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

Chapter 1076 Case Analysis, Reports from All Parties

"Make some coffee," Xiao Zhou patted Xiao Ma on the back. "We'll be busy from here on out." Xiao Ma nodded, got up, and walked towards the tea room, his steps much lighter. The printer in the information center started working again, and this time, on the paper it produced, Li Jiansheng's photo and the information about his body lay side by side, like a belated identity document, silently telling the final secret of an architectural director.

The next morning, the blinds in the Criminal Investigation Division's conference room were drawn tightly shut, with only a few rays of sunlight filtering through the gaps and casting long, thin patches of light on the table. Li Ming slammed his enamel mug down on the table, the tea stains spreading across the bottom like an abstract painting. "Everyone's here," he said, glancing at those present. Everyone looked tired, but their eyes held a hint of anticipation. "Let's begin. Xiao Yang, you start by telling us about the crime scene investigation."

Xiao Yang opened the investigation logbook, the sound of pages turning clearly audible in the quiet meeting room. "Warehouse No. 17, Block B, Scavenger Garbage Collection Station. The deceased was found in sorting area No. 3, 1.8 meters from the conveyor belt, mixed among waste paper and plastic bottles." He adjusted his glasses, the lenses reflecting the light. "A size 43 brown leather shoe print was found at the scene, the left heel severely worn, consistent with the description given by the person who reported it, Lao Li. There were drag marks on the ground, approximately 3.5 meters long, pointing from the warehouse entrance to the location where the body was found. Irregular fiber residue was found at the edges of the drag marks, which, after testing, was identified as ordinary cotton fabric, consistent with the cloth found in the garbage."

"Did you find the murder weapon?" Li Ming asked, tapping his fingers lightly on the table.

“Nothing yet,” Xiao Yang shook his head. “The wrenches, screwdrivers, and other tools in the warehouse have all been inspected, and no bloodstains or human tissue residue were found. However, three pale gold fibers were found in the gap under the conveyor belt. Tests showed they were common curtain fabric, and the same type was found in a nearby garbage dump. We cannot yet determine whether they are related to the case. In addition, a half-faded size 42 rubber sole shoe print was found outside the warehouse wall. It has no pattern features, so we cannot trace its origin.”

Zhang Lin took over the conversation, distributing copies of the autopsy report to everyone. "The deceased was male, approximately 45 years old, 172 cm tall, and weighed about 65 kg." His voice was steady, carrying the calm characteristic of a forensic doctor. "The cause of death is determined to be mechanical asphyxiation, specifically strangulation. There was a fracture of the greater horn of the hyoid bone with dislocation and signs of ante-mortem hemorrhage. A small number of subepicardial hemorrhages were also observed, consistent with the characteristics of death by asphyxiation."

He paused, then continued, "The deceased's skin was dark green all over, with multiple putrefactive blisters and peeling skin. The cornea was completely cloudy, rigor mortis had subsided, and livor mortis was not obvious, indicating that the body was in the late stage of putrefaction. Based on the ambient temperature, humidity, and the degree of digestion of the stomach contents, the estimated time of death was about 14 days, with an error margin of no more than 2 days."

"Are there any special physical characteristics?" Li Ming asked, leaning forward slightly.

"There is a callus from an old fracture in the mid-section of the left femur, indicating that the deceased had injured his left leg before death. This is consistent with the record of Li Jiansheng in the missing persons database." Zhang Lin turned to the next page. "There is a ligature mark about 0.8 cm wide on the left wrist, with irregular edges, accompanied by contusions and peeling skin, which should be caused by binding with a rope or similar object. There is a 3x4 cm soft tissue contusion on the back of the head, about 0.5 cm deep, which is an injury sustained before death, presumably caused by the head hitting a hard object during asphyxiation."

Xiao Wang cleared his throat and took over the conversation. "Regarding the investigation of the silver-gray minivan, we checked a total of seven vehicles that matched the characteristics, but ultimately ruled them all out as suspects." There was a hint of helplessness in his tone. "The first one was found at a scrap yard on the outskirts of the city. The license plate had been broken off, and the left rear bumper was dented, but the rust and dirt inside the car did not match the scene. The fingerprints on the steering wheel and door handles belonged to the scrap yard owner, who admitted to buying the abandoned car cheaply."

“The second vehicle owner was Zhao Qiang, a construction worker who had his left leg amputated and wore a prosthesis, which fits the description of walking with a limp. However, he lent his van to his cousin to transport construction waste, and his cousin had an alibi; surveillance footage showed that he was at the shop the entire day of the incident,” Xiao Wang continued. “The third vehicle owner was a logistics company driver who had difficulty walking due to gout in his left leg, but he was delivering goods out of town at the time of the incident, as evidenced by toll receipts and location records. The other vehicles either did not match the descriptions or had clear alibis.”

"Where's that silver-gray van parked in front of the abandoned factory?" Xiao Zhou couldn't help but ask, a hint of doubt flashing in his eyes.

“We’ve checked,” Xiao Wang sighed. “It was a car with a fake license plate. The owner’s information was registered to a company that has been deregistered, so we can’t find the actual owner. The car is no longer there, and the nearby surveillance cameras are broken, so we can’t track its whereabouts. However, judging from the street view photos, the car’s left rear bumper does have a dent, exactly as Lao Li described. We can’t rule out that it’s the car we’re looking for, but we don’t have any evidence to prove it at the moment.”

Xiao Zhou opened his notebook, preparing to report on the investigation into the deceased's identity. The air in the conference room seemed to freeze; all eyes were on him. "After comparing information with the missing persons database, combined with the forensic autopsy report and the results of the on-site investigation, we have confirmed that the deceased is Li Jiansheng, the director of Huihuang Construction Company." His voice carried a barely perceptible hint of excitement. "Li Jiansheng, 45 years old, fell from scaffolding at a construction site three months ago, fracturing his left femur. He went missing 15 days after being discharged from the hospital, and the date of his disappearance matches the timeframe estimated by the forensic doctor for death."

He paused, then continued, "Li Jiansheng's file records that he was left-handed, which matches the location and direction of the ligature marks on his left wrist in the autopsy report. The mole behind his left ear also perfectly matches the mark left behind the ear on the body. In addition, three days before his disappearance, there was a large withdrawal from his housing provident fund account. The recipient was a private account, the account holder was named Zhao Liqiang, and the registered address was an abandoned factory in the suburbs, which is the factory that Xiao Wang just mentioned."

"Zhao Liqiang?" Li Ming frowned. The name sounded familiar. "Isn't he the ringleader of the gang fight we dealt with before?"

“Yes, that’s him,” Xiao Zhou nodded. “Li Jiansheng made three phone calls to Zhao Liqiang the day before he disappeared. The last call lasted 47 minutes and took place near that abandoned factory. We checked Zhao Liqiang’s background. He owns several shell companies involved in construction subcontracting and other businesses. He has had business dealings with Huihuang Construction Company, but the specifics of their relationship are unclear.”

“It seems that Zhao Liqiang is highly suspicious,” Li Ming concluded, tapping his finger heavily on the table.