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

Chapter 904 The Origin of Ecstasy

Xiao Zhang then asked, "Have you ever seen 'Scarface' in close contact with anyone? Or does he have a fixed place to stay?"

Sun Yinbiao shook his head: "He usually keeps to himself and rarely gets too close to anyone. As for where he stays, I really don't know. I only know that he seems to have a place to live outside the town, but I don't know the exact location."

The interrogation had reached a stalemate; Sun Yinbiao genuinely seemed to know nothing more about "Scarface." Li Ming and Xiao Zhang exchanged a glance and decided to temporarily halt the interrogation, allowing Sun Yinbiao to calm down and also to review the clues they currently had.

Stepping out of the interrogation room, Xiao Zhang looked dejected: "Captain Li, it seems Sun Yinbiao really doesn't know where 'Scarface' is. What are we going to do?"

Li Ming took a deep breath and said, "Don't be discouraged. Although Sun Yinbiao may not know the exact location of 'Scarface,' the clues he provided about the supply conflict are very important. Let's re-examine the situation and start tracing the source of the ecstasy to see if we can find 'Scarface's' trail."

Police conducted another thorough investigation of the slow-rock bar, focusing on the ecstasy supply channels. Through repeated questioning of the bar's staff and careful examination of Sun Yinbiao's ledgers, they finally uncovered some clues. It turned out that Wang Fugui and others' ecstasy supply came from a man nicknamed "Old Black," and "Old Black" seemed to have had contact with "Scarface."

Li Ming decided to investigate "Old Black". After a difficult investigation, the police finally found "Old Black's" hiding place. In a remote abandoned factory, the police arrested "Old Black".

After being brought to the Criminal Investigation Division, "Old Black" initially tried to deny it, but faced with the police's powerful psychological offensive and irrefutable evidence, he finally confessed to his relationship with "Scarface." "Scarface had approached me before, wanting to get goods from me, but I refused. Later, I heard that he and Wang Fugui had a huge fight over the source of the goods," "Old Black" said, trembling.

Li Ming pressed further, "Do you know where 'Scarface' is now?"

"Old Hei" hesitated for a moment and said, "I heard that he's hiding in an abandoned warehouse outside the town, and it seems he's plotting something big. I don't know the exact location, I only know it's in the mountains to the east."

With this lead, the police acted swiftly, heading towards the mountains east of the town in an attempt to find "Scarface".

The next day. Inside the Criminal Investigation Division, the atmosphere was heavy and oppressive. Scarface's whereabouts remained a mystery, and his identity was still unconfirmed, bringing the case to a standstill. However, another clue quietly emerged—the identity of the drug user among the three unidentified victims was finally confirmed. DNA testing revealed a match with Zhang Wei, who had disappeared a week earlier. Zhang Wei was unemployed and had a prior conviction for group drug use, for which he had been sentenced. This discovery rekindled the police's hope of solving the case, and the investigation shifted its focus to Zhang Wei's interpersonal relationships.

Li Ming quickly organized police forces to conduct a comprehensive investigation into Zhang Wei's life and social circle. They first went to Zhang Wei's dilapidated rented room on the outskirts of the city. The room was in a mess, with empty bottles and used syringes scattered all over the floor, and a pungent odor permeated the air. The officers carefully searched the room, hoping to find clues related to the case, such as communication records, letters, or photos with suspicious persons.

Underneath a pile of old newspapers, Officer Zhang found a tattered address book. Although the pages were yellowed and some of the writing was blurred, it contained numerous phone numbers. "Captain Li, look at this. Maybe we can find some useful clues from these numbers." Zhang excitedly handed the address book to Li Ming. Li Ming took it, a glimmer of hope in his eyes: "Okay, immediately arrange for someone to check these numbers and see who they belong to."

Police used technical means to verify the phone numbers in Zhang Wei's contact list one by one. Most of the numbers belonged to Zhang Wei's former drug addicts, and some were fellow inmates he met while serving time in prison. Li Ming decided to start his investigation by interviewing these people.

The first person they visited was Zheng Haiming, Zhang Wei's drug-using friend. Zheng Haiming lived in a dark, damp basement. When the police arrived, he looked flustered and his eyes darted around. "Zheng Haiming, we're investigating Zhang Wei's case. You two are quite close. Have you seen him recently?" Li Ming asked bluntly. Zheng Haiming swallowed hard and stammered, "I... I haven't seen him in a long time. We've both quit drugs and rarely keep in touch."

Xiao Zhang scoffed, "Quit drugs? The smell in your room doesn't suggest you've quit. You'd better tell me honestly, has Zhang Wei mentioned any recent troubles or conflicts with anyone?" Zheng Haiming was silent for a moment, knowing he couldn't hide it anymore, and sighed, "Zhang Wei told me a while ago that he was short of money and wanted to pull off another big heist. He met a guy named A Long, who said he had a way to make money, but he didn't say what it was."

Li Ming pressed further, "Do you know this Ah Long? What does he look like, and where does he live?" Zheng Haiming shook his head, "I don't know him. Zhang Wei never introduced him to me. I only know that he seems to associate with some thugs and looks pretty fierce."

After leaving Zheng Haiming's house, the police immediately went to the home of Zhang Wei's fellow inmate, Wang Hu. Wang Hu now works at a car repair shop and didn't show much resistance upon seeing the police. "Officer, I've heard about Zhang Wei's situation. He's had a tough life. We got along quite well in prison," Wang Hu said.

Li Ming asked, "Wang Hu, have you kept in touch with Zhang Wei since he was released from prison? Has he told you about his plans?" Wang Hu recalled, "We have kept in touch. He couldn't find a proper job after he was released, and he's having a hard time making ends meet. Some time ago, he said he met some new friends and they were doing some kind of 'business,' but he didn't explain what it was. I advised him not to go down the wrong path again, but he wouldn't listen."

Xiao Zhang pressed on, "Then do you know who these new friends he mentioned are? Is there anyone with a scar on their face?" Wang Hu frowned and thought for a moment, "A person with a scar on their face? I've never heard him mention that. However, he once said that he was in close contact with a guy called 'Brother Qiang,' and this 'Brother Qiang' seems to have some influence and is involved in the underworld."

As the investigation deepened, more and more clues pointed to suspicious individuals Zhang Wei had contact with before his death. Police continued their in-depth investigation, analyzing Zhang Wei's phone call records and social media chat logs, and discovered that he frequently contacted an unregistered phone number before his disappearance.

"This number is very suspicious; it's very likely the key person we're looking for. We need to intensify our technical tracking efforts and find out who uses this number."