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

Chapter 1410 Major Clues Discovered by Surveillance

Xiao Wang held a brief meeting at the makeshift surveillance checkpoint. The table was covered with maps and a list of surveillance points around the West Suburbs Park. "Since the surveillance camera at the north gate of the park is damaged, we will cover all main roads, side roads, entrances and exits of residential areas, and surveillance cameras in front of shops within a 3-kilometer radius. Even privately installed cameras will be checked one by one. We cannot let any clue slip by."

The investigation covered 5 main roads, 12 side roads, 8 residential communities, 32 shops, and 2 gas stations around the West Suburbs Park, involving a total of 78 surveillance points. Xiao Wang divided his team into 8 groups, each responsible for 9-10 surveillance points, carrying portable hard drives and laptops to conduct the investigation simultaneously. "All surveillance footage must be reviewed frame by frame at 0.5x speed, focusing on individuals matching the deceased's characteristics, as well as those acting suspiciously or deliberately avoiding surveillance," Xiao Wang emphasized. "Especially the footage from around 1:00 AM, this is the critical time of the deceased's death, and it must be repeatedly checked."

The surveillance investigation was tedious and monotonous. Team members stared intently at their computer screens, their fingers constantly tapping the keyboard to pause and rewind. Most of the surveillance footage was taken at night, in dim lighting, and some videos suffered from static and buffering issues, significantly increasing the difficulty of the investigation. Time ticked by, and by noon the next day, most groups had still not found any valuable clues. "Team Leader Wang, we've reviewed all the surveillance footage along the West Suburbs Road we're responsible for. Around 1 a.m., there were only a few scattered vehicles and pedestrians passing by, and we didn't find any suspicious individuals," said Xiao Li, the team leader, rubbing his bloodshot eyes, his voice tinged with exhaustion.

Xiao Wang wasn't discouraged. Instead, he encouraged them, "Don't rush. Surveillance investigation is meticulous work. The fewer clues you have, the more focused you need to be. Check it again carefully, especially the corners of the surveillance footage; many suspects deliberately hide in those areas." He went to the computer in Group Two to review the surveillance footage of Xingfu Road, south of the park, which they were responsible for. Xingfu Road is a major road connecting the West Suburbs Park and the city center, lined with shops on both sides, and has high surveillance coverage.

At 2:30 PM, Team Three, responsible for checking the surveillance footage on Wanghe South Road, west of the park, reported: "Team Leader Wang, we've found something! The surveillance footage at the intersection of Wanghe South Road and Xijiao Road captured two black motorcycles passing by at 0:58 AM today. Their direction of travel was towards the north gate of Xijiao Park, which highly matches the location and time of the incident!" Xiao Wang immediately rushed to Team Three's checkpoint. The computer screen displayed clear surveillance footage: two unlicensed black motorcycles traveling one after the other at a relatively high speed. Both riders were wearing black helmets and black jackets, making their facial features unclear. The first motorcycle was newer, while the second had obvious scratches. The two motorcycles maintained a distance of about 5 meters, and their travel was relatively concealed, following the non-motorized vehicle lane, seemingly deliberately avoiding the main road's surveillance cameras.

"Continue tracking their movements!" Xiao Wang's instruction was clear. The three teams immediately retrieved other surveillance footage along Wanghe South Road and pieced together the routes of the two motorcycles: they entered Wanghe South Road from the intersection with Changsheng Road at 0:52 AM, passed the intersection with Xijiao Road at 0:58 AM, and arrived at a blind spot in the surveillance cameras near the north gate of Xijiao Park at 1:02 AM, after which they disappeared. "1:02 AM, which is exactly within the timeframe estimated by the forensic doctor!" Xiao Wang's eyes were grave. "These two motorcycles are highly suspicious and are very likely the means of transportation used by the suspects to escape the scene after committing the crime."

To further confirm the suspicions, Xiao Wang arranged for his team to retrieve all supplementary surveillance footage covering the blind spots around the park's north gate, including perimeter surveillance cameras in surrounding residential areas and private surveillance cameras from shops. In the private surveillance footage from a convenience store east of the park's north gate, the team discovered crucial footage: at 1:15 AM, two black motorcycles emerged from the blind spot, still traveling at high speed, fleeing towards the intersection of Wanghe South Road and Changsheng Road, forming a closed loop with their previous route. "Based on the timeline, they stayed in the blind spot for approximately 13 minutes, enough time to commit the crime and escape," Xiao Wang analyzed. "Furthermore, the riders wore helmets and dark clothing throughout, demonstrating a strong awareness of counter-surveillance, further increasing their suspicion."

After identifying the suspicious motorcycles, Xiao Wang immediately assigned two key tasks: first, to retrieve surveillance footage from the intersection of Wanghe South Road and Changsheng Road and the surrounding area to track the motorcycles' movements after their escape; and second, to use the vehicle characteristics in the surveillance footage to find the owners of the motorcycles. However, the first task quickly encountered obstacles. After escaping to the intersection of Wanghe South Road and Changsheng Road, the two motorcycles entered an old alleyway without surveillance coverage and then completely disappeared. "This alleyway is a typical urban village passage, narrow, with low-rise houses on both sides, no public surveillance, and very few private surveillance cameras," the team member in charge of the tracking reported.

Finding the motorcycle owners wasn't without its challenges. Surveillance footage showed neither motorcycle had license plates, and their features were rather ordinary. Black motorcycles are extremely common in the city, making it difficult to identify the owners solely based on appearance. Undeterred, Xiao Wang requested the technical department to enhance the surveillance footage to extract the motorcycles' frame numbers and engine numbers. Using specialized software, the technical staff magnified and clarified the motorcycles in the footage, ultimately successfully extracting the frame number of the first motorcycle: LBPPCJLA8J0012345.

Based on the vehicle identification number (VIN), Xiao Wang immediately contacted the vehicle management office to retrieve the vehicle registration information. The office confirmed that the VIN corresponded to a black Honda motorcycle, owned by Zhao Qiang, a 30-year-old male, registered in the Wanghe South Road community of the Chengbei District, residing in an old residential area near the intersection of Wanghe South Road and Changsheng Road. "Got it!" Xiao Wang exclaimed excitedly. "Go to Zhao Qiang's residence immediately and make the arrest! At the same time, intensify the investigation of other vehicles; through the previous vehicle's owner, trace the owner of the next vehicle."

At 4 PM, Xiao Wang led his team to Zhao Qiang's residence—an old residential area in Wanghe South Road Community. With the cooperation of the community property management, the team found the black Honda motorcycle in the community parking lot. The motorcycle's features matched those of the motorcycle in front in the surveillance footage; it was relatively new and had no obvious scratches. Through the property management, they learned that Zhao Qiang was a regular resident of the community, making a living by doing odd jobs, often going out late at night, and behaving rather mysteriously.

At 6 p.m., Zhao Qiang rode an electric bike back to the residential area. As soon as he entered the building, he was apprehended by the team members who were already waiting there.