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

Chapter 1260 Results Confirmed by Multiple Parties

Liu Min on the other end of the phone was silent for a few seconds, then her voice suddenly choked up: "Yes... that night he said he was going to cut a client's hair to discuss renovations. He brought a black tool bag with a tape measure, screwdriver, and other tools. He had a scar on the web of his left hand, from when he was cut by a chainsaw during renovations last year, and... he was wearing a silver necklace with a small cross pendant, which was a birthday gift I bought for him last year."

These details closely match the autopsy findings and the results of the on-site investigation—the gray hoodie, black sweatpants, and white sneakers match the deceased's clothing; the last meal consisted of rice, vegetables, and braised pork, consistent with the food residue in the stomach; the fact that he was a construction worker matches the tree bark fragments under his fingernails and the occupational characteristics of someone who may have been in contact with wood; and the scar on the web of his left hand serves as a key marker for identification. Xiao Zhou then asked Xiao Zhao to continue questioning: "Did Li Baowei tell you any specific information about the client? For example, the client's name, the location of the meeting, or whether they had any previous conflicts?"

“He didn’t say the client’s specific name, only that it was an old client who had introduced him to several deals before. The meeting place seemed to be near Oriental Park,” Liu Min’s voice grew increasingly agitated. “He rarely goes out to meet clients at night. I even advised him that it wasn’t safe at night and to go the next day, but he said, ‘The client is in a hurry to finalize the renovation plan, and if it’s late, they’ll find someone else,’ and insisted on going. In the end, he never came back. Have you found him? Has something happened to him?”

Xiao Zhou took the phone and gently reassured her, "Ms. Liu, please don't get agitated. We need to verify further. Could you please provide a recent photo of Li Baowei? Also, we need to collect your DNA sample to compare with the deceased's DNA in order to finally confirm his identity."

After hanging up the phone, Liu Min quickly sent Li Baowei a photo—in the photo, Li Baowei was wearing a gray sweatshirt, the scar on the web of his left hand was clearly visible, and he was wearing a silver cross necklace, which matched the description perfectly. Subsequently, Xiao Zhou arranged for team members to go to Liu Min's home to collect DNA samples, and at the same time contacted the renovation company where Li Baowei worked to verify his situation.

Wang, the manager of the decoration company, said on the phone: "Li Baowei is a long-time employee of our company. He is very skilled and honest, but sometimes he is too trusting and easily trusts others. He does have a few regular clients who often introduce business to him, but I don't know which client specifically asked him to meet that evening. He came to the company two days ago in the morning to pick up the decoration drawings, saying that he was going to a client's house to take measurements in the afternoon, but he didn't come to work that evening. We thought he was sick, but we didn't expect something like this to happen."

The verification of the other two suspicious leads was also underway. Team member Xiao Chen made two phone calls in succession to confirm the information one by one: "The missing person Zhou Ming you mentioned, although he is a 36-year-old carpenter and 174 cm tall, ate noodles for his last meal, not rice, and he has no scars on his left hand, so he is ruled out; Wang Hao, a 39-year-old decorator, although his last meal meets the criteria, is 172 cm tall, 3 cm shorter than the deceased, and he was wearing blue jeans when he disappeared, not black sweatpants, so he is ruled out."

At 6:30 a.m., the technical department reported: "Liu Min's DNA sample matches the deceased's DNA sample with a 99.99% match, confirming that the deceased is indeed Li Baowei! In addition, the scar on the web of the deceased's left hand is completely consistent with Liu Min's description, further confirming his identity."

Upon hearing the news, the team members in the office all breathed a sigh of relief, smiles appearing on their tired faces. "Finally found it!" Xiao Li slumped into a chair, rubbing his sore eyes. "This all-nighter wasn't in vain. Now I can finally rest a bit, right?"

“Yes,” Xiao Zhao took out his phone and sent a message to his wife, telling her about the child’s situation. “Now that the deceased’s identity has been confirmed, the investigation will have a direction. At least we know that we are looking for Li Baowei’s old clients. If we investigate along this line, we should be able to find the suspect soon.”

Looking at Li Baowei's information on the screen, Xiao Zhou finally breathed a sigh of relief. From 3 PM to 6:30 AM, over ten hours of arduous investigation, sifting through more than 1000 pieces of information, had finally confirmed the deceased's identity. He picked up the phone and reported to Li Ming: "Team Leader Li, the deceased's identity has been confirmed. He is Li Baowei, a 38-year-old construction worker, 175 cm tall. He went missing two nights ago after leaving home to 'meet with an old client to discuss a renovation plan.' The last known meeting place was likely near Oriental Park. He was carrying construction tools, and there was a scar on the web of his left hand. His family has confirmed this, and the DNA match is correct. Next, we can focus our investigation on Li Baowei's old clients and the client he last met, searching for clues about the suspect."

Li Ming's voice on the other end of the phone was filled with relief: "Great! You've worked hard. Now that their identities are confirmed, the case will be much easier. Arrange for your team to rest for a few hours first. We'll have a meeting at nine in the morning to plan the next steps. Don't overwork yourselves."

After hanging up the phone, Xiao Zhou looked out the window at the gradually brightening dawn. He knew that confirming the deceased's identity was just the beginning. Li Baowei's long-time clients, the last client he met, and whether there were any conflicts during the renovation process—these could all be key clues in the case. He organized Li Baowei's relevant information, marking keywords such as "finding Li Baowei's long-time clients," "investigating the identity of the last client," and "investigating any conflicts during the renovation process," in preparation for the morning meeting.

In the office, some team members were dozing off in their chairs, while others were eating instant noodles to replenish their energy. Looking at everyone, Xiao Zhou was filled with gratitude: "You've all worked hard. Take a rest first; we have a tough battle to fight this morning."

Sunlight streamed through the office window, marking the start of a new day. Xiao Zhou knew that as long as he followed Li Baowei's leads, he would eventually find his killer, give the deceased and his family a just explanation, and expose the evil hidden in the morning light.

The next morning, as soon as the door to the Criminal Investigation Division's conference room closed, the air was filled with the aroma of rustling papers and mingled coffee. On the long conference table, the case files for Li Baowei were stacked, categorized by "Crime Scene Investigation," "Autopsy Report," and "Identity Verification." Each document had colorful sticky notes attached to its edges, with keywords like "size 42 shoe print," "ribbed indentation," and "regular client" standing out prominently. Li Ming sat at the head of the table, his fingers lightly tapping the surface as his gaze swept over Xiao Yang, Zhang Sen, Xiao Zhou, and others present—confirming the victim's identity was only the beginning; finding the "regular client" who had arranged to meet Li Baowei and clarifying the motive and process of the crime were the keys to breaking through the case.