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

Chapter 1524 The Coal Mine Park Murder Case

Less than a week after the murder case on Jianshe Road was closed, the Criminal Investigation Division received another report.

At 5:40 a.m., just as dawn was breaking, the chill of late autumn, shrouded in a thin mist, enveloped the entire coal mine park. A few scattered stars had not yet faded in the gray sky. Fine white frost covered the park's vegetation, making a soft "crunch" sound underfoot. The air was filled with the smell of damp earth, the rotting of withered leaves, and a faint, indescribable fishy odor, gently dispersed by the morning breeze, almost imperceptible without careful observation.

Zhou Tao, 58 years old, is a retired coal miner. He is thin, with gray hair and deep wrinkles etched on his face from years of hard work. In the years since his retirement, he has developed a daily morning exercise habit. Regardless of the season, he leaves home promptly at 5:30 a.m., arriving at the coal mine park before 6:00 a.m. He walks briskly along the park's stone paths for half an hour, then works out on the exercise equipment in the central square for a while, returning home around 7:00 p.m. The coal mine park is the preferred place for morning exercise for nearby residents, especially retired elderly people. Every morning, they gather here to practice Tai Chi, square dancing, and walk their birds, creating a lively atmosphere. But at this moment, more than twenty minutes before the peak exercise time, the park is exceptionally quiet, with only a few early risers scattered in various corners, each busy with their own activities.

Zhou Tao wore a light dark blue jacket, black sweatpants, and faded sneakers. His hands were in his pockets, head down, as he walked briskly along the stone path, humming an old song sung by coal miners back in the day. His steps were steady and rhythmic. He was used to this rhythm, used to the quiet of the park in the early morning. Each step he took was on the familiar stone slabs, feeling the chill of late autumn, enjoying this moment of peace—this was the most pleasant time of his retirement, far from the noise and danger of the coal mine, far from the trivialities and troubles of life, with only the sound of the wind, his footsteps, and his familiar song.

The coal mine park was first built in the 1980s as a recreational area for coal mine workers. Later, it was gradually opened to the surrounding residents. After several renovations, it has preserved a large amount of vegetation and several abandoned coal mine equipment models, which have become the park's iconic landscape. On the east side of the park is a dense patch of grass, more than waist-high, mixed with withered yellow weeds and low shrubs. It is neglected year-round, with only occasional cleaning staff clearing away surface garbage. The deeper parts are covered with fallen leaves and gravel, dark and damp, and are the most secluded corner of the park. Few people usually approach it. Even elderly people who exercise in the morning only walk along the stone path at the edge of the grass and never venture into the deeper parts.

Zhou Tao's route today was the same as usual: he walked along the stone path to the east side of the park, then turned towards the central square. When he reached the edge of the grass, about a hundred meters from the central square, he accidentally kicked a pebble. The pebble rolled into the grass with a soft "whoosh," breaking the morning silence. Zhou Tao frowned, stopped, and bent down to rub his ankle—he had kicked a little too hard, and his ankle was slightly sore. He looked up, his gaze instinctively falling into the depths of the grass, wanting to see where the pebble had rolled to. But that one glance made his blood freeze instantly, his expression instantly changing from calm to terror, the hairs on his body standing on end, and the song he was singing abruptly stopped, leaving only heavy, rapid breathing.

Deep in the grass, about three meters from the stone path, lay a person. To be precise, a corpse. The body was curled up in the grass, covered with withered yellow leaves, only the upper half of the body visible. It wore a black coat with the collar askew, and its hair was disheveled, covered in mud and weeds. Due to the distance and the dim light, the deceased's face was not clearly visible, but Zhou Tao could clearly sense that the person was motionless, without any breathing, and emanated a faint, fishy odor. This odor was clearer and more pungent than the faint smell he had just caught, mixed with the damp smell of earth, making his stomach churn.

Zhou Tao was fifty-eight years old and had worked in coal mines for over thirty years. He had witnessed workplace accidents and the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death, but he had never been so close to an unidentified corpse, especially not on such a quiet morning in such a secluded, overgrown area. His legs began to tremble uncontrollably, his hands were icy cold, his palms were sweating, and his throat tightened, leaving him speechless for a long time. He instinctively took two steps back, stumbled, and almost fell to the ground. He quickly grabbed a small tree nearby to steady himself.

He steadied himself, his eyes fixed on the corpse deep in the grass, his heart pounding wildly, as if it would burst from his chest. He repeatedly told himself not to be afraid, not to panic, but his body reacted uncontrollably; he felt cold all over, and his teeth began to chatter slightly. He hesitated for a moment, wanting to turn and flee this horrible place, wanting to get as far away from the corpse as possible, but then he thought, no, discovering a body requires calling the police; it's a basic human decency, a citizen's responsibility. If he just left, the body might be disturbed, the murderer might escape, and the deceased would never receive justice.

Thinking this, Zhou Tao took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the fear and panic in his heart, and slowly took out his old-fashioned mobile phone from his pocket. His fingers trembled violently, and he pressed the buttons several times before finally managing to dial 110, the emergency number. The moment the call connected, he almost cried out, his voice urgent and panicked, his words incoherent: "Call...call the police! Officers, come quickly...come quickly! In the grass on the east side of the coal mine park, there's...there's a body! Someone's dead! Come quickly!"

Hearing his panicked voice, the dispatcher on the other end of the phone immediately became serious and calmly reassured him, "Sir, don't panic, don't be afraid, speak slowly. We've already recorded your location. It's the bushes on the east side of the coal mine park, right? Where are you now? Is it safe for you? Don't go near the body, protect the scene. Our police officers and criminal investigators will be there soon!"

“I…I’m on the stone path next to the bushes. I’m safe. I won’t go any closer. I’ll protect the scene. Please come quickly, it’s terrifying…” Zhou Tao’s voice was still trembling, and tears streamed down his face. He was filled with fear and helplessness.

"Okay, sir, please hang in there a little longer. We'll be there in ten minutes. In the meantime, please don't leave the scene and don't let anyone else get near the bushes to avoid disturbing the evidence." The dispatcher reassured him again before hanging up.