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

Just as Deng Chengzong was about to run out of the rice paddy and into the woods, Li Gang rushed forward and grabbed him by the back of his collar. Deng Chengzong struggled desperately, turned around, and slapped Li Gang in the face. Li Gang was prepared, dodging to the side and simultaneously extending his right leg to trip Deng Chengzong. Deng Chengzong lost his balance and fell into the rice paddy. Several SWAT team members immediately rushed over, firmly holding down his arms and legs, and subdued him.

"Stay put! Don't move!" the team members shouted, handcuffing Deng Chengzong's hands while checking him for weapons. Deng Chengzong lay in the rice paddy, covered in mud, panting heavily, his eyes filled with despair and resentment. He struggled a few times, but seeing that he couldn't break free, he stopped moving, only glaring fiercely at the team members.

After the successful arrest, the officers pulled Deng Chengzong from the rice paddy and put him into a police car waiting outside the village. By then, dawn was breaking, and villagers, hearing the commotion, came out of their homes and gathered by the roadside to watch. Deng Chengying was also awakened. Seeing her brother being taken away, she couldn't help but cry, repeatedly muttering, "Chengzong, how could you be so foolish!"

On the way back to the municipal police station, Deng Chengzong remained silent, head down, lost in thought. Wang Shuai sat beside him, looking at the murderer of Zhang Tiancheng, his heart filled with rage. He knew that this gripping taxi driver murder case was finally about to come to a satisfactory conclusion.

Upon returning to the Criminal Investigation Division, Deng Chengzong was immediately taken to the interrogation room. Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui were in charge of the interrogation. The interrogation room was dimly lit and the atmosphere was tense. Deng Chengzong sat in the interrogation chair, his hands cuffed to the chair, head bowed, silent. "Deng Chengzong, we have all the evidence. The fact that you murdered Zhang Tiancheng is irrefutable," Wang Shuai spoke first, his tone stern. "I advise you to confess honestly and strive for leniency."

Deng Chengzong remained silent. Zhang Hui took out cigarette butts and footprint photos collected from the crime scene, as well as evidence he had collected from his rented room and his sister's attic, and placed them in front of him: "This evidence all points to you. You can't deny it. Tell me, why did you kill Zhang Tiancheng?"

After a long while, Deng Chengzong slowly raised his head, staring blankly ahead, and said in a low voice, "I owed a lot of gambling debts. The debt collectors harassed me every day, saying they would break my legs if I didn't pay back the money. I was desperate and wanted to find an opportunity to rob some money. That night, I hailed a taxi at the North Square, intending to target a taxi driver. The first time I tried to hail a taxi, I was refused service. Later, I got into Zhang Tiancheng's car. I only wanted to rob some money, but he resisted, so I... I accidentally killed him."

"How did you kill him? What weapon did you use?" Wang Shuai pressed. Deng Chengzong recalled, "I used a belt I was carrying to strangle him from behind. He struggled a few times, then stopped moving. I stole several hundred yuan in cash from him, got off the bus, and ran away." After saying this, he lowered his head again, his voice choked with sobs, "I know I was wrong. I'm sorry to Zhang Tiancheng, and I'm sorry to his family."

After nearly three hours of interrogation, Deng Chengzong finally confessed to his crimes in their entirety. Three years ago, after being released from prison for theft, he not only failed to reform himself but also developed a gambling addiction, quickly accumulating a large gambling debt. The debt collectors relentlessly pursued him, leaving him with no way out. Therefore, he conceived the idea of ​​robbing taxi drivers, as they usually carried cash, which was readily available and easy to steal.

On the night of the incident, he made preparations in advance, deliberately choosing to hail a taxi at North Square because of the large crowds and numerous surveillance cameras. He thought he could blend into the crowd and avoid being detected. He intentionally avoided the cameras, and after being refused service the first time, he randomly flagged down Zhang Tiancheng's car. After getting in, he looked for an opportunity to strike. When the taxi reached the west side of the intersection of Binhe West Road and Chaoyang North Road, seeing no one around, he took out his belt and strangled Zhang Tiancheng from behind. Zhang Tiancheng struggled, but due to Deng Chengzong's superior strength and the element of surprise, he was ultimately killed. Afterwards, Deng Chengzong stole the cash from Zhang Tiancheng, got out of the car, and fled along a blind spot of the surveillance cameras, returning to his sister's attic.

After the crime, Deng Chengzong hid in the attic of his sister's house, afraid to go out. It wasn't until he saw the police's arrest warrant that he realized he had been exposed, so he packed his bags and prepared to flee. He intended to find his sister, Deng Chengying, and then escape Jiangcheng City together, but before he could find her, he was arrested by the police.

Thus, the high-profile taxi driver murder case was successfully solved. When Lu Chuan told Zhang Tiancheng's wife, Liu Mei, the news, Liu Mei burst into tears, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, thank you for avenging Tiancheng!"

After several days of intense work, the members of the Criminal Investigation Division could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Although everyone was exhausted, they all wore relieved smiles. With their efforts and sweat, they upheld the dignity of the law, brought justice to the deceased, and gave the victim's family an explanation.

As the sun set, golden sunlight bathed the Criminal Investigation Division's office building, casting a warm glow. Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui stood by the window, gazing at the bustling traffic outside, their hearts filled with emotion. They knew that solving this case was just a microcosm of their work; in the future, they would face many more challenges. But they firmly believed that as long as they remained true to their original aspirations and kept their mission in mind, no case was unsolvable, and no criminal could escape capture. Justice may be delayed, but it will never be absent.

Three days after Deng Chengzong's arrest, a conspicuous cordon was once again erected around the crime scene on the west side of the intersection of Binhe West Road and Chaoyang North Road in the Chengbei District. Unlike the chaos at the time of the crime, the scene was orderly this time. Members of the Criminal Investigation Detachment had cleared the area in advance and deployed guards at key locations. Yang Lin and Yang Sen from the Technical Section were waiting nearby with forensic equipment, ready to record every detail of the identification process. At 9:00 a.m., a convoy of three police cars slowly arrived at the scene. The back door of the first police car opened, and Deng Chengzong, wearing handcuffs and leg irons, was escorted out of the car by two special police officers.

By this time, Deng Chengzong had long since lost the resistance he had shown during his arrest. His prison uniform appeared somewhat oversized, his hair was disheveled and plastered to his forehead, and his eyes were cloudy; he dared not look directly in the direction of the crime scene. Perhaps knowing the gravity of his crimes, or perhaps overwhelmed by the solemn atmosphere of the scene, his legs trembled slightly, and each step he took seemed exceptionally heavy. (End of Chapter)