Chapter 84

Yongzhuang is an urban village located on the edge of Qinghe District.

The closer we got to our destination, the more desolate the roadside scene became. The surroundings were eerily quiet. Every household had their lights off, and even the sound of wheels rolling on the road seemed particularly abrupt.

"Most of the people in Yongzhuang are immigrants. Almost all the houses you can see are rented out. Local villagers have even added a lot of houses to make money, so the terrain structure is quite complex."

Lin Jiafan introduced it casually, then turned the steering wheel and parked the car in an open space on the side of the road.

Guo Zhen and Pan Chang were standing there with their necks hunched. When they saw the two men get out of the car, they came over and said, "Captain Lin, this happened so suddenly that the SWAT team didn't have time to deploy more personnel. They only sent the team on duty tonight."

"Will there be follow-up support?" Lin Jiafan asked casually.

"Even if there are, they won't be able to get here in a while." Guo Zhen said with concern: "I just took a look at the detailed map of Yongzhuang that Pang Guang sent me. There are too many small roads! If the suspects really get away later, we won't be able to stop them!"

Lin Jiafan frowned slightly and glanced at the map of Yongzhuang Village on Guo Zhen's phone. He kept talking, "Where is the landlord of the factory that Lu Deshu rented?"

"He is also from Yongzhuang Village. His home is not far ahead. Pan Chang and I knocked on the door and went in to communicate before you arrived. Our people are staying there to accompany him." Guo Zhen raised his hand and pointed in a direction.

"Let's go and meet him first."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Jiafan and his group quickly arrived in front of a private house. It was a self-built house on three sides, and there was an imposing gatehouse above the main gate as soon as you entered the courtyard.

Awooo~

Before anyone entered the yard, the owner's big wolfhound, which was tied with an iron chain, growled alertly.

Fortunately, a man came out of the house soon and stopped the big wolf dog. When Lin Jiafan and others came to the yard, they saw a middle-aged man standing under the eaves, rubbing his hands nervously, with two plainclothes policemen standing next to him.

Perhaps realizing that Lin Jiafan was their leader, the middle-aged man took two steps forward and began to defend himself: "Hey, boss! You said I was just renting a house to make a living. I really didn't do anything wrong, right?"

"Isn't it a bit too scary to have such a big scene in the middle of the night?"

"What's your name?" Lin Jiafan's attitude was relatively gentle.

"My...my last name is Tan, Tan Hailong." The man replied hesitantly.

He was about 1.67 or 1.68 meters tall. From Lin Jiafan's perspective, his Mediterranean-like hair reflected circles of light under the moonlight.

"Mr. Tan, we just want to briefly discuss the situation with you. Shall we go inside and talk?"

The middle-aged man moved his lips, but in the end he didn't dare to say anything to refuse. He turned around and invited everyone in the yard into the house.

As soon as you enter the room, you'll see a large, sunny living room. To the right is what looks like the kitchen, and further inside are two more bedrooms. The lights in the living room are on, revealing the room's coldness.

As if he understood the doubt in Lin Jiafan's eyes, Tan Hailong hurriedly explained, "Because the child goes to school in the city, my wife has gone with him to take care of him. They only come back on weekends. We have more than one house in Yongzhuang, and it often needs maintenance, so I have no choice but to stay here alone."

"Officers, please take a seat. I'll make some tea."

Unexpectedly, Lin Jiafan did not stop him and let him rush into the kitchen to boil water, while he walked around the living room.

A few fingers gently ran across the surface of the furniture. There was not much dust, which was consistent with the appearance of someone living there regularly. Although there were not many things in the house, there were indeed some signs of life.

A few minutes later, Tan Hailong returned with a tray full of disposable cups filled with tea.

After placing the tray on the coffee table, he sat on the sofa at Lin Jiafan's signal, rubbing his thighs back and forth nervously with his hands.

"What was the factory you rented to Lu Deshu originally used for? Did both parties sign a formal rental contract as required?" Lin Jiafan also walked to the single sofa on the side and asked as soon as he sat down.

"That factory building was left by my father. He ran a brick factory when he was alive, but it went bankrupt due to poor management, and the land has been vacant ever since." Tan Hailong stood straight and answered the questions in a serious tone.

"A few years ago, I was planning to raise cattle there, but then someone came and said they wanted to rent the land. My wife advised me that raising cattle is risky and tiring, and it would be easier to rent it out, as it would provide a guaranteed income regardless of drought or flood."

As he spoke, he picked up a stack of papers on the coffee table and handed it over: "This is the contract. The police officer just looked at it."

Lin Jiafan raised his eyes and glanced at Guo Zhen, and saw Guo Zhen nodded slightly to confirm the man's words. He looked down at the contract again.

The contract was signed five years ago, and Lu Deshu paid the rent for ten years in one lump sum.

"A full one million. Mr. Tan, facing such a generous tenant, aren't you curious about what he is going to do with your factory?" Lin Jiafan threw the contract back on the coffee table with a half-smile on his face.

This was undoubtedly a life-or-death question. Tan Hailong visibly tensed up again. "I'm just an ordinary citizen, just wanting to live a good life. The tenants pay the money and I rent the house. The payment is in exchange. Why should I dictate what they do?"

"Mr. Tan, you can't say that. The law clearly stipulates that landlords have supervisory responsibilities for their tenants. If they discover that the tenant is engaged in illegal or criminal activities or is suspected of committing a crime, they must report it to the local public security organs in a timely manner. There are many people who knowingly fail to report and are eventually sentenced." Guo Zhen took the opportunity to fan the flames.

"I...I...I really don't know...It's too remote over there and I don't go there often." Tan Hailong wanted to continue to be stubborn.

Lin Jiafan simply curled the corners of his lips, muttering to himself more than asking, "That factory is in the northwest corner of the village, right? It's only about ten minutes' walk from here. Where are Mr. Tan's other rental houses? He should pass by the factory often when he goes there to collect rent or do house repairs, right?"

"They rented such a large space, but they didn't do any legitimate business. There was always quiet during the day, but many people came and went at night. Did Mr. Tan really not notice anything?"

"No..." Before he could even utter a word of denial, Tan Hailong gave in under the gaze of the policemen in the room. "Officers, please be reasonable and sympathize with the hard work of powerless people like us!"

"I have a family. Even if I really found something fishy about my tenant, I could only pretend I didn't know. How could I bear it if he retaliated?"

Hearing this, Lin Jiafan's eyes flashed: "So when did Mr. Tan discover that there was something wrong with Lu Deshu?"

"It's been a while." Tan Hailong replied vaguely, "One time they said a water pipe in the factory burst and asked me to go fix it. But when I went in, I found out there were a lot of people living in the factory. They were all possessed and didn't look like decent people."

"In addition, many villagers have reported to me in the past two years that there are often cars coming in and out of the factory at night, and it makes a lot of noise."

Slowly narrowing his eyes, Lin Jiafan asked again: "How old are the people living there?"

Tan Hailong thought carefully. "Twenty or thirty? I think there were two children. The day I went to fix the water pipe, there was another person who looked like he had been beaten. He was squatting in the corner with his head down, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth."

Speaking of this, he looked frightened: "I didn't dare to look any further. I came out as soon as I finished fixing the water pipe."

After pondering for a while, Lin Jiafan reached out and pointed at the contract on the coffee table: "How many ways can you escape Yongzhuang from your factory?"

Tan Hailong's face suddenly showed embarrassment. After two seconds, he hesitated and said, "In all directions."

Behind the factory building lies one of Yongzhuang Village's few remaining arable fields. Just across it lies the national highway, which connects in all directions. Furthermore, over the years, villagers have demolished nearly every wall to build more houses, leaving no distinction between roads and non-roads; any space wide enough for people to pass is a road.

Now it seems that when Lu Deshu rented this factory building for ten years, he must have made a careful selection.

They likely chose Yongzhuang Village because of its complex population structure. Even with their frequent ins and outs, they wouldn't attract much attention. The village's complex topography and the farmland behind the factory building, which led directly to the national highway, ensured they could escape more easily should danger strike.

A forceful attack is unlikely to work, and if we think about it carefully, the police currently have no solid evidence that Lu Deshu and his gang have kidnapped children.

It is even impossible to determine the relationship between He Jinzhe and Lu Deshu. If you blindly rush in, you may accidentally cause quite troublesome consequences.

At this moment, everyone's eyes in the room were focused on Lin Jiafan.

He lowered his eyes and thought for a while, then finally curled the corners of his lips and let out a laugh that couldn't be any softer.

The arrival of the police did not cause much disturbance in Yongzhuang Village in the second half of the night. The occasional barking of dogs and the sound of drunken people vomiting were the main themes of the village during this time period.

The dilapidated factory building located in the northwest corner of the village is now brightly lit. The outer double doors made of airtight thick steel plates are tightly closed, making it difficult to see what is inside the high courtyard wall.

Faintly, excited shouts and rough laughter could be heard from inside.

Not long after, a figure riding an electric bike appeared outside the gate. After repeatedly confirming the address on the mobile phone, the other party came forward with two large bags and knocked on the gate.

Bang bang bang!

The huge muffled sound caused the dogs of several nearby households to bark. Soon someone in the yard came over and opened the door a crack. He first quickly took the thing from the figure's hand, and then slammed the door back shut without mercy.

The visitor seemed to be accustomed to their behavior and rode away quickly on his electric bike without paying much attention.

At this moment, someone inside the wall shouted, "Wine is coming!"

A new carnival followed, and the lively noise lasted for more than ten minutes. The originally bright and shiny factory building fell into darkness without any warning.

"What's going on?! Is there a power outage? Shit!"

In the boundless silence, a loud national curse suddenly pierced the night sky.