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

Chapter 1248 Organizing Case Analysis and Discussion

"Xiao Chen, contact the contacts of the other eight leads to confirm the detailed information of their missing family members and rule them out as suspects; the rest of you, continue to organize Zhang Haibin's relevant information to see if there is any other related information."

Xiao Li immediately dialed Liu Min's number. The phone rang for a long time before being answered. Liu Min's voice was sleepy and anxious: "Hello? Who is this?"

"Hello, we are from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division. We would like to inquire about your husband, Zhang Haibin," Xiao Li said, trying to soften her tone. "When he left home on the morning of August 20th, was he wearing a dark long-sleeved shirt and dark trousers? Did he carry any items with him?"

Liu Min on the other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds, then her voice suddenly became choked up: "Yes... He went out to repair the tractor that day, wearing his usual dark blue work clothes, and carrying a black canvas tool bag with wrenches, screwdrivers and other repair tools. He was wearing a stainless steel watch chain on his wrist, which I gave him for our tenth wedding anniversary, and it had a small square decoration on it."

These details perfectly matched the deceased's characteristics—dark clothing, a canvas tool bag, canvas fibers found under the deceased's fingernails (possibly originating from this area), and stainless steel chains—chain remnants were found at the scene. Xiao Zhou instructed Xiao Li to continue questioning: "Has Zhang Haibin been sick recently? Has he taken ibuprofen? Where exactly is the tractor repair shop located in the mountains?"

“He had a bit of a cold a few days ago and said he had a headache. He’s been taking ibuprofen,” Liu Min’s voice grew increasingly agitated. “The farm machinery station is at the intersection west of the mountain forest, not far from where you said the body was found. Have you found him? Has something happened to him?”

Xiao Zhou took the phone and gently reassured her, "Ms. Liu, please don't get agitated. We need to verify further. Could you please provide a recent photo of Zhang Haibin? Also, we need to collect your DNA sample to compare with the deceased's DNA in order to finally confirm his identity."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Min quickly sent Zhang Haibin a photo—in the photo, Zhang Haibin was wearing dark blue overalls, and the stainless steel watch chain on his wrist was clearly visible, matching the material and style of the chain found at the scene. Subsequently, Xiao Zhou arranged for team members to collect DNA samples from Liu Min's home, and simultaneously contacted the technical department to prioritize comparison.

The verification of the other eight leads was also underway simultaneously. Team member Xiao Chen made eight phone calls in a row, confirming the information one by one: "The missing person you mentioned, Li Jianguo, is 168cm tall, 4cm shorter than the deceased, so he's ruled out; Wang Jianjun went missing on August 18th, two days before his death, and his last known location was in the city, so he's ruled out; Zhao Weidong doesn't have the habit of wearing metal chains, so he's ruled out..."

At 3 a.m., all eight leads had been verified and were ruled out due to discrepancies in height, time, and characteristics. At this time, the technical department reported: "Liu Min's DNA sample matches the deceased's DNA sample with a 99.99% match, confirming the deceased is Zhang Haibin!"

Upon hearing the news, the team members in the office breathed a sigh of relief, and smiles appeared on their tired faces. "Finally found it!" Xiao Li slumped into a chair, rubbing his aching shoulders. "This all-nighter wasn't in vain."

“Yes,” Xiao Chen took out his phone and sent a message to his wife to let her know he was safe. “This will give Zhang Haibin’s family an explanation and comfort his soul in heaven.”

Looking at Zhang Haibin's information on the screen, Xiao Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief. From 8 PM to 3 AM, seven hours of arduous investigation, sifting through over 1000 pieces of information, finally confirmed the deceased's identity. He picked up the phone and reported to Li Ming: "Team Leader Li, the deceased's identity has been confirmed. It's Zhang Haibin, a 45-year-old technician from the Municipal Agricultural Machinery Company. He went missing on the morning of August 20th while repairing a tractor near the mountains. The time of death is slightly different from 2-4 AM on August 20th; perhaps the family misremembered the departure time, or Zhang Haibin left earlier for an appointment. Next, we can investigate Zhang Haibin's social relationships and work dealings to find clues about the suspect."

Li Ming's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with relief: "Great! Thank you for your hard work. Now that we've confirmed their identities, we have a clear direction for the investigation. Please arrange for the team to rest for a few hours, and we'll hold a meeting at 7 a.m. to plan the next steps."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Zhou looked at his team members, who were tired but excited, and said, "Everyone, go back and rest. We'll have a meeting at 7 a.m. sharp. Thank you all for your hard work today. Without your perseverance, we wouldn't have been able to confirm their identities so quickly."

The team members stood up and packed their things to leave. Xiao Zhao walked up to Xiao Zhou and said with a smile, "Team Leader Zhang, next time we have this kind of work, can we apply for some late-night snack allowance? We've been surviving on instant coffee and instant noodles all night, and our stomachs are protesting."

Xiao Zhou patted him on the shoulder with a smile: "No problem, I'll ask Captain Li to help us get more benefits. Go back and rest, we have a tough battle to fight tomorrow."

The streets were unusually quiet in the early morning, and the team members disappeared into the night. Xiao Zhou stood in his office, watching the first light of dawn appear outside the window. He knew that confirming the deceased's identity was only the beginning. As an agricultural machinery technician, Zhang Haibin had daily contact with many villagers and colleagues; his death was likely related to work disputes and personal grudges. The stainless steel watch chain, the canvas fibers, and the ibuprofen purchase record would all become crucial clues in the subsequent investigation.

At this time, forensic doctor Zhang Lin also received the news that the deceased's identity had been confirmed. Looking at the words "deceased: Zhang Haibin" on the autopsy report, he immediately added a new analysis: "Zhang Haibin's agricultural machinery repair tool bag may have been taken away by the suspect. The wrenches, screwdrivers and other items in the tool bag may become supplementary clues for the tools used in the crime. It is recommended to focus on investigating the abandoned factories and waterways in the surrounding area to look for the tool bag that may have been discarded."

The lights of the Criminal Investigation Division still shone brightly in the early morning darkness. Xiao Zhou organized Zhang Haibin's file, highlighting keywords such as "social relationships," "work dealings," and "recent disputes," preparing for tomorrow's meeting. He knew that as long as he followed these clues, he would eventually find Zhang Haibin's murderer, give the deceased and his family a just explanation, and expose the evil hidden deep in the mountains.

At 7 a.m. on August 28, as soon as the door to the Criminal Investigation Detachment's conference room was opened, a strong aroma of coffee wafted out. On the long conference table, the case files for Zhang Haibin were neatly stacked, from forensic autopsy reports to crime scene photos to missing persons verification records, each document marked with key information on sticky notes.