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

Chapter 1242 Preliminary On-Site Investigation Findings

“The chain is made of stainless steel with slight rust on the surface. It may be an item that the deceased was carrying or left behind by the suspect,” Xiao Yang put the chain into the evidence bag. “In the decaying soil to the right of the body, we also found a few short brown hairs, about 8 centimeters long and hard in texture. They may have been left behind by the deceased or the suspect.”

Xiao Sun walked to the north side of the body and found fresh trampling marks next to a fallen bush: "This bush has obvious trampling marks, and sap is still flowing from the broken branches, indicating that it was trampled within 24-48 hours." He used tweezers to remove the broken branches and put them into an evidence bag. "Judging from the direction of the branch's curvature, it looks like it was knocked down when someone was carrying a heavy object. It may have been left by the suspect when he was moving the body."

On the other side, Xiao Wang led Zhang Baode to an open area outside the cordon and handed him a cup of warm water: "Grandpa, please speak slowly, don't be nervous. Tell me in detail how you found the body." Zhang Baode held the cup in both hands, his fingertips still covered in dirt and pine needles, his voice filled with lingering fear: "I went up the mountain around 6 a.m., thinking I'd pick some good mushrooms before the dew dried. When I got to the pine forest halfway up the mountain, I smelled a foul odor. Following the smell, I saw the person lying in the bushes, completely rotten. I was so scared that I ran down to call the police. I even left my bamboo basket there."

"When you saw the body, did you notice any unusual details? For example, were there any other things next to the body, or did you see any suspicious people or vehicles?" Xiao Wang took out his notebook, his pen moving quickly across the paper. Zhang Baode frowned as he recalled, "I was too scared to look too closely. I just remember that he was covered with a lot of leaves, and he seemed to be wearing dark clothes. There was something shiny next to his hand, but I don't know what it was. Oh, right, yesterday afternoon I came to pick mushrooms around here and saw a black motorcycle parked on the side of the road at the foot of the mountain. I didn't pay attention to it at the time, but now that I think about it, could it be related to this?"

"Was there anything special about that motorcycle? Like stickers, license plate number, or obvious scratches?" Xiao Wang pressed. Zhang Baode scratched his head: "The motorcycle was black and looked quite old. There was a red helmet hanging on the handlebars. I didn't see the license plate number. There seemed to be a white scratch on the side of the motorcycle, but I can't remember exactly where. When I came down the mountain yesterday afternoon around 4 pm, the motorcycle was still parked on the side of the road. When I came back this morning, I didn't see it."

Just then, Xiao Yang's voice came from the gentle slope: "Team Leader Wang, come here for a second, we've made a new discovery!" Xiao Wang settled Zhang Baode down and quickly climbed the slope. Xiao Yang pointed to the decaying soil to the left of the body: "We found a copper button here. The button is about 2 centimeters in diameter and has simple patterns on it. It must have fallen from the deceased's or suspect's clothing and was covered by fallen leaves. We only discovered it while cleaning." He picked up the button with tweezers and put it into an evidence bag. "Also, we found a small amount of brown powder in the decaying soil to the west of the body. We can't determine what it is yet; we need to take it back to the lab for testing."

Xiao Sun added, "We found more motorcycle tire tracks on the path at the foot of the hill, which perfectly matched the tire tracks next to the body. The tire tracks extended along the path to the foot of the hill and then disappeared into the traffic on the main road—the main road is a gravel road, where the tracks are easily covered up, so we can't continue tracking for now. In addition, we found half a torn plastic bag in the grass next to the tire tracks, with the word 'supermarket' printed on it. The edges of the bag were covered with rotten soil, so it may have been discarded by the suspect."

Li Ming walked to the edge of the gentle slope, observing the progress of the investigation: "Our preliminary assessment is that this may not be the primary crime scene. The body was transported here by motorcycle and dumped. Judging from the tire tracks and trampling marks, the suspect is approximately 170-175 centimeters tall, wearing size 42 leather shoes, and may have been carrying a metal chain-like object. The victim's identity cannot be confirmed at this time. The clothing is severely decomposed, no identification documents were found, and the pockets were empty, as if they had been deliberately cleared by the suspect." He turned to Xiao Wang, "Could you double-check with Zhang Baode again whether the black motorcycle he saw yesterday was carrying anyone, or if there was anything strapped to the back seat?"

Xiao Wang returned to Zhang Baode's side and continued to ask, "Grandpa, was there anything tied to the back seat of the black motorcycle you saw yesterday? Or was anyone sitting on it?" Zhang Baode thought for a moment, then his eyes lit up: "It seems so! There was a black cloth bag tied to the back seat. It looked bulging, and I didn't know what was inside. At the time, I thought it was equipment that someone was carrying when they went hunting in the mountains, so I didn't think much of it."

This information gave Xiao Wang a jolt. He immediately instructed his team to retrieve surveillance footage from the main road at the foot of the mountain to search for traces of the black motorcycle. Simultaneously, he contacted police stations in surrounding towns to assist in identifying individuals who had recently driven black motorcycles and whose height and shoe size matched the description. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun continued their on-site investigation, collecting shoe print models, motorcycle tire print samples, a metal chain, copper buttons, plastic medicine bottles, and brown powder in evidence bags, preparing to take them back to the branch office for further testing.

As the sun rose higher, the mist on the hillside completely dissipated, and several villagers who had rushed over upon hearing the news gathered outside the cordon, discussing the matter from a distance. Zhang Baode stood in the open space, watching the busy figures of the police officers, still feeling lingering fear: "How could such a beautiful mountain become a place to hide a body... I hope you find the murderer soon so that the deceased can rest in peace."

Xiao Wang patted him on the shoulder: "Thank you for the clue. It's very helpful to us. We may need your cooperation to verify some details later." After saying that, he turned and walked towards the gentle slope to meet up with Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun. Although the identity of the deceased is still unknown, the clues of the black motorcycle and the black cloth bag have provided an initial direction for solving the case.

Standing beside the cordon, Li Ming looked at the surrounding mountains and forests. He knew that the investigation into this case of a decomposing corpse in the mountains had only just begun. Who was the deceased? Why was the body dumped on this hillside? Who owned the black motorcycle? These questions needed to be answered by examining the traces at the scene and conducting further investigations. But he firmly believed that with meticulous investigation and patient screening, the truth would eventually be revealed, and justice would prevail.

After returning from the scene in the mountains, Xiao Wang immediately led his team to the branch's video analysis room. As instructed by Li Ming, they needed to focus on checking the surveillance footage of the main road at the foot of the mountain and the roads in the surrounding towns to find the "black motorcycle" that Zhang Baode had mentioned—the old motorcycle with white scratches on its body, a red helmet hanging on the handlebars, and a black cloth bag tied to the back seat. It was likely the key tool used by the suspect to transport the body and was one of the few clear clues at present.