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

Chapter 1250 Suspect Zhou Ming

"Through interviews with Zhang Haibin's family, colleagues, and the villagers he served, we have identified three key points of connection. First, a work dispute—on August 15, when Zhang Haibin was repairing a tractor for Li Dahai, a villager in a western township, a dispute arose between them over the repair cost. Li Dahai believed that the charge was 'too high,' refused to pay, and threatened, 'I'll make you regret this.' The two almost came to blows, but the dispute was resolved after other villagers intervened."

"Secondly, there's competition from other businesses—Zhou Ming, a farm machinery repairman from a neighboring town, has recently been stealing Zhang Haibin's customers multiple times. When the two met at the farm machinery station on August 18th, Zhou Ming said, 'If you keep blocking my business, I'll cut off your livelihood.' According to staff at the farm machinery station, the two have had a grudge for half a year, and Zhou Ming even secretly altered Zhang Haibin's repair appointment records." Xiao Zhou paused for a moment, then pulled up Zhou Ming's information: "Zhou Ming is 173cm tall, owns a black motorcycle with horizontal stripes on the tires, consistent with the type of track found at the scene, and he has a history of being convicted of intentional assault and has violent tendencies."

"Thirdly, a personal grudge—Zhang Haibin's wife, Liu Min, reported that on the evening of August 19th, Zhang Haibin received a call from an unknown number. The caller claimed to need 'urgent tractor repairs' and asked him to meet at the Shanlin Agricultural Machinery Station at 3:00 AM on August 20th. Zhang Haibin agreed without much thought and even prepared his toolbox beforehand, but he never returned." Xiao Zhou's expression turned serious. "We suspect that this 'unknown caller' is the suspect, who used 'repairs' as an excuse to lure Zhang Haibin to the meeting before committing the crime. We are currently working with the mobile operator to restore the call records and trace the source of the number."

"Have you investigated Zhou Ming and Li Dahai's whereabouts? Did they have the opportunity to commit the crime?" Li Ming pressed. Xiao Zhou nodded: "We have arranged for our team to conduct a preliminary verification: Li Dahai was sleeping at home from 1 a.m. to 5 a.m. on August 20th, and his wife can testify to this, so he had no time to commit the crime; Zhou Ming was on duty at the repair shop from 11 p.m. on August 19th to 5 a.m. on August 20th, which is recorded by surveillance cameras, but the cameras malfunctioned for one hour from 3 a.m. to 4 a.m., so it cannot be confirmed whether he left the repair shop. In addition, his motorcycle was found parked in front of the repair shop at 6 a.m. on August 20th, with a small amount of black soil on the body, so we cannot rule out him as a suspect at this time."

After the report, a brief silence fell over the meeting room as everyone sorted through the connections between the clues. Li Ming broke the silence first: "Now all the clues point to one core point—the suspect lured Zhang Haibin to the meeting place in the early morning of August 20th under the pretext of 'emergency repairs.' A conflict ensued near the mountain agricultural machinery station, where the suspect first struck Zhang Haibin on the head with a blunt object, then stabbed him in the lung with a single-edged sharp object, causing his death. He then drove a motorcycle to a gentle slope to dump the body, leaving behind traces of a lighter and canvas fibers. The suspect is 170-175cm tall, male, familiar with mountain routes and the agricultural machinery industry, had a work-related or personal conflict with Zhang Haibin, and may possess a single-edged sharp object and a black motorcycle."

“I agree with Captain Li’s assessment,” Xiao Yang continued. “The key issue right now is Zhou Ming – he has the motive to compete with his peers, the means to do so, a black motorcycle, a suspicious hour of monitoring malfunction, and his height and build match the suspect’s characteristics. I suggest focusing on investigating his motorcycle, testing whether the black soil on the body matches the composition of forest soil, and also retrieving his call records to see if they are related to Zhang Haibin’s ‘unknown call’.”

Xiao Wang offered additional suggestions: "We can expand the scope of our investigation into 'unknown calls' to include not only the number registration information but also all numbers that had calls with Zhang Haibin on the evening of August 19, especially temporary numbers without real-name registration. In addition, the malfunction of the surveillance system at Zhou Ming's repair shop is too coincidental. We suggest that the technical department restore the surveillance data for the period of the malfunction to see if we can find any trace of his departure."

"Based on the autopsy results, the suspect's modus operandi was clearly premeditated—luring the suspect in advance, carrying two types of weapons, cleaning up the scene after disposing of the body by breaking the watch chain, and emptying the pockets. However, the defensive injuries sustained during the struggle indicate that Zhang Haibin's resistance exceeded expectations, which may have led to the suspect's injury," Zhang Lin added. "It is recommended to investigate whether Zhou Ming, Li Dahai, and others have any medical records of external injuries after August 20th. At the same time, we should expand the scope of DNA comparison, comparing Zhou Ming's DNA with the lighter at the scene and the skin tissue fragments under Zhang Haibin's fingernails. This is the most direct evidence."

Xiao Zhou suggested starting with Zhang Haibin's tool bag: "Zhang Haibin's black canvas tool bag was not found at the scene, so it is speculated that it was taken away or discarded by the suspect. The tool bag contains repair tools such as wrenches and screwdrivers, and may also contain the suspect's fingerprints or DNA. It is recommended to organize police forces to search abandoned factories, rivers, and garbage dumps around the mountains, focusing on looking for the black canvas bag or similar repair tools. At the same time, check the surrounding scrap recycling stations to prevent the suspect from selling the tools and destroying evidence."

After listening to everyone's analysis, Li Ming drew four core investigative directions on the whiteboard, circling the keywords "Zhou Ming" and "unknown caller ID" in red: "Group 1, led by Xiao Zhou, is responsible for an in-depth investigation of Zhou Ming—verifying the cause of the surveillance malfunction, testing the composition of the motorcycle's mud, comparing DNA samples, and checking for external injury records. At the same time, they must trace the source of the 'unknown caller ID' number and confirm Zhou Ming's suspicion within 24 hours. Group 2, led by Xiao Wang, expands the scope of the toolkit search, collaborates with the surrounding township police stations, and conducts a thorough search of abandoned areas and river channels within 5 kilometers of the mountains and forests. They also visit small shops to check recent sales records of 'grind-type lighters.' Group 3, led by Xiao Yang, follows up on the key tests conducted by the technical department—the lighter's DNA, the source of the canvas fiber, and the matching of the lubricant type—ensuring that the test results are issued first. Group 4, contacts the agricultural machinery company, reviews Zhang Haibin's repair records for the past six months, and investigates other villagers or colleagues with whom there are conflicts to avoid overlooking potential suspects."

He emphasized, “'Verifying Zhou Ming’s suspicion' and 'tracing the unknown caller’s trail' are the most urgent tasks at present. The two teams must work simultaneously and share information. Zhang Haibin’s toolbox is also a key piece of evidence. Finding the toolbox may directly pinpoint the murder weapon and the suspect’s traces. Everyone must stay focused and strive to break through the case in the shortest possible time to give Zhang Haibin’s family an explanation.”

Sunlight streamed through the blinds, casting long, thin patches of light on the conference table. Xiao Zhou posted Zhou Ming's photo and the call time from the "unknown caller" on the whiteboard. In the photo, Zhou Ming, dressed in dark overalls, had sharp eyes, bearing a resemblance to the blurry figure in the surveillance footage. "We will verify Zhou Ming's suspicion as quickly as possible, leaving no detail overlooked," Xiao Zhou said firmly, and everyone present nodded in agreement.