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墨書 Inktalez
After listening to Captain Shao, I couldn't shake the feeling that my left kidney was starting to ache a bit.
If Liu Yinyan's venture fails, wouldn't that mean he loses both his fortune and his reputation? It was clear that his thought process was different from others, possessing a decisiveness and determination that most people could not reach.
In the world of venture capital, one must have a sharp eye to navigate the ever-changing market and find a profitable path. If this old man truly had such keen insight, I imagined he must have received some sort of warning beforehand to confidently assert that his daughter had been kidnapped.
Captain Shao continued, "So at the very moment he reported it to the police, Mary and I began looking into those who had grievances against him as well as his current competitors."
With that, Captain Shao tapped on the whiteboard.
I looked over and saw dozens of photographs displayed—men and women of all ages were represented, making it seem like a massive matchmaking event. Next to each photo were details about these individuals, including their names, ages, occupations, home addresses, and their connections to Liu Yinyan.
Red lines connected many of the photos, indicating relationships between them. It was densely packed. Mary and Captain Shao were working quickly; it had only been a little over an hour since Liu Fei'er went missing. It seemed that the City Bureau was taking this seriously, especially given Liu Old Man's stature.
"Is there really this many?" Liu scratched his head. "How long will it take to investigate each one?"
Captain Shao replied, "The City Bureau has dispatched a large number of personnel to assist. This isn't even too many; these are just people who have grievances against Liu Yinyan or might be involved in the kidnapping. However, we can't rule out the possibility that the kidnappers are not acquaintances of Liu Yinyan but rather targeting him for ransom due to his billionaire status."
"So this means there's a lot of work ahead," Captain Shao sighed.
At that moment, Gu Chen couldn't help but mutter, "I've never seen such a fuss made over an ordinary person's daughter going missing. Do rich kids really have more privilege? Is it worth deploying so many people to investigate a case that isn't even confirmed as a kidnapping yet?"
We all turned to look at Gu Chen, who had an angry expression on his face. I realized I hadn't noticed before how he often failed to read the room.
But Gu Chen's point was valid; there was no denying it.
Captain Shao heard Gu Chen's words and replied calmly, "Young people tend to be more passionate, but you must understand that there is no such thing as complete fairness in this world. How is this unfairness created? The story I just shared about Liu Yinyan was meant to help you understand that when Liu Yinyan donated his kidney years ago, no one stood up for him in the name of fairness."
"The world is like a tilted plane, inherently unfair. We are born assigned to either end of this plane; some enjoy advantages on one side, while others are born into disadvantage. But you must understand, we are not fixed at these ends; everyone can change. Some fail to cherish what they have and slide down from high to low. Others strive forward, leaving their footprints as they ascend from the depths to the heights."
"Therefore, fairness is never a constant. If you want privileges, you must work for them. If you desire privileges but do not wish to endure hardship, I’m sorry, but there is no such thing as a free lunch in this world." Captain Shao looked at Gu Chen and said calmly, "So, we must find Liu Fei'er’s whereabouts, understood?"
Gu Chen instinctively nodded.
Captain Shao continued, "Then it’s the same as before. Mary and I will oversee the situation and guide you in your investigation of the suspects in the photos. You four will visit Liu Yinyan's home shortly. It’s about time; besides us, Liu Yinyan has also hired a private investigator for this matter."
"A private investigator?" I shook my head. "The private investigator system is still underdeveloped in our country, so it hasn’t been officially permitted, right?"
Captain Shao mimicked my gesture and shook his head. "There’s no choice; since Liu Fei'er’s mother is Russian, the City Bureau has made an exception this time. However, you must not embarrass our Dongxing City Public Security Bureau; it would be best if you could find Liu Fei'er faster than they can. The City Bureau will fully support you."
If this operation turns out to be a big fuss over Liu Fei'er simply turning off her phone, that would be awkward.
"By the way, does Liu Yinyan have any specific requests?" I asked.
Captain Shao raised a finger. "Just one request: prioritize Liu Fei'er’s safety above all else. Regardless of who kidnapped her, ensuring her safety is paramount; even if it means spending everything we have, it doesn’t matter. Alright, you can go now; the private investigator should have just landed and is on their way to Liu Residence."
We drove the City Bureau's car toward Liu Yinyan's home, located in a villa area of the coastal new district.
In front of the large iron gate were various luxury cars parked; compared to them, our City Bureau vehicle felt like we were riding in a tricycle.
"Wow, why are there so many people here?" Liu exclaimed in disbelief. "It looks like a car show."
I rolled down the window and looked at the crowd gathered at the entrance; many of them I had seen on television before but had never encountered in person. I always thought these people lived high above us in another world; I never imagined they resided in the same city as us. Yet after living here for so many years, how had I never crossed paths with even one of them?
"Everyone probably knows something has happened, so they rushed over at the first opportunity," I said, glancing at the five or six security guards at the iron gate. "But it seems that Liu Old Man is currently not seeing anyone, which is quite normal. The situation is murky, and there might even be kidnappers hiding among this crowd."
"It seems that the lives of the wealthy aren't as enviable as we imagined," Guan Zengbin remarked as he got out of the car and handed our identification to the head of security.
The guard spoke into his walkie-talkie, and soon enough, the gate opened halfway, allowing a car to pass through. Guan Zengbin got back into the car. "Let's go. Captain Shao has already spoken with them; we can go in."
I looked at the crowd gathering behind us and smiled. "It won't be long before major media outlets catch wind of this. By then, Dongxing City will likely be in an uproar, filled with suspicion and paranoia."
Liu chimed in, "Yeah, those reporters have one good trait—they're faster than anyone else..."
The car drove into the villa area, but it would still take some time to reach Liu Yinyan's villa.
I frowned and observed my surroundings. This villa area should have more than one entrance—there could be east gates, north gates, south gates, west gates, and so on. However, each entrance was guarded by five or six security personnel, and the area was surrounded by barbed wire. As we drove along the road, I could see guards patrolling back and forth. Looking up, I noticed various cameras hidden among the trees and on utility poles.
The security conditions here seemed quite good. However, if someone could quietly take a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl from her room in broad daylight without alerting anyone, it was clear that this was the work of professional kidnappers.
This meant that they likely had scouted the area well in advance. They avoided the patrolling guards and evaded surveillance before sneaking into Mr. Liu's villa.
Lost in thought, the car came to a stop; we had arrived at Liu Yinyan's villa.
The villa occupied an area of at least two hundred square meters and was divided into two stories. Outside stood security guards who guided us to park our car upon seeing us arrive.
Then a man who appeared to be a butler asked, "Who are you?"
Liu quickly replied, "We are people sent by the City Bureau to investigate the truth of the matter."
The butler clearly displayed a worried expression, seemingly doubting that we could uncover anything significant. However, this was understandable; among us, Liu Nian was the oldest at just twenty-four, while Guan Zengbin was not even twenty yet. With such a combination, it indeed felt somewhat immature.
Nevertheless, he said nothing and led us inside. As soon as we entered, we saw Liu Yinyan sitting in a genuine leather chair in the hall.
He seemed to be resting with his eyes closed, but his brows were tightly furrowed, indicating some anxiety.
“Mr. Liu, the City Bureau people have arrived,” the butler said softly.
Only then did Liu Yinyan open his eyes, giving us a cursory glance. His face showed no expression, completely devoid of the butler's earlier concern. Liu Yinyan merely nodded and said, “Alright, you are sent by Captain Shao. I trust him, so I trust you.”
We felt somewhat restrained in front of someone like Liu Yinyan.
I quickly said, “Then we don’t need to discuss anything else right now. You must want to find your daughter as soon as possible. Shall we go check your daughter’s room?”
Liu Yinyan nodded and turned to the butler. “Old Li, take them to Fei'er’s room. By the way, Shao should have informed you that my wife has also hired private detectives to investigate. She is worried too; I didn’t stop her since she wants our daughter back.”
“The private detectives have already gone ahead to investigate. You all need to help each other; do not gamble with my daughter's life for personal glory,” Liu Yinyan said, his tone filled with authority. “Otherwise, if anything happens to my daughter, you will not escape blame.”
In an instant, Liu Yinyan returned to his usual tone. “Go ahead; no, wait—I'll personally take you there.”
Liu Yinyan led us up the stairs. The second floor revealed a new scene altogether. After turning a couple of corners, we finally reached Liu Fei'er’s room. The door was open, and someone was standing outside taking pictures; from the sound, it seemed there were others inside the room as well.
It appeared that this was the private detective hired by Liu Yinyan's wife.
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