of State Security supervising the investigation. Before they arrive, we are responsible for sealing off the scene; no one is allowed to touch the evidence. Your men can go outside and set up the cordon."
These words effectively stripped Li Wei of his on-site command authority.
Li Wei opened his mouth, but couldn't utter a single word in rebuttal. The director's order and the Ministry of State Security's intervention had completely confirmed the weight of Qin Xiao's words. This case had already exceeded his capabilities.
He glared fiercely at Qin Xiao, then glanced at the expressionless Shen Xingling, and finally could only wave his hand reluctantly, leading his men to retreat to the outer perimeter.
The scene has temporarily returned to calm.
Qin Xiao walked to the window of the unfinished building, looked at the city lights in the distance, and lit a cigarette.
Shen Xingling calmed herself down and walked to his side.
"Thank you," she whispered. She didn't know whether she was thanking him for saving her or for getting her out of a predicament.
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