Upon hearing this, everyone became instantly excited.

"Liao Xingyu, immediately call the locksmith company and have someone come up to open this door."

"Yes, Captain Zhao."

The old lady had just handed the photo back to Luo Fei, and upon hearing this, she was startled and looked at Luo Fei with suspicion. "Young man, what are you doing? Even if you're looking for someone, you can't just break into someone else's door..."

"Grandma, don't misunderstand, we're the police. We need to talk to Zhang Qiang about certain situations. Since he's not home, we have to take some special measures."

As Luo Fei spoke, he showed his police badge to her.

Upon realizing they were police, the old lady was no longer worried and became curious instead.

"Then what did he do? Can you tell me a bit?"

"We just need him to verify a few details, grandma. Please don't ask more and just go inside and rest."

After Luo Fei finally sent the curious old lady away, the locksmith arrived.

After Zhao Donglai showed his police identification, the locksmith wasted no time. He took out his tools and unlocked the door within a few minutes.

Zhao Donglai led everyone inside and smelled the scent left by Zhang Qiang in the room. Luo Fei immediately nodded to Zhao Donglai, "Captain Zhao, the smell I noticed in Lin Qi's apartment electrical room was indeed Zhang Qiang's."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Donglai immediately realized they had found the culprit.

The main focus now was to find out where Zhang Qiang had gone.

"Call Zhao Tian and the others immediately. Have them investigate Zhang Qiang's social network to see if he might have fled in fear of punishment."

"Also, notify Zhou Fan to contact a salvage team immediately and be ready! We're going to search Zhang Qiang's home right now to see if he left any clues."

Everyone started searching Zhang Qiang's room.

Quickly, an A4 paper filled with writing on the coffee table caught Liao Xingyu's attention.

He picked it up, glanced at it, and shouted, "Captain Zhao, there's a suicide note written by Zhang Qiang here!"

Upon hearing this, everyone gathered around instantly.

The suicide note wasn't very long, about two to three hundred words.

The main content was about how Lin Qi exposed his actions, causing him not only to lose his job but also to lead to the death of his parents. He became a subject of gossip and felt too ashamed to face people.

So he resolved to take revenge on Lin Qi. In the note, he planned to kill Lin Qi first and then kill himself.

After reading it, Zhao Donglai sighed deeply, "Immediately notify Zhou Fan over there to start the salvage operation."

Based on Luo Fei's prior findings and this suicide note, it could be concluded that Zhang Qiang most likely jumped into the river.

Just then, Luo Fei's phone rang.

It was Zhang Wei calling.

"Captain, we've already copied all the surveillance from across the river. Where are you?"

"We suspect Lin Qi's ex-boyfriend, Zhang Qiang, is highly suspicious, and we're at his house right now."

"We'll head over immediately."

"No need, we just found Zhang Qiang's suicide note at his home. We currently suspect he very likely committed suicide by jumping into the river. Head to the riverbank opposite Lin Qi's apartment immediately. We'll be there soon."

After hanging up the phone, they left two team members to continue searching Zhang Qiang's house and the rest headed to the riverbank where Zhang Qiang supposedly jumped.

By that time, Zhou Fan had already contacted the salvage team, and several staff members in life jackets were already on the river, carrying out the salvage operation.

Zhao Donglai observed the salvage for a while and then called a few team leaders, including Liao Xingyu, into the car.

"Although it seems highly likely that Zhang Qiang committed suicide by jumping into the river, we cannot rule out the possibility that he staged this to evade justice."

"So keep investigating his social relationships in detail, focusing on whether he can swim, whether he's been in contact with anyone recently, or if he's shown any unusual behavior."

"Also, if he really fled, he would need money. Check his bank transactions for any recent substantial withdrawals."

"Understood, Captain Zhao."

Once everyone was out, they immediately sprang into action.

Luo Fei and Zhang Wei were assigned to contact Zhang Qiang's relatives for information.

However, since most lived in rural areas of Jiangning County, they conducted inquiries over the phone to save time.

Soon, Luo Fei gathered quite a few leads from Zhang Qiang's big uncle.

After hanging up, just as he was about to make the next call, he received a call from Wu Yan.

"Luo Fei, have you and Yang Mei decided? Are you visiting your aunt's place tonight?"

Wu Yan asked as soon as she got on the line.

Only then did Luo Fei remember he had forgotten about the matter while being busy.

"Mom, I probably can't make it tonight. An unexpected case came up with the police team, and I'm back in the city now."

Hearing that he had legitimate business, Wu Yan acknowledged with a word and didn't bother him further.

By about six in the evening, the investigative efforts were more or less completed.

"Captain Zhao, we asked some of Zhang Qiang's closest relatives, and they all said that after his father's death, Zhang Qiang was very guilty and remorseful."

"Especially after his mother couldn't bear the shock and poisoned herself, he shut himself in his room and repeatedly told relatives that the root of all this was Lin Qi."

"Furthermore, his uncle and two uncles said that around noon yesterday, Zhang Qiang called them separately, somewhat like leaving final instructions."

"However, since his parents' incidents, he's been acting erratically, so no one thought much of it, just tried to console him."

Luo Fei reported his findings.

Then Liao Xingyu continued, "Captain Zhao, we talked to a few friends close to Zhang Qiang, and they all said Zhang Qiang couldn't swim and was a landlubber. Additionally, there haven't been any recent changes in his bank account balance."

"Captain Zhao, we also sent out a city-wide bulletin to check transportation means such as taxis, bus stations, and train stations, but so far, there's no news regarding Zhang Qiang's whereabouts."

Li Jun also reported.

After listening, Zhao Donglai sighed, "Now we can only wait for Zhou Fan's side to come through."

Since Li Jun and the team had been searching tirelessly but hadn't found Zhang Qiang's body, there was a ninety percent chance that he had indeed jumped into the river.

As long as they could retrieve Zhang Qiang's body, the case would likely be closed.

Later, after waiting patiently for half an hour without receiving a call from Zhou Fan, Zhao Donglai proactively called him.

"Zhou Fan, have you found anything through the salvage operation?"

"Not yet. We've conducted multiple retrievals along the river section where the incident took place, but nothing has surfaced."

"According to the salvage team, the body might have been carried downstream by the undercurrents, so we're now following the river and conducting downstream retrievals."

"Alright, then please keep monitoring the situation there, and inform me immediately if there's any news."

"Understood."

With no progress in the salvage operation, Zhao Donglai gathered everyone for a meeting again.

"Although the current evidence points strongly to Zhang Qiang, evidence is crucial in investigations. The salvage operation for Zhang Qiang is still ongoing."

"Now, everyone should follow the existing leads and work on completing the evidence chain. Once we have results from the salvage operation, we can close the case immediately."

"Understood, Captain Zhao."

"And Zhao Tian, did you manage to collect Zhang Qiang's footprints from his home?"

"Captain Zhao, after receiving your call, we rushed over and successfully collected a footprint from his balcony."

"Upon examination, it matches the footprint found in Lin Qi's house, confirming it's the same person. Additionally, we conducted a further autopsy on Lin Qi and confirmed she died from mechanical asphyxia."

"That's good, remember to send me these reports later."

Around ten in the evening, Zhou Fan finally brought good news.

"Captain Zhao, Zhang Qiang's body has been found, but... you better come and see for yourself."

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