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

Chapter 1223 Reports from All Parties at the Case Analysis Meeting

"The shoe print has a stride length of 70 centimeters, a stride width of 18 centimeters, and a stride angle of 2 degrees inward, which is completely consistent with the shoe print found near the well in the early stage. Moreover, the mud on the edge of the shoe print is consistent with the mud in the sewer. It is speculated that the suspect had stayed in the alley, possibly to observe the surrounding environment or to adjust the route for moving the body."

"Can we use technical means to find more relevant information about these fibers and rivets? For example, the suspect's DNA or vehicle traces?" Xiao Zhou couldn't help but ask. Xiao Yang nodded: "The technical department is conducting further tests on the oil residue on the fibers to see if we can pinpoint the specific excavator or repair shop; a small amount of skin tissue fragments were extracted from the surface of the rivets, which, according to preliminary testing, belong to male skin and do not match Zhang Dianquan's DNA. It is speculated that they were left when the suspect pulled on the jacket, but the sample size is small, making it difficult to extract complete DNA for typing, and it is still under further processing."

Next, Zhang Lin reported the autopsy results. He projected the autopsy report onto the screen, and the professional terminology was clearly presented to everyone: "The deceased was Zhang Dianquan, male, 32 years old. The time of death, based on comprehensive assessment, was between 8 PM and 10 PM on August 22nd. The criteria for this assessment include: rigor mortis had progressed to all joints, with the jaw, neck, and limbs reaching a stiffness level of 4. Combined with the ambient temperature (average 18°C ​​at night), this is consistent with the characteristics of rigor mortis 24-30 hours after death; the rectal temperature was 29.8°C. Based on the formula for rectal temperature decrease (0.83°C per hour after death), the time of death was calculated to be approximately 28 hours; the cornea was severely opaque, the pupil was completely invisible, and the lens was milky white, corresponding to a time of death of 24-36 hours; the stomach contents were semi-digested rice, meat, and vegetables, approximately 20ml. The edges of the rice grains were completely dissolved, and the muscle fibers of the meat were severely broken, suggesting that the last meal was 5-6 hours before death." The time frame matches perfectly with Zhang Dianquan's family's statement that he had dinner at home at 6 PM on the 22nd, further narrowing the time of death to between 8 PM and 9 PM on the 22nd.

"What was the cause of death? Were any fatal injuries or other abnormalities found?" Li Ming pressed, his gaze falling on the "Injury Analysis" section of the autopsy report. Zhang Lin pointed to the photograph in the report: "The deceased had a 4x2cm band of subcutaneous hemorrhage on his neck. The hemorrhage area was dark purplish-red in color, fading at the edges. There was bleeding in the subcutaneous tissue and deep layer of the sternocleidomastoid muscle. The muscle fibers were irregularly torn, consistent with the characteristics of strangulation marks caused by blunt force compression of the neck. The compressing object should be a band-shaped or sheet-like object, such as a belt or nylon rope. Both lungs were underexpanded, the lung tissue was dark red, with bleeding points at the edges, and a large amount of foamy fluid oozing from the cut surface. There were diffuse punctate hemorrhages under the epicardium, and a small number of hemorrhages on the left ventricular wall. These are all typical characteristics of death by mechanical asphyxiation. The cause of death can be determined to be mechanical asphyxiation caused by strangulation."

He added, "In addition, the deceased had a 3x3cm scalp hematoma on his left temporal region, and a trace of an old fracture healing on his left knee joint (consistent with the family's statement that he was injured in an excavator accident last year). There was a 2x0.5cm epidermal abrasion on the palm of his right hand, with irregular edges and a small amount of dirt and fiber, which is presumed to be a defensive injury caused by his palm bracing or scratching the ground during the struggle with the suspect. A small amount of skin tissue debris and black fibers were extracted from under his fingernails. The skin tissue was tested and found to be consistent with the male skin tissue type on the rivet. The fibers were consistent with the polyester fibers found in the sewer, further confirming that the suspect had a fierce struggle with Zhang Dianquan."

Xiao Wang then reported on the tracking of the black van. A vehicle trajectory map appeared on the screen, with the confirmed route marked by red dotted lines: "It has been confirmed that the vehicle driven by the suspect is a black Chang'an Star van, without license plates, with white scratches on the right side of the body, a deformed rear bumper, a faulty engine, and abnormal noise. Through surveillance tracking, the vehicle entered Jiefang West Road at 8:15 pm on August 22, stopped at the supermarket entrance for 3 minutes at 8:40 pm, appeared at the intersection of Binhe Road and Dongfeng Road at 9:05 pm, drove out of an unnamed alley at 9:20 pm, stopped at the logistics park entrance for 10 minutes at 9:40 pm, and then drove along an abandoned road towards the suburbs, where it disappeared."

"Any progress on the investigation in the suburbs? Can you determine the vehicle's final destination?" Li Ming asked. Xiao Wang's tone carried a hint of helplessness: "We visited three villages and two gas stations along the abandoned highway. Only one villager said he saw a black van drive by around 10 pm on the 22nd, heading south towards the mountains. However, the mountain roads are complex, there are no surveillance cameras, and the vehicle may have been hidden or destroyed. We haven't found any trace of it yet. In addition, we checked 127 Changan Star black vans in the city. Of them, 15 were without license plates or had counterfeit plates. We have ruled out 10 of them. The owners of the remaining 5 vehicles either have falsified information or are out of contact. We are contacting police in surrounding cities to assist in the investigation."

He paused, then added, "The logistics park security guards and merchants provided an important detail: when the suspect was driving the van, there was a silver Zippo lighter on the passenger seat, which was the same model as the lighter Zhang Dianquan carried. In addition, the suspect was wearing a mask and a baseball cap, was about 170-175cm tall, and of medium build, which perfectly matched the '170-175cm height' estimated earlier based on shoe prints. It is speculated that this suspect was the person who fought with Zhang Dianquan, and that he was the murderer who drove the van to dump the body."

Xiao Zhou then reported on the deceased's identity and related clues. He projected Zhang Dianquan's social network diagram onto the screen, marking key figures with red lines: "Through interviews, it was confirmed that Zhang Dianquan was an excavator operator with a mild personality and no obvious enemies. However, he had recently been helping his coworker, Liu, collect a debt—Liu owed someone 10 yuan and entrusted Zhang Dianquan to help collect it, promising a 5000 yuan commission. According to Zhang Dianquan's neighbors and coworkers, around 7 p.m. on the 22nd, Zhang Dianquan had an argument with a man wearing a black coat. The man threatened, 'Don't say anything here,' and then the two walked towards Jiefang West Road. The man's height and build basically match the characteristics of the suspect in the van, so it is speculated that he is the debt collector or Liu's accomplice."

"How is Liu doing now? Can you contact him?" Li Ming pressed. Xiao Zhou's expression turned serious: "We checked Liu's registered residence and workplace and found that he hasn't gone to work since August 22nd, his phone is switched off, and he has terminated his lease. He's out of contact. According to his landlord, on the afternoon of the 22nd, a man in a black coat came to see Liu, and the two argued in the room for a long time. After the man left, Liu packed his things and left. My speculation is that Liu may be related to the case, either as a participant or as someone controlled or silenced by the suspect."