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

The location of the bricks corresponded to the bloodstains, the water flow at the body disposal point matched the body's drift trajectory, the fibers of the strangulation tool matched the composition of the neck pressure marks, and even subtle clues such as "the location where the tool bag was discarded" and "the area where the watch fragments fell" perfectly closed the chain of evidence held by the police.

At 1 p.m., the identification process concluded, and Zhou Ming was put back into the police car and returned to the Criminal Investigation Division. Zhang Hui stood on the bank of the drainage ditch, watching the police car gradually disappear into the distance. The rain soaked his police uniform, but it did not affect his thoughts at all: "Technical Section, organize all the video and photo materials from today's identification process, and combine them with the previous investigation report and autopsy report to form a complete chain of evidence, ensuring that every detail is traceable and verifiable in the subsequent litigation process."

Yang Lin nodded in agreement: "Don't worry, all the identification details have been recorded simultaneously and correspond one by one with the previous findings, without any contradictions. Zhou Ming's identification further confirms his entire crime process. Now the chain of evidence is completely closed, which is sufficient to establish his criminal facts."

At this moment, the rain gradually stopped, and a ray of sunlight pierced through the clouds, casting a faint glow on the murky surface of the drainage ditch. Zhang Hui looked at the water, knowing full well that this investigation, spanning several days, from the sanitation worker discovering the body, to the on-site investigation, autopsy, identification of the suspect, interrogation, and identification, was meticulously planned and executed, with each piece of evidence solid and compelling. Zhou Ming's identification was not only a final confirmation of his crime but also an explanation to Li Shengli's family, completely exposing this crime hidden beneath the murky ditch water to the light of day, and finally allowing justice to prevail.

Back at the Criminal Investigation Division, Zhang Hui reported the scene identification to Lu Chuan: "All the identification details are completely consistent with the investigation and autopsy results. Zhou Ming's description of the crime is without contradiction. The chain of evidence is complete, and we can now transfer it to the procuratorate for review and prosecution." Lu Chuan nodded, his tone tinged with relief: "Thank you all for your hard work. Since the incident, everyone has worked many sleepless nights. Now we finally have a result, which is a relief to Li Shengli's family and to the police uniforms we wear."

Zhou Ming's identification brought a satisfactory conclusion to this case of a decomposing corpse in a drainage ditch. From the initial "unknown identity" to the final "conclusive evidence," the police, through meticulous investigation, professional autopsy, rigorous interrogation, and comprehensive identification, resolved every doubt, corroborated every piece of evidence, and ultimately brought the murderer to justice, demonstrating that "justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent."

Less than a week after the citizen case was closed, Lu Chuan and his team received another report that a highly decomposed body had been found in the South Suburbs Logistics Park.

At 3 p.m. on Friday, the heatwave and dust swirled on the road in the South Suburb Logistics Park. Security guard Li Zhiguo, holding a patrol baton, walked slowly along the cement road in the warehouse area. This logistics park covers a vast area and has 28 warehouses, most of which store daily necessities. Only warehouses 12 to 15 on the west side have been idle for half a month due to power line renovations, and few people usually go near them.

As Li Zhiguo approached the door of warehouse number 13, he suddenly frowned—a faint stench wafted from the crack in the door, like rotting meat mixed with mold, particularly pungent in the sweltering air. "Strange, this warehouse has been empty for so long, how can it smell like this?" He walked around to the side of the warehouse, pressed his nose against the wall, and sniffed carefully. The stench was even stronger, and he could even faintly hear the buzzing of flies inside.

Li Zhiguo immediately pulled out his walkie-talkie and contacted warehouse manager Zhang Jianjun: "Brother Zhang, something's wrong with warehouse number 13. There's a foul smell coming from inside. Come over with the keys right away!" Zhang Jianjun was organizing ledgers in his office when he heard the news and panicked. He grabbed the keys and ran to warehouse number 13: "I checked that warehouse last week. The doors and windows were all locked properly. How could there be a foul smell? Could a stray dog ​​have gotten in?"

The two arrived at the warehouse door. Zhang Jianjun took out his key and inserted it into the lock. As the lock clicked, Li Zhiguo's palms were already sweating. The warehouse door was slowly pushed open, and a strong stench instantly rushed out. The two instinctively covered their mouths and noses and took two steps back. In the light from the doorway, they saw a blurry humanoid figure curled up in the center of the warehouse floor, its surface covered with dark, rotting matter. Flies swarmed around it, and several rats scurried past it and disappeared under the shelves.

"Someone's dead!" Zhang Jianjun's keys clattered to the ground, his voice trembling. Li Zhiguo was also pale with fright, but he still managed to pull out his phone, his fingers shaking as he dialed the police: "Hello... officers! There's a body in warehouse number 13 of the South Suburb Logistics Park... it's completely decomposed! Please come quickly!"

Forty-five minutes later, Lu Chuan's police car arrived along the main road of the logistics park and stopped in front of warehouse number 13. "Seal off the scene immediately!" Lu Chuan pushed open the car door, his black leather shoes stepping on the scorching cement ground, and gave instructions to his team members behind him, "Use warning tape to cordon off warehouse number 13 and the surrounding 10-meter area, prohibiting unauthorized personnel from entering, especially the floor and shelves inside the warehouse, don't let anyone touch them; Yang Lin and Yang Sen are responsible for the initial on-site investigation, focusing on the location of the body, surrounding traces, the condition of the warehouse doors and windows, and whether there are any signs of outsiders breaking in; Wang Shuai and I will go and question the person who reported the case, the rest of you will stay at the entrance of the logistics park, register the information of people and vehicles entering and leaving in the past three days, and check if any suspicious persons have left."

Yang Lin and Yang Sen, carrying investigation bags and wearing gloves and shoe covers, cautiously entered the warehouse. The warehouse was dimly lit, with only a small amount of light filtering through the ventilation window in the ceiling. The stench in the air was almost suffocating. Yang Lin switched on a powerful investigation light; the beam pierced the murky air and landed on the body on the floor. The deceased was a male, appearing to be between 40 and 50 years old, approximately 175 centimeters tall, wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and blue work pants. The clothes were soaked through with putrid liquid and clung tightly to his body. His face was completely covered in decomposing matter, making his features unrecognizable.

"Don't get close to the body yet. Focus on checking the surrounding environment," Yang Lin reminded, moving the beam of the investigation light to the ground around the body. The ground was covered with gray cement, and the dust was clearly visible under the beam. About 1 meter to the left of the body, there was a shallow drag mark, which was arc-shaped and extended to the shelf on the west side of the warehouse, as if someone had dragged the body from near the shelf to the center of the warehouse.

“There are drag marks here,” Yang Sen said, picking up a dark fiber from beside the marks with tweezers and examining it against the light. “The fiber looks like it was snagged from work pants; the color matches the deceased’s pants.” (End of Chapter)