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

Zhang Hui didn't rush to press for answers. Instead, he produced a third-party testing report—a safety assessment conducted by the technical department based on the reactor fragments found in the interlayer of Zhao Jianjun's bed. "The report shows that the reactor explosion in 2014 was caused by equipment aging and pipeline leaks, not by Zhao Jianjun's improper operation," Zhang Hui said, staring at Tang Hu. "Back then, you suppressed his report and framed him for violations just to protect your position as supervisor, didn't you?"

Tang Hu's expression finally changed, and his pen slammed onto the table. Zhang Hui pressed his advantage: "Zhao Jianjun came back to confront you, and you were afraid he would expose everything, so you had Zhou Ming wait for him in the attic. You knew Li Dahai had run away due to high-interest loans, so you deliberately had Zhou Ming stage the scene to shift suspicion onto Li Dahai. After Zhou Ming committed the murder, you had your driver deliver money to him to help him escape. Am I right?"

Ten minutes of silence followed, then Tang Hu suddenly slumped back in his chair. "I was out of my mind," he said hoarsely. "If there had been a safety accident in the workshop back then, my promotion would have been ruined. Zhao Jianjun insisted on making a scene, so I had to shift the blame to him. Three months ago, he came with the test report, saying he was going to report me to the disciplinary committee. I had no choice..."

According to Tang Hu's confession, Zhang Hui led a team to arrest Zhou Ming at a construction site in a neighboring province. Facing police questioning, the weathered man offered little resistance, pulling out a wide cloth strip used in the crime from under the bed—it still bore traces of dark gray fibers. "Director Tang said he'd give me 50,000 yuan to 'teach Zhao Jianjun a lesson,' but I accidentally strangled him to death," Zhou Ming said, covering his face. "He also said Li Dahai owed loan sharks, and if I pinned the blame on him, no one would suspect anything."

On the day the case was solved, Zhang Hui made a special trip to Zhao Jianjun's hometown. Zhao Jianjun's daughter held her father's portrait, tears streaming down her face: "My dad always said that what happened back then was a deep-seated worry for him, and he had to get justice. Now he can rest in peace." Zhang Hui looked at the yellowed certificate of honor in the girl's hand—the "Safety Production Model Worker" certificate that the fertilizer plant had reissued to Zhao Jianjun—and was filled with mixed emotions.

On the way back to the brigade, a team member asked Zhang Hui, "Brother Hui, how are you so sure that Tang Hu is a problem?" Zhang Hui looked at the farmland passing by outside the window and smiled, "Zhao Jianjun's diary says, 'Tang Hu's pen always leaks ink and will rub his fingers when signing reports'—just now, the pen that Tang Hu dropped on the table had ink marks on the nib, which perfectly matched the ink marks on the accident report from ten years ago."

The truths hidden in the details are like glimmers of light scattered in the dust. Zhang Hui knew that what he and his colleagues were doing was collecting these glimmers of light bit by bit, eventually converging them into a torch to illuminate the darkness. And this "warm truth" is not only an explanation to the dead, but also a gift to everyone who upholds justice—it proves that no matter how much time passes, evil will eventually be exposed, and justice will never be absent.

"Arrest Tang Hu immediately. All evidence must be linked together, leaving him no room for excuses." Lu Chuan made the decision at the case analysis meeting, his fingertips landing heavily on Tang Hu's file photo. By this time, the technical department had completed the final comparison: the fingerprints on Zhao Jianjun's notebook, the flow of funds from Zhou Ming's anonymous remittances, and the identification report on the reactor fragments—these three pieces of evidence combined were sufficient to form a complete chain of evidence.

At 3 p.m., Zhang Hui led four team members into the fertilizer plant's office building. Tang Hu was presiding over a production scheduling meeting, standing in front of the projection screen in a suit and tie, speaking animatedly. When he saw the policeman suddenly appear at the door, the smile on his face instantly froze, but he still tried to remain calm: "Officer Zhang, what's the matter? You'll have to wait until I finish the meeting."

"Tang Hu, we received a report that you are suspected of intentional homicide. We are now arresting you in accordance with the law." Zhang Hui displayed the arrest warrant, the cold handcuffs gleaming under the fluorescent lights. The employees in the conference room erupted in an uproar. Tang Hu's face instantly turned a deep purplish-red. He reached for the phone on the table, but the officers held him firmly down. "You've got it wrong! I'm the deputy factory manager in charge of production. How could I possibly commit murder?" he roared, his tie slipping askew as he struggled.

The incandescent light in the interrogation room was blinding. Tang Hu sat in a specially made interrogation chair, his hands strapped to the armrests. He stared silently at the table, his fingers unconsciously tracing the texture of the chair surface, until Zhang Hui pushed a glass of warm water in front of him. Only then did he slowly raise his head: "I want to see my lawyer. I won't say anything until he arrives." "Director Tang, there's no need to be so resistant." Zhang Hui pulled out a chair and sat down, placing Zhao Jianjun's portrait in the center of the table. "You recognize him, right? Zhao Jianjun, one of your operators ten years ago. He died three days ago in the attic of your factory's dormitory building, from mechanical asphyxiation."

Tang Hu's gaze swept across the photo, his Adam's apple bobbing: "So what if we know each other? He left the company ten years ago, we haven't been in touch for a long time."

"No contact?" Zhang Hui pulled out a bank statement. "Three months ago, you transferred 5,000 yuan to Zhao Jianjun's daughter for tuition; two weeks ago, you had your driver deliver 50,000 yuan in cash to Zhou Ming. Zhou Ming was your former subordinate, fired five years ago for stealing equipment. You personally recruited him back to the repair shop, which happened to be the third day after Zhao Jianjun arrived in the area. How do you explain all this?"

"Can't I help the families of employees in need? Zhou Ming is struggling financially, is it wrong for me to lend him a hand?" Tang Hu raised his voice, trying to cover up his panic. "There are hundreds of people in the fertilizer plant, and I've helped countless people."

Zhang Hui didn't respond, but instead produced the reactor's appraisal report: "The reactor explosion in 2014 wasn't due to Zhao Jianjun's improper operation, but rather to equipment aging and leakage. You suppressed his three reports back then and even fabricated evidence to frame him, leading to his dismissal and permanent disability. This third-party appraisal report was commissioned by Zhao Jianjun three months ago. He brought the report to confront you, demanding a public apology and compensation, or he'd report you to the disciplinary committee, right?"

Tang Hu's face turned pale instantly, and his fingers began to tremble: "That's an old grudge from ten years ago, it's long gone."

"The matter is closed?" Zhang Hui pushed the fingerprint comparison report in front of him. "Your fingerprints are on the backup of the identification report in the lining of Zhao Jianjun's bed. You sneaked in while he was away, trying to destroy the evidence, but he was prepared. There's also a size 42 safety shoe print at the attic scene, with triangular wear marks on the heel, which perfectly matches Zhou Ming's safety shoes. He has already admitted that you sent him to the attic."

Tang Hu's breathing became rapid, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "He's lying! I never sent him..."

"You didn't let him go?" Zhang Hui pulled up the surveillance footage. The footage showed Tang Hu's driver taking Zhou Ming to the back gate of the fertilizer plant. The two talked in the car for five minutes. "This is the footage from an hour before the incident. You had the driver deliver the murder weapon to Zhou Ming—a wide cloth strip and Li Dahai's old sweater—to frame Li Dahai, who was hiding from loan sharks. Zhou Ming confessed that you told him to 'teach Zhao Jianjun a lesson and get the report back,' but he accidentally strangled someone to death." (End of Chapter)