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

The fifth team was responsible for investigating whether Chen Kaifeng had any access to the lost elevator card from Hengtong Technology Company. Through interviews, they learned that Chen Kaifeng's girlfriend had previously worked at Hengtong Technology Company and had resigned three months prior. "Chen Kaifeng's girlfriend had an elevator card while working at Hengtong Technology Company, but she didn't return it to the company when she resigned, saying she had accidentally lost it," said the person in charge of Hengtong Technology Company. "We didn't pay much attention at the time, and we never expected that Chen Kaifeng would use this elevator card." The team members found Chen Kaifeng's girlfriend, who confirmed that she did indeed have a Hengtong Technology Company elevator card that she hadn't returned when she resigned, and that Chen Kaifeng had taken it. She didn't know where the elevator card was now.

All clues pointed to Chen Kaifeng, who was the prime suspect. At 10:00 AM on the day of the incident, Zhang Hui led his team to Kaishengda Cosmetics Foreign Trade Company and arrested Chen Kaifeng. Faced with the evidence presented by the investigators, Chen Kaifeng initially tried to deny murdering Tang Hu, but confronted with irrefutable evidence including fingerprint and DNA comparison results, surveillance footage, and witness testimonies, he finally confessed to his crime.

“I’ve been holding a grudge against Tang Hu ever since we got into a fight two weeks ago, and I wanted to find a chance to get revenge,” Chen Kaifeng confessed. “I knew he was a freelancer who often took on foreign trade part-time jobs, and he was a loner with few friends, so even if something happened to him, no one would find out quickly. I got the lost elevator card from Hengtong Technology Company from my girlfriend, and I knew I could use it to enter the rooftop of Chuangtian Building. On the afternoon of the day of the incident, I called Tang Hu in advance, lying that I had a large foreign trade order for cosmetic raw materials that I wanted to cooperate with him on, and asked him to meet me at 7 p.m. in the elevator lobby on the rooftop of Chuangtian Building. Tang Hu heard that there was a large order and didn’t suspect anything, so he agreed.”

“Around 7 p.m., Tang Hu arrived at the elevator lobby on the rooftop as agreed. I talked to him about the order, and he was very happy, even asking me about the specific details of the cooperation. Taking advantage of his inattention, I took out a folding knife I had prepared beforehand from my pocket and stabbed him in the chest. He didn't expect me to suddenly attack, and after he reacted, he started fighting with me, even threatening to retaliate. I was afraid that his resistance would attract others, so I stabbed him in the chest several more times until he collapsed to the ground and stopped moving,” Chen Kaifeng continued. “When I saw him lying on the ground, bleeding a lot, I was terrified, so I quickly packed my things and left the Chuangtian Building through the stairwell. After I got home, I threw the folding knife into a nearby river and destroyed the elevator card. I didn't expect you to still find me.”

According to Chen Kaifeng's confession, investigators found the murder weapon, a folding knife, in the river he described. Bloodstains on the blade matched Tang Hu's DNA. Thus, the murder case in the elevator lobbies on the roof of the Chuangtian Building was successfully solved, and suspect Chen Kaifeng was arrested on suspicion of intentional homicide.

In the Criminal Investigation Division's office building, Lu Chuan looked at the complete case report and finally breathed a sigh of relief. "The solving of this case wouldn't have been possible without the hard work of all the investigators, and also with the strong support of the technical and forensic departments," Lu Chuan said at the case summary meeting. "Based on the crime scene investigation and physical evidence, through layer-by-layer screening and in-depth investigation of clues, we finally identified the suspect. This fully demonstrates that as long as we adhere to the people-centered development philosophy and maintain a rigorous and meticulous work attitude, there is no case we cannot solve, and no murderer we cannot catch."

Zhang Hui and his team sat in the audience, their faces showing tired yet gratified smiles. The investigation of this case was fraught with twists and turns, from the initial uncertainty about the victim's identity to multiple setbacks in the leads, and finally to the identification of the suspect. They poured countless hours of effort and sweat into it. But when the truth was revealed, all their fatigue vanished. Through their actions, they brought justice to the deceased and upheld fairness and justice in society.

After learning that the murderer had been apprehended, Tang Hu's parents traveled from Qinghe County to the city's Criminal Investigation Detachment to express their gratitude to Zhang Hui and his team. "Thank you, officers, thank you for getting justice for our Xiaohu," Tang Hu's mother said, sobbing uncontrollably as she held Zhang Hui's hand. Zhang Hui comforted her, "Auntie, don't be sad. This is what we should do. The murderer has been brought to justice and will be severely punished by law."

After the arrest, the Criminal Investigation Detachment's work returned to normal, but the investigators did not let their guard down, as there was still much work to be done.

Three days after Chen Kaifeng's arrest, a light drizzle fell from the sky, carrying a bleak atmosphere. Around 9 a.m., Zhang Hui led several detectives, escorting Chen Kaifeng, handcuffed and shackled, to the Chuangtian Building. The police car slowly pulled up at the back entrance of the building, the very passage through which Chen Kaifeng had entered and escaped on the day of the incident. Two officers held Chen Kaifeng's arms, one on each side. He was wearing prison clothes, his hair disheveled, his eyes darting around, completely devoid of his former arrogance, a stark contrast to the robust and imposing figure seen in the surveillance footage before the incident.

"Chen Kaifeng, raise your head." Zhang Hui's voice carried an undeniable authority. "I brought you here today to have you truthfully confess the entire process of murdering Tang Hu, leaving out every single detail. The evidence from the scene is all there; don't even think about making excuses." Chen Kaifeng's throat bobbed, and he struggled to raise his head. His gaze swept over the familiar alleyway behind the back door, and his body trembled involuntarily.

The group ascended the stairs from the back door. The stairwell reeked of damp dust, mirroring the atmosphere at the scene of the crime. Reaching the top of the stairs leading to the roof, Zhang Hui stopped. "You went up from here on the day of the incident, didn't you? What time was it, and what were you thinking?" Chen Kaifeng's gaze drifted to the security camera at the top of the stairs, and he said in a hoarse voice, "It was...it was around 7:10 PM. I was both panicked and resentful. Panicked because I was afraid my plan would be exposed, and resentful because Tang Hu had opposed me and threatened revenge. I had to strike first."

Continuing upwards, he pushed open the iron door leading to the rooftop, and a gust of cold wind mixed with rain rushed towards him. The rooftop's non-slip tiles were soaked, and scattered withered leaves clung to the ground, perfectly matching the on-site investigation record of "a small amount of withered leaves and dust scattered on the rooftop." Chen Kaifeng's gaze instinctively fell towards the elevator lobby on the north side, his steps noticeably faltering, and his breathing becoming rapid. (End of Chapter)