The Mystery of the Robbery

page views:1 Publication date:2023-03-24

Author: Zhubi Reef
First Published: No
Published on July 20, 2016 in the Sex Bar
Word Count: 65,159 words
This is a compilation of the first three volumes previously published on other forums, posted in the Original Life section.
Volume 1: The Disappearance of the Art School Beauty (Chapters 1-5)
Chapter 1:
Nancheng, a historically renowned border trade city in southwest China, boasts a pleasant climate and is
known as "the weather is always as warm as April, and flowers bloom continuously throughout the four seasons." In recent years, due to the surge in trade between China and ASEAN countries,
merchants and companies from all over the country have flocked to the city for border trade, giving it a second spring.
The clean streets and alleys that were empty a few years ago are now bustling with people. What was originally
a medium-sized city with a population of one million has now more than doubled in number.
The influx of people has brought a surge of money, and Nancheng's real estate industry has also ushered in its peak season, with various buildings and construction sites starting
construction. This has brought a large number of migrant workers, making the already bustling city even more crowded
.
While some departments in Nancheng, such as the tax bureau, industry and commerce bureau, and land bureau, are thriving
, others are facing increasing pressure, with the public security bureau bearing the brunt. The influx of a large migrant population
has been accompanied by a significant rise in crime, exacerbating the already strained manpower of the police
. However, the police department has limited staffing and budget, resulting in
a backlog of unsolved cases and growing public discontent.
The Xuefu Road Police Station, located in the remote northwest corner of the city, is known as the least
busy police station in the city. Compared to the busy police stations in the main urban area, the Xuefu Road Police Station truly deserves
this "leisurely" reputation. This is because the station is located in a remote area, several kilometers from the main urban area, and its jurisdiction
lacks large factories and residential communities. There are only a few colleges and universities: the Municipal Economic and Trade College,
the Municipal Preschool Teacher Training School, the Municipal Art School, the Municipal Health School, the Provincial Forestry College, and so on. Although these institutions
have a combined student and faculty population of over ten thousand, they are all students under strict school management, so
there are very few security incidents. Most minor student fights and petty thefts are handled privately by the schools
and rarely involve the police station.
However, if you think that the police officers assigned to this most leisurely police station are the happiest, you are sorely
mistaken. Anyone in the municipal public security system knows that the Xuefu Road Police Station has another, more well-known name:
"The Retirement Home." As the name suggests, this police station primarily houses retired officers nearing retirement age.
Unlike its sister stations in the city that thrive on bribes from numerous entertainment venues
, this station is a truly clean and efficient institution. There are only two or three entertainment venues on Xuefu Road, all located
near the entrance of the Municipal Institute of Economics and Trade. Other schools typically have small supermarkets run by faculty and staff
.
Of course, not all officers are nearing retirement. Besides the soon-to-retire station chief, deputy chief
, instructor, and a few veteran officers, there are two or three young officers assigned to this station—
in layman's terms, "marginalized" officers without connections or powerful backers.
Dai Qing is one of these few young "marginalized" officers, but unlike the other two
with less prestigious degrees, he is a graduate of the China People's Public Security University, considered
the highest institution of learning within the public security system. His educational background was among the best in the entire Nancheng City Public Security System
, but what could he do when his parents were just ordinary workers at the water supply company? They had no connections within the police system
; his current position was only secured through countless connections and detours by his parents.
His major was criminal investigation, yet he was assigned to this remote, small police station as a lowly patrol officer,
handling trivial disputes and petty squabbles.
Dai Qing was a highly ambitious and competitive person. From a young age, he aspired to be a great detective like Sherlock Holmes; becoming a criminal
investigator was his ultimate goal. He was unwilling to remain a lowly police officer forever, always believing that talent would eventually shine through. He
firmly believed that with the solid professional skills he had acquired during his university studies, he would one day have the opportunity to achieve his ambitions and
become a criminal investigator. Therefore, in the three years since graduating from university and joining the police force, he has maintained rigorous self-discipline outside of his regular work
, relentlessly pursuing and refining his knowledge of criminal investigation. He wasn't lacking in
professional skills, sharp thinking, or meticulous observation. What he lacked now was an opportunity, a
chance to fully prove his abilities…
Midsummer July, the sun blazing, July 23rd, Wednesday, the Great Heat in the lunar calendar. Around 11:00 AM, Dai
Qing, as usual, drove the station's 212 police car to patrol and conduct door-to-door visits in the area. He was
the main force in patrolling and visiting the station. Of the other officers, besides two women in their forties in charge of household registration, and
Tian Yaqin, the niece of the station chief who had just graduated from the provincial police academy and was responsible for reception, the rest were all older men. These kinds
of errands naturally fell to him.
Dai Qing, leading two junior auxiliary police officers, planned to check the newly opened hotel near the entrance of the Economics and Trade College.
Every time they conducted a surprise inspection of this hotel, they found people without registered ID cards, and each time they could get a small fine,
generating some revenue for the station. The other KTVs, dance halls, and movie theaters on Xuefu Road were all places the police chief and
deputy chief had instructed them to keep quiet and not be investigated casually. Everyone knew the shady dealings involved; every police station did the
same thing. The lower-ranking officers, having received bribes from the leaders, naturally wouldn't risk their lives.
The reason for going around 11:00 AM was to catch some students who would be using short-stay hotels for lunch breaks
. Staying there until around 1:00 PM usually yielded results. At the very least, the hotel would provide lunch.
Xuefu Road was sparsely populated and trafficked, with only a few colleges and universities. The schools were
quite far apart, separated by vast, dense peach orchards planted by local fruit farmers. However, each school
gate presented a different scene: small shops lined both sides of the road, with various restaurants, barbershops
, and supermarkets being the most numerous.
As they passed the entrance of the nursing school, the two auxiliary police officers on the back seat began to whisper amongst themselves:
"Skinny Monkey, look at that girl in the light green short skirt, she's dressed so provocatively, the skirt's so short it's showing her butt
, she's really slutty," auxiliary police officer Zhao Youde whispered.
"Yeah, the girls at the nursing school are the sexiest. Almost the whole school is girls, the gender imbalance is driving them crazy, haha,"
auxiliary police officer Su Zhenghao, nicknamed "Skinny Monkey," chimed in.
"Skinny Monkey, how about we patrol around here tonight?" Zhao Youde suggested.
"You pervert, aren't you going home tonight?" "Skinny Monkey," Su Zhenghao asked.
"What's the point of going home? Besides, our station is so far from the city center, a round trip wouldn't even cover the bus fare
. We'll just sleep in the duty room after our patrol tonight," Zhao Youde said.
Dai Qing, listening to their whispers behind the seats, glanced at the daringly dressed girl, but
didn't stop them from talking. These two so-called auxiliary police officers were actually just two young men from the streets, probably
high school graduates at most. They were newly recruited by the station this spring; they weren't official police officers, just
so-called "temporary workers." I heard they had just turned twenty this year, and frankly, they were still in
the stage of boundless curiosity and longing for the opposite sex. As someone who had been through this stage myself, Dai Qing understood their restless
hearts. Besides, girls these days really do dress too revealingly—isn't that inciting crime? So,
you can't entirely blame these young men with their excessive testosterone.
The police car continued towards the newly opened hotel near the Economics and Trade College, a few kilometers away. Suddenly, Dai Qing's phone rang.
He held the steering wheel with one hand and took his phone out of his pocket with the other. The caller ID showed:
Director Yuan of the Municipal Art School. This Director Yuan was the director of the student affairs department at the Municipal Art School. He rarely contacted him, at most making routine
visits every one or two months. In the three years since he'd been at the station, Director Yuan had never called him first.
"Strange, why is Director Yuan calling me?" Dai Qing thought to himself but answered the phone anyway.
"Hello?"
Before Dai Qing could ask, Director Yuan's anxious voice came from the other end of the line: "Is this Officer Dai? This is
Old Yuan from the Student Affairs Office of the Municipal Art School."
"Oh, this is Xiao Dai. It's Director Yuan. What's the matter?" Dai Qing asked, puzzled.
"Officer Dai, it's like this, a female student from the 2013 dance major at our school has gone missing. I want to report
it to the police. Could you come over?" Director Yuan said hurriedly. He could hear several people talking on the other end of the line
, so it seemed that there were other people with him, or perhaps other students reporting the incident?
Dai Qing was initially startled, but his professional skills kicked in quickly, and he promptly reminded Director Yuan, "Director Yuan,
how long has this female student been missing? A missing person case can only be filed after 24 hours." "
According to her classmates, she didn't come to class yesterday, and her phone is switched off and she can't be reached. She's a boarding student;
her roommates said her clothes and toiletries are still in the dorm. Her homeroom teacher also indirectly contacted
her family, but her parents are clearly unaware. Her disappearance was very sudden. Could it be… Would it be convenient for you
to come over? You could ask her roommates." Director Yuan urged.
"Okay, I'll be there in a bit," Dai Qing replied. According to standard procedure, Director Yuan and his team should have
gone to the police station reception to report the case. However, to save face for Director Yuan, he refrained from saying it aloud.
He was driving quite a distance from the city's art school anyway, so he figured he might as well offer this convenient service.
The city's art school was located two kilometers west of the Economics and Trade College. Dai Qing
dropped off two auxiliary police officers, nicknamed "Skinny Monkey," at a newly opened hotel near the college's main gate, instructing them to check the hotel's guest ID registration. He
then drove alone to the art school, ensuring he could handle both tasks simultaneously. After passing the large rows
of peach orchards between the two schools, Dai Qing arrived at the art school's office building a few minutes later. He found Director Yuan on the second floor
, in the student affairs office. Two female students were in his office, apparently there to report a missing student.
Dai Qing first briefly inquired about the situation, then had Director Yuan draft a written report and
affix the official seal. He then retrieved the missing girl's two-inch passport photo from the student files
and attached it to the report with a paperclip.
The missing girl's name was Liu Ximeng, only seventeen years old. Just looking at her bright, watery eyes in the two-inch photo
evoked feelings of tenderness.
"Such a pitiful young girl in the prime of her life... it would be such a pity," Dai Qing sighed inwardly.
Dai Qing knew that cases of missing girls aged 14-18 should, according to regulations, be handled by the criminal investigation team
. However, he knew that such cases were practically ignored by the criminal investigation team;
they rarely found cases of human trafficking, given the sheer number of such cases nationwide. To fulfill his dream of becoming a criminal investigator, he
decided to try his hand at this case himself. With that in mind, he followed standard criminal investigation procedures and requested
to check the missing girl's dormitory to see if he could find any valuable clues. He
could also take statements from the other girls in the dormitory; perhaps that would yield some leads. He would treat it as if he were handling a criminal
case himself.
Dai Qing bid farewell to Director Yuan and, led by two slender young women, headed towards the girls' dormitory. There was hardly
anyone on campus . Upon asking, the two girls learned that their last class of the morning hadn't ended yet, and they
had missed class waiting for Dai Qing's arrival. Passing through the office building, teaching building, and playground, a
modern three-story auditorium with a glass curtain wall and steel frame structure came into view. Under the strong midday sunlight, the glass
curtain wall reflected a verdant light, looking mysterious and magnificent.
"Huh? The auditorium is finished? I remember when I came two months ago, it was covered in scaffolding," Dai Qing
asked curiously, looking at the brand-new, modern three-story auditorium.
"Yes, it was just finished and handed over a couple of days ago. We even went to the completion ceremony performance,"
the two pretty girls said proudly in unison. Dai Qing had been focused on instructing Director Yuan on writing the report and
hadn't paid much attention to the two girls hiding behind Director Yuan. Hearing their voices, he turned and looked them up and down
, noticing that they both had alluring figures and exquisite features.
Dai Qing couldn't help but admire inwardly, "No wonder she's a dancer, her figure and appearance are truly impeccable. I bet
the missing Liu Ximeng has the same exquisite and alluring figure."
The three of them passed through the cafeteria and arrived at the girls' dormitory building. After showing their identification to the dormitory supervisor and explaining their purpose
, Dai Qing was led by two girls to their room 325 on the third floor. Opening the door, he found the
room rather cramped. The small room contained four bunk beds against the east and west walls, along with
two desks, stools, two simple wardrobes, and so on, making the small space feel crammed full. Even worse,
the clothes rack by the window was covered with colorful laundry, including women
's underwear and cute bras that were too shameful to be seen in public.
"Officer Dai, the lower bunk against the east wall belongs to Liu Ximeng, and there are these
clothes that have been washed but not yet put away." The girl with the ponytail and wearing a white t-shirt pointed to the bed,
a short-sleeved shirt, and a light green lace panty on the clothes rack.
Dai Qing walked to Liu Ximeng's bed and carefully examined it. Sure enough, as the two girls
said, the sheets and pillows were neatly arranged, and a dark purple pleated skirt was hanging on the clothes rack on the wall.
Combined with the clothes still hanging on the clothes rack by the window, it seemed that Liu Ximeng really had no
intention of going far away.
Dai Qing organized his thoughts, then sat down in his chair and took out a pen and paper from his briefcase, asking as he took notes:
"Okay, now I'll take your statements. Tell me what you know. Who in your dorm is closest to her?
Has she been acting strangely lately?"
The girl in the white t-shirt with a ponytail sadly replied, "Me."
"What's your name?"
"My name is Gao Yuqian. I'm usually inseparable from Ximeng. We go to class, to the cafeteria, to the school gate to buy
things, we always go together..." The girl rambled on nervously.
"Oh? What was the exact time she disappeared? Please be as detailed as possible, down to the hour." Dai Qing interrupted
her rambling.
"It was probably yesterday around noon, during our lunch break. I had just fallen asleep after lunch when she insisted on dragging
me to go with her to the school gate to buy something. I was very sleepy, and it was the middle of the day and too hot, so I didn't go with her. Waaah...
Waaah... Thinking about it now, it's all my fault. If I had gone out with her, she probably wouldn't be in this situation..." Gao
Yuqian broke down in tears.
"You mean you haven't seen her since she went out yesterday at noon?" Dai Qing asked.
"Um... Waaah..."
Dai Qing gathered his thoughts and asked, "What was she wearing when she went out? Do you have any recent photos of her?
It'll be very difficult to find someone based on just a two-inch headshot taken at some unknown time," Dai Qing said.
"She was wearing a beige skirt suit. As for the photo, yes, I have it, but it's on my phone.
We took a selfie a couple of days ago when we went to the grand hall completion ceremony performance."
"On your phone? No problem, 139*********66 is my phone number. Send it to me first.
I'll print it out at my workplace," Dai Qing said after thinking for a moment.
Gao Yuqian wiped away her tears as she took out her phone and started using it.
"Ding-dong," was the notification sound of a text message on Dai Qing's phone. He opened the message, and several photos
immediately caught his eye. Although he couldn't look at them closely at this moment, even just glancing at one photo, Liu Ximeng
's stunningly beautiful figure left a deep impression on him: this girl was truly beautiful.
Only by seeing her real-life photos could one truly appreciate her beauty—a beauty that no old, unedited headshot could possibly
capture.
Dai Qingqiang turned his gaze away from Liu Ximeng's photo and continued to ask, "Does she have a boyfriend?
Could it be...?"
"No, although many boys in our school pursue her, she doesn't seem to have any romantic feelings for him. She usually
only hangs out with the girls in our dorm," Gao Yuqian emphasized.
"You couldn't contact her yesterday, why did you only report it to Director Yuan today?" Dai Qingqiang asked.
"No, we reported it to our homeroom teacher, Ms. Qin, yesterday afternoon. Ms. Qin was worried that Ximeng might have
other reasons for not being back, and asked us to wait another night. If we still didn't hear from her after one night,
she would contact Ximeng's family. So we waited until today to contact her family, and only after learning that her family was also
unaware did we realize something had happened. That's when Ms. Qin led us to the student affairs office to find Director Yuan," Gao Yuqian explained
.
"Ms. Qin? Why didn't we see him at the student affairs office just now? Is he a male or female teacher?"
Out of professional habit, Dai Qingqiang still pressed for her gender. Many male teachers these days are beasts, and if their homeroom teacher
was male, he would have to strongly suspect him of being involved.
"Our teacher, Ms. Qin, is a woman. She had to teach her students, so she didn't get to see you. But we
're here; she knows less than we do."
"Oh, I see." Dai Qing secretly laughed at himself for overthinking things.
There are indeed beastly male teachers, but they're extremely rare. Nothing like this has ever happened at the city's art school in all these years; he'd been letting his
imagination run wild.
Dai Qing then asked a few more questions he wanted to understand. A few minutes later, he finished taking the statement, had
Gao Yuqian sign it, and left his personal information before leaving the girls' dormitory on the third floor.
On his way back, he deliberately walked from the girls' dormitory to the art school's main gate, a few hundred meters away. Although it was still during class time,
a few faculty and staff members were still walking by.
"Even though most people are taking a nap during the hot midday, it's impossible for a criminal to kidnap a grown
person on campus. This kind of thing can only happen off campus..." Dai Qing pondered as he returned to the office building,
got his car, and drove out of the art school.
Across the wide Xuefu Road from the main gate of the Municipal Art School was a row of shops surrounded by orchards, including
supermarkets, snack shops, beauty salons, and audio-visual stores. Beyond these shops stretched an endless expanse of lush
green peach orchards.
Dai Qing parked the police car in front of the supermarket. He got out and glanced at each shop; none of them had [equipment/equipment].
With outdoor surveillance equipment out of the question, finding clues through video footage seemed impossible. Left with no other option, they pushed open the door and
entered the only supermarket at the far east end, near the orchard.
This supermarket, about 60-70 square meters, was almost empty of customers, except for
a woman in her thirties with permed hair at the checkout counter.
Dai Qing walked over, took out his ID, explained his purpose, and then took out his phone to
show the woman a photo of Liu Ximeng taken a couple of days ago. He asked, "Could you please take a look? Did this girl
come here to buy anything yesterday at noon?"
The woman took the phone, looked at the photo carefully, and nodded. "Yes, this girl came yesterday at noon.
I remember her. There aren't many people here at noon, so I remember her well. What happened to this girl? Did something happen to her
?"
Dai Qing was overjoyed and, without answering her question, hurriedly said, "That's great! Could you please
pull up yesterday's surveillance footage? I want to see it."
Seeing that the policeman didn't answer her but was eager to see the surveillance footage, the woman with the perm hair guessed what was going on. She
cooperated and pulled up yesterday's surveillance video on the computer, fast-forwarding to the time period when the girl came. The computer screen displayed a split-screen surveillance view from four cameras. It seemed that the supermarket had four surveillance 　　cameras
in different locations , ensuring that no corner of the supermarket escaped the surveillance range.
At 1:26 PM, the supermarket
door opened, and a beautiful young woman in a beige suit walked in. Although
the security camera at the entrance was positioned high up, only showing the top of her flowing hair and not
her full face, Dai Qing immediately recognized her as Liu Ximeng.
Sure enough, as the girl passed the counter, she was caught on camera at eye level, revealing her stunning
beauty – unmistakably Liu Ximeng!
Checking the security cameras in the other two corners revealed that the supermarket was empty except for Liu Ximeng, who was
browsing. She first picked out a pack of sanitary napkins in the women's section, then bought a set of underwear
. Later, she happily selected snacks in the food section. During this time, a male student wearing a sun hat and glasses entered
. He seemed very familiar with the place, glancing around before heading straight to another corner to pick
out items. He finished shopping, paid, and left in just two minutes.
Liu Ximeng seemed to be a bit greedy, spending a good ten minutes browsing the snack section before finally carrying a
pile of snack bags to the counter to pay. Dai Qing glanced at the time she left: 13:49.
This video might be the last image Liu Ximeng left behind, making it extremely important. Dai Qing planned to save it
for future reference when researching the case. He asked the woman, "Do you have a USB drive
? Could I borrow it to copy this video?" The woman with the perm shook her head, pointing to a corner of the supermarket, saying, "I don't have one, but we 　　seem to sell them in
the electronics section. You can go and pick one out." 　　Reluctantly, Dai Qing went over. The video was at most 100MB, so he chose 　　the cheapest USB drive with the smallest capacity. He paid the bill for a few dozen yuan and then asked the woman to make 　　a complete copy of the twenty-minute video. 　　"Which direction did this girl go after she finished shopping? Did you notice?" Dai Qing 　　asked the woman with the perm, hoping for the best. 　　"I really didn't notice. I fell asleep on the counter as soon as she finished paying, so I didn't see anything," the woman 　　apologized. 　　Dai Qing had actually noticed it when he watched yesterday's video. The video showed that the woman did indeed 　　fall asleep on the table as soon as Liu Ximeng finished paying. He knew that asking wouldn't get any results, but he was just 　　unwilling to give up. Dai Qing left the supermarket and then went to visit 　　several other nearby shops 　　with the photo of Liu Ximeng on his phone . To his disappointment, no one in these shops witnessed anything. Because it was around 1 p.m. 　　, most of the other shops were also on their lunch break, and most of the shop owners were taking a nap, so no one paid attention to 　　what was happening outside in the hot weather. 　　"Strange, how exactly did Liu Ximeng disappear? The supermarket is only a dozen 　　meters away from the art school gate on Xuefu Road. Even including the buffer zone in front of the supermarket and the green belt at the school gate, it wouldn't be more than 　　forty meters. What could happen in such a short distance? A beautiful young woman just 　　vanished into thin air?" Dai Qing sat in the car, lost in thought about Liu Ximeng's bizarre disappearance. He hadn't yet pieced together the whole story 　　. 　　"Kidnapped? It's unlikely to happen in broad daylight in front of this row of shops. Besides, most people wouldn't 　　attack Liu Ximeng as soon as they see her, unless they had been planning to follow her for a long time. Like in kidnapping movies, they would suddenly 　　stop the car next to her and shove her into the car before she could react." 　　"No, it shouldn't be premeditated. It should be random. According to Gao Yuqian, she and Liu 　　Ximeng are usually inseparable. This time, her going out to buy things alone was purely accidental." Dai Qing ignored the stuffy 　　heat of the driver's seat, closed his eyes, and leaned back in the driver's seat, thinking silently. 　　Suddenly, his phone beeped with a WeChat notification. Startled, Dai Qing immediately checked his phone and saw 　　a voice message from auxiliary police officer "Skinny Monkey": "Brother Dai, it's past noon. The hotel owner, Mr. Niu, said he'd 　　treat us to lunch. When are you done with your work and coming over?" 　　Dai Qing then remembered the two auxiliary police officers he'd sent to the hotel near the entrance of the Economics and Trade College. He replied 　　, "Coming right away, just a moment." 　　Dai Qing started the police car and drove towards the hotel. "This Economics and Trade College Hotel is the only hotel on Xuefu Road. 　　Could Liu Ximeng be staying here? Maybe she's already got a boyfriend, hiding it from her roommates. If 　　Liu Ximeng and her boyfriend are secretly checking into a hotel, this is probably the only one nearby." 　　Dai Qing's thoughts weren't unfounded. He'd asked his wife, Shu Ya, and she said that 　　before their relationship was official, she'd kept it a secret from her close friends. She wasn't 　　very satisfied with his job and was afraid of being looked down upon by them. It wasn't until later, through prolonged contact, that Shu Ya gradually accepted him.

Only then did they openly announce their relationship and get married without any reservations.
A few minutes later, Dai Qing parked the police car in front of the hotel and hurriedly went inside.
Auxiliary police officer "Skinny Monkey," who was reading a magazine and drinking tea in the hotel lobby, immediately greeted him, saying, "Brother Dai, you've finally arrived
! We've been waiting for you for ages!"
Dai Qing pushed "Skinny Monkey" aside, saying, "Wait a minute, let me check at the front desk first."
Auxiliary police officers "Skinny Monkey," Su Zhenghao, and Zhao Youde, upon hearing this, changed color and immediately stopped him, saying, "Brother Dai, we've already
checked. There's no problem. Let's go eat first; Boss Niu has been waiting in the private room for a long time."
Who was Dai Qing? He could tell what was going on just by looking at their expressions. He didn't want to expose their
corrupt practices of taking bribes. They were both auxiliary police officers, what's commonly called "temporary workers," with very low wages
and always running errands. To be honest, he felt a bit sorry for them. So he said, "It's not what you think.
I went to the front desk to check on the missing girl from the art school."
"Skinny Monkey" Su Zhenghao and Zhao Youde followed him to the front desk with some skepticism. He took out his phone
, pulled out a photo of Liu Ximeng taken a couple of days ago, and showed it to the female receptionist, asking, "Could you please take a look?
Did this girl stay here yesterday at noon?"
The female receptionist, dressed in uniform, looked at the photo repeatedly and said, "Officer Dai,
I don't remember this girl. She shouldn't have been here yesterday at noon."
Dai Qing wasn't satisfied, so he said, "Then could you please pull up yesterday's surveillance footage? I want to see it."
"Officer Dai, we don't have surveillance footage at the front desk. You'll have to go to the security department," the female receptionist said timidly
.
"Okay, I'll go check with them." Dai Qing led Su Zhenghao and Zhao Youde to the security monitoring room at the back of the first floor
. Having dealt with them before, reviewing the surveillance footage went smoothly. After repeatedly
watching yesterday's footage, Liu Ximeng was indeed nowhere to be seen.
"Sigh, it seems the worst is yet to come," Dai Qing sighed, shaking his head.
"Brother Dai, don't worry. It's only because you're so responsible and attentive to these kinds of missing persons cases that they're
so hard to find. I remember reading a report in our city's public security system's internal publication a few days ago;
there are over a dozen missing persons cases in our city, some of which have been pending for years without any progress. These kinds of cases are
simply ignored by the criminal investigation team. Sigh." Zhao Youde felt relieved to see that Dai Qing was indeed only investigating the missing persons and hadn't paid attention to
the ID card issue at today's check-in, and immediately chimed in obsequiously.
"We have to keep searching, even if it's difficult. This is the golden period for finding a missing person. If we miss this time and still
haven't heard anything, the hope is slim. Just think about how her family will feel when they find out. She just
vanished without a trace, never to be seen again, forever separated from her family. What parent could bear that?" Dai Qing shook his head
and sighed.
"Yeah, yeah. Brother Dai, don't worry. There's no use in worrying now. Let's eat first and then think of something.
Boss Niu has been waiting in the private room for a long time," "Skinny Monkey" Su Zhenghao also chimed in.
...
After dinner, it was already past 1:00 PM when they returned to the police station, not yet time for work. Dai Qing went to his
single dormitory at the police station and lay on his bed, resting and thinking about this bizarre disappearance case. He had originally wanted to use his
abilities to make a big splash in this case, but so far he had no clue whatsoever, which made him
doubt his own abilities.
"It seems that solving cases isn't just about book knowledge; experience is also crucial
."
At 2:30 PM, as soon as he started work, Dai Qing arrived at the reception hall with the missing person report from the art school. The
reception hall of the Xuefu Road Police Station was about forty square meters. Behind a row of counters sat three women; two of them, in their forties,
were in charge of household registration. The young
woman in uniform at the southernmost counter, responsible for receiving and registering reports, was Tian Yaqin.
Dai Qing went to the counter, greeted the two women, and then handed the report to
Tian Yaqin, who was in charge of reports. He briefly explained the situation to her and asked for her opinion on the case.
(Tian Yaqin is the niece of Chief Tian of their police station. She graduated from the provincial police academy and was assigned here last year. She also
majored in criminal investigation and wasn't content with the status quo. Whenever she had free time, she would find Dai Qing to discuss cases reported in the bureau's internal bulletins. In
this staid station, Dai Qing only shared some common interests with her. However, she was young and had joined the workforce
late, lacking experience, and her views on some cases sounded naive to Dai Qing. But it was better than
nothing; whenever there was a case, Dai Qing would consult her.)
"What? Another missing person case? We just received a missing person report ten days ago. How can something like this happen again in just a few days
?" Tian Yaqin muttered, looking at the report materials.
Dai Qing was taken aback: "What did you say? Our police station received a missing person report ten days ago? I
've never heard of it!"
"Well, it was Mr. Zhao, the owner of the KTV near the Economics and Trade College, who reported it to my uncle. He said one of their
female employees had gone missing. But I heard she was actually a hostess, and these kinds of cases fall under
the jurisdiction of the branch bureau's criminal investigation team, so they didn't make a fuss about it at our station. They just went through the formalities and transferred it to the branch bureau's criminal investigation team
. And then..." Tian Yaqin actually knew about her uncle's dealings with that KTV, and she
explained in detail to avoid Dai Qing overthinking things.
"Oh, I see." Dai Qing interrupted before Tian Yaqin could finish, feigning relief.
He didn't want to get embroiled in the matter of Chief Tian's vested interests with the KTV. He casually
remarked,
"Ten days have passed since she went missing? It seems that young lady is in grave danger."
"Hmph, you, a top student from the Public Security University, guessed wrong this time," Tian Yaqin raised an eyebrow,
looking at Dai Qing with amusement.
"What do you mean? Did the branch office solve the case so quickly? No way? This isn't their usual style
," Dai Qing asked doubtfully.
"Looks like you guessed wrong again. I didn't say the branch office solved the case," Tian Yaqin said slyly, staring at Dai Qing's questioning
eyes.
"Stop beating around the bush, just tell me already. I don't want to keep guessing," Dai Qing urged
.
"Hehe, looks like your high-achieving student from the Public Security University isn't that much better than me, a police academy student.
Let me tell you the truth, the KTV hostess who reported the missing person case closed it three days later. She said she
went on a trip with friends and just forgot her phone. Isn't that infuriating? Isn't she just making a fool of us?"
Tian Yaqin said.
"What did you say? She said she went on a trip? Let me see her case file," Dai Qing said incredulously.
"Looks like you don't believe that woman's story either? Actually, I don't believe it either. But since
the person has been found, closing the case is naturally understandable. We can't just interrogate her again, can we?" Tian
Yaqin said.
"That's not what I meant. I think this missing person case might be related to the recent missing person case at the city's art school
. Think about it carefully," Dai Qing prompted.
"Hmm? You know what, now that you mention it, I think it's possible too. The Economics and Trade College and the Municipal Art School are right next to each other,
and these two disappearances are only a little over a week apart. Maybe it really was the same group of people. Otherwise, it wouldn't be such a coincidence." Tian Yaqin
said excitedly.
"In that case, why don't you hurry up and pull out the case file so I can take a look?" Dai Qing urged. 　　"
Didn't I tell you? The case has been transferred to the Criminal Investigation Team of the branch bureau. But because I've
always been suspicious of that case, I have a deep impression of it, and I still remember the missing person's name firmly in my mind." Tian Yaqin said smugly. 　　"Alright, Xiao Tian, tell me quickly, I'll go to that KTV this afternoon to ask that 　　girl in detail." Dai Qing urged. 　　"Hmph, that won't do. You can want to know, but I have conditions." Tian Yaqin 　　said slyly. 　　"Conditions? What conditions? Tell me." Dai Qing asked, puzzled. 　　"Take me with you. I think this case is interesting, and I want to get involved. You have to take me with you 　　to solve the case before I tell you anything," Tian Yaqin threatened. 　　"Hey, you silly girl, these kinds of cases are handled by the criminal investigation team. I just..." 　　"No, they won't bother with it. They'd rather investigate first. My sixth 　　sense tells me this case isn't simple. You know I don't want to be a clerk in this lousy police station for the rest of my life. 　　We're both young, and this case might be our opportunity," Tian Yaqin said, her eyes fixed intently on Dai Qing. 　　[b]Chapter Two[/b] 　　"Okay, I can take you with me to investigate. But Xiao Tian, what if someone comes to report a case this afternoon 　　? Your job is to register people," Dai Qing said. 　　"Hehe, it's fine. In my experience, nobody usually comes in the afternoon. I can talk to Sister Wang who's in charge of household registration 　　, and if anyone comes, I can ask her to register them for me first," Tian Yaqin said nonchalantly. Her uncle 　　was the police chief here, so of course she wouldn't care about such trivial matters. 　　The two got into the police car and drove to the KTV bar near the entrance of the Economics and Trade College. 　　Lanle KTV was decorated in a very fashionable and grand style, but the parking lot only had two or three cars parked sparsely 　　, indicating that business was slow. No wonder, it wasn't peak time yet; those in the know understand that these 　　kinds of places are bustling with customers at night. 　　Dai Qing and Tian Yaqin got out of the car and strode inside. Lanle KTV was not only luxurious on the outside, 　　but also resplendent inside. Dai Qing muttered to himself, "These days, even the sex industry disguises itself so elegantly, but their 　　supposedly righteous police station looks like a run-down place. What a distorted society!" 　　The bartender, wearing a bow tie, saw the two policemen barge in and, not knowing what was going on, 　　assumed they were there for a surprise inspection to crack down on prostitution. He quickly and secretly pressed the alarm button hidden under the counter. 　　Dai Qing and Tian Yaqin had just reached the bar to ask the waiter about the escort girl when they heard a loud "bang!" 　　The door to the room behind the bar was kicked open, the solid wood door slamming against the wall. A 　　burly man with a buzz cut and a menacing face burst out 　　. He looked to be in his thirties, with a full beard and a fierce expression. His thick arms, visible through the cuffs of his short-sleeved t-shirt, were covered in frightening tattoos. 　　A thick gold chain hung around his neck. He shouted, "What the hell is going on? Who the hell wants to cause trouble here 　　?" 　　Startled, Dai Qing and Tian Yaqin turned to look at the man. It turned out that Hu Lao Er, the security guard hired by Boss Zhao of the karaoke bar 　　, was a notorious local thug. A few years ago, he had harassed a pretty woman on the street, and when 　　her husband found out, he sent people to beat him up. Unexpectedly, Hu Lao Er ended up injuring several people, and the woman's husband was 　　seriously injured. As a result, he was arrested and imprisoned. However, this incident made him 　　famous in the area, and after his release, no one dared to mess with him anymore. He even had a few thugs who admired him 　　. Now, he had even managed to get a fake manager position at the karaoke bar. 　　Hu Lao Er rushed out after hearing the alarm, thinking someone had come to cause trouble. But when he saw 　　Dai Qing and Tian Yaqin from the police station, he immediately cowered. He quickly smiled ingratiatingly, "Hehe, it's Officer Dai 　　. I thought it was... Sorry, please excuse my poor appearance. Officer Dai, what are your instructions? We're 　　operating legally here. Chief Tian knows all about our situation." 　　Tian Yaqin had always despised these thugs, and seeing Hu Lao Er's roguish appearance, she was annoyed and said sternly, 　　"Don't keep mentioning Chief Tian. We're just here to find one of your waitresses, Manli, to get some information 　　. Is she here?" 　　Although Tian Yaqin wasn't exactly a stunning beauty, her short-sleeved summer police uniform, her short hair 　　revealing her fair ears, and her police cap with its rolled brim, combined with her angry, wide-open eyes, made her look quite 　　dashing. Hu Lao Er felt a chill run down his spine and quickly replied, "Yes...yes. She's playing mahjong in the break room 　　. I'll call her over right away. Please wait a moment." 　　He then turned and went upstairs to find Manli. However, no one noticed that as he turned 　　the corner of the stairs, he seemed to casually glance at Tian Yaqin again, especially at her chest...

A pair of bulging protrusions. "Damn, that's really something. This policewoman's temperament is so different from the girls around here.
If I had the chance... hehe." Hu Lao Er thought to himself.
A few minutes later, Hu Lao Er led a pretty woman with light makeup downstairs. The woman looked nervous and kept
glancing at Dai Qing and Tian Yaqin, who were wearing police uniforms.
"Come on, Manli, this is Officer Dai, and this is..." Hu Lao Er introduced to the nervous Manli.
He had hoped to use this introduction to find out the policewoman's name, but the policewoman didn't even look at him,
staring at Manli with a frosty expression, which made Hu Lao Er quite embarrassed.
"Oh, you're Manli? We have something we'd like to ask you about. Come out with us for a bit?" Dai
Qing said expressionlessly.
Like a startled fawn, Manli immediately looked to Hu Lao Er for help. Hu Lao Er knew
what she was worried about and quickly came to her rescue, saying, "Officer Dai, Manli is new and doesn't know many of the rules. It's
working hours now, she can't just go out. Besides, it's so hot, it would be too uncomfortable to talk outside. Anyway,
we don't have many customers right now, we have plenty of empty rooms. How about I find you a room where you can enjoy our newly arrived
tea while chatting in the cool air? What do you say?" He finished by giving Okita Yako a flattering smile.
Dai Qing thought about it and felt there was nothing wrong with it, so he said, "Alright."
Hu Lao Er brought over a pot of freshly brewed tea and led them into a quiet private room at the far end of the first-floor corridor,
then tactfully withdrew.
Dai Qing closed the door to the private room. The room was dimly lit, with only a limited amount of
light from the wall lamp. Manli skillfully turned on the central air conditioning, and a refreshing coolness immediately washed over Dai Qing,
making him feel instantly comfortable. "Ah, it seems this place really is more comfortable. Modern people are getting better and better at enjoying life,"
Dai Qing thought to himself.
"Manli, please sit down. Don't be nervous. We're just here to find out about your disappearance a few days ago," Tian Yaqin
said softly, and sat down on the long sofa at the front.
Manli, who had been skillfully pouring tea for the two of them,
paused slightly when she heard Tian Yaqin explain their purpose. She forced herself to remain calm, poured the tea for both of them, and then sat down next to Tian Yaqin, saying,
"So it's about that trip. Didn't I go to close the case? Actually, it wasn't a disappearance; I just
forgot to charge my phone while I was traveling."
"Travel? With whom?" Dai Qing asked coldly, staring into her eyes without expression. This was the first time he
had looked at Manli so intently, and he realized how incredibly beautiful she was. Her clear black and white eyes shone with innocence. If they weren't
in this place, Dai Qing would never have believed that this beautiful woman worked in this line of work. Perhaps it was really
as Hu Lao Er had just said: Manli was new, just starting out in this line of work? But now was not the time to be merciful
. On the way here, he and Tian Yaqin had already discussed it; one would play the bad cop, the other the good cop, and they
would definitely use a combination of intimidation and deception to get Manli to tell the truth. Otherwise, Manli probably wouldn't tell the truth.
"With...I went by myself," Manli stammered, her eyes darting around.
Seeing the frail Manli so flustered, Dai Qing, who had been working as a grassroots police officer for over three years, could easily
tell she was lying. He sternly threatened her, "Manli, do you know that giving false testimony and protecting criminals are
criminal offenses? They're punishable by imprisonment. I advise you to tell the truth. You're just a victim;
don't get yourself into trouble trying to protect someone else."
Manli trembled at Dai Qing's words, and Tian Yaqin immediately grabbed her hand, smiling and comforting her, "Manli,
are you afraid of retaliation? Don't worry, I assure you, if you need anything, just come
to me. My uncle is the police station chief; I guarantee no one will dare bully you. Here, I'll give you my phone
number; I'll be there whenever you need me. Are you relieved now?"
Tian Yaqin and Dai Qing worked together seamlessly, as they had planned. Manli hesitated, as expected.
This was the crucial moment; whether she would tell the truth or not depended on this. Based on his experience, Dai Qing knew he needed to put more
pressure on her to break her down completely. So he said, "Manli, you know we
wouldn't come to you without evidence. There's something else I must tell you. Another girl has gone missing
, and she's a student at an arts school. Her parents are devastated. Here, it's this girl."
He handed Manli a photo of Liu Ximeng on his phone.
"If these criminals aren't brought to justice, more innocent girls will be victimized. Manli
, who doesn't have parents and family? Imagine how their parents would live if so many girls were harmed?
You…"
"Officer Dai, please stop. I'll tell you…" Manli said firmly, her eyes fixed on the photo of the graceful Liu Ximeng on her phone
, as if she had made a huge decision.
Tian Yaqin knew that Manli's memory must have been painful, so she quickly moved closer to her and
put her arm around Manli's trembling shoulders to comfort her. She whispered in her ear, "Manli
, don't be afraid. Tell me, what happened?"
"Ten days ago, around 11 a.m., I received a call. The caller said he had
sung with them at our karaoke bar before, and he liked me a lot. He asked if I could go out with him. I told him I could, but only before nightfall , because I couldn't go out after that when business got busy. He asked about the price and arranged for me to 　　meet him around 1 p.m. across the street from the city's art school
after lunch . I was confused and asked him why he didn't come to pick me up and made me run there. 　　He said he was a teacher at the art school and was worried about being recognized in broad daylight at our karaoke bar, which would be bad for his reputation." 　　Manli ... Li took a sip of tea to moisten her throat and continued recounting, "I took the bus as agreed and 　　arrived there around 1:00 PM, then called him to pick me up. But I waited and waited and waited and he never came. I stared longingly at 　　the gate of the city's art school across the street, but there wasn't a soul in sight even in the middle of the day. I was furious, thinking I'd been 　　tricked. Just as I was about to take out my phone to call and confront him, someone suddenly gagged me from behind with a cloth, and everything 　　went black as someone stuffed a thick black sack over my head and carried me away."

"What? He carried me in a bag? Not stuffed into a car?" Dai Qing asked in surprise. He had always suspected that
Liu Ximeng had been kidnapped by being stuffed into a car, but it seemed he was wrong.
"No," Manli said firmly.
"And then?" Tian Yaqin asked curiously.
"Then he carried me deep into the orchard," Manli said.
"With a thick black bag over your head, could you still see us going into the orchard?" Tian Yaqin asked.
"I couldn't see, but leaves and branches would occasionally slip across my body and
onto my legs as I struggled," Manli explained.
"Could you tell which direction he was going?" Tian Yaqin continued.
"I was terrified. I was struggling and couldn't see anything, so I had no idea which way to go,"
Manli said.
"And then? Did he kidnap you and keep you under the fruit trees for three or four days?" Tian Yaqin
pressed.
"Of course not. Later... later he took me to a basement... for the next three or four days I
was imprisoned there by him..." Manli stopped there, too embarrassed to continue.
"A basement? You were in the basement for three or four days? What did he do with you for so long?"
Tian Yaqin, a naive policewoman who had just graduated and was still inexperienced in the ways of the world, asked.
Dai Qing, as a man, and a man with more than three years of police experience, of course knew what someone
would do if they went to such lengths to bring a beautiful woman like Manli to a basement. To avoid embarrassing Manli, she immediately
coughed twice to interrupt Tian Yaqin's childish question, saying, "Ahem, Manli, try to recall
how long it took him to carry you to that basement?"
Sure enough, Manli skipped Tian Yaqin's naive question and answered Dai Qing, "Well, about half an
hour? I'm not really sure, it just felt like a very long time."
"Half an hour? That's at least two kilometers. Isn't he tired?" Dai Qing asked in surprise.
Judging from Manli's slender figure, she must weigh at least 100 pounds. Carrying a hundred pounds for two kilometers—that person is incredibly strong
.
"His stamina is indeed exceptionally good," Manli said, her face flushing red. She lowered her head shyly and
unconsciously squeezed her legs together.
The naive Tian Yaqin, with her keen eyes, noticed Manli's changing expressions and asked, puzzled,
"So what if he's good at stamina? Why are you shy? It's really strange."
Tian Yaqin's words only made Manli blush more. Dai Qing, seeing Manli's expression, was
curious. A prostitute being so shy—it seemed she was new to the industry; some things could
n't be faked. However, what surprised Dai Qing more than Manli was Tian Yaqin. Her question betrayed that
she was still a virgin. Despite her usually carefree demeanor
, she truly had no experience with sexual pleasure; he had misjudged her. They say girls at police academy are the wildest, but
it seems that's not entirely true.
To break Manli's embarrassment and further understand the case, Dai Qing asked again, "Manli, what does he look
like? Can you describe his physical characteristics to me?"
"I can't see what his face looks like because he always wears a hood, only his eyes, nostrils, and mouth are showing
," Manli said hesitantly.
"What? How is that possible? Did he wear a hood for the three or four days he was with you? Manli,
you're not deliberately protecting him and not telling us what he looks like, are you?" Tian Yaqin asked, seemingly disbelieving.
"That's really true. I wouldn't deliberately hide it from you at this point. He wasn't
with me every moment these past three or four days. There's more than one room in the basement. He only put on a hood when we were having sex
. Otherwise, he locks me in my little room. When we eat, he just hands me the food and leaves
. There's a small bathroom in that room where I can wash up," Manli quickly explained.
"Confined room for sexual cultivation?" This phrase was the first thing that came to Dai Qing's mind after hearing Manli's story. I never expected this guy
to be so shrewd, coming up with such a high-class and sophisticated show. But Manli is a prostitute,
a woman you can easily have with just money. Why would this guy pull such a stunt? Is it just to save a few hundred
yuan on sex? Or is it just for the thrill? Thinking of this, he asked, "Manli, I have
a very important question for you, and you must answer truthfully. Did he give you any money when he released you?"
But before Manli could answer, Tian Yaqin interrupted with a disdainful look, "Tch,
a top student from the China People's Public Security University, asking such a stupid question? Which criminal would go to so much
trouble to kidnap Manli? Releasing her is already a favor, why would he give her money? Unless someone's brain
is fried!"
Dai Qing ignored the childish Tian Yaqin's sarcasm and stared intently at Manli, waiting for her answer.
Feeling guilty under Dai Qing's gaze, Manli lowered her head and whispered, "Yes...yes."
"What? He really gave you money? Is this guy crazy?" Tian Yaqin's
mouth dropped open in astonishment at Manli's answer, remaining speechless for a long time.
Dai Qing shook his head at the girl's expression, thinking to himself, "Sigh, she's still too naive. Looks
like I need to introduce her to an adult website so she can learn more, otherwise her thinking is too outdated. She's already so surprised at such a small place; if she saw those scenes of willingly abusing herself and being played with in SM by a queen, 　　wouldn't
she jump off a building?" 　　Dai Qing couldn't help but sigh: He wondered how the provincial police academy educated this girl, turning her into a half-baked idiot before releasing her 　　into society. He always remembered Professor Wu's favorite saying from university: "A kind heart cannot lead an army, a good heart cannot be a policeman." 　　A good person can't be a policeman; only by being worse than the wicked and knowing more can one become a good policeman. Besides, Tian Yaqin is 　　already an adult; she should have been exposed to adult websites and learned more long ago. Otherwise, she'll often make a fool of herself. 　　Dai Qing secretly decided that he'd give her an adult website when they got back to broaden her horizons and increase her knowledge. 　　Manli didn't answer Tian Yaqin's surprised question, seemingly also quite taken aback by the man who had kidnapped her.

"I understand." Dai Qing then seized the opportunity to ask, "How much money did he give you? And didn't he say anything else?"
"He did. He asked me how much I usually earn each day. I was worried he was after my money, so I understated
my income. I told him I was poor and only earned two hundred yuan a day, and that I had to spend a lot on food and drinks, so I didn't have
much left, and I had to send it home to my parents. So he gave me four hundred yuan, which was supposed to be one hundred yuan a day.
He even said that he provided me with food and lodging every day, and that he worked tirelessly to cultivate my paddy field several times a day. He said that
giving me one hundred yuan a day was already a lot, and he felt like he was losing out. It was as if I was being held hostage by him.
He's shameless..." Manli recalled with a blush, and at the end, she even laughed and cursed.
Tian Yaqin looked at Manli, who was laughing, with a blank expression. In her mind, Manli should have been crying and complaining with indignation
. Her little brain was increasingly unable to understand the playful expression on the woman's face.
Unlike the naive Tian Yaqin, Dai Qing understood
the meaning behind Manli's seemingly angry yet reproachful expression. However, he didn't want to delve into why Manli wasn't so resentful towards the man who had kidnapped him; he only wanted
detailed information about the kidnapper. So he continued, "Did he have a local accent?"
"No, although he tried his best to speak Mandarin, I could tell it was different from the Nancheng accent.
But I really don't know where his accent is from, because I'm not a local either; I'm from Guizhou."
"Oh, he's from out of town. Probably a migrant worker. By the way, is there anything special about his basement?
What kind of house do you think it's under?" Dai Qing suddenly thought of that basement. Since the man was
from out of town, could he be someone renting a basement apartment?
"I felt like he didn't live in that basement all the time. He was always out for a long time before coming back, and
the tiles on the floor weren't whole pieces; they seemed to be pieced together from scraps. Even the sink
and toilet in the bathroom had cracks. I can't think of anything else particularly special. It was just that the basement was very quiet
; I couldn't hear any other residents around," Tian Yaqin recalled.
"Two last questions: How did that person bring you back? Did they still blindfold you with a black bag?
Where did they take you?" Dai Qing asked his final question.
"Well, when we came back, it was the same as when we came. They gagged me, but this time they blindfolded me with a black blindfold
, and they didn't carry me anymore; they held my hand. They took me back to
the woods next to the row of shops opposite the city art school, and then they took off my blindfold and told me not to look back and to keep walking out of that
orchard. It was still noon," Manli said.
"Didn't you take the opportunity to look back at him?" Tian Yaqin asked.
"He was wearing a hood the whole time, so I couldn't see him. I don't want to cause any more trouble," Manli said.
After hearing this, Dai Qing felt there was nothing more to ask, so he looked at Tian Yaqin for her opinion.
She seemed to have nothing more to ask either, so she stood up and said, "Okay, thank you, Manli. Then we won't
keep you from going to work. Can you find the phone number that asked you out? Give it to me, I'll
check the person's identity and call history!"
Manli hurriedly looked down at her call history to find the phone number. After a while, she found it and
was about to hand the phone to Dai Qing when Tian Yaqin snatched it away and said, "I'll check this phone number.
I'll take care of this, Manli. If there are any problems later, I'll call you again. Okay?"
"Okay." Manli also got up to see them out, but just as she reached the door, she suddenly seemed
to remember something and asked, "Could you ask which girl from the art school has been missing for how long?" "
She went missing yesterday at noon. What's this all about?" Dai Qing said.
"Oh, she went missing yesterday? She'll probably be out in a few days," Manli said.
Hearing this, Tian Yaqin's face lit up. "You mean that girl won't be in danger? What kind of pervert would
let her out?"
Manli nodded. "If it's really the same person, I think he'll release her in a few days.
He actually…actually…"
Seeing her hesitate, Tian Yaqin urged impatiently, "He actually…what? Tell me quickly
!" Manli blushed and lowered her head. "He's actually not that kind of heartless person. 　　He took good care
of me during those days in the basement. "
"He's just... just has a very strong sex drive..."
After hearing Manli's words, Tian Yaqin stared blankly at Manli as if she had seen a monster. After recovering, she scolded
, "Oh, Manli, I really don't know what to say to you. He forcibly kidnapped and raped her, isn't that inhuman?
Rape is a crime too. Do you think only murder is inhuman?"
Dai Qing shook his head and walked out of the room. Prostitutes had already treated sex as a transactional act,
so they naturally didn't take it too seriously. But it was different for a young girl who hadn't been deflowered
. This kind of kidnapping, imprisonment, and wanton rape might plunge them into an icy abyss,
like a nightmare deeply implanted in their fragile hearts, accompanying them for life.
On the way back to the police station, Tian Yaqin nudged Dai Qing, who was driving and deep in thought, and said,
"Hey, what do you think of this case?"
"Who said 'hey'? Hey Tian, can't you be a little more polite? Call me 'brother' from now on
. I'm three years older than you, after all."
"Go away, we're colleagues, you can't just call me that. Besides, I've been at the station for almost a year, and I don't see
how much better you are than me, except maybe your diploma is a little better. Unless you're really that much more capable than me,
I won't respect you much." Tian Yaqin looked unconvinced. In her mind, education wasn't
the only standard for reflecting a person's true ability. Although Dai Qing had a higher degree than her, his ability wasn't necessarily much better.
"Fine, since you look down on me, then don't ask for my opinion. Figure it out yourself." Dai Qing pretended to be
angry. Tian Yaqin had been at the station for almost a year, and relying on being the station chief's niece, she never respected him,
never even addressing him with a respectful title. Although Dai Qing didn't care too much about these formalities, he still had to pretend to be unfamiliar with them.
"He's all set in his place."
After a brief moment of calm in the car, Tian Yaqin couldn't help but ask again, "Hey, what's your next move? You
're not just going to wait for that pervert to release her in a few days, are you?"
Dai Qing glanced at her, seeing her carefree attitude, as if she didn't take his earlier "anger"
seriously, and could only helplessly say, "Of course we won't let him do whatever he wants. Every minute we delay, the victim will
be tortured in that den of iniquity for another minute! And I don't think he'll release Liu Ximeng anytime soon this time!
When I get back to the station, I plan to immediately take 'Skinny Monkey' and the other two auxiliary police officers to search that grove of trees to see
if we can find any footprints or anything, so we can find that underground den of iniquity and rescue Liu Ximeng as soon as possible."
"What did you say? He won't release Liu Ximeng anytime soon this time? Why? Wasn't Manli
released after being imprisoned by him for only three or four days?" Tian Yaqin asked疑惑地.
"Liu Ximeng is different from Manli! Manli was probably just practice for him, not his real target.
After all, she's a prostitute, someone you can get for money. I've thought about this for a long time, and I think what he did to Manli
was just practice for his real kidnapping target. He probably wanted to rehearse beforehand to find loopholes. If he
failed to kidnap Manli, he could just pay her off. He probably thinks prostitutes will do anything for money.
So Liu Ximeng is his real target," Dai Qing explained.
"Ah? How long will he keep Liu Ximeng imprisoned?" Tian Yaqin thought Dai Qing's analysis made sense.
"I don't know, maybe a long time? Anyway, as soon as I get back to the station, I'll take Skinny Monkey and the other guy to
search that grove. We need to rescue Liu Ximeng from this den of iniquity as soon as possible," Dai Qing said seriously.
"Okay, I'll go too. But could you make a judgment first?
Where do you think that pervert's basement might be located? We can't just search blindly like headless flies, can we? We need a general direction, right?
Do you think it's two or three kilometers east of the city art school? Or two or three kilometers west? Or…?" Tian Yaqin
asked.
"You're so smart, tell me your opinion first," Dai Qing chuckled.
"I… I don't have a clue yet. That pervert is so cunning, he could be anywhere. What do you think?
Which direction do you think is more likely?" Tian Yaqin said.
"I think it's to the east, in the direction of the Economics and Trade College. The Municipal Normal School (Preschool Teacher Training) is two kilometers west of the Municipal Art
School. The suspect probably met Manli at the Lanle KTV near the Economics and Trade College; otherwise,
he wouldn't have her phone number. Also, he always wore a mask when he was with Manli, probably to avoid
being recognized and remembering his background. And he deliberately lured Manli to the Municipal Art School to distract her
. According to criminal behavior theory, suspects often deliberately stray from their usual areas of activity to commit crimes,"
Dai Qing explained.
"Isn't it possible it's to the west, at the Municipal Normal School (Preschool Teacher Training), or to the south?" Tian Yaqin
protested.
"First, we can rule out the possibility of the south. Going south, beyond the orchards, is just farmland. Within a few kilometers, there's only a
small village called Qiejiabao. And according to Manli, this person seems to go out to work or buy
food every day, so the south doesn't fit the criteria. Similarly, the Municipal Normal School (preschool teacher training school) to the west is also somewhat remote.
Although there are shops where you can buy necessities, there aren't many job opportunities, so that's unlikely either," Dai Qing
analyzed.
"Hmm? Now that you mention it, I think it makes a lot of sense. Indeed, that pervert still needs to work to earn money and
eat, so he can only be near the most bustling area, the Economics and Trade College," Tian Yaqin said,
her eyes gleaming with interest as she stared at Dai Qing.
Analyzing the case while driving, the two soon returned to the Xuefu Road Police Station. Dai Qing went back to his office, stuffed
the tools needed for criminal investigation and evidence collection into his bag, and called auxiliary police officers "Skinny Monkey" Su Zhenghao and Zhao Youde into the car
. The four of them then turned back towards the Municipal Art School. Throughout the journey, Tian Yaqin, sitting in the passenger seat, enthusiastically
explained the case to the two auxiliary police officers in the back. She frequently tested their opinions, but the two officers, nicknamed "Skinny Monkey,"
were completely clueless, scratching their heads and speechless. At this point, Tian Yaqin solemnly recounted
the analysis Dai Qing had just given her, which enlightened the two officers, who exclaimed, "Sister Tian, your level is
truly high! Your analysis is so insightful! We really admire you!"
Tian Yaqin was delighted by their praise, glancing at Dai Qing who was focused on driving, not saying anything.
She secretly admired Dai Qing.
Arriving at the large concrete area in front of the supermarket opposite the city art school, the four got out of the car. The supermarket
was right next to a peach orchard on the east side. According to Manli's account, and based on Liu Ximeng's situation yesterday, Dai Qing
judged that Liu Ximeng was very likely dragged into this peach orchard. So he instructed, "Let's split up and
search the woods to the east. Pay special attention to footprints. If you find clear footprints, call me immediately. Be sure to protect
the footprints and don't damage them. Okay, let's move out."
The four of them chose different places to enter the eastern peach orchard. Dai Qing stepped through a patch of overgrown weeds into
the peach orchard. This orchard had obviously been sprayed with herbicide; there were significantly fewer weeds than along the roadside, only a few
scattered in the fruit trees, leaving large areas of bare land.
Dai Qing had only been searching for footprints for a few minutes when Tian Yaqin, not far away, excitedly called out, "Come quickly
! I found footprints, very clear ones. Dai Qing, come here quickly!"
Upon hearing this, Dai Qing and the other two immediately moved closer to Tian Yaqin. Sure enough, clear footprints appeared
before them, stretching eastward like a long snake into the depths of the forest.
"That guy's really cunning. He deliberately stepped on the grass without leaving any footprints when he entered the orchard, but he can't
hide here anymore because there's very little grass. Hehe, even the most cunning fox ca
n't escape the hunter's eyes," Tian Yaqin said smugly.
"Brother Dai, why are these footprints so deep? And why is there only one person's footprint?" "Skinny Monkey" Su Zhenghao
asked, puzzled.
"Idiot, because this pervert carried the kidnapped girl on his shoulders! Why ask such a simple question?"
"These footprints really did go east, Sister Tian, " Zhao Youde said, now seemingly the smartest one among them. "
Just as you predicted, I
admire you more and more." Seeing the skinny guy get scolded, Zhao Youde immediately flattered him.
Unexpectedly, Tian Yaqin didn't show much joy at his flattery this time. Instead, she looked meaningfully at
Dai Qing, knowing that Dai Qing, not her, was the one who correctly judged the direction first.
Dai Qing didn't bother with their discussion. He squatted down and carefully collected evidence according to the steps he had learned in university.
First, he measured the length of the footprints with a wooden ruler, then took several photos, and finally took out wet plaster from his bag to
make rubbings. He found the two clearest footprints of the suspect's left and right feet, made rubbings with wet plaster
, and then carefully stored them in a bag.
"The footprints are 27cm long. The suspect probably wears size 44 shoes and is about 1.8 meters tall. Okay
, let's follow these footprints," Dai Qing said.
"Wow, you're not a detective, but you're acting all professional. I guess I really underestimated you,"
Tian Yaqin said, her eyes wide with surprise at Dai Qing's professional investigative process. She really hadn't expected Dai Qing to be so
prepared; it seemed he had already thought of this before coming here. This made her think even more highly of Dai Qing.
"Brother Dai is a top student from the Public Security University, what's this? He's never been one to be underestimated; he just needs the right
opportunity to rise to prominence. Hehe, right, Brother Dai?" Skinny Monkey flattered.
"Alright, alright, we're still far from certain. Let's hurry up and follow these footprints," Dai Qing said,
leading the way eastward along the footprints.
Tian Yaqin followed closely: "Okay. But I originally thought this case would be difficult to solve, but I didn't expect it
to be solved so easily by us. Now I'm a little disappointed."
"Not at all, isn't it because you two, Sister Tian and Brother Dai, are so capable? If it were in the criminal investigation team, they probably would
n't be able to solve it even after several years, right, skinny monkey?" Zhao Youde was quite sweet-talking and never missed an opportunity to flatter him.
...
Listening to their optimistic conversation, Dai Qing thought to himself: "Is it really that simple?
Can we really find the basement where Liu Ximeng is being held captive so easily by following these footprints?"
Dai Qing wasn't sure. He felt that the other party was so cautious and careful, even having a young lady test it out for this kidnapping target
. There was no reason why it should be found so easily.
Just as Dai Qing had predicted, the group followed the footprints for several hundred meters before being cut off by an irrigation canal
. The canal was only a little over a meter wide and half a meter deep, cutting diagonally from the southwest, completely separating the
peach orchard and cutting off the footprints as well. The canal bank was overgrown with lush weeds.
After crossing the irrigation canal, the group could no longer see any trace of their path.
"Strange, where did the footprints go? Did he walk southwest along this canal after reaching this point?"
the skinny monkey grumbled after searching for a long time on the other side of the canal without finding any trace.
Tian Yaqin looked southwest along the irrigation canal bank, but the lush weeds offered no sign of any footprints. She thought for
a moment and said, "It's impossible for him to go southwest. Didn't I already analyze it? I estimate that when he got here, he stepped
onto this ditch and saw his own footprints, so he became extra careful and used
a branch to cover up his footprints after crossing the ditch."
"Yes, yes, Sister Tian is right. That guy must have swept away his footprints with a branch," Zhao
Youde agreed.
"Then what do we do? Should we continue searching eastward? But how can we search without footprints?" Skinny Monkey said.
The three of them looked at Dai Qing in unison. They all knew that Dai Qing was their backbone, and
they would have to listen to him in crucial moments.
Dai Qing looked around, frowned, and thought for a moment before saying, "Continue eastward for another two kilometers until we see
the houses near the Economics and Trade College. Hopefully, he might be careless and we'll find traces again."
Hearing this, the group continued searching eastward as instructed by Dai Qing, but this time they separated
because they wanted to search a wider area and didn't want to miss any clues.

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