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

Xiao Lin quickly left the autopsy room with the evidence and report, while Zhang Kai remained, lost in thought, staring at the crime scene photos beside the autopsy table. The canvas bag, wrench fragments, and cigarette butts in the photos, along with the neck pressure marks, metal fragments, and signs of struggle found during the autopsy, were gradually forming a chain of clues—although the victim's identity was still unclear, the precise determination of the time of death, cause of death, and the process of disposing of the body had already provided a clear direction for solving the case. He firmly believed that as long as the technical department could find relevant evidence from the evidence, combined with the investigators' screening, they would eventually identify the suspect and expose this crime hidden beneath the murky canal water.

At this moment, in the conference room of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, Lu Chuan had received Zhang Kai's preliminary autopsy report. Looking at the key information on the report—"mechanical asphyxiation," "strangulation," and "post-mortem disposal"—he tapped his fingers lightly on the table, then dialed Wang Shuai's number: "Immediately adjust the focus of the investigation. First, focus on construction workers at the demolition site upstream of the drainage ditch and in the surrounding area 5-7 days ago, looking for people matching the characteristics of 'height 175-180cm, weight 70-75kg, and smoking Liqun cigarettes'; second, investigate men aged 40-50 who have gone missing in the past week, especially those in the repair and construction industries, focusing on DNA comparison; third, expand the investigation area upstream of the drainage ditch, looking for possible primary crime scene and signs of struggle, and make a new breakthrough within 48 hours!"

As night deepened, the lights in the autopsy room remained bright. Zhang Kai organized the autopsy records, prioritized all the samples for testing, and sent them to the technical department. He knew that this autopsy, a battle against water and time, was only the first step in solving the case; subsequent evidence comparison and investigation would be key to uncovering the truth. But he was confident that, with precise autopsy findings and meticulous analysis of clues, this crime hidden beneath the murky canal water would ultimately be illuminated by the sunlight of justice.

When Zhang Kai's autopsy report reached Zhang Hui, it was already 11 p.m. "Male, 40-50 years old, 178cm tall, time of death 5-7 days ago, occupation possibly related to maintenance or construction, brass tool fragments on the left wrist, last meal between 6-8 p.m."—These key characteristics were prominently circled in red in Zhang Hui's notebook. He then led four team members into the missing persons verification office of the Criminal Investigation Detachment. Under the lights, six computer screens lit up simultaneously, the blue light reflecting on everyone's weary faces.

“Tighten the screening criteria,” Zhang Hui said, handing out the instant coffee he had just brewed to his team members. He then took a big gulp himself, the bitterness of the caffeine temporarily suppressing his fatigue. “We’ve narrowed it down to 40-50 years old, 176-180cm tall, and 5-8 days since they went missing. In addition to ‘repair’ and ‘construction’ in the occupation field, we also need to add ‘food and beverage’ – although there was no food residue in the deceased’s stomach, we can’t rule out a kitchen-related occupation, since tools like knives and wrenches can be used in the kitchen. Also, we need to pay close attention to descriptions like ‘wearing metal jewelry on the left wrist’ and ‘habitually eating dinner in the evening’.”

Team member Xiao Chen rubbed his sore eyes, his fingers slowly sliding across the mouse: "This system is so laggy. It takes two minutes to refresh every time. There are over 1500 records. We'll be searching until dawn." He clicked on a missing person record. The words "Name: Wang Jianguo, Age: 45, Occupation: Decorator, Time of Disappearance: 3 days ago" flashed across the screen. It didn't match the criteria, so he casually scrolled away. "What is this? Either the information is incomplete, or the time doesn't match. I've been searching for almost an hour, and I haven't found a single match."

Team member Xiao Li leaned back in his chair, which creaked in protest: "My eyes are almost crossed; the words on the screen are starting to double. I'm running around to the scene with Team Leader Wang in the morning, organizing notes in the afternoon, and now I have to stay here monitoring the data at night. If this keeps up, I'm afraid I'll just collapse at the keyboard." He pointed to a blurry record on the screen, "Look at this: 'Name: Liu Wei, Age: 48, Occupation: Unknown, Time of Disappearance: 6 days ago.' With this information, how can we determine if it's the person we're looking for?"

Complaints echoed throughout the office, the only constant sounds being the clatter of keyboards and mouse clicks. The city outside was long asleep, only the Criminal Investigation Division's office building still had a few lights on. Ashtrays on the desks were overflowing with cigarette butts, and the air was thick with the pungent smell of caffeine and tobacco, making everyone cough.

At 1 a.m., team member Xiao Zhao's phone suddenly vibrated. It was a message from his wife: "The child has a fever and keeps crying for his father. When are you coming back?" Xiao Zhao's eyes instantly welled up with tears as he read the message. He quickly replied, "Wait a little longer, I'll be back as soon as I'm done," then silenced his phone, took a deep breath, and stared at the screen again. "My son is only two years old. I've never stayed up all night with him in his life," he said, his voice hoarse and choked with emotion. "And now, he's sick and I'm not even there. I'm such a terrible father."

“Who isn’t?” Zhang Hui patted Xiao Zhao on the shoulder, his tone full of helplessness. “My daughter has her midterm exam tomorrow. This morning she told me, ‘Dad, you have to help me study,’ and I’m still here. I haven’t even had a chance to make a phone call.” He picked up his cup and found that the coffee had gone cold. “Just hang in there. The key now is identifying the deceased. If we can’t find the identity, all the previous investigations and autopsies will have been for nothing. Let’s grit our teeth and maybe the next lead will be the answer.”

Time ticked by, and by 3 a.m., when the information on the screen had reached item 1247, the atmosphere in the office had become extremely tense. Everyone stared silently at the screen, their fingers mechanically moving the mouse, too exhausted even to complain. Xiao Chen even dozed off while looking at the screen, his head occasionally bobbing against the keyboard, only to wake up with a start, rub his eyes, and continue investigating.

Just then, team member Xiao Wang suddenly shouted, "Team Leader Zhang! Come and see this!" His voice, brimming with barely suppressed excitement, broke the silence of the office. Everyone instantly perked up and crowded around Xiao Wang's computer.

The screen displayed information about a missing person: "Li Shengli, male, 46 years old, chef at 'Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant' in Chengnan, 178cm tall, went missing 6 days ago (on the evening of the 18th of this month) after finishing get off work. His family said he carried a black tool bag with wrenches and screwdrivers for repairing kitchen equipment when he left work, and wore a brass watch on his left wrist. He usually eats dinner at home around 7 pm every night. Recently, he had a dispute with the restaurant owner over wages. Contact person: wife Zhao Lan, phone number 135XXXX8901."

"Are there any other similar clues?" Zhang Hui's heart pounded. He quickly asked, his fingers gripping the notebook tightly. Xiao Wang continued searching and found three more suspicious clues. (End of Chapter)