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墨書 Inktalez
Early the next morning, Lin Yuan got up. Downstairs, Zhang Ya was sitting on the steps, munching on a steamed bun. It wasn't that he had a regular routine; it was just that after their conversation yesterday, he felt unsettled. So when he saw Lin Yuan come down, he approached him.
"Did you hear anything unusual last night?"
Lin Yuan replied nonchalantly, "I think I heard a police car. It stopped after a while."
In this area, police cars were quite common, but most of the time they were called for minor incidents rather than serious fights. This was also why not many people had come out last night.
"Right? I bet it was those few people causing trouble!"
After buying a bowl of noodles from a breakfast shop, Lin Yuan and Zhang Ya sat down to discuss the matter further.
"What do you think is going through their minds? Why target us delivery workers? Who did we offend?"
Zhang Ya was in his forties and had just started this job. He had sent his wife and children back to their hometown to cut down on expenses and had begun working as a delivery driver. Fortunately, as long as the platform wasn’t too exploitative, they could still make a decent living.
Though he was older, he spoke with a certain caution, perhaps due to his personality. He found it easy to chat with Lin Yuan.
"This area seems pretty unstable lately. That case from before nearly blew up!" Zhang Ya sighed after mentioning it.
Lin Yuan finished his noodles, feeling somewhat satisfied. He had become increasingly adept at applying the knowledge he had gained about crime statistics. He noticed that Zhang Ya's eyes were noticeably tense when he spoke about the recent events.
So despite not intending to ask, Lin Yuan finally spoke up. "What do you mean?"
Having moved here only a month ago, Lin Yuan wasn’t very familiar with the area but understood that it was generally profitable for work.
"Just within a week, several young girls have died—teenagers! During that time, the local police station was in chaos," Zhang Ya continued, pausing uncertainly before adding, "I think there were rumors that the police chief's daughter went missing too."
"What does that mean?"
"That's outright provocation!"
The brutality and speed of these violent crimes showed a complete disregard for human life. Lin Yuan tilted his head slightly.
"Teenage girls?"
"Yeah, the conditions were pretty horrific. I even saved a few pictures at the time."
Back then, almost everyone had smartphones with images of the incidents; initially, there weren’t many reactions—just a few online comments expressing sympathy or outrage over how tragic it all was.
Slowly, the photos on the phone resembled something ominous. Zhang Ya sent the images to Lin Yuan, who was unaware of what they contained. As he looked at the pictures, Lin Yuan's expression froze.
The images showed a group of girls, each covered in a multitude of red marks that appeared to be caused by ropes. Their pupils were dilated, and the bruises around their necks were particularly conspicuous. Surprisingly, aside from these marks, their bodies seemed remarkably clean.
If this were a case of extortion, there would have been a phone call involved; instead, it seemed that these girls were discovered by passersby, leaving the police with little to go on. Kidnapping and murder typically require a motive, yet the perpetrator seemed to desire nothing but the brutalization of these girls.
Zhang Ya let out a long sigh but failed to notice Lin Yuan's serious demeanor. It wasn't for lack of concern; he recognized this method of operation. It wasn't from some news report but rather from a criminal case study he had encountered. The difference now was in the number of victims—there had only been one in the case study, but now there were three.
Did this imply that others besides himself possessed this criminal methodology? Lin Yuan was generally someone who preferred not to interfere in others' affairs, but if such a dangerous individual existed, it would have significant repercussions not just for Hai City but for all of Huaguo.
Taking a deep breath, Lin Yuan asked Zhang Ya for the police station's number in that area. Hai City was vast, with multiple districts and corresponding police stations. The district in question wasn't far from him, and after some thought, Lin Yuan decided to fulfill his civic duty.
Zhang Ya assumed he was just going out for deliveries and paid it no mind as he hopped on his electric bike to start taking orders. Meanwhile, Lin Yuan sat on the subway, scrolling through his phone. His heightened vision and hearing—thanks to his unique abilities—allowed him to pick up on many sounds amidst the subway's noise.
One voice stood out distinctly—a sweet tone that caught his attention.
"Auntie, are you really here to pick me up? Mommy said..."
"Yes, little one! Your mommy must have missed her stop. Come hold Auntie's hand now!"
These words seemed innocuous at first glance, but when Lin Yuan turned to look, something felt off. A seven or eight-year-old girl with an innocent expression wore clean clothes that suggested she came from a good family. However, the woman facing her appeared less appealing; her skin was dark and rough, and she had a firm grip on the girl's shoulder.
Lin Yuan furrowed his brow. The woman continued speaking to the girl with a smile plastered on her face as she said, "Good girl! Don’t be afraid; Auntie will hold you."
The girl looked confused as the woman leaned down to pick her up.
"Auntie, I haven’t called Mommy yet!"
It was then that Lin Yuan noticed the child’s wrist adorned with a children's watch. The woman's expression shifted as she spotted it; her eyes narrowed with intent as she reached for the watch.
"Next stop is yours, let me call your mother," Lin Yuan said.
After this exchange, the woman had already reached for her watch. At the same time, Lin Yuan grasped her hand, causing her to freeze. She looked up and met Lin Yuan's gaze.
"Big sister, this is my child. Who are you?"
The girl, startled by Lin Yuan's sudden appearance and glancing at the aunt in front of her, felt a wave of fear wash over her. "I... I don't know you."
Indeed, she had mistakenly sat at the wrong stop with her mother, but she hadn’t yet called her. The surrounding crowd, initially indifferent, turned their attention toward them after hearing her words.
"Trying to abduct a child in broad daylight with so many people around? Are you crazy?"
The woman, clearly experienced in such matters, quickly retorted, "I’m a friend of this child's mother. You can't just accuse someone of being a trafficker without proof! What do you want from my child?"
Lin Yuan replied calmly, "I don’t believe you. The child has already said she doesn’t know you."
"She just hasn’t seen her mother yet! Once she sees her mom, she’ll know! Why meddle in other people's affairs? Her mother is waiting for her!"
Her reasoning gained some trust from the crowd, but Lin Yuan continued, "In that case, why don’t we go to the police station together? I need to head there anyway."
Upon hearing this, the crowd instinctively thought that Lin Yuan was an undercover officer. The woman immediately felt guilty but still tried to pull the girl towards her. However, upon hearing "police station," the girl felt much more at ease and reached out to hold onto Lin Yuan, wanting him to take her away.
Seeing this, the crowd’s expressions toward the woman turned unfriendly. The woman wanted to leave but found herself unable to escape as Lin Yuan held onto her firmly. She was left feeling helpless as he led her away.
A few people still felt uneasy about the situation and decided to follow Lin Yuan. Meanwhile, he spotted someone familiar in the crowd.
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