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

Chapter 804 Murder Scene, Qin Chuan's Analysis

Now that a murder case has been discovered, Qin Chuan immediately put aside all other work at hand, as solving the murder case was the most important thing at the moment.

Police tape had been put up, isolating the crime scene from the outside world. A large crowd of onlookers had gathered, whispering amongst themselves, their faces filled with fear and curiosity, occasionally craning their necks to try and peek at what was happening. Inside the room where the murder had occurred, the atmosphere was oppressive and suffocating; a heavy stench of blood permeated the air, mingled with the faint scent of lingering cigarette smoke.

Criminal Investigation Team Leader Li Ming was already at the scene, directing the various tasks in an orderly manner. Upon seeing Qin Chuan, he immediately strode forward, stood ramrod straight, gave a crisp military salute, and said in a loud voice, "Chief, you've arrived!"

Li Ming's face showed signs of fatigue, but his determined gaze revealed his resolve to solve the case. Qin Chuan's expression was grave, his eyes sharp as he quickly scanned his surroundings, and asked in a steady tone, "What exactly is the situation at the scene?"

Li Ming immediately began his report: "The deceased was named Wang Qiang, 45 years old, who ran a small trading company. The body was lying in the center of the living room with a fatal stab wound to the chest, piercing the heart directly. He died on the spot. Preliminary estimates suggest that the time of death was between 3 pm and 5 pm today." As he spoke, his brows were tightly furrowed, and he frequently gestured with his hands to indicate the position of the body and the condition of the wound.

Qin Chuan put on gloves, strode over to the body, slowly squatted down, and carefully examined the wound. The wound was deep, the cut was very clean, and there was no sign of tearing at the edges, clearly indicating that it had been precisely pierced by a sharp knife. He narrowed his eyes slightly, his expression focused, and analyzed, "Judging from the wound, the murderer's method was quite swift, and they likely possess some anatomical knowledge or relevant experience in committing crimes."

Li Ming added, "There were no signs of a struggle at the scene, all the valuables were intact, the windows were closed, and there were no signs of the door lock being pried open. Therefore, the murderer was most likely someone the victim knew who entered the room through normal means."

As he spoke, he pointed to the window and the door lock. Qin Chuan stood up, his eyes scanning the room, and asked, "Has the murder weapon been found?" Li Ming shook his head helplessly, his tone filled with resentment: "The murder weapon hasn't been found yet. The murderer must have taken it with him after committing the crime. It seems they came prepared."

At this moment, technician Xiao Zhao, carrying professional tools, prepared to collect fingerprints. He carefully took out a small brush, dipped it in some aluminum powder, and then gently brushed it on the surface of the teacup on the coffee table.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on Xiao Zhao's forehead, his eyes filled with focus and caution. With each stroke of the aluminum powder, he held his breath, afraid of accidentally destroying potential fingerprint evidence. As he worked, he explained, "Chief, human fingers are covered with countless sweat glands. In daily life, when fingers touch the surface of objects, they leave behind secretions such as sweat and oil, which can form potential fingerprints."

The aluminum powder we use has very fine particles, which allow it to adhere well to these secretions, thus revealing the fingerprint patterns.

As Xiao Zhao moved, clear fingerprints gradually appeared on the originally smooth surface of the teacup. He quickly took out special tape, carefully extracted the fingerprints, and put them into a specially made evidence bag, preparing to take them back to the laboratory for further analysis and comparison.

Qin Chuan's gaze fell on the two cups of tea on the coffee table, which had long since cooled and were still unfinished. He frowned slightly and analyzed, "These two cups of tea indicate that the deceased and the murderer had a conversation before the incident, and the atmosphere seemed to be quite harmonious."

The fact that the killer could sit down for tea and conversation before committing such a brutal murder suggests a close relationship between the perpetrator and the victim.

Li Ming nodded in agreement and said seriously, "I have already arranged for several teams to investigate the deceased's social relationships, including his business partners, relatives and friends, to do everything possible to find valuable clues."

I repeatedly emphasized to them that they must investigate thoroughly, as even the slightest contradiction or the most inconspicuous connection could be the key to solving the case.

Just then, Officer Zhang rushed in, carrying an evidence bag containing a note. He was slightly out of breath, his face showing excitement at having discovered an important clue: "Chief, this was found in the deceased's jacket pocket."

Qin Chuan took the evidence bag and, through the transparent bag, could clearly see a line of crooked handwriting on the note: "You will pay the price for what you have done."

He turned to Li Ming and said seriously, "Immediately conduct handwriting analysis on this note. Handwriting analysis is a very meticulous task. It requires analyzing the characteristics of the strokes, such as the shape of the beginning and ending strokes, the connection between strokes, whether the overall structure of the font is compact or loose, and the pressure applied when writing, among other aspects. It also requires careful comparison with the suspect's sample to identify the writer."

Furthermore, the font style itself offers some clues. Rounded, soft strokes might suggest a gentle personality, while sharp, hard strokes could indicate a more assertive one. This note could be a crucial clue in solving the case; we must get results as soon as possible.

Just then, a trace evidence expert entered the room. He bent down and carefully examined some subtle marks on the floor. "Chief, there are some unusual footprints here. They look like they were deliberately wiped clean, but some blurry marks are still left. We can deduce the approximate height, weight, and gait of the killer by the size, shape, and depth of the footprints." As he spoke, he took out professional measuring tools and began to measure and record the footprints.

Immediately afterward, bloodstain analysis expert Lao Zhou arrived at the scene. Lao Zhou was agile and carried a backpack full of tools. As soon as he entered the scene, he went straight to the bloodstain and bent down to examine it carefully.

As Lao Zhou observed, he explained, "The shape of bloodstains can provide us with many important clues. Take this round bloodstain, for example. The blood dripped vertically onto the ground, which means that the deceased was probably standing or sitting when he was injured, in a relatively still state. The oval bloodstain, on the other hand, was splashed out from a certain angle."

As he spoke, he took out professional measuring tools and carefully measured the major and minor axes of the ellipse. "By measuring the major and minor axes of this ellipse and using specific mathematical formulas, we can calculate the splash angle, and then deduce the victim's position when he was injured, as well as the location of the murderer at that time."

Furthermore, blood splattering at different speeds creates different patterns of bloodstains. Rapidly splattered blood forms longer, thinner streaks, which helps us determine the range and force of the perpetrator's movements during the crime. This is crucial for reconstructing the entire crime scene.

The investigation continued, with every detail at the scene being uncovered. However, although the outline of the case was gradually becoming clearer, the truth remained shrouded in mystery. Qin Chuan paced back and forth at the scene, deep in thought, his eyes resolute and sharp, not letting go of any possible clue.