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

Chapter 1049 The Murder Process, Scene Identification

When talking about the crime, Liu Dahai's voice suddenly became mechanical and numb: "On the evening of July 10th, I arranged to meet him at a warehouse in the suburbs, saying I would give him 'one last sum of money.' He was very wary and insisted that I go alone. I prepared a rope and an iron bar in the warehouse beforehand, and even put my phone on airplane mode." He swallowed hard, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down. "When he walked into the warehouse, he was still looking at his phone and didn't even notice me in the shadows."

Liu Dahai closed his eyes, as if trying to erase that memory from his mind: "I strangled him from behind, and he struggled desperately, his fingernails scratching several bloody marks on my arm. But how could he be a match for me? I pinned him to the ground and smashed his head hard with an iron rod, once, twice... until he was completely still." His voice grew softer and softer until it was almost inaudible, "The ground was covered in blood, like a nightmare."

"What did you do with the body after that?" Li Ming's voice was devoid of warmth. Liu Dahai's body began to tremble uncontrollably: "I used a flatbed truck from the construction site to transport the body to the Wangjialiang construction site. It was being demolished there, a good place to bury a body. I took advantage of the late night when no one was around, dug a pit in the foundation, buried the body in it, and covered it with construction debris. I thought I was getting away with it, but..." He suddenly broke down in tears, "I have nightmares every night, dreaming that he's standing at the head of my bed, covered in blood!"

The interrogation lasted for three hours, during which Liu Dahai confessed to the crime in detail. From how he fabricated his alibi to how he destroyed his communication records with Zhang Guijun, he even revealed that he threw the sneakers he wore during the murder into the turbulent river. But justice prevails, and no matter how meticulous the plan, it could not escape the pursuit of justice.

As Liu Dahai was led away from the interrogation room, he suddenly turned back, staring blankly at Li Ming: "I regret it, I really regret it... but it's too late." The moment the iron door closed, his voice was cut off outside the interrogation room, and what awaited him was the most severe punishment of the law. This tragedy, caused by greed and desire, finally came to an end, but the lives threatened by substandard building materials, and the families shattered by selfishness, can never go back to what they were before.

As Liu Dahai confessed, the whole case gradually became clear. It turned out that there were serious shoddy construction practices at the Wangjialiang construction site. After Zhang Guijun accidentally learned about this, he tried to extort money using the same methods he had used at the Yuanda construction site years ago. But this time he underestimated the ruthlessness of his opponent. Liu Dahai not only refused his demands but also colluded with the loan shark Zhao Ge to set a trap, fabricating evidence to frame Chen Yongqiang, and ultimately brutally murdering Zhang Guijun.

By the time the truth came to light, night had fallen. Li Ming stood by the window of the task force's office, watching the city's neon lights flicker in the rain. The truth, which Zhang Guijun had obtained with his life, had finally surfaced, but the lives threatened by substandard building materials and the humanity distorted by profit served as a wake-up call, echoing long in the hearts of every investigator.

On the morning of the 17th day after the incident, a gloomy cloud hung low, as if shrouding the entire city in a veil of oppression. A convoy of police cars slowly drove into the Wangjialiang construction site, the sound of tires crushing gravel particularly jarring in the silence. Liu Dahai was escorted out of the car by two police officers. His steps were unsteady, his face as pale as paper, and his once-shiny leather shoes were now covered in mud, a stark contrast to his wrinkled suit.

Construction had long since ceased. Excavators and tower cranes stood like silent behemoths, their rusty mechanical arms swaying slightly in the wind. Inside the cordon, the pit where Zhang Guijun's body had been found was still clearly visible, only now overgrown with weeds, adding to the desolation of this land steeped in crime. Liu Dahai looked up at the pit, his body suddenly trembling violently, his Adam's apple bobbing, but he couldn't utter a single word.

“Begin the identification.” Li Ming’s voice was low and cold, echoing in the empty construction site. Liu Dahai nodded mechanically and, urged on by the police officers, moved step by step toward the pit. With each step, his breathing became more and more rapid, as if an invisible hand was tightly gripping his throat.

“It’s right here…” Liu Dahai finally spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper scraping. He raised his handcuffed hands and pointed to the center of the pit. “I…I dug the pit right here.” He closed his eyes, as if he had returned to that bloody night. “That night was particularly dark. I was driving the flatbed truck alone, and I was terrified, but even more afraid that things would be exposed.”

He slowly squatted down, gesturing on the ground with his fingers: "The pit is about this deep and this wide." Dried soil still clung to his fingernails. "I dragged Zhang Guijun's body off the car. His body was already stiff, and it made a 'sizzling' sound as it dragged on the ground." A look of pain crossed Liu Dahai's face, as if he were feeling that nauseating sensation again.

"And then?" Xiao Zhou stepped forward, his eyes fixed intently on Liu Dahai. Liu Dahai swallowed hard and continued, "I pushed him into the pit. His head hit the pit wall with a 'thud.' I panicked and quickly used a shovel to shovel dirt, shovel after shovel, until he was completely covered." His voice grew faster and more agitated. "I thought that would be the end of it, but every time I closed my eyes, his face appeared before me!"

After pointing out the burial site, Liu Dahai was taken to the warehouse. The warehouse's iron door was rusted, and scratch marks from Zhang Guijun's struggle remained on it. "He was here... I strangled him," Liu Dahai said, pointing to a slightly darker area on the ground. "He struggled desperately, kicking me and scratching me, but I couldn't let him live..." As he spoke, he suddenly broke down in tears, collapsing to the ground. "I was wrong! I was so wrong!"

The officers helped Liu Dahai up and prepared to take him away. Before leaving, Liu Dahai suddenly broke free from the officers' control, knelt on the ground, and kept kowtowing towards the pit, saying, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I deserve to die, I deserve to die!" His forehead quickly bled, and the blood mixed with dirt formed shocking streaks on his face.

Li Ming watched this scene with no pity in his eyes. He turned to his team members and said, "Let's call it a day." The police car slowly drove away from the construction site, and Liu Dahai's cries gradually faded into the wind. This land, which had witnessed crime and death, would eventually be forgotten as the case was solved, but the lives lost and the families broken could never be healed by time. Liu Dahai would face a just trial under the law, and he would have to pay the price for his actions.