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

Yang Sen continued: "About two meters to the right of the body, we found a discarded cigarette butt. There was still a small amount of saliva on the cigarette butt, so it didn't seem to have been discarded for too long. We'll collect it as evidence. Also, there's a fresh scratch on the rock wall, which looks like it was made by a hard object. The scratch is about 10 centimeters long and may have been left by the suspect when he was moving the body."

The two worked together, with Yang Lin taking photos and videos of the scene, recording the location of the body, the surrounding environment, and any traces found; Yang Sen, on the other hand, carefully used tweezers and an evidence bag to extract cigarette butts, small amounts of fiber left on the ground, and traces of powder from scratches on the rock wall. "The environment inside the mine is too unique, damp and dusty, which has destroyed many traces," Yang Lin said while taking photos. "No obvious murder weapons or signs of struggle were found around the body, suggesting that this might be the scene where the body was dumped, rather than the primary crime scene."

Yang Sen added, "Judging from the curled-up state of the body and the moved slag around it, the suspect likely moved the body here and simply covered it with slag and wooden planks, but the cover was not thorough and was discovered by the patrolling security guards. In addition, if the DNA of this cigarette butt can be detected, it may provide us with clues."

Meanwhile, in the open area outside the mine, Wang Shuai was questioning Zhou Mingqiang, the person who reported the incident. Zhou Mingqiang sat in the police car, his face still pale, his hands trembling slightly: "Officer, I really didn't expect to encounter something like this. I patrol here every afternoon at 2 pm. Today, when I reached the mine entrance, I casually shone my flashlight inside and saw someone lying motionless. I called out a few times, but no one answered. When I got closer, I realized it was a corpse. I was terrified!"

"When you're on patrol, have you ever noticed anyone entering the mine? Or seen suspicious individuals loitering around?" Wang Shuai asked, quickly taking notes with his pen.

Zhou Mingqiang tried hard to recall: "This mine has been abandoned for several years. Few people come here usually. Occasionally, a few scavengers will try to go in to look for scrap metal, but I always chase them away. About half a month ago, when I was on patrol, I saw two strange men loitering near the mine entrance. They were wearing black coats and hats, so I couldn't see their faces. I thought they were scavengers, so I called out to them. They turned around and ran down the mountain. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time."

"Do you remember the height and build of those two men? Or were there any other obvious characteristics?" Wang Shuai pressed.

“They were all about 175 centimeters tall, with a strong build, and they walked very fast. I couldn’t see anything else clearly because we were a bit far away, and they were wearing hats and had their heads down,” Zhou Mingqiang replied. “Also, about a week ago, I found some fresh cigarette butts around the mine, and the brand of the cigarette butts I saw next to the bodies today seemed to be the same: ‘Hongtashan’.”

Wang Shuai's heart skipped a beat, and he continued to ask, "Where exactly did you find the cigarette butt? Besides the cigarette butt, were there any other unusual things, such as tire tracks or discarded trash?"

“There are about three or four cigarette butts on the open ground at the entrance of the mine,” Zhou Mingqiang thought for a moment and added, “There are no other abnormalities, but since last week, the weeds around the mine seem to have been trampled on, and there is a faint path leading to the mine entrance. There was no such path before.”

What is this path like? How wide is it? Can vehicles pass through?

"The path is narrow, probably only wide enough for one person to walk on. It shouldn't be able to accommodate a vehicle. It looks like it was made by someone walking in and out," Zhou Mingqiang said.

Wang Shuai then inquired with other security guards at the coal mine and nearby villagers, and the information he received was basically the same—few people had been active around the mine recently, except for the two strange men Zhou Mingqiang mentioned, the path that had been trodden out, and the discarded cigarette butts; there were no other unusual circumstances.

At 4 p.m., the preliminary investigation and questioning were basically completed. Yang Lin and Yang Sen came out of the mine with the collected evidence, including cigarette butts, fibers, and rock powder, and reported to Lu Chuan: "Team Leader Lu, the preliminary investigation at the scene yielded cigarette butts, a small amount of fibers, and trace amounts of powder from the scratches on the rock wall. There were blurry footprints around the body, but they could not be clearly extracted due to the environment. The body was curled up, and there were signs of disturbance in the surrounding slag, suggesting that this was the scene where the body was dumped. The murder weapon and the primary crime scene have not yet been identified."

Wang Shuai also stepped forward to report: "The complainant, Zhou Mingqiang, reported that he saw two strange men loitering at the entrance of the mine half a month ago, and found cigarette butts of the same brand a week ago. There is also a newly trodden path around the mine, but there are no other clues at the moment."

Lu Chuan frowned, looking at the abandoned mine shaft before him, and said in a serious tone, "Currently, the difficulty of this case lies in the complex environment of the mine, where traces are easily destroyed, and the fact that the primary crime scene and the murder weapon have not been found. We will proceed in three steps: First, the technical department should quickly test the extracted cigarette butts, fibers, and trace powder, focusing on the DNA on the cigarette butts to confirm whether it is related to the deceased or the suspect; second, Wang Shuai will lead a team to investigate the two unfamiliar men mentioned by Zhou Mingqiang and the newly discovered path, expanding the scope of the investigation and asking nearby villagers and mine workers if anyone has seen these two unfamiliar men; third, Yang Lin and Yang Sen will bring professional equipment to re-enter the mine tomorrow to expand the investigation area, look for more potential clues, and check the surveillance footage around the mine to see if any suspicious persons or vehicles can be found."

He paused, then added, "This mine is in a remote location. The fact that the suspect chose to dump the body here suggests that he was familiar with the surrounding area and is likely a local or someone who frequently travels in this area. We must find a breakthrough as soon as possible, identify the deceased and the primary crime scene, and uncover the truth of the case."

At 5 p.m., the team members split up according to Lu Chuan's instructions—Yang Lin and Yang Sen took the evidence to the technical department; Wang Shuai led the interview team to start questioning the surrounding villagers; and the team members responsible for monitoring and investigation went to the coal mine and the village at the foot of the mountain to retrieve relevant surveillance videos.

The fog at Dongshan Coal Mine grew thicker, shrouding the abandoned mine shafts as if concealing some secret. Lu Chuan stood at the mine entrance, surveying the area within the cordon, and silently resolved: no matter how complex the case, how hidden the clues, he would do everything in his power to find the murderer and give the deceased justice. Meanwhile, the traces within the mine awaited further investigation; DNA on cigarette butts, scratches on the rock walls—these might all become the keys to uncovering the truth. (End of Chapter)