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

Chapter 969 A New Lease on Life: Crucial Evidence

How to do?

Are we just going to release them like this?

As the digital clock showed 15 minutes remaining, Lu Chuan's phone suddenly vibrated violently. The head of the technical department's voice was filled with unprecedented excitement: "Team Leader Lu! A major discovery has been made in the fibers extracted from the coal ash in the cellar! After 72 hours of continuous cold extraction and separation, epidermal cells were found in the gaps between the polyester fibers!" Xiao Sun practically burst into the meeting room, the test report in his hand still dripping with condensation, "The DNA comparison results are in, and the gene sequence matches Zheng Jun's 99.99%!"

Inside the interrogation room, Su Man was elegantly adjusting her cashmere shawl when she heard the loud crash of the iron door swung open. Her eyelashes trembled slightly. Lu Chuan slammed the test report heavily on the table, the paper scraping against the metal with a harsh sound: "Do you know why coal ash is such a perfect preservation medium?" His fingers traced the photomicrograph on the report. "Every grain of coal ash is a natural desiccant. Three years ago, when you and Zheng Jun dragged Li Qingmin's body into the cellar, the skin tissue he rubbed off during his struggles was hidden in those fiber gaps."

Su Man's pupils suddenly contracted, and her carefully maintained composure cracked. At the other end of the corridor, Xiao Wang threw the same evidence in front of Zheng Jun: "You think wiping away fingerprints makes everything foolproof? The human body sheds 400,000 skin flakes every day. When you bent over to handle the corpse, the moment your collar brushed against the wooden box, you had already left irrefutable evidence." He pulled up the warehouse surveillance screenshots; the dark sweater Zheng Jun was wearing in the footage had a fiber structure that perfectly matched the evidence in the cellar.

Zheng Jun's Adam's apple bobbed violently, his scar turning a purplish-red. When Lu Chuan played the live surveillance footage of Su Man's son at kindergarten, this tough man finally broke down—on the screen, the little boy, clutching a backpack with "Dad" printed on it, timidly called out to the camera, "Uncle Zheng." "When my child has nightmares, he calls out your name." Lu Chuan's voice was as cold as a knife, "Do you really think Su Man would let her son call a murderer 'Dad'?"

The interrogation has finally entered the fast lane.

The air in the interrogation room seemed to have lost all its warmth. The incandescent light cast a ghastly white halo over Zheng Jun's head, making the scars on his face appear even more grotesque. The clanging of the metal handcuffs against the iron table was particularly jarring in the silence. Zheng Jun's head was bowed, his nails digging deeply into his palms until his knuckles turned white, as if he were making a final struggle.

Lu Chuan slammed the DNA test report heavily on the table, the dull thud of the paper hitting the metal breaking the deathly silence: "Zheng Jun, the evidence before you is irrefutable. There's no point in resisting. Now, confess to the entire process of murdering Li Qingmin." His voice was deep and cold, carrying an undeniable sense of oppression.

Zheng Jun slowly raised his head, staring blankly at the ceiling. His Adam's apple bobbed for a long time before he finally spoke, his voice hoarse like sandpaper rubbing against a wall: "On July 14th, three years ago, it rained heavily that night, and thunder roared one after another... Su Man messaged me, saying that Li Qingmin's negotiations had completely fallen apart." He paused, licking his dry lips. "I know it's time to put an end to this."

"How did you get to Li Qingmin's office?" Lu Chuan pressed, his pen hovering above his notebook, ready to record every detail.

“I was driving my black SUV, which I usually use for deliveries. The windshield wipers were swung wildly, but I still couldn’t see the road clearly.” Zheng Jun’s thoughts seemed to return to that rainy night, and his body trembled involuntarily. “Li Qingmin’s office was on the 17th floor of the office building. I went up through the fire escape to avoid the surveillance cameras. When I knocked on the door, I heard the sound of things being smashed inside. He was cursing Su Man as a ‘shameless bitch.’”

At this point, Zheng Jun suddenly became agitated, his handcuffs clanking loudly: "I rushed into the office and saw him holding a wine glass, his face as red as a pig's liver. As soon as he saw me, he defiantly said, 'You think you can interfere in my business?' My head went blank, my mind filled with images of Su Man's despair and my baby's wrinkled little face at birth..." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, "I pulled out a climbing rope that I had prepared beforehand from my lower back. Su Man had bought it; she said it was strong and wouldn't break easily. I put my arm around his neck from behind, and he struggled desperately, kicking his legs wildly, knocking over the glasses on the coffee table, shards of glass scattering everywhere."

Zhang Lin immediately reviewed the on-site re-inspection report and confirmed that broken glass had indeed been found in the floor cracks of Li Qingmin's former office. Lu Chuan gestured for Zheng Jun to continue.

“He was very strong. At first, he could grab my arm with his hands, and his fingernails scratched bloody marks on my skin.” Zheng Jun rolled up his sleeves. Although the wounds had long since healed, faint scars were still visible. “I gritted my teeth and tightened the rope, thinking that I couldn’t let go. If I let go, Su Man and the child would be finished. After about five minutes, his movements gradually slowed down, and he made a gurgling sound in his throat. Finally, his body went limp and he collapsed to the ground.”

"What happened after you killed him? How did you dispose of the body?" Lu Chuan's voice remained calm, yet it carried a chillingly intimidating power.

“Su Man arrived quickly.” A hint of tenderness flashed in Zheng Jun’s eyes, but it was quickly replaced by pain. “She was very calm, much calmer than me. She first wiped the entire office down with alcohol, from the doorknobs to the desks and chairs, even the air conditioner vents. She said she couldn’t leave any fingerprints or traces. Then we stuffed Li Qingmin’s body into a large wooden crate that I had prepared in advance; it was the perfect size.”

"Why did you choose the cellar in Beihong Village as the location to dump the body?" Xiao Wang suddenly asked, his eyes fixed on Zheng Jun.

Zheng Jun remained silent for a long time before slowly speaking: "Su Man had been to the village where that cellar is located. She rented a house there when she first came to Haizhou to work. Su Man said that the village had been abandoned for many years, so even if the body decomposed there, the stench would be blocked. Moreover, the cellar is deep in a cornfield, and no one usually goes there." His fingers unconsciously traced the path on the table, as if tracing the route for disposing of the body. "We waited until three in the morning, when there were the fewest cars on the road, and then we set off. Su Man put the baby seat in the passenger seat, along with some of the child's toys and bottles. She said that if we encountered a DUI checkpoint, we could say that the child had suddenly fallen ill and needed to be taken to the hospital."

"Tell me the details of how the body was disposed of." Lu Chuan tapped the table, pulling Zheng Jun back from his wandering thoughts.

“It takes more than three hours to drive from Haizhou to Beihong Village,” Zheng Jun continued. “My heart was in my throat the whole way, and I always felt like there were police cars chasing us. When we were almost at Beihong Village, Su Man told me to stop at the village entrance and she went to scout ahead. Ten minutes later, she came back and told me it was safe. We drove the car onto a small road on the back mountain, and carefully covered the tire tracks with branches. The iron door of the cellar was badly rusted, and it made a creaking sound when it was opened, which was particularly jarring in the night.”