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

Chapter 878 An Unexpected Clue

Li Ming's eyes were like torches as he stared intently at Tang San: "Tang San, are you still planning to keep hiding this? We have enough evidence to prove you're lying. Zhao Hu never went back to his hometown. On the night of the incident, a car from your repair shop was spotted on the national highway near the body dumping site!"

Tang San's face turned deathly pale instantly, and fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he still tried to argue: "Officer, there are many cars in the repair shop. Maybe one of the workers drove it out. It has nothing to do with me."

Li Ming snorted coldly: "Is that so? Then let's talk about your relationship with Wang Liqiang. Our investigation found that you two have known each other for a long time, have financial dealings, and even had dinner together 10 days ago. Why did you hide these things before?"

Tang San's eyes darted around, and he stammered, "I... Wang Liqiang and I are just ordinary friends. It's normal to have meals together occasionally and have some financial dealings. I didn't think it had anything to do with the case, so I didn't say anything."

Li Ming pressed on: "Ordinary friends? You knew Wang Liqiang was murdered, yet you concealed your relationship with him and lied about Zhao Hu's whereabouts. Do you think that's normal?"

Faced with Li Ming's questioning, Tang San remained silent. Seeing this, Li Ming continued to press him: "Tang San, you only have two paths before you now: either tell the truth and strive for leniency, or continue to conceal it and you will face the severe punishment of the law."

Tang San hesitated for a long time before finally sighing, "Alright, I'll tell you the truth. I have indeed known Wang Liqiang for a long time. We both love gambling and often go to casinos together. Later, Wang Liqiang borrowed a lot of money from me and has never paid it back."

Li Ming pressed further, "Why was your car near the scene where the body was dumped on the night of the incident?"

Tang San lowered his head and said in a low voice, "That night, a friend asked to borrow my car, saying he had something urgent to attend to. I didn't think much of it and lent it to him."

Li Ming frowned: "Which friend? What's their name? Where are they now?"

Tang San shook his head: "I don't know where he is now. His name is Li Qiang. We met at the casino, but we don't keep in touch much."

Li Ming felt that Tang San's words were full of loopholes, so he decided to start with the clue of Li Qiang. He arranged for police officers to investigate Li Qiang's identity, while continuing to dig deeper into Tang San's social connections.

After investigation, the police discovered that Li Qiang was an alias. Meanwhile, the investigation into Tang San's communication records made a new breakthrough. Officers discovered that Tang San had frequent contact with an anonymous number before and after the incident. Li Ming immediately ordered a search of this number.

With the assistance of the technical department, the police finally located the anonymous number. Li Ming led his officers in a swift operation, arresting the suspect in a secluded rented room. Surprisingly, the suspect was not Zhao Hu, but a man named Wang Jun.

Li Ming began interrogating Wang Jun: "Wang Jun, what is your relationship with Tang San? Why were you in frequent contact before and after the incident?"

Wang Jun's face was pale and his voice trembled: "Tang San and I were gambling buddies at the casino. Before the incident, Tang San came to me and said that Wang Liqiang owed him money and wouldn't pay it back, asking me to help teach Wang Liqiang a lesson. I was short of money at the time, so I agreed."

Li Ming pressed further, "How did you discipline Wang Liqiang? Was his death related to you?"

Wang Jun cried as he said, "We only wanted to scare him into paying back the money. That night, we lured him to the poplar grove in Gejiagou Village. Unexpectedly, Wang Liqiang not only refused to pay but also got into a fight with us. In the chaos, Tang San strangled Wang Liqiang with a rope, and by the time we realized what was happening, he was already dead..."

Upon hearing Wang Jun's confession, Li Ming's mystery was finally solved. Subsequently, the police acted swiftly and arrested Tang San.

However, the case was far from over; Zhao Hu's continued escape kept everyone on their toes. Li Ming knew that only by bringing all three suspects to justice could the victims receive a complete explanation.

In the interrogation room, Wang Jun slumped in a chair, looking dazed. Li Ming stared intently at Wang Jun, his eyes sharp, and asked first, "Wang Jun, what you and Tang San have told us so far is only a rough outline. Now, tell us in detail how you forced Wang Liqiang to repay the money and ultimately killed him." Wang Jun raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his voice trembling, and began to confess, "That day, after Tang San and I met, Tang San said that Wang Liqiang owed him a large sum of money and had been dragging his feet on paying it back, so we had to teach him a lesson. Zhao Hu also urgently needed money, so we decided to go find Wang Liqiang together."

Meanwhile, in the next interrogation room, Tang San was also being interrogated. The interrogator looked sharply at Tang San: "Tang San, explain every detail of the night of the incident clearly, don't try anything funny." Tang San swallowed hard, cold sweat beading on his forehead, and began to recount: "The three of us drove to the vicinity of Wang Liqiang's house, and after he came out, we followed him. After cornering him in the poplar grove, I was the first to ask him to return the money."

Li Ming returned to interrogating Wang Jun and pressed, "What exactly happened after we arrived at the poplar grove?" Wang Jun took a deep breath and continued, "Wang Liqiang was initially stubborn, saying he had no money to repay. Zhao Hu, with his volatile temper, rushed up and shoved him, causing Wang Liqiang to fall to the ground." Li Ming frowned and pressed, "And then?" Wang Jun's voice grew even lower, "After Wang Liqiang got up, he started fighting with Zhao Hu. Tang San and I saw this and rushed over. In the chaos, Tang San pulled out a rope from somewhere and strangled Wang Liqiang."

Simultaneously, the interrogator asked Tang San, "Why did you strangle him with the rope?" Tang San replied tremblingly, "The situation was out of control. Wang Liqiang resisted fiercely, and I was afraid he would escape, so I tried to control him with the rope. But after strangling him for a while, I realized he wasn't moving..."

Li Ming returned to Wang Jun's interrogation room and asked sternly, "Wang Jun, according to Tang San's confession, after strangling Wang Liqiang, he found he wasn't moving. What were you doing then?" Wang Jun lowered his head in remorse, "I panicked too. I went over and checked Wang Liqiang's breathing and found he wasn't breathing. We were all terrified and didn't know what to do. Zhao Hu suggested dumping the body deep in the poplar forest, so we used the car we brought to transport the body to the dumping site."

At this point in the interrogation, the two lines of questioning corroborated each other, essentially reconstructing the events of the case. Li Ming continued to press Wang Jun, "Where is Zhao Hu now?" Wang Jun hesitated for a moment before replying, "I heard Zhao Hu mention that he has a mistress in Dongchuan City, and he might be hiding with her. The address is in an old residential area in the West District, but I don't know the exact address."

Li Ming immediately reported this important clue to Qin Chuan.