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墨書 Inktalez
The kidnapper demanded Ding Derun to go to Shangde Road, and with a slight maneuver, managed to separate Ding Derun from Jiang He. Years of experience in handling cases led Old Shao to sense that something was bound to happen. The kidnapper instructed Ding Derun to head to Shangde Road, but the call originated from Morning Dew Street. Analyzing the locations and timing of these two calls suggested that at least two people were involved in the abduction of Ding Derun's partner.
However, through the conversation between the kidnapper and Jiang He, Old Shao became increasingly convinced that the abduction was not motivated by money. The kidnapper instructed Jiang He to scatter the four hundred thousand from the slope at such a specific location across the city; this did not seem like a random choice and hinted at some underlying motive.
With this thought in mind, Old Shao directed Wang Chao, "You need to investigate the four hundred thousand immediately. You should have heard clearly on the phone; check into those kids and their families right away. The kidnapper's choice is not random."
"Jiang He, where are you right now?" Old Shao asked.
At that moment, Jiang He was looking at a map app on his phone. After reviewing the names of several streets, he understood something.
From Apricot Blossom Street, where the bank was located, to Dongsen Road, Baohua Road, then Phoenix Road, Morning Dew Street, and finally Shangde Road—if he combined the directions of these streets, Jiang He saw a symbol: "e!". Instantly, he began to ponder what this could mean and considered many possibilities.
Of course, it could very well be just a coincidence; however, soon after, Jiang He thought of a high-probability possibility. The English word "err" means "error," and adding an exclamation mark after the "e" is a shorthand representation of "error," commonly used on the internet.
Given that the kidnapper casually scattered four hundred thousand without concern, Jiang He believed there was a sixty percent chance that their motive was not financial. He suspected that the kidnapper was merely playing with the police; similarly, it could be inferred that they were also toying with Ding Derun. Their true aim was not wealth but rather to provoke law enforcement.
This large "e!" indicated to Jiang He that everything they thought was a mistake.
"Jiang He?" Old Shao urged from the other end of the line.
Jiang He placed his phone in his pocket and spoke through his earpiece to Old Shao: "The kidnapper's motive is clearly not about money. They left us a huge symbol with these streets. I believe there’s a seventy percent chance that this mark is meant to convey something important."
"What is it?" Old Shao asked as he quickly pulled out his phone to check.
Jiang He explained rapidly: "The streets chosen by the kidnapper are all straight and even without any deviation; this cannot be mere coincidence. I believe this signifies 'error.' There should be a dot beneath that vertical line at the end—a point representing an exclamation mark."
As Jiang He held the map earlier, he had already memorized all the place names, which would stay with him for a lifetime.
Suddenly, Jiang He recalled something the kidnapper had said: "Is it the one in Kant's Home or the one in Youth City?"
Previously, Jiang He and Old Shao had searched for Ding Derun at the house in Youth City, but Ding Derun also owned another property, which was located in Kant's Home. The exclamation mark corresponded exactly to the area of Kant's Home. This was definitely not a coincidence; everything had been orchestrated by the kidnapper.
Jiang He said, "Ding Derun has three houses in Jingzhong City—two are within the city, and one is in the countryside. Don't go to Morning Dew Street anymore; that’s just a trick by the kidnapper. The place you need to go now is Ding Derun's house in Kant's Home. Hurry."
Old Shao didn’t immediately understand Jiang He's reasoning over the phone, but Jiang He's tone was filled with certainty, so Old Shao decided to trust him.
He immediately said, "Turn around; we’re going straight to Ding Derun’s house in Kant's Home. Captain Ma, find out which unit and room number Ding Derun’s house is in. The detectives already on site should continue searching Morning Dew Street; we can't miss any clues."
Although Jiang He didn’t know what the kidnapper intended to do, he understood that they weren’t after money.
"Ding Derun? Ding Derun?" Old Shao spoke again, "Why isn’t Ding Derun on the line anymore?"
Jiang He remembered that everyone had been advising Ding Derun not to act impulsively, but at that moment, Ding Derun had disregarded everything. He had taken off his headset, meaning he could no longer hear the police. Meanwhile, Ding Derun's phone was still connected to the kidnapper; although there was no conversation happening, others couldn’t reach him either.
This meant that now only the kidnapper could communicate with Ding Derun; no one else could contact him.
"When do you think you’ll arrive?" Jiang He asked.
Old Shao replied, "We’re very close to Kant's Home now; it should only take about ten minutes. The routes were deliberately set up by the kidnapper. No wonder they insisted on having Ding Derun bring the police along; they want the police to witness their plan succeed."
Jiang He glanced at the time; it was already eleven o'clock. He said, "I will head to Shangde Road immediately and have the nearby traffic police intercept Ding Derun's vehicle. I suspect that the kidnappers never actually abducted Ding Derun's wife."
With that, Jiang He got into a taxi. "I'll give you a hundred yuan if you drive at one hundred and twenty miles per hour. I have an urgent matter."
"Get lost," the taxi driver replied politely.
After about ten minutes, Old Shao had arrived at the entrance of Kant's Home with his team. Captain Ma quickly found Ding Derun's specific location in the police files: Unit 1, Building 5, Apartment 701.
Old Shao led his team to 701. The door was only latched and not locked; with a turn of the doorknob, Old Shao pushed the door open.
At that moment, Old Shao saw an elderly woman firmly tied up on the living room sofa. Her mouth was gagged, preventing her from making any sound. On the sofa lay two mobile phones, both of which were still on a call.
Several detectives rushed forward and began to untie the elderly woman.
Old Shao looked at the two phones; both were connected to long numbers.
"What’s going on?" Old Shao asked. "Are you Ding Derun's wife, Pang Suzhang?"
Pang Suzhang nodded and burst into tears, shouting into the phone, "No, please don’t do this!"
However, upon hearing Pang Suzhang's words, both phones immediately hung up at the same time.
Pang Suzhang's face was streaked with tears; Old Shao could tell she had been crying for a long time. Her cheeks were marked with tear stains.
"What exactly happened?" Old Shao asked once again.
Pang Suzhang, with tears in her eyes, finally recounted the events:
Yesterday afternoon, August 22nd, after finishing lunch, Pang Suzhang was resting at home while Ding Derun had gone out to practice his scamming techniques. As she dozed off, she suddenly heard someone banging on the door urgently.
Without thinking much, she figured it was the middle of the day and no one would come to rob her, so she opened the door without hesitation. Standing there was a man in his forties, drenched in sweat. He rushed to Pang Suzhang and said, "Is Ding Derun your husband?"
Pang Suzhang nodded in response.
The middle-aged man grabbed Pang Suzhang and pulled her outside. "That's you! Hurry up! Your husband got hit by a car on the road and is being taken to the hospital. Quick, quick!"
Pang Suzhang's heart sank, and she almost couldn't catch her breath.
She knew what her husband did—he was out scamming. She had repeatedly urged him to stop; they had already bought a house and a car for their son, and there was enough money for them to live comfortably for the rest of their lives. Scamming was dangerous; one careless moment could lead to an accident. But Ding Derun never listened.
Now, it seemed that something terrible had happened. Pang Suzhang hurriedly grabbed her bag containing their household registration book, property deed, savings book, and bank cards, and followed the middle-aged man outside. In her haste, she even left her phone at home.
As they walked along with the middle-aged man, Pang Suzhang began to regain her senses. She realized she didn't know this person at all. How could he possibly know where her husband had been hit? This situation felt suspicious. While lost in thought, she found herself beside the man's car but hesitated to open the door.
Just then, the car door swung open violently, and a man yanked her inside.
At that moment, Pang Suzhang understood what was happening. But before she could react further, the man inside put a hood over her head. By the time they got out of the car, they were already at Kant's Home.
She wanted to find a chance to escape and call for help, but the two people on either side of her held her tightly and threatened her with knives, leaving her no way to run or even shout.
Thus, Pang Suzhang was taken by the kidnappers to another one of their hideouts.
After having her last meal, Pang Suzhang was tied to the sofa. The kidnappers bound her tightly, making it impossible for her to struggle or escape. They also gagged her, preventing her from calling for help.
Then, one of the kidnappers placed two mobile phones beside Pang Suzhang, and soon after, both phones rang.
One of the kidnappers said to Pang Suzhang, "Don't worry, we won't kill you. We just want to play a game with you. If you're lucky, someone will rescue you tomorrow; if not, you'll have to go hungry. But remember, a person can survive three days without food or water—just hang in there."
"Alright, don't be too nervous. We know you have a heart condition; don't let it act up on us. No one will be here to give you your medication then."
With that, the two kidnappers left and did not return.
Until now, Pang Suzhang had finally waited for the police.
"What kind of game is this?" Old Shao asked.
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