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

Wang Shuai immediately reported the situation to Lu Chuan, who instructed over the phone: "Immediately set up surveillance on Sun Zhengjun to prevent him from escaping, and at the same time collect more evidence. Once the evidence is conclusive, arrest him immediately! In addition, contact Zhang Hui and ask him to focus on verifying the connection between Tian Zheng and Sun Zhengjun when investigating Tian Zheng's social relationships, and to confirm whether there are any debt disputes or other conflicts between the two."

At 6 p.m., Wang Shuai led his team to set up an ambush near a card and mahjong parlor frequented by Sun Zhengjun. After waiting for more than two hours, they finally spotted Sun Zhengjun—wearing a blue jacket, head down, walking briskly towards the card and mahjong parlor. "Action!" Wang Shuai gave the order, and the team members quickly moved forward and subdued Sun Zhengjun.

"What are you doing? Let me go!" Sun Zhengjun struggled, his eyes filled with panic. Wang Shuai took out his identification and said sternly, "Sun Zhengjun, we are from the Criminal Investigation Division. We suspect you are involved in the Tian Zheng murder case. Please come with us to the division for investigation!"

As Sun Zhengjun was led into the police car, his face was pale, his hands trembled uncontrollably, and his eyes darted around; his previous arrogance was gone. Wang Shuai sat in the police car, watching the sky gradually darken outside the window, his heart filled with anticipation—with Sun Zhengjun's arrest, the truth behind Tian Zheng's murder would soon be revealed, and justice would finally prevail.

On the way back to the Criminal Investigation Division, Wang Shuai received a message from Zhang Hui: "Upon verification, Tian Zheng had lent Sun Zhengjun 3 yuan to pay off gambling debts. Sun Zhengjun failed to repay the loan on time, and Tian Zheng repeatedly urged him to pay, leading to a heated argument between the two. On Tuesday night, Tian Zheng arranged to meet Sun Zhengjun near the unfinished Huijia Garden building to demand repayment, which is very likely the motive for Sun Zhengjun's crime!"

"The truth is getting closer!" Wang Shuai smiled as he read the message. He knew that the upcoming interrogation would be crucial; as long as he could break through Sun Zhengjun's psychological defenses, he could completely uncover the truth of the case and give the deceased Tian Zheng and his family an explanation.

Back at the Criminal Investigation Division, Wang Shuai immediately handed Sun Zhengjun over to the interrogation room. He also prepared all the evidence—the black car's trajectory, fiber testing report, proof of the debt dispute, and cell phone signal location data—awaiting a direct confrontation with Sun Zhengjun. The interrogation room lights remained bright, as if silently proclaiming: any act that violates the law will ultimately be punished; justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent.

At 8 p.m. on Thursday, the lights in the Criminal Investigation Division's interrogation room were harsh and glaring, shining directly on Sun Zhengjun's face. He sat in the interrogation chair, his hands strapped to the armrests. His blue jacket still smelled of cigarette smoke from the card room, and his hair was disheveled and plastered to his forehead. He tried to appear calm, but his eyes occasionally glanced at Wang Shuai and the recorder behind the interrogation table. His fingers unconsciously rubbed against the armrests—a primal reaction of extreme tension.

"Sun Zhengjun, do you know why I brought you here?" Wang Shuai's voice was calm but carried a sense of pressure. He pushed a glass of warm water in front of Sun Zhengjun, his gaze fixed on the other man's eyes, not missing a single change in expression.

Sun Zhengjun's Adam's apple bobbed. He picked up his water glass, took a sip, and tried to hide his panic: "Officer, I...I don't know. I just like to play cards sometimes, and I haven't done anything serious. Have you arrested the wrong person?" His eyes darted around, avoiding Wang Shuai's gaze. His voice trembled slightly as he spoke, but he tried to appear innocent.

"You arrested the wrong person?" Wang Shuai picked up the file on the table and slowly opened it. "We started tracking your movements at 7 p.m. on Tuesday—you borrowed a black Volkswagen Lavida from Li Bing, drove out of the Chengdong residential area at 7:15 p.m., and your cell phone signal appeared around the Huijia Garden unfinished building area around 8:30 p.m., and you didn't drive back until 8 a.m. on Wednesday to return the car to Li Bing. Where did you go and what did you do during that time?" Sun Zhengjun's body stiffened, his fingers rubbing together faster, but he forced a smile: "Oh... I remember, that day I went to the suburbs to see a friend, wanted to borrow some money from him, but I couldn't get it, so I stayed in the car all night and didn't come back until morning. Unfinished building? I've never been there, maybe the cell phone signal was off, that's normal." He deliberately raised his voice, as if to emphasize his "innocence," but the panic in his eyes was undeniable.

Wang Shuai was not swayed by his sophistry and continued to ask, "Borrow money from a friend? Which friend? What's their name? Where do they live? We can verify that."

Sun Zhengjun's smile froze instantly, his eyes flickering: "He's just... just an ordinary friend. I don't quite remember his name, and I've forgotten his exact address. We haven't been in touch for a long time. Officers, you can't suspect me just because I went to the suburbs, can you?" He began to evade the key questions, his tone tinged with impatience, trying to change the subject.

Wang Shuai took out a photo and placed it in front of Sun Zhengjun—it was a photo of the black polyester tracksuit retrieved from the scene. "Do you recognize this suit?"

Sun Zhengjun's gaze fell on the photo, his body visibly trembled, and his hands clenched unconsciously until his knuckles turned white: "No... I don't recognize it, I've never seen this outfit before." His voice lowered, his breathing became rapid, and fine beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.

"Never seen it before?" Wang Shuai's tone turned serious. "The clothes we found in the trash can near your previous rented apartment, after testing, showed that the black polyester fibers on the clothes were exactly the same as those extracted from the scene where the body was dumped at the Huijia Garden unfinished building. Both the material and the dyeing process are identical. Moreover, the size and style of this garment are exactly the same as the clothes you usually wear. Are you still going to say you don't recognize it?"

Sun Zhengjun's face turned deathly pale instantly, his lips trembled, and he couldn't speak. He lowered his head, his hair obscuring his face, his shoulders shaking slightly, his previous composure completely gone. A brief silence fell over the interrogation room, broken only by Sun Zhengjun's heavy breathing and the sound of the recorder typing on the keyboard.

After a few minutes, Sun Zhengjun slowly raised his head, a hint of hope in his eyes: "Even if... even if this piece of clothing is mine, what does that prove? I wore it before, and then I threw it away because I didn't want it anymore. That's normal. How can it be related to the case?" He was still making his last attempt to argue, but his voice had lost its previous confidence.

Wang Shuai produced another set of evidence—a photo of Tian Zheng and their debt records. "Do you know Tian Zheng? You borrowed 3 yuan from him two years ago for gambling debts and haven't paid it back. Tian Zheng has repeatedly pressed for repayment, and you even had a heated argument. Isn't that true?" (End of Chapter)