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

"Let's go ask Grandpa Zhang!" Wang Shuai immediately grabbed his notebook and drove back to Dongshan Village. Grandpa Zhang was drying corn in his yard when he saw Wang Shuai visiting again. He put down what he was doing and came to greet him: "Officer, another new discovery?"

"Uncle Zhang, do you remember a year ago, in October 2023, did a roof collapse accident occur in the coal mine?" Wang Shuai took out his notebook and asked, pointing to the log entries.

Grandpa Zhang paused for a moment, then sighed: "I remember, how could I not remember! Someone was injured in that accident. It was Li Jianjun from the tunneling team. He was working underground when the roof suddenly collapsed, injuring his leg. He was bedridden for several months before he could get out of bed."

"Did the coal mine compensate Li Jianjun after the accident?" Wang Shuai pressed, his heart pounding.

"Compensation?" Grandpa Zhang shook his head, his tone tinged with indignation. "What compensation! The coal mine was about to go bankrupt at the time, and the boss wanted to delay paying. Later, a few other miners who were slightly injured made a fuss for a few days and got some compensation. Li Jianjun was honest and didn't make a fuss, so he didn't get a single penny. After his leg injury healed, he went to ask Tang Hu, the safety officer at the time, for compensation, but Tang Hu said, 'The boss ran away and has no money to pay,' and sent him away."

"Tang Hu?" Wang Shuai's heart skipped a beat. "Do you know Tang Hu? Where is he now?"

"Tang Hu used to be a safety officer at the coal mine, responsible for underground safety inspections. He resigned not long after the accident and I heard he opened a small supermarket in town," Grandpa Zhang recalled. "He was a bit of a snob and had a bad attitude towards the miners, especially after the accident. Many people came to him for an explanation, but he always made excuses."

Wang Shuai quickly took out a pen and wrote down Tang Hu's information: "Uncle Zhang, do you remember the specific circumstances of the accident? Was Tang Hu responsible for the accident? Did Li Jianjun contact Tang Hu again afterward?"

“I don’t know the specifics, I was already retired at the time.” Mr. Zhang thought for a moment, “But I heard from my old friends that the roof collapse was due to inadequate safety inspections. Tang Hu didn’t go down into the mine to check the day before, which led to the accident. After Li Jianjun’s leg injury healed, he went to see Tang Hu several times, and each time they ended up arguing. Tang Hu even threatened Li Jianjun, saying, ‘If you keep causing trouble, I won’t be polite.’”

After leaving Grandpa Zhang's house, Wang Shuai immediately called Lu Chuan to report this major discovery: "Team Leader Lu, we've found a crucial clue! A year ago, a roof collapse occurred at the Dongshan Coal Mine. Li Jianjun was injured but did not receive compensation. The safety officer at the time, Tang Hu, was responsible for the accident and had a conflict with Li Jianjun, even threatening him. Tang Hu currently runs a supermarket in town and is a prime suspect!"

"Immediately verify Tang Hu's identity information and investigate his whereabouts, especially Li Jianjun's activities before and after his disappearance!" Lu Chuan's voice was filled with excitement. "At the same time, retrieve the relevant records from the year of the accident to confirm Tang Hu's responsibility and whether his conflict with Li Jianjun was true."

At 4 p.m., Wang Shuai and his team arrived at the town's "Huimin Supermarket"—the very store owned by Tang Hu. The supermarket was small, with shelves filled with daily necessities and snacks. Tang Hu was sitting behind the cashier playing on his phone. He was slightly overweight, around 40 years old, and about 175 centimeters tall, similar in build to the "man in the black coat" described by the villagers earlier.

Wang Shuai entered the supermarket, pretending to buy something, while subtly observing Tang Hu. Tang Hu glanced up at him, then continued playing on his phone, showing no unusual reaction. Wang Shuai picked up a bottle of mineral water and went to the checkout counter: "Boss, please."

"Two yuan." Tang Hu took the money, his tone flat, his fingers tapping on the cash register.

"Boss, I heard he's a former employee of Dongshan Coal Mine?" Wang Shuai asked tentatively.

Tang Hu paused, looked up at Wang Shuai, and a hint of wariness flashed in his eyes: "It used to be, what happened?" "Nothing, a friend of mine used to work in the coal mine, his name is Li Jianjun, do you know him?" Wang Shuai stared at Tang Hu's expression, not missing a single change.

Upon hearing "Li Jianjun," Tang Hu's expression instantly changed, his eyes darting around: "I...I know him, a former colleague. Why are you suddenly asking about him?"

"It's nothing, I just haven't seen him in a long time and wanted to ask how he's been." Wang Shuai said calmly, "I heard that there was a roof collapse accident at the coal mine a year ago, and Li Jianjun was injured. You were the safety officer at the time, so you should know about the situation, right?"

Tang Hu's breathing became somewhat rapid. He picked up a cigarette from the table, lit it, and took a deep drag. "It's all in the past. I can't remember." After saying that, he turned around and ignored Wang Shuai.

After leaving the supermarket, Wang Shuai immediately arranged for his team to monitor the store, while he and Xiao Li went to the town's police station to retrieve Tang Hu's identity information and recent activity log. The police officers at the station informed them: "Tang Hu, male, 41 years old, former safety officer at Dongshan Coal Mine, resigned in November 2023 and has been running a supermarket in the town ever since. Recently, a white minivan was registered under his name, with license plate number 京AXXXX. The vehicle is relatively old, matching the description of the 'old white minivan' given by the villagers."

"A white minivan!" Wang Shuai was overjoyed. "Could we retrieve the minivan's driving trajectory for the past month, especially around last Wednesday?"

"Okay, let's check the surveillance footage." After reviewing the footage, the police found that Tang Hu's white van departed from the town at 7:00 AM on Wednesday, October 11th, heading towards the Dongshan Coal Mine and returning around 10:00 AM. At 8:00 PM, it headed towards the coal mine again and returned at 8:30 PM, perfectly matching the timeline of the "white van stopping for 20 minutes" seen by the villagers!

"Report this situation to Captain Lu immediately and request that Tang Hu be summoned!" Wang Shuai said excitedly.

At 6 PM, Wang Shuai and his team returned to the "Huimin Supermarket," only to find it already closed. Tang Hu, who was about to drive home, turned deathly pale upon seeing Wang Shuai and the others: "What...what do you want?"

"Tang Hu, we are from the Criminal Investigation Division. We need your cooperation in investigating a case. Please come with us." Wang Shuai showed his identification, his tone serious.

Tang Hu tried to resist: "I haven't done anything wrong, why should I go with you!" But he was quickly subdued by the officers and taken to a police car.

In the interrogation room of the Criminal Investigation Detachment, Tang Hu initially refused to admit any connection to Li Jianjun's death: "Li Jianjun and I were colleagues before. We haven't been in contact much since the accident a year ago. His death has nothing to do with me!"

"No contact?" Wang Shuai produced the surveillance footage. "At 7:00 AM on October 11th, your white van drove towards Dongshan Coal Mine and returned at 10:00 AM; it went there again at 8:00 PM and returned at 8:30 PM. What were you doing at the coal mine?" (End of Chapter)