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

Chapter 1334 Investigation of the Railway Parts Factory

"Do you have any proof that you gave him 10,000 yuan? For example, a transfer record or a new receipt?" Xiao Zhou pressed.

“No, he paid in cash and didn’t write a receipt.” Liu Mei’s voice was a little unsure. “But my neighbor can testify that he did come to the store that day, take the money, and leave.”

To verify Liu Mei's account, Xiao Zhou immediately visited her neighbors. Neighbor Aunt Li said that on the afternoon of October 15, 2021, she did see Ma Jianguo come out of Liu Mei's shop, carrying a black plastic bag. He looked calm and didn't seem to be arguing. "I even greeted him, and he said he was going to the train station, as if he was going on a long trip," Aunt Li recalled.

This account completely contradicted Ma Jianlan's description, and Xiao Zhou realized that things might be more complicated than he had imagined. He immediately retrieved the surveillance footage from near Liu Mei's repair shop on October 15, 2021. The footage showed that at 10 PM that day, Ma Jianguo did indeed leave the shop carrying a black plastic bag, and did not argue with Liu Mei. Even more strangely, he went directly to the train station, bought a train ticket to the south, but the surveillance footage showed that he did not board the train, but instead waited in the waiting room for two hours before leaving.

“This suggests that Ma Jianguo may have deliberately created the illusion of ‘running away from home’ at the time.” Xiao Zhou sent the surveillance screenshot to Li Ming. “Why would he do that? Was it to hide from someone, or was he planning something?”

Li Ming replied quickly: "Based on what Wu Xiaolong overheard about the argument, 'You took my money and now you want to deny it,' it's very likely that Ma Jianguo didn't really leave three years ago, but was secretly investigating Liu Mei, and may even have other evidence of her crimes. He came back to find Liu Mei this time to demand this money, or to threaten her with the evidence."

To find out Liu Mei's whereabouts on the night of the incident, Xiao Zhou questioned Liu Mei again. "The night before last, I was playing mahjong at Aunt Wang's house next door, from a little after seven o'clock until one o'clock in the morning. They can all testify to that." Liu Mei's tone was very certain. "If you don't believe me, go ask Aunt Wang. We even made a bet, and I won more than two hundred yuan."

Xiao Zhou immediately went to Aunt Wang's house. Aunt Wang and two other elderly women who were playing mahjong with her confirmed that Liu Mei had indeed been playing mahjong the entire night of the incident, only going to the toilet twice and never leaving Aunt Wang's yard. "She had a particularly good run of luck that day, winning a lot of money. Before she left, she even said she would treat us to breakfast," Aunt Wang said with a smile. "If she were going to commit murder, she wouldn't be in the mood to play mahjong."

Subsequently, Xiao Zhou retrieved the surveillance footage from in front of Aunt Wang's house. The footage clearly showed that Liu Mei entered Aunt Wang's house at 7:15 PM on the night of the incident and did not leave until 1:10 AM, with no record of her leaving during that time. This timeline completely contradicted Ma Jianguo's time of death, thus completely ruling out Liu Mei as a suspect.

Back at the branch office with this result, Xiao Zhou reported the situation in detail to Li Ming. "The financial dispute between Liu Mei and Ma Jianguo did exist, and Ma Jianguo's disappearance is very likely related to her, but she has a solid alibi and cannot be the murderer," Xiao Zhou said, frowning. "Could there have been a third person involved three years ago?"

Li Ming remained silent, instead picking up the latest report from the forensic lab. The report indicated that the DNA from the woman's long hair extracted from Ma Jianguo's collar failed to match Liu Mei's DNA, meaning the woman arguing with Ma Jianguo in the basement on the night of the incident was not Liu Mei. "It seems we were going in the wrong direction," Li Ming said, tapping his finger lightly on the map. "The woman who argued with Ma Jianguo, and the third person who may have been involved in Ma Jianguo's disappearance three years ago, are the real clues we're looking for."

Just then, the technical department brought new information. While testing the one-yuan coin in Ma Jianguo's jacket pocket, they found traces of paint residue on the coin's edge. Analysis revealed that this paint was a special type used for railway freight cars, and only one railway parts factory in the city used it. "Could Ma Jianguo have been working at the railway parts factory since he disappeared three years ago?" Xiao Zhou's eyes lit up. "Could that man in the dark blue overalls with the scar on his right hand be an employee of the railway parts factory?"

Li Ming immediately stood up, his eyes wide and resolute: "Immediately investigate all railway parts factories in the city, focusing on male employees who joined three years ago, have a scar on the web of their right hand, and wear dark blue overalls! Also, re-examine Ma Jianguo's social connections from three years ago to see if he knows anyone in the railway system."

The case took another turn for the better. Xiao Zhou led his team to the railway parts factory, his heart filled with anticipation. He knew that finding the man with the scar on his right hand would uncover the truth behind Ma Jianguo's disappearance three years ago and lead to his killer. And those long-buried secrets would finally reveal their true nature under the light of the evidence.

The railway parts factory was located in the western suburbs of the city. Ivy climbed the red brick walls, and a red banner proclaiming "Safety in Production" hung beside the rusty iron gate at the main entrance. When Xiao Zhou and his three team members arrived, it was 10:00 AM. The factory was bustling with activity, and workers in dark blue overalls were pushing carts of parts through the workshops. They were greeted by Old Zhou, the factory office director, a middle-aged man with graying hair, who clutched a thick employee roster in his hand.

"An employee who joined three years ago? With a scar on the web of his right hand?" Old Zhou, wearing his reading glasses, ran his finger along the list line by line. "Our factory hasn't been doing well in recent years, and there's been a lot of staff turnover. There aren't many of the people who joined three years ago who are still here. Let me think... I've got it. This guy named 'Li Jianguo' joined in March 2022. He worked as a repairman in the machine repair workshop. He does have a scar on the web of his right hand, but he resigned last year."

"Li Jianguo?" Xiao Zhou keenly caught the name. "What about his employment documents? Does he have a photo and ID information?"

Old Zhou turned and pulled a yellowed employment form from the filing cabinet. The man in the photo looked remarkably like Ma Jianguo, except he had short hair and was much thinner than Ma Jianguo had been before his disappearance. The ID card information showed "Li Jianguo, born in 1978, native of Zhoukou, Henan," but Xiao Zhou immediately noticed a flaw—the first six digits of the ID number corresponded to Jingzhou, Hubei, which didn't match his native place of origin. "This ID card is fake," Xiao Zhou said definitively. "Take us to the machine repair workshop immediately and ask the workers who know him."

The machine repair shop was filled with the mixed smell of machine oil and rust. Huge machine tools were running at high speed, making the ground tingle slightly.