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

Chapter 1249 Report from Four Parties

Li Ming sat in the main seat, his eyes bloodshot from staying up all night, but he remained tense. Confirming the identity of the deceased was only the first step; finding the murderer hiding deep in the mountains was the greatest explanation to the deceased and his family.

"Everyone's here. Report in turn according to your assigned roles, starting with Zhang Lin. Explain the core findings of the autopsy to everyone." Li Ming's voice broke the silence of the conference room. His gaze swept over Zhang Lin, Xiao Yang, Xiao Wang, Xiao Zhou, and the others present. Each of them had a notebook in front of them, ready to record key information at any time.

Zhang Lin stood up and projected the autopsy report onto the screen. The technical terms appeared one by one with the red dots of the laser pointer: "The deceased, Zhang Haibin, male, 45 years old, technician at the Municipal Agricultural Machinery Company. The time of death, based on comprehensive analysis, is estimated to be between 2:3 AM and 4:8 AM on August 20th. This determination is based on four aspects: First, the characteristics of decomposition: the skin was dark green, with putrefactive veins and a cadaveric green hue, consistent with advanced decomposition 7-9 days after death; second, entomological evidence: third-instar maggots and pupal shells extracted from the hair, under the mountain forest environment with daytime temperatures of 22°C and nighttime temperatures of 15°C, would require 5-7 days to develop, which, combined with the decomposition process, suggests 7-8 days; third, stomach contents: no undigested food was found in the intestines, only a small amount of brownish pasty substance remained, suggesting the last meal was 8-12 hours before death, consistent with the family's statement that 'he ate at home at 7:8 PM on August 19th'; fourth, drug metabolism: ibuprofen was detected in the stomach wall tissue, with a drug half-life of approximately 2..." Based on the time frame and the drug concentration in the blood, the estimated time of medication administration was 2-4 hours before death, further narrowing it down to the early morning hours.

"What about the fatal and critical injuries? Are there any direct clues pointing to the suspect?" Li Ming pressed, tapping his fingers lightly on the table, his gaze lingering on the "Injury Analysis" section of the report. Zhang Lin switched to the injury photos, his tone serious: "The fatal injury is a single-edged sharp instrument stab wound to the left lung—there is a 2x1cm roughly circular stab wound in the 3rd-4th intercostal space on the left chest, with a wound depth of 5.5cm, penetrating the upper lobe of the left lung and causing pneumothorax. The pleural cavity contains approximately 150ml of blood, consistent with death due to respiratory failure. The stab wound angle is slightly blurred due to decomposition, but the characteristics of a single-edged instrument with one blunt and one sharp edge can still be seen, suggesting that the weapon used was a 5-7cm bladed knife or dagger."

He added, "Besides the fatal wound, there were two auxiliary injuries sustained before death: First, an irregular 5x3cm skin defect on the left temporal region, accompanied by slight bone depression, with scuff marks at the edges and black soil from the mountains, consistent with being struck by a blunt object such as a stone or wooden stick. It is speculated that the suspect first rendered Zhang Haibin briefly unconscious with a blunt object before stabbing him; Second, multiple abrasions on the right palm, with black canvas fibers and DNA from male skin tissue fragments extracted from under the fingernails and entered into the system, and a broken nail on the left ring finger. These are all defensive injuries sustained during the struggle, indicating that Zhang Haibin resisted the suspect fiercely before his death. In addition, traces of a stainless steel chain were found on the left wrist, consistent with the chain material extracted from the scene, confirming it as his watch chain, which was most likely torn off by the suspect during the struggle."

Next, Xiao Yang reported on the on-site investigation. The topographic map of the scene that popped up on the screen marked key traces with different colors: "After expanding the investigation area, we have three core findings that need to be supplemented. First, in the pool of water in the ditch to the north, we extracted 5 black canvas fibers. After testing, the fiber composition was completely consistent with the fiber found under Zhang Haibin's fingernails, and there was a small amount of engine oil residue on the fibers. As an agricultural machinery technician, Zhang Haibin often carried engine oil in his tool bag. It is speculated that the fibers came from his black canvas tool bag. The suspect may have damaged the tool bag while moving the body, causing the fibers to fall out."

Xiao Yang switched to the next photo, which showed motorcycle tire tracks on an abandoned mountain road: "Secondly, a complete motorcycle track was found on the abandoned mountain road to the west. The tires were 28cm wide with horizontal stripes, which perfectly matched the tire tracks next to the body. A black metal lighter was extracted from the grass next to the track. There were no complete fingerprints on the surface, but a small amount of DNA was detected on the inside. The DNA profile was different from the skin tissue fragments in Zhang Haibin's fingernails, suggesting that it was left by the suspect. In addition, the lighter was a 'grinding wheel' brand, which is a common model in small shops in the surrounding towns and villages, and can be used as a clue in the investigation."

"Third, the size 40 women's cloth shoe print found in the pine forest to the south was confirmed to belong to forest ranger Zhou Guiying after checking three surrounding villages—she patrolled the pine forest on the afternoon of August 19th, and the shoe print was left at that time. It is unrelated to the case and has been ruled out as a suspect." Xiao Yang put away the laser pointer and added, "Another important detail is that a small amount of brown powder was found under the decaying leaves on the gentle slope at the body disposal site. After testing, it was found to be agricultural machinery lubricating oil, which is the same type of lubricating oil that Zhang Haibin usually used in his work. It is speculated that it was lubricating oil leaked from his tool bag, or that the suspect left it at the scene when he was moving the body."

Xiao Wang then reported the results of the investigation of surveillance footage on the surrounding roads. The surveillance map on the screen marked the eliminated clues with red crosses: "We focused on investigating 12 surveillance cameras on the main roads and small roads in the surrounding mountains and towns from 8 pm on August 19 to 6 am on August 20. We found a total of 9 suspicious black motorcycles. Among them, 3 matched the characteristics of 'horizontal striped tires and scratches on the body', but after verification, they have all been ruled out as suspects."

"Explain the reasons for ruling out Zhang Haibin. Have you found any traces of people related to him?" Li Ming asked. Xiao Wang's tone was tinged with regret: "The first vehicle belonged to Zhao Jianjun, a villager from Dongfeng Village. He rode his motorcycle to a neighboring village to pick someone up at 10 p.m. on August 19. There were witnesses who accompanied him, and the route was unrelated to the mountains and forests. The second vehicle belonged to Sun Liang, a repairman at the agricultural machinery station. He rode his motorcycle to the repair station for his shift at 3 a.m. on August 20. Surveillance footage showed that he did not enter the mountainous area. The third vehicle was an unlicensed motorcycle. It appeared at the main road checkpoint at 4 a.m. on August 20. The driver was wearing a helmet and a mask, so his identity could not be identified. However, subsequent tracking revealed that he was heading towards the city, in the opposite direction from where the body was dumped, and there was no oil residue on the vehicle. It is not related to him for now."

He paused, took out his phone, and pulled up a blurry video: "The only suspicious thing is that at 2:30 a.m. on August 20, a villager's private surveillance camera next to the abandoned mountain road on the west side captured a blurry figure pushing a motorcycle into the mountain road. Because the light was too dim, we could only see that the figure was about 170-175cm tall and wearing a dark top. The height of the suspect was consistent with the shoe prints at the scene. However, it was impossible to confirm whether the figure was carrying tools or a body. There was no footage of the figure leaving afterward. It is speculated that the figure may have escaped through other exits of the mountain road."

Xiao Zhou then reported the deceased's identity and related clues. Zhang Haibin's social relationship chart appeared on the screen, with red lines marking people with whom he had recent conflicts.