ebookland Chapter 1077 Discoveries from the Investigation of the Deceased's Relationships
Chapter 1077 Discoveries from the Investigation of the Deceased's Relationships
"Xiao Yang, take some men and go to the garbage collection station again to expand the investigation area. Focus on the area between the abandoned factory and the collection station to see if you can find any murder tools or other clues. Zhang Lin, examine the body carefully again, especially the clothing and personal belongings, and see if there are any details that have been missed."
He turned to Xiao Wang: "You continue to track down the whereabouts of that silver-gray van, focusing on Zhao Liqiang's social connections and activities, and find out what grudges exist between him and Li Jiansheng. Xiao Zhou, you are responsible for investigating Li Jiansheng's work at Huihuang Construction Company, whether he has any enemies, or has participated in any illegal projects. You also need to find his black leather notebook; it may contain important information."
“In addition,” Li Ming added, “we also need to visit Li Jiansheng’s family and colleagues to understand his condition and interpersonal relationships before his disappearance, and see if there is anything unusual. Everyone should be on high alert. There are many clues in this case, but it is also very complicated, so we cannot take it lightly.”
The conference room was filled with the rustling of documents as everyone diligently took notes of Li Ming's instructions. The sunlight streaming through the window shifted, casting dappled patterns across the table, seemingly guiding them. Although many mysteries remained in the case, with Li Jiansheng's identity confirmed, the investigation's direction became increasingly clear, and hope rekindled in everyone's hearts.
"Meeting adjourned," Li Ming stood up, picked up the enamel mug on the table, and said, "Report any new developments immediately."
Everyone rose and left, their steps much lighter. Xiao Wang walked last, glancing back at the lights in the conference room, silently vowing to uncover the truth as soon as possible and let Li Jiansheng rest in peace. He knew the investigation wouldn't be easy, but he was confident that as long as everyone worked together and followed the clues, they would find the murderer and uncover the secret behind the case.
As Xiao Wang pinned Li Jiansheng's photo to the whiteboard in the interrogation room, rain streamed down the windowpane, leaving dark watermarks on the words "Director of Brilliant Construction." The man in the photo was wearing a suit and a neatly tied tie, but the weariness in his eyes was unmistakable—the bloodshot eyes left by gambling all night, clearly written in the medical report in the case file.
“Check his bank statements first.” Xiao Wang slammed his coffee cup down on the table, the brown liquid splashing next to the words “loan sharking.” Technician Xiao Zhang’s fingers flew across the keyboard, and a dense list of transaction records appeared on the screen: “Team Leader Wang, look at this. There’s a fixed expense every month on the 5th, the payee is ‘Hongye Investment,’ the amount increased from 50,000 to 150,000, and then suddenly stopped for the last three months.” He zoomed in on the transfer notes, “It says ‘working capital,’ but this company was shut down last year for illegal lending.”
When they found the former employee of Hongye Investment, he was cleaning fish at the market, fish scales splattered on his greasy apron. "Li Jiansheng?" He brandished a blood-stained knife, the fish head on the anvil still twitching. "That bastard owes our boss 800,000 yuan. Last winter, he was cornered in the construction site dormitory; his leg was almost broken." The crisp sound of the blade chopping at the fish startled Xiao Wang, who frowned. "He said there was an outstanding payment at the construction site, and he'd pay it back once it was settled. Then, in the spring, he broke his leg. Our boss even said he was going to the hospital to find him."
When visiting the casino Li Jiansheng frequented, the smoky private room still smelled of disinfectant. The proprietress pointed to the ledger with her red-painted nails: "He used to come every Wednesday without fail, staying all night. At his most reckless, he even bet a house." She flipped to the record from last December, "That day he lost 400,000 yuan and immediately wrote an IOU, with Zhao Liqiang as the guarantor." Xiao Wang's gaze lingered on the fingerprint at the end of the IOU, which perfectly matched the fingerprint in Li Jiansheng's file.
In the casino's surveillance footage, Li Jiansheng's left leg wasn't injured, but he walked unsteadily. He slammed his black leather notebook on the gambling table, pointed to a page, and yelled at Zhao Liqiang, "The kickbacks from this project are enough to pay you back!" Zhao Liqiang, a cigarette dangling from his lips, sneered, his hand on the notebook: "We'll talk when you get it, otherwise we'll use your daughter's piano to settle the debt." In the footage, Li Jiansheng's fists were clenched so tightly they turned white, his knuckles blue.
Li Jiansheng's home was in an apartment building in the old city. The peephole of the security door had been pried open, and half a toothpick was still stuck in the lock. When his wife, Zhou Min, opened the door, her apron was still covered in dish soap foam: "Don't ask me, we're over a long time ago." On the coffee table in the living room lay a divorce agreement, the ink at the signature already dried. "He mortgaged the house to gamble, and he stole our daughter's school money to pay off loan sharks. If it weren't for the children, I would have called the police and had him arrested long ago."
Zhou Min's phone contained a recording of an argument from last month. Li Jiansheng's voice was hoarse: "Give me another chance, Zhao Liqiang said he could help me get the project payment..." Zhou Min's cries pierced the receiver: "You still believe him? He's a loan shark! He might have had your leg broken!" The recording suddenly stopped, leaving only static.
In Li Mengmeng's room, the piano lid was covered in dust. "Dad used to play 'Für Elise' for me all the time," the twelve-year-old girl said, hugging her teddy bear, her eyes red. "But later he started arguing with people all the time. Once he even smashed my trophy, saying that my piano exams were a waste of money." She pulled a voice recorder out from under the bed. "I found this in his bag. I don't know what it is."
The contents of the recording sent a chill down Xiao Wang's spine. The conversation between Li Jiansheng and Zhao Liqiang was interspersed with the sound of steel bars clashing: "That batch of steel bars is completely substandard, how can you expect me to sign off on the acceptance?" Zhao Liqiang's voice was laced with threat: "Whether you sign or not is not up to you, otherwise your daughter's school will know about the loan sharking." Then came the sound of shattering glass, followed by Li Jiansheng's furious outburst: "You dare touch my daughter and see what happens!"
In the office of the Brilliant Building, Li Jiansheng's workstation had already been taken by a newcomer. His former colleague, Lao Zhang, secretly slipped Xiao Wang a USB drive: "After he broke his leg, he was sidelined. The deputy director is constantly giving him trouble, saying that the project he's in charge of is being done shoddy." The USB drive contained a construction log, the last page of which read: "The steel bars delivered by Zhao Liqiang are not strong enough; they must be returned tomorrow." The date was the day before Li Jiansheng broke his leg.
An even more startling discovery was hidden in Li Jiansheng's dashcam footage. The video from the day of the accident showed that he was pushed under the scaffolding at the construction site, and when he fell, he was still clutching the steel reinforcement inspection report in his hand. The figure who pushed him was wearing blue overalls, walked with a slight limp, and had a problem with his left leg—a perfect match for the man driving the silver-gray van in the surveillance footage.