Meanwhile, Zhang Hui’s group had also come across a significant clue.

The owner of the small shop had always been running his business in the store, which could be corroborated by nearby merchants, so Song Jinfu’s disappearance was indeed unrelated to him.

According to the shop owner’s description, the sketch artist from the Criminal Investigation side had also managed to produce a preliminary sketch.

While working on the sketch, Zhang Hui’s team also found some important clues by reviewing surveillance footage around the shop.

The person was wearing a blue down jacket and a baseball cap, with very distinctive features.

Although there was no video surveillance inside the small shop, several other stores or restaurants in Spring Breeze Lane had plenty of surveillance cameras.

After an afternoon of investigation, Zhang Hui finally found a frontal shot of the suspect from a hotel’s surveillance camera.

At eight o’clock in the evening, Zhang Hui and his team returned to the Criminal Investigation Team.

Without returning to his own office, Zhang Hui headed straight to Qin Yong’s office.

The team had already started facial recognition matching, but hadn’t succeeded yet.

This case, in fact, followed the typical procedure for the Criminal Investigation Team.

Though it seemed like Song Jinfu’s disappearance and murder were at a dead end, with the killer having cleaned up everything at the crime scene.

This didn’t mean the killer left no traces at all.

Song Jinfu’s disappearance and murder formed a chain, and from the moment he left his office, it meant he had already stepped into the trap laid by the killer.

And where this trap began was also where the police started pursuing the killer.

Over at the West Mountain Bolida Warehouse, the killer indeed acted very cautiously and cleaned up thoroughly.

There was no useful information found at the scene by either the forensic doctor or the Crime Scene Investigation.

A few grains of sea sand were not enough to prove anything.

However, the killer overlooked the distance of transporting Song Jinfu to the West Mountain Bolida Warehouse, a highly risky exposure zone.

The killer thought using someone else’s phone to call Song Jinfu’s office would keep him concealed.

The killer thought since there was no surveillance in the small shop, he wouldn’t be exposed.

But these were wishful thoughts on the killer’s part.

In just one day, Zhang Hui was able to lock onto the suspect’s frontal surveillance footage.

Even without confirming the suspect’s identity, they could proceed with a wanted notice based on the frontal photo.

Knock, knock, knock!

"Captain Qin... Oh? Brother Sun, you’re here too?"

When Zhang Hui knocked on Qin Yong’s office door, he saw Sun Jun was also there.

Sun Jun had just arrived less than two minutes ago and was briefing Qin Yong about the progress of Task Force One’s investigation.

"Oh?"

Qin Yong had been at a loss, but surprisingly, Sun Jun brought good news within just a day.

Sun Jun hadn’t finished his report yet when Zhang Hui knocked on his own office door.

Clearly, Zhang Hui had also gathered some clues.

"Come, sit, Zhang Hui. How’s it going? Did Task Force Two find some clues as well?"

Zhang Hui nodded excitedly.

"We discovered that before leaving the office, Song Jinfu received a phone call."

"Our investigation revealed that the suspect used the shopkeeper’s phone in a small shop in Spring Breeze Lane to make the call."

"Now, we’ve identified the suspect’s frontal appearance through nearby surveillance footage."

Identifying what the suspect looked like brought them a big step closer to capturing him!

Qin Yong listened and nodded, picking up a photo from the table and handing it to Zhang Hui.

"Is it this person?"

Zhang Hui looked at Qin Yong, took the photo, and...

Damn!

"Captain Qin..."

Qin pointed at Sun Jun.

Sun Jun smiled, "We’ve made a discovery too, by tracing vehicle information to identify the vehicle used to transport Song Jinfu from Spring Breeze Lane to West Mountain Bolida Warehouse."

"This person is called Zhao Xiaoguo, and he’s the one who drove Song Jinfu from Spring Breeze Lane to West Mountain Bolida Warehouse."

Zhao Xiaoguo?

Buzz buzz!

While Zhang Hui was still dealing with the surprise, his phone rang.

He answered, "Got it, thanks."

"The facial recognition information from the team also matches — it’s Zhao Xiaoguo."

Although Task Force One and Task Force Two conducted investigations from different angles, they reached the same results.

"Let’s go to the meeting room."

Now that the suspect had been nearly identified, the next step was to discuss the arrest.

In the meeting room, Qin Yong chaired the second case analysis meeting.

Compared to the morning meeting, Qin Yong’s demeanor was noticeably more relaxed.

Although the suspect was very meticulous at the first crime scene, leaving few clues, the long arm of the law is both slow yet precise.

The killer couldn’t foresee leaving a slip while meeting Song Jinfu.

"Sun Jun, could you elaborate on the situation?"

"Yes!"

"After this morning’s case analysis meeting ended, Task Force One and Task Force Two..."

Sun Jun briefly described the division of work between the two teams in the morning.

"Even though the investigation directions of the two task forces differed, both made great progress by tonight."

"Based on our current findings, we’ve initially identified Zhao Xiaoguo as the prime suspect."

"Wang, could you turn on the projector?"

An image appeared on the projector screen.

Thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a round face.

"This man is Zhao Xiaoguo, male, 24 years old, a local of Haizhou City."

"Two years ago, after graduating from college, he started a catering company in Haizhou City."

"After identifying his identity, we conducted a comprehensive investigation on Zhao Xiaoguo."

"First, the relationship between him and the victim, Song Jinfu."

"Checking their call records showed frequent communication, suggesting they knew each other."

"Moreover, Zhao Xiaoguo’s catering company is merely a front, with no actual business activities."

"Yet it received nearly 50 million yuan monthly."

"We traced the transactions, all originating from JF Catering Company."

"JF Catering Company was contracted to produce and distribute pre-made meals for all primary schools in the city, with no other business projects."

"Every month, JF Catering Company transferred 50 million yuan to Zhao Xiaoguo’s catering company."

"This implies that Zhao Xiaoguo’s catering company had a hidden stake in JF Catering Company."

"The two could thus be embroiled in significant economic entanglements."

"Thus, if there were disputes over profit distribution, it’s conceivable that issues between Zhao Xiaoguo and Song Jinfu could escalate to murder."

"Additionally, attention must be paid to Zhao Xiaoguo’s family background."

Sun Jun paused, not speaking further, but the information on the screen left everyone momentarily stunned.

Zhao Guojun?

It turned out Zhao Xiaoguo’s father was Zhao Guojun!