Chapter 170 170 What is their purpose?
Perhaps it was because of the reversed day and night schedule and the running around during this period, Guan Xia still slept very soundly, although her sleeping position was very uncomfortable. When she was woken up by Xu Nian, she was still a little dazed and didn't quite know where she was.
Perhaps it was because she looked a little disheveled after just waking up, but Xu Nian looked at Guan Xia with a hint of a smile in his eyes. Seeing she didn't react, he repeated, "Just now, our colleagues from the task force reported back that they found a deliberately abandoned phone near the scene where the seller was arrested. It's been damaged, and the technical team is repairing it. We estimate we'll find something soon."
Guan Xia finally came to her senses and subconsciously twisted her uncomfortable shoulders and neck. Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly hissed and pressed hard on one side of her neck.
Guan Xia was now completely refreshed. No wonder she had felt her shoulders and neck were unusually stiff just now. It turned out that her sleeping position was too twisted and her neck was twisted.
Seeing this, Xu Nian asked a few questions nervously at first, but then quickly realized what Guan Xia was doing and said with some regret, "We were waiting for news anyway. I should have let you go back to the hotel to sleep. How was it? Did you twist it badly?"
Xu Nian said this as he took a closer look. He also moved Guan Xia's hand away and pressed on the side that she had just covered.
Guan Xia stretched her neck to listen to his question, and cautiously turned her head left and right. After a moment, she breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's okay, it's okay. It just hurts a little because I turned my head too much. I'll put on a plaster, and it should be fine in two days."
Seeing that Guan Xia's movements were not seriously affected, Xu Nian heaved a sigh of relief and said, "That's good. I remember Brother Jiang has some plasters ready. Wait a minute, I'll go get some from him."
With that, Xu Nian quickly walked out of the office.
After the two of them quarreled, the other sleepers woke up one after another. Pang Le yawned loudly and rubbed his eyes and asked, "What time is it? Have Geng Jing and the seller confessed yet?"
Guan Xia then remembered that Xu Nian hadn't mentioned this, so she shook her head and said, "It's almost four in the afternoon. Xu Nian didn't say anything just now, so he probably hasn't confessed yet. There's no need for the task force to make any other discoveries."
Zhong Xiaoyu also woke up. She stood up and stretched her arms and legs, then looked around the office in surprise. "Didn't they say Xu Nian was here? Where is he?"
Guan Xia was about to answer when Xu Nian pushed open the door and hurried back. He walked straight to Guan Xia, and deftly tore open the plaster and placed it on Guan Xia's neck.
Seeing this, Pang Le and the others understood what was going on. They gathered around and asked, "What happened? Did you twist your neck while sleeping on your stomach?"
Guan Xia hummed helplessly.
Upon hearing this, Pang Le touched Guan Xia's waist again and asked, "How about your waist? Is it twisted? And how about your shoulders?"
Guan Xia subconsciously wanted to shake her head, but as soon as she moved, she couldn't help but hiss in pain.
Zhong Xiaoyu said with some amusement: "Just sit still, stop shaking your head, and speak directly."
Guan Xia had no choice but to say, "My neck just hurts a bit, but everything else is fine. I think it'll be fine in a couple of days. Let's not talk about me anymore. Let's talk about the case. Did Geng Jing and the seller confess? And what clues did the task force find? Has the seller's identity been confirmed? Also, we've been tracking Wu Yingze and his son for the past few days. Has there been any follow-up from Liu Xiang? Didn't she say last time that she had a cell phone that she used to contact her superiors? Have you found anything?"
After a good night's sleep, Guan Xia's brain became more useful, and she started asking a series of questions.
Everyone's attention was immediately diverted, and they all looked at Xu Nian intently, waiting for his answer.
Xu Nian didn't answer immediately, but took something out of the briefcase on the conference table. Guan Xia then noticed that Xu Nian had brought food when he came to wake her up.
When they saw the food, everyone realized how hungry they were. Several of them rushed over, clamoring for food. They wolfed down the food while listening to Xu Nian attentively.
Xu Nian leaned against the conference table and answered Guan Xia's questions one by one.
Xu Nian said, "As of 3:00 PM this afternoon, Geng Jing and the seller haven't confessed yet. However, Geng Jing has softened his stance somewhat due to solid evidence. It's not so much softening as it is desperate and on the verge of collapse. As for the seller, he seems quite confident, or perhaps he's anticipated the situation, which is why he appears so confident. However, there's always a loophole, and the task force has already caught him. Once the data in his phone is restored, it's only a matter of time before he speaks."
After hearing Xu Nian's last few words, everyone, including Guan Xia, slowed down their eating. They looked at Xu Nian curiously and asked, "What flaw? That phone? Isn't it being repaired? Are the task force so sure that there's important evidence hidden inside?"
Xu Nian smiled and said, "According to colleagues in the task force, that phone is exactly the same as the one Liu Xiang used to contact her superiors. Since Liu Xiang's phone contained important clues, it's natural that that phone would also have them."
Guan Xia was even more curious. "What's in Liu Xiang's phone? Like she said, was it the target of the mission sent to her via text message?"
Xu Nian nodded. "They are all children, as many as twelve. The task force has already tracked down the children's whereabouts based on the list of accomplices and targets provided by Liu Xiang, but..."
Xu Nian's expression was a little gloomy. Although he didn't finish his words, Guan Xia and the others understood his unspoken meaning. If their previous speculation about the criminal organization's criminal behavior was true, then these eleven children, except for Yan Xingyu who had been rescued, would be in great danger.
Guan Xia suddenly thought of something and asked, "Did Geng Jing confess about Ning Xin's murder?"
Xu Nian subconsciously glanced at Ji An in silence before saying, "With Liu Xiang's confession, Geng Jing did confess to killing Ning Xin, but he didn't reveal the specific details of the crime. I think he's still hoping for the best."
Guan Xia gritted her teeth, feeling a little suffocated. She had solved quite a few cases, and without exception, the suspects refused to speak when they were first arrested, and the police had to use every possible means to persuade them before they finally confessed.
After calming down, Guan Xia looked at Xu Nian and asked, "What about the identity of the seller we captured? Have you confirmed it?"
Xu Nian replied, "It's confirmed. I'm not from Shangshuang City. My nominal identity is the personal assistant of the chairman of a large enterprise. I have a very legitimate reason for coming to Shangshuang City this time. I was sent on a business trip."
"No wonder he didn't seem nervous at all," Zhong Xiaoyu said. "He must have been well prepared. Judging from his explanation during the interrogation this morning, I imagine he must have carefully considered everything."
"By the way," Pang Le suddenly asked, "How did the task force find that phone?"
Xu Nian said, "After apprehending the man, the task force conducted a thorough search of his belongings and vehicle, but found nothing. They then reviewed several surveillance videos of him driving past and eventually noticed him throwing something out of a small puddle. Immediately suspecting he might be destroying evidence, they conducted a thorough search of the area, draining the puddle completely. They ultimately discovered the smashed phone in the mud."
Guan Xia thought, no wonder they have to watch all the surveillance videos repeatedly before encountering a case. This kind of covert action, especially in the dark, is indeed the only way to make a discovery.
After listening to Xu Nian's brief explanation of the current situation, everyone's expressions relaxed a little. Although there was bad news, there was also good news. At least they had found clues to continue the investigation. Unlike Wu Yingze and his son, they were so difficult that although they had made some discoveries, they were of no use for the time being.
Guan Xia had a not-so-comfortable sleep in Captain Zhou's office, and she twisted her neck, but overall, everyone was full of energy again. They looked at the time and planned to go find the teams that the task force was monitoring to exchange shifts.
Before changing shifts, Guan Xia and the others asked about the latest situation.
Xu Nian quickly hung up the phone and said, "Peng Yuanwei went to work at his normal time. Wu Xingxian hasn't made any movement either, he's still working at the company. Wu Yingze is about the same. He came home around five in the morning and hasn't been out since. It wasn't until around two this afternoon that his driver drove him to the bar he often goes to."
After Xu Nian finished speaking, Zhong Xiaoyu was the first to say with a bitter face, "This guy is going to indulge in some sensual pleasures again. Doesn't that mean we'll have to stay in the car all night?"
Pang Le also said helplessly: "It seems so. They just took over last night. There shouldn't be any action in such a short time."
Seeing this, Ji An comforted him, "Think about it from another angle, this is also good news. This means that they haven't noticed the police's actions, so they won't cause any interference to the task force's operations. This way, the task force's operation to close the net in the next few days should go smoothly."
After Ji An said this, Zhong Xiaoyu immediately perked up. "That's right. And if that's the case, we only have a few days left sitting in the car doing nothing. Once the task force starts closing in, Wu Yingze and the others will definitely react. That's when we'll do something big."
With such a big carrot hanging in front of them, Guan Xia and the others stopped complaining for the next two days, even though they were still doing the boring surveillance work. Soon it would be the day when the task force would catch all the peripheral members like Geng Jing and others.
The operation was very successful. Guan Xia heard that so many people were arrested that even the detention center was overcrowded. But the strange thing was that Wu Yingze and his son still did not make any moves, as if they knew nothing. One of them continued to live a life of debauchery as usual, and the other went to work on time every day. Even Peng Yuanwei, who they speculated to be a core member, did not have any abnormal behavior. He went between home and the medical examination center every day.
This abnormal phenomenon quickly aroused the vigilance of Guan Xia and others, but before they could figure out the reason, they soon received news that the number of missing people in Shangshuang City had suddenly increased in a few days, and they all had one thing in common, that is, not long ago, within the past three months, they had all undergone physical examinations at the Kangjian Physical Examination Center.
It was evening when Guan Xia and the others received the news. They had just watched Wu Yingze, with his newly dyed light gray hair, slowly walk into a bar with several bodyguards.
As soon as Wu Yingze entered, Guan Xia's phone rang. It was Xu Nian. After answering the call, he heard a series of unexpected news.
Guan Xia was very surprised and asked, "Weren't all the peripheral members caught in one fell swoop? Why are there suddenly so many missing people? Are you sure they are missing? Not running away from home or something like that?"
Xu Nian's voice sounded solemn, with a hint of fatigue. "The police officers at the police station who received the call have repeatedly confirmed that they are missing. The missing people range in age from sixteen to forty-five. Some disappeared on their way home from get off work, while others disappeared while out and about. Because there are so many missing people, the task force hasn't had time to verify them one by one. But based on the few missing people we've hastily investigated, the criminal methods used are very different from ordinary human trafficking cases."
Guan Xia's heart sank when he heard this. "That means there are more outside members than we suspected. These missing people are most likely a counterattack by that criminal organization, or perhaps revenge?"
"But why?" Guan Xia asked again, somewhat bewildered. "Normally, when a criminal organization faces the threat of being completely eradicated, they'll cut off their roots to survive, acting increasingly cautiously and even trying to clear evidence to save themselves. Why is this criminal organization so abnormal? They're actually doing the exact opposite. Knowing so many detectives are watching them, they're still acting so openly. What's their purpose?"
Xu Nian said, "The task force has realized that their actions are unusual, but they haven't been able to deduce a reasonable motive yet. Right now, everyone is focused on these new missing persons cases. While they're still missing, we need to find a way to find them quickly."
Guan Xia was immediately drawn to Xu Nian's words and subconsciously asked, "What do you need us to do?"
Xu Nian said, "It's not us, it's you. Brother Jiang, Qi Bai, and Lu Tingfeng will continue to follow Wu Yingze and his son, as well as Peng Yuanwei. You, Pang Le, Wang Yu, and I will be temporarily transferred to cooperate with the task force to find the missing persons as soon as possible."
Guan Xia immediately agreed, but after a moment's thought, she still felt uneasy and asked, "I always feel like something's amiss. Those peripheral members are so frantic and active, while Wu Yingze and his son haven't made a single move. Could this be some kind of decoy?"
Xu Nian said, "The task force anticipated this, so they only deployed four of us. Brother Jiang and the other members of the task force who were taking turns to follow them remained stationed. Furthermore, in order to deal with any potential escape attempts, they were also assigned a number of public security officers. So, don't worry, even if they had wings, they wouldn't be able to escape from Shangshuang City."
After Xu Nian said this, Guan Xia felt relieved and said decisively: "Okay, then I will tell Zhong Xiaoyu and the others, and then rush back with Pang Le."
Xu Nian responded, then continued, "Wang Yu and I are already on our way to pick you up. Just in case, you should hand over to the other group and drive off first. We'll drop you off nearby and pick you and Pang Le up."
Xu Nian is still so efficient. I'm afraid he drove over as soon as he received the news from the task force.
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