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

Chapter 979 Chen Yongqiang Identifies the Scene

"I really don't know anything..." Her voice was like a candle flickering in the wind. "Yongqiang said his company went bankrupt and he's being chased by creditors. He begged me to take him in for a few days." The old woman's cloudy eyes filled with tears. "He's my brother! When he was little, I carried him for miles on my back to see the doctor. How could I abandon him?"

Xiao Wang reviewed the surveillance footage: "In the early morning of November 15th, you went out in the rain to the convenience store at the village entrance to buy gauze and anti-inflammatory medicine. Why?"

Chen Yulan gripped the cup handle tightly, water overflowing from the rim and trickling down the table. "He...he said he fell and hit his head while climbing over the wall," the woman choked out, "My legs aren't good, I can only limp to buy medicine." She suddenly coughed violently, her wheelchair swaying. "I bring him food every day, and seeing him huddled in his little room all day, when I ask him what happened, he only says, 'Sister, don't ask too much.'"

When the police officer showed Chen Yulan Zhang Chunli's photo, Chen's pupils contracted sharply, and her thermos clattered to the ground: "This person...I've seen him before." Her voice suddenly became ethereal, "Once when I was delivering food, Yongqiang left his phone on the table. It was a photo of this boy and an old man. I asked who it was, and he snatched the phone, saying, 'Someone unrelated.'"

With tears in her eyes, Chen Yulan said, "Looking back now, the fierce look in his eyes that day... was exactly the same as when I was a child, protecting me and fighting off those who bullied me."

The interrogation continued late into the night, and the testimonies from both rooms gradually pieced together the complete truth. After killing Zhang Chunli, Chen Yongqiang immediately took his blood-stained clothes and the murder weapon to his second sister's house. Chen Yulan noticed her brother's abnormality but chose to deceive herself out of familial affection.

Of course, whether the charge of harboring a criminal is established depends on the subsequent public prosecution.

Chen Yongqiang was arrested three days later.

The gray sky hung low, as if it might fall at any moment. Two police cars slowly drove into the abandoned logistics park in the eastern suburbs, their wheels crunching over the gravel road. Chen Yongqiang sat in the police car, his hands cuffed to his abdomen, looking at the familiar yet strange scenery outside the window, his Adam's apple bobbing involuntarily. Once, this was where he plotted his crimes; now, it had become the witness that pushed him into the abyss.

After the car came to a stop, Li Ming opened the door and gestured for Chen Yongqiang to get out. Escorted by two special police officers, Chen Yongqiang walked heavily towards the warehouse. The rusty iron door was half-open, creaking in the wind like a wail from hell. Chen Yongqiang stood at the doorway, staring at the mottled marks on the door panel, a flicker of fear crossing his eyes, quickly replaced by numbness.

"Go in and reconstruct the whole process." Li Ming's voice was deep and powerful.

Chen Yongqiang took a deep breath and stepped into the warehouse. A damp, putrid stench, mixed with the smell of rust, hit him, making him frown. The warehouse was dimly lit, with only a few small windows covered in dust. The light filtering through the cracks formed beams of light on the floor, illuminating the still faintly visible dark red bloodstains.

"That day...it was just as dark." Chen Yongqiang spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping. "I had Zhou Defa lure him here beforehand." He dragged his feet to the center of the warehouse, where a section of the ground was noticeably darker than the surrounding area. "Zhang Chunli was standing here, holding the tin box containing the ledgers, negotiating with me."

Chen Yongqiang raised his handcuffed hands, gesturing to illustrate the scene: "He said he wanted 200,000 yuan, and he also wanted me to guarantee his safety. Hmph, what a pipe dream." His expression suddenly turned ferocious. "I thought to myself then and there, keeping such a troublemaker around will only lead to problems sooner or later."

Li Ming and the other officers stood around, silently taking notes. Zhang Hui, holding a video camera, recorded every movement and every word Chen Yongqiang uttered.

"I pretended to agree and asked him to bring the metal box over," Chen Yongqiang continued, inching forward. "He was very wary and moved very slowly. When he got close, I pulled out a steel pipe from behind my back. He paused, as if reliving that moment, his breathing becoming rapid. "I originally intended to hit him directly on the head, but he reacted quickly, sensed something was wrong, and suddenly turned around. The steel pipe struck his shoulder."

Chen Yongqiang mimicked swinging a steel pipe; "He cried out in pain, and the metal box fell to the ground. He reached out to pick it up, but I slammed it down hard on his back again." His voice grew louder and his emotions more agitated; "He lay on the ground, still struggling, shouting, 'I was wrong, I don't want the money anymore!'"

At this point, Chen Yongqiang suddenly laughed, a laugh filled with madness and despair: "Wrong? What's the use of saying all this now! I can't let him leave alive." He lifted his foot and stomped heavily on the ground twice, "I'll just step on his back and smash his head again and again."

As Chen Yongqiang described the scene, the atmosphere grew increasingly tense. Several young officers, their faces pale, struggled to suppress their discomfort. Li Ming, however, maintained a calm and sharp gaze, intently watching Chen Yongqiang's every move.

"Blood...blood everywhere." Chen Yongqiang's voice grew low as he stared at the bloodstains on the ground, his eyes glazed. "His head was smashed beyond recognition, brain matter mixed with blood, splattered everywhere." He pointed to the wall beside him, where dark red spots remained. "On the wall, on the floor, and on my clothes."

"What happened after you smashed it?" Li Ming asked.

Chen Yongqiang swallowed hard. "I was sure he was dead, so I opened the iron box and took the ledger and gold bars. Then I dragged the body to that corner over there." He walked towards a corner of the warehouse, where some discarded planks and debris were piled up. "These warehouses are all abandoned, and nobody comes here. I just thought the body would just rot and that would be the end of it."

"So how did you leave?"

"I went out the back door." Chen Yongqiang led the group to the back door of the warehouse. The door was also rusty and made a screeching sound when pushed open. Outside was a narrow alley overgrown with weeds. "I was covered in blood and didn't dare walk on the main road, so I walked a long way around this alley before getting back to the car."

As the scene identification concluded, rain finally began to fall. Raindrops pattered against the warehouse's tin roof. Chen Yongqiang stood in the rain, letting the water wash over his face. He knew this rain couldn't wash away the blood on his hands, nor could it erase the sins he had committed.

As the police car drove Chen Yongqiang away, Li Ming stood there, gazing at the warehouse filled with sin. He silently said in his heart: "Zhang Chunli, the truth is out, you can rest in peace now." And what awaits Chen Yongqiang is the most severe punishment of the law.