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

“After get off work, he usually goes straight back to his rented room and rarely goes out to socialize or have fun with his colleagues. He has a simple social life and has never had any conflicts with his colleagues. However, I heard that he seems to be borrowing money from others recently and is in a bad mood. Sometimes he will be lost in thought or sighing.”

Where is his rented apartment? Does he have any family or relatives in Jiangcheng?

“His rented room is in Xingfu Rental House near the sorting center. I don’t remember the exact room number, but I have a copy of his ID card and his employment registration information here.” As he spoke, Boss Li took out Wang Kui’s employment registration information and a copy of his ID card from the drawer and handed them to Zhang Hui. “His parents are in his hometown, as are his wife and children. He has no other relatives in Jiangcheng and usually lives alone.”

Zhang Hui took the photocopy of the ID card and examined it carefully. The photo of Wang Kui showed him with short hair, dark skin, and a calm expression, a striking match to the deceased's appearance. Combined with Mr. Li's description, Wang Kui's age, height, build, clothing, and occupation were all largely consistent with the deceased. Zhang Hui preliminarily concluded that the deceased was most likely Wang Kui.

"Immediately lead the team to Xingfu Rental House to search Wang Kui's apartment, look for his personal belongings and related clues, and at the same time contact Wang Kui's immediate family members to collect DNA samples and compare them with the deceased's DNA to confirm the deceased's identity." Zhang Hui immediately issued the order, his tone firm. "In addition, question Wang Kui's colleagues to learn in detail about his recent whereabouts, interpersonal relationships, and borrowing of money, and investigate suspicious persons around him."

The team members acted swiftly. Some followed Zhang Hui to the Happiness Rental House, while others stayed at the sorting center to question Wang Kui's colleagues and gather relevant clues. Zhang Hui led the team to the Happiness Rental House, found the landlord, explained their purpose, and the landlord led everyone to Wang Kui's rented room.

Wang Kui's rented room was a small single room, less than ten square meters in size. The room was simply furnished with a single bed, a desk, and a wardrobe. The floor was clean and tidy, with no obvious signs of disturbance or struggle. On the desk were several goods sorting operation manuals and a worn-out thermos. In the wardrobe, there were several dark-colored work jackets and dark gray work pants, matching the style and color of the clothes on the deceased's body. In the drawer next to the bed were Wang Kui's ID card, bank cards, a small amount of cash, and a notebook containing his daily expenses and loan records.

“Brother Zhang, we found Wang Kui’s ID card, bank card, and a notebook with loan records.” The team member picked up the notebook and reported to Zhang Hui, “According to the records, Wang Kui has borrowed money from five people in the past three months, with a total loan amount of more than 20,000 yuan. The most recent loan was on the 12th of this month, from a person named ‘Old Zhou’, who borrowed 5,000 yuan. The repayment date was agreed to be the 15th of this month, which is tomorrow.”

Zhang Hui took the notebook and carefully reviewed the loan records. The records detailed the amount, date, and borrower's name for each loan. Most borrowers were labeled as "colleagues" or "fellow villagers," except for "Old Zhou," who was left with only a vague phone number. "Immediately check 'Old Zhou's' identity information, verify his relationship with Wang Kui, and investigate whether he is a suspect. Also, collect Wang Kui's hair, toothbrush, water cup, and other items, and send them to the forensic center to extract DNA samples for comparison with the deceased's DNA."

"Understood!" the team member responded, quickly extracting Wang Kui's DNA sample and sending it to the forensic identification center, while simultaneously checking "Old Zhou's" identity information.

Meanwhile, the team members who stayed at the sorting center to inquire with Wang Kui's colleagues also brought back new information: "Brother Zhang, we asked several of Wang Kui's colleagues and learned that Wang Kui has indeed been borrowing money recently because his child back home is sick and needs a lot of medical expenses. His salary is not high and he cannot afford it, so he can only borrow money from his colleagues and fellow villagers. He is introverted and rarely has conflicts with others. The only abnormality is that he has been receiving a lot of calls from strangers recently. Every time he answers the phone, he avoids his colleagues, and his tone is very tense and impatient. Sometimes he even argues with the person on the other end of the phone."

"Do any of your colleagues remember the unfamiliar phone number?" Zhang Hui pressed.

"A colleague happened to see Wang Kui's phone screen and remembered one of the unfamiliar numbers. We have recorded it and are currently looking up the owner's information for this number," the team member reported.

Zhang Hui nodded, the clues in his mind gradually becoming clearer. Wang Kui had recently needed money urgently due to his child's illness, had borrowed money multiple times, received phone calls from strangers, and had arguments with people—all of which could be motives for his murder. The borrower named "Old Zhou" and the owner of the unknown phone calls were both likely key suspects in the case.

That evening at 8 PM, the forensic center delivered the final comparison results: Wang Kui's DNA sample matched the deceased's DNA sample perfectly, confirming that the deceased was indeed Wang Kui. This news brought a sigh of relief to all the investigators. The mystery of the deceased's identity, which had plagued them for so long, was finally solved, and the investigation finally had a clear direction.

Zhang Hui immediately convened a case analysis meeting to summarize all current clues: "The deceased's identity has been confirmed as Wang Kui, a 32-year-old sorting worker at Hengtong Sorting Center. Due to his child's illness, he had borrowed money multiple times recently, accumulating a total loan amount of over 20,000 yuan. He had been frequently receiving phone calls from strangers and had arguments with people recently. His last day at work was at 6 PM on the 13th of this month, after which he went missing. The time of death is estimated to be between the evening of the 13th and the early morning of the 14th, and the preliminary cause of death is determined to be asphyxiation."

"Currently, we have identified two suspicious individuals: one is 'Old Zhou,' who borrowed money from Wang Kui, whose identity is unknown and who only left a vague phone number; the other is the owner of the unknown phone number, whose number has been recorded and whose identity is being investigated," Zhang Hui continued. "Our next key task is to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Wang Kui's interpersonal relationships, checking his colleagues, classmates, relatives, and borrowers one by one, with a focus on investigating the identities of 'Old Zhou' and the owner of the unknown phone number, verifying their relationship with Wang Kui, investigating their motives and the time of the crime, and searching for relevant clues about the murderer."

After the meeting, following Zhang Hui's instructions, the team members launched a comprehensive investigation into Wang Kui's interpersonal relationships. Zhang Hui personally led the team, responsible for investigating the identity information of "Old Zhou" and the owner of the unknown phone number; the other team members divided into several groups to visit Wang Kui's colleagues, classmates, and relatives to collect relevant clues. (End of Chapter)