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

Chapter 1276 Thorough Investigation of Zhao Baotian's Interpersonal Relationships

Although the suspect has not yet been completely identified, as the investigation into Zhao Baotian's interpersonal relationships deepens and various pieces of evidence are compared, the crimes hidden in the underground parking lot of the Oriental Building will soon be exposed in the closed loop of the evidence chain, and Zhao Baotian's spirit in heaven will finally receive justice, albeit belatedly.

After the case analysis meeting, Xiao Wang and three team members immediately began a thorough investigation into Zhao Baotian's interpersonal relationships. As per the meeting's plan, "family conflicts," "family feuds," and "work-related connections" were the three core areas of investigation, each potentially holding crucial information pointing to the suspect. Xiao Wang divided the team into three groups: one group visited Zhao Baotian's family to uncover potential internal conflicts; the second group contacted Zhao Baotian's classmates and relatives to understand his past relationships; and the third group was stationed at "Fashion Hair Salon" to review recent customer information, focusing on customers with a history of conflict.

First stop: Zhao Baotian's home — the hidden story behind family conflicts

At 10 a.m., Xiao Wang arrived at Zhao Baotian's home in the south of the city. Zhao Baotian's wife, Liu Fang, was sitting on the sofa, clutching her husband's photo, her eyes red-rimmed. Seeing Xiao Wang and his group, she forced back tears and stood up: "Officer, have you found any clues? Baotian... who killed him?"

"We are investigating with all our might. We came here today to find out if Zhao Baotian has had any conflicts with his family recently, or if he has mentioned anything that has worried him." Xiao Wang handed over a glass of warm water, trying to keep his tone gentle.

Liu Fang took the cup, her fingers trembling slightly: "He is introverted and rarely tells me his worries, but for the past month, he has been suffering from insomnia, tossing and turning in the middle of the night. When I asked him what was wrong, he would say, 'Business at the shop is not good, and the landlord wants to raise the rent again, so I'm under a lot of pressure.' One time, I got up in the middle of the night and heard him on the balcony making a phone call. He sounded very agitated, as if he was arguing with someone. When I asked him who he was talking to, he said it was an 'old customer, talking about something,' and didn't say anything more."

"Did he mention the names 'Zhang Jianjun' or 'Li Wei'?" Xiao Wang pressed, observing Liu Fang's expression. Liu Fang paused for a moment, then nodded and said, "Zhang Jianjun is the landlord. Bao Tian has complained to me several times, saying, 'Zhang Jianjun is heartless. He raises the rent twice a year and threatens to kick us out if we don't raise it.' I also remember Li Wei. Last month, Bao Tian had an argument with him and came back saying, 'That customer was so unreasonable. He wasn't satisfied with his haircut, so he smashed the mirror in the shop.'"

Xiao Wang continued, "Has Zhao Baotian told you that any of his classmates or relatives have been in frequent contact recently? Or that he has had a falling out with anyone?" Liu Fang recalled for a moment and shook her head, saying, "He rarely contacts his classmates. There's only one childhood friend named 'Sun Qiang,' who had a falling out with him last year over a loan issue, and they haven't been in contact since. As for relatives, he doesn't get along with his younger brother, Zhao Baoqiang, because of their parents' inheritance; they haven't spoken for several years."

This information made Xiao Wang's eyes light up: "Do you have Sun Qiang and Zhao Baoqiang's contact information? Have they contacted Zhao Baotian recently?" Liu Fang found their contact information and handed it to Xiao Wang: "I don't know about Sun Qiang, but Zhao Baoqiang came to the store once last month and had a fight with Baotian. I don't know the specific reason, but I know that Baotian was very angry when he came back and said, 'Even brothers can be so heartless.'"

Second stop: Visits to Zhao Baotian's classmates and relatives – the resurfacing of past entanglements.

At 1 p.m., Xiao Wang found Zhao Baotian's childhood friend Sun Qiang using the contact information provided by Liu Fang. Sun Qiang is the owner of a car repair shop. When he heard about Zhao Baotian's murder, his expression was somewhat complicated: "We had a falling out last year over a loan. He asked me to lend him 5 yuan for working capital, but I was short of money at the time and didn't lend it to him. He said, 'We've been brothers for so many years, and you won't even help me with this little thing,' and we haven't been in contact since."

"Have you seen him recently? Or heard that he's had a conflict with someone?" Xiao Wang asked. Sun Qiang thought for a moment and said, "I ran into him once at the market last month. He looked unwell, and when I greeted him, he just gave me a perfunctory reply. I heard from others that his younger brother, Zhao Baoqiang, has been looking for him recently, apparently because of the old house left by our parents. Zhao Baoqiang wants to sell it, but Zhao Baotian disagrees, and the two of them have a big argument."

Later, Xiao Wang contacted Zhao Baotian's younger brother, Zhao Baoqiang. Zhao Baoqiang, a truck driver, seemed somewhat impatient when questioned by the police: "I have nothing to do with him anymore. My parents' old house should rightfully belong to me, but he's refusing to sell it, saying he wants to 'keep it for his daughter's dowry.' When I confronted him, he even hit me!"

"Where were you on the night of the incident? Is there anyone who can vouch for you?" Xiao Wang pressed. Zhao Baoqiang's eyes flickered: "I was out of town picking up goods. I have the freight bill and the driver to testify. You can check if you don't believe me!" Although Zhao Baoqiang had an alibi, his conflict with Zhao Baotian was still a key focus for Xiao Wang—inheritance disputes are often the trigger for extreme cases.

The third stop: "Trendy Hair Salon"—a key clue from the hairdressers.

Meanwhile, the team members stationed at "Fashion Hair Salon" reported that while reviewing recent information on hairdressers, they discovered a customer named "Zhou Hao" who had visited the salon five times in the past month, always requesting Zhao Baotian to cut his hair. The afternoon before the incident, he had spent nearly two hours in the shop, having a secret conversation with Zhao Baotian in a corner, which seemed suspicious.

At 3 p.m., Xiao Wang rushed to the barbershop. When the clerk, Xiao Li, saw Xiao Wang, she hurriedly came up to him: "Officer, we've found something! That customer named Zhou Hao always talks to Brother Zhao for a long time every time he comes in. Last time, after he finished talking, Brother Zhao even cried secretly. I asked him what was wrong, and he said, 'Zhou Hao helped me a lot, but I can't pay him back now, and I don't know what to do.'"

"Did Zhou Hao mention helping Zhao Baotian in any way? Or did he mention borrowing money?" Xiao Wang asked. Xiao Li nodded: "I overheard them talking. It seemed that Brother Zhao owed Zhou Hao 3 yuan, and Zhou Hao was urging him to pay it back, saying, 'If you don't pay it back, I'll ask your family for it.' The afternoon before the incident, when Zhou Hao came, he was carrying a black bag. After handing it to Brother Zhao, he left in a hurry. Brother Zhao opened the bag, glanced at it, and his face changed."

Xiao Wang immediately retrieved the barbershop's surveillance footage. The footage showed that at 2 PM the day before the incident, Zhou Hao, wearing a black hoodie and a mask, entered the barbershop, handed a black bag to Zhao Baotian, and the two talked privately in a corner for about 30 minutes. When Zhou Hao left, he patted Zhao Baotian on the shoulder, a gesture that carried a threatening undertone. More importantly, Zhou Hao's height and build perfectly matched the "person in the black hoodie" seen in the surveillance footage!