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

“We’re going to the construction site in the eastern suburbs to find Lao Huang now, and we’ll also visit Zhang Dahai’s coworkers to see if we can find any clues about the scarred man.” Zhang Hui gripped his phone tightly. “Also, the woman in the photo might be the breakthrough. I’ll have someone send the photo to Liu Fang so she can identify her.”

At 1 p.m., Zhang Hui found Zhao Jianjun, Zhang Dahai's coworker, at a construction site in the eastern suburbs. Zhao Jianjun was tying steel bars when he saw the police. He paused for a moment, and the wire cutters in his hand clattered to the ground. "Officer Zhang, Zhang Dahai and I are just coworkers. I don't know anything about his affairs."

“Nobody said you knew, they just wanted to find out what happened.” Zhang Hui handed him a bottle of water. “Do your coworkers know about Zhang Dahai’s debt to loan sharks? Has he ever mentioned a man with a scar on his face to you?”

Zhao Jianjun took a sip of water, his emotions calming down a bit: "We know he owes money, and he's been looking gloomy every day, saying he wants to borrow some money from 'Big Brother' to tide him over. Last month he told us that there was a 'Scarface Brother' who could help him find work and make a lot of money. We all advised him not to believe it, that those people are all swindlers, but he wouldn't listen, and after that he rarely ate with us anymore."

"What does 'Scarface' look like? Did they say where you can find him?"

“I’ve never seen him before. I only heard Zhang Dahai say he had a scar on his face, wore a black jacket, and seemed to be from the western suburbs.” Zhao Jianjun shook his head. “The day before Zhang Dahai disappeared, he told me he was going to see ‘Scarface Brother’ to get some ‘startup capital’ so he could pay off his debts when he came back. I never expected him to disappear the next day. We thought he ran off with the money, but we never expected…”

"Do you know Lao Huang? He's also from the construction site, and he often plays cards with Zhang Dahai."

“Old Huang? I know him. He quit last winter and I heard he went back to his hometown, but I don’t know exactly where.” Zhao Jianjun added, “Old Huang had a fight with Zhang Dahai because Zhang Dahai owed him money and wouldn’t pay it back. Old Huang said he would find someone to teach him a lesson, but he was just joking. Old Huang is a coward and doesn’t dare to actually do it.”

After leaving the construction site, Zhang Hui received a call from his teammate, who said that Liu Fang had identified the woman in the photo as Zhang Dahai's distant cousin, named Zhang Yan. She had come to the city from her hometown three months ago to work, living in an urban village on the outskirts of the city, but had moved away two weeks ago, and no one knew her whereabouts. "What about Zhang Yan's contact information? Has she contacted Liu Fang?" Zhang Hui pressed.

"Liu Fang said that Zhang Yan didn't have a cell phone. Zhang Dahai used to contact her, but she hasn't seen Zhang Yan since Zhang Dahai disappeared." The team member's voice was filled with helplessness. "We went to the urban village on the outskirts of the city to check. The house that Zhang Yan rented was a daily rental. She didn't register her identity information, and the landlord couldn't remember what she looked like either."

As evening fell, Zhang Hui led his team back to Xingfu Residential Area to re-examine Zhang Dahai's house, hoping to find any overlooked clues. Yang Lei found a silver earring in a crack in the bed frame. It wasn't Liu Fang's, nor was it Zhang Yan's style in the photo—the earring had a small "plum" character engraved on it, like a custom-made piece. "Team Leader Zhang, this earring might have been left by the woman in the red coat," Yang Lei said, placing the earring in an evidence bag. "There are blurry fingerprints on it; we can extract and compare them back home." Zhang Hui squatted in the corner, looking at the messy scratches on the floor, his heart filled with mixed emotions. There seemed to be many clues: a half-finished IOU, a photo of a strange woman, a scarred man, his missing cousin Zhang Yan, Old Huang who owed gambling debts… but none of them connected. Every clue broke down at a crucial point. The loan shark's identity was unknown, the scarred man had no specific features, Zhang Yan was nowhere to be found, the DNA on the cigarette butt didn't match, and the key couldn't be traced back to its origin.

"Team Leader Zhang, it's getting dark. Let's head back to the branch office. The technical department is waiting for the fingerprint sample from the earring," Yang Lei reminded him.

Zhang Hui stood up and looked out the window. The afterglow of the setting sun cast long shadows on the broken walls of the Happiness Community. He took out his phone and called Lu Chuan: "Captain Lu, today's investigation yielded some results, but we didn't find any clear suspects, and all the key leads have gone cold. We retrieved an unfamiliar earring with fingerprints on it; let's see if we can get any results after comparing them. Also, I've requested an investigation into the loan shark gang in the western suburbs, focusing on men with scars on their faces and wearing black jackets."

Lu Chuan on the other end of the phone was silent for a moment before saying, "Your application is approved. I'll have Wang Shuai lead a team to assist you. Also, the technical department is expanding the scope of DNA comparison, not only checking people with criminal records but also checking the missing persons database to see if we can find any clues about that scarred man. Zhang Hui, don't rush. The worst thing in this kind of case is to be impatient. Clues will come eventually."

Hanging up the phone, Zhang Hui took a deep breath. A cool evening breeze blew, stirring up dust. He knew this case was like the ruins before him—seemingly chaotic, but with patience, the truth hidden beneath the rubble could be found. Although no suspect had been found yet, he believed that the scattered clues—the half-finished IOU, the silver earring, the vague impression of a scarred face—would eventually connect, pointing to the real killer.

The team members had already packed up their investigation equipment and were waiting for him at the door. Zhang Hui took one last look at Zhang Dahai's house, then turned and closed the door. "Back to the branch, continue the investigation tomorrow." His voice was firm. In the darkness, the police lights flashed again, and the car drove towards the city, leaving the Xingfu residential area gradually quiet in the twilight.

“Team Leader Zhang, this neighborhood was included in the demolition plan three years ago. Most of the residents have moved out, and now there are only seventeen households left. They are mostly elderly people who are reluctant to leave their old houses and migrant workers who cannot afford to rent proper housing.” Old Zhao pointed to a three-story building that was still standing in the distance. “Zhang Dahai used to live there, in Unit 2, Room 101. After he disappeared, his wife Liu Fang moved to a relative’s house, and the house has been empty ever since.”

Zhang Hui looked up and saw that the walls of the small building were peeling and mottled, the windows of room 101 were covered with a thick layer of dust, and a rusty iron lock hung on the doorknob. "Let's go check out Zhang Dahai's old house first, and then visit each household, focusing on finding neighbors who know him well." As he spoke, he put on gloves and gestured for his team members to pry open the door.

The door creaked open, releasing a musty smell. The room was small, a one-bedroom apartment with sparse furniture: a worn-out wooden bed, a peeling wardrobe, and a folding table. Several empty beer bottles and a deck of cards with a chipped corner lay scattered on the table, and there were several obvious scratches on the floor, as if the furniture had been dragged. "Yang Lei, examine the room carefully, collect fingerprints and hair, especially on the bed and the corner of the table," Zhang Hui instructed, then crouched down to search the clutter under the table. (End of Chapter)