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

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Hui looked at his team members, his eyes a little moist: "Brothers, thank you for your hard work. After two days and two nights of hard work, we finally identified the deceased as Li Baochun, a 35-year-old from Nanzhou City in the neighboring province, who had long been engaged in metallurgical work. This is the result of our joint efforts. Without you, this matter would not have been possible at all."

“Brother Hui, this is all thanks to your leadership. If it weren’t for your persistence, we might have given up long ago,” Xiao Chen said, his tone full of admiration. Zhang Hui waved his hand and said, “Everyone has worked hard. Now is not the time to celebrate. Let’s quickly organize all of Li Baochun’s information and report it to Captain Lu. At the same time, we need to contact the Nanzhou Public Security Bureau to obtain Li Baochun’s detailed social relationships and whereabouts to provide evidence for subsequent investigations. Once this case is solved, I’ll treat everyone to a good meal and a few days of rest.”

The team members responded in unison, their faces still brimming with energy despite their exhaustion. They immediately sprang into action, compiling Li Baochun's missing person record, identity information, professional background, family contact details, DNA and dental comparison reports, and other materials into a comprehensive report. Zhang Hui immediately called Lu Chuan to report this significant breakthrough.

Lu Chuan, on the other end of the phone, was also very excited after hearing the news: "Great! That's wonderful! Zhang Hui, you've done a great job! Thank you for your hard work and the team members. Immediately organize all the information about Li Baochun and send it to me and the heads of each group. I will immediately convene an emergency meeting to adjust the investigation strategy and conduct a comprehensive investigation into Li Baochun's social relationships and whereabouts to identify the murderer as soon as possible."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Hui let out a long sigh of relief, leaned back in his chair, and finally could relax a little. Outside the window, dawn was breaking, and the first rays of sunlight shone into the analysis room, dispelling the fatigue and stuffiness in the room. The team members were still busy organizing data, and the sound of keyboards clicking rang out again, but this time, the voices were filled with hope and strength.

After two days and two nights of arduous work, Zhang Hui's team finally completed their mission and identified the deceased. This breakthrough brought a new turning point to the stalled case investigation and gave all those involved in the investigation renewed hope. Next, the investigation will focus on Li Baochun, thoroughly examining his social relationships, work experience, and whereabouts to find clues related to the murderer. A new investigative battle is about to begin.

Looking out the window at the gradually brightening sky, Zhang Hui silently resolved: he must find out the truth as soon as possible, catch the murderer, comfort Li Baochun's spirit in heaven, and not let the hard work of the past two days and nights be in vain. He picked up the coffee on the table, took a sip, and although it was still bitter, it felt particularly refreshing at this moment. The team members were also full of energy, each of them striving hard to solve the case and uphold justice.

Soon, Zhang Hui's team compiled the complete information and sent it to Lu Chuan and the heads of each group. The information detailed Li Baochun's basic information: born in May 1990, from Lijiazhuang Village, Qinghe County, Nanzhou City, a neighboring province; primary school education; both parents were farmers; he had an older brother and a younger sister; Li Baochun worked away from home for a long time, engaged in heavy metal-related work such as metallurgy and electroplating; he was introverted, not good at speaking, and had relatively simple social relationships. On October 20, 2025, Li Baochun left Nanzhou City to work in a neighboring city, and then lost contact. His family repeatedly tried to contact him without success before reporting him missing to the police.

In addition, the documents included DNA comparison reports, dental feature comparison reports, records of Li Baochun's work experience, contact information for his family, and preliminary investigation results provided by the Nanzhou Public Security Bureau. This information provided detailed evidence for subsequent investigations and clarified the direction of the investigation.

At 6:00 AM, Lu Chuan convened an emergency investigation meeting, attended by Zhang Hui, Wang Shuai, Yang Lin, Yang Sen, Zhang Kai, and the heads of each group. At the meeting, Zhang Hui gave a detailed report on Li Baochun's identity information and the comparison process. Zhang Kai added that Li Baochun's cause and time of death were consistent with the previous autopsy findings, and the lead and mercury levels in his body were perfectly consistent with the characteristics of someone working in metallurgy, further confirming the deceased's identity.

Lu Chuan looked at the documents in his hand, his face grave. "The victim's identity has been confirmed; this is a major breakthrough. Next, our investigation will focus entirely on Li Baochun. First, Zhang Hui's team will continue to liaise with the Nanzhou Public Security Bureau to thoroughly investigate Li Baochun's social relationships, focusing on his coworkers, employers, relatives, and friends. We need to understand his personality traits, any conflicts or disputes he may have had, and whether he has any debts, to find possible motives. Second, Wang Shuai's team will immediately adjust their investigation direction, focusing on Li Baochun's possible whereabouts. We will investigate his whereabouts after arriving in this city from Nanzhou, the people he may have contacted, and the means of transportation he may have used. We will focus on the area around the logistics park and heavy metal-related enterprises to find him." The connection to the Oriental Logistics Park. Third, Yang Lin and Yang Sen's team, combining Li Baochun's occupational characteristics, re-analyzed the physical evidence collected at the scene, especially fibers, buttons, and footprints, to see if they could find clues related to Li Baochun or his work environment, further narrowing down the suspect pool. Fourth, Zhang Kai's team, combining Li Baochun's identity information, re-examined the autopsy data to see if any details were missed, while contacting Li Baochun's family to arrange for identification of the body, collecting DNA samples from family members for secondary confirmation, and gathering information on Li Baochun's clothing habits and personal belongings. Fifth, the technical department continued to thoroughly compare fingerprints and DNA samples, focusing on comparing them with Li Baochun's social connections, to find traces of the suspect.

"Understood!" the investigators responded in unison, their faces radiating determination. Although many mysteries remained in the case—the killer's identity, motive, and details of the crime were still unclear—the identification of the victim gave the investigation a clear direction and reignited everyone's fighting spirit.

After the meeting, each group immediately began their work according to the plan. Zhang Hui's group established a joint mechanism with the Nanzhou Public Security Bureau, which dispatched personnel to assist in investigating Li Baochun's social relationships, retrieving his employment records, bank statements, call records, and other materials. Preliminary investigations revealed that before his disappearance, Li Baochun had worked at a private metallurgical workshop. He had a conflict with his employer over wages and incurred a small amount of debt, but the conflict was not intense, and the debt was not substantial enough to constitute a motive for murder. Furthermore, Li Baochun was introverted, rarely interacted with others, had no known enemies, and had relatively simple social relationships. (End of Chapter)