The Evil White Nightmare (6)

Meng Siqi suddenly broke out in a cold sweat. Even if one only saw the side profile of the little girl in the picture, one could tell it was Xu Yizhou. She couldn't imagine how heartbroken Xu Yizhou's mother Zhou Yingjun would be if she saw this picture.

After buying the newspaper, she got in the car and handed it to Zhao Leiting. Zhao Leiting's pupils widened as if he couldn't believe it. He immediately started the car and stepped on the accelerator. "Siqi, this is definitely not a simple kidnapping case. We have to meet up with the Korean team immediately."

Meng Siqi was silent all the way, and Zhao Leiting also focused on driving, speeding up, and remained silent all the way. When they were about to reach the victim's Xingguang community, Meng Siqi remembered something and reminded him, "Don't make a noise when you get home, and don't let the child's parents know about this. Wait for the Korean team's instructions."

"I know, I'm not stupid."

Normally, Meng Siqi would have replied, "You're not smart either," but today she was in no mood.

In a blink of an eye, they arrived at the community parking lot. The two pretended to be a couple and entered Building 11. When they were about to knock on the door in the corridor, the door opened and Feng Shaomin's face appeared. Although his face looked serious, he was in good condition. Meng Siqi felt that the master should have slowly recovered from the incident with Xiang Jie.

She called out "Master", Feng Shaomin pushed open the door and walked out deliberately. Meng Siqi felt that he had something to say. After closing the door, he took the two of them to the bottom of the stairs and whispered, "Today, several unscrupulous newspapers published photos of the kidnapping case."

It turned out that the master had known about it a long time ago. The Korean team must have known about it too. Meng Siqi and Zhao Leiting looked at each other and felt relieved at this moment. Feng Shaomin probably saw their expressions and asked, "Have you read the newspaper?"

"Master, I just bought a newspaper on the way."

Feng Shaomin nodded, "In that case, I won't elaborate. Xu Yizhou's father, Xu Jianfei, has already read the report, but we have chosen to keep the mother, Zhou Yingjun, a secret for the time being. So don't talk about this matter anymore after you go into the house."

Both of them nodded, after all, they had decided to do this on the road just now.

"Master, will the kidnappers call again?" Meng Siqi felt uneasy. Now that the newspapers have published the details of the kidnapping case, everyone in the city must know about it. This is no longer a simple kidnapping case, but a heinous social incident.

If the kidnappers were really after money, they would have acted cautiously and prudently instead of being so arrogant and brazen. Perhaps the kidnappers had a more terrible purpose.

"Let's wait a little longer." Feng Shaomin did not give an accurate answer. He was probably like them, not seeing through the kidnappers' true intentions.

After entering the room, she saw the situation in the room clearly at a glance: Han Changlin, who was thinking with his arms folded and his lower lip pinched, Tang Xiaochuan, who was guarding the window to check the situation outside, and three colleagues from the technical department who were wearing telephone monitoring equipment and on standby at all times. The living room was large, so it did not seem crowded.

On the sofa, Zhou Yingjun sat there in a daze. Meng Siqi remembered that she was a jewelry store clerk. She should usually greet people with a smile and be in good physical coordination. But at this moment, her back was slightly hunched, her hands were crossed on her knees, her facial expression was as if covered with a layer of deathly gray, and her eyes were fixed on the phone on the coffee table.

This red phone was like a sweet rain in the desert, bringing hope of life to Zhou Yingjun, and it was also the core of the technical department's monitoring.

Xu Jianfei was not in the living room. He must have known the news about his daughter's advertisement in the newspaper and was probably recovering in the bedroom or bathroom.

The whole living room was in deathly silence, as if saying a word would destroy the atmosphere.

Meng Siqi looked up at the clock. She got up particularly early today, and because of the delay on the road, it was only a little after eight o'clock.

Zhao Leiting put the breakfast he had bought for Han Changlin and Tang Xiaochuan on the dining table. Han Changlin motioned Tang Xiaochuan to eat, and the two of them went to the kitchen, closed the door and started eating. Zhao Leiting also prepared breakfast for the child's parents and opened the paper bag.

Meng Siqi sat on a wooden chair next to the dining table. She stared at the photo frame on the table below the TV for a while, because she remembered that Xu Zhouyi's bright eyes had entered her dreams last night.

"Ring, ring, ring..." The phone suddenly rang.

It was like the entire dull space exploded, deafening and stimulating to people's nerves.

Almost at the same time, Han Changlin rushed out of the kitchen, with dumpling juice still on the corners of his mouth. He looked alert and signaled his colleagues in the technical department to prepare for eavesdropping.

Xu Jianfei also ran out of the bathroom, his face full of tension.

The person whose emotions changed the most was Zhou Yingjun. She seemed to have experienced a great terror and her whole face was trembling. She did not answer the phone immediately, but smoothed her messy hair with her hand, her fingers trembling violently.

Meng Siqi found it hard to imagine that a mother would pay careful attention to her appearance before answering a phone call. Perhaps she took the call too seriously.

"Zhou Yingjun, listen to me," Han Changlin said, making a hand-clasp gesture towards her, "try to buy time and ask more about your daughter's condition."

In this era, monitoring equipment was not very advanced, and the call time had to be long enough to effectively monitor the kidnappers' phone messages.

When the phone rang for the third time, Zhou Yingjun picked up the phone. Everyone became nervous at this moment. Han Changlin stepped forward, picked up the monitoring equipment provided by the technical department, and put it to his ear.

There was a crackling sound coming from the monitoring equipment.

Zhou Yingjun asked tremblingly, "I am Zhou Yi's mother. Is it you? Is it you?"

"Is it you?" Zhou Yingjun's eyes were red, and she was not giving up on the silence on the phone.

"Mother Xu..." A rough voice came from the other end of the phone, as if echoing from a valley.

Zhou Yingjun burst into tears: "I have prepared two hundred thousand yuan a long time ago. Please let my daughter go. Please!"

"Hahaha..." A terrifying laugh came from the other side, so much so that Han Changlin moved the monitor away a little.

"Please let my daughter go. If you want anything else, just ask. Please..."

As Zhou Yingjun cried, Xu Jianfei's fists were trembling as he clenched the seams of his pants.

The worry that this couple has for their daughter is something that ordinary people cannot understand. Meng Siqi stood in front of the tea table, feeling particularly uncomfortable. Although she did not hear the conversation clearly, she could guess the general content.

"Mother Xu, didn't I tell you the night before last not to call the police? But? Hahahaha...you will receive your daughter's body soon!"

The phone made a busy tone. At that moment, Zhou Yingjun glared at Xu Jianfei with almost despair, and then he fell down in a coma as if he had lost his soul.

Xu Jianfei hugged her in panic, "Welcome, welcome..."

Han Changlin immediately said to Zhao Leiting: "Zhao Leiting, quickly contact the hospital and send someone over."

"well."

He anxiously asked the technical department: "Did you hear anything?"

"Team Korea," the technical department colleague shook his head, "the time is too short, and it is impossible to detect it."

"Damn it." Han Changlin hit his thigh and gritted his teeth.

The same thing happened in the Sun Beizhe case back then, which led him into a desperate situation step by step. It is obvious that today's opponent is much more cunning than Song Xinran, the murderer in the Sun Beizhe case, and his purpose is even more rampant.

Meng Siqi had sensed something. It was highly likely that the kidnappers had decided to kill her, which was the last thing she wanted to happen. The next second, she heard Han Changlin say to Feng Shaomin, "Old Feng, the kidnappers have noticed that the police have intervened. What do you think of the next step?"

Meng Siqi was not wrong. The kidnappers were so cunning and brutal that they even detected the police. So the report was most likely their revenge because the victim's family called the police.

Feng Shaomin wanted to say something but remained silent. Perhaps he had some things that were inconvenient to say here, in front of the child's parents. Han Changlin asked Meng Siqi again, "Where is Xiao Meng?"

"I don't know about the Korean team." Meng Siqi was a little confused.

Han Changlin pinched his lower lip and thought for a while. When he raised his eyes, his expression was extremely serious and he gave an order: "Everyone evacuate, including the technical department. Don't leave anyone here. Also, evacuate in batches and disguise yourself."

During the evacuation process, Meng Siqi was also thinking. She believed that Han Changlin must have his considerations. At present, regardless of whether the kidnappers were testing whether the family members would call the police or had actually noticed the police's traces, in order to ensure the safety of the children, an evacuation order must be issued.

When they arrived at the initial gathering place, the two cars were still parked in the same place. Han Changlin asked the technical department to go back to the bureau first.

The five people got into the police car. Han Changlin, who was sitting in the co-pilot position, tilted his head and said, "Old Feng, Little Meng, I think you should understand why I ordered you to evacuate, right?"

"Captain Han, we all support your decision," Feng Shaomin responded.

Meng Siqi also nodded solemnly.

"Protecting the children's safety is the top priority. We have no reason to stay here any longer." Han Changlin said in a deep voice, "But that doesn't mean we will evacuate completely."

He turned to Tang Xiaochuan, who was sitting in the driver's seat, and said, "Xiaochuan, leave the car here. I will arrange for a few people to come over. You will be responsible for 24-hour monitoring, mainly monitoring the actions of Xu Jianfei and Zhou Yingjun. If they receive a call from the kidnappers demanding a ransom, we must track them immediately."

"Don't worry, Captain Han. I will follow up closely on this matter."

"The second thing." Han Changlin turned around and looked behind the car. "Zhao Leiting, did the doctor say when to come?"

"About half an hour."

"Zhou Yingjun was too sad and fainted for a while, but she still has a lot of hurdles to overcome. I'm worried that she won't be able to hold on. Old Feng, I have an idea."

"Korean team, you say."

"Ask the forensic doctor to pretend to be a doctor and take turns to provide medical services at the victim's home. I remember that Chen Jierong is a clinical medicine major. In theory, she should have a way to treat the patient's symptoms such as shock. This can also eliminate Zhou Yingjun's resistance. Of course, the most important thing is to be able to monitor the patient at all times."

Feng Shaomin replied: "The Korean team, I think it's okay."

"Okay." Han Changlin turned around and pushed the door open. "Let's do this. I'll go find Chen Jierong. Zhao Leiting, take your car back. We have to take the initiative and can't wait any longer."

Meng Siqi felt that Han Changlin had considered everything. Under the current circumstances, if they just waited for the kidnappers to show up, they might be completely passive. There are still many clues that have not been clarified.

For example, what happened to Xu Yizhou the afternoon before yesterday when he was leaving school? Were there any witnesses? Did anyone else see the strange stranger that Zhou Yingjun said Xu Yizhou saw the day before he disappeared? Why did the kidnappers risk publishing the article in the newspaper? What message did the photo in the newspaper convey? There are many more doubts that need to be addressed proactively.

After leaving Zhou Yingjun's community, Han Changlin ordered him and Zhao Leiting to investigate and visit Zhou Yingjun's jewelry store and Xu Wangtu's driving school. The jewelry store was suspected because before Xu Yizhou disappeared the day before yesterday afternoon, Zhou Yingjun was suddenly arranged to work overtime, and the person who picked up Xu Yizhou from school temporarily became Xu Jianfei, but Xu Jianfei was late because of traffic jam, and it was because of this change that Xu Yizhou was kidnapped.

Another approach is for Meng Siqi and Feng Shaomin to visit the school and investigate to confirm whether there were any eyewitnesses who saw Xu Yizhou being kidnapped at the time. This approach may be able to track the identity of the suspect, such as the suspect's appearance, clothing, and whether he used a means of transportation. The means of transportation can usually prove the suspect's identity.

More than half an hour later, Feng Shaomin brought Meng Siqi to the school gate. There were several shops at the school gate, and they decided to visit the shop owners first. However, the result of the visit was not satisfactory. The school was crowded and noisy when school was over, and no one would notice who picked up a little girl.

Meng Siqi speculated that if the suspect pretended to be a friend of Xu Yizhou's parents and took Xu Yizhou away, it would indeed be easy.

After asking the store, the two found the elementary school principal, hoping that the principal could help investigate the situation at the time.

The principal is now in a very anxious state. The child was kidnapped after school, and the school is also responsible. The school is now forced to temporarily close.

Feng Shaomin said: "Principal Gu, thank you for cooperating with our work over the past two days. Can you expand the scope and let teachers and students in every class recall everything that happened to Xu Yizhou between 4pm and 6pm the day before yesterday?"

Principal Gu Zhengzhong said: "Don't worry, I am also very anxious about this matter, and I have no choice but to do it. I will ask all the teachers in the school to contact the students' families and find out what happened after school the day before yesterday. As long as they have seen Xu Yizhou, I will list all the information."

After bidding farewell to Principal Gu, it was already dusk. Feng Shaomin suggested, "Xiao Meng, let's leave it at that for today. Let's wait for news from Principal Gu. If there is any news, we will visit the families of the students who witnessed the incident. You can take the bus back and have a good rest."

"Okay, Master. What about you?"

"I'll go to Xiaochuan to see what's going on."

Meng Siqi thought that Feng Shaomin would not be taking over Tang Xiaochuan's surveillance work. Tang Xiaochuan should be monitoring Zhou Yingjun's family for 24 consecutive hours, and someone would have to take over the shift. She guessed that Feng Shaomin would be on the night shift, so she immediately said, "Master, let me do the night shift!"

"Who told you to be on night shift? Go back first and follow my orders."

Meng Siqi knew that she couldn't argue with her master, and she had also promised to listen to her master, so she had to nod. Feng Shaomin asked her to go directly to Tang Xiaochuan to report the matter the next morning.

*

As for Han Changlin, he and Zhao Leiting visited him all day but to no avail. Lao Feng suggested that he work the night shift, but he did not agree.

Han Changlin decided to go and meet Tang Xiaochuan in person, and he would still work the night shift. Because of this case, he hadn't showered for two or three days, so he planned to go home and take a shower before going to work.

Han Changlin hadn't returned home on time to have dinner with his family for a long time. Zhang Ya heard that he got home on time from get off work, so she bought some extra food and cooked some delicious dishes.

The table was very rich in the evening. Han Changlin smiled and said, "My wife, you spent a lot of money on this."

Zhang Ya picked up some food for Han Changlin and Duoduo and said, "What's the big deal? It's because you were out for the past two days and couldn't make phone calls. It's really hard to think about it."

"Uncomfortable?"

"Duoduo asked if Dad has been out of touch with the family."

Yes, Han Changlin also felt guilty because he seldom had a decent meal with his family due to the case. Last time he went to Guangdong and stayed for a long time, he called home at night, but the phone bill was too expensive and he didn't dare to say more. But at least he could still call home in his spare time.

It was different in a kidnapping case. The victim was completely out of contact with his family, and it was impossible to talk to his family through the victim's home phone during that tense situation. Therefore, Duoduo's words made him feel that the brief loss of contact in the past two days seemed like a long time.

Han Changlin specially picked up some delicious food for Duoduo and said, "Dad, please contact your family more often in the future, okay?"

"Okay." Duoduo agreed quickly.

After dinner, Han Changlin took a hot bath and changed into a shirt. Zhang Ya asked, "Why are you wearing something so formal at night?"

"I have to go again. I have a mission tonight."

Zhang Ya said nothing. After all, she was destined to live like this when she married him. She never complained about his work. Instead, she supported Han Changlin. She said softly, "The child seems to be in a bad mood these past two days. Can you give him some advice?"

This sentence made Han Changlin startled. Yes, as a father, he was always so negligent. It was obvious that Xu Zhouyi and his daughter were classmates. It was impossible for his daughter not to know that Xu Zhouyi was kidnapped. Moreover, the school was on vacation and the news was exposed everywhere in newspapers. His daughter should have known that something happened to Xu Zhouyi a long time ago. When a classmate who was with each other day and night got into trouble, the tolerance of this young mind could not be compared with that of an adult.

Han Changlin put on his clothes and called Duoduo out of the bedroom, "Duoduo, Daddy wants to tell you something."

Duoduo turned off the desk light, sat on the sofa next to him, smiled at him but didn't say anything. Han Changlin took her hand and said, "Tell Dad what you want to do during the holidays. Where do you want to go? I'll take you there when I'm free." Actually, he wouldn't be free, but he would save his vacation time and help his daughter realize it when he had the chance.

"Dad." Duoduo suddenly raised her head and looked at him, her eyes as bright and clear as Lu'er's, "Will Xu Yizhou be in trouble?"

Han Changlin was stunned. He didn't expect his daughter to ask him this question in person. How should he answer? Should he make a promise to his daughter? If something really happened to Xu Yizhou, what would be his image in Duoduo's heart in the future?

He keeps saying that he wants to catch criminals and protect the people, but can't he even protect her classmates who she spends every day with?

"Trust your dad, trust the police! Do you, Duoduo?" Han Changlin's eyes were slightly red, and he didn't know how to give the correct answer.

"Dad, I have something to tell you."

"Um?"

"The day before yesterday after school, I gave the little rabbit to Xu Yizhou."

"What?" Han Changlin remembered that Duoduo had a pink bunny doll that she tied to her schoolbag and often brought with her to and from school. He asked, "Why did you give it to Xu Yizhou?"

"She was waiting for her parents at the time. I was worried that she would be lonely, so I gave her the little rabbit. I said that with the little rabbit, she would not be lonely. The little rabbit accompanied her for me."

Han Changlin suddenly found that his daughter was very sensible. He held her hand tighter and tighter. But suddenly, he had a terrible idea. Was the kidnapper's target Xu Zhouyi from the beginning? Could they be targeting the little rabbit?

Could it be that their target is Duoduo, because Duoduo handed over the little rabbit, and Xu Yizhou became the substitute for his daughter.

This thought made him more anxious, because the kidnappers' behavior was too abnormal. Why did they put the report in the newspaper to create a bigger stunt? It was obvious that their purpose was not just for money. Maybe they just wanted to go against the police. Was Duo Duo their original target?

Han Changlin became more and more scared the more he thought about it. What if it was Duoduo who was missing this time? He didn't know how to face Zhang Ya, or how to face this family to which he had given so little.

Han Changlin stood up and said, "Zhang Ya, Zhang Ya." Zhang Ya came out of the kitchen and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Don't take Duoduo out these two days. I will bring back the groceries every day. Also, you can take a few days off and stay at home with the doors and windows closed. If a stranger knocks on the door, don't open it."

"What on earth happened?" Zhang Ya also became nervous.

"It's nothing." Han Changlin couldn't let Zhang Ya get too nervous. "This is what the bureau said. Kidnappers are getting a bit rampant right now. They might even kidnap children. It's always better for us to be on guard."

Zhang Ya said, "Okay, don't worry, I originally took leave to accompany the children these few days."

Han Changlin was very touched, but he had to leave. He hugged Zhang Ya and kissed her on the forehead, "Let's go."

He turned around and looked at Duoduo again, "Duduo, be good. Daddy is going to work."

"Dad, wait a minute," Duoduo ran back to the bedroom and handed him a meal card-sized painting with three little people drawn on it with crayons. It looked like a family of three. Duoduo said, "Dad, look, I drew a blue police hat on you. You look the best. I believe in Dad and the police officers!"

Han Changlin leaned down and kissed her on the forehead, "Thank you, baby."

He closed the door and walked into the night, his eyes suddenly red with embarrassment. It was not only because Duoduo was so sensible, but also because of Xu Yizhou. If she died, would there be any point in him being a policeman?