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

After a bumpy two-hour journey, the police car finally arrived at the entrance of Qinjiagou Village. A group of villagers had already gathered at the entrance, most of whom had come to see what was happening after hearing the news. The villagers were talking amongst themselves, their faces showing a mixture of panic and curiosity. Some were pale with fright, some were whispering guesses about the identity of the body, and others kept glancing towards the farmland at the east end of the village. The special police officers immediately got out of the car, quickly dispersed the onlookers, set up a cordon at the village entrance, blocked all roads leading to the farmland at the east end of the village, and prohibited unauthorized personnel from entering. At the same time, two officers were assigned to stand guard at the village entrance to guide the arriving reinforcements and maintain order at the scene.

Lu Chuan, Yang Lin, Yang Sen, Wang Shuai, and others walked quickly along the dirt road at the east end of the village, past the onlookers, towards the crime scene. The farmland at the east end of the village was located on the very edge, adjacent to a barren slope. There were no other villagers' farmland nearby, and it was rarely visited, making it extremely remote. Only a narrow dirt road led to the farmland, its sides overgrown with weeds and low shrubs, creating a very complex terrain. From afar, they saw Qin Xueli crouching at the edge of the farmland, his hands covering his head, his body trembling uncontrollably, his face filled with fear and panic. The shovel beside him lay on the ground. In the middle of the farmland was a dug pit, with some soil scattered around it. Inside the pit, the outline of a corpse was vaguely visible.

“Uncle Qin, don’t be afraid, we are the police, we’re here,” Lu Chuan said gently as he walked to Qin Xueli’s side. At the same time, he gestured to his team members to pour Qin Xueli a glass of water. “Please think back carefully about the specific time and process when you found the body. Also, after you came to the farmland, did you see any other suspicious people, hear any unusual sounds, or find any suspicious traces? Tell us any details, no matter what they are. Don’t hide anything.”

Qin Xueli took the water glass, his hands still trembling. He took a sip to calm himself before slowly raising his head and saying in a trembling voice, "Officer... Officer, I... I came to the field this morning, just as dawn was breaking, around 5:30. At first, I was digging up corn stubble. After working for more than an hour, around 6:30, when I was turning over the soil with a shovel, I unearthed this body. At first, I thought it was an animal carcass and was about to dig it out and throw it away. But after digging through the soil, I realized it was a human body. I... I was so scared I almost lost my mind, and I immediately called the police."

“After I arrived at the farmland, I didn’t see any other suspicious people or hear any unusual sounds,” Qin Xueli continued. “This farmland is rarely visited by anyone except me. I don’t know how this body was buried here. After I found the body, I’ve been squatting here, not daring to touch anything at the scene or go near the pit. I’ve been waiting for you to come.”

“Okay, Uncle Qin, thank you very much. The information you provided is very important to us,” Lu Chuan nodded and said, “We may need to ask you for more information later, so please cooperate with our work. Also, please keep this confidential and do not tell anyone else about the discovery of the body, so as not to cause panic among the villagers and affect our work.”

Qin Xueli nodded quickly and said, "Okay...okay, officer, I will definitely cooperate with your work, and I won't tell anyone else."

After calming Qin Xueli down, Lu Chuan turned to Yang Lin and Yang Sen, and said in a serious tone, "Yang Lin, Yang Sen, the scene is now in your hands. Immediately begin the on-site investigation. Be meticulous and rigorous. Start from around the pit and gradually expand the investigation area. Focus on examining the surface information of the body, footprints, tire tracks, fibers, and other trace evidence. Make thorough on-site records and take photos as evidence. No detail can be overlooked. Report any discoveries to me immediately."

"Understood, Captain Lu!" Yang Lin and Yang Sen responded in unison. They quickly donned protective suits, gloves, masks, and hats, picked up their investigation tools, and went to the pit to begin their on-site investigation. Following established procedures, they first took photographs of the entire scene, capturing images from different angles and perspectives of the pit, the body, the surrounding farmland, the location where Qin Xueli discovered the body, and the fallen shovel, ensuring that every detail was clearly recorded to provide strong support for subsequent case investigation and evidence preservation.

After taking photos and collecting evidence, Yang Lin and Yang Sen began a detailed investigation, starting with the area around the pit. They first squatted beside the pit, using flashlights to carefully examine the soil around it. The pit was approximately 50 centimeters deep, 1 meter wide, and 1.8 meters long. The soil around the pit was relatively loose, showing fresh signs of being turned over. The color of the soil was basically the same as the surrounding farmland, but the turned soil was looser and hadn't been compacted. Clearly, the body hadn't been buried there for very long, and the person who buried it had acted hastily, without carefully compacting the soil or camouflaging the pit. This facilitated the subsequent investigation.

“Yang Sen, you focus on examining the footprints around the pit first, see if you can find any suspicious footprints. I’ll be responsible for examining the subtle evidence in the soil, such as fibers and hair,” Yang Lin said, picking up tweezers and a brush and carefully combing through the soil around the pit. His eyes were focused and serious, not missing any trace. “Be careful, be gentle, don’t damage the traces or evidence. After finding suspicious footprints, take photos as evidence, then fix them with plaster and extract footprint samples.”

“Okay, don’t worry,” Yang Sen nodded in response. Then, he picked up a flashlight and magnifying glass, squatted around the pit, and carefully examined the surface of the soil, searching for footprints. Yang Sen had many years of experience in footprint investigation; he knew that at a body disposal site, the killer would most likely leave footprints, especially around the pit where the soil was soft and more likely to leave clear traces. These footprints could not only reveal information such as the killer's height, build, and age, but also provide crucial clues for identifying suspects. (End of Chapter)