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

By now, the mist over Lucao Gou Village had dissipated, and sunlight filtered through the poplar branches, illuminating the rooftops of the empty farmhouses and casting a glaring glow on the red stripes of the police tape. Although the on-site investigation was complete, the crucial battle to solve the case had only just begun. Lu Chuan stood at the farmhouse door, gazing at the dirt road and farmland to the north, his brow furrowed as he pondered the case's mysteries: Who was the deceased? Why was he in this empty farmhouse? What was the relationship between the suspect and the deceased? What was the motive? Did the suspect choose this location randomly, or was he familiar with the area?
He knew that these doubts would need to be resolved one by one through subsequent examination of trace evidence, on-site visits, and investigations. Every piece of trace evidence and every detail of the investigation collected by Yang Lin and Yang Sen's technical team could become the key to breaking the case and an important basis for identifying the real culprit and restoring the truth.

Around noon, the temporary on-site deployment was completed, and all team members were in place to carry out follow-up work. Lu Chuan remained on-site to continue coordinating various tasks and to keep abreast of any leads reported by the teams, ensuring the orderly progress of the case investigation. In the empty courtyard, only the figures of the security team members and the traces left from the on-site investigation remained, silently telling the story of a bloody murder that had occurred here three days prior. The investigators, with a rigorous, meticulous, and determined attitude, were approaching the truth step by step, determined to bring the murderer to justice and bring justice to the victim.

Upon receiving the trace evidence, the laboratory immediately initiated an expedited testing process. Personnel, according to their assigned roles, conducted thorough examinations of bloodstains, metal residue, fibers, cigarette butts, footprints, and other trace evidence. DNA testing personnel extracted DNA from the bloodstains for typing and comparison to identify the suspect's DNA. Metal testing personnel used spectral analysis to determine the material of the metal residue and identify the type of weapon used in the crime. Fiber testing personnel compared fiber materials to confirm the fiber's origin. Footprint testing personnel analyzed the characteristics of the suspect's footprints to further narrow down the suspect's height, build, and walking habits.

The on-site investigation team went deep into Lucao Gou Village and surrounding villages, visiting villagers one by one, patiently inquiring about relevant situations, recording every suspicious clue, focusing on verifying the blurry figure seen three nights ago, investigating recently appeared strangers, and collecting information related to the case. Although most villagers' reports were consistent with the initial findings and no new valuable clues were provided, the team members were not discouraged. They continued their meticulous visits, not overlooking any detail, firmly believing that clues were hidden in ordinary narratives.

The missing persons information investigation team logged into the national missing persons information management system and conducted preliminary screening based on the deceased's clothing characteristics, approximate body length, time of death, and other conditions. The team focused on investigating males who had gone missing in the city and surrounding areas within the past week, verifying the missing persons information one by one, and searching for individuals who met the criteria, striving to confirm the identity of the deceased as soon as possible.

The on-site duty team members strictly adhered to the requirements, remaining on duty 24 hours a day, regularly patrolling the site, prohibiting unauthorized personnel from approaching, and keeping proper records of the site to prevent the destruction of traces and physical evidence, ensuring that the site can remain in its original state should any supplementary investigation be needed in the future.

Every hour, Lu Chuan would contact each group to understand their progress and promptly coordinate solutions to any problems encountered. When he learned that the laboratory was expediting the examination of trace evidence, and that the on-site interviews and missing persons investigations were proceeding smoothly without any abnormalities, Lu Chuan breathed a slight sigh of relief. However, he was also aware that the case investigation still faced many difficulties. The identity of the deceased was unknown, and the clues to the suspects were scattered. Every step required extra caution, and there could be no room for negligence.

Around 2 PM, Yang Lin returned to the scene from the lab and reported the initial progress of the investigation to Lu Chuan: "Team Leader Lu, the lab has completed the preliminary testing of the bloodstain samples, confirming that all extracted bloodstains were left by the same male individual, preliminarily determined to be the deceased's blood, with no indication of mixing with other people's blood; the preliminary testing of the metal residue has determined it to be made of carbon steel, consistent with the material characteristics of a single-edged knife, suggesting that the murder weapon was a carbon steel single-edged knife, approximately 12 cm long and 0.8 cm wide, consistent with the sharp object marks left at the scene; the fiber testing confirmed that the extracted black cotton fibers are completely consistent with the fiber material of the deceased's T-shirt, indicating it is the deceased's clothing fiber; the testing of other samples is progressing rapidly, and we expect to complete the footprint feature analysis and preliminary DNA testing of the cigarette butts before 6 PM. The testing of the metal fragments and buttons will take longer, and we expect to have the results by tomorrow morning."

Lu Chuan nodded and said, "Okay, thank you for your hard work. Continue to coordinate with the laboratory. Report to me immediately once you have any test results. Once the footprint feature analysis results are available, send them to the investigation team immediately to assist in screening suspicious individuals; the cigarette butt DNA test is crucial for finding the suspect's DNA information, as this is one of the keys to identifying the suspect."

"Understood, Captain Lu!" Yang Lin nodded in response, and then went to the laboratory again to follow up on the testing progress.

Time passed slowly, and the afternoon sun gradually slanted westward. Lucao Gou Village returned to its usual tranquility, but the investigation continued in a tense but orderly manner. The investigation team's interviews continued, laboratory tests were expedited, and the search for missing persons was ongoing. Every team member remained steadfast in their post, giving their all, all to find valuable clues as quickly as possible, confirm the deceased's identity, identify the suspect, and uncover the truth of the case.

Lu Chuan remained at the scene, gazing at the dilapidated, empty farmhouse, his resolve growing ever stronger. He knew that every trace and piece of evidence collected from the scene, every detail, held the key to solving the case. As long as he remained meticulous, truthful, and thorough, leaving no clue unexplored, he would surely be able to unveil the mystery, bring the murderer to justice, comfort the souls of the deceased, and safeguard the peace and justice of the area.

By 5 p.m., the on-site investigation team had visited 32 households and collected 11 clues, two of which were particularly suspicious: One villager reported seeing a man wearing a black jacket and dark trousers loitering near the dirt road at the west end of the village three days prior. He was approximately 175 cm tall, of medium build, and wearing a mask, obscuring his face. The villager initially assumed he was a villager and paid little attention. Another villager reported seeing a black sedan without license plates parked in an open area at the west end of the village the day before the incident. The car remained there for about half an hour before driving away on the dirt road to the north. The driver and occupants of the vehicle were not clearly visible. (End of Chapter)