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墨書 Inktalez
The night was quiet here, and as the summer sun shone down on the earth, a piece of news reached the police—Xiao Xuanmiao had been kidnapped.
The report came from Xiao Xuanmiao's mother, who said that her daughter had not returned after going out to buy breakfast that morning. Xiao Xuanmiao's mother had asked many people, but no one had seen her. When she called Xiao Xuanmiao's phone, there was no answer. As a public figure, Xiao Xuanmiao immediately raised alarms at the hospital.
The hospital reviewed the surveillance footage and discovered that on her way to get food, Xiao Xuanmiao was pulled away by a man dressed in black long clothing, wearing a hat and mask. From the footage, it appeared that this man was holding something against Xiao Xuanmiao's waist, and from the occasional glint of light, it was likely a knife.
When the special investigation team arrived at the hospital, reporters were already on the scene. News of Xiao Xuanmiao's abduction spread quickly and soon reached all corners of Dragon City. As a girl who garnered attention throughout Dragon City, her kidnapping posed a significant headache for the authorities.
City leaders urged Old Shao to solve the case quickly to prevent public unrest. They also hinted to Old Shao that if it was just an ordinary kidnapping case, whatever the kidnappers demanded would be provided by the city government. For the city leaders, maintaining stability was of utmost importance.
The team members had watched the surveillance footage four or five times; Jiang He even memorized all the details.
At that moment, Jiang He stated decisively, "Although the style of his clothes has changed, he is still wearing the same hat and mask as before. Based on his walking posture, I can say with ninety-nine percent certainty that this person is the same one we encountered in Longling District."
"The one who left a note?" Xu Yiman crossed her arms in confusion. "That doesn't make sense. Wasn't the killer trying to help Xiao Xuanmiao? If their target was those boys bullying her, they shouldn't have harmed her."
"Could it be about money?" Yuan Jun suggested. "Didn't Xiao Xuanmiao receive a lot of donations? But how did the kidnapper know she would be here?"
Jiang He closed his eyes and rested his chin on his hand. "Of course it's through online streaming. This person must have watched yesterday's stream about Xiao Xuanmiao; her mother's surgery was very successful, so the kidnapper knew for sure that Xiao Xuanmiao would come to the cafeteria for food. Guan Deng, go check who was watching yesterday's stream."
Old Shao added, "The key is to find out the IP addresses from Dragon City. If the kidnapper is going to carry out an abduction, they must have their own residence."
Guan Deng nodded.
Finding the kidnapper among such a vast audience would not be an easy task. What made this situation even more illogical was that although the kidnapper claimed to be helping Xiao Xuanmiao, they still chose to target her.
What exactly was the kidnapper's motive?
The video showed the killer's right hand wrapping around Xiao Xuanmiao's waist, with a knife clearly hidden in his sleeve. There were also patients rushing to eat or seeking medical attention, none of whom noticed that the girl beside them was being coerced. Xiao Xuanmiao made no move to call for help and simply followed the killer out of the hospital.
In a narrow alley, their figures disappeared from the surveillance footage. Even after reviewing other camera angles, there was no footage capturing where the two had gone.
Throughout the morning, members of the task force sat anxiously in the conference room. Outside, reporters clamored for interviews, while officials from the city kept calling to inquire about the case's progress and any demands from the kidnappers. Meanwhile, there were concerns about the missing Zhuang Qinyun and Wang Liguo, and uncertainty regarding the kidnappers' intentions.
All of this weighed heavily on the task force, an indescribable pressure like a transparent stone resting on their heads.
Just as the team felt at a loss, Guan Deng's computer emitted a "ding," drawing everyone's attention to the screen.
"Any results?" Jiang He asked.
Guan Deng nodded heavily.
A photo and information about a man appeared on the computer screen; he was the one who had left a note saying "murder" at the police station. His name was Wang Gui, twenty-eight years old, previously imprisoned for theft and fighting for a year. After his release, he worked odd jobs at a construction site with relatives.
Yesterday, the mobile number linked to his ID had logged into an online streaming platform.
If it weren't for Wang Gui's criminal record, it would have been nearly impossible to locate him based solely on this information.
"Wang Gui has a gambling problem; he once stole something after losing all his money," Yuan Jun remarked as he looked over Wang Gui's profile. "Is it possible that he initially intended to help Xiao Xuanmiao? But then he ran out of money and decided to kidnap her instead, hoping she could give him some cash?"
"Do we have Wang Gui's address?" Jiang He asked. "Regardless of his motives, if we can catch him, we'll find out."
Guan Deng typed on his computer: "Just moments ago, Wang Gui's phone signal was detected on Liubei Street."
"Let's go," Old Shao said.
A police car drove out of the Public Security Bureau, followed by countless news vans.
Inside the car, Jiang He was frowning deeply.
Old Shao noticed Jiang He's expression and asked, "What's the problem?"
Jiang He replied, "This location is a bit too far. The killer took Xiao Xuanmiao into a very narrow alley where no cars can stop. If the killer didn't have any transportation and had to bring Xiao Xuanmiao this far, could it be that the killer took a taxi?"
"If they did take a taxi, Xiao Xuanmiao would have had a great chance to escape," Jiang He added.
Yuan Jun spoke up, "Just like Old Shao said, many people can't be as rational as you. You might think there are a thousand chances to escape, but she could be terrified out of her wits. For example, if the killer encountered me, I guarantee he wouldn't even be able to pull out his knife."
Old Shao didn't turn on the siren; the police car quietly entered the area.
According to Guan Deng's tracking, the killer was inside a house in this shantytown.
The group got out of the car and carefully observed their surroundings, confirming that the house had only one door. It was quite dilapidated, with a weak wooden door. Old Shao instructed Xu Yiman to hold off the reporters and prevent them from causing trouble. He then called over nearby residents to confirm that this was indeed Wang Gui's home.
As they approached the house, they heard sounds of a woman moaning and struggling from inside. Old Shao thought it was bad news; it had only been a short while since Xiao Xuanmiao was kidnapped, yet the killer had already committed such a heinous act.
Old Shao arranged for Guan Deng to hide by the window in case the killer tried to escape through it. He, Jiang He, and Yuan Jun took cover at the door.
"After three counts, we storm in. Make sure to pay attention to the safety of the hostage," Old Shao instructed Yuan Jun.
Yuan Jun nodded and pulled out his gun from his waist, handing it to Old Shao. "I can't shoot effectively; if there's any danger, just take out the kidnapper directly."
Old Shao refused the offer. Yuan Jun wouldn't know that Old Shao had developed a tremor in his hands since he was thirty years old; he couldn't aim properly whenever he held a gun.
Old Shao pointed to the dagger in his hand and said, "Get ready to move. I'll count to three. Jiang He will take care of breaking the door, and Yuan Jun will handle the rescue."
With that, Old Shao stood up and extended three fingers. Jiang He was already at the door, ready to kick it down.
As Old Shao's three fingers dropped, Jiang He kicked the wooden door with all his might. The door was not sturdy, and with a heavy kick, it fell to the ground.
Immediately after, a shadow darted inside—it was Yuan Jun, who had been hiding nearby.
Once inside, Yuan Jun did not see any girl; he only noticed a person sitting with their back to him at a table. In an instant, without thinking twice, Yuan Jun swept his leg and knocked both the assailant and the chair beneath him to the ground. The assailant fell with a crash, and several stainless steel cups clattered to the floor along with spilled food.
Yuan Jun quickly mounted him, twisting his elbow back until handcuffs were secured around the assailant's wrist.
The entire sequence of actions took less than a minute. When Yuan Jun shouted, "Arrest complete," Xu Yiman in the distance was still tense and had not yet relaxed.
However, it was strange that in such a small room there seemed to be no one else hiding. Yet, despite searching the area, there was no sign of Xiao Xuanmiao.
The sounds of groaning and struggling continued until everyone’s gaze landed on the phone screen placed on the table, leading them to a sudden realization.
Pinned down, Wang Gui exclaimed, "No way! Is it illegal to watch videos at home now?"
"Do you know why you're being arrested?" Old Shao squatted down and looked at Wang Gui.
"How would I know? I haven't done anything wrong lately!" Wang Gui replied with a quivering voice.
"Then let me make it clear for you," Old Shao said slowly and deliberately. "What did you do on the afternoon of September 4th?"
"September 4th afternoon?" Wang Gui pondered. "September 4th afternoon? I didn't do anything at all."
"At the entrance of the Public Security Bureau!" Old Shao reminded again.
Wang Gui suddenly remembered and helplessly said, "Are you talking about that note? My goodness, that was just me and a friend trying to show off. He asked me if I dared to write a note and slip it into the hands of a police officer. Of course, I dared! Then, fueled by alcohol, he dragged me to the Public Security Bureau. I thought to myself, the police are busy with important matters, so I didn’t want to cause any trouble for them."
"Who’s your uncle?" Yuan Jun pressed down.
Wang Gui grinned and said, "You could be my grandfather at this point. Easy now, easy."
"What happened next?" Old Shao asked.
Wang Gui sighed, "I’m just that kind of person; whoever does it is a fool, right? Later, I casually tossed the note at the entrance of the Public Security Bureau. Who knew that note would be discovered by reporters? They made a big deal out of it, claiming there was a murderer involved—hilarious! But since nothing happened for so long, I thought the police must have realized it was just a prank..."
"Damn it," Yuan Jun couldn't help but curse. "Your little prank made us run around like crazy. Why couldn’t you do something else at noon? Watching videos while eating? You really have no worries."
"Just a hobby for entertainment, just a hobby..."
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