sjar Chapter 1196 Operation Successful!
Chapter 1196 Operation Successful!
Just as his hand was about to touch the curtain, a dark figure suddenly rushed out from behind it. "Don't resist!" Team member Xiao Wang's voice was filled with rapid breathing. He had been lying in ambush inside the kitchen as planned, and now he was spreading his arms wide, blocking Zhao Lei's path. Zhao Lei couldn't stop in time, and his chest slammed heavily into Xiao Wang's arm, both of them staggering back two steps.
Before Zhao Lei could even regain his footing, the other two team members had already flanked him from both sides. The team member on the left, Xiao Zhang, grabbed Zhao Lei's left arm, gripped his wrist tightly with his right hand, and twisted it backward forcefully; the team member on the right, Xiao Chen, quickly controlled Zhao Lei's right arm, pressing his knee against his lower back, forcing him to bend forward. With a crisp "click," the cold handcuffs instantly locked Zhao Lei's hands. The metallic chill seeped through the fabric to his wrists, completely extinguishing any thought of escape.
"Behave yourself!" Xiao Chen hissed in a low voice. Zhao Lei struggled to lift his head, but Xiao Zhang pressed down on the back of his neck, forcing his face close to the ground. The smell of dust from the cement floor and the metallic odor of beer filled his nostrils. He could clearly see shards of glass on the ground, and the half-eaten peanut he had dropped, rolling beside the shards.
"Let me go! I didn't do anything!" Zhao Lei struggled in vain, kicking his legs wildly, but his knees were firmly held down by his teammates, rendering him immobile. His voice, choked with sobs, a mixture of anger and fear, echoed in the courtyard. The curtain at the kitchen door fluttered in the wind, and Zhao Mei rushed out carrying a basin of vegetables. Seeing Zhao Lei pinned to the ground, the basin clattered to the floor, scattering potatoes and green peppers everywhere.
"What are you doing? This is my home! Let go of my brother!" Zhao Mei lunged forward, trying to pull the team members away, but was stopped by Xiao Zhou, who arrived just in time. "Ma'am, we are from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment. Zhao Lei is suspected of intentional homicide, and we are now arresting him according to the law. Please cooperate with our work." Xiao Zhou took out the arrest warrant and unfolded it in front of Zhao Mei; the red seal was particularly eye-catching in the sunlight.
Zhao Mei's gaze swept over the words "intentional homicide" on the arrest warrant, and her body instantly went limp. She could only barely stand by holding onto the door frame. Hearing the commotion, the children in the yard ran out of the house and saw Zhao Lei pinned to the ground and broken glass scattered everywhere. They burst into tears and threw themselves into Zhao Mei's arms, calling out "Uncle."
"Don't be afraid, child, it's alright." Team member Xiao Li quickly stepped forward, squatted down, gently patted the child's head, and took out a piece of candy from his pocket and handed it to the child. The child sobbed as he took the candy, but still tightly clutched Zhao Mei's clothes, looking timidly at the police officers in the yard.
Zhao Lei's struggles gradually weakened. He lay prone on the ground, his cheek pressed against the cold cement, tears mingling with dust as they streamed down his face, leaving two dark streaks. "I confess..." His voice was so hoarse it was almost inaudible, "I killed Zhang Juan, I confess..."
Xiao Zhou nodded to his team members, signaling them to help Zhao Lei up. Two team members grabbed Zhao Lei's arms and pulled him up from the ground. Zhao Lei's hair was disheveled and plastered to his face, his mouth was covered in dirt, and beer stains and dust mingled on his black jacket, making him look utterly wretched. He no longer resisted, but simply lowered his head, staring blankly at the tips of his shoes, as the team members led him step by step toward the courtyard gate.
Outside the courtyard gate, three teams had already secured the road at the village entrance to prevent villagers from gathering or Zhao Lei's accomplices from providing backup. Seeing Zhao Lei being escorted out, the team leader of the third team stepped forward to report: "Team Leader Zhang, the village entrance is sealed off; there are no abnormalities." Xiao Zhou nodded and ordered his team members: "Take Zhao Lei to the car and back to the branch."
As Zhao Lei was being led past Zhao Mei, he suddenly stopped, looked up at Zhao Mei and the child, his eyes filled with remorse. "Sister, I'm sorry… The money is in the wooden box under the bed, keep it for yourself…" His voice choked, and before he could finish, the team continued to escort him forward. Zhao Mei stood at the doorway, watching Zhao Lei's figure disappear at the village entrance, tears silently streaming down her face, dripping onto the potatoes on the ground.
As the sun rose higher, it cast long shadows of Zhao Lei and his team on the dirt road in Zhao Family Village. Xiao Zhou gave the yard a final check to ensure no evidence was missed before leaving with his team. Only Zhao Mei and her child remained in the yard, along with shards of glass, scattered vegetables, and the lingering smell of beer—this brief but tense arrest had left an indelible mark on this peaceful rural courtyard.
Next, during the search of Zhao Mei's home, the team made a significant discovery. Under the bed in the west wing where Zhao Lei lived, they found a black cloth bag containing a blue shirt stained with dark red stains. Preliminary testing indicated the stains were Zhang Juan's blood. A bank card was found in the drawer; verification revealed a balance of 65 yuan, roughly matching the 80 yuan discrepancy in unusual purchase funds discovered by Zhang Juan. Furthermore, they found a steel pipe, approximately 50 centimeters long and 3 centimeters in diameter, covered in cement dust. Its shape matched the blunt force trauma to Zhang Juan's neck, suggesting it was the murder weapon.
"Was this steel pipe the one you used to hit Zhang Juan? Is the money in this bank card embezzled public funds?" Xiao Zhou held up the evidence and placed it in front of Zhao Lei. Zhao Lei's lips trembled, and after a long silence, he slowly nodded: "Yes... I did it all. I shouldn't have killed her, and I shouldn't have embezzled public funds."
As Zhao Lei was being escorted away from Zhao Family Village, villagers gathered by the roadside, discussing the situation. Zhao Mei stood at the door, holding her child, tears streaming down her face. "We will properly comfort Zhao Lei's family and provide psychological counseling for the child," Xiao Zhou told his team members, before taking Zhao Lei into the police car.
The police car slowly drove away from Zhao Family Village. Zhao Lei leaned against the window, watching the village recede into the distance, his eyes vacant. "Why did you kill Zhang Juan?" Xiao Zhou, sitting in the passenger seat, turned and asked. Zhao Lei's voice was hoarse: "She found out I embezzled public funds and insisted on reporting it. I begged her to let me go, but she wouldn't agree. I was confused for a moment, and then..." He was interrupted by his own sobs before he could finish.
During the journey, Zhao Lei intermittently recounted some details: "I arranged to meet Zhang Juan at the cement plant's waste area to discuss something with her, but she took out the verification records and said she wanted to give them to the plant manager. I got angry and hit her neck with a steel pipe. After she fell down, I hit her chest again, afraid she wasn't dead..." He paused, "Then I drove her body to the material pile, covered it with a dust net, thinking no one would find it, but I didn't expect you to find it anyway."
When the police car arrived at the Criminal Investigation Division, Li Ming was already waiting at the door.