I Play Dungeons in the Police Station-Chapter 98 - 97: Criminal Investigation Team 1

Fortunately, Li Xiang was quick-witted and didn’t fall for the trick.

To swallow the bait in one go and still spit out the dangerous hook was no simple feat.

"Reporting in, Chief Feng, Li Xiang from the Hongqiao Police Station, reporting for duty."

"Good, good. Glad you’re here. Come, I’ll take you around to familiarize yourself with the departments."

Chief Feng was not the least bit formal and put his arm around Li Xiang’s shoulder, taking him on a tour of the departments.

The Criminal Investigation Team One has four leaders. Besides the team leader Feng Yonglin, there is an instructor and two deputy team leaders, whom Li Xiang also met one by one.

"Our team currently has 35 police officers, including 20 criminal technical officers, divided into four squads. Squads one and two handle investigations, squad three focuses on criminal technology, and there’s a fourth squad, the K9 unit, located at the dog training base, which doesn’t operate from here. I’ll take you to see them next time."

"You know Mao Ji and Zhao Yin already, so getting familiar shouldn’t be a problem. Do your best here."

Feng Yonglin made the rounds of each department, giving Li Xiang a comprehensive understanding of Team One. This also allowed everyone to know that a new member had joined the team, someone who transitioned from an auxiliary police officer to a regular officer.

Feng Yonglin then took Li Xiang to the office door of Squad One again: "Get to know Squad One here first. This is the squad leader Cao Gang, instructor Su Jiayi, and you know Mao Ji. The cute girl Zhou Man came from police academy last year and is interning while also handling internal affairs for the team."

"Hello, Squad Leader, hello seniors. I’m Li Xiang, please take care of me in the future."

"Welcome, welcome. The team has gained another capable officer."

The criminal investigation team, chronically short-handed, is eager to welcome newcomers who can share the workload.

"Get to know everyone first. I have some things to attend to."

"Yes, thank you, Chief Feng."

Feng Yonglin put everything else aside to personally show him the ropes, indicating how much he valued Li Xiang.

"Li Xiang, feel free here on our team. Tonight, we’re all getting together to welcome you."

Cao Gang proposed a welcome dinner, hoping Li Xiang could quickly fit into the family.

Once Li Xiang’s new role was finalized, his game character’s identity also changed—from an auxiliary officer at the Hongqiao Police Station to a Tier 3 police inspector in Jinghai City’s Criminal Investigation Team One.

Li Xiang’s arrival livened up the office, with everyone introducing themselves, getting to know each other better, and even discussing where to eat that evening, which had good food at reasonable prices.

As everyone chatted lively, Cao Gang’s phone rang. He gestured for quiet and answered the call.

"Okay, we’ll head over immediately."

After hanging up, Cao Gang addressed the group: "We might have a case. The emergency center at Renmin Hospital just called to say they went to pick up a patient who had fallen. But upon arrival, the patient was already dead. The doctors were about to leave when they noticed multiple wounds on the body, not typical of a fall, so they discreetly called the police. Let’s go check it out. Mao Ji, you and Li Xiang come with me."

"Yes."

On his first day at work, Li Xiang piqued his interest with a potential criminal case and joined Cao Gang and Mao Ji in the police car.

The scene was at an old residential neighborhood. Passing the gate, Li Xiang noted the district’s name: Fuyang District.

Following the address given by the doctors, they found building 3, where a crowd had gathered.

Cao Gang parked the police car nearby, and they all approached.

They saw a van marked with "Jinghai City Funeral House" parked at the entrance, with staff in uniforms preparing to load the body. Seeing the police, they halted.

"Why are the police here?"

A crowd had gathered, including two young women crying sadly, likely relatives of the deceased.

Following Cao Gang, Li Xiang first checked the victim’s condition.

The deceased appeared to be about fifty, with disheveled clothing and several facial wounds. For a closer inspection, Cao Gang donned white gloves to adjust the shirt collar, revealing bruises on the chest and clear marks on the arms.

After a brief initial examination, it was clear the injuries were not typical of an accidental fall. Cao Gang approached one of the grieving women: "What’s your relation to the deceased?"

The woman, appearing in her thirties and fashionably dressed, recoiled, wiping tears: "I’m no relation to him."

If she’s no relation, why is she crying?

Cao Gang was bemused. Another woman was also wiping tears, leaving him uncertain if she was a relative, prompting him to ask: "So who is related to the deceased?"

"She is."

Luckily, someone was.

This woman appeared younger than the first, likely under thirty. Initially, Cao Gang thought she might be the victim’s daughter, but her distraught demeanor made him suspect the first woman was the daughter.

"We’re from the Criminal Investigation Team. Can you explain what happened to your father?"

"He’s not my dad; he’s my husband."

Everyone was shocked.

Li Xiang and Mao Ji exchanged glances, instantly reading each other’s thoughts.

Interesting, another old husband-young wife case.

In today’s society, such pairs seem common, and the Yue Zheng case was a typical example. Now there’s another one.

Yes, just from this relationship, it seemed highly likely this was a criminal case.

"Oh, sorry. Please explain the situation."

"My husband accidentally fell this morning while going downstairs. We called an ambulance, and when the doctors arrived, my husband was already dead, boo hoo~."

Speaking to the police made her cry harder.

"Fell from upstairs? Which floor?"

Cao Gang glanced at the stairs behind them. This was an old district, lacking elevators, but the stairs seemed intact.

"How was his mobility? Any disabilities or previous injuries?"

"No, he moved just fine without previous injuries; no idea what happened this morning; just a freak accident."

The preliminary questioning not only failed to dispel Cao Gang’s doubts but increased them. He suggested: "The victim has other unexplained injuries. We suspect another cause of death and need to transfer the body for a forensic examination."

At this point, Li Xiang discreetly checked his phone, as expected, prompting a system task in the game:

{"Task Name: Investigate Staircase Death Case"}

{"Task Description: After the Yue Zheng old husband-young wife case, another similar case has arisen. Various on-site doubts suggest this wasn’t a simple fall. The true cause of death awaits forensic confirmation. As your first case since becoming a regular officer, you must fully engage in the investigation to uncover the truth."}

{"Task Requirement: Solve all mysteries and uncover the case’s truth"}

{"Task Reward: Experience +400, Gems +2000"}

The system issued a task, confirming this as a criminal case. Knowing this, Li Xiang focused, analyzing the scene and initial anomalies.

Could this be another murder for insurance, or intended to inherit the old man’s assets?

However, compared to the Yue Zheng case, this crime seemed poorly executed, with transparent flaws.

They even intended to cremate the body via the funeral staff to eliminate evidence before police arrived.

Fortunately, they arrived in time to intercept the funeral van.