sjar Chapter 906 An Unexpected Discovery: Zhang Wei's Brother-in-Law
Chapter 906 An Unexpected Discovery: Zhang Wei's Brother-in-Law
That afternoon, sunlight struggled to pierce the haze that hung over Wangjia Village, casting its light on the still-burnt ruins. Although the initial investigation failed to yield any breakthroughs, the police did not give up and decided to conduct a second, meticulous examination of the crime scene, hoping to find crucial clues in this land ravaged by the fire.
Early in the morning, the joint fire and criminal investigation team arrived at the scene again. Captain Zhang, a fire investigation expert, dressed in heavy fireproof clothing and carrying professional testing equipment, stepped solemnly into the ruins. His eyes were as sharp as a hawk's, scrutinizing every corner that might conceal clues. "This time, we need to be even more meticulous in our investigation. Even the smallest trace could be the key to solving the case," Captain Zhang told his team members.
They first arrived at the initially identified ignition point. The ground there was scorched black by the fire, with piles of broken bricks and tiles. Captain Zhang crouched down, gently brushing away the surface ash with a small brush, carefully examining the burn marks on the ground. "Look," he said, "the burn marks at this ignition point are irregularly circular with clearly curled edges, indicating that the accelerant spread and burned rapidly here." As he spoke, he used a testing instrument to sample and analyze the ash. The instrument emitted a slight beep, and the data showed that the residual diesel fuel was higher than initially estimated, meaning the arsonist had used a large amount of diesel fuel as an accelerant, causing the fire to start exceptionally fiercely.
Meanwhile, Officer Zhao, a trace evidence expert from the Criminal Investigation Division, intently examined the surrounding walls. The smoke marks on the walls resembled an eerie painting, recording the horrific scene of the fire. Officer Zhao, holding a magnifying glass, moved it inch by inch, not missing a single detail. "The color and thickness variations of these smoke marks reflect the direction and intensity of the fire's spread. From this, we can see that the fire spread rapidly upwards and outwards from the ignition point. Moreover, in some areas, the smoke marks are interrupted, which may be because an object blocked the fire, or because people were active during the fire," Officer Zhao explained to the officers beside him as he took notes.
The investigation team then arrived at the area where the body, bound by rope, was found. Forensic pathologist Chen re-examined the remaining traces on the body. The marks from the rope binding the wrists and ankles were still clearly visible. Chen carefully extracted the remaining rope fibers, preparing for more detailed compositional analysis. "These fibers are of a rather unusual material; they're not ordinary rope fibers. Further testing might reveal the rope's origin, thus providing clues for solving the case," Chen said.
On the other side of the ruins, officers investigating the surrounding environment were also working diligently. They carefully examined the ground, searching for suspicious footprints or vehicle tracks. Although the ground was severely damaged by the fire and trampled during the initial investigation, making the situation extremely complex, the officers were not discouraged. Using specialized lighting equipment and trace enhancers, they painstakingly tried to discern every minute detail. "Everyone, look! There's a possible footprint here, but it's not very clear. Let's take a picture and record it. We'll use technical means to process it later and see if we can reconstruct the footprint's features," one officer shouted.
At this moment, Captain Zhang and Officer Zhao arrived at another fire site. This fire was located in a corner of the house, surrounded by a lot of debris. Captain Zhang picked up an iron bar and carefully cleared away the debris, trying to find more evidence related to arson. Suddenly, he discovered the remains of a metal container in the ruins. "This is very likely a container of gasoline. Look, there are obvious burn marks on the surface of the container, and judging from its shape and material, it matches the gasoline residue we found at the scene earlier," Captain Zhang said. Officer Zhao then conducted fingerprint and trace analysis on the container remains, but due to the damage caused by the fire, no valid fingerprint information could be extracted.
After several hours of meticulous examination of the entire scene, the investigation team took a short break and held a brief discussion meeting at the temporary command post near the scene. "Currently, although we haven't found any key clues directly pointing to the perpetrator, the second investigation has given us a clearer understanding of how the fire occurred. The use of accelerants, the direction of the fire's spread, and the marks on the body all provide clearer directions for our next steps in the investigation," Captain Zhang summarized.
Li Ming nodded and said, "That's right. Although progress has been difficult, every discovery could be the key to solving the case. Next, we need to conduct a more in-depth analysis of the physical evidence we've collected, and at the same time, combine it with previous investigative leads to re-examine the case's details."
In the Criminal Investigation Division's office area, the officers investigating Zhang Wei's interpersonal relationships were diligently searching for every possible clue to solve the case. The sky outside the window was gloomy and oppressive, making it hard to breathe, but the atmosphere inside suddenly became tense due to an unexpectedly discovered clue.
"Captain Li, look at this!" Officer Xiao Wang said, handing an investigation report to Li Ming. "When we were investigating Zhang Wei's interpersonal relationships, we discovered that his brother-in-law, Liang Benchao, suddenly bought a new Mercedes-Benz worth around 40 yuan two days ago. But according to our understanding, Liang Benchao has always been unemployed and his previous financial situation was very poor; he simply couldn't afford such an expensive car."
Li Ming took the report, his brow furrowed, and carefully reviewed it. "This is indeed very suspicious. Where did an unemployed man get such a large sum of money? Immediately launch a full investigation into Liang Benchao, from the source of his funds and his recent whereabouts to his contact with Zhang Wei and other related personnel. Not a single detail can be overlooked."
The officers acted swiftly. Through bank system inquiries, they discovered that Liang Benchao's account had suddenly received a transfer of 40 yuan a few days before the car purchase. The sender was an account named "Changsheng Trading Company." However, further investigation revealed that this so-called "Changsheng Trading Company" had vague registration information, an abandoned office building as its address, and an unreachable phone number, clearly indicating it was a shell company.
“It seems this money came from illegitimate sources,” Li Ming analyzed. “We need to find out who is controlling this shell company and what their relationship is with Liang Benchao.”
The officers continued their investigation along this lead. They interviewed Liang Benchao's neighbors and friends, and learned from them that recently, Liang Benchao had been frequently associating with several unfamiliar men who did not appear to be legitimate businessmen and whose behavior was suspicious.