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

Chapter 858 Clues from Wang Juan's Investigation

Qin Chuan stood up, walked to the window, looked at the street scene outside, and said, "This case has been going on for some time, and public attention is gradually increasing. We must speed up the process of solving the case. In the process of investigating the interpersonal relationship between Li Zhaokai and Wang Juan, we must pay attention to the methods and approaches, and avoid alerting them. We cannot slacken our efforts in investigating Chen Jianfeng's movements, and we should strive to find clues related to the 'trouble' he mentioned as soon as possible."

Li Ming responded firmly, "Director Qin, rest assured, we will do our utmost. I'm worried that the investigation might stall again. Do you think we should look for breakthroughs from other angles as well?"

Qin Chuan turned around, his gaze firm: "Okay. On the one hand, continue to dig deeper into the existing clues; on the other hand, review the previous investigation results to see if there are any omissions. In addition, mobilize the masses and post reward notices around the crime scene to encourage the public to provide clues. You might get some unexpected results."

Li Ming nodded in agreement: "Okay, Director Qin. I'll arrange it right away. There's another question. Regarding Zhao Jianguo, although he denies any involvement in the murder, could his act of stealing and reselling plastic pellets be potentially related to this case?"

Qin Chuan returned to his desk, sat down, and said, "That's also possible. We can't let our guard down with Zhao Jianguo's case. We need to continue investigating his activities before and after the incident to see if we can find any connections with Chen Jianfeng. At the same time, we should also conduct another in-depth investigation into his social relationships; we might discover new clues."

Li Ming wrote down Qin Chuan's instructions one by one and said, "Director Qin, I understand. I'll go organize the officers to begin their work."

The Criminal Investigation Division's surveillance of Li Zhaokai had been ongoing for several days, but progress was slow, like being stuck in a quagmire. The officers responsible for the surveillance remained vigilant day and night, closely monitoring Li Zhaokai's every move. Their investigation of his phone records revealed only conversations with coworkers about work and casual chats with family; there were no suspicious contacts or unusual call durations. His interpersonal relationships were also quite normal; aside from working in the vineyard, he occasionally met with a few familiar coworkers, and there were no instances of private contact with strangers. Regarding financial transactions, bank records showed that his income mainly came from his vineyard wages, and his expenses were mostly basic living costs, with no large, unexplained transactions. Although the police hadn't given up on investigating Li Zhaokai, the possibility of directly breaking the case through him seemed increasingly slim.

In stark contrast, the investigation into Wang Juan took a crucial turn. Police delved deeper into Wang Juan's social life, discovering that her romantic relationships were far more complex than initially thought. Chen Jianfeng wasn't the only man Wang Juan was involved with; she also maintained close contact with two other men. Further investigation revealed that Wang Juan had no stable job or fixed income; her daily expenses, including food, clothing, and entertainment, all depended entirely on the generosity of these men. This discovery made the police realize that behind Wang Juan's complex romantic relationships might lie crucial clues to the case.

To gather more information, the police turned their investigation towards Wang Juan's neighbors. Officers Xiao Zhao and Lao Qian went door-to-door in Wang Juan's neighborhood. After knocking on the door of Grandpa Zhang, Wang Juan's neighbor across the hall, Grandpa Zhang warmly welcomed them inside.

Xiao Zhao politely began, "Hello, Uncle Zhang! We are police officers investigating a case and would like to ask you about Wang Juan, who lives across the street from you. Do you usually have a lot of contact with her?"

Mr. Zhang adjusted his reading glasses and said, "Officer, I often see Wang Juan, but she's a very mysterious person and doesn't usually interact with us neighbors."

Old Qian then asked, "Have you noticed anything unusual about Wang Juan's house recently? For example, have you heard any strange noises or seen any unfamiliar people coming and going?"

Grandpa Zhang pondered for a moment, then suddenly slapped his thigh: "That's right! About ten days ago, I remember it very clearly, that night I was just about to rest when I heard a loud argument coming from Wang Juan's house."

Xiao Zhao's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Uncle Zhang, can you hear what they're arguing about? Who are they arguing with?"

Grandpa Zhang shook his head. "I couldn't quite hear what they were arguing about, but it sounded really loud. I also heard things being smashed or hit, like they were fighting. But I didn't dare open the door to check. In this day and age, it's better to avoid trouble."

Old Qian pressed on, "Did you see anyone come out of her house? Or did you notice how long the argument lasted?"

Mr. Zhang recalled, "I didn't see anyone come out, so I listened through the door. They argued for quite a while, probably more than ten minutes. Then the noise gradually subsided, and I thought they had finished arguing, so I didn't pay any more attention."

Xiao Zhao pressed on, "Uncle Zhang, judging from the voices, do you think it was a man or a woman arguing with Wang Juan? How many voices were there?"

Grandpa Zhang frowned and thought for a moment, "It should be a man's voice. I heard a man shouting loudly, while Wang Juan's voice was softer, as if she was arguing about something. I'm not sure exactly how many people were there, but it felt like the man was the one who was mainly getting angry."

From Xiao Zhao and Lao Qian's perspective, Grandpa Zhang's eyes were focused and his expression serious as he recounted the events of that night, clearly indicating that he had a deep impression of what happened. After asking him questions, Xiao Zhao and Lao Qian thanked Grandpa Zhang and hurriedly left with this important clue.

Back at the police station, Xiao Zhao and Lao Qian reported the clues they had obtained from Grandpa Zhang to Li Ming in detail. After listening, Li Ming fell into deep thought: "A little over ten days ago, the day before Chen Jianfeng died, an argument and fight broke out at Wang Juan's house. This is no coincidence. It seems we need to intensify our investigation into Wang Juan and her partners. First, we need to find out who the man who argued with Wang Juan was—was it one of her other two partners, or someone else? At the same time, we need to thoroughly investigate the emotional entanglements and vested interests between Wang Juan and these men; perhaps we can find a breakthrough in the case."

Police officers acted swiftly, further screening Wang Juan's communication records and analyzing surveillance footage to identify a man, Song Baodong, who had been frequently in contact with Wang Juan before the incident. Song Baodong's identity was quickly confirmed; he was a self-employed businessman who had been seeing Wang Juan for several months and had provided her with financial support on several occasions.

The police decided to summon Song Baodong. When Song Baodong was brought to the police station, he appeared slightly flustered but still tried to remain calm. Li Ming and another interrogator sat opposite him, their eyes sharp.