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

Chapter 1251 Cleared of Suspicion, Feelings of Disappointment

As the meeting adjourned, Li Ming watched the departing figures, picked up the autopsy report on the table, and his gaze lingered on the label "agricultural machinery special lubricating oil"—this detail might be the key to breaking through Zhou Ming's suspicion. He took out his phone and sent a message to Xiao Zhou: "Focus on testing the type of engine oil on Zhou Ming's motorcycle to see if it matches the lubricating oil found at the scene. This could be direct evidence."

Footsteps echoed through the corridors of the Criminal Investigation Division, each person carrying a clear goal, moving towards the truth. Although there were still doubts such as malfunctioning surveillance cameras and missing toolkits, with the in-depth investigation of Zhou Ming and the pursuit of the "unknown caller," the crimes hidden deep in the mountains were about to face their final judgment in the sunlight.

After the case analysis meeting, Xiao Zhou immediately led his team to a neighboring town, targeting Zhou Ming, a farm machinery repairman. According to the meeting's plan, Zhou Ming's "competitive motive," "matching motorcycle characteristics," and "suspicious timing of the monitoring malfunction" made him the most crucial suspect. As the police car drove along the rural road, Xiao Zhou looked out at the passing farmland, clutching Zhou Ming's file in his hand. He knew that only by verifying each suspicious point could they confirm whether he was the real culprit.

"Let's go to Zhou Ming's repair shop first to verify the specifics of the surveillance malfunction, and then check his motorcycle," Xiao Zhou told his team. Half an hour later, the police car stopped in front of "Zhou Ming's Agricultural Machinery Repair Shop." The shop's roller shutter door was tightly closed, but the sound of a television could be heard coming from a small shed next door. Xiao Zhou went up and knocked on the door. A moment later, a man of medium build wearing blue overalls opened the door; it was Zhou Ming.

"Who are you looking for? What do you want?" Zhou Ming's eyes flashed with wariness when he saw Xiao Zhou and the others in plainclothes, but he still stepped aside to let them into the house. The small house was not big, with a bed, a table, and a few tool cabinets. A repair qualification certificate was hanging on the wall, and there was a half-eaten instant noodle on the table.

"We're from the Municipal Criminal Investigation Division. We'd like to ask you about some things." Xiao Zhou showed his badge. "Why did the surveillance cameras malfunction between 3 and 4 a.m. on August 20th, while you were on duty at the repair shop?"

Zhou Ming's expression relaxed a bit, and he scratched his head: "Around 3 a.m. that day, the power suddenly went out, and the surveillance also stopped. I waited for half an hour, but the power didn't come back on, so I fell asleep on the table. The surveillance was restored when the power came back on at 5 a.m. I even mentioned the power outage in the repair shop's WeChat group, you can check it."

Xiao Zhou instructed his team to immediately verify the repair shop's electricity usage records and WeChat group messages. Half an hour later, the team member reported: "The power supply station's records show that from 3:05 AM to 4:50 AM on August 20th, the area experienced a power outage due to a line fault; in the repair shop's WeChat group, Zhou Ming did indeed send a message at 3:10 AM saying 'Power outage, can't work,' and other shop owners also replied, which confirms that the power outage was real."

The first point of doubt had a reasonable explanation, but Xiao Zhou didn't relax: "Where's your black motorcycle? We need to check it." Zhou Ming pointed to the shed at the entrance of the shop: "Over there. The engine was just repaired a few days ago, so I haven't ridden it much."

The team members immediately began examining the motorcycle. The motorcycle was black, and the tire tread pattern was indeed horizontal stripes, consistent with the track pattern at the scene, but the body was clean, with no obvious traces of black soil. Technicians used cotton swabs to collect soil samples from the gaps in the motorcycle body and also collected engine oil samples from the fuel tank, preparing to take them back to the branch for testing. "During the power outage in the early morning of August 20th, did you leave the repair shop?" Xiao Zhou pressed, his gaze fixed intently on Zhou Ming's eyes.

Zhou Ming shook his head: "No, after the power went out, the shop was completely dark. I was tired and sleepy, so I stayed in the small room the whole time and didn't go out. Mr. Wang next door can testify that he knocked on my door around 4 a.m. and asked if I had any candles. I told him through the door that I didn't, so he can prove that I was in the shop."

Xiao Zhou immediately arranged for his team to verify the testimony of Mr. Wang, the shop owner next door. Mr. Wang recalled: "Around 4 a.m. on August 20, my house also lost power. I wanted to borrow candles from Zhou Ming, so I knocked on the door of his repair shop. He said he didn't have any, so I left. I could hear his voice at the time, so he shouldn't be lying to me."

At this time, the technicians reported the preliminary test results: "The soil sample from the gaps in the motorcycle body, after rapid testing, does not match the composition of the black soil in the mountains and forests, but is closer to the loess around the repair shop; the engine oil sample is also different from the agricultural machinery-specific lubricating oil found on site, and belongs to ordinary motorcycle engine oil."

Xiao Zhou's suspicions lessened somewhat, but he still needed to confirm key evidence—DNA comparison and injury records. "We need to collect your DNA sample to cooperate with the investigation. Also, after August 20th, have you been injured or seen a doctor at a hospital or clinic?" Xiao Zhou said to Zhou Ming, taking out a DNA collection swab.

Although Zhou Ming had some doubts, he still cooperated with the sample collection: "I've been fine these past few days, I haven't been injured, and I haven't seen a doctor. If you don't believe me, you can go to the nearby hospitals and clinics to check."

The team then visited a hospital and three clinics in a neighboring town, but found no medical records of Zhou Ming after August 20. The DNA comparison results from the technical department also came out quickly: "Zhou Ming's DNA sample did not match the DNA on the lighter at the scene or the DNA of the skin tissue fragments under Zhang Haibin's fingernails, ruling out any connection."

Finally, Xiao Zhou checked Zhou Ming's call records. The operator's data showed that from the evening of August 19th to the early morning of August 20th, Zhou Ming had no call records with Zhang Haibin, nor had he used a temporary number. "We checked that 'unknown caller ID' number; it was anonymously registered at the city's business hall on August 19th. The registrant information is vague and has nothing to do with Zhou Ming," the team member reported to Xiao Zhou.

All doubts were disproven one by one: the surveillance malfunction was due to a power outage in the area, corroborated by power supply records and WeChat group messages; the mud and oil on the motorcycle were unrelated to the scene; Mr. Wang testified that Zhou Ming did not leave the repair shop during the power outage; the DNA did not match and there were no records of external injuries; there were no relevant call records. All the evidence indicated that Zhou Ming had neither the time nor the opportunity to commit the crime.

Sitting in the small repair shop, Xiao Zhou looked at the investigation records on the table and said to Zhou Ming, "Thank you for your cooperation. The current evidence shows that you are not involved in Zhang Haibin's case. Please continue to cooperate if needed."

Zhou Ming breathed a sigh of relief, and his tone became more relaxed: "I told you I didn't do that kind of thing. Although I compete with Zhang Haibin, it's not enough to kill someone. If you can find out the truth sooner, it will save me from feeling uneasy."

As they left the repair shop, the sun had already set. Sitting in the police car, Xiao Zhou watched the streets gradually darken outside the window, feeling a pang of disappointment.