Attending ex-girlfriend's wedding, arresting the groom's officer on the spot

Five days after the incident.

In the meeting room of the Criminal Investigation Brigade, the depressing atmosphere was like the dark clouds hanging low outside the window, so heavy that it was hard to breathe. Lu Chuan stood in front of the whiteboard, his fingertips gently stroking his chin, his eyes sweeping over the dense clues on the wall. In the center of the whiteboard, the facial reconstruction of the deceased and the analysis photos of the sole wear were surrounded by a red circle, and the dozens of branches extending from the surroundings all ended with question marks.

"Today's analysis meeting will focus on sorting out the current investigation situation," Lu Chuan's voice was low and powerful. More than 20 pairs of eyes in the conference room were focused on him. "Wang Shuai, you will report the progress of the dental clinic's investigation first."

Wang Shuai flipped open a thick work log, and several sticky notes between the pages trembled slightly. "We visited 32 dental clinics in the west city area and reviewed all the root canal treatment records of the right maxillary first molars from 2020 to 2023," he said with obvious fatigue in his voice. "We initially screened 47 male patients who met the age characteristics, but after identity verification and photo comparison, none of them matched the deceased. The two closest cases, one was a permanent resident in a neighboring city, and the other was seeking medical treatment in another city at the time of the incident."

He brought up the projector, and a dense collection of case screenshots scrolled across the screen. "Some clinics have missing records. For example, the electronic files of 'Smile Dental' in the second half of 2021 could not be restored due to a system failure. We screened the paper medical records page by page, but still found nothing." Wang Shuai closed the log and clenched his fists unconsciously. "At present, this clue is temporarily deadlocked."

Zhang Hui took over the conversation, and the notebook in front of him was covered with red annotations: "The missing persons matching and construction site investigation are also not optimistic. We compared the information of missing males aged 35-40 in the province in the past five years, and screened out 127 records with similar appearance characteristics. The DNA matching results excluded all of them." He pulled up the map, and the marks of construction sites were like scattered chess pieces. "When visiting the construction sites around the body dumping site, although labor protection shoes with similar wear characteristics were found, the composition of the sole attachments did not match that of the deceased. The descriptions of the workers were also vague, and there was no substantial breakthrough."

The conference room fell silent for half a minute, with only the hum of the air conditioner echoing in the corner. Team member Xiao Li couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that we were wrong from the beginning? The deceased may not be a local at all, or there may be something wrong with his identity information."

"We can't rule out this possibility," Lu Chuan walked to the whiteboard and circled the words "Identity Confirmed" with a red pen. "But if you think about it from another angle, the murderer chose to dump the body in the dry well in the west of the city, which means he is familiar with this area. The cement debris on the soles of the deceased's shoes and the dental treatment records are all solid clues, but we haven't found the connection between them yet."

The old forensic doctor Zhang Kai pushed his glasses and pointed to the autopsy report: "From the physical characteristics of the deceased, he had been engaged in work that required standing and turning for a long time. The dental treatment records also show that he lived in the local area. The resin materials used by the seven dental clinics in the west of the city are the products of the unified bidding of the city's Dental Association in 2020. These details all indicate that the deceased is most likely a resident or worker in the west of the city."

Wang Shuai suddenly remembered something: "Oh, right! When we visited, the front desk of Kangmei Dental mentioned that there was a mysterious patient in 2022 who always wore a mask and a hat, paid only in cash, and registered a fake mobile phone number and ID card. But at that time, his consultation time and treatment items did not match those of the deceased, so we did not investigate further."

Lu Chuan's eyes lit up: "This clue is worth reinvestigating. Maybe the murderer had predicted that we would start with the dental records and deliberately create interference." He turned to the head of the technical department: "Retrieve the surveillance footage of 'Kangmei Dental' in 2022, focusing on checking all patients who paid in cash and comparing their body shapes and gaits."

Zhang Hui frowned: "But it's been two years. Can the surveillance data be restored?" "Do your best," Lu Chuan tapped the table heavily, "Also, expand the scope of investigation. Centered on the west of the city, radiate to small workshops, repair shops, and vegetable markets within three kilometers of the surrounding area - these places have a large turnover of people and the identity registration is not strict, which is in line with the murderer's psychology of choosing a place to dump the body."

He looked around the conference room, his eyes sweeping over everyone's tired but determined faces: "I know that it's hard for everyone to keep fighting. The clues have been interrupted again and again, and hopes have been dashed again and again. But criminal investigation work is like groping in the dark. You may get hurt and fall into a dead end, but as long as you don't give up, you will always find the door to the truth."

Lu Chuan walked to the window and pushed open the blinds. The afterglow of the setting sun poured into the room. "The murderer carefully planned to dispose of the body, clean up the scene, and even destroyed the identity information of the deceased. This just shows that the deceased is a huge threat to him. Every step forward we take is to cut off the murderer's retreat. Remember, we are not fighting alone. The deceased is waiting for us to seek justice for him!"

There were echoes in the conference room, and the team members straightened their backs unconsciously. Zhang Hui clenched his pen and wrote down the new investigation direction in his notebook; Wang Shuai reorganized the visit records of the dental clinic; colleagues in the technical department had already started contacting data recovery companies.

Outside the window, dusk deepens and the lights of the city light up one after another. In the Criminal Investigation Brigade building, a new battle is quietly unfolding, and this time, everyone has a firmer belief - the truth may be late, but it will never be absent.

The turning point occurred on the seventh day after the incident.

The heavy rain was beating against the awning of Ankang Dental Clinic. Wang Shuai wiped the rain off his face and led his team members into the clinic located in the old alley in the west of the city for the third time. The girl at the front desk saw the police uniform and subconsciously shrank back: "Comrade police, we have shown you all the records that need to be checked."

"Bring out the billing receipts from 2022 to 2023." Wang Shuai's voice was full of unquestionable persistence. These days, he repeatedly pondered Zhang Kai's words. The murderer might deliberately create interference, and the mysterious patient who paid in cash might be hiding key information.

The old metal cabinet was opened, and dust flew in the air. Team member Xiao Li put on gloves and carefully turned out a stack of yellowed receipts. "Captain Wang, I found it!" Xiao Li suddenly raised his voice, "November 2022, 11, root canal treatment of the right maxillary first molar, charged 17 yuan, paid in cash, patient's name..." His voice stopped abruptly, and his brows twisted into knots, "It's called Li Jianguo, but the ID number is obviously filled in randomly."

Wang Shuai took the receipt and gently stroked the paper with his fingers. Suddenly, he noticed a faint oily fingerprint on the back of the receipt: "Extract the fingerprint immediately, and check the surveillance footage of the day!" (End of this chapter)