sjar Chapter 1015 Conclusion of the Second Case Analysis Meeting
Chapter 1015 Conclusion of the Second Case Analysis Meeting
Xiao Wang opened his notebook, his tone somewhat helpless: "We visited 12 villages around Qinglan Mountain and interviewed more than 300 villagers. We only found that Zhou Qiang from Xiangyang Village was missing, but after comparing photos and verifying information, he did not match the characteristics of the deceased. In addition, regarding the black SUV mentioned by the complainant, we searched all the surrounding surveillance footage, gas stations, and auto repair shops, but found no clues. The vehicle seems to have vanished into thin air."
"What about comparing it to the missing persons database?"
Xiao Zhou rubbed his red eyes: "In the past two days, we have screened nearly 10,000 pieces of information, focusing on men aged 35-40 and people with a history of old fractures, but no matches were found. We are now preparing to start with the social relationships of missing persons and re-screen groups who live alone and have little contact with relatives and friends."
A brief silence fell over the conference room, broken only by the hum of the air conditioner unit. Li Ming walked to the whiteboard and circled the keywords "industrial ceramics," "old fracture," and "black SUV" in red, connecting them with a line: "Now it seems that confirming the deceased's identity is the top priority. Every characteristic of the deceased is a key to unlocking the mystery."
"But where do we even begin?" Kobayashi couldn't help but ask. "There are no clues at the scene, and we can't find them among the missing persons. Are we just looking for a needle in a haystack?"
“It’s not like finding a needle in a haystack, it’s like unraveling a mystery.” Li Ming turned around, his gaze firm. “Xiao Yang, continue studying those silica particles, expand the range of compositional comparisons, and find out the specific source of the industrial ceramics; Zhang Lin, conduct a more detailed examination of the deceased’s bones to see if you can find any other special markings.” He looked at Xiao Wang and Xiao Zhou, “You two groups continue to expand the scope of the investigation, focusing on the surrounding ceramic factories, construction sites, and individuals with prior convictions for theft or violent crimes. The murderer is familiar with the Qinglan Mountain environment and must have left clues somewhere.”
“And that black SUV,” Xiao Sun suddenly spoke up. “Although there’s no trace of it yet, it’s an important clue. I suggest we work with the police in the surrounding counties and cities to retrieve surveillance footage from highways and national roads, and investigate all black SUVs that entered or left the Qinglanshan area before and after the incident.”
"Okay, let's do it this way." Li Ming wrote the new plan on the whiteboard. "Everyone has worked hard these past few days, but that's how criminal investigation is. The more difficult it is, the more we need to stay calm. Once the victim's identity is confirmed, we can follow the clues to find social connections and then identify the murderer. After the meeting, each group will take action immediately!"
The meeting ended, and everyone hurriedly dispersed to begin a new round of investigation. The night was deep, but the lights in the Criminal Investigation Division building remained bright; a race against time to uncover the truth was unfolding in a tense but orderly manner.
The autumn sun scorched the earth as Xiao Wang led his team in their police car, speeding along the dusty country roads, the wheels crunching over gravel. Their destination was three ceramic factories and five construction sites around Qinglan Mountain, places potentially linked to industrial ceramic raw materials found on the deceased's clothing and asphalt residue on the soles of his shoes.
The first stop was "Xinda Ceramics Factory." Inside, machines roared, conveyor belts constantly transported semi-finished ceramics, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of clay dust. After identifying himself, Xiao Wang was led to the factory manager's office by a security guard. The manager, a portly middle-aged man, sat with his legs crossed, impatiently tapping the table: "Officer, our factory has always operated legally; nothing has ever happened."
"We are investigating a case and would like to know if any employees have suddenly gone missing or behaved abnormally recently?" Xiao Wang asked patiently.
"Missing? No, no!" The factory manager waved his hands repeatedly. "Our factory workers are all honest and hardworking, going back and forth between home and work every day. What problems could possibly arise?"
"Do you have any records of the employees who left in the last two years? We need to check them."
The factory manager frowned and muttered something, then told his secretary to bring the employee files. Xiao Wang and his team carefully reviewed them, but three hours passed, their eyes stinging from the dust, and they found nothing. Among the departing employees, the reasons were either salary issues or returning to their hometowns; there was nothing suspicious.
Leaving the ceramics factory, they rushed to the "Hongyuan Construction Site." Towering cranes stood tall, and the mixers roared deafeningly. Workers, wearing hard hats, bustled about. Xiao Wang stopped a worker carrying bricks: "Sir, can I ask you something? Has anyone suddenly disappeared from this construction site recently?"
The worker straightened up, wiped the sweat from his face, and shook his head: "I haven't heard of it. But there are a lot of people coming and going on the construction site. Even if someone leaves, you might not notice."
"Have you seen a black SUV with dark tinted windows near the construction site?"
"SUV? I don't remember. Usually, the trucks that come to the construction site are the ones that haul building materials." The worker scratched his head and bent down to continue carrying bricks.
Xiao Wang and his team walked around the construction site again and again, asking more than twenty workers until their voices were hoarse, but the answers they received were all "I don't know" and "I didn't see it." As the sun set, they sat wearily on a cement block next to the construction site, looking at the sunset on the horizon, feeling utterly defeated.
"Team Leader Wang, this can't go on. We've searched almost every factory and construction site in the area, but we haven't found a single clue." Team member Xiao Chen wiped the sweat from his forehead, his voice full of frustration.
Xiao Wang took a deep breath: "Hang in there a little longer. There's one last ceramics factory and two construction sites left. We'll check them all before we talk about it."
Just as they were preparing to head to their next location, their phone rang. It was the police station, saying they had received reports from the public that two employees of "Hengxing Ceramics Factory" had been missing for several days. Xiao Wang immediately led his team to the location.
At Hengxing Ceramics Factory, Xiao Wang met the anxious workshop director. "Officer, Xiao Li and Lao Zhang haven't come to work for three days, and we can't get through to them on the phone!" the workshop director said anxiously. "They're usually very responsible and never absent without reason!"
Xiao Wang's heart tightened. Could this be the clue he had been searching for? He immediately retrieved the two men's information: Li Jianguo, 36 years old, was in charge of grinding raw materials at the factory; Zhang Dahai, 39 years old, was a worker in the firing workshop. Their ages were close to the deceased's, and their jobs were closely related to ceramic raw materials.
"Where do they live? Take us to see them," Xiao Wang said eagerly.
In the shared dormitory room, the bedding on the bed was messy, and there was a half-eaten bowl of instant noodles on the table, indicating that they had indeed left in a hurry. Xiao Wang carefully searched the room and found a suitcase under the bed. When he opened it, he found only a few changes of clothes inside.
"Do they have any relatives or friends? Do you have their contact information?" Xiao Wang asked.