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

"Now all the clues are pointing in one direction—the suspect lured Chen Gang to an abandoned factory through an anonymous order, murdered him, and dumped his body at a transfer station. The 5 yuan transfer and the dispute suggest that Chen Gang may have inadvertently discovered the suspect's secret and was silenced."

“I think we should make breakthroughs in three directions,” Yang Lin said first, pointing to a satellite map of the factory. “First, conduct a comprehensive investigation of the abandoned factory in the suburbs, focusing on signs of a struggle, bloodstains, blunt objects (such as steel pipes and wooden sticks), and Chen Gang’s personal belongings (cell phone, car keys). The abandoned equipment in the factory may contain the suspect’s fingerprints or DNA. Second, investigate the ‘ghost account’ that transferred 5 yuan. By tracing the flow of funds, we can find the source. These accounts are usually related to underground banks or illegal transactions, and we may be able to find the suspect’s financial network. Third, expand the scope of the investigation of the man in the black jacket. Combine the description from the driver at the rest stop to create a composite sketch and post it around the factory and along Heping Road to find witnesses.”

Zhang Kai offered additional suggestions: "During the autopsy, in addition to black fibers, a small amount of red paint residue was found under Chen Gang's fingernails. The composition was unusual; it was industrial anti-rust paint, commonly found on large machinery or factory equipment." He showed a photo of the paint sample. "I suggest that during the factory investigation, we should focus on equipment with red anti-rust paint, which may have been left by Chen Gang scratching himself during his struggle. At the same time, we should test the paint composition to identify the manufacturer and sales channels, thus narrowing down the suspect's activity range."

“We can’t let our guard down in our search of the black SUV,” Wang Shuai said, opening a map on his computer. “Although we haven’t found a matching vehicle yet, the suspect needed a vehicle to leave after dumping the body. The SUV is likely still hidden in a secluded location near the factory or Heping Road, such as an abandoned warehouse or an underground parking lot. We can expand our surveillance scope to focus on the route from the factory to the transfer station from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. on August 15th, looking for the SUV’s driving trajectory. At the same time, we can contact the traffic department to check for traffic violations during that period, especially vehicles with broken taillights or scratches on the rear bumper.”

Zhang Hui focused on the clues about Chen Gang's "strange passengers": "Chen Gang's family said he mentioned 'strange passengers' in the past month. We can retrieve Chen Gang's Didi order records for the past month, filter orders with destinations containing keywords such as 'factory' and 'suburbs,' and contact these passengers to see if there are any clues. In addition, the whereabouts of the 5 yuan in cash that Chen Gang withdrew are unknown. The suspect may have forced Chen Gang to withdraw the cash and then robbed him. We need to investigate the cash consumption records around Heping Road after the incident, especially large-amount consumption, such as gold shops and pawnshops. The suspect may have exchanged the cash for physical goods."

After listening to everyone's opinions, Lu Chuan drew four core investigation directions on the whiteboard, highlighting "investigation of the abandoned factory in the suburbs" and "tracing the source of the 5 yuan transfer" in red as the top priorities: "First group, led by Yang Lin, in conjunction with the technical department, will immediately go to the abandoned factory this morning to conduct a comprehensive investigation. We must be meticulous and not overlook any clues; Second group, led by Zhang Hui, will continue to delve into Chen Gang's order records and social connections, create a composite sketch of the suspect, interview residents around the factory, and find witnesses; Third group, led by Wang Shuai, will expand the scope of surveillance and investigation of the black SUV and visits to rental companies, while coordinating with banks and financial regulatory departments to trace the source of funds in the 'ghost account'; Fourth group, led by Zhang Kai, will cooperate with the technical department to expedite the testing of traces, paint debris, and transaction records of the 'ghost account' extracted from the factory, ensuring timely feedback of results."

He paused, then emphasized, "Chen Gang's death is very likely related to the secret he discovered. The suspect is highly aware of counter-surveillance and uses ruthless methods. We must break through as soon as possible to prevent the suspect from escaping or committing crimes again. Each team must maintain open communication channels and report any clues immediately. We must work in shifts 24 hours a day and strive to find a key breakthrough within 48 hours."

As the morning light gradually filled the conference table, it cast golden dapples on Chen Gang's photograph. Zhang Hui put the first draft of the composite sketch into his bag, Wang Shuai organized the surveillance footage checklist, and Yang Lin took out the on-site investigation records. Everyone knew that the next 48 hours were crucial—finding traces of the abandoned factory, tracing the source of funds, or identifying the SUV could all completely uncover the truth of the case and give Chen Gang's family an explanation.

"Meeting adjourned. We'll summarize the progress at 6 PM." Lu Chuan closed the file, his fingertips gently tracing Chen Gang's photograph. The sunlight outside the window grew increasingly dazzling, illuminating the four gilded characters "Enforcing the Law for the People" on the conference room wall, and also the unwavering determination in everyone's eyes. As they left the conference room, Yang Lin had already dialed the technical department, Wang Shuai had contacted the bank to retrieve transaction records, and Zhang Hui and his team, carrying the initial draft of the composite sketch, prepared to head to the printing plant—a race against time had begun.

The iron gate of the abandoned factory in the suburbs was already rusted. When Yang Lin pried open the door with a crowbar, the creaking sound of metal scraping against metal was particularly jarring in the empty factory area. At 9 a.m., the sunlight shone through the broken factory windows, casting dappled shadows on the ground. The air was filled with the pungent smell of rust, dust, and damp mold—this was Chen Gang's last destination and the first crime scene suspected by the police. As planned at the case analysis meeting, Yang Lin led five members of the technical department to conduct a second comprehensive investigation here.

"Divide into three groups. One group will check the main workshop, the second group will check the west warehouse, and the third group will focus on checking the abandoned equipment in the corners of the factory area. Be thorough and don't miss any traces." Yang Lin distributed the survey map to the team members, and then headed towards the main workshop with his assistant, Xiao Lin. The workshop was littered with rusty machine tools, broken conveyor belts, and piles of waste. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dust, and many sets of footprints were clearly preserved, but most of them were left by nearby villagers or scavengers in the early stages, in a messy manner.

Xiaolin held the footprint lamp close to the ground, the beam illuminating a set of blurry shoe prints in the dust. "Size 42 leather shoe prints, stride length 68 centimeters," she measured with a ruler, "preliminarily matching Chen Gang's shoe print characteristics, but the edges of the prints are blurred and heavily covered by later footprints, making it impossible to extract complete traces." On the ground next to the machine tool, she found another light brown stain, but after testing it with test strips, she shook her head: "It's machine oil, not blood, left over from before the factory was abandoned."

Yang Lin's investigation light hovered over the corner of the east wall of the workshop, where a pile of discarded steel pipes and wooden sticks lay, matching the characteristics of a "blunt weapon" suspected in the autopsy. He picked up a steel pipe, 3 centimeters in diameter and 50 centimeters long, and examined it carefully with a magnifying glass: "The steel pipe is heavily rusted, with no fresh signs of wiping or impact, and no bloodstains on the inner wall." He handed the pipe to the technicians, "To take it back to the lab for testing to confirm whether there are trace amounts of blood or DNA, but the preliminary judgment is that it is unrelated to the case." (End of Chapter)