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

Chapter 983 Case Analysis Meeting, Direction of Case Investigation

The projector in the Criminal Investigation Detachment's conference room projected photos from the autopsy report onto the whiteboard, with Song Houdong's carbonized face covering the entire wall.

Li Ming twirled the laser pointer in his hand, the red light lingering on the penetrating wound to the deceased's heart: "Everyone, the deceased's identity has been confirmed as Song Houdong, a truck driver from Wangjiagou Village. The time of death is estimated to be 11:30 last night, and the cause of death is a sharp object piercing the heart. Now, each group, please report your progress."

Xiao Sun opened the survey logbook, which was covered in mud, and switched the projector to show photos from the scene.

“Let me first describe the situation at the scene. Residual accelerants were extracted from the burning site, and gas chromatography analysis showed it to be a mixture of industrial alcohol and gasoline. A partially burned silver bracelet was found on the victim's left wrist; the small diamonds matched the wedding anniversary gift described by the victim's wife. Furthermore, although the tire tracks at the scene were obscured by rainwater, based on the remaining tire width data, it is speculated that the perpetrator used a mid-size SUV.” He pulled up a comparison chart from the tire database. “We have initially identified three vehicle models, and are currently checking vehicle information throughout the city.”

Zhang Lin took off his glasses and wiped the lenses. The pages of the autopsy report were flipped through in the conference room: "In addition to the fatal wound, the deceased had blunt force trauma to the head, and the left lung showed typical hemorrhagic pulmonary edema. It is noteworthy that a mixture of diesel and engine oil was extracted from between the deceased's fingers, consistent with the characteristics of a truck driver. The blue fiber embedded in the resistance wound on the right index finger has been confirmed to have come from the truck tarpaulin." He pushed up his glasses, which he had put on again. "Judging from the angle of the wound, the perpetrator was right-handed and should be taller than the deceased."

Xiao Zhou got up and switched the PowerPoint presentation, revealing over twenty relationship diagrams filling the screen: "Song Houdong's interpersonal relationships are relatively simple, mainly concentrated in the freight market. In the past three months, he had disputes with six drivers, three of whom had financial disputes. The key suspect, Liu San, had previously gotten into a fight with Song Houdong over unloading, and suddenly disappeared three days ago after moving out; his phone was switched off. However, according to his landlord, Liu San didn't take much luggage when he left, which doesn't seem like a long-term fugitive." He zoomed in on one of the photos, "Furthermore, Song Houdong's phone records show that the unknown number he received before the incident was from a local number, but that number is now disconnected."

A brief silence fell over the meeting room, broken only by the hum of the air conditioner unit in the rainy night. Suddenly, Xiao Wang spoke up: "Could it be a feud stemming from competition in the freight industry? Song Houdong is an honest man; it's unlikely he'd get involved in such a complicated dispute." Before he finished speaking, technician Xiao Li burst in with his laptop: "Captain Lu! We found encrypted files in Song Houdong's cloud drive, and we just successfully cracked them."

The projector screen switched to a dense array of shipping documents, dating back six months. Some entries were annotated in red: "The weights listed on these documents do not match the actual transport records." Xiao Li pulled up a comparison table. "For example, this batch of building materials from June 15th was declared to weigh 3 tons, but the actual weighing showed only 1.8 tons." Li Ming's fingers tapped on the edge of the table: "Is someone using Song Houdong's truck to smuggle goods?"

Xiao Zhou quickly added a new node to the relationship diagram: "Song Houdong recently bought a new mobile phone and a motorcycle, and his income and expenses are obviously inconsistent. His wife mentioned that her husband has been saying recently, 'We're almost done for.'" He pulled up the bank statements, "Starting three months ago, multiple anonymous accounts transferred money to him, totaling 27 yuan."

Xiao Sun suddenly held up an evidence bag: "The metal fragments found at the burning site, after spectral analysis, showed that in addition to iron, they also contained trace amounts of tungsten and vanadium, which are components of special steel." He pulled up an industrial database, "This type of steel is mainly used to manufacture mechanical parts, and it is completely different from the building materials that Song Houdong usually transports."

The discussion grew increasingly heated, with various speculations clashing in the conference room. Li Ming slammed on the laser pointer: "Everyone's thinking is focused on two points: a conflict of interest in freight transportation and illegal transport. But regardless of the possibility, it's inseparable from Song Houdong's network of connections." He drew two circles on the whiteboard, labeling them "Freight Market" and "Mysterious Transfers" respectively. "Xiao Zhou will lead the team to thoroughly investigate Song Houdong's financial dealings, focusing on the transfer accounts and Liu San's whereabouts; Xiao Wang will visit the freight station to investigate recent unusual transport orders; Xiao Sun will continue to analyze the physical evidence at the scene, especially the clues about the mid-sized SUV."

Thunder roared outside the window, and torrential rain pounded against the glass. Li Ming pointed to the map on the wall: "The last phone call Song Houdong received is crucial. The communications department must find the source of the number. Also, expand the search area and check surveillance footage within a five-kilometer radius of the farm. Even if the rain washes it away, there will always be clues." His gaze swept over his tired but determined team members. "The murderers thought that burning the body would destroy the evidence, but they forgot that every crime leaves a mark, and our mission is to make those marks speak."

After the meeting, Xiao Zhou stopped Xiao Sun in the corridor: "Can you analyze the blue fibers extracted from the scene to determine the specific manufacturer?" Xiao Sun adjusted his glasses: "They've already been sent to the lab for testing, and the results should be available as early as tomorrow. But there's one detail I've been wondering about," he lowered his voice, "If it was a revenge killing, why use fibers from a truck tarpaulin? Isn't that deliberately leaving a clue?"

Of course, all the clues and discoveries at this point are just speculations, and nobody knows the specifics.

Xiao Wang's investigation focused on details of Song Houdong's steel transportation at the steel mill.

He was currently comparing the data from Song Houdong's dashcam. Outside the window, the autumn rain pattered softly against the police station's glass, like countless tiny fingers tapping at the truth. He squinted at the unusual entry circled in red on the receipt—the truck that was supposed to transport ordinary building materials on June 15th had actually carried 1.2 tons less.

"Xiao Li, have you contacted Old Zhang at the weighbridge?" Xiao Wang asked without looking up.

"I've contacted him," said team member Xiao Li, wiping the rain from his face. "He said it was indeed Song Houdong's truck that day that was weighed, but the data was recorded automatically by the system, and he didn't notice anything unusual. However..." Xiao Li paused, "he mentioned that there was also a new intern on duty that day named Chen Hao."

Xiao Wang immediately led his team to the steel mill. At the rusty factory gate, the security guard's expression instantly turned uneasy upon hearing they were there to investigate Song Houdong: "Master Song is an honest man, how could he..." He was interrupted by Xiao Wang before he could finish: "His vehicle is suspected of smuggling precision steel; we need to understand the situation."

In the factory manager's office, Xiao Wang carefully reviewed the steel mill's shipping records. The transportation of precision steel involved strict approval procedures and escort personnel, but discrepancies in weight had occurred in several ordinary freight shipments involving Song Houdong. "These precision steel pieces are quite valuable," the factory manager wiped the sweat from his brow, "If they were to enter the black market, the consequences would be unimaginable."