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

Chapter 855 Unexpected Clues

Li Ming snorted coldly and threw a stack of documents on the table: "Stop pretending. We already have evidence that you stole plastic pellets from the factory and resold them. You'd better confess honestly and try to get leniency."

Zhao Jianguo's face turned deathly pale instantly. After a moment of silence, he lowered his head and said in a trembling voice, "I...I admit that I stole the plastic pellets from the factory to sell. I was confused for a moment, and my family urgently needed money."

"What is your relationship with Sun Qifeng? How do you explain the frequent contact you had before and after the incident?" the interrogator asked immediately.

Zhao Jianguo looked up and said urgently, "Sun Qifeng and I really don't have any special relationship. We were classmates more than ten years ago and have kept in touch. I contacted him this time just to catch up, it really has nothing to do with the case. I've never killed anyone, really!"

Li Ming stared intently into Zhao Jianguo's eyes, trying to discern the truth from his expression: "Then how do you explain your sudden request for leave before the incident and your subsequent disappearance?"

Zhao Jianguo explained in a panic, "I was scared because of the plastic pellet theft, so I took leave and went into hiding. I really didn't kill anyone."

Meanwhile, another group of police officers made new progress in their investigation of Sun Qifeng. When Sun Qifeng was brought to the police station for questioning, he looked completely innocent: "Officer, Lao Zhao and I are just ordinary classmates. Some time ago, I had a conflict with the current vineyard contractor, but nothing happened afterward. Nobody went missing. Our matter was just dropped."

The officer carefully observed Sun Qifeng's reaction and continued to ask, "What did you and Zhao Jianguo talk about during your frequent contact before and after the incident?"

Sun Qifeng recalled for a moment and said, "We just chatted about our recent lives. He said he was having some trouble at work, and I even advised him not to do anything illegal. That's all."

Despite a thorough investigation of Sun Qifeng and interviews with those around him, no evidence was found to directly link him to the murder. The identity of the deceased remains a mystery; despite significant efforts, the police have been unable to confirm the victim's identity based on the available clues.

Back in the interrogation room, Li Ming and the interrogator fell into deep thought when faced with Zhao Jianguo's vehement denials. The fact that Zhao Jianguo stole and resold plastic pellets was conclusive, but whether he was connected to the murder was still uncertain. Li Ming decided to change his interrogation strategy, softening his tone: "Zhao Jianguo, the evidence we have now is very unfavorable to you. You say you didn't kill anyone, then you need to provide us with strong evidence. For example, where were you at the time of the incident, what were you doing, and is there anyone who can corroborate that?"

Zhao Jianguo frowned, trying hard to recall: "In the days following the incident, I was uneasy because of the theft of plastic pellets, so I wandered around outside by myself, trying to find a place to hide. There really was no one who could testify. But I really didn't kill anyone."

The interrogation had reached a stalemate. The police needed to continue investigating Zhao Jianguo's connection to the case while simultaneously searching for new leads while the victim's identity remained unknown. Li Ming left the interrogation room and held an emergency meeting with other officers.

“Although Zhao Jianguo admitted to stealing the plastic pellets, he has remained adamant about denying the murder. Sun Qifeng has also not yet provided any direct evidence linking him to the case. We cannot be bogged down by these two leads; we must re-examine our previous investigations and find new breakthroughs,” Li Ming said.

One of the officers in charge of the scene investigation suggested, "Let's analyze the clues at the scene more carefully to see if we've missed anything. For example, besides plastic granules and fibers, there are other substances at the scene. We can re-test them and maybe we can find new clues."

Another police officer suggested: "Since the identity of the deceased has not been confirmed, should we expand the scope of the investigation to include not only missing persons, but also migrant workers, tourists, and other groups, and release more detailed characteristics of the deceased through the media to mobilize the public?"

After a moment's thought, Li Ming said, "Okay, let's do as everyone says. Re-examine the materials at the scene, leaving no detail unchecked. At the same time, expand the scope of the investigation to identify the deceased, and leverage the power of the media and the public. Also, continue to monitor Zhao Jianguo and Sun Qifeng; their connection to the case cannot be completely ruled out."

While conducting in-depth investigations and visits to vineyard growers, officers Xiao Zhao and Lao Qian arrived at a vineyard owned by a man named Wang Baoguo. Wang Baoguo had just returned from working in the vineyard and, seeing the police, stopped in his tracks with a puzzled look on his face.

Xiao Zhao stepped forward and politely said, "Hello, Uncle Wang, we are the police officers in charge of investigating the case at the grape plantation. We would like to ask you some questions." Wang Baoguo nodded and let them into the yard. "Alright, officers, please ask whatever you want."

Old Qian, with his keen eyes, looked around the yard and asked, "Uncle Wang, you've hired quite a few workers to help grow grapes, haven't you?" Wang Baoguo sighed, "Yes, this vineyard is big, and I can't manage it all by myself, so I hired three people. But now one is missing. A young man named Chen Jianfeng suddenly quit a while ago."

Xiao Zhao's eyes lit up, and he hurriedly asked, "Uncle Wang, is there anything special about Chen Jianfeng suddenly quitting?" Wang Baoguo scratched his head, "Nothing special, it's just that he didn't tell me in person, he just sent me a text message saying he was quitting, and then he disappeared." Old Qian pressed on, "Have there been cases of workers suddenly leaving like this before?" Wang Baoguo waved his hand, "Yes, temporary workers have a high turnover rate, sometimes they just leave, I'm used to it, I didn't think much of it at the time."

Xiao Zhao took out his notebook and took notes carefully. Then he asked, "Uncle Wang, can you tell us about Chen Jianfeng? For example, when did he come, and how is he doing at work?" Wang Baoguo sat on the stone bench in the yard and recalled, "This young man came about a few months ago. He seems honest and works quite well. He doesn't talk much and just keeps to himself."

Old Qian pressed on, "So how's his relationship with his other coworkers? Have they ever had any conflicts?" Wang Baoguo thought for a moment, "I haven't heard of any conflicts. He gets along well with everyone. But he's a bit introverted and doesn't like to socialize much." Xiao Zhao then asked, "Uncle Wang, do you have Chen Jianfeng's contact information?" Wang Baoguo slapped his thigh, "Yes, yes, yes! When we hired him, we left his phone number. I'll find it for you."

As he spoke, Wang Baoguo went inside, rummaged around for a while, and came out with a crumpled piece of paper. "This is the number, officer." Xiao Zhao took the paper and looked at it carefully. "Uncle Wang, thank you so much. But could you please think back, did Chen Jianfeng exhibit any unusual behavior before he left his post?"