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

Chapter 1144 The Deceased Zhang Baoshan

The technical department's comparison results came out at 6:30 a.m. Zhang Baoshan's DNA profile matched the sample from the body found in the culvert perfectly at 16 STR loci, especially at the D13S317 locus (both had 11 repeats) and the D7S820 locus (both had 12 repeats), achieving a match rate of 99.99%. "His dental records show that his lower left second molar underwent root canal treatment," Xiao Li said, holding up the X-ray. "The forensic report mentioned a filling material in the same location on the deceased, with a completely identical morphology!"

A suppressed cheer erupted in the office. Zhou Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray overflowing with cigarette butts: "More than 2000 pieces of information, it wasn't all for nothing!" He counted the names of those eliminated. "Of these 20-plus suspects, six were from the fitness industry, but only Zhang Baoshan matched all the characteristics—height, age, time of disappearance, body markings, and the last place he was seen was near National Highway 339."

Xiao Zhou pulled up Zhang Baoshan's call log. The last call was at 7:23 PM on May 9th, from a number ending in 2345, registered under the name "Li Na." "This Li Na is his student," Xiao Li said, flipping through the gym's registration form. "She booked a private training session on May 9th at a coffee shop next to the national highway." Xiao Zhou stared at the coffee shop's location on the map; it was only 3 kilometers from the culvert where the body was found. "Notify Xiao Wang to go find this Li Na immediately!"

As morning light streamed through the window, illuminating the three characters "Zhang Baoshan," Xiao Zhou suddenly noticed his social media account. The latest post, published at 5 PM on May 9th, read: "7 PM tonight, at the 339 National Highway Cafe, meeting a special 'student'." The accompanying photo showed a steaming cup of coffee with a silhouette of a culvert printed on the coaster—strikingly similar to the culvert where the body was found.

“A special student?” Zhou Jianguo stroked his chin. “Could he be the murderer? He was lured to the vicinity of the national highway under the pretense of attending class, and then the crime was committed.” Xiao Zhou’s fingers tapped on the words “fitness coach”: “The gym owner said that Zhang Baoshan has recently been pursuing a female student, and has even had a conflict with another suitor because of it. That person seems to be an engineer and often hangs out near National Highway 339.”

As the first rays of sunlight pierced the roof of the office building, Xiao Zhou pasted Zhang Baoshan's photo in the center of the whiteboard, connecting it one by one with the clues found in the culvert using red lines: bruises covered in mud and sand, marks from restraints, rice and vegetables in his stomach… Each line coiled like a snake toward the hidden killer. "Notify Captain Li," he grabbed the walkie-talkie, his voice hoarse with excitement, "The deceased's identity confirmed: Zhang Baoshan, a fitness instructor, disappeared on the evening of May 9th, last seen at a coffee shop on National Highway 339!"

The coffee cups in the office were empty, and the ashtrays were piled high, but everyone's eyes shone with light. Looking out at the gradually brightening sky, Xiao Zhou suddenly remembered Zhang Baoshan's social media signature: "Life lies in movement." And that life, soaked in the culvert for days, finally found its own name among more than 2000 pieces of information, tearing open the first crack in this perplexing case.

The blinds in the Criminal Investigation Division's meeting room cut strips of morning light, falling on the red title page of "Murder Case in the 339 National Highway Culvert." Li Ming's enamel mug spun halfway across the table, tea stains spreading into a blurry map at the bottom. "Everyone's here, let's begin." His gaze swept over the officers present; each had a thick case file spread out before them. In the top crime scene photograph, Zhang Baoshan's figure, floating in the culvert, appeared bluish-white, his dark blue jacket resembling a faded ink blot in the murky water.

Xiao Yang stood up first, and a 3D model of the culvert immediately appeared on the projector screen, with a size 42 sneaker print highlighted in red. "There are three key traces extracted from the scene," he said, drawing an arc on the model with his laser pointer. "First, there's a drag mark from the culvert entrance to the body's location, 25 centimeters wide, containing the victim's DNA and silt components; second, the size 42 rubber-soled shoe print, with 20% greater pressure on the forefoot than the heel, a stride length of 75 centimeters, estimating a height of 170-175 centimeters and a steady gait; third, the dark blue nylon fibers remaining from the restraints, matching the width of the pale marks on the victim's wrists, indicating industrial binding ropes capable of supporting up to 500 kilograms." He suddenly pointed to a corner of the model, "Most crucially, the stone slab at the culvert entrance has fresh scratches on the edges, and the inside has rubber particles identical to the shoe print—indicating that the murderer deliberately covered the stone slab to conceal the traces, demonstrating a strong counter-surveillance awareness."

Zhang Lin opened the autopsy report, and the table estimating the time of death cast a shadow on the projector. "The deceased is Zhang Baoshan, and the time of death is estimated to be between 8 pm on May 9th and 2 am on May 10th," he circled the rectal temperature of 18°C ​​in red pen. "The 16°C water temperature slowed the decomposition process by 30%. Combined with the digestion status of the stomach contents—rice and vegetables were consumed 3-4 hours after a meal—the error after comprehensive correction is no more than 6 hours." He paused, pointing to the anatomical diagram of the wound on the left chest. "The fatal injury was asphyxiation caused by drowning, but the 4x5cm laceration on the head was a ante-mortem injury. The mud and sand in the wound cavity are consistent with the composition of the bottom of the culvert, indicating that he was struck by a blunt object before falling into the water."

Xiao Wang's notebook was covered with sticky notes, the top one reading "Zhang Tingfeng, male, 42 years old, road maintenance worker, no time to commit the crime." "The complainant confirmed that when the body was discovered on the morning of May 10th, the stone slab at the culvert entrance was placed from the outside," he tapped his pen on the words "the stone slab weighs approximately 30 kilograms," adding, "It would have required at least two people to move it, or one person with tools. He also mentioned seeing a man wearing a dark blue jacket and carrying a black backpack loitering near the culvert on May 8th, matching Zhang Baoshan's clothing characteristics, but at the time he thought he was a homeless person."

Xiao Zhou projected Zhang Baoshan's fitness instructor certificate onto the screen. The man in the photo was wearing a black bodysuit, and the mole behind his right ear was particularly noticeable under the flash. "43 years old, personal trainer at Sunshine Fitness Center, specializing in strength training," he pointed to the muscle lines in the photo. "His physical fitness is clearly superior to that of an average person. The murderer who subdued him likely also had a background in sports, or used a sneak attack." He suddenly pulled up Zhang Baoshan's call records. "The last call was at 7:23 pm on May 9th, the last four digits of the number were 2345, the owner was Li Na, his student, who had booked a personal training session at the 339 National Highway Cafe that evening."

The smoke in the meeting room gradually thickened. Veteran detective Zhou Jianguo stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray. "Could it be a romantic dispute?" His finger traced Li Na's name. "It's easy for a fitness instructor and a female student to develop an ambiguous relationship. Maybe someone saw them." Zhou immediately pulled up the gym's surveillance footage: "Li Na entered the coffee shop at 7:15 pm on May 9th and left alone at 7:40 pm. There's surveillance evidence; she didn't have time to commit the crime. But her testimony said that Zhang Baoshan received a phone call that evening and said he 'had a special student to see,' and left early."