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

"Understood, Captain Lu!" Wang Shuai immediately accepted the order, then gathered the team again and conveyed the new investigation plan. Although the lead had gone cold again, the new direction of the investigation rekindled the team's fighting spirit. At 8 p.m., the team members threw themselves back into their intense work: one team went to the local police station to retrieve recent records of illegal and criminal cases in the Zhangfeng Road patrol area; a second team continued to review surveillance footage; and a third team assisted the technical department in organizing physical evidence to expedite the examination process.

Meanwhile, Zhang Hui's team did not give up in Qinghe County. They visited local mobile phone stores and secondhand phone markets, trying to find information about the owner of the temporary phone number. However, because the number was an unregistered temporary SIM card and had long been deactivated, they left no valuable clues. They also visited Zhang Fenglu's relatives and neighbors again, but found nothing else unusual.

At 11 p.m., the Criminal Investigation Division was still brightly lit. Wang Shuai sat in his office, with Zhang Fenglu's investigation materials and crime scene investigation report laid out in front of him, repeatedly going over every detail: Zhang Fenglu's cause of death was mechanical asphyxiation, the time of death was between 11 p.m. the night before last and 2 a.m. yesterday, and the time of disposal of the body was between last night and this morning; five footprints, one tire track, and multiple fiber and fingerprint samples were collected at the scene; Zhang Fenglu had lent money to Qin Bao two months ago, but Qin Bao was cleared of suspicion; Zhang Fenglu had called a temporary mobile phone number, but it could not be traced.

"What exactly did we miss?" Wang Shuai muttered to himself. He picked up a photo of the green fiber sample collected at the scene and suddenly thought, "Zhang Fenglu's work clothes are gray and dark blue. Where did the green fiber collected at the scene come from? Could it have been left by the suspect?" He immediately picked up the phone and called the technical department: "Hello, technical department? Have you tested the composition of the green fiber sample collected at the scene? Does it match the fibers of Zhang Fenglu's clothing?"

The technical staff replied, "Captain Wang, the green fiber sample has been tested. It is made of polyester fiber, which is completely different from the fiber composition of Zhang Fenglu's clothing. It has been confirmed to be an imported fiber, most likely left by the suspect. We are currently comparing this fiber sample with fiber samples in the database, but there are no matching results yet."

"Okay, let me know as soon as you have any results!" Wang Shuai hung up the phone, a glimmer of hope rising in his heart. The green fiber was a key clue left by the suspect; if they could find a matching source of the fiber, they could narrow down the suspects. He went back to the surveillance room and reviewed the surveillance footage along Zhangfeng Road's patrol route with his team. Although the footage was blurry, the team members focused intently on each frame, afraid of missing any suspicious detail.

At 1 a.m., Zhang Hui's team returned to the city from Qinghe County with bad news: "Team Leader Wang, our investigation in Qinghe County has made no new progress. The lead on that temporary phone number has gone cold, and Zhang Fenglu has no other unusual social connections in his hometown." Wang Shuai comforted him, "You've worked hard. You should rest first. We have a new direction for our investigation, focusing on investigating illegal and criminal activities in Zhang Fenglu's patrol area and the source of the green fiber."

At 2:00 AM, the team finally discovered something unusual in a surveillance video. The video, from a convenience store near the entrance of Xingfu Residential Area, was taken at 10:30 PM the night before Zhang Fenglu's disappearance, 30 minutes before the incident. The footage showed Zhang Fenglu, wearing a security guard uniform, patrolling the entrance of the residential area. A short distance behind him, a man wearing a green jacket and a mask was following him. The man was approximately 178 cm tall and of slightly overweight, a height and weight range that closely matched the size 43 sneaker footprints found at the scene.

"That's him!" Wang Shuai exclaimed excitedly. "This man is wearing a green jacket, which is very likely the source of the green fibers at the scene! Take a screenshot immediately, expand the search area, and find the whereabouts of this man in the green jacket." The team members immediately took action, retrieving surveillance footage from all the surrounding shops and intersections around this surveillance video, trying to track the man's whereabouts.

However, because the man was wearing a mask the entire time, his facial features could not be clearly seen, and after following Zhang Fenglu into the blind spot of the surveillance cameras behind Xingfu Community, he never appeared in any other surveillance footage. "This man is likely very familiar with the surrounding environment and knows where the surveillance blind spots are, deliberately choosing to commit the crime in a blind spot," Wang Shuai analyzed. "He followed Zhang Fenglu, most likely with the intention of murdering him. Zhang Fenglu may have been silenced because he discovered some illegal activity of his."

Although a lead was found on the suspicious man, the investigation stalled again due to unclear facial features and his movements being interrupted in a blind spot of the surveillance cameras. At 3 a.m., Wang Shuai arranged for his team members to take turns resting, while he stayed in the office to continue sorting through the case clues. He knew that solving the case required patience and meticulousness, and every detail could be a breakthrough. As long as they persisted, they would definitely find the suspect and bring him to justice.

As dawn broke outside the window, a new day began. After a short rest, the members of the Criminal Investigation Division threw themselves back into their intense work. They launched a new round of door-to-door inquiries and investigations, focusing on the suspicious man in the green jacket, specifically questioning shopkeepers and residents in Zhang Fenglu's patrol area about whether they had seen him. Meanwhile, the technical department expedited the comparison of green fiber samples and further analyzed the fingerprints and footprints collected at the scene.

Standing by the office window, Wang Shuai gazed at the gradually brightening streets outside, making a silent vow: no matter the difficulties, he would persevere and seek justice for Zhang Fenglu, ensuring the suspect received the punishment he deserved. He knew the investigation would be long, but he and his team were fully prepared and would not give up on any lead.

Around 3 a.m., Wang Shuai arranged for his team members to take turns resting, while he himself stayed in front of the large screen in the surveillance room, repeatedly reviewing the footage of the man in the green jacket following Zhang Fenglu. On the screen, the man always wore a mask, only his eyes were visible. His slightly overweight build and height of approximately 178 centimeters were relatively obvious, but finding him in a sea of ​​people based solely on this information was undoubtedly like finding a needle in a haystack. "We must expand the search area, radiating outwards for 3 kilometers from Xingfu Community, focusing on all 24-hour shops and intersection surveillance footage. We must find a clear image of the man without a mask," Wang Shuai reiterated the new search task before his team rested. (End of Chapter)