Read Novel Full Chapter 148
Chapter 148 : Clues
“Shaoqiang, I haven’t congratulated you yet! You’ve officially become a public security officer.”
Liu Lixin handed He’an to Qi Shaoqiang, then sat down, picked up some chopsticks, and began eating.
“I spent half the day feeding Liu He’an, and he’s still hungry! This little brat never eats properly. His poor dad!”
The warm baby in Qi Shaoqiang’s arms looked up at him eagerly and opened his mouth, “Eat fish!”
Helplessly, Qi Shaoqiang sat down, picked up the chopsticks from the table, grabbed a piece of tender fish, and placed it in the boy’s bowl. “Ah…”
Jiang Li leaned closer and whispered in his ear, “You came back from the station today. Is it because of the missing child?”
Qi Shaoqiang glanced at her and nodded.
“Have you found anything?”
“Nothing so far. We sent out everyone today but didn’t uncover any clues.”
His expression was grim. Despite visiting all the nearby alleys, there was no sign of the missing child.
Jiang Li understood the gravity of the situation and refrained from asking further questions. Both of them tacitly realized that a child missing for over 24 hours meant escalating danger.
—
After the hundred-day banquet, Qi Shaoqiang returned to the station, unable to shake his worry.
Director Chen was visibly anxious. Besides the family who had reported their child missing the previous night, two employees from the agricultural machinery factory had reported missing children that morning.
Panic spread in the community. Parents forbade their children from playing outside, and the once-lively alleys grew eerily quiet.
“Director, we have a lead!”
Liu Chaoying burst in, panting, followed by a half-grown boy who looked confused and a bit frightened.
Next to the boy was a young woman in her twenties, dressed in red. She was holding his ear and nudging him forward. “Hurry up and tell the officers what you saw!”
The boy fidgeted uncomfortably, his reddened ears burning as he muttered, “I saw something.”
Director Chen stepped forward. “What did you see?”
Under the weight of the attention, the boy hesitated for a long moment, unable to speak.
The woman in red quickly chimed in, smiling apologetically, “Please don’t mind him, Officer. His family scares him by saying the police will take him away if he misbehaves. He’s just nervous.”
Liu Chaoying crouched down and spoke gently. “It’s okay, kiddo. Don’t worry. Just tell us what you saw. We’re here to catch bad people, not you.”
Qi Shaoqiang sat the boy on his lap and reassured him, “I know you’re brave and kind. Someone’s chuld is missing. If you tell us what you saw, we’ll have a better chance of saving him.”
Mustered up, the boy finally spoke. “Yesterday, I went out to catch shrimp. When I passed Qingshui Alley, I saw some kids playing hide-and-seek. A woman stopped me and asked for directions. She wanted me to show her where to go, but I was in a hurry and ignored her. When I left, I saw her talking to one of the kids, and she gave him some candy.”
“What did she look like? Do you remember?”
“She was very pretty, with curly hair and a mole between her eyebrows.”
“How tall was she? As tall as your sister?”
“About the same height as my sister.”
“Did she have a local accent?”
“Seemed like it.”
Director Chen exchanged a significant glance with Liu Chaoying. At last, they had a tangible lead.
Using the boy’s description, the station’s sketch artist created a profile of the suspect. Officers were dispatched to search train and bus stations for anyone matching the description.
—
Meanwhile, in an abandoned house tucked in a narrow alley, a group of men were deep in discussion.
The door creaked open, and a woman stepped inside. She wore a cheongsam that accentuated her graceful figure, and a beauty mark stood out between her eyebrows.
“Sister Feng, how are things outside? Have you gotten the tickets?”
The men spoke over each other in a chaotic din. Irritated, Wu Jinfeng snapped, “Enough! Keep it down, or do you want to bring everyone running here?”
After the room fell silent, Wu Jinfeng finally spoke. “The tickets are ready. The train leaves at 10 p.m.”
A short man smiled ingratiatingly at her. “Sister Feng, you’re truly amazing. It’s much easier when someone in your family works at the Railway Bureau.”
Wu Jinfeng’s expression turned cold. “You all are trying to kill me this time. You said you’d wait until I had everything smoothed over before you made a move, but you couldn’t hold back? One of the kidnapping targets was from the Agricultural Machinery Bureau. Now even the Public Security Bureau is aware. If the police track this back to me, I’ll make sure you pay for it!”
Several of the men being scolded looked displeased. To be fair, everyone involved in this line of work had committed crimes and was now on the run.
They were all ill-tempered and not to be trifled with, but this sharp-tongued woman was berating them like misbehaving children.
The short man, trying to smooth things over, fetched a broken chair for Wu Jinfeng to sit on. “Sister Feng, don’t worry. We messed up this time, but we’ll leave tonight and make sure nothing comes back to you.”
Wu Jinfeng pulled a paper bag from her handbag and tossed it onto the floor. It burst open, revealing two coarse cornmeal pancakes.
“Eat and get out of here as soon as you’re done!”
After coaxing her out, the short man’s face darkened as he slammed the door shut. “That witch! If she pushes me any further, I’ll kill her.”
“Yongzi, she’s eating well herself, probably roast duck, while giving us these lousy pancakes. What a stingy snake!”
“Why don’t we head out for some real food? I had braised pork elbow last time and still can’t stop thinking about it!”
Yu Yong smacked the man on his bald head. “Deal with it! The situation is tense out there. Do you want to land in jail just for a better meal?”
Grumbling, the men tore off the dirty outer layers of the pancakes and crammed the rest into their mouths, cursing under their breath.
Yu Yong checked on the two drugged children in the corner. They hadn’t woken up, and the sight left him uneasy. This job had barely netted enough to cover their travel costs.
“Since that woman’s so heartless, I see no reason to let her off easy. We’ll handle this our way.”
The men nodded in agreement, their frustration turning into grim determination.
—
After finishing their meal, Yu Yong stood and announced, “One more job before we catch the train.”
The men perked up immediately. “Alright!”
As darkness fell, the group split into pairs and headed toward prearranged locations.
The method was simple: lure the child with candy or cloth soaked in drugs, knock them unconscious, then quickly carry them to the hideout.
All three groups returned successfully, each with a five-year-old child. Younger children were avoided as the drugs might kill them, and older ones were deemed risky as they could remember too much.
Back at the hideout, the traffickers shaved the children’s heads and changed their clothes. By the time they finished, it was nearly time for their train.
One man was sent ahead to scout the station. When he returned, he was beaming. “All clear!”
Yu Yong exhaled in relief. “Let’s move!”
He knew the heightened police vigilance in Haicheng would make it difficult for them to operate there again for a while.
After presenting their tickets and boarding the train, Yu Yong walked through the carriage, scanning for anything suspicious. Finding nothing amiss, he finally relaxed.
His stomach growled loudly, and for the first time that night, he allowed himself to think about food.