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

Yang Lin and Yang Sen, carrying survey bags and wearing gloves and shoe covers, cautiously entered Building No. 3. The building was pitch black, with only sparse light filtering through the empty windows. The air was thick with dust and a musty smell, and the gravel underfoot crunched. "Turn on the high-powered survey lights!" Yang Lin shouted. Two beams of light pierced the darkness, illuminating the staircase leading to the third floor. The staircase had no handrails, and some steps were unfinished. The two men held onto the wall, carefully ascending step by step, afraid of slipping.

Upon reaching the third floor, a pungent odor assaulted their nostrils. In an unfinished room on the west side, a humanoid figure lay curled up in the center of the floor, covered by a tattered gray coat. Scattered around were several scraps of paper and empty water bottles. Yang Lin crouched down and gently lifted a corner of the coat—the deceased was male, appearing to be between 40 and 50 years old, about 175 centimeters tall, wearing dark trousers and worn-out sneakers. His face was obscured by his hair, making his features unclear. There were no obvious signs of external injury, and his pockets were empty, containing no items that could identify him.

"First, check the surrounding environment to see if there are any footprints, fingerprints, or leftover tools used in the crime," Yang Lin said, the beam of his investigation light sweeping across the ground. The ground was covered with a thick layer of dust, mixed with gravel and cement powder, making it difficult to discern clear footprints. There were only a few blurry trampling marks, seemingly left by scavengers or homeless people, and it was impossible to determine whether they were related to the case.

Yang Sen walked to the window of the room and looked at the situation outside: "The window is not fitted with glass, and there is an open space outside. The ground is also covered with gravel, and there are no signs of climbing. The door of the room is open, and the floor of the corridor outside the door is also covered with dust. There are no obvious drag marks, so it is not possible to determine whether this is the primary crime scene for the time being."

The two searched the room carefully, but apart from the deceased's gray coat and the surrounding waste paper and mineral water bottles, they found nothing else—no cigarette butts, no murder weapon, no hair or fibers, not even the deceased's cell phone or wallet. "The scene was too clean. Either the suspect deliberately cleaned it, or this was just a dumping ground, and the suspect didn't leave many traces," Yang Lin frowned, a hint of helplessness in his voice. "The dust in the unfinished building is thick, and the flow of people is complex, so many traces have been destroyed, making the investigation very difficult."

Meanwhile, Wang Shuai and Lu Chuan found the homeless man who had reported the incident at the entrance of the unfinished building. The homeless man, named Lao Zhou, was about 60 years old, wearing tattered clothes, carrying a snakeskin bag full of plastic bottles, pale-faced, and his hands were still trembling slightly. "Grandpa, don't be afraid, tell us slowly, how did you find the body? When did you find it?" Wang Shuai handed him a bottle of water, trying to be as gentle as possible.

Old Zhou took the water, took a sip, and barely managed to calm down: "I... I usually make a living by collecting scraps. There are often scavengers in this unfinished building. I came in around 1 p.m. today to see if there were any bottles or cardboard boxes left behind by others. When I got to the third floor of Building 3, I smelled a strange odor, so I followed the smell and found a corpse in that empty room... I was so scared that I lost my mind. I ran out and immediately called the police."

"When you found the body, was there anyone else in the room? Did you see any suspicious people around the unfinished building?" Lu Chuan asked, his eyes fixed on Lao Zhou, trying to find more clues from his expression.

Old Zhou tried hard to recall, his brows furrowed: "There was no one else, I was the only one in the whole building. When I came in, I saw a black car parked in front of the unfinished building. I didn't know whose it was, and I thought it was someone who came here on business, so I didn't pay attention. After I called the police, the car was gone."

"A black sedan? Do you remember the model or license plate number? Did you see the driver?" Wang Shuai quickly asked, as this was the only possible suspicious clue at the moment.

Old Zhou shook his head, a troubled look on his face: "I didn't see it clearly. The car was a bit far away from me, and my eyesight isn't good. I only know it was black and looked quite old. I couldn't see the license plate at all. I didn't see the driver either. I was too busy looking for junk to pay much attention."

"When you came to the unfinished building in the last few days, did you see any dead bodies? Or did you see any strangers wandering around here?" Lu Chuan continued to ask, hoping to find more relevant information.

Old Zhou thought for a moment and slowly said, "I haven't seen the deceased. Most of the people who come here recently are familiar scavengers; I haven't seen any new people. But yesterday afternoon, I saw a man wearing a black hoodie wandering around near Building 3. He was wearing a mask and hat, so I couldn't see his face. He seemed to be carrying a black bag, but I don't know what was in it. I found it strange at the time, because apart from us scavengers, very few outsiders come here. That man didn't look like someone who collects trash."

"A man in a black hoodie? What's his height and build? Did you hear him speak?" Wang Shuai took out his notebook and quickly jotted down this crucial information.

“He was about 170 centimeters tall, of medium build, and walked very fast. I didn’t hear him speak,” Lao Zhou added. “He stayed near Building No. 3 for about 10 minutes, then walked toward the small road on the east side of the unfinished building. I haven’t seen him since.”

To verify Lao Zhou's statement, Wang Shuai immediately arranged for his team to investigate the small road east of the unfinished building and to retrieve surveillance footage from surrounding roads. However, the small road to the east was an unpaved dirt road with potholes and no surveillance cameras. Moreover, it had recently rained, making the road muddy and obscuring any footprints. Furthermore, most of the surveillance cameras in the surrounding area only covered the main roads, leaving the unfinished building area a blind spot, unable to capture any people or vehicles entering the building.

At 5 p.m., the on-site investigation and questioning were basically completed. Yang Lin and Yang Sen returned to the Criminal Investigation Detachment with a small amount of dust samples and the gray coat from the deceased, preparing for further testing. Wang Shuai, on the other hand, organized the interrogation records of Lao Zhou and reported to Lu Chuan after summarizing all the clues: "Team Leader Lu, the on-site investigation did not find any valuable traces or remains, and the identity of the deceased cannot be determined for the time being. The clues provided by Lao Zhou regarding the 'black car' and 'man in a black hoodie' cannot be tracked for the time being due to a lack of surveillance and specific characteristics. The area around the unfinished building has a complex population flow, mostly scavengers or homeless people, making it difficult to conduct interviews. No other witnesses have been found so far."

Lu Chuan sat at his desk, his brow furrowed as he looked at the case files on it. (End of Chapter)