National Forensic Doctor-Chapter 987 - 923: Urban Primitive Forest

The leaders at the Changler City Bureau were warm and pleasant, smiling as they spoke, both charismatic and humorously engaging—model leaders by common standards.

Jiang Yuan felt very comfortable.

Leaders are like dogs—those of others always seem more fun to play with.

The dinner that lasted over three hours was quite enjoyable, including a guest from a different unit singing a solo, someone performing ventriloquism, and even a spontaneous rendition and explanation of Kunqu opera.

So, folk customs have never disappeared; they have simply moved from the common people to places of fame and fortune—where they naturally take root and thrive.

During the dinner, no mention was made of cases, funding, vehicles, and the like, but Lang Heng provided Jiang Yuan’s Cold Case Squad with a full team of 22 staffed criminal police officers, a complete support that was maxed out.

At the same time, under the care of the city bureau leaders, the big shots of the Technical Investigation rapidly produced a report.

Early the next morning, Jiang Yuan followed the people from the Changler Criminal Police Brigade to the restaurant where Chen Nuan worked for the investigation.

Su Shanming, who was leading the team, had already investigated the restaurant the day before and was now accompanying Jiang Yuan, saying, "This restaurant, ’Xiao Li Popular Fast Food,’ is owned by Ma Qianzao, a man in his thirties. It’s not small in size, employing a dozen or so people daily, with four to five in the kitchen, the rest busy out front. The staff turnover is quite high, with frequent resignations."

"Why do they resign?"

"Low pay. They only offer about 2000 in salary to the service staff and then deduct housing, utilities, and internet fees. Ma Qianzao originally ran a fast food place on a construction site and brought over the same practices, constantly posting job ads at train and bus stations, also using agencies, skimping on wages as soon as someone is hired. Most service staff leave as soon as they save a little money," explained Su Shanming thoroughly. From the perspective of a skeptical detective, the restaurant itself was full of contradictions and had the basis for crimes to occur.

"So there are many others like Chen Nuan?" Liu Jinghui asked.

There was a slight hesitation from Su Shanming before he responded, "All sorts. The most attractive thing about his place is actually the inclusive meals and accommodation. Even though the housing fee is deducted, regardless, living in the restaurant dormitories solves the basic needs of life for an individual. One can shower and have internet access—it’s a bit better than being a Sanhe God*. Having saved up some money, they can resign. As a first step for someone coming to Chang Le City, it’s passable."

"It’s not easy for a woman to be a Sanhe God," Liu Jinghui commented, furrowing his brow. "So about Chen Nuan’s disappearance, has anyone reported it to the police? Are the employees who worked with Chen Nuan still here? Has anyone resigned recently?"

"No one reported it. There are employees who knew Chen Nuan. Several have resigned during this period," Su Shanming answered the three questions rapidly. He had already understood this aspect during his investigation yesterday.

After getting a general understanding of the situation, Jiang Yuan and the others took a walk around the restaurant and checked the dormitories before talking to the restaurant owner, Ma Qianzao.

Ma Qianzao was not a suspect, so Meng Chengbiao conducted an on-the-spot inquiry.

The several young criminal police officers present were all listening intently, their gazes sharp as they studied Ma Qianzao. To a normal person’s thinking, not only did Ma Qianzao not seem like a good person, but he also appeared quite suspicious.

Ma Qianzao was evidently no stranger to dealing with the police, and within a few sentences, he began distancing himself, saying, "My relationship with Chen Nuan is nothing more than a simple employer-employee one. People come and go here every month. Some people leave amicably, with a greeting and a farewell meal; others leave without a word. What can I do? I can’t report to the police every time."

"Don’t you find it odd for people to leave without saying a word?" Meng Chengbiao understood the situation, but he needed to ask, to have Ma Qianzao explain it himself. The more the latter said, the easier it was to find discrepancies in his words.

Ma Qianzao chuckled and said, "I found it strange when I first started the business, but now it’s just the norm. To tell you the truth, there’s just many who can’t make a living anymore and come here looking for a way out. Those who can find a job paying 3000, who can eat and live with their families, who have a few hundred in pocket money, they wouldn’t come to work for me."

*Sanhe God: Slang for a person who lives a marginal life working non-stable, low-paying jobs, often in cities other than their hometown; derived from Sanhe, a place known for its transient population of migrant workers.

"This has nothing to do with leaving without a word."

"What I mean is that no one wants to work for me for a long time, and I don’t need them too either. Once they’ve made some money and found other jobs, I am happy to see them off. Most of the people who come to work for me arrive with nothing to their names. I don’t sign contracts with them. It’s very normal for them to leave once they get paid. Some people even work a few more days after getting paid, not bothering to settle their wages with me. They have nothing to take with them, so why wouldn’t they just leave directly?"

Upon hearing this, Meng Chengbiao’s gaze sharpened: "Did Chen Nuan settle her wages?"

"She did, a week before she left." Ma Qianzao had also checked before.

Meng Chengbiao frowned. The timing was neither here nor there, insufficient to serve as evidence.

Being aware of some methods used by the criminal police, Ma Qianzao seized the moment in front of several leaders and continued, "If someone finds a good job with a higher salary, they might not be willing to come back for their belongings. Honestly, for employees working at my place, unless it’s something of sentimental value, it’s quite common for them to not come back for their luggage. Especially those who have found a partner, it’s possible they may not want to tell their boyfriends about moving, why demean oneself over some old clothes or such?"

This reason did sound plausible, but Tang Jia couldn’t help retorting, "By exploiting your employees, forcing them to quit, can your business really do well? The employees lack experience, and I bet they quit just as they learn the ropes."

"What experience do you need for a fast-food restaurant? It’s just tough labor. Smart kids can’t even endure the hardship here," Ma Qianzao paused before concluding, "Only those who are used to the hardship can take it. Honestly, I’d feel guilty if employees stayed for half a year; they would be utterly worn out."

Tang Jia actually had a lot she wanted to argue, but at that moment, she received a look from Meng Chengbiao and had no choice but to step back reluctantly, giving her place to Meng Chengbiao.

Meng Chengbiao asked in detail, repeating many questions two or three times, before finally nodding to Jiang Yuan and moving on to question others.

Meanwhile, detectives from the Changler Criminal Police Brigade, armed with a list of inquiries, were checking on people who had worked with Chen Nuan.

Some of these people were still working at the restaurant, some had resigned and worked elsewhere, and some had even gone out of town, so they could only be contacted by phone for questioning.

Jiang Yuan, on the other hand, led a team to investigate the dormitory.

Teams of people were each busy with their tasks, orderly amidst the hustle.

Jiang Yuan was quite serious in the dormitory investigation.

Considering the time frame, Chen Nuan had died on the second day of her disappearance, and since she didn’t take her belongings with her, there was a high probability that this was her last place of stay.

However, the restaurant’s dormitory conditions were truly appalling. It was an ordinary three-bedroom apartment, with two bunk beds placed in each of the smaller bedrooms, and three in the master bedroom, meaning it could accommodate 14 people in total.

Because the boss, Ma Qianzao, was always recruiting people, although this apartment was not fully occupied, it maintained a constant population of at least seven or eight people, and sometimes as many as twelve or thirteen, not to mention the dirty and chaotic internal environment with belongings strewn all over the place.

After Chen Nuan disappeared, her leftover belongings were only kept for a little over a week before they started to go missing or were discarded.

Through a mixture of cajoling and intimidation, Jiang Yuan and the team were able to recover only four pieces of clothing and some small items like chargers and headphones, while any traces left in the room were beyond discussion.

"Urban Primitive Forest." Jiang Yuan stepped out of the dormitory and suddenly remarked, a phrase born of emotion. Indeed, the degree to which this environment destroyed traces was comparable to that of an actual primitive forest.