Chapter 7 Wild Cat
The police situation is more important than anything else.
Halfway through the celebration banquet, everyone from the Anning Road Police Station put down their bowls and chopsticks and came to the police hall.
The old lady cried as she spoke, and the enthusiastic people who came with her kept adding to the story, clearly presenting the process of the child getting lost.
Xiaobao is just two years old. He can walk, speak simple words, is lively and active, and likes to imitate. He is at the cutest age.
Xiaobao's father Qi Shaofeng and mother Liang Lizhu opened a small noodle restaurant on Weining Road. The couple did everything themselves and had no time to take care of the child, so they brought Qi Shaofeng's mother from her hometown to take care of the child. Qi Shaofeng's mother's surname was Yang. Although she was not well educated, she had a kind personality and got along well with her son and daughter-in-law.
At 7:30 in the evening, the weather gradually became cooler, and Grandma Yang took Xiaobao out of the house.
Grandma Yang started from Xianning Road and slowly turned to Anning Road.
The sycamore trees on both sides of Anning Road are lush and dense, and there is a wide cement road between the shops along the street and the sidewalk. Originally, Grandma Yang had been holding Xiaobao in her arms, but after a while her arms could no longer support him, so she put him on the ground and led him slowly along the cement road.
Xiaobao held his grandmother's hand and pointed to the sky: "Look! Clouds——"
After a while, he pointed to the tree on the roadside and said, "Grandma, tree!"
Occasionally, he would make a comment or two with emotion: “Ah… people.”
The little grandson spoke in a baby voice, which made Grandma Yang very happy.
The grandparents and grandchildren walked to a pastry shop called "Sweet Dessert". The shop had just released a batch of red date cakes. The cakes were very popular because of their low price and good quality. More than a dozen people gathered at the door of the shop, some clamoring for a pound, some for two pounds. It was very lively.
It was getting dark and the lights were coming on.
The aroma of baking came, and Xiaobao stopped, with desire in his eyes: "Grandma, cake!"
Grandma Yang was a frugal person, but she was willing to spend money on her grandson, so she brought Xiaobao to the pastry shop, planning to buy half a pound of cakes, let her grandson eat one, and take the rest back for her son and daughter-in-law to try.
Just as she reached the outskirts of the crowd, a pretty girl approached her and asked softly, "Grandma, do you know where Weining Road is? Is there a bookstore there?"
Grandma Yang lives on Xianning Road and is very familiar with the area. Seeing that the girl was polite and looked like a college student, she was not on guard and turned around and pointed in the direction she was walking towards: "Look, go that way, turn left at the intersection, and turn left again when you see the traffic light. You will reach Weining Road. The bookstore is right opposite the elementary school. You can see it if you walk 20 or 30 meters ahead."
When she turned around, her elbow was squeezed by the crowd. Grandma Yang's attention was all on the girl who asked for directions at the time, so she didn't pay attention.
The girl thanked him politely and walked on.
When Grandma Yang lowered her head and took a look, she was immediately terrified - Xiaobao, who had just been standing obediently at her feet, was gone!
Grandma Yang panicked and started calling Xiaobao's name loudly.
The customers queuing up to buy cakes at the door of the store only had their eyes on the freshly baked cakes and didn't notice where the child had gone.
The owner of the clothing store next door said that he saw a chubby aunt holding a fat baby, walking up to a white pickup truck parked on the side of the road, and then quickly left.
The boss said angrily: "It was dark and I couldn't see clearly. The baby didn't cry or make a fuss. How could I know it was a human trafficker?"
Xiaobao was taken away by human traffickers!
Grandma Yang's heart seemed to be torn apart. She stumbled along the road, shouting as she ran, her voice extremely shrill.
A kind passerby pointed to the sign of the Anning Road Police Station and said, "Don't waste time, call the police right away."
Just like that, Grandma Yang rushed into the police station.
After listening to Grandma Yang's statement, Director Wei Yong felt that the matter was very tricky.
First, the traffickers have cars. More than twenty minutes had passed from the time the child went missing to the time the police were called to report the situation, which was enough time for the white truck to run out of the jurisdiction, making it difficult to track.
Second, it was dark and visibility was poor. There were no witnesses to note the license plate of the white van, and no one knew the fat aunt who took the child away. How could they find her?
We must race against time in missing children cases!
If the traffickers take the child away from the city, finding him would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
It was a rare occasion that Grandma Yang had Zhang Xiaobao's photo with her, so Wei Yong immediately asked someone to copy Xiaobao's photo, send a fax, and call the Municipal Bureau for help, asking the Traffic Brigade to track down similar white trucks. Then notify the auxiliary police and community cadres in the jurisdiction to join the team to find Xiaobao.
Upon hearing the news, Xiaobao's parents rushed to the police station. When they saw the police, Liang Lizhu, with a pale face, knelt down and said, "Please, please, you must find Xiaobao! He is only two years old, he doesn't know anything..."
In recent years, cases of child abduction have occurred frequently in society.
Most of the abducted children are under the age of six. Some are sold to the countryside, some are sold to other cities, and some are kept in captivity by criminal gangs, where their hands and feet are broken, their eyes are gouged out, and they are forcibly disabled and forced to beg on the streets.
The fate of the families behind these children has changed dramatically.
Some mothers’ hair turned white overnight after losing their children;
Some fathers have worked in shoe repair shops for more than ten years, just to wait for the day when their children come back;
Some parents have been posting missing person notices everywhere in the streets and alleys for countless years.
I don’t know how many families have quarreled and been separated because their children were abducted;
There are countless families where parents cried bitterly and eventually died of depression, muttering their children’s names before they died.
Blood relatives.
Children are a bond that parents cannot let go of.
Do human traffickers only kidnap children? No! It was the treasure and hope of a family.
There was a flame of anger burning in Xia Mufan's chest.
Human trafficker.
Damn human traffickers!
My mother’s disappearance back then might have been caused by human traffickers!
Women and children.
They are all vulnerable groups.
It is because we are weak that we are bullied by evil people.
When her mother disappeared, Xia Mushige was too young and powerless to do anything, but now, she is a police officer.
Xia Mufan stood up and looked at the small white vest in Grandma Yang's hand: "Is this Xiaobao's?"
If this vest was worn by Xiaobao and is stained with his scent, perhaps we can find a dog with a keen sense of smell to track it.
Grandma Yang looked down at the vest she had been holding in her hand, and it took her a long time to react: "Oh, yes, it was hot, and Xiaobao was sweating a lot. I was afraid that he would catch a cold in the night wind, so I brought a change of clothes with me when I went out. Before I had time to change him, he disappeared."
The light in Xia Mufan's eyes dimmed a little. Xiaobao hadn't put on the clothes yet, so the smell was not strong, and the other party drove away, making it more difficult to track him with a dog.
Grandma Yang looked at the vest and suddenly she was overwhelmed with grief, tears streaming down her face: "Xiaobao, where are you? It's my fault for giving directions to others. Who knew that you would be taken away in just a short while? Oh, God, you are going to kill me..."
Qi Shaofeng supported his mother. Although he was anxious and angry, she was his mother after all, and he couldn't bear to blame her.
Liang Lizhu didn't care. She turned around, shook her mother-in-law's shoulders, and cried and yelled: "I told you that you can't let Xiaobao out of your sight at any time. You have to keep an eye on him. Even if you put him in a crowd, you should hold him with your legs. How could you let others take Xiaobao away? Give me Xiaobao back--"
Grandma Yang's hair became even more messy as her daughter-in-law shook her. Tears fell to the ground. She was so nervous that she almost collapsed. She screamed, "I'm going to die! I'm going to die! I'll give you my life!"
Qi Shaofeng's heart seemed to be burning in fire. He hugged his screaming mother with one hand and his frantic wife with the other, begging painfully: "Stop quarreling, please stop quarreling."
Yu Jing stepped forward to separate Grandma Yang and Liang Lizhu: "Don't panic, let's find the child together."
After Wei Yong finished the call, he frowned as he looked at the chaotic scene. We can't let this family fight among themselves. If we delay any further, all clues will be lost.
Wei Yong raised his voice: "What are you fussing about! What's the point of complaining now? Finding the child is the most important thing!"
Liang Lizhu regained her senses and sobbed with her face covered.
Wei Yong turned to Grandma Yang again: "Don't panic. The more anxious we are, the more we must not lose our composure. Think about it again. Are there any clues that we have missed? The more details you give and the more clues you have, the greater the chances for the police to solve the case."
Grandma Yang looked like she had collapsed, half sitting on the ground gasping for breath. After listening to Wei Yong's words, she started to think hard.
After calming the family members down, Wei Yong began to arrange personnel.
Except for Wei Yong and Li Xianyong who were on duty at the police station, everyone went out to look for Xiaobao.
Hundreds of copies of Xiaobao's photo were made, and the community police contacted the auxiliary police and community cadres in the jurisdiction, mobilized everyone, and searched every street in the jurisdiction for witnesses. Whether it's the license plate number of the white truck, the fat aunt who took the child away, or the Wenxiu girl who asked for directions, as long as you find one of them, you can follow the clues.
Xia Mufan and Sun Xianbing are in the same group.
Considering that Xia Mufan had only been at the police station for two months and was not very familiar with the jurisdiction, Wei Yong sent the two of them to the scene of the crime to find out the situation and see if there were any vendors or pedestrians who could provide new clues.
Sun Xianbing is still equipping himself with flashlights, batons, and walkie-talkies...
Xia Mufan had already run away.
The night wind blew past my ears, making a whistling sound.
Xia Mufan concentrated and held his breath, paying close attention and listening to the sounds around him with his ears pricked up.
Voices beyond the human world.
The street lights came on.
The cicadas' chirping gradually died down.
The birds have returned to their nests, and the chirping sounds have become much less frequent.
It's getting dark.
Where have all the animals gone? Have they seen the kidnapped little treasure?
Run to the middle section of Anning Road.
The "Sweet Life" pastry shop that Grandma Yang mentioned was right in front of us. There were quite a few people gathered at the door of the shop, all discussing the human trafficking incident, shaking their heads and sighing.
"The child's grandmother cried so hard that she was hoarse, so pitiful~"
"If the child's mother knew, she would probably want to kill him."
"Alas! Such a small baby, if it is sold to another family to be raised, it will not remember anything."
Xia Mufan did not walk into the crowd, but ran to the side of the road.
According to clues provided by the public, the white truck was parked almost directly opposite the pastry shop. Looking down, Xia Mufan found a puddle of water on the side of the road.
What's this?
Xia Mufan raised his right hand in front of him, put his index finger and middle finger together, put them to his lips, and made a short whistle.
"disease--"
A group of birds were startled in the paulownia tree.
Flutter...
The night birds take flight.
"Meow……"
A wild cat slid down from a tree.
Xia Mufan was quick-eyed and quick-handed and grabbed it.
"Don't go! I have something to talk to you about."
Xia Mushige lowered his voice and spoke.
The wild cat's body suddenly froze.
Its black and gray hair exploded, its tail was raised like a bow, as if facing a powerful enemy, and its pair of round eyes were as big as copper bells, staring at Xia Muchan closely.
[Are you talking to me?] 】
Xia Mufan said: "I want to ask you something and give you some dried fish."
After saying that, Xia Mufan loosened his hand and took out the dried fish that he had prepared long ago from his pocket.
The strong smell of fish successfully calmed the wild cat. Its hair smoothed down, its tail drooped, and a weak threat came from its throat.
[Don’t lie to cats!] 】
[Trick the cat into thinking it’s a puppy.] 】
Having been able to hear the voices of animals since childhood, Xia Mushige knows how to deal with cats and dogs. She put a small dried fish to the cat's mouth and said, "I won't lie to you. I'll give you two more after the matter is done."
The wild cat grabbed the dried fish and hid in the dark under a tree.
【What's up? Speak quickly! 】
"Just now a white van stopped here, and someone took away a little kid wearing a white vest, right?"
[Yes, the car was running very fast. The baby was holding a piece of cake and chewing it. It smelled so good. 】
"What is this puddle of water?"
[There is a water tank in the car, and it smells like fish. 】
Humans track with their eyes, animals track with their sense of smell.
Water tank, fishy smell?
Xia Mushige asked, "Where did the truck go?"
Sun Xianbing's voice came from behind: "Xiao Xia, wait for me, don't run so fast!"
The wild cat was frightened and ran back to the tree with the dried fish in its mouth.
Xia Mufan turned his head and said, "Brother, you go ask in the store, I'll take a look at the scene." Being able to hear the voices of animals is Xia Mufan's secret. Her mother had warned her not to tell anyone.
Sun Xianbing responded and went towards the lighted shop.
The abduction of the child has concerned the residents nearby. Seeing the police coming to ask questions, passers-by were very enthusiastic and held Sun Xianbing tightly.
"Comrade police officer, the police station is right next to us, and the human traffickers actually took away a two-year-old baby here in broad daylight. They are so bold!"
"Yes, yes. Because your police station is next to us, we don't have to worry about safety issues when we run a shop. The dolls play on the roadside. But... when I think about a doll being kidnapped by human traffickers today, I'm so scared that my legs go weak."
"Catch the traffickers quickly and shoot them!"
Sun Xianbing felt a heavy pressure on his shoulders and continued to ask about the details of the crime. However, because the incident happened near eight o'clock and it was getting dark, he could not see clearly. In addition, the fat lady carried Xiaobao into the car and left in a short time, which only took a dozen seconds, so passers-by could provide little useful information.
On the other side, Xia Mufan looked up at the tree and waved, "Come down."
Seeing that there was no one else around Xia Mufan, the wild cat that had eaten the dried fish slipped back from the tree and stared at her with round eyes. In the eyes of the cat, Xia Mufan has a special affinity, and her breath makes it feel warm and safe.
【Go east, go east.】 】
[There is a plastic tank for fish at the back of the truck, with lots of fish. 】
[The driver is very thin, his name is Qiu San, and the fat woman is called Sister Hua. 】
Xia Mufan stood under the paulownia tree and his mind began to think rapidly.
Qiu San and Hua Jie are the only two human traffickers, but their real names are unknown.
There is a water tank for fish at the back of the truck. When the truck is driving, water splashes out and spills onto the ground.
What does this mean?
First, this is a local car.
It is impossible for a truck from another place to transport live fish in water tanks in between trafficking children.
Second, the car owner may be a fishmonger in the market or a fish farmer.
But how can we find Xiaobao with this information?
The cat meowed twice and stared at Xia Mufan's pocket. There are delicious dried fish there, exuding an enticing aroma.
Xia Mushi took out two and put them to the cat's lips. With his other hand, he rubbed its furry little head and said with a smile, "Thank you."
The cat grabbed it, squinted its eyes, arched its head upwards, and rubbed it against Xia Mufan's warm palm. As soon as it was happy, it remembered something else.
[I have been in the tree today and heard Qiu San mention a place, Dongyang Lake. 】
Dongyang Lake?
Dongyang Lake is located at the easternmost end of Hui City. The lake is wide and there is a large fishing ground.
It is not within the jurisdiction of Anning Road Police Station.
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