freenovelworld Chapter 1039 Crime Scene Identification, Case Closed
Chapter 1039 Crime Scene Identification, Case Closed
Zhou Ming from the purchasing department was the "data magician" behind the entire plan. He hacked into the factory's ERP system and wrote a hidden program. Whenever a truck left the factory area, he would modify the inbound and outbound records in the background: "I changed the destination of the waste to 'normal production consumption,' or forged a non-existent order from a partner. Once, to cover up the disappearance of 20 tons of ABS waste, I even fabricated a transaction contract with a factory in another province." He pulled up a screenshot from his computer, in which several lines of key information in the dense data stream had been cleverly altered.
Wu Gang, the night shift security captain, controls the "gate of life and death" in the factory area. He rearranged the patrol routes, making the back door of the warehouse a blind spot for surveillance, and set up special permissions in the guard room system: "Trucks with 'Hongyuan Logistics' license plates are automatically recognized as 'internal vehicles'." He flipped through the work log, where some dates were marked with strange smiley face symbols. "These are the days for shipment. I will send the on-duty security guard away half an hour in advance to personally check the vehicles."
The specific details of the crime resembled a meticulously planned stage play. Late at night on the first and fifteenth of each lunar month, three modified trucks would enter the factory area from different directions. The trucks displayed normal license plates, but their cargo compartments concealed a secret—a 30-centimeter-thick interlayer allowed them to carry an additional 5 tons of goods. Liu Dehai, along with his trusted workers, would cover the scrap bins with yellow tarpaulins printed with the word "finished product," and, using the dim light of the warehouse's overhead lights, quickly load them onto the trucks via a conveyor belt.
"The worst thing about loading trucks is encountering unexpected situations," Liu Dehai said with lingering fear. "Once, a new forklift driver made a mistake and dropped a box of PC scrap on the ground. The sound was terrifying, but fortunately Wu Gang led the patrol team to the other side in time." Wang Zhandang would use a walkie-talkie in a car at a distance to direct operations and monitor the activity inside and outside the factory area in real time.
After the trucks leave the factory, their license plates are changed at three different locations. The first stop is an abandoned gas station on the outskirts of the city, where Zhou Ming is already waiting to make fake license plates using a portable printer. The second stop is a highway service area, where the drivers repack their goods, disguising them as plastic raw materials being transported normally. The last stop is a logistics park in a neighboring city, where the goods are transferred to small trucks and sent to an underground processing plant.
“We cooperate with seven processing plants.” Wang Zhandang tore open his shirt collar, revealing the sweat on his neck. “These factories have two sets of books. On the surface, they produce plastic flower pots, but secretly they use our waste to make low-end plastic products. The most outrageous time was when they made children’s toys from toxic polyvinyl chloride waste and sold them to rural markets.”
Looking at the ever-increasing numbers on the interrogation record—237 illegal transportations, 1586 tons of stolen waste, and a total amount exceeding 1200 million yuan—behind these cold, hard figures lies environmental destruction and potential risks for countless consumers. What worries him even more is the company's utterly ineffective internal controls—warehouse management, data auditing, and security monitoring—all three key aspects have failed, exposing not only individual corruption but also the collapse of the entire management system.
Xiao Wang frowned as he looked at the compiled interrogation records. This case involved a huge sum of money, had a terrible impact, and, more importantly, exposed serious loopholes in the company's management.
During subsequent interrogations, the three confessed to long-term partnerships with small local plastic processing plants. These plants purchased stolen waste materials at low prices, processed them, and then sold them on the market. Following this lead, the police quickly launched an investigation into these processing plants, thus initiating a larger-scale crackdown. Wang Zhandang and his accomplices will pay the price for their actions and face the full force of the law.
On the morning of the seventh day after the incident, before the mist had fully dissipated, three police cars slowly drove into the residential area where Zhang Bing had lived. Wang Zhandang, wearing handcuffs and leg irons, was sandwiched between two police officers as he stepped out of the police car. His steps were unsteady, and with each step, the sound of the metal shackles striking the ground was like a heavy hammer blow to his own heart.
Early risers in the neighborhood cast curious glances, and whispers rose like a tide. Wang Zhandang lowered his head, not daring to meet anyone's eyes. His once meticulously combed hair was now disheveled, and his suit was wrinkled; he was no longer the dashing figure he once was.
Arriving at Zhang Bing's door, Wang Zhandang looked up at the familiar security door and let out a sob. Li Ming stood behind him, his voice low and cold: "Begin. Tell me the details of the crime." Wang Zhandang took a deep breath, his handcuffed hand trembling as he pointed to the lock: "That night, I told Zhang Bing I had something important to discuss, and he let me come over. He opened the door for me, and I had that steel chisel hidden in my sleeve."
Pushing open the door, the room remained exactly as it had been at the time of the crime, only the air was thick with the pungent smell of disinfectant, which couldn't mask the lingering stench of blood. Wang Zhandang walked into the living room and stood where he had once fought with Zhang Bing, his eyes vacant as he recalled, "He told me to sit down and said he'd get me a glass of water. I watched him turn and walk towards the kitchen, his back to me. At that moment, I had only one thought in my mind: I couldn't let him reveal the secret."
He raised his hand, mimicking the motion of swinging the steel chisel: "I rushed over and smashed it down on the back of his head with all my might. He screamed and fell to the ground, but he wasn't completely unconscious and was still struggling to get up. I panicked and smashed it down several more times, blood splattering on the wall, the floor, and my face." Wang Zhandang's voice grew louder and more agitated, as if he were back in that bloody night.
“He reached out and grabbed my arm, his nails digging deep into my flesh.” Wang Zhandang rolled up his sleeves. Although the wound had healed, he could still feel the pain. “I desperately shook him off and continued to hit his head and neck with the steel chisel. His resistance gradually weakened, and finally he lay motionless in a pool of blood.”
At this point, Wang Zhandang suddenly squatted down and pointed to the faint bloodstains on the floor: "Right here, he fell right here. I was so scared that I was shaking all over and didn't know what to do. It took me a while to come to my senses."
He stood up and walked to the window: "I originally wanted to lower him out of the window, but he was too heavy for me to lift by myself. When we were pulling, his head hit the rock wall with a loud 'thud.'" Wang Zhandang gestured with his hands to indicate the impact.
Wang Zhandang walked to the door again and simulated the action of dragging the corpse: "His blood left a long trail on the ground. I didn't care about anything else and just wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. I used a towel from his house to wipe the steel chisel and my hands, but I was too flustered and must have left many clues."