frightfiction Chapter 1019: Background and Outline of the Case
Chapter 1019: Background and Outline of the Case
At the same time, another team kicked open Li Fengqiang's bedroom door. On the coffee table in the living room, a half-empty cup of iced tea was still steaming, and a noisy talent show was playing on the television. When Li Fengqiang rushed out of the bedroom, the switchblade tucked into his waistband was still inside when he was tackled to the ground by the SWAT officers. "What right do you have to arrest me!" he struggled frantically, his face congested with blood, turning a deep liver color. "I found the car! I had no idea what was inside!"
“Really?” Xiao Wang held up an evidence bag containing blood-stained rubber gloves. “These were found in the hidden compartment of your garage. The skin flakes on them are being used for DNA testing. And this—” He unfolded his phone and played a video of Zhang Dahai’s interrogation before his arrest. In the video, Zhang Dahai was crying and snotting his eyes. “Your good brother has told you everything, from planning the murder to disposing of the body. He has explained every detail clearly.”
Li Fengqiang's face turned deathly pale, and he collapsed to the ground. Meanwhile, in Zhang Dahai's rented room, the police made a significant discovery. Hidden in an iron box under the bed was a stack of ledgers recording steel transactions, with the name "Zhang Baohai" frequently appearing under the "insider" column. The notebook's hastily written words read: "Baohai is going to betray us; we must deal with him."
“It seems this was a murder caused by a dispute over the distribution of spoils.” Li Ming frowned as he looked at the list of evidence. “Zhang Baohai had evidence of their steel theft and tried to use it to blackmail them, which resulted in his death.” He turned to Xiao Wang and said, “Interrogate Li Fengqiang immediately, focusing on his financial dealings with Zhang Baohai and the other members involved in the theft.”
In the interrogation room, Li Fengqiang sat dejectedly in a chair, the handcuffs clanging against the iron table. "I'll talk, I'll tell you everything..." He wiped the cold sweat from his face, "That Bao Hai kid is too greedy, always trying to take more than his share when dividing the loot. That day in the warehouse, he threatened me and Da Hai with the ledger, saying he'd call the police. In a moment of impulse, I..."
"Where is the murder weapon?" Xiao Zhou interrupted him.
“The iron rod was thrown into the moat,” Li Fengqiang said, trembling. “Dahai was in charge of driving, and I did the killing. After we loaded the body into the car, we deliberately took more than a dozen side roads to avoid surveillance. In the end, we chose Qinglan Mountain because Baohai’s hometown is nearby. We wanted to mislead you into thinking it was a revenge killing.”
"Then why choose a black SUV?"
“The car was stolen from a junkyard and had no registration information.” Li Fengqiang shook his head with a wry smile. “We thought we had done everything perfectly, but we still got caught…”
At this moment, news came from the forensic department: the DNA from the bloodstains in the trunk of the black SUV matched perfectly with that of the deceased, Zhang Baohai; the skin tissue extracted from the rubber gloves also matched the DNA of Li Fengqiang. With irrefutable evidence, the truth behind this unidentified corpse case that had troubled the police for days was finally revealed.
As police cars sped towards the police station, the city lights gradually came on. The tired faces of the criminal investigators wore relieved smiles. They knew that every meticulous investigation, every sleepless night, was dedicated to bringing justice and peace to the deceased. And that black SUV, as a witness to the crime, would ultimately become the final straw that broke the chain of evidence and bring the killer down.
Another room.
The incandescent light in the interrogation room shone glaringly above Zhang Dahai's head. His hands were handcuffed to an iron table, his body trembling uncontrollably, his eyes filled with fear and remorse. Li Ming and Xiao Zhou sat opposite him on either side, the air thick with a suffocating oppression.
"Zhang Dahai, now that things have come to this, explain everything clearly and we'll try to get a lenient sentence." Li Ming's voice was low and serious.
Zhang Dahai raised his head, his Adam's apple bobbing with difficulty, and his voice was hoarse as if sandpaper was being rubbed: "It's all my fault for being bewitched... Although Baohai and I are cousins, our relationship has been strained for years because of the homestead issue. But what really brought us to this point was the shady dealings at the steel mill."
He took a deep breath and continued, "Three years ago, I met Li Fengqiang when I was working at a steel factory. He was the security captain there. One time, he quietly told me that the factory was poorly managed and that I could sneak some scrap steel out to sell at night and make a fortune. At first, I was hesitant, but life was too hard, and I was thinking about making more money, so I agreed. Later, I brought Baohai in too. He was quick-witted and soon found buyers."
“At first, we only stole small amounts each time and were not discovered. But gradually, we became bolder and stole more and more steel. Bao Hai was greedy and always wanted to get a bigger share. Li Fengqiang and I argued with him a lot about this.”
“This summer, the factory suddenly started cracking down on theft, and we panicked. Li Fengqiang said we had to stop, but Bao Hai disagreed. He still had all our transaction ledgers and said he would report us unless we gave him more money. Li Fengqiang was furious. He said Bao Hai was trying to drive us to the brink of ruin and we had to find a way to deal with him.”
A look of pain crossed Zhang Dahai's face, and tears welled up in his eyes: "I was out of my mind at the time, and I actually agreed to Li Fengqiang's plan. On the night of August 12th, Li Fengqiang asked Bao Hai to come to the old warehouse of the steel factory, saying that there was a last batch of goods to be disposed of. Bao Hai did come, and he even brought the account book. He threatened that if we did not agree to his conditions, he would call the police the next day."
"Without saying a word, Li Fengqiang grabbed the iron rod next to him and smashed it down on Bao Hai's head. Bao Hai was stunned and fell to the ground, begging for mercy. But Li Fengqiang couldn't stop, hitting him again and again, until Bao Hai stopped moving... I was so scared that my legs went weak, watching Bao Hai's blood flow more and more on the ground."
“After the beating, Li Fengqiang asked me to get a car to transport the body. I remembered seeing a black SUV at the junkyard before, so I secretly drove it out. We wrapped Bao Hai’s body in a tarpaulin and put it in the trunk. To avoid being discovered, we took many detours and finally drove the car to Qinglan Mountain. Li Fengqiang said that Bao Hai’s hometown was nearby, and if we dumped the body there, the police might think it was a revenge killing.”
“We dragged the body into the woods and dumped it somewhere. On the way back, I was completely dazed, like I was dreaming. Later, I heard that the police had found the body, and I was on tenterhooks every day. Li Fengqiang told me to go back to my hometown and hide for a while, saying he would handle everything. I thought that as long as I didn't say anything, this would be kept quiet, but I never expected…”
Zhang Dahai could no longer control himself and burst into tears: "I'm so sorry to Baohai, I'm so sorry to him! I really regret it, why did I listen to Li Fengqiang, why did I do these illegal things..."