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

Chapter 966: Suspect Basically Confirmed

When Lu Chuan led his team to search Zheng Jun's warehouse, the damp air was filled with the pungent smell of disinfectant. Hidden in a secret compartment at the bottom of the shelves were rubber gloves and a military shovel stained with coal ash; tests showed the coal ash composition was identical to that of the cellar where the crime occurred. More importantly, in a cardboard box in the corner, they found early childhood education books for babies, with the words "For my unborn nephew" scrawled on the title page.

In the interrogation room, Zheng Jun sat with his legs crossed, his boots tapping rhythmically on the floor: "Su Man and I are just ordinary friends. I only helped her move things a few times." His gaze swept over the clock on the wall. "As for those gloves, everyone who works in the warehouse has them. Coal ash? Who knows if they came from some construction site."

The air in the interrogation room seemed to be compressed by an invisible weight, and the faint crackling of the incandescent bulbs was particularly jarring in the silence. Lu Chuan slammed the surveillance screenshot onto the iron table in front of Zheng Jun. The scratches on the black SUV in the photo were clearly visible, like hideous scars.

"On the morning of July 15th, your car appeared near Beihong Village." Lu Chuan's voice was deep and powerful, like a heavy hammer striking Zheng Jun's nerves. "On the same day, Su Man's mobile phone disappeared for three hours at the Chengxi base station, and during that time, your car's GPS showed that you were on your way to Beihong Village."

Zheng Jun leaned back in the interrogation chair, his hands cuffed to the table, yet he remained nonchalant. He raised an eyebrow, a cold smile playing on his lips, his eyes full of provocation: "Can't I have taken the wrong road when I went to the countryside to collect mountain goods that day?" His Adam's apple bobbed, while his right hand discreetly reached into his pocket, where he concealed a pre-prepared instruction manual for antidepressants. He planned to tear open the package, feign an epileptic seizure, and thus delay the interrogation.

Lu Chuan crossed his arms, his eyes blazing as he stared intently at Zheng Jun's every move: "Zheng Jun, stop playing dumb. The scratches on your car match those in the photos perfectly. You can call that a coincidence?"

“Officer, there are plenty of similar cars in this world.” Zheng Jun shrugged, his eyes gleaming. “Besides, you think you can convict me based on just a blurry photo? I bet you can’t find the real culprit and are just trying to make me a scapegoat.” He deliberately raised his voice, his tone full of sarcasm.

Xiao Wang clenched his fists in anger, about to retort, when the interrogation room door creaked open. Xiao Sun strode in, his tablet screen lit up, a confident expression on his face: "Zheng Jun, your mother's payment records at Ren'ai Hospital show that she received a remittance of 200,000 yuan on July 14th. The remitter is..." He deliberately dragged out his words, his gaze sweeping over Zheng Jun's face.

Zheng Jun's face turned pale instantly, and fine beads of cold sweat appeared on his forehead, but he still tried to remain calm: "So what? It's normal for friends to help each other transfer money. Is that illegal?" His voice was visibly trembling, no longer as arrogant as before.

"Coincidentally, your mother underwent heart bypass surgery immediately after the money arrived," Xiao Sun continued, each word like a sharp blade. "And this money was transferred from Su Man's private account. Your relationship with Su Man is probably more than just that of ordinary friends, isn't it?"

Zheng Jun's breathing became rapid. He tugged at his collar, trying to calm himself down: "Su Man and I are just business partners. She took pity on me and was willing to help. Is that wrong? Stop making wild guesses."

Seeing that the time was right, Lu Chuan took out another photo and gently placed it on the table. It was a photo of Su Man's son, the child's innocent smile contrasting sharply with the oppressive atmosphere in the interrogation room: "The father's column on the child's birth certificate is blank. But the baby clothes we found in your warehouse are exactly the same size as what the child is wearing now. You regularly pick up the child from kindergarten every Wednesday, and the teachers all think you are the child's uncle."

"That's because it's not easy for Su Man to raise a child alone. As a friend, I was just helping out!" Zheng Jun suddenly became agitated, stood up abruptly, but was pulled back down into his chair by the handcuffs. "Don't try to pin the blame on me. I didn't do anything!"

"Still being stubborn!" Xiao Wang couldn't help but slam his fist on the table. "All the evidence points to you, and you still won't admit it?"

Zheng Jun gritted his teeth, his eyes filled with stubbornness: "Evidence? All you have are some baseless rumors! If you have the ability, produce solid evidence to prove that I killed someone, otherwise, I will not admit it!" He stuck out his neck, looking like a dead pig that is not afraid of boiling water. The interrogation was temporarily deadlocked, and the air was filled with a tense atmosphere.

Faced with this situation, the police did not press Lu Chuan and his team further and decided to temporarily suspend the interrogation.

Currently, there is no conclusive evidence to prove that Zheng Jun and Su Man killed Li Qingmin.

Although the clues discovered so far suggest that the other party is likely the murderer, there is no direct evidence. In homicide investigations, without direct evidence or a conclusive chain of evidence, the principle of "presumption of innocence" still applies in this case.

After returning to his office and thinking about it, Lu Chuan decided to hold a meeting to discuss the issue and come up with a solution.

The atmosphere in the Criminal Investigation Division's conference room was so tense it felt like you could wring water out of it. The central air conditioning whirred, but couldn't dispel the palpable anxiety in the air. Lu Chuan stood in front of the whiteboard, his marker repeatedly tracing the names "Su Man" and "Zheng Jun," trying to find the crack that could pierce their psychological defenses.

“We are now facing two extremely formidable opponents.” Lu Chuan turned to face everyone, his gaze sweeping over every tired yet resolute face in the conference room. “Zheng Jun has a criminal record for violent crimes and strong counter-surveillance capabilities; Su Man is meticulous and adept at disguise. They are like two old trees with intertwined roots, relying on each other and covering each other up.”

Zhang Lin adjusted his glasses and flipped through the thick autopsy report and physical evidence analysis data: "From a physical evidence perspective, although we have some circumstantial evidence, we still lack conclusive evidence to convict them. The coal ash and gloves in Zheng Jun's warehouse, and Su Man's unusual behavior at the time of the case—these can all be reasonably explained by them when taken individually." He projected an enlarged cosmetic ingredient test report onto the large screen, "Just like the cosmetic and baby powder residue under Li Qingmin's fingernails, Su Man could easily say that they were left from everyday contact."