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

Chapter 1395 Report Issuance

"In addition, extracting dental and bone samples from the deceased is beneficial. The enamel and dentin of teeth contain rich genetic information, and even if the body is decomposed, complete DNA can still be extracted. Bone samples can be used for further inferences about race and age."

Following Zhang Lin's instructions, Xiao Lin carefully extracted two molars and a rib sample from the deceased, sealed and labeled them, and handed them over to the technical staff. "Professor Zhang, after the entire autopsy, we determined the cause of death to be a ruptured left ventricle caused by a single-edged sharp instrument, resulting in hemorrhagic shock. The estimated time of death is around 9 PM three days ago, approximately 33 hours after the body was discovered. These conclusions are consistent with the details of the scene investigation, including torn clothing, hand injuries from struggle, splattered blood, and footprint characteristics," Xiao Lin reported to Zhang Lin after compiling the autopsy record.

Zhang Lin nodded, but his brows furrowed slightly: "Although we have determined the cause and time of death, there are still two key issues that remain unresolved. First, the identity of the deceased has not yet been confirmed. There were no identification documents on the deceased, and the clothing had no obvious markings. We can only wait for the DNA comparison results from the technical department and feedback from the investigation notice. Second, the suspect has not yet been identified. Although the fingerprints, footprints, and fiber evidence collected at the scene initially point to one person, there is a lack of direct identification information. We need to combine the results of tracing the tricycle, monitoring the situation, and conducting interviews to further narrow down the suspect pool."

At 6 PM, the autopsy was completed, and the autopsy records and examination reports were finalized. Zhang Lin brought the report to the Criminal Investigation Detachment's conference room to report the autopsy results to Li Ming and the investigation team. "Team Leader Li, after a detailed autopsy, we have determined that the deceased died from a ruptured left ventricle caused by a single-edged sharp weapon, resulting in hemorrhagic shock. The estimated time of death is approximately 9 PM three days ago, about 33 hours after the body was discovered." Zhang Lin placed the autopsy report on the conference table. "The autopsy results are completely consistent with the details of the crime scene investigation: the torn clothing marks are consistent with the characteristics of a struggle before death; the skin abrasions on the hands were caused by struggling; the shape of the heart wound matches the folding knife retrieved from the scene; the splattered blood at the scene was left when the deceased was stabbed; and the characteristics of rigor mortis and livor mortis on the body are also consistent with the estimated time of death."

Li Ming picked up the autopsy report and read it carefully: "Very good. Determining the cause and time of death provides a clear direction for our investigation. Now, the technical department must expedite the physical evidence examination, focusing on comparing the deceased's DNA with the cigarette butts and fingerprints collected at the scene; investigators must intensify their visits and searches around the northern suburban landfill, focusing on the timeframe of around 9 pm three days ago, to find witnesses; at the same time, continue to trace the tricycle and be sure to find clues about the suspect." In the meeting room, the investigators were full of fighting spirit. Although the identity of the deceased and the suspect were still not confirmed, the key information provided by the forensic autopsy gave the case investigation a clear direction.

After the meeting, each investigation team acted swiftly. Following Li Ming's instructions, Xiao Wang led a group of five investigators to conduct door-to-door investigations around the northern suburban landfill. Their objective was clear: to investigate missing persons in surrounding villages, searching for individuals matching the deceased's physical characteristics—male, 178 cm tall, 25-35 years old, of medium build; and to interview garbage truck drivers, scavengers, and nearby residents, gathering suspicious clues before and after the incident. Before setting off, Xiao Wang specifically instructed his team to bring a description of the deceased's physical characteristics, photos of his clothing, and photos of the tricycle retrieved from the scene, for direct comparison during the investigations.

Six villages are scattered around the northern suburban landfill: Lijia Village, Wangjia Village, Zhangjia Village, Zhaojiagou, Sunjia'ao, and Hujiapo. The furthest, Hujiapo, is about 8 kilometers from the landfill, while the closest, Lijia Village, is only 1.5 kilometers away. These villages are mostly based on agriculture and small-scale handicrafts. Most of the young and middle-aged people have gone out to work, leaving behind mostly the elderly, women, and children. Due to their remote location, there is no direct public transportation between the villages, so the investigation team had to drive police cars along the rugged country roads to search each village one by one.

Around 7 p.m. that evening, Xiao Wang's team first arrived at Lijia Village, the closest village to the landfill. It was already dark, and only a few lights shone in the village; the air was thick with the mixed smells of soil and animal manure. Xiao Wang led his team directly to the Lijia Village Committee and found the village head, Li Jianguo. After explaining their purpose, Li Jianguo looked troubled: "Officer Wang, our village only has a little over a hundred households. Most of the young and middle-aged people have gone out to work. There aren't any missing persons, but there are a few who are away year-round. I need to check their names for you." He took out the village's household registration book and checked the information of those working outside the village one by one.

"Director Li, focus on men aged 25-35, approximately 175-180 cm tall, of medium build," Xiao Wang explained, pointing to physical characteristics. Li Jianguo, wearing reading glasses, flipped through the register and read aloud: "Li Erniu, 32 years old, 172 cm tall, works in the south, sent money home last month; Li Dahai, 28 years old, 170 cm tall, works in the provincial capital doing renovations, just spoke home three days ago..." They checked for two full hours. There were 12 men from Lijia Village who matched the age range and worked away from home, but either their height didn't match, or they had recent contact records, ruling out the possibility of them being missing. During this time, Xiao Wang had the team split into two groups and visit more than a dozen households around the village committee. The villagers all said they hadn't seen any strangers loitering in the village recently, nor had they heard of anyone going missing.

It was past 10 p.m. when they left Lijia Village. The country roads had no streetlights, and the police car's headlights cleaved through the darkness. The road surface was uneven and bumpy, making the car bounce violently. "Captain Wang, this road is terrible. If it rains tomorrow, it'll probably be even worse," said Officer Liu, rubbing his numb back. Officer Wang frowned. "The more difficult the road, the more carefully we need to check. Don't overlook any details. Next, we'll go to Wangjia Village. Let's try to check one more village tonight."

It was 11 p.m. when they arrived at Wangjia Village. Village head Wang Jianjun was woken from his sleep and learned that the Criminal Investigation Detachment had come to check for missing persons. He quickly dressed and rushed to the village committee. "Our village is smaller than Lijia Village, and we only have eight able-bodied men working outside the village. They all have clear work locations and contact information," Wang Jianjun said. "However, there's one named Wang Qiang, 30 years old, 176 centimeters tall, who works as a car mechanic in a neighboring city. He lost contact with his family half a month ago, and they're very worried." This information instantly energized the team members.