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墨書 Inktalez
"Another one gone?" I couldn't help but ask.
Sun Qingqing's voice trembled as she replied, "Another one is missing, a boy from our class named Li Jun. We thought he went home after school, but his mom just called, and now Li Jun is also missing."
"School let out at five. Why is his mom only calling now?" I inquired. "How much time has passed?"
Sun Qingqing's voice was laced with tears. "Li Jun's dad is a boss and usually isn't home. He never comes to parent-teacher meetings, and when the teacher visited our house, his mom was always playing Mahjong late into the night. I doubt she even knows when her child goes home; otherwise, she wouldn't be asking us so late where he is."
I frowned. "What kind of parents are these? Let's have the police check the surveillance footage and find Li Jun."
Sun Qingqing agreed with a soft sound, and I could hear the fear in her voice. She was probably crying on the other end. With two students from the same class missing, even if they had left school, this situation would likely fall back on their homeroom teacher. If anything happened to the children, that teacher would probably lose their job.
I found it strange that Hu Ningning and Li Jun's disappearances, along with Gu Hui's death, might be connected in some way. However, we had no way of knowing what the children were up to right now. I recalled a case I had encountered where a child went missing, only to be found sleeping under their own bed.
It was necessary to correct a common misconception here: current movies and TV shows often create a tense atmosphere by fabricating a rule that police will only take action after twenty-four hours of someone going missing. In reality, aside from adult males who may be considered missing after twenty-four hours, for minors under eighteen, women over eighteen, and disabled individuals, police will open a case immediately upon reporting without waiting for twenty-four hours.
The first twenty-four hours after a child goes missing are referred to as the critical period. For parents of missing children, the Ministry of Public Security has developed an effective method called "Ten People Four Pursuits" based on extensive case analysis.
When a child goes missing, it is essential to report it to the police immediately and mobilize all relatives to search for the child. This method typically requires around ten people; naturally, the more people involved, the better. They should search in four directions from the location where the child disappeared.
Four individuals should search within a two-kilometer radius in the north, south, east, and west directions from where the child went missing. Another four should head to major train and bus stations in the city to prevent the child from being taken elsewhere by traffickers. One person should handle communication with the police regarding the child's information while another waits at home in case the child returns without anyone noticing.
This is an effective method for locating a missing child. However, if I were Li Jun's mother and didn't know when my child would come home—realizing he had been gone for several hours before thinking to check—that would be rather careless. But back in our day, students usually went home alone after school; those who were picked up by their parents were often labeled cowards.
Yet I had never heard of anyone being abducted back then. I wondered if this was a trend in society now or if it was simply because we didn't have access to information back then; even if someone did go missing, we wouldn't have known about it anyway.
After hanging up the phone, Old Hu's Partner quickly asked, "What happened? Did you find my granddaughter?"
I shook my head and replied, "No, Hu Ningning hasn't been found yet, but another boy from her class has gone missing."
Gu Chen looked at me and asked, "Do you think these two incidents are related? Hu Ningning is missing, and now another child is too."
I pondered for a moment but couldn't provide an answer. Whether these cases were connected would depend on how things unfolded next. However, deep down, I felt there was a link between them. What was Teacher Gao doing outside? Could it be related to the disappearances of the two children?
But right now, we had no more clues and nothing was clear.
The heavy rain outside had subsided, but it was still drizzling lightly, and the air had turned a bit chilly; wearing just a thin shirt was becoming unbearable. I glanced at everyone and said, "I think it's going to be difficult to find them tonight. In this weather, everyone is rushing home; there probably aren't many pedestrians on the street who would notice two children. Let's wait for a bit. If we still haven't heard anything, we can head to the town to take a look."
Gu Chen nodded in agreement.
That night, I slept in the side room of Gu Chen's house, sharing a bed with him. As expected, Gu Chen asked me about Zhao Mingkun. He could tell that my relationship with Zhao Mingkun was complicated; if I had been coerced by him, why would I have been let go so easily?
Thinking along those lines, I spoke up, "Well, until this matter is settled, I can't give you a clear answer. Let me ask you—don't you think someone within our ranks is up to something? Especially when dealing with Wu Zui; it seems like he knows our every move and can lead us around by the nose. Is there something fishy going on?"
Gu Chen fell silent for a moment before responding, "If that's the case, after that incident I was reassigned back to the armed police. My superior told me it would be best if I stayed out of it; otherwise, he wouldn't have transferred me back. Although he didn't specify what it was about, I sensed something significant was happening."
I recalled when I was arrested and taken to an unknown location by the armed police. At that time, a Mysterious Man warned me about an insider within our ranks, but I never saw who he was; he remained hidden in the shadows.
Moreover, when Sister Mao sent me money, there was also a message from the Mysterious Man that I didn't understand either.
I sighed and said, "It seems like Liu is involved. But I'm puzzled—Liu was personally chosen by Captain Shao just like us and has been with him longer than we have. From the very beginning, our actions were under Wu Zui's control. How could Captain Shao bring someone so ambiguous into our midst?"
Gu Chen clasped his hands behind his head, staring blankly at the ceiling. "I don't know about that. The first mission with the Special Operations Group was just following you to those beggars' hideouts. I don't know much about Liu either; I thought you knew him better."
I shook my head. "I don't know either."
Gu Chen sighed and fell silent.
Now, despite the calm surface of Dongxing City, a storm was brewing beneath. From this perspective, the police and armed forces were intertwined, with different factions vying for a piece of the pie. Sister Mao and her subordinates were also caught up in this mess. Zhao Mingkun and I, both fugitives, one a former police officer investigating, along with some who were uncertain allies or enemies, and the Wu Zui Gang lurking in the shadows.
It was all too chaotic; everyone wanted what they desired but had no idea who would ultimately stand center stage.
A night passed without conversation. The roosters in the second village crowed early, and when I checked the time, it was just past six in the morning. Still groggy from sleep, I rubbed my eyes and pulled back the curtains to look outside. The summer sky was already brightening, and it wasn't raining anymore. However, after a night of heavy rain, everything outside remained muddy and difficult to traverse.
Gu Chen was doing push-ups beside me, bare-chested. When he saw I was awake, he stood up.
I asked, "Any news about those two kids?"
"None," Gu Chen replied, shaking his head as he grabbed a towel from inside the room. "There hasn't been any news all night. I feel like this situation is complicated. It doesn't seem like a simple case of being lost or kidnapped or sold."
I looked at Gu Chen and slowly said, "From what we know so far, Hu Ningning didn't leave on her own. Sun Qingqing used to be with us; Hu Ningning usually doesn't go out. So why did she go out this time?"
Pausing for a moment, I answered my own question: "I think Hu Ningning must have had something important to do; otherwise, she wouldn't have gone out by herself. What would an eight-year-old girl be doing running around alone? Plus, Li Jun hasn't returned either; maybe they both left together."
Gu Chen spoke up, "So what were your two friends going out for?"
I turned to Gu Chen and said, "Could it be that they went on a date?"
"Date?" Gu Chen shook his head and said, "What kind of date can two eight-year-old kids have?"
I glanced at the muddy road outside and said, "Let's go. I think we need to head to town and call the Police Force to have Teacher Gao's body taken away. Before we leave, let’s check in with your dad."
Gu Chen nodded.
At that moment, Gu Chen's phone rang. He looked at it and saw an unfamiliar number.
"It should be Sun Qingqing," I said. "Give it to me; let me take a look."
"Hello?" I answered the phone.
"Is this Officer Wu? I'm Sun Qingqing," she said. "We haven't found the two kids yet, but we did find Sun Qingqing's backpack. It was discovered by the roadside."
"Okay," I asked. "What was in the backpack?"
Sun Qingqing replied, "It contained some school supplies, but there was also a note inside."
"What kind of note?" I inquired.
Sun Qingqing answered, "It was a note that someone had deliberately left behind..."
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