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

"Based on the autopsy and investigation results, Zhou Ming's modus operandi clearly exhibits a combination of 'spur-of-the-moment and premeditation'," Zhang Kai added. "Using a brick as a blunt instrument indicates that the tool was acquired on the spot; fabricating lies to lure Li Shengli to a secluded location suggests premeditation; cleaning up the scene and obscuring the license plate after disposing of the body demonstrates strong counter-surveillance awareness. It is recommended that during the interrogation of Zhou Ming, the focus should be on breaking through his 'whereabouts on the night of the incident' and 'purpose of funds,' and using the pressure of the evidence chain to force him to confess to the crime."

Zhang Hui suggested starting with "Li Shengli's last activity trajectory": "We have contacted the telecommunications company and recovered Li Shengli's mobile phone location records from the night of the incident. It shows that 'at 7:30 pm, Li Shengli left the restaurant and drove along the ring road towards the suburbs. At 8:15 pm, he arrived near the demolition site upstream of the drainage ditch, after which the mobile phone signal disappeared,' which is consistent with the 'suburban smoke exhaust equipment repair' route fabricated by Zhou Ming. We suggest further investigation around the small roads near the demolition site to look for Li Shengli's mobile phone or other personal belongings. The call recordings or text messages on the mobile phone may contain key evidence of Zhou Ming's deception of Li Shengli."

After listening to everyone's analysis, Lu Chuan drew four core investigative directions on the whiteboard, circling the keywords "in-depth verification of Zhou Ming" and "re-examination of the demolition site" in red: "Group One, led by Zhang Hui, is responsible for in-depth verification of Zhou Ming—retrieving his mobile phone location and call records from the night of the incident, searching his residence and van for cotton work clothes and tools used in the crime, such as bricks and strips of cloth, and extracting his DNA for comparison with cigarette butt DNA. It is imperative to confirm within 24 hours whether Zhou Ming had the opportunity to commit the crime; Group Two, led by Wang Shuai, focuses on the re-examination and surveillance tracking of the demolition site—expanding the scope of the site investigation." The first team was tasked with locating Li Shengli's toolbox and mobile phone, repairing the malfunctioning surveillance cameras at the demolition site, and tracking the black van's route the night before the incident to locate the primary crime scene and gather more physical evidence. The second team, led by Yang Lin, was responsible for following up on the technical department's testing—prioritizing the matching of Zhou Ming's vehicle and shoe prints, cotton fiber comparison, and DNA identification, ensuring results within 12 hours. The third team was to contact the labor and market supervision departments to investigate the 'Sichuan-style restaurant's' wage arrears and hygiene issues, confirm the veracity of Li Shengli's report, and further solidify Zhou Ming's motive.

He emphasized, "Zhou Ming is currently the only suspect with a motive, the time, and the characteristics to commit the crime. All our work must revolve around 'verifying Zhou Ming's suspicion,' and we cannot overlook any details. In addition, we must do a good job of comforting Li Shengli's family, keep them informed of the case's progress, and let them feel our determination to solve the case."

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting long, thin patches of light on the conference table. Zhang Hui posted Zhou Ming's photo and a screenshot from the security camera of the black van on the whiteboard. In the photo, Zhou Ming was wearing a black coat, his eyes darting around, vaguely matching the motive of "fear of being reported." "We will verify Zhou Ming's location records and DNA comparison results as soon as possible. Once the connection is confirmed, we will immediately apply for an arrest warrant," Zhang Hui said firmly, and everyone present nodded in agreement.

As the meeting adjourned, Lu Chuan watched the departing figures, picked up the autopsy report and crime scene investigation record from the table, and circled key details such as "brick fragments," "cotton fibers," and "black van" in red pen—these seemingly minor traces could very well be the key to ultimately identifying Zhou Ming. He took out his phone and sent a message to the head of the technical department: "All tests related to Zhou Ming must be expedited, especially DNA and vehicle trajectory data. These are crucial to breaking through the case. Notify me of the results immediately."

Footsteps echoed through the corridors of the Criminal Investigation Division, each person carrying a clear goal: to "apprehend the murderer and uncover the truth." Although Zhou Ming had not yet confessed, as investigations and tests progressed, the crimes hidden beneath the murky waters would soon be exposed within the closed loop of the evidence chain, and Li Shengli's spirit in heaven would finally receive the justice that was long overdue.

After the case analysis meeting, Zhang Hui led the first team to immediately begin an in-depth investigation into Zhou Ming. As per the meeting's plan, "analysis of interpersonal relationships," "verification of the crime timeline," and "confirmation of the correlation between physical evidence" were the three core directions for identifying Zhou Ming as a suspect. Progress in each area directly impacted the feasibility of subsequent arrest operations.

"First, investigate Zhou Ming's social connections, focusing on people related to the 'demolition site' and 'drainage ditch'," Zhang Hui instructed his team members from his temporary office. "He has been running a restaurant for many years and must know a lot of people. Maybe he has friends working at the demolition site who can help him obtain tools like bricks and engine oil. Also, investigate his recent contacts to see if anyone helped him dispose of evidence such as tool bags and cloth strips after the incident."

Team member Xiao Li quickly pieced together Zhou Ming's network of relationships: "Zhou Ming had a childhood friend named Zhao Gang, who worked as a contractor at a demolition site upstream of the drainage ditch. The two were close, and Zhou Ming often went to the construction site to drink with Zhao Gang. Also, the day after the incident, Zhou Ming transferred 2 yuan to his cousin who lived far away, with the transfer note saying 'loan.' But his cousin said, 'Zhou Ming never mentioned borrowing money. This money seems more like he asked me to keep it for him.' His actions were very suspicious."

"Find Zhao Gang immediately to verify!" Zhang Hui decided decisively. "Ask him if Zhou Ming went to the construction site on the night of the incident, if he saw Li Shengli, or if he helped Zhou Ming get bricks or engine oil. Also, check Zhou Ming's cousin's bank statements to see if there are any unusual expenditures for this money, and whether it was used to destroy physical evidence."

At 2 p.m., Xiao Li sent a message: "Zhao Gang admitted that around 8 p.m. on the night of the incident, Zhou Ming went to the demolition site and said he 'needed to pick up some things.' Zhao Gang let him in without asking any questions. Zhou Ming's cousin's bank statements show that after receiving 2 yuan, he went to a scrap yard the next day and sold a batch of 'metal scrap,' but he didn't say what it was. The scrap yard owner couldn't remember either, only saying that it was 'like tools or something.'"

Meanwhile, the second team led by Wang Shuai made a significant discovery during a re-examination of the demolition site. In a pile of construction waste on the west side of the site, the team found a black canvas tool bag embroidered with the words "Sichuan Flavor." After confirmation by Li Shengli's wife, it was confirmed to be the tool bag that Li Shengli had taken with him when he disappeared. The wrench and screwdriver inside the tool bag were missing, but the remaining brass powder was completely consistent with the composition of Li Shengli's watch strap. There were also a small amount of red brick fragments and brown cotton fibers on the outside of the bag—which perfectly matched the clues collected at the scene.

"The technical department detected Zhou Ming's fingerprints on the toolkit!" (End of Chapter)