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

Chapter 1321 Investigation into the Whereabouts of the Deceased Chen Gang

Meanwhile, Xiao Li also contacted Zhao Wei's family. After confirmation, although Zhao Wei's height, build and clothing were similar to the deceased and he was familiar with the shantytown in the north of the city, he was delivering goods in another city 12 days ago and had a clear alibi. Moreover, he did not have any old scars on his body, so he could be basically ruled out as a suspect.

At 4:30 a.m., the technical department reported that Chen Gang's DNA sample was recorded in the missing persons database. Preliminary comparison showed multiple matches with the deceased's DNA sample, but further precise comparison was needed for final confirmation. Xiao Zhou immediately said, "Xiao Zhang, you and I go to the technical department now and oversee their precise comparison; Xiao Li and Xiao Wang, you continue to compile Chen Gang's relevant information, contact the food delivery platforms, and retrieve Chen Gang's delivery records before his disappearance to see if his last delivery location was near the shantytown in the north of the city."

When Xiao Zhou and Xiao Zhang arrived at the technical department, the technicians were working diligently on a precise DNA comparison. Time ticked by, each second feeling incredibly long. At 6 a.m., the head of the technical department emerged with the comparison report, his face beaming with excitement: "Team Leader Zhang! After precise comparison, Chen Gang's DNA sample perfectly matches the deceased's DNA sample. The deceased is indeed Chen Gang!"

Upon hearing this result, Xiao Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief. He immediately dialed Li Ming's number: "Captain Li! The deceased's identity has been confirmed! It's Chen Gang, a 45-year-old food delivery worker who went missing 12 days ago. He was a food delivery worker and may have been delivering food near the shantytown in the north of the city before he went missing!"

On the other end of the phone, Li Ming's voice was also filled with excitement: "Great! Xiao Zhou, you've done a great job! You immediately lead the team to Chen Gang's house to find out in detail about his situation before he disappeared, especially his social relationships and the information about his last food delivery; at the same time, contact the food delivery platform to retrieve his delivery routes and order records, and see who he delivered the last meal to and whether he stopped near the shantytown in the north of the city."

At 7 a.m., Xiao Zhou and his team arrived at Chen Gang's house, where Chen Gang's wife, Li Mei, and daughter, Chen Mengmeng, were anxiously awaiting news. Upon seeing Xiao Zhou and his team, Li Mei immediately greeted them: "Officer, is it confirmed that this is my husband? What happened to him?"

Xiao Zhou couldn't bear to tell Li Mei the truth directly, so he could only say tactfully, "We have confirmed that the deceased is Mr. Chen Gang. The case is still under further investigation. We need to know some things about him before he disappeared. Did he have any conflicts with anyone before he disappeared? Or did he do anything unusual?"

Li Mei recalled for a moment, and tears welled up in her eyes again: "He was usually very gentle. In all his years of delivering food, he had never argued with anyone. But a few days before he disappeared, he told me that there was a customer who always deliberately made things difficult for him, making up all sorts of excuses to be late every time he delivered food, and refusing to pay for the meals. He had argued with that customer once. Also, the night before he disappeared, he said he was going to deliver one last order to the shantytown in the north of the city, and then he never came back, and we couldn't reach him by phone."

"Do you know the name of the customer who was giving him a hard time? Or do you know his address? Chen Gang went to the shantytown in the north of the city to deliver his last takeout order. Do you know the specific address and customer information?" Xiao Zhou asked quickly.

Li Mei shook her head: "He didn't say the customer's name or address, only that it was in the north of the city. As for the last delivery, he didn't give me much detail at the time, only saying that he would go home after delivering it."

Subsequently, Xiao Zhou contacted the food delivery platform where Chen Gang worked and retrieved his delivery records before his disappearance. The records showed that Chen Gang's last delivery location before his disappearance was near an empty building in the shantytown in the north of the city. The order information showed that the customer who placed the order was named "Zhang Wei," but the phone number left was a virtual number, and it was impossible to contact the person in question.

“It seems this customer named ‘Zhang Wei’ is a prime suspect! He could very well be the murderer who killed Chen Gang!” Xiao Zhou said to his team. “Xiao Zhang, you immediately go and verify the real identity of this ‘Zhang Wei’ and see if you can find his real information through the virtual number; Xiao Wang, you retrieve the surveillance footage from the area near the shantytown in the north of the city to see if Chen Gang entered that empty building on the day he disappeared, and if there were any suspicious people around; Xiao Li, you continue to interview Chen Gang’s colleagues and neighbors to see if you can find more information about that difficult customer.”

At 9 a.m., Xiao Zhou returned to the Criminal Investigation Detachment with the compiled information and reported the situation to Li Ming. "Captain Li, the deceased has been identified as Chen Gang, a food delivery driver. The last place he delivered food before his disappearance was near the crime scene in the shantytown in the north of the city. The customer's information was fake, and it's very likely that the murderer deliberately left it there. In addition, Chen Gang had a conflict with a customer who was giving him a hard time before his disappearance, and this customer is also a prime suspect."

Li Ming nodded and said firmly, "Good! Now that the victim's identity has been confirmed, the next focus of the investigation will be on this fake 'Zhang Wei' and the customer who made things difficult for Chen Gang. We must find the murderer as soon as possible and give Chen Gang's family an explanation!"

Sunlight streamed through the windows into the Criminal Investigation Division's office. Despite a sleepless night, Xiao Zhou and his team wore weary yet determined smiles. They knew that while the case still had a long way to go, confirming the victim's identity was undoubtedly a significant breakthrough, pointing the way for further investigation. Next, they would continue their all-out effort to track down the killer and bring justice to Chen Gang, buried under the rubble.

At 10 a.m. on Wednesday, the atmosphere in the Criminal Investigation Division's conference room was more somber than usual. Sunlight streamed through the windows onto the long table, but it couldn't dispel the tension in the air. After two days of investigation, the unidentified body case in the northern shantytown had finally been confirmed as that of food delivery worker Chen Gang. At this moment, everyone was waiting for this crucial case analysis meeting to find a breakthrough for the subsequent investigation.

Li Ming sat in the head seat, tapping his fingers lightly on the table. His gaze swept over the team members present: "I've called everyone here today to summarize the latest developments from all sides, sort out the existing clues, and determine the core direction of the investigation going forward. Xiao Zhou has confirmed the deceased's identity as Chen Gang, a food delivery worker, which is a significant breakthrough. However, the murderer is still at large, and the motive and details of the crime are still unclear. Let's report in order, starting with the crime scene investigation. Xiao Yang, have you made any new discoveries?"

Xiao Yang stood up and projected the updated on-site investigation report onto the screen, with the newly added markings and photos standing out prominently.