The crackdown on organized crime began with the arrest of the mother-in-law.

Chapter 1382 Missing Person Qin Lifeng

"Do you know where Qin Lifeng lives? Who else lives with him?" Xiao Zhou asked hurriedly. Grandpa Chen pointed to a small alley behind the oil mill: "He lives in that alley behind the oil mill. He has a son named Qin Xiaoyu, who is 16 years old and in his final year of junior high school in town. His wife passed away from illness a few years ago, and the father and son depend on each other for survival." Xiao Zhou immediately decided to go to Qin Lifeng's home to verify the situation, while also arranging for a team member to stay near the oil mill to further inquire about Qin Lifeng's situation before he went missing from the surrounding shops.

Guided by Grandpa Chen, Xiao Zhou led his team through the alley behind the oil mill to a low, single-story house. The door was tightly shut. Xiao Zhou knocked gently, but there was no response. "Is anyone home? We're from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division, here to inquire about Qin Lifeng," Xiao Zhou raised his voice and knocked again. After a while, the door slowly opened, and a thin, wary-looking boy peeked out—it was Qin Lifeng's son, Qin Xiaoyu.

"Officer, what do you want with my dad?" Qin Xiaoyu asked timidly. "We're here to find out about your dad. He hasn't opened his shop since September 11th. Do you know where he went?" Officer Zhou's tone was gentle, trying not to frighten the boy. Mentioning his father, Qin Xiaoyu's eyes instantly reddened: "I don't know. My dad was fine on the evening of September 10th. He made me dinner and told me to study hard. When I woke up on the morning of September 11th, he was nowhere to be seen. There was my allowance on the table, along with a note saying he went out to run some errands and told me to take care of myself. But I waited for him for three days, and he didn't come back. I thought he had gone out of town to buy goods."

Xiao Zhou entered the house. The furnishings were simple and tidy. On the living room table were the leftovers from Qin Lifeng's dinner on the evening of September 10th, which had already spoiled and become moldy. Xiao Zhou picked up the note Qin Xiaoyu had mentioned. The handwriting on the note was neat: "Xiaoyu, Dad went out to take care of some things and may not be back for a few days. Eat on time, go to school, and take care of yourself." The note was not dated, but judging from the condition of the paper and Qin Xiaoyu's description, it was probably left on the morning of September 11th.

"Did your dad tell you what he was going to do? Did he mention meeting anyone? Or has he had any conflicts with anyone recently?" Xiao Zhou asked. Qin Xiaoyu shook his head: "No, he didn't say what he was going to do, nor did he mention meeting anyone. My dad is a very honest person, and he rarely argues with anyone. He's been running the oil mill for so many years, and he's never had a serious argument with a customer. Just a few days ago, I think I heard him arguing with someone on the phone, but I didn't hear clearly who it was or what they were arguing about."

"Do you remember which night it was? What did he say on the phone?" Xiao Zhou pressed. Qin Xiaoyu thought carefully for a moment: "It seems to be the night of September 10th. I was doing my homework in my room when I heard him on the phone in the living room. His voice wasn't loud, but I could tell he was a little angry. He seemed to mention words like 'money' and 'owe,' and said 'Don't go too far,' and then hung up. I asked him what was wrong, and he said it was nothing, just a small business matter, and told me not to worry." Xiao Zhou immediately had his team record this crucial information, as it might be related to Qin Lifeng's death.

Then, Xiao Zhou took out a printed description of the deceased's physical characteristics and handed it to Qin Xiaoyu: "Xiaoyu, take a look at this description. Doesn't it look a lot like your father?" Qin Xiaoyu took the printout, looked at it carefully, and tears instantly streamed down his face: "It looks like...this is my father! He usually wears blue overalls, and his height is the same as described here. Officer, has something happened to my father?" Xiao Zhou didn't answer directly but said, "Xiaoyu, we found an unidentified male corpse in the cornfield of Wangjia Village. The physical characteristics are very similar to your father's, but we can't confirm it's him yet. We need to collect your DNA sample to compare with the deceased's DNA so that we can finally confirm his identity. We hope you can cooperate with our work."

Although Qin Xiaoyu was frightened, he nodded and said, "I'll cooperate. I'll do anything to find my father." The team then used DNA collection tools to extract a sample of Qin Xiaoyu's oral mucosal cells, which was then sealed, labeled, and immediately sent to the technical department for comparison. While awaiting the results, Xiao Zhou arranged for one team member, Liu, to stay at Qin Xiaoyu's home to take care of his daily needs and prevent any accidents from happening while he was alone. Xiao Zhou then led the other team members back to Qin's oil mill to conduct a preliminary investigation.

The door to the Qin family's oil mill was locked from the outside, the lock was intact, and there were no signs of forced entry, leading to the assumption that Qin Lifeng had locked the door himself before leaving. Xiao Zhou had his team pry open the door and enter the oil mill to investigate. The interior was tidy, the production equipment was spotless, and large quantities of raw materials such as sesame seeds and peanuts were piled in the corners. Several bottles of sesame oil were also displayed on the shelves, all appearing normal. Xiao Zhou carefully examined every corner of the oil mill and found an account book in the cashier's drawer. The account book meticulously recorded the oil mill's income and expenses.

The team also found a pair of blue work shoes under the oil mill's workbench. The shoes were size 42, with a distinct wavy pattern on the forefoot and wear marks on the outer heel, perfectly matching the "deceased's footprint" characteristics found at the scene. "These shoes are very likely Qin Lifeng's!" Xiao Zhou exclaimed excitedly, immediately instructing the team to seal and extract the shoes for forensic examination. Meanwhile, the team also collected some of Qin Lifeng's frequently used items from the oil mill, such as a teacup and towel, for subsequent DNA comparison and verification.

Around 4 PM, the technical department delivered exciting news: DNA testing confirmed that the unidentified male corpse found in the cornfield of Wangjia Village was related to Qin Xiaoyu as his father; the deceased was indeed Qin Lifeng! This news brought a sigh of relief to everyone involved in the investigation, finally solving the mystery of the deceased's identity that had plagued them for two days. Upon receiving the news, Li Ming immediately convened an emergency meeting to adjust the investigative deployment: "The deceased's identity has been confirmed; he is Qin Lifeng, the owner of Qin Family Oil Mill in Qinghe Town. Next, the focus of the investigation will shift to Qin Lifeng's interpersonal relationships and social interactions. A comprehensive investigation will be conducted to identify individuals with whom he has had conflicts or financial dealings, especially the person Qin Xiaoyu mentioned who argued with him on the phone on the evening of September 10th. We must find this person and determine the reason for the argument."

Xiao Zhou volunteered to lead the investigation into Qin Lifeng's interpersonal relationships. He led his team in three groups.