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

Xiao Sun had already checked two nearby trash cans and shook his head: "These two trash cans are full of ordinary household waste, and I didn't find anything unusual. I'll continue checking south." After saying that, Xiao Sun pushed the on-site investigation cart and walked towards the next trash can on the south side of Heping Road.

Xiao Yang continued his thorough investigation of the trash can where the severed limb was found. He carefully emptied the trash from the can, placing it on a plastic sheet for inspection. "It mostly contains food waste, tissues, and plastic bags; I didn't find any other human tissue," Xiao Yang said as he cleaned. After finishing, he meticulously examined the inside and bottom of the trash can, finding no other valuable clues except for bloodstains inside the disposal opening.

By this time, dawn was breaking, the sun was rising in the east, and golden sunlight streamed onto the streets, dispelling the morning chill. More and more pedestrians and vehicles were appearing on Heping Road, and a growing crowd of onlookers had gathered outside the police cordon, speculating about what had happened. Li Ming instructed his team to maintain order at the scene while simultaneously questioning Li Xuefeng, the person who had reported the incident, to understand the details of how he discovered the severed limb.

"What time did you arrive here? When you found the severed limb, was there anything unusual around the trash can? Did you see any suspicious people or vehicles?" Li Ming asked. Li Xuefeng thought carefully for a moment and said, "I arrive at this road to clean the trash cans at 5:30 every day, and today was no exception. I found the severed limb at around 5:40. At that time, apart from some scattered trash around the trash can, there was nothing else unusual. When I arrived, I didn't see any suspicious people or vehicles; I was the only one working on this road at the time."

"How long have you been cleaning the trash cans on this road? Have you encountered anything similar before?" Li Ming continued to press. "I've been cleaning the trash cans on this road for three years, and I've never encountered anything like this before." Li Xuefeng shook his head, his face still showing lingering fear. "Every day, many people throw trash into the trash cans on this road, especially at night. After the surrounding shops close, a lot of food waste is dumped here."

Just then, Xiao Sun's walkie-talkie crackled to life: "Xiao Yang, Team Leader Li! I found something that looks like human tissue in a trash can on the north side of the intersection of Heping Road and Renmin Road!" Hearing this, Li Ming and Xiao Yang immediately rushed over. The trash can Xiao Sun mentioned was located on the sidewalk on the south side of Heping Road, about 800 meters from where the severed leg was found. At that moment, Xiao Sun was squatting beside the trash can, using tweezers to hold an object wrapped in a plastic bag.

"Captain Li, Xiao Yang, look!" Xiao Sun handed the object to the two men. Xiao Yang took the object and carefully tore open the outer plastic bag. Inside was indeed a piece of human tissue, which looked like a human thigh. "Conduct a preliminary examination immediately!" Xiao Yang said. Xiao Sun took out his forensic tools and examined the human tissue: "This is the right thigh of a male. The break is also irregular, with tear marks, similar to the broken foot we found before. It should come from the same corpse."

Xiao Yang immediately photographed and documented the trash can and its surroundings, and collected blood samples and other physical evidence from inside the trash can. "It seems the murderer dismembered the body and disposed of the remains in trash cans along Heping Road," Li Ming said with a frown. "Xiao Yang, Xiao Sun, continue to thoroughly search all the trash cans along Heping Road, don't miss a single one. At the same time, arrange for other team members to search garbage dumps, green belts, sewer openings, and other places where body parts could easily be disposed of within a 1-kilometer radius."

"Received!" Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun immediately adjusted the investigation plan. Xiao Yang was responsible for checking the trash cans on the north side of Heping Road, and Xiao Sun was responsible for checking the trash cans on the south side. The other investigation team members were divided into several groups to investigate other areas within a 1-kilometer radius. In no time, the entire Heping Road and surrounding area became an investigation site, and the investigation team members carried out the investigation work in an orderly manner.

At 7:30 a.m., the investigation made new progress. An investigator discovered a piece of human tissue wrapped in a black plastic bag in the median strip of Heping Road. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun immediately rushed to the scene and, after preliminary examination, confirmed it was a human torso. "This torso has obvious cut marks, and multiple wounds on the chest and abdomen, suggesting a violent attack before death," Xiao Sun said after careful observation. Xiao Yang then conducted a detailed examination of the median strip where the torso was found, collecting soil and plant samples in hopes of finding traces left by the perpetrator.

“Xiao Yang, look at the cut on this torso. It matches the characteristics of the severed feet and thighs we found before. They were all forcibly separated by a sharp instrument, and the cutting technique was rather crude, indicating that the murderer might not be a professional, or that he was in a panic at the time,” Xiao Sun said. Xiao Yang nodded: “That makes sense. Moreover, the murderer scattered the body parts in different places, which shows that he had some counter-surveillance awareness and wanted to delay the time it took for us to find the complete body and confirm the victim’s identity.”

At 8:30 a.m., another investigator found a human left arm and left calf in an abandoned trash can on the west side of Heping Road. At 9:10 a.m., a human head and right arm were found in a pile of garbage on the north side of Heping Road. By 10:00 a.m., after a thorough search, the investigators finally located the scattered remains and pieced them together to form a complete male corpse.

"Team Leader Li, all the remains have been found and pieced together. It's confirmed to be an adult male," Xiao Yang reported to Li Ming. Li Ming arrived at the scene where the body was pieced together. Looking at the gruesome corpse, his expression grew even more grave. "Immediately transport the body to the forensic identification center and have Zhang Lin conduct an autopsy to determine the time of death, cause of death, age, height, weight, and other basic information," Li Ming said. Subsequently, the investigation team carefully placed the remains into sealed body bags, which were then transported by the forensic investigation vehicle to the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment's Forensic Identification Center.

While the body was being transported, Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun continued their in-depth investigation of the crime scene. Centering on the locations where the body remains were found, they conducted a thorough search of the surrounding 1-kilometer area, focusing on roads, green belts, sewer openings, back doors of shops, and other areas, looking for clues related to the case, such as the murder weapon, the victim's clothing, and personal belongings.