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

He paused, then pulled up a close-up of the silver cufflink. "Some fingerprints were extracted from the surface, and after restoration, they matched seven times with the attendance records of a company on the 18th floor of the building. However, the company stated that they had never seen the deceased."

Yang Sen added, “The scratches on the roof railing contained metallic powder, the composition of which matched the alloy of the deceased’s watch crystal, suggesting that the deceased had a heated argument there. We found a broken key in the silt of the drain outlet; the teeth matched the lock cylinder of the building’s underground parking garage, but we cannot confirm whether it belonged to the deceased.” He traced the footprints on the screen, “Judging from the footprint distribution, there were at least two people at the scene, one wearing size 44 work boots and the other wearing size 39 leather shoes—which do not match the size of the deceased’s shoes.”

Then Zhang Kai cleared his throat and began to report on the autopsy findings.

Zhang Kai opened the cover of the autopsy report, and the autopsy photos on the projector made the air freeze instantly. "Cause of death clear: mechanical asphyxiation combined with craniocerebral injury." His laser pointer pointed to the deceased's neck. "Bilateral fractures of the thyroid cartilage, fracture of the greater horn of the hyoid bone, consistent with strangulation characteristics. The murderer should be right-handed, with a clear advantage in strength at the base of the thumb." The screen switched to an X-ray of the skull, revealing a depressed fracture of the occipital bone resembling an ugly flower. "At least three blunt force blows were made. The murder weapon should be a cylindrical metal object with a diameter of 4cm, matching the size of the missing size 19 wrench in the building's toolbox."

The controversy surrounding the age determination became the focus. "The tooth wear points to a 45-50 year old age, but carbon-14 dating of the rib cartilage shows a physiological age of around 42 years old." Zhang Kai pulled up a microscopic image of the teeth. "The third molars were not fully erupted; this 'delayed tooth age' phenomenon is common in people with long-term malnutrition." He particularly emphasized the electric shock scorch mark on the victim's left chest, "This is a post-mortem camouflage; the current path did not pass through the heart, indicating that the murderer wanted to fake an accidental electrocution."

“Analysis of the stomach contents shows,” Zhang Kai turned the report page, “that the deceased’s last meal consisted of salmon and champagne, and that digestion took about two hours. Combined with changes in body temperature, the precise time of death should be between 9:00 PM and 10:30 PM on November 14th.” He pointed to a photograph of the deceased’s fingernails, “In addition to hydraulic fluid, there were trace amounts of rose essential oil in the nail crevices—this essential oil is expensive, and only three beauty salons in the city sell it.”

Wang Shuai's sleeves were also still wet.

He spread out a floor plan of the Haorui Building on the table, circling the 18th floor in red: "All 157 companies and 2300 employees in the building have been checked, and no one recognizes the deceased. But there is something unusual about 'Yuantu Technology' on the 18th floor—the company just dismissed a technical director last week named Zhou Mingguang, 43 years old, 178cm tall, whose characteristics closely match those of the deceased." He pulled up Zhou Mingguang's resignation certificate, "The reason for resignation is listed as 'personal reasons,' but the HR department revealed that he had a dispute with the company over trade secrets."

“What’s even more suspicious,” Wang Shuai said in a low voice, “is that Zhou Mingguang’s attendance records show that he entered the building on the afternoon of November 14th, but did not clock out. We checked his bank statements and found an anonymous transfer of 500,000 yuan after he left the company, with the recipient being an overseas account.” He paused, then threw out an even more crucial clue, “The delivery guy identified that Zhou Mingguang had argued with a man in a black trench coat at the elevator entrance on the 18th floor, and half a wrench was sticking out of the trench coat pocket—matching the missing No. 19 wrench at the scene.”

"The investigation of the temporary passes yielded nothing." Wang Shuai pressed his finger heavily on the list. "All 15 people were ruled out as suspects, but three of them mentioned seeing Zhou Mingguang on the evening of the 14th. At that time, he was walking towards the roof with a black briefcase in his hand." He pulled up the surveillance screenshot. The man in the picture had his head down, and the outline of the briefcase perfectly matched the imprint on the floor of the elevator machine room.

Afterwards, Zhang Hui rubbed his red eyes and pushed a stack of failed comparison reports to the center of the table: "The national missing persons system screened 37862 records, and all 43 people who met the criteria were ruled out." He pulled up Zhou Mingguang's photo and compared it with the deceased's facial features. "The height of the brow bone, the angle of the jawline, and the three moles on the left ear all match perfectly, but Zhou Mingguang's family insists that he posted on WeChat Moments abroad just last week."

“There’s something wrong with the WeChat Moments post.” Zhang Hui zoomed in on the screenshot. “The Eiffel Tower in the background is an old photo from three years ago, and the location is fake. We contacted his wife, and she said that Zhou Mingguang has been acting strangely since he left his job. He often takes phone calls in the middle of the night and has even emptied the safe in their house.” His gaze shifted to the overseas account. “The 50 yuan transfer came from a shell company registered in the Cayman Islands, and the actual controller behind it cannot be traced at the moment.”

The most troublesome issue is the attitude of the relatives. "Zhou Mingguang's parents refuse to do DNA testing," Zhang Hui said helplessly, "saying that their son just went abroad to escape debt and they firmly do not believe that he was murdered. We are applying for mandatory DNA testing, but the process will take at least three days." He spread out the deceased's shopping records, "Before he disappeared, the deceased bought cufflinks at a luxury store—the same pair as the one found at the scene, which can basically confirm his identity, but legally, we still need solid evidence."

Lu Chuan stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, his knuckles turning white from the force. "Now we've identified three directions." He stood up and drew three circles on the whiteboard.

"First, I'll personally lead a team to thoroughly investigate the commercial disputes involving Yuantu Technology." The laser pointer slammed into the company name. "Investigate the projects Zhou Mingguang was in charge of, especially the confidential documents he took away—the murderer is likely after that. Focus on the man in the black trench coat who appeared on the 18th floor on the evening of the 14th, starting with the purchase records of the wrench."

“Second, Zhang Kai must immediately collect blood samples from Zhou Mingguang’s relatives,” Lu Chuan’s voice left no room for doubt. “Whether they like it or not, DNA comparison must be completed within 24 hours. At the same time, test the rose essential oil in the victim’s fingernails to identify the buyer, which may be a key clue left by the murderer.”

"Third, Wang Shuai led the team to re-examine the building's surveillance footage." He pointed to the blind spots in the fire escape, "and expanded the search area to a three-kilometer radius, checking all men in black trench coats who entered the area on the night of the 14th, especially those driving white trucks—the traces of hydraulic oil leakage indicate that the perpetrator may have used the truck to transport the tools used in the crime."

Finally, he looked at Zhang Hui: "Investigate the actual controller of that shell company in the Cayman Islands. Zhou Mingguang's 50 yuan transfer is definitely not unfounded. Also, check Zhou Mingguang's call records, focusing on the mysterious number that contacted him in the middle of the night, and trace its location in reverse."

The sunlight outside had already crossed the windowsill and shone on the three characters "Zhou Mingguang" on the whiteboard. (End of Chapter)