Chapter 171 171 I hope this case will be solved just like the previous one...
When the four of them hurriedly arrived at the Nanping Branch, it was already completely dark. The entire police station was brightly lit, and everywhere were criminal police officers who were talking eagerly and jogging.
As Guan Xia and the others ran into the office building, more cars continued to drive into the parking lot. They had been in Shuangshi for many days, but this was the first time they felt crowded in the police station.
I hurried up to the second floor, passed many unfamiliar faces, and finally saw a familiar face after stepping into the corridor.
It was Captain Zhou. I don’t know how long he hadn’t slept. His hair was greasy and almost tangled in strands. The big dark circles under his eyes were as big as a panda’s. It seemed like he had just come down from upstairs. Although he looked tired, it didn’t stop him from walking like the wind.
Even from a distance, they locked eyes. Captain Zhou immediately greeted them, "Captain Xu, Expert Guan, you're here too."
Guan Xia and the others were closer to Captain Zhou's squadron's office, so they stopped at the door and waited for Captain Zhou to come over.
Guan Xia was the first to ask, "Captain Zhou, what's the situation now?"
Captain Zhou was clearly terrified. He was already walking fast, but he forced himself to pick up the pace even further, practically jogging. As he and a few others entered the office, he said, "The situation is very serious and complicated. As far as I know, the number of missing people is still increasing. I got the data half an hour ago, and it has risen to 57. I heard that the leaders of the Municipal Bureau have already reported this to the Provincial Department. I estimate that in a few hours, the airport, train station, bus station, and all major traffic arteries will be under martial law tonight. The entire police force in Shangshuang City has been mobilized."
Guan Xia recalled the number of police cars he encountered along the way and nodded with a serious expression. This case already involved a large-scale criminal organization, and now something unexpected has happened. No one knows what those crazy criminals will do next, so it is never too cautious.
After everyone entered the office, Captain Zhou closed the door behind him and continued, "Our squadron has been tasked with suspending all subsequent work and using whatever methods we can to locate the missing persons. Since you've been pulled back, I guess it's about the same."
Guan Xia listened to Captain Zhou's words and glanced at the office from the corner of her eye. She realized that many people were already sitting there before they came in. Some of them looked familiar, while others were strangers. Each of them had a computer in their hands and was staring at the screen intently.
Guan Xia knew without thinking that he must be watching the surveillance video over and over again.
Captain Zhou said everything he could say, and Guan Xia and the others didn't waste any more time. After hurriedly thanking Captain Zhou, they trotted off to find the leader of the task force.
This was the first time Guan Xia met the task force after they arrived in Shangshuang City.
As expected, he was a tall man with a calm but intimidating temperament. He looked not young anymore, with half-white hair and deep wrinkles on his brows. He seemed to have some impression of Xu Nian and called out his name very accurately, then shifted his gaze to Guan Xia.
Although he had seen some of the world, Guan Xia was still a little nervous. Fortunately, he was able to keep his composure and his expression remained calm.
The man only glanced at her briefly with an oppressive gaze, and quickly and accurately called out Guan Xia's name. However, it was obvious that this leader was usually a serious person. Although he forced a smile, he looked even more frightening.
The tall man tried to greet Guan Xia in a friendly tone, "Hello, Expert Guan. We should have met you, the great hero, when we came to Shangshuang City. Unfortunately, the case was difficult and we never got around to it. But it's not too late to meet now. I hope you've enjoyed your cooperation with the police force."
The tall man tried hard to greet her, and Guan Xia could only bite the bullet and say a few polite words. Fortunately, time was tight, and both of them subconsciously didn't want to waste time, so they only chatted briefly for a few sentences before getting to the point.
As Captain Zhou had expected, the task force valued Guan Xia's ability to find clues from minute details, and urged her to do her best to help the police find the missing persons and rescue them.
Guan Xia of course felt obliged to do so and agreed readily.
After exiting the task force's temporary office, a clerk from the Nanping Branch, whom I had met before, was already waiting at the door. He gestured for me to lead the way and said, "Expert Guan, your office space is ready. Please follow me."
I went down to the second floor again. I hadn't walked far in the corridor when the clerk stopped and pushed open a door. "This is it. There are a lot of people working in the bureau lately, so the office environment is a bit cramped. Please bear with me."
Guan Xia walked to the clerk and took a look through the open door. The area was indeed a bit small. Judging from the decoration, it should be a small reception room that was not often used. The sofa, coffee table and cabinet that originally took up a lot of space had been moved away, and two desks were squeezed into the empty space in the middle.
The table must have been specially extended, barely enough for two people to sit on it. Then there was a water dispenser in the corner, and a filing cabinet that was not big enough to hold some things. With just a few desks, chairs and supplies, the entire room was almost filled up, and people had to lean sideways to walk.
But even so, Guan Xia was very satisfied. After all, considering the crowded situation tonight, being able to set aside a small room for them to work was already a special privilege.
As soon as the clerk from the Nanping Branch left, Xu Nian closed the door casually, and then the four of them rushed to the table to look through the surveillance videos that were piled up in several small boxes.
Pang Le picked one up at random and looked at it, then said, "Looks like we'll have to stay up all night again tonight."
Pang Le looked around the small temporary office and added, "With such a narrow desk, I guess it's easier to get a stiff neck when sleeping. By the way, Guan Xia, is the pain you twisted before all healed?"
Guan Xia quickly turned her head to signal Pang Le, then said, "It's all ready. I was inexperienced last time, but this time I'm fully prepared. Sister Ji also taught me some tips. Don't just lie down on the table. It's best to put something under your head, like clothes, pillows, or anything else."
Pang Le smiled and was about to speak when Wang Yu suddenly interrupted, "There are U-shaped pillows in the car we drove over. If anyone gets sleepy later, I'll go get them. I've prepared four, just enough for one person."
Guan Xia turned around and glanced at Wang Yu in surprise. "When did you guys prepare this? Could it be that you knew we would come to the Nanping branch office to sleep again?"
Wang Yu didn't answer, but nodded in Xu Nian's direction and said, "Ask Captain Xu. He suddenly prepared more than four a few days ago. Brother Jiang and his friends also have some in their car."
Upon hearing this, Guan Xia immediately looked at Xu Nian again.
Xu Nian was working on his computer, not even looking up when he said, "I feel like this case is still a long way from being over, and I don't know how many more nights I'll have to work. To avoid getting sprained like Guan Xia did before, I simply prepared some things. Besides the U-shaped pillow, I also have some essential plasters, trauma sprays, and the like. Even though I've prepared them, I'd rather not use them unless necessary."
No one was able to answer this question. After all, when investigating a case, the situation changes rapidly and no one knows what will be discovered in the next second. Of course, they also hope that nothing will be used, and everyone can come and go safely.
There was no need for deliberate allocation, and everyone didn't discuss it. They just randomly chose a seat to sit in. Guan Xia was sitting opposite Xu Nian, and next to him was Pang Le.
Because so many people were missing, there was no point in picking through the surveillance footage. No one even looked closely at it, they just reached out and casually grabbed a USB drive from the box.
Guan Xia plugged the USB drive into the host computer and quickly found the surveillance video copied into it and watched it carefully.
These surveillance videos had all been preliminarily reviewed and screened, so Guan Xia found the first scene of the missing person on the day of his disappearance without much effort.
It was the entrance to a very narrow alley. Judging from the angle, the surveillance camera should have been installed on a street lamp several dozen meters away from the alley entrance. The field of view was very wide. Although it was dark, the whole process could be seen clearly under the illumination of the street lamp.
First, a somewhat dirty van stopped at the entrance of the alley with a very clear purpose. Almost at the same time as it stopped, the doors on both sides were opened, and four people jumped out, some tall and some short, all wearing hats and masks. Judging from their figures, they should be men.
The four figures moved very swiftly, without even looking around, and ran straight into the alley.
About ten minutes later, the van remained parked there without moving. Then the four figures who had entered the alley before reappeared. They had entered empty-handed, but when they came out, they were carrying a sack in pairs. Judging from the shape of the sack stretched by the things inside and the fact that it was quite strenuous to lift it, it was obvious that there was a person in the sack.
What surprised Guan Xia the most was that after the four men threw the people and sacks into the car, the last person to get in the car, after a brief search, made a very insulting gesture towards the location of the surveillance camera.
Guan Xia felt a chill down his spine and made an unbelievable judgment: this group of people did it on purpose. They were using this massive criminal act to attract the attention of the police and achieve their unknown purpose.
Guan Xia's discovery was obviously not an isolated case. Before she had time to share the news with others, she heard Pang Le suddenly swear in anger.
Guan Xia immediately had a premonition and stood up before Pang Le could speak. As he walked over, he heard Pang Le cursing, "These scumbags, trash, they must have done this on purpose, deliberately provoking the police. Damn, this is too arrogant. They must be trying to lure the tiger away from the mountain."
Guan Xia walked to Pang Le. Although Pang Le was angry, he still rewound the surveillance video a little bit, and then Guan Xia saw a familiar scene.
It was still the same shabby van, still the group of four, and the same heavy sacks that were filled to the brim and in which the outlines of human bodies could be seen. The only difference was probably the location where the van was parked. Before, it was at the entrance of a narrow alley late at night, but in Pang Le's surveillance video, it was a small road with tall trees on both sides. Guan Xia guessed that it should be the entrance to a park or a side gate of a scenic spot.
Guan Xia was just guessing before, but after watching these two surveillance videos, he had a very certain judgment that this criminal organization must have some purpose for organizing such a large-scale criminal activity. Maybe it was to confuse the police's attention and then cover up the escape of a core figure.
Thinking of this, Guan Xia immediately called Ji An.
As soon as the call was connected, Guan Xia couldn't wait to ask, "Sister Ji, how's it going over there? Is everything okay?"
While Guan Xia was making a phone call, she saw Xu Nian was also on the phone out of the corner of her eye. It was easy to guess that he was probably calling the colleague who was following Wu Xingxian and Peng Yuanwei, just like her.
After a brief glance, Guan Xia quickly gained his attention and listened attentively to Ji An's answer.
Ji An said in a deep voice: "So far, everything is normal. How about you guys?"
Guan Xia briefly explained their findings and suspicions. Ji An's tone became graver. "After you left, we discussed it and had similar suspicions. Just to be on the safe side, we even disguised ourselves and conducted separate scouting in the area. We can confirm that our people are monitoring every entrance and exit of the bar. Zhong Xiaoyu also carefully occupied a high vantage point with a clearer view. If Wu Yingze attempts to escape, no matter where he retreats, he will be blocked by our people."
It sounds foolproof, but Guan Xia always feels unsafe. She doesn't know whether it's the anxiety brought about by the serious situation, or the intuition given by the system, but Guan Xia always has a premonition that something even more unexpected will happen tomorrow, or perhaps tonight.
Guan Xia thought for a moment and then asked, "What about inside the bar? Have any of our people gone in to check it out?"
Ji An said, "Zhong Xiaoyu and Lu Tingfeng went in there around 8:30 tonight. They were absolutely certain they saw Wu Yingze in a corner booth, right in front of him. He was drinking with a few girls, with bodyguards scattered around him. During the twenty minutes they were there observing him, Wu Yingze ordered several more bottles of wine. It looked like he was going to get drunk tonight. Based on his usual behavior, he wouldn't leave the bar before three in the morning."
What Guan Xia could think of, Ji An and the others had obviously also thought of, and they had made very careful arrangements.
Thinking of Lu Tingfeng's quick thinking and Zhong Xiaoyu's skills, Guan Xia finally felt relieved. However, she couldn't help but warn him seriously, "I have a feeling that something is not right with the development of this matter. You must be careful."
Ji An responded solemnly, then gave Guan Xia a few more instructions before hanging up the phone.
Xu Nian casually threw his phone on the table. He had just finished a call and looked at Guan Xia and said, "I also asked my colleagues in the task force. As of now, there has been no movement from Wu Xingxian and Peng Yuanwei. Wu Xingxian is still working overtime at the company. Peng Yuanwei did get off work, but he didn't go anywhere and drove straight home."
After Xu Nian finished speaking, Pang Le suddenly rubbed his arms and said, "I don't know if it's an illusion. Although everything sounds normal, I always feel a chill on my back, as if something big is going to happen."
Apparently, Guan Xia and Pang Le were not the only ones who had this idea. Although Xu Nian and Wang Yu did not say anything, judging from their expressions, they were also taking the current situation seriously.
The four men frowned in thought for a while, and finally, Xu Nian said helplessly, "Before Wu Yingze and the others made their move, we'd already made all the preparations we could. Now all we can do is wait and continue watching the surveillance footage. Even though they're bait to attract the police's attention, every life is far more important to us than Wu Yingze and the other two. We must do everything we can to find them and rescue them."
Thinking of the number Captain Zhou mentioned before, 57 people means 57 lives, including elderly people, young women, and young children. Each life represents a family. Their relatives cannot accept that they are being harmed, and the same is true for Guan Xia and the others.
So even though he was extremely anxious, Guan Xia quickly adjusted his state and mood, sat back in front of the computer, and continued to concentrate on looking for clues.
However, Guan Xia couldn't help but pray devoutly in her heart, hoping that this case would be solved as smoothly as the previous cases, with no one sacrificed or injured, and everyone would be safe and sound, just like every happy ending in a novel, with justice being served and evil being completely eliminated.
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