Chapter 72 Sudden Accident

This is definitely not a normal equipment malfunction! It was too sudden and too sudden!

Zhao Liyue reacted just as quickly. She put down her lemon tea, her face instantly turning icy cold, her sharp gaze sweeping across the dark stage and the chaotic audience like a searchlight.

"Something's not right," she whispered to Su Xiaonuan, her voice heavy with undeniable seriousness. "I'm afraid something terrible is about to happen."

Time seemed to stretch out during the anxious wait.

Every second felt incredibly long.

The park's management seemed to panic as well; the emergency lights failed to turn on for a long time, and darkness and chaos spread.

After what felt like an eternity, or perhaps only a few minutes, the stage lights flickered a few times before finally coming back on steadily.

However, under the lights, the stage was completely empty!

Fu Lilian, who was singing and dancing and radiating brilliance just moments ago, has vanished without a trace!

All that remained was a lonely microphone stand, scattered accompanying instruments, and a chilling emptiness.

Where are they?!

"Where did Fu Lilian go?!"

"What's going on?!"

The audience erupted in chaos, and panic began to spread like a plague.

Zhao Liyue's eyes sharpened, and she immediately took out her phone. While dialing quickly, she said to Su Xiaonuan in a rapid-fire voice, "Notify nearby patrol units that the famous artist Fu Lilian has gone missing after the lights went out during the concert at Fenglin Park. She is suspected of being kidnapped. Request immediate support and to cordon off the area!"

Su Xiaonuan's heart sank to the bottom.

Suddenly, the image of that innocent and adorable girl with pigtails, who had been eagerly asking her for omelet rice just yesterday, flashed through her mind.

The sound of sirens grew louder as they approached, and soon several police cars arrived, their red and blue lights piercing the night sky above the park.

Well-trained police officers quickly set up a cordon and began to orderly evacuate the panicked crowd.

"Please remain calm and leave in an orderly manner!"

"Don't crowd! Cooperate with the police!"

Su Xiaonuan and Zhao Liyue, along with Wang Song and Liu Yali's family next door who were also disturbed, were naturally included in this group.

Liu Yali hugged her two frightened children tightly, her face filled with shock.

Wang Song frowned, protecting his wife and children.

Just as they were about to be evacuated from the cordon, Zhao Liyue showed her identification and whispered a few words to the police officer in charge of the evacuation.

After the police officer saw the identification, his expression turned serious, and he immediately and respectfully gestured that they could stay.

Soon, one of the officers in charge of the scene recognized Su Xiaonuan, who was following Zhao Liyue—Su Xiaonuan had recently gained quite a bit of "fame" within the bureau.

He paused for a moment, then subconsciously brought his heels together and saluted: "Comrade Su!" He acted as if Su Xiaonuan were some kind of superior.

Su Xiaonuan was a little embarrassed by the sudden formality, so she quickly waved her hand and forced out her usual innocent smile: "Hello, officer, I just... came to take a look and join in the fun, no need to be so polite."

Zhao Liyue shook her head helplessly, ignoring the little incident, and cut straight to the point, her tone regaining its usual coldness: "What's the situation at the scene? What's the initial assessment?"

The lead officer, his expression grave, reported, "Officer Zhao, Comrade Su, our initial suspicion is that this was a premeditated kidnapping. We've checked; the stage's power supply and the park's public lighting are separate and independently controlled. The stage's power line was deliberately sabotaged, and the method was very professional. It was a short circuit that caused the circuit breaker to trip, and..." He paused, lowering his voice, "...after the lights went out, someone quickly connected the backup line or repaired the short circuit, which is why the lights came back on. The sabotage and repair were likely done by the same group of people, or well-coordinated accomplices."

"The other party acted very quickly and professionally, leaving almost no obvious clues. So far, we only found this behind the stage, near where Fu Lilian last stood before she disappeared—" The officer handed over a transparent evidence bag containing a dark blue mother-of-pearl button that looked to be of good quality, with slight tear marks on the edge. "It should have been torn off the suspect's clothes by the victim when she was struggling."

"In addition," he added, "a series of relatively clear footprints were extracted from the soft ground behind the stage. The initial judgment is that they were from size 45 sneakers. Judging from the depth of the footprints and the stride, they should be male, and not just one person, but a group working together skillfully."

Premeditated kidnapping, professionally sabotaged circuits, swift repairs to create chaos, coordinated actions by the gang, leaving only a button and a string of footprints at the scene... the opponent clearly did not act on impulse, but rather followed a meticulous plan.

After listening, Zhao Liyue frowned and quickly analyzed the situation: "Disrupting the circuit to create darkness, using the brief chaos to carry out the kidnapping, and then quickly restoring the lights to delay being discovered... The plan is very meticulous. Focus on investigating all details at the scene, especially the origin of the footprints, the material and brand of the buttons, and immediately check the surveillance footage at all entrances and exits of the park, especially the time before and after the lights went out! We can't overlook any clues!"

"Yes, sir!" The officer immediately obeyed and left.

Zhao Liyue then turned to the park attendant, who was pale and sweating profusely, and said, "Take us to the monitoring room!"

The atmosphere in the monitoring room was oppressive.

Several screens simultaneously played surveillance footage from different angles. The investigators, Zhao Liyue, and Su Xiaonuan, who was silently following beside them, all stared intently at the screens, not daring to relax for a moment.

Time passed second by second.

The images on the screen scrolled rapidly: a bustling crowd, dazzling lights, then sudden darkness, then back to light, the crowd stirring... They repeatedly replayed the footage of the key moments before and after the lights went out, scrutinizing the area around the stage, the backstage passageways, the park entrances and exits from various angles...

However, frustratingly, even after reviewing all the relevant surveillance footage multiple times, they still couldn't find any suspicious individuals matching the description of "size 45 sneakers, carrying or abducting Fu Lilian"!

The kidnappers seemed to appear out of thin air and then vanish just as suddenly, leaving no clear visual clues even under the dense surveillance network!

The only physical clues left are that lone button and that string of footprints pointing to the vague outline.

The trail seems to have gone completely cold here.

The monitoring room was silent, with only the faint hum of the machines and the heavy breathing of the people in the background.

A sense of oppression and frustration permeated the air.

Where was Fu Lilian taken? Who kidnapped her? What was their purpose?

Su Xiaonuan frowned as she stared at the frozen surveillance footage.

She didn't believe anyone could truly do something flawlessly.

There must be something that has been overlooked... or rather, some clues that cannot be discovered by ordinary surveillance and conventional investigative methods.

Her gaze involuntarily fell once again on the dark blue mother-of-pearl button in the evidence bag.