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

“I agree with your opinion,” Xiao Yang said. “In addition, the fact that the murderer disposed of the body parts along Heping Road indicates that he was quite familiar with the environment of Heping Road. He may live or work in the vicinity of Heping Road, or frequently travel along Heping Road. Moreover, the fact that the murderer chose to dispose of the body at night suggests that he was afraid of being discovered, that he had poor psychological qualities, or that this was his first time committing a crime.”

As the two were discussing, a technician from the DNA lab relayed a message: "Xiao Yang, Xiao Sun, the preliminary DNA test results are in. All the bloodstains and human tissue samples extracted from the scene came from the same male corpse, the dismembered body we found. The bloodstains and human tissue on the kitchen knife also match the victim's DNA, confirming that the kitchen knife was the murder weapon. However, currently, no matching DNA has been found in the national DNA database, so we cannot confirm the victim's identity."

"Okay, thank you!" Xiao Yang replied. After hanging up the phone, he said to Xiao Sun, "The deceased's DNA did not match in the database, which means the deceased may not have a criminal record and was not entered into the missing persons database. To confirm the deceased's identity, we can only rely on other clues, such as the black backpack, the deceased's clothing, etc."

“Let’s examine the fragments of that black backpack more closely and see if we can find any more clues,” Xiao Sun said. The two went to the evidence storage room, retrieved the fragments of the black backpack, and pieced them together and examined them again. “Although the brand logo on this backpack is blurry, we can tell it’s a relatively niche outdoor brand,” Xiao Yang said. “We can contact the relevant brand distributors to find out about the sales channels and target customers for this backpack.”

Meanwhile, the fingerprint identification lab technicians reported: "Several blurry fingerprints were extracted from the kitchen knife, but because the knife had been soaked in water, the fingerprints were severely damaged and could not be compared. Most of the other fingerprint samples extracted at the scene were left by onlookers and sanitation workers, and no suspicious fingerprints were found."

The results from the footprint analysis lab were also unsatisfactory: "The footprint samples extracted from the scene were rather blurry and contained a variety of different footprints, making it impossible to determine which footprint was left by the murderer, and it was also impossible to extract clear footprint features."

By 7 p.m., each team had made initial progress, but none had achieved a substantial breakthrough. The team reviewing surveillance footage still couldn't find a clear license plate number or driver information for the white van; the team conducting interviews and investigations hadn't collected any valuable information on suspicious individuals or vehicles; and while the forensic examination confirmed the murder weapon and the victim's DNA, it couldn't determine the victim's identity or the perpetrator's information.

Li Ming convened another case progress meeting to summarize the work of each team. "Currently, this dismemberment case is very difficult to solve. The victim's identity is unknown, and there are very few clues about the murderer," Li Ming said in a heavy tone. "But don't lose heart, everyone. We have already obtained some important clues, such as the murder weapon, the white van, and the black backpack. Next, we will focus our work on these clues."

"Xiao Yang, Xiao Sun, you two are responsible for contacting the brand distributor of the black backpack and investigating its sales. At the same time, continue to review the clues from the on-site investigation to see if any details have been overlooked," Li Ming instructed. "The team retrieving surveillance footage should expand their search area, not only checking footage along Heping Road but also in surrounding residential areas, parking lots, gas stations, and other areas, to look for traces of the white van. The team conducting door-to-door investigations should focus on densely populated areas around Heping Road, such as rental houses, construction sites, and small hotels, to search for recently missing men, especially those between 35 and 45 years old and around 178 centimeters tall."

"In addition, Zhang Lin from the forensic identification center needs to issue a detailed autopsy report as soon as possible to determine the deceased's exact time of death, cause of death, age, height, weight, and other information, so as to provide more evidence for solving the case," Li Ming added.

After the meeting, each group continued their intensive work. Xiao Yang and Xiao Sun contacted the brand headquarters of the black backpack and, using information provided by the headquarters, located the brand's distributor in the city. The distributor stated that this backpack was an outdoor backpack launched last year, with relatively low sales volume, primarily sold through online e-commerce platforms and offline outdoor equipment stores. Due to low sales volume and the fact that a year had passed since its release, they could not accurately recall specific customer information.

“It seems very difficult to identify the deceased based on the black backpack,” Xiao Yang said. Xiao Sun nodded: “We can only pin our hopes on the forensic autopsy report and the results of the surveillance footage review. In addition, we can enter the deceased’s DNA information into the national missing persons DNA database and continuously compare it to see if we can find a match.”

At 8:15 p.m. that evening, the forensic investigation vehicle carrying the remains of the body slowly drove into the courtyard of the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment's Forensic Identification Center. By then, it was completely dark, and the lights in the identification center building were as bright as day, creating a stark contrast with the silence inside the courtyard.

Zhang Lin, already dressed in a dark blue forensic autopsy gown, was waiting in the preparation area outside the autopsy room. His assistant, Xiao Lin, was busy checking the autopsy table, operating lights, and instruments to ensure that all tools were in working order.

As a key forensic doctor at the Municipal Criminal Investigation Detachment's Forensic Identification Center, Zhang Lin has participated in the autopsy work of hundreds of homicide cases. However, the autopsy of dismemberment cases is far more difficult than that of ordinary homicide cases, especially when the body remains are scattered and some tissues may be missing or decomposed. This is a great test of the professional ability and patience of the autopsy personnel.

"Professor Zhang, all the equipment has been checked, the autopsy table has been disinfected, and the refrigerator temperature is stable at 2°C. We can receive the body now," Xiao Lin reported solemnly as he approached Zhang Lin. Zhang Lin nodded, his gaze falling on the forensic investigation vehicle that had just come to a stop. He said in a deep voice, "Notify the transport personnel to handle the body carefully. Place all the body bags in the order they were discovered on the shelves around the autopsy table, making sure they are not mixed up. Also, bring me the list of physical evidence collected at the scene. I need to verify that the number of body parts matches the scene investigation record."

Soon, four transport personnel carefully unloaded the sealed body bags from the investigation vehicle and carried them one by one into the autopsy room. Zhang Lin held the scene investigation record sheet and checked the numbers on the body bags one by one: "Bag No. 1, right calf with leather shoe; Bag No. 2, right thigh; Bag No. 3, torso; Bag No. 4, left arm and left calf; Bag No. 5, head and right arm... a total of five bags, consistent with the scene record."