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

Chapter 1496 The Truth About Zheng Guobin's Death Revealed

"Does your sister, Tian Yajuan, know that you are going to kill Zheng Guobin? Was she involved in this?" Xiao Li asked.

Tian Liang quickly shook his head and said urgently, "I don't know, my sister has no idea about this! I never told her I was going to kill Zheng Guobin, because I was afraid she would worry and stop me. She kept advising me not to do anything foolish, to let go of past grievances, and to live a good life. If she knew I had killed someone, she would be very sad."

"Then why did you take Zheng Guobin's warehouse key?" Xiao Zhou asked again.

“I was thinking that I might go back to the warehouse to see if there were any other valuables, so I took the key.” Tian Liang said with his head down and a guilty tone. “Now that I think about it, I was really stupid. I did so many wrong things, which not only hurt myself but also my sister. I’m sorry to her and to Zheng Guobin’s family.”

Silence fell again in the interrogation room. Tian Liang leaned back in his chair, staring blankly at the ceiling, his face streaked with tears of remorse. He knew his crimes were irreparable, and he would face the full force of the law. Xiao Zhou and Xiao Li finished compiling the interrogation notes and led Tian Liang out of the interrogation room.

As Tian Liang stepped out of the interrogation room, he glanced back in its direction, his eyes filled with despair and resentment. He thought of his sister, of the grudges of the past years, of Zheng Guobin's dying gaze, and his heart was filled with regret. If he had been able to let go of his hatred and face things calmly, perhaps everything would have been different. But there's no going back; he could only pay a heavy legal price for his actions.

After Tian Liang was detained in the detention center, Xiao Zhou immediately reported the interrogation results to Li Ming. After listening to the report, Li Ming let out a long sigh of relief, a weary yet relieved expression on his face. "Thank you for your hard work. We've finally figured out the whole story," Li Ming said. "Next, organize all the evidence, complete the chain of evidence, and transfer the case for review and prosecution as soon as possible, giving the deceased and his family an explanation."

"Yes!" Xiao Zhou nodded in response.

Afterwards, Xiao Zhou led his team to Tian Yajuan's home and told her about Tian Liang's crime. Upon hearing the news, Tian Yajuan collapsed to the ground, heartbroken. "It's all my fault, all my fault! If I had been able to persuade him properly and not let him hold a grudge against Zheng Guobin, he wouldn't have ended up like this," Tian Yajuan cried. "I'm so sorry to him, and I'm so sorry to Zheng Guobin. I've ruined both of them."

Xiao Zhou quickly stepped forward to help Tian Yajuan up and comforted her, saying, "Ms. Tian, ​​don't blame yourself too much. This isn't your fault. It was Tian Liang who acted impulsively and committed an unforgivable crime. He has realized his mistake and is very regretful. You need to take good care of yourself; you still have a long road ahead of you."

Tian Yajuan leaned against the wall, tears streaming down her face, repeatedly murmuring, "My brother, my brother..."

Meanwhile, the laboratory completed in-depth testing of all trace evidence, and all the evidence matched Tian Liang's confession, forming a complete chain of evidence. The murder weapon, a woodworking knife, a bloodstained jacket, footprints at the scene, DNA comparison results, cigarette butts, bank cards, and other physical evidence all irrefutably proved Tian Liang's guilt in committing the crime.

Tian Liang paused for a moment, then suddenly realized: "Yes, there was blood. I was squatting here smoking, my hand resting on the reeds next to me. When I stood up, I noticed blood on my palm. Looking up, I saw bloodstains on several reed stalks as well." He pointed to a few reeds, "These are the ones. The blood hadn't dried yet; it was bright red. I was so scared that I quickly wiped the blood off my hands with my sleeve. I even thought about breaking the reeds to take with me, but I was afraid of making too much noise and being discovered, so I didn't dare to move. I could only pretend I didn't see anything and leave quickly." This statement perfectly matched the forensic doctor Zhang Lin's examination conclusion—the bloodstains on the reed stalks were splattered and had not been deliberately disturbed, consistent with the panicked scene described by Tian Liang.

"You dragged the body from the warehouse to here, what specific route did you take? Did you stop along the way?" Li Ming took over the question, his eyes fixed on Tian Liang. This was key to reconstructing the crime's trajectory, and also the point where Tian Liang had been vague during the previous interrogation. Tian Liang turned and looked towards the warehouse, pointing to a path covered in weeds, saying, "I took this path. After leaving the warehouse, I walked south along this path, then turned east at the riverbank, and that's where this reed patch came from." He paused, then added, "I stopped once, about three meters from here, by that bluestone over there."

The group followed Tian Liang to the bluestone, the very same bluestone where the sharp object scratches had been discovered during the on-site investigation. "Why did we stop here?" Xiao Sun immediately asked, simultaneously taking pictures of the scratches on the bluestone. Tian Liang looked down at the scratches and said in a low voice, "Dragging was too strenuous. Zheng Guobin was heavier than I expected, and I simply couldn't pull him anymore, so I leaned his body against the bluestone and rested for about a minute or two." He reached out and touched the scratches on the bluestone. "I placed the woodworking knife on the bluestone, handle down, blade up. It probably wasn't placed securely, and the blade slipped, leaving two marks on the stone. I didn't pay attention at the time, and after resting, I picked up the knife and continued dragging the body."

This detail perfectly corroborated the conclusions of the on-site investigation and forensic examination—the two parallel scratches on the bluestone were caused by a single-edged sharp object, and the metal residue matched the material of Tian Liang's woodworking knife. Xiao Yang took out a tape measure and measured the distance from the bluestone to the reeds; it was exactly three meters, consistent with Tian Liang's account. "While you were resting, did you notice any reaction from the body? For example, was it still breathing?" Xiao Zhou pressed, as this was crucial for accurately determining the time of death.

Tian Liang shook his head, his eyes filled with complex emotions: "I didn't dare get close to look at him at the time. I just kicked him once, and he didn't move at all. Blood was still flowing from his chest, so I knew he was definitely not going to survive. Now that I think about it, he might not have completely stopped breathing yet, because when I dragged him, I felt his arm move slightly. I was so scared that I quickly sped up, afraid that he would suddenly wake up." Forensic doctor Zhang Lin had previously determined that Zheng Guobin's time of death was between 2 and 3 a.m., and that the dragging occurred during the dying period or shortly after death. Tian Liang's confession precisely confirms this conclusion—the slight limb reaction during the dying period is completely consistent with the characteristics of the abrasions and contusions on the body's surface.