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

The traffic department's checkpoint surveillance only captured the side of the vehicle, making it impossible to obtain more details; the identity of the suspicious man in blue overalls remains unknown, there is no person in the factory's personnel register who fully matches the characteristics, and there is no matching information in the list of departing employees; the deleted surveillance footage cannot be recovered, and it is impossible to confirm the suspect's specific actions in the woodworking workshop.

“Although we have found suspicious vehicles and people, we lack direct clues to identify them,” Wang Shuai reported to Lu Chuan over the walkie-talkie. “We need to further expand the scope of the surveillance and investigation to cover all roads and shops within 3 kilometers of the factory. At the same time, we need to collect DNA and fingerprints from all personnel in the factory and compare them with biological samples extracted from the scene.”

As the sun set, Wang Shuai stood at the factory's back gate, gazing in the direction the van had disappeared, clutching a screenshot from the security camera in his hand—the silver-gray van and the figure in blue overalls in the footage were like two vague mysteries, waiting to be solved. He knew that the investigation would require more patience and meticulousness; only by finding more evidence could he connect these two suspicious clues with the truth of the case and bring justice to the deceased.

The team members were still diligently reviewing the surveillance footage, the light from the monitors reflecting on their faces—exhausted yet determined. Although there were no confirmed leads yet, they believed that as long as they didn't give up, they would eventually find the key information pointing to the truth from these fragmented images. As night deepened, the factory machines gradually quieted down, only the lights in the monitoring and analysis room remained bright.

Meanwhile, in-depth investigations and visits are also being conducted at the furniture factory.

The furniture factory's woodworking workshop was still running, the buzzing sound of sawing wood piercing the sweltering air. When Zhang Hui stepped into the workshop, his footsteps scattering wood shavings, the workers stopped what they were doing, their eyes filled with curiosity and wariness. He clutched a notebook in his hand, its cover already covered with a thin layer of dust, and on the title page were several key names—Carpenter Lao Li, Painter Lao Zhang, and Cleaner Jia Qingwu—all key figures mentioned in the previous investigation.

“Don’t be nervous, everyone. I just want to get some information from you,” Zhang Hui said, handing cigarettes to the workers who gathered around him. He lit a cigarette with a “click,” and the smoke drifted among the sawdust. “On July 11th, did you notice anything unusual? For example, strangers entering the factory, or any colleagues not coming to work?”

The first to speak was Old Zheng, the foreman of the carpentry team. He wiped the sawdust off his hands and pointed to an empty seat in the corner: "Zhang Baode from the paint shop didn't come to work that day. He's usually the first one here every day. We were wondering why he didn't come. We thought he had taken leave, but he hasn't shown up since." Old Zheng took a drag of his cigarette. "Zhang Baode is an honest and simple man. He doesn't talk much and just keeps to his work. We've never heard of him making enemies with anyone."

“Zhang Baode? What exactly was his job?” Zhang Hui’s pen slid rapidly across his notebook. Old Zheng’s words had a sudden thought—the body parts found during the previous investigation were related to paint, and Zhang Baode was a painter; there might be a connection between the two. “He was responsible for painting the furniture, especially white paint,” Old Zheng added. “There was a batch of white furniture that was supposed to be shipped on the 11th, and we were waiting for him to paint it, but he didn’t come, so we had to find someone else to fill in.”

Zhang Hui followed Lao Zheng to the paint shop, where the pungent smell of paint still lingered. Half a bucket of white paint sat on a workbench in the corner, and the brushes were still soaking in solvent. "This is Zhang Baode's workstation," Lao Zheng pointed to the workbench. "You see, his tools are still here. He didn't take his safety helmet or gloves with him. He usually tidies up his tools after get off work; he wouldn't just leave them like this."

According to Xiao Wang, a worker in the paint shop, Zhang Baode mentioned when he left work on July 10th, "Come early tomorrow to finish painting that batch of white furniture." "He seemed to be in a bad mood that day," Xiao Wang said, scratching his head. "I asked him what was wrong, and he just said 'something came up,' and borrowed an 18cm hand saw blade from me, saying 'I have some work to do at home.' I didn't ask any more questions and just gave him the saw blade—now that I think about it, that saw blade looks similar to the one you found in the garbage room."

This detail made Zhang Hui's heart tighten, and he immediately asked, "Has Zhang Baode mentioned owing money to anyone, or having any conflicts with anyone?" Xiao Wang thought for a moment, "It seems he had a fight with Lao Zhang in the paint shop a while ago. Lao Zhang said Zhang Baode 'stole his work' and even threatened to 'make him pay'." He paused, "Lao Zhang also took leave on the afternoon of July 11, saying there was something going on at home, and he didn't come to work until the next day, but he said he didn't see Zhang Baode that day."

When Zhang Hui found Lao Zhang, he was touching up the paint on the furniture, the brush in his hand moving quickly across the wood. "Zhang Baode and I did have a fight, but it was just work-related friction," Lao Zhang's eyes darted around. "I did take the day off on the 11th to accompany my mother to see a doctor back home. I have the train ticket and hospital receipt to prove it." As he spoke, he pulled out a train ticket from his pocket. The date showed a train departing at 8:7 AM on July 11th, with its destination being a neighboring city.

To verify Lao Zhang's statement, Zhang Hui contacted a hospital in a neighboring city and confirmed that Lao Zhang had indeed accompanied his mother to the hospital for a medical appointment at 10:7 AM on July 11th, with registration records and doctor's testimony. "It seems that Lao Zhang's suspicion can be temporarily ruled out," Zhang Hui crossed out Lao Zhang's name in his notebook. "Do you know if Zhang Baode has any other close colleagues, or if he has recently been in contact with any strangers?"

Old Wu, who works in the paint shop, mentioned that on the evening of July 10, he saw Zhang Baode talking to a man wearing a black hoodie at the factory gate. The two seemed to be arguing about something. "The man was a little taller than Zhang Baode, about 180 cm, and his back was a bit hunched," Old Wu recalled. "He spoke in a very low voice, and I couldn't hear what he was saying. I only saw that Zhang Baode was very agitated and even pushed the man. The man cursed something and then left."

This description immediately reminded Zhang Hui of the suspicious person Wang Shuai had spotted in the surveillance footage—a man in blue overalls with a slightly hunched back. Although the colors of the clothes were different, the build and physique were highly similar. "Did that man drive here? Like a silver-gray van?" Zhang Hui pressed. Old Wu nodded: "It seems like he drove a silver-gray car, parked on the side of the road opposite the factory. I didn't see the specific model, but I remember there was a scratch on the back of the car."

Zhang Hui then found Manager Li, the factory manager, and retrieved Zhang Baode's personal information and attendance records. "Zhang Baode, male, 42 years old, from Nanhe, has worked at the factory for 5 years," Manager Li said, flipping through the files. "The attendance records show that he left work normally on July 10th, but hasn't come to work since July 11th, without asking for leave. We tried calling him, but his phone was always off, and he didn't reply to WeChat messages. We thought he had quit and left." (End of Chapter)