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

This discovery thrilled everyone, as they felt they had finally grasped a crucial clue. Wang Shuai led his team to visit Wang Kai's workplace without delay. His colleagues' assessment of Wang Kai was rather ordinary, saying he was fairly diligent at work but somewhat withdrawn and didn't share his personal life with others. When asked about Wang Kai's whereabouts during his leave, his colleagues all shook their heads, indicating they knew nothing.

Next, the police retrieved surveillance footage from the area surrounding Wang Kai's residence. From the massive amount of video data, they finally discovered that the day before the incident, Wang Kai was seen dragging a large suitcase out of the residential complex, looking hurried and keeping his head down, deliberately avoiding the camera's view. He wasn't seen returning for the next few days. Wang Shuai stared intently at Wang Kai's image on the screen, secretly vowing, "No matter how well you hide, I will find you this time."

To further investigate the relationship between Wang Kai and Li Pengcheng, the police contacted several other friends who had been hiking with them. One of the hikers, Zhao Yang, showed a slight change in expression and a hint of panic in his eyes when he heard Wang Kai's name. Under repeated questioning from the police, Zhao Yang stammered, "They had a conflict before regarding some resources during an exploration trip. I don't know exactly what kind of resources, but I know Pengcheng discovered a fantastic undeveloped valley and wanted to explore and evaluate it himself. Wang Kai, however, wanted to take everyone with him, and they had a big argument about it. After that, their relationship became a bit strained."

This clue clarified the direction of the investigation, and the police began to focus their efforts on tracing Wang Kai's movements during the period of the crime. With the assistance of the transportation department, they tracked down Wang Kai to a small town not far from Eagle Valley on the day of the incident, where he was traveling in a rented car. The car rental shop owner recalled that Wang Kai seemed very nervous when renting the car, the paperwork was done in a hurry, and he requested a car with good off-road capabilities.

Following this lead, police meticulously checked surveillance footage and other potential sources of information, such as gas stations and convenience stores, along the route from the town to Eagle Valley. Finally, they spotted Wang Kai's car on the surveillance footage of a remote gas station. In the footage, Wang Kai wore a hat and mask while refueling, his eyes alert, and he quickly drove away afterward. Gas station staff recalled that Wang Kai was quiet and reserved while refueling, only briefly saying "fill up," and his hand trembled slightly when he paid.

As the investigation deepened, more and more evidence detrimental to Wang Kai surfaced. Police discovered an abandoned vehicle in a secluded grove near Eagle Valley, which was confirmed to be the one Wang Kai had rented. The trunk showed clear signs of having been cleaned, but technicians still detected trace amounts of blood, which, after DNA testing, perfectly matched Li Pengcheng's DNA. Furthermore, several hairs not belonging to Wang Kai were found on the driver's seat, but were highly likely to be Li Pengcheng's.

Police also discovered that after the incident, Wang Kai frequently contacted a mysterious overseas account. Although the chat logs were encrypted, this unusual behavior further fueled suspicion. Wang Shuai and his technical team worked day and night to crack some of the encrypted messages, which contained key phrases such as "the trouble is solved" and "the secret cannot be leaked."

Based on all the clues, the police were basically certain that Wang Kai was the murderer of Li Pengcheng. Lu Chuan immediately organized police forces and formulated a detailed arrest plan. Through technical means, they tracked down Wang Kai to a remote mountainous area in a neighboring city where he might be hiding. The task force drove there overnight and, with the cooperation of the local police, conducted a thorough search of the area where Wang Kai might be hiding.

In an abandoned mine, the police finally found Wang Kai. When the heavily armed officers appeared before him, Wang Kai turned pale, collapsed to the ground, and offered no resistance. As he was being led into the police car, Wang Kai sighed deeply, seemingly knowing that he could not escape the punishment of the law.

In the interrogation room, the lights were harsh and white. Wang Kai stood with his head down, his hair disheveled, his hands handcuffed to the interrogation chair, his figure appearing particularly wretched. Wang Shuai and another experienced interrogator, Li Ming, sat opposite him, their eyes piercing, intently watching Wang Kai's every move. The clock on the wall ticked away, each strike seeming to weigh heavily on everyone's hearts, adding to the oppressive atmosphere and tension.

Wang Shuai broke the silence first, his voice low but powerful: "Wang Kai, now that you're here, stop hoping for the best. Tell us the whole story." Wang Kai's body trembled slightly, but he kept his lips tightly pressed together and remained silent, only unconsciously rubbing his hands together, his knuckles turning white from the force.

Li Ming continued, "You think you can get away with this? From the moment you were identified as a suspect, your every move has been under our control. The evidence is conclusive; you can't escape." Wang Kai raised his head, a flicker of panic in his eyes, but he quickly lowered his head again, trying to conceal it.

Seeing that Wang Kai was still resisting, Wang Shuai decided to start with his relationship with Li Pengcheng. "You and Li Pengcheng used to be such good outdoor buddies, conquering so many mountains and traversing so many jungles together. What made you do such a cruel thing to him?" When Wang Kai heard Li Pengcheng's name, his body trembled violently, and his breathing became rapid.

After a long silence, Wang Kai finally spoke, his voice hoarse as if sandpaper scraping: "Yes, we used to be good friends... but then, everything changed." He paused, as if recalling painful memories. "We discovered that undeveloped valley together. I knew at first glance that it would be a place that would make us famous in the outdoor community. I was excitedly planning to explore it with everyone and share our discovery." A hint of longing flickered in Wang Kai's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by resentment.

“But what about Li Pengcheng? He actually wanted to monopolize this resource! He said he wanted to go and explore on his own first, do the evaluation, and then release it under his own name. I advised him that we are a team and should share this glory, but he wouldn’t listen at all.” Wang Kai became more and more agitated as he spoke, his hands unconsciously clenching, the handcuffs clanging against the interrogation chair.

Wang Shuai pressed, "So, that's why you killed him?" Wang Kai was silent for a moment, then slowly nodded, a pained expression on his face. "At first, I just wanted to scare him and make him change his mind. That day, I invited him to Eagle Fall Valley, saying I had something important to discuss. He didn't suspect anything and went." Wang Kai's voice began to tremble.

“After we met in the valley, I brought up the matter again, but he remained stubborn. In a fit of anger, we started fighting. In the chaos, I saw a rope nearby, and in a moment of madness, I grabbed it and strangled him… By the time I realized what had happened, he was already dead.” Tears welled in Wang Kai's eyes, and his body began to tremble slightly. (End of Chapter)