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

Chapter 892 Clues to the Rose Tattoo

"The rose tattoo is about 5 centimeters in diameter. It was done a long time ago and there are obvious signs of fading, so we estimate it was done at least 3 to 5 years ago. We want to start with the tattoo shop to see if we can find the shop that did the tattoo on the deceased and thus obtain the deceased's identity information."

Qin Chuan frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Okay, this is the most crucial clue right now, and we must go all out. Make a list of all the tattoo shops in Dongchuan City, and have the police officers go in groups to visit them one by one. Note that we should not only ask the tattoo artists, but also not let go of the other staff members in the shops. Maybe someone remembers the deceased."

After receiving his orders, Li Ming quickly organized the police force to launch the operation. The next morning, the officers dispersed to various corners of the city, entering tattoo shops one by one. Xiao Zhang and Xiao Zhao, working as a team, went to "Ink Trace Tattoo" shop in the city center. The shop was brightly lit, and the walls were covered with various tattoo designs. The tattoo artist was tattooing a customer when he saw the police enter, stopped what he was doing, and looked at them with suspicion.

After showing his identification, Xiao Zhang said, "Sir, we're investigating a case and would like to ask you for some information. Take a look at this photo, does it look familiar?" He then handed over a photo of the deceased's tattoo. The tattoo artist took the photo, examined it carefully, and shook his head: "Never seen it before. This tattoo looks quite old; it wasn't done by me."

Xiao Zhao then asked, "What about your other staff members? Could you please ask them for me?" The tattoo artist called over the receptionist and another apprentice. Both of them looked at the photo and said they didn't recognize it either. Xiao Zhang and Xiao Zhao were not discouraged. They left their contact information and instructed, "If you remember anything in the future, or see someone with a similar tattoo, please contact us immediately."

Meanwhile, another group of officers arrived at the "Dark Night Tattoo" shop on the outskirts of the city. The shop was in a remote location, and the interior was somewhat cluttered. The owner, a middle-aged man with long hair, showed a flicker of nervousness in his eyes upon seeing the police. Officer Xiao Wang noticed something amiss and calmly asked, "Boss, we're investigating a case. Do you recognize this tattoo photo?"

The shop owner took the photo, his eyes darting around. After a moment's hesitation, he said, "This... how could I remember? So many people come in for tattoos every day." Xiao Wang stared intently into the shop owner's eyes: "Boss, this case is very important. You know the consequences if you don't report it." The shop owner swallowed hard, beads of sweat forming on his forehead: "I... I really don't remember clearly. It seems... it seems a few years ago a woman came in for a similar tattoo, but I'm not sure if it's her."

Xiao Wang pressed further, "Do you remember what the woman looked like? Did you have her contact information?" The shop owner shook his head, "It's been too long, I can't remember what she looked like. As for contact information... I didn't leave any at the time." Xiao Wang remained skeptical, but continued to ask for more details, which he then noted down before leaving with his colleague.

After a day of investigations, the officers returned to the station to gather information. Although they had visited many tattoo parlors, most yielded no results, except for the owner of "Dark Night Tattoo," whose behavior seemed somewhat suspicious. Li Ming reported to Qin Chuan: "Chief Qin, so far only the owner of 'Dark Night Tattoo' has been behaving strangely. He seems to know something, but he's hiding something."

Qin Chuan pondered for a moment and said, "Focus our investigation on this shop, checking the owner's background and recent whereabouts. Also, expand the scope of the investigation, not only in Dongchuan City, but also contact the local police in surrounding cities to assist in the investigation of tattoo shops."

Just as the police were diligently investigating the tattoo clues, the forensic pathologist brought new information. "Captain Li, the pathology results for the deceased are in. A special drug component was detected in the deceased's liver tissue; this drug is commonly used to treat mental illnesses," the forensic pathologist told Li Ming.

Li Ming's eyes lit up: "This is an important clue. It suggests that the deceased may have suffered from a mental illness and had been taking this medication for a long time. Pass this information on to all officers and keep an eye out for related situations during the investigation."

The atmosphere in the Criminal Investigation Division's conference room was heavy and oppressive. The investigation into the special drug in the deceased's body had reached a stalemate. Numerous stores sold it, yet there were no records of purchases; this lead was like a kite with a broken string, difficult to trace. Li Ming stood before the projector, his expression serious, presenting newly acquired clues about the Dark Night Tattoo Shop and related gang.

"Director Qin, the drug investigation is currently making no progress, but we've made a new breakthrough on the Dark Night Tattoo Shop lead. Our investigation revealed that a small gang did exist three years ago. Female members tattooed roses on their backs, while the men tattooed blue dragons. The tattoo shop owner hesitated initially because this gang was somewhat notorious locally, having extorted protection money from several nearby KTVs. However, they were wiped out in a crackdown on organized crime a year ago." Li Ming spoke while switching between the documents on the projector.

Qin Chuan frowned, tapping his fingers lightly on the table: "Now that we have this lead, let's dig deeper along it. The comrades who participated in the anti-gang campaign back then should know this gang quite well. Let's find them first and ask them for detailed information about the gang members, especially the female members. Also, those KTVs that were charged protection money might have some relevant leads. Let's send people to visit and investigate them."

After the meeting, the officers quickly sprang into action. Xiao Wang and Xiao Liu were responsible for interviewing veteran officers who had participated in the anti-gang operation years ago. Veteran officer Lao Zhang recalled, "That gang was indeed quite arrogant for a while. The leader was called Sun Minglin, and he had many henchmen. There were relatively few female members. I remember one named Zhang Yueyue, who was particularly good at fighting and very loyal. I wonder if she's related to this case." Xiao Wang quickly pressed, "Brother Zhang, do you know any specific information about Zhang Yueyue? Like her address, contact information?" Lao Zhang shook his head: "At the time, we mainly targeted the core members of the gang, so we didn't have much information about peripheral members like her. But I heard she used to work at 'Night KTV,' you could go there and ask."

Meanwhile, another group of police officers arrived at "Nightfall KTV." The manager looked somewhat nervous upon seeing the police. Xiao Li showed his badge and said, "Manager, we're investigating a case and want to know about Zhang Yueyue, who worked here three years ago." The manager hesitated for a moment, then said, "Zhang Yueyue? She worked here as a waitress for a while. Later, she got involved with that gang, so we fired her. We don't know exactly where she went." Xiao Liu pressed, "During her time working here, did anything unusual happen? Or was she close to anyone?" The manager thought for a moment and said, "There was a regular customer named A-Qiang who was very close to Zhang Yueyue. A-Qiang seems to be involved in organized crime too, but I don't know the specifics."