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

"The owner of the machinery factory is Zhao Weiguo, and 'Lao Hei' seems to be surnamed Zhou, but I don't know his exact name. I only know that he is in the hardware business and often picks up goods from factories in the surrounding area," Lao Zhang added. "Pang Yun's wife runs a small shop in the urban village. You can go and ask her; maybe you can find out more information."

Having obtained these crucial clues, Wang Shuai immediately contacted the other two teams. He instructed the second team to focus their investigation on Changsheng Machinery Factory and its owner, Zhao Weiguo, while the third team went to the labor market to search for "Old Hei's" whereabouts. Wang Shuai himself led his team to the urban village in the southern suburbs to look for Pang Yun's wife.

The alleys in the urban village were narrow and crowded. Following the address provided by Lao Zhang, Wang Shuai quickly found the small shop run by Pang Yun's wife. Only one middle-aged woman was tidying up the goods inside; it was Pang Yun's wife, Liu Mei. Wang Shuai stepped forward and showed his police ID: "Ms. Liu, hello, we're from the Criminal Investigation Division. We'd like to ask you about Pang Yun. He hasn't been home for five days, are you aware of that?"

Upon hearing the name "Pang Yun," Liu Mei dropped the goods she was holding with a clatter to the ground, her face instantly turning pale: "You...you found him? Has something happened to him?"

Wang Shuai gently reassured her: "Ms. Liu, please don't get agitated. We found a body in the logistics park. The clothing is very similar to Pang Yun's. We need you to provide a recent photo of Pang Yun. In addition, we need to collect your DNA sample and compare it with the deceased's to finally confirm his identity."

Liu Mei trembled as she pulled a photograph from the drawer. In the photo, Pang Yun was wearing blue overalls, the same style as the deceased's, and was smiling gently as he embraced Liu Mei. "This photo was taken a month ago," Liu Mei said, her voice trembling with tears. "He left for work five days ago, saying he'd be back early that evening, but we haven't heard from him since. I can't get through to him on the phone either. I thought he just had a fight with the factory and went away to hide for a few days, but I never expected..."

Wang Shuai took the photo and compared it with a photo of the deceased's clothing, confirming that the style and color were completely identical. "Ms. Liu, has Pang Yun had any conflicts with anyone recently? For example, colleagues at the factory, the boss, or the supplier?"

Liu Mei wiped away her tears and recalled, "He had a big argument with Boss Zhao at the factory a while ago. Boss Zhao owed him three months' wages. When he went to ask for his wages, Boss Zhao even said, 'If you don't want to work here, get out.' He came back and told me that he must get an explanation from Boss Zhao. Also, there's a supplier called 'Old Hei.' Last time, because Pang Yun was half an hour late with his delivery, Old Hei snatched his forklift keys and called him 'useless.' Pang Yun was so angry when he came back that he didn't even eat dinner. He said he would settle accounts with Old Hei sooner or later."

This information perfectly matched Lao Zhang's account, and Wang Shuai's clues gradually became clearer: "Ms. Liu, do you know if Pang Yun said he was going to meet anyone or brought anything special when he left home five days ago?"

“He said he was going to the factory in the morning to pick up a batch of parts and deliver them to the hardware market on the outskirts of the city. In the afternoon, he might go to talk to Boss Zhao about his wages. He also brought a black canvas bag with his ID card and pay slips inside,” Liu Mei added. “He always keeps his ID card in his bag. If you find his bag, you might be able to confirm his identity.”

Wang Shuai immediately arranged for his team to collect Liu Mei's DNA sample and send it to the technical department for comparison with the deceased's DNA. At the same time, he contacted Changsheng Machinery Factory, requesting Zhao Weiguo's cooperation in the investigation and retrieving the factory's surveillance video from the past 5 days.

At 2 PM, the technical department reported: "Team Leader Wang, Liu Mei's DNA sample matches the deceased's DNA with a 99.99% match, confirming the deceased is indeed Pang Yun! Furthermore, we found a pay slip soaked in putrid liquid in the pocket of the deceased's work pants, with the words 'Changsheng Machinery Factory' and 'Pang Yun' faintly visible, further confirming his identity." "Great!" Wang Shuai excitedly slammed his fist on the table. "Finally, the deceased's identity is confirmed! Now, immediately launch an investigation into Pang Yun's interpersonal relationships, focusing on two people: Zhao Weiguo, the owner of Changsheng Machinery Factory, and the cargo owner 'Old Black.' Also, investigate Pang Yun's colleagues to see if anyone knows his whereabouts five days ago."

The team members acted swiftly, and the second group arrived at Changsheng Machinery Factory, finding the owner, Zhao Weiguo. Upon seeing the police, Zhao Weiguo appeared flustered: "Officers, what do you want with me? Pang Yun's disappearance has nothing to do with me!"

“Boss Zhao, we’re just asking a routine question,” team member Xiao Li said, taking out his notebook. “Did you know that Pang Yun hasn’t come to work for the past five days? Did he contact you before he disappeared? What were the details of your argument about wages?”

Zhao Weiguo's eyes darted around: "I knew he hadn't come to work, and I thought he had resigned. We did argue about wages before. He wanted me to pay him three months' salary, but I was short on cash at the time, so I told him to postpone it for a few days. He disagreed and even threatened to report me to the labor department, but I didn't pay much attention..."

"Did Pang Yun come to the factory to discuss your wages five days ago?" Xiao Li pressed.

Zhao Weiguo shook his head: "No, he came to the factory to pick up a batch of parts five days ago in the morning, and then he never came back. I thought he went to deliver goods, but I didn't expect him to disappear."

The team members retrieved the factory's surveillance footage, which showed that five days prior, at 8:5 AM, Pang Yun drove a forklift carrying parts away from the factory and never returned. At 3:5 PM, the third team found the owner, "Old Black"—Zhou Qiang—at the hardware market on the outskirts of the city. Upon seeing the police, Zhou Qiang appeared impatient: "Pang Yun and I had some minor disagreements, but his disappearance has nothing to do with me! I haven't seen him at all five days ago; he's been minding his shop at the hardware market."

The team members verified Zhou Qiang's whereabouts. The surveillance footage from the hardware market showed that Zhou Qiang had indeed been in the market for the past five days and had not left. His suspicion of committing the crime was temporarily ruled out.

“Although Zhao Weiguo is a suspect, there is currently no evidence to prove that he is related to Pang Yun’s death,” Wang Shuai analyzed at the team meeting. “Pang Yun left the machinery factory with parts five days ago in the morning. According to the plan, he should have delivered them to the hardware market, but Zhou Qiang said he did not receive the goods. This means that Pang Yun had an accident on the way to deliver the goods, and the first crime scene is likely on the delivery route. In addition, Pang Yun’s black canvas bag has not been found yet. The bag contained his ID card and pay slips. The suspect may have taken the bag to destroy the evidence.”

Lu Chuan nodded and added, "Based on the forensic autopsy report, Pang Yun died between 7 and 10 pm five days ago, strangled to death with his bare hands, indicating that the suspect knew him. We need to do three things next: First, investigate Pang Yun's delivery route five days ago, looking for possible primary crime scenes, especially surveillance footage and witnesses along the route; second, thoroughly investigate Zhao Weiguo's financial situation and whereabouts, to see if he has an alibi for the night five days ago; third, interview Pang Yun's colleagues and neighbors to find out if he had any other conflicts besides Zhao Weiguo and Zhou Qiang, especially those with whom he had recent disputes." (End of Chapter)