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

He pointed to Zhang Hui's route map and said, "After Qin Yanming finished his last delivery, he probably encountered Zhao Gang on the riverbank demanding payment for the fare. The argument escalated, and Zhao Gang killed him. He then chained the body and threw it into the river. The clues about the abandoned dock and sand quarry also fit Zhao Gang's familiarity with the surrounding terrain—his building materials store is only two kilometers from the Beihe River, and he probably frequented the riverbank."

Xiao Zhang raised a different opinion: "If Zhao Gang is the murderer, why would he adjust the taxi's rearview mirror? Also, the suspicious man at the convenience store had a non-local accent, while Zhao Gang is a local, which doesn't quite match up." Wang Shuai nodded in agreement: "There's also the issue of Qin Yanming's last passenger. If the passenger doesn't exist, it's possible that Zhao Gang deliberately placed the order to lure Qin Yanming to the riverbank; if the passenger does exist, could it be Zhao Gang's accomplice?"

Zhang Kai adjusted his glasses: "Based on the autopsy, the murderer acted alone. The drag marks and footprints all indicate that it was done by one person, making the possibility of an accomplice low. As for the difference in accent, we cannot rule out the possibility that the suspect deliberately disguised himself, or that the man in the convenience store and Zhao Gang are the same person—the accent may have been formed from living in another place for a long time, and it is not an absolute point of contradiction."

Lu Chuan suddenly made a decision: "We will split into four groups to conduct the investigation." He counted on his fingers, "The first group will be led by Zhang Hui. We will immediately summon Zhao Gang to verify his whereabouts on the night of June 13, extract his DNA and fingerprints, and compare them with the traces on the skin tissue, iron chain, and cloth bag at the scene; we will search his blue Volkswagen Lavida, focusing on the passenger seat and trunk, looking for black fibers or bloodstains."

"The second team, led by Yang Lin, will expand the on-site investigation to Zhao Gang's building materials store and residence, focusing on finding black cloth bags, Yuxi cigarette butts, and iron chains that match the scene. They will also review surveillance footage around the building materials store to confirm whether Zhao Gang's vehicle entered or left the Beihe area on the evening of June 13th." Lu Chuan paused, then continued, "The third team, led by Wang Shuai, will retrieve Zhao Gang's call records and WeChat payment records to investigate whether he had contact with Qin Yanming on the evening of June 13th and verify whether the anonymous payment at the convenience store was made by him. At the same time, they will conduct in-depth visits to Wanghai Community to find potential witnesses to Qin Yanming's last transaction."

"The fourth route coordinates with the transportation department to conduct a city-wide search for blue Volkswagen Lavida vehicles with license plate numbers ending in '37,' focusing on their driving trajectory on the evening of June 13th; contacting taxi companies to retrieve Qin Yanming's in-car recordings (if available) to reconstruct the circumstances of the last fare." Lu Chuan emphasized, "The technical department will prioritize the DNA comparison of the skin tissue under Qin Yanming's fingernails, and must produce results within 24 hours, as this is crucial for identifying the suspect."

As the morning light gradually filled the conference table, casting interplay of light and shadow on everyone's faces, Lu Chuan emptied the remaining tea from the enamel mug with a loud clang that startled everyone. "Pay special attention to the scratches on Zhao Gang's right hand," he said, pointing to Zhang Kai's autopsy report. "If the scratches match the shape of Qin Yanming's broken fingernails, it will further corroborate his suspicion of committing the crime. In addition, investigate whether Zhao Gang has recently engaged in any unusual behavior such as washing his vehicle or discarding clothing, to prevent him from destroying evidence."

When the meeting ended, Xiao Zhang's notebook was filled with four full pages, each entry marked with a question mark and an exclamation mark. Yang Lin carried the crime scene photos toward the technical department, the motion-activated lights in the corridor turning on with his footsteps, illuminating the four gilded characters "Enforcing the Law for the People" on the wall. Zhang Kai took off his gloves, which were still stained with iodine, the smell of formaldehyde lingering on his fingertips. He remembered the black mole on Qin Yanming's left scapula, hidden by clothing—confirmed during the autopsy, further solidifying the deceased's identity and providing evidence for subsequent comparisons.

Zhao Gang's summons was complete. Lu Chuan signed his name in the issuing section; the sound of the pen scratching across the paper seemed to herald the impending confrontation. The Beihe River remained murky, yet it held crucial clues to solving the case. Qin Yanming's taxi was still missing, perhaps parked in a blind spot of surveillance cameras, waiting to be discovered. Everyone knew that the next 24 hours were critical; the DNA comparison results and Zhao Gang's interrogation would determine whether this body-dumping case would see a breakthrough.

Yang Lin and Yang Sen have completed their investigation records. From shoe print characteristics to fiber composition, from chain marks to cigarette butt brands, every clue points to Zhao Gang. Wang Shuai's surveillance investigation team is also ready to analyze the surveillance footage around the building materials store frame by frame, leaving no suspicious figure unchecked. Zhang Hui leads his team straight to Zhao Gang's building materials store, and a race against time officially begins.

The conference room lights gradually dimmed, leaving only Qin Yanming's photograph on the table. The wrinkles in his black overalls were faintly visible in the shadows, seemingly silently recounting the events of that night, June 13th. The truth of the case lay hidden within these subtle clues and meticulous reasoning, waiting to be revealed one by one.

On a June afternoon, the sunlight scorched the glass curtain wall of the vehicle management office. Wang Shuai, clutching a blurry screenshot from a surveillance camera—the rear of a blue Volkswagen Lavida, the last two digits of the license plate, "37," appearing white amidst the pixelated images—pushed open the door to the records inquiry room. "A blue Volkswagen Lavida registered citywide, license plate ending in 37, purchased 3-5 years ago," he handed his request to the staff, his fingers tapping rapidly on the table. "Please retrieve it as soon as possible; we urgently need to verify the leads."

The staff member's mouse hovered over the screen, and rows of vehicle information popped up in the list. "There are 23 vehicles that meet the criteria," she said, pointing to the name column on the screen. "Eleven of them are in the city, twelve are in the surrounding counties, and the owners are self-employed, office workers, and three are company vehicles." Wang Shuai immediately divided the team into three groups: "One group will check the 11 vehicles in the city, focusing on whether the owners have any activity records around Beihe; the second group will go to the surrounding counties to verify their whereabouts on the evening of June 13; the third group will stay here to retrieve the registration photos of these vehicles and compare them with the vehicle model details in the surveillance footage."

One team encountered their first obstacle while investigating in the city. The car owner, Li Jianguo, was a fruit vendor; his blue Lavida was parked behind his fruit shop, its body stained with fresh fruit. "June 13th evening? I was out of town picking up goods!" Li Jianguo patted his dashcam. "Look here, I left on the afternoon of the 12th and didn't return until the morning of the 14th; the whole thing was recorded." The team pulled up the dashcam footage, which indeed showed the timestamp at the highway tollbooth, completely different from the time of the Beihe incident.

The second team encountered an even more difficult situation during their investigation in a neighboring county. The car owner, Zhou Qiang, was a truck driver. His Lavida had been mortgaged to a used car dealership six months prior. "I haven't driven that car for almost a year," Zhou Qiang said, scratching his head. "The dealership said it was sold to someone else a long time ago, but the ownership wasn't transferred, and I don't know who the new owner is." The used car dealership owner stammered, saying the buyer made an "anonymous transfer without leaving any identification information," and the surveillance cameras had broken down three months ago. The lead had just begun to take shape when it went cold. (End of Chapter)