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

"After I dragged Zhang Baocang's body from the car into the house, I took it directly to the bathroom," Qin Kailai said, pointing to the inner part of the bathroom, near the sewer. "I laid a plastic sheet there to prevent bloodstains from getting on the floor. Then, using that stainless steel kitchen knife, I dismembered the body into six pieces." He gestured as he spoke, "First, I cut off the head at the third cervical vertebra, then I divided the torso into upper and lower sections below the xiphoid process of the sternum. The arms were cut at the shoulder joints, and the legs at the hip joints. Because I was worried I wouldn't be able to cut them, I used a lot of force with each cut, and the blade is a bit worn. You should be able to see wear marks on the kitchen knife you found." This description perfectly matched the forensic autopsy findings that "the dismemberment sites were the third cervical vertebra, below the xiphoid process of the sternum, the shoulder joint, and the hip joint," and that "the dismemberment tool was a stainless steel kitchen knife with clean cuts."

The investigators pressed further: "What did you use to wrap the body parts when you dismembered the body? Why were some of the plastic bags torn?" Qin Kailai replied, "I prepared several white plastic bags at home beforehand, all leftovers from grocery shopping. After dismembering the body, I put each piece into a separate plastic bag. Because the torso was relatively large, the plastic bag was a bit small, and I used too much force when packing it in, which tore the bag slightly, causing blood to seep out and stain the plastic sheet. Later, I threw the plastic sheet and the torn plastic bag together into the trash can downstairs." This was consistent with the police's findings at the scene, including "white plastic bags wrapping the body parts" and "bloodstains on the lining of a suitcase," which also explained why some of the plastic bags were torn.

Then, Qin Kailai pointed to the bathroom sink: "After dismembering the body, I washed the knife and the blood on my hands here, then put the knife and the remaining broken plastic bag into a small bag, intending to dispose of it with the suitcase. I also rinsed the bathroom floor and walls with water, trying to wash away the bloodstains, but I didn't expect that traces might still remain." When the police previously investigated the bathroom of Qin Kailai's residence, they extracted trace amounts of bloodstains and human tissue fragments from the sink drain and the grout lines of the floor tiles. Subsequent testing confirmed that the DNA matched Zhang Baocang's, and Qin Kailai's confession completely corroborated the investigation results.

Finally, police escorted Qin Kailai to the intersection of Hubin Road and Xingfu Road near Nanhu Square to identify the primary crime scene where Zhang Baocang was murdered. "This is it. Zhang Baocang and I agreed to meet here to discuss repaying the money," Qin Kailai said, pointing to a temporary parking area on the east side of the intersection. "Around 11:30 p.m. the night before the incident, I drove here to wait for him. He arrived on an electric scooter. We talked in my car. He urged me to repay the money, saying he would sue me if I didn't, and that he would tell my family and former colleagues about my gambling debts. I lost my temper and attacked him."

He further recounted the murder: "I was sitting in the driver's seat, and he was in the passenger seat. He became increasingly agitated, reaching for his phone to make a call. Afraid he would escalate the situation, I quickly took a pre-prepared white towel—a soft, pure cotton towel—from the glove compartment and forcefully covered his mouth and nose. He struggled violently, flailing his left arm wildly, and accidentally got a cut from the utility knife I had in the glove compartment—the superficial scratch you mentioned. I was afraid he would break free, so I used a lot of force to cover his mouth and nose with the towel for about five or six minutes until he stopped moving. Only then did I release my hand, check his nose, and find he was no longer breathing." This description precisely matches the conclusions found during the forensic autopsy, such as "superficial resistance injury on the deceased's left upper forearm" and "cause of death: mechanical asphyxiation caused by a soft object pressing on the mouth and nose," and also explains the formation of the resistance injury.

During the identification process, Qin Kailai also confessed to the details of transporting the body: "After confirming Zhang Baocang's death, I pushed his electric scooter into a nearby alley and hid it. Then I moved his body from the passenger seat to the back seat and covered it with a black cloth. After that, I drove home, taking several detours because I was worried about being caught on camera. I didn't get home until after 1 a.m., and then I started dismembering the body." Based on his confession about where he hid the electric scooter, the police subsequently found Zhang Baocang's scooter and further secured the relevant evidence.

The entire identification process lasted 2 hours and 15 minutes. Qin Kailai accurately identified the primary crime scene of Zhang Baocang's murder, the dismemberment location, the route taken to dispose of the body, and the core location where the body was disposed of. The details he provided—including the tools used to suffocate Zhang, the formation of the resistance wounds, the parts and tools used for dismemberment, the location where the suitcase was thrown, and the location where the kitchen knife was discarded—perfectly matched the police's previous on-site investigation report, autopsy report, surveillance video, and physical evidence examination results, forming a complete chain of evidence. After the identification, Qin Kailai was escorted back to the detention center, while the investigation team immediately organized the video recordings, photos, and other materials obtained during the identification process, compiling them with existing evidence for archiving, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent transfer of the case for review and prosecution.

Two weeks after the Jin Kailai case was closed, the Criminal Investigation Division received another report.

At 5:30 a.m., just as dawn was breaking, the eastern horizon was barely tinged with the first hint of light. The streetlights along Heping Road were still on, casting long, dim shadows on the wet pavement. A light rain the previous night had made the air exceptionally fresh, but it also added a bit of inconvenience for the sanitation workers who were up early to begin their work. Li Xuefeng, wearing his orange sanitation uniform, pushed his sanitation cart, laden with tools, slowly along the west side of the Heping Road sidewalk. He had been working as a sanitation worker for eight years, and every day at this time, he would arrive on this section of the road to empty the trash cans.

Heping Road is one of the main thoroughfares in the city center, stretching approximately two kilometers from Jianshe Road in the north to Renmin Road in the south. It is lined with shops, office buildings, residential areas, and parks, resulting in heavy pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Consequently, the trash cans here are always overflowing, making cleanup a challenging task. Li Xuefeng walked to the first trash can, skillfully picked up the tongs, and prepared to transfer the trash from the can into the sanitation truck.

This is a green recycling bin with separate compartments for recyclables and other waste. At this moment, the other waste compartment was completely overflowing, with some trash spilling out and scattered around the bin. Li Xuefeng frowned, first bending down to clear away the scattered trash, then reaching into the bin with tongs to carefully remove the garbage bit by bit.