The surveillance footage definitely revealed something suspicious.
The crematorium had specialized vehicles for transporting bodies. Families could either use these vehicles for a fee or transport the bodies themselves, though the latter was relatively rare. Most ordinary families would opt for the crematorium's vehicles.
The problem lay with the vehicles used for body transport.
Normally, these vehicles were only deployed when there was a body to transport—each trip in and out made perfect sense.
But then, something illogical occurred.
The crematorium's rules stipulated that, with both furnaces operating, they could only cremate 24 bodies a day. This was due to the fact that cremation took about an hour per body, and employees also needed breaks, meaning no work was done at night. Families also had to make appointments in advance for cremation. Yes, you heard that right—cremation required an appointment.
The crematorium had three vehicles dedicated to body transport. Under normal circumstances, the vehicles would go out at most 24 times a day—this was beyond question.
However, the issue lay with the number of trips recorded on the surveillance footage.
Liu Hongqiao had retrieved 30 days of footage from the crematorium. Most institutions retain surveillance footage for a period between 20 days to three months before deleting or replacing it. For example, residential complexes typically only retain footage for two months. But for a state-owned enterprise like a crematorium, keeping surveillance footage for only a month was a bit odd—though technically not problematic.
The real issue came with the number of trips made by the vehicles. Even if the crematorium's vehicles went out 24 times a day, or even slightly more, that wouldn't be strange. But, according to the footage, the vehicles had gone out as many as 40 times a day! On average, that was over 30 trips a day.
Why was that? What else were these vehicles transporting, aside from bodies?
As an experienced detective, Liu Hongqiao quickly realized something was off and rushed to report the issue to Tina Shen.
At that moment, Tina Shen was intently watching the surveillance footage, observing the vehicles entering and exiting the crematorium. These body transport vehicles were equipped with special "iron coffins" for easier transport.
The maximum number of bodies that could be cremated per day was 24, so what were the extra trips for? What was more puzzling was that these vehicles only seemed to enter, not exit!
Could they be doing "side jobs"?
No! Cremations at the crematorium followed strict protocols and were registered with the police. After a person passed away, the family or the employer had to obtain a death certificate, issued by the hospital if the death occurred there. Then, the death certificate had to be submitted, and the family had to select an urn and receive a cremation permit before the body could be cremated. Every step in this process was essential, so the idea of the crematorium doing "side jobs" was completely out of the question—it would be illegal!
Even if the management asked, would any employee dare to take such a risk? And even if a few employees did, would all of them cooperate? How could they keep everything so quiet?
Unless...
Tina Shen sucked in a sharp breath, her scalp tingling with realization.
A conspiracy!
What was a conspiracy? It meant that everyone involved in the operation was committing a crime!
Tina Shen quickly connected the dots, and the three veteran detectives instantly saw what she was getting at. Their faces grew serious, realizing the gravity of the situation. What they thought was a small case now seemed like something much bigger—it had the potential to bring down an entire state-owned enterprise!
"Then, what exactly are they doing?" Tina Shen took a deep breath, looking at her team.
The detectives exchanged tense glances, their hearts pounding.
What kind of crime could a crematorium be involved in?
There was only one answer—bodies!
With that thought, all their faces turned cold.
How dare they desecrate the bodies of the deceased?
Though the exact nature of the crime was still unclear, it was certain that this case could spiral out of control and potentially cause a massive scandal!
Tina Shen's face hardened as she took out her phone and dialed Sam Zhao's number.
This was no ordinary investigation; it was beyond what a regular officer could handle. It needed to be reported up the chain!
"What?" Sam Zhao answered the call, his voice filled with surprise as he heard Tina Shen's deductions. He went pale, the shock evident in his voice. "A conspiracy? A state-owned enterprise? A crematorium?!"
"Yes," Tina Shen replied solemnly.
Her tone heavy, Tina Shen added, "Although we haven't determined exactly what they've done yet, it's clear that once we uncover the truth, none of those involved will escape. Captain... do we continue? I'm concerned that once we find out what's really happening, the pressure on you will be unbearable!"
Just as Tina Shen had suspected, discovering one cockroach meant there were probably more hidden elsewhere. If this crematorium had a massive problem, it could affect other crematoriums across the country, and a slew of high-ranking officials would be implicated. The leaders of state-owned enterprises wielded significant power—how many people would they anger? The Criminal Investigation Detachment was a small unit, and could Captain Zhao's shoulders bear the weight of such a scandal?
Tina Shen deeply appreciated her boss's protective nature and didn't want him to shoulder this burden alone. She had to lay out the stakes clearly: if they continued the investigation, how far should it go, and what should the scope be?
If Sam Zhao hesitated, Tina Shen wouldn't hold it against him. It was a human reaction. She would submit her application and leave the Criminal Investigation Detachment.
Now was the moment of truth.
"Go ahead, dig deeper!"
After a long silence, Sam Zhao gritted his teeth and said, "The entire team will back you up. I'll shoulder the pressure!"
After hanging up the phone, Tina Shen smiled.
With a boss like this, what was there to hesitate about?
One word: Go!
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