Chapter 35: A Major Case Erupts
County Public Security Bureau Conference Room!
While Li Yi was at home waging a battle of wits with his father over the homestead and house construction, the county Public Security Bureau’s conference room was filled with tension. Wang Anguo sat in the chair of authority with a grim expression, listening to the case briefing!
After Deputy Captain Li finished briefing them on the basic details of the case, Wang Anguo said in a deep voice, “This is the situation: in just five short days, there have been a total of nine cases of missing children in the county town and the surrounding townships and communes. Now that the case has gained traction, it has caused widespread panic among the local population!”
“Now, many ordinary people don’t dare leave their children at home when they go to the fields—they don’t even dare leave them in the care of their elders. This has already severely disrupted people’s normal lives and livelihoods!”
“That’s why the county has ordered us to solve this case within a set deadline. Otherwise, we’ll all be held accountable!”
Deputy Captain Li also spoke up: “Comrades, this case has now drawn not only the county’s attention but also the city’s high-level concern. If we can’t provide the public with a satisfactory explanation, the consequences will be severe!”
At that moment, a veteran police officer stood up and said, “Captain, after reviewing the evidence, we’ve found that all nine reports we’ve received so far have come in over the last few days. Abducting so many children in such a short time clearly isn’t the work of a single person, so we believe this is the work of a criminal gang!”
“Moreover, in recent days, in our efforts to apprehend Zhou Baoshan, we’ve been conducting strict checks on passersby—especially those from out of town. So it’s highly unlikely the traffickers would risk leaving right now. We therefore deduce that those children are still within our county and haven’t been taken out yet!”
“Old Geng, you really are a seasoned detective—your analysis makes perfect sense. Go on!” Wang Anguo said immediately.
“Captain, our first priority now is to determine exactly how many of these traffickers there are and where they’re hiding, while also figuring out exactly how many families in the county have reported missing children!” Old Geng said in a grave tone.
“Are you suggesting there are more than just these nine families who’ve reported missing children?”
“Yes. Captain, as you know, in some areas—due to poor transportation or because parents are still searching for their children—families haven’t yet chosen to report it to the police!”
“In the name of the County Bureau, immediately notify all the local police stations. Have them verify village by village to determine exactly how many households have reported missing children. They must submit accurate data by tomorrow afternoon!” Wang Anguo ordered.
“Yes, sir!”
Wang Guo’an then added, “The disappearance of a child can have a devastating impact on a family. Therefore, even if we have to overcome every possible obstacle, we must find these children. Immediately submit a request to our superiors in the name of the Criminal Investigation Division, stating that Zhou Baoshan and his accomplices are still at large, and ask for an extension of the cordon and search operation.”
“Additionally, deploy elite personnel, assisted by police dogs, to search for hiding places in the county town and surrounding communes and villages. We must round up this gang of brazen kidnappers in one fell swoop and restore peace and order to the people!”
“Yes, sir!”
…….
After the meeting adjourned, Wang Anguo glanced at his watch and saw it was already 1:00 a.m. He couldn’t help but sigh.
Looks like he wouldn’t be going home tonight either!
He had practically made the office his home, while his actual home felt more like a hotel—a place he only returned to occasionally.
His wife and daughter were very upset with him about this.
But what could he do? He worked in law enforcement—it was only natural that he was rarely home!
Just then, Deputy Captain Li walked over carrying a bowl of noodles and said, “I know you skipped dinner again. Have some—I specifically asked the kitchen to add two eggs just for you!”
Wang Anguo didn’t hesitate; he took the large bowl and started eating.
But when he saw the diced mushrooms in the bowl, he suddenly thought of Li Yi—and the words Li Yi had spoken that morning just before leaving.
“You’re such a jinx!”
Wang Anguo’s sudden outburst left Deputy Captain Li completely dumbfounded!
“What do you mean, ‘jinx’?”
Wang Anguo realized he’d spoken out of turn and immediately smiled, saying, “Nothing much. Just some funny guy said some peculiar things to me this morning, and I didn’t expect them to come true so quickly!”
Deputy Captain Li was also quite curious and couldn’t help but ask, “What kind of special words were they?”
“That guy told me something bad was going to happen in the county soon, and that it might affect my career prospects! I never thought it would actually come true in just a single day!” Wang Anguo sighed.
“It was probably just a coincidence. You don’t think that guy can actually predict the future, do you?” Deputy Captain Li said with a laugh.
“Don’t be so quick to dismiss it—that guy might actually have that kind of ability!”
“You believe him?”
“I do!” Wang Anguo said this without a shred of hesitation.
“You really believe it?”
Now it was Deputy Captain Li’s turn to be baffled. He knew exactly what kind of background his partner came from—he usually hated charlatans more than anything—so how could he suddenly believe in this?
Just then, Wang Anguo suddenly pulled a deformed one-yuan coin from his pocket. Stuck in the coin was a similarly deformed bullet tip; part of the bullet had pierced through the coin, as if it were embedded in it.
“That guy gave me this coin!”
“Huh?”
“And before he gave me this coin, he said something like this: he saw that my brow was dark, and that I would soon face a bloody disaster—this coin could save my life!”
Wang Anguo continued, “And he personally slipped this coin into my shirt pocket!”
Hearing Wang Anguo’s words, Deputy Captain Li was completely stunned. It took him quite a while to come to his senses.
“Could that person be…”
Wang Anguo knew what he was thinking and immediately replied with certainty, “No, he didn’t know me before, he isn’t part of the system, and he didn’t come looking for me afterward—I was the one who went to find him!”
“Have you looked into his background?”
“I haven’t had time to investigate yet, but I trust my instincts—he doesn’t have any ulterior motives toward me!”
“I just can’t quite believe it. This is just… too unbelievable!”
“I felt the same way as you at first, but after facing life and death, I believe it!”
Then Wang Anguo suddenly put down his chopsticks and said, “Old Li, you know, when I saw Zhou Baoshan pull the trigger that day, I felt utter despair.”
“That guy was a former soldier turned ruthless bandit. His marksmanship was top-notch in his unit. At such close range, there was practically no way he could miss. And in that situation, he wouldn’t have shown any mercy. So the moment the gun went off, I was prepared to die!”
“But no one could have imagined that the bullet would hit this coin—right there. If it had been even a centimeter to the left or right, I’d be dead!”
Deputy Captain Li fell silent. Although deep down he still didn’t quite believe anyone could predict a person’s fate, he couldn’t refute his good friend’s words.
Just then, Wang Anguo suddenly spoke up again: “I have a feeling this missing child case isn’t going to go smoothly!”
“What do you mean?”
“Because that man told me it might affect my career—which means he predicted this case won’t be so easy to crack.”
“Are you doubting our team’s abilities? With a county bureau this size and dozens of experienced detectives, are we really no match for some charlatan?”
“It’s not that I don’t believe in them—it’s just a hunch. You know how these things are!”
Wang Anguo then changed the subject and added, “But he also said that if we really hit a dead end, we can go to him for help!”
“Hmph, I just don’t believe it. With so many people in our county bureau, we’d never need his help to solve a case!”
Wang Anguo replied thoughtfully, “I hope we don’t need him either. Otherwise…”
“Otherwise what?”
“Then we’d owe him a huge favor—and not just me, but the entire county bureau!”
Deputy Captain Li: “#￥%……&*”
……..