At the crime scene, many people were at the camping area, and they witnessed the police breaking open the statue.

In fact, quite a few people were watching from the periphery at the time, taking many photos. Although they were taken from a distance and aren’t particularly clear, the discovery of the mummy inside a statue at the East Sea Camping Area in Haizhou City still made it to the trending topics.

Unlike a typical murder case, the mummy scene was relatively gentle. Compared to a bloody murder scene, the mummy unearthed by the Haizhou City Criminal Investigation Team today was more akin to an archaeological site.

"This afternoon, Director Jiang of Song personally called me, demanding that we solve the case within three days!"

As the captain of the Criminal Investigation Team, Qin Yong initially only considered this case somewhat significant.

With a few million residents, Haizhou City experiences daily deaths, and while criminal cases might not occur daily, having three to four incidents a month is quite normal.

If the Criminal Investigation Team had to handle every single homicide, what would the local precinct’s Criminal Investigation Team do?

Therefore, a single homicide is just routine work for the Criminal Investigation Team.

However, the case at the East Sea Camping Area is different. The fact that a mummy was hidden inside a statue is inherently a topical matter.

Qin Yong had also read the news online.

Most of them were using clickbait headlines.

Things like finding a mummy inside a statue, is it moral decay or a twist in human nature!

The topic had almost reached a million discussions.

Some posts even included some images, though taken from a distance and not very clear, such topics easily attract people to click and view.

After Song Jiangguo’s phone call this afternoon, Qin Yong felt even more pressure.

"Let’s first hear about the case’s progress. Zhang Hui, you’ve made a significant discovery, please go ahead."

Zhang Hui nodded.

"Just now, the victim’s identity was confirmed. He is a farmer from Group 1, Yumin Village, Xinjian Town, Yellow Springs County, named Sun Baojun."

After Lu Chuan completed the DNA identification and comparison, the results were directly reported to Zhang Hui and Qin Yong, so other detectives were not aware of this news yet.

Upon hearing that the victim’s identity had been confirmed, everyone was energized.

One of the most crucial methods of investigating a homicide is focusing on the victim’s interpersonal relationships.

Without determining the victim’s identity, it’s equivalent to missing the most crucial handle for solving the case.

Thus, the progress Zhang Hui made can be considered a breakthrough.

Zhang Hui operated the computer to project basic information about Sun Baojun.

"Sun Baojun, male, 29 years old, from Yellow Springs County. He went missing since October of the year before last after leaving Yellow Springs County for work."

"Investigations into the chat records between Sun Baojun and his father Sun Aiguo show that since November 8th the year before last, Sun Baojun had not answered Sun Aiguo’s phone calls, and only text messages reporting safety were found in the WeChat records without any voice messages."

"Based on the information obtained earlier from Zhao Shengli’s Stone Carving Garden, it’s comprehensively judged that Sun Baojun had been engaged in statue carving work in Zhao Shengli’s Stone Carving Garden since he left Yellow Springs County for work in October the year before last."

"However, according to Zhao Shengli, Sun Baojun left his Stone Carving Garden last New Year’s Day, and since then, there has been no contact."

"This morning, Zhao Shengli even called Sun Baojun’s phone in our presence, but it showed that it was turned off, and he couldn’t be reached."

"Captain Qin, that’s the current situation."

Qin Yong nodded.

During this period, as Ren Qiang was recuperating at home due to a previous car accident, action group two had been under the temporary leadership of Zhang Hui.

Initially, Qin Yong had some concerns about Zhang Hui, fearing that he might not be able to shoulder the responsibilities of group two’s work.

The groups within the Criminal Investigation Team, particularly groups one and two, are considered elite squads responsible for investigating all major cases.

The other groups provide technical support or handle minor cases, which, in terms of importance, cannot be compared to groups one and two.

During Ren Qiang’s recovery period, Qin Yong originally intended to temporarily transfer a captain from the other groups.

Though the work nature of the other groups cannot be compared with action groups one and two, the captains are seasoned and experienced individuals.

Temporarily assigning one as group two’s acting captain should not pose any major issues.

The primary reason Zhang Hui was chosen was the consideration of grooming a successor.

Moreover, Zhang Hui had performed outstandingly over the past year, participating in the investigation of several major cases with commendable achievements seen by all.

Therefore, the team ultimately decided to appoint Zhang Hui as the acting captain of action group two.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Hui’s performance during this period was exceptional; the work of action group two remained consistent, achieving significant contributions in several case investigations.

Particularly in the cases involving Ren Qiang, Zhang Hui led action group two with steady and strategic actions, not being swayed by emotions, and achieved considerable success.

This time, Zhang Hui once again proved his capability.

Especially in managing relationships with the senior members of group two, Zhang Hui handled it exceptionally, earning everyone’s recognition.

Once Ren Qiang returns, Zhang Hui could even officially be promoted to deputy captain.

Qin Yong surveyed the room: "The victim’s identity has been confirmed. From the current situation, Zhao Shengli, the manager of the Stone Carving Garden, is a prime suspect."

Before Sun Baojun went missing, he worked in the Stone Carving Garden, and after his disappearance, someone used his phone to send safety updates to his father. From this, it seems the person knew Sun Baojun’s circumstances quite well.

Considering the time of his disappearance and the way the body had been concealed, Zhao Shengli is a major suspect.

However, what’s lacking now is evidence, and a motive.

Zhao Shengli is the Stone Carving Garden’s manager, while Sun Baojun was just a laborer. What kind of conflict between them could lead to Zhao Shengli committing murder?

"Zhang Hui, the focus of action group two should now be on investigating Zhao Shengli."

"In the shortest possible time, find a direct link between Zhao Shengli and Sun Baojun."

"Also, prioritize investigating Zhao Shengli’s bank transactions."

This point might indeed be Zhao Shengli’s greatest flaw.

If Zhao Shengli is the murderer, then it is he who transferred money to Sun Aiguo periodically using Sun Baojun’s phone.

Both the timing and amounts of the transfers were quite fixed. Zhang Hui roughly estimated in Yellow Springs County that Sun Baojun’s phone had transferred about 20,000 yuan to Sun Aiguo over the past two years.

It’s unlikely that Sun Baojun himself had so much money in his bank account or WeChat; if he did, he wouldn’t need to work away from home.

Therefore, it’s possible that Zhao Shengli transferred money to Sun Baojun through WeChat or bank transactions to meet the need for sending money to Sun Aiguo for reassuring updates.

Once we track this clue, Zhao Shengli won’t be able to escape!