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

At this moment, the Criminal Investigation Detachment's office area was brightly lit. Lu Chuan sat at his desk, with a crime scene investigation report, a list of trace evidence collected, and villager interrogation records laid out before him. His brow was furrowed, his expression grave. He frequently marked key points in his notebook, his mind repeatedly processing the case's suspicious points and clues. Although the crime scene investigation had yielded evidence such as the suspect's footprints, DNA, and metal residue, and two suspicious leads had been identified, the victim's identity remained unknown, the suspect's identity could not be confirmed, and the case still lacked significant leads.

While Zhang Kai and Xiao Lin were working tirelessly at the forensic identification center, conducting autopsies, meticulously collecting various samples, and deducing the time of death and details of the crime, Lu Chuan, the head of the criminal investigation detachment, did not slacken his efforts. He knew that "identifying the deceased is the first hurdle in solving a case." If the identity of the deceased could not be confirmed, subsequent work such as identifying the motive and suspects would be impossible. Therefore, on the night the body was transferred to the forensic identification center, Lu Chuan convened Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui, key members of the investigation team, at a temporary command post set up at the scene in Lucao Gou Village. A special meeting was held to deploy the missing persons search, clarifying the direction of the search, the division of responsibilities, and the work requirements. A comprehensive search for missing persons around the scene was thus launched.

“Wang Shuai, Zhang Hui, you two are the backbone of the investigation team. You will be in charge of leading this missing persons search. You must be extremely meticulous and patient,” Lu Chuan said, sitting on a folding chair at the temporary command post. A simple map of Lucao Gou Village and the surrounding area was spread out in front of him. Pointing to the core area on the map, his tone was calm and firm. “The search area must comprehensively cover all villages around the scene, including Lucao Gou Village, the neighboring Lijia'ao Village, Wangjiawan Village to the north, Zhangjiabao Village to the south, and all enterprises and factories within a five-kilometer radius.” Small plots of land, workshops, even inconspicuous shops and farms—nothing can be overlooked. The core objective of the investigation is to find missing persons whose characteristics closely match the deceased. The deceased's key characteristics have been identified: male, approximately 30-40 years old, about 175 cm tall, wearing a black long-sleeved cotton T-shirt, dark blue jeans, black socks, and no shoes; no other obvious physical features; and the preliminary time of death is estimated to be between 8 PM and midnight three days prior. These characteristics are being used to compare and eliminate potential victims one by one.

Lu Chuan paused, then further refined the plan: "I've assigned tasks to you two. Wang Shuai, you'll lead a team focused on visiting and investigating the surrounding villages. Connect with village officials in each village, hold meetings with village representatives, and visit each villager individually, especially those villages closer to the site like Lucao Gou and Lijia'ao. Make sure to visit every household, leaving no one out. During the inquiries, focus on finding out if any male individuals have gone missing or disappeared in the past two weeks. Record in detail their names, ages, heights, builds, clothing, departure times, contact information, and their behavior and social interactions before their disappearance. Also, collect any suspicious clues from villagers, such as whether they've seen strangers coming or going, heard unusual noises, or if anyone has recently returned home and then disappeared again."

"Zhang Hui, you will lead another team to focus on investigating surrounding businesses, construction sites, and small workshops. You will liaise with the heads and security personnel of each business and construction site to investigate whether there are any male employees who have recently left without paying their wages or have gone missing. You will also need to record the employees' personal information, clothing characteristics, and time of disappearance in detail. At the same time, you will retrieve the surveillance footage from inside and around each business and construction site, focusing on the footage from 8 pm to 12 am three days ago, to find people whose clothing characteristics match the deceased's, as well as people whose characteristics match those of the suspect found in the scene investigation (height 176-179 cm, medium build, wearing size 43 diamond-patterned rubber-soled shoes, possibly wearing a mask)."

In addition, Lu Chuan emphasized the key points of the investigation: "You two must do a good job of comparing clues. Accurately compare the information on missing persons collected during the investigation with the clues determined by the on-site investigation and the preliminary characteristics of the deceased reported by the forensic doctor, including height, build, clothing, time of disappearance, and daily habits. If you find any suspicious persons, report them immediately. At the same time, collect DNA samples from their family members and send them to the forensic identification center for comparison and confirmation with the deceased's DNA. Furthermore, during the investigation, pay attention to your own safety. When conducting nighttime investigations, go in pairs. Keep detailed records of interviews and video recordings to ensure that every clue is traceable and verifiable. No oversights are allowed; even seemingly insignificant details may become the key to breaking the case."

"Understood, Captain Lu!" Wang Shuai and Zhang Hui responded in unison, their voices firm and resolute. Both were veteran team members with years of experience in criminal investigation, well aware of the tediousness and importance of missing persons investigations, and also understood the responsibility this work carried—every meticulous visit, every comparison of clues, could bring them one step closer to the identity of the deceased, one step closer to the truth. That very night, following Lu Chuan's instructions, the two quickly divided the team members, clarified their roles, prepared interrogation notebooks, pens, cameras, flashlights, and other tools, and began the investigation overnight.

First, let's talk about the village investigation team led by Wang Shuai. The team consisted of five members, divided into two groups. Wang Shuai personally led one group, responsible for investigating Lucao Gou Village and Lijia'ao Village, while the other group, led by member Li Lei, was responsible for investigating Wangjiawan Village, Zhangjiabao Village, and scattered households in the surrounding area. The investigation began in Lucao Gou Village. It was already around 11 p.m., and Lucao Gou Village was shrouded in darkness. Most villagers were already asleep, with only a few houses still lit. The air was filled with the scent of earth and crops. In the quiet village, only the light footsteps of the investigation team members could be heard, so as not to disturb the villagers' rest and also to avoid alerting the suspects—if the suspects were hiding in the village, excessive noise might alert them and cause the clues to be lost.

Wang Shuai led his team to the home of the complainant, Li Feng. Li Feng was still awake, shaken by the discovery of the body during the day; his expression remained somewhat panicked, his eyes bloodshot. Seeing Wang Shuai and the others arrive, he quickly got up to greet them. "Brother Li, we apologize for disturbing your rest. We've come tonight to ask you some questions, mainly about our village and surrounding villages. Have any men gone missing recently?" Wang Shuai spoke gently, trying to ease Li Feng's tension, while simultaneously taking out his interrogation notebook to prepare his notes. "Please think carefully again. In the past two weeks, has anyone from our village gone out and not returned, or suddenly disappeared? Especially men between 30 and 40 years old, about 175 centimeters tall, and dressed simply." (End of Chapter)