lcionline Chapter 21: Something went wrong, and I will take full responsibility.
Chapter 21: Something went wrong, and I will take full responsibility.
"Yanlin, let's call the police. These coincidences are unbelievable." While continuing her search, Deng Xiuzhen saw the store and suddenly remembered that it seemed to have everything Song Qinghua and his wife had.
They were the ones who picked up the children, and they were the ones who guided and introduced the stores.
The child went missing, and the girl said that a woman picked her up and put her in a van.
In this city, the only woman Qin Wenyu and his group can trust for the time being is Liu Xiaozhen. She has spent time with Qin Wenyu and has eaten at his home.
The van the little girl mentioned matched their story. When they found Qin Wenyu, Song Qinghua helped them rent a van on their way back.
"Yes, call the police! Song Qinghua is clearly lying to us, let's go call the police right away!" Qin Yanlin was smart enough to understand everything by putting it all together. He clenched his fists, veins bulging on his forehead.
When they arrived at the police station, they were again received by He Xiaohai. He listened attentively to their story but said he was powerless to help.
Reporting a missing person requires 24 hours to file a case, but only a few hours have passed. There isn't enough time.
I reported it as a fraud this morning. It has been transferred to the Economic Crime Investigation Department and is currently under investigation.
The report of child abduction was based entirely on speculation by Deng Xiuzhen and her associates, without any substantial evidence.
"Officer, you must help us. You must find Song Qinghua and the others as soon as possible," Qin Yanlin pleaded.
"Officer, our children must have been abducted, otherwise they wouldn't be staying away from home or going to school." Deng Xiuzhen's voice was already hoarse.
"The Economic Crime Investigation Department is already investigating your case. Please wait patiently for a few days."
"The child may not have been abducted. Perhaps a relative or acquaintance picked him up, or maybe he went somewhere to play. If we still don't hear from him by tomorrow, we'll send people to look for him," He Xiaohai explained patiently.
“My children must have been abducted. Wenjing and Wenxin are so old, and their school isn’t far from home, so it’s impossible for them to get lost. Besides, they never run around; they always tell us where they’re going,” Qin Yanlin said.
……
"Are you going to file a case or not? If you don't file a case now and don't go find the child, I'll die here!" Deng Xiuzhen suddenly stood up and cried out loudly; she was truly on the verge of collapse.
Why can't they believe something so obvious? And who came up with the idea that a ghost needs 24 hours to be considered missing? Adults can protect themselves, so 24 hours might be okay, but children can't!
"What are you doing? What are you doing?" The commotion immediately attracted several police officers.
"Their child went missing at noon, and they immediately concluded that he had been abducted by Song Qinghua and Liu Xiaozhen. They demanded that we file a case immediately and go find Song Qinghua and Liu Xiaozhen," He Xiaohai explained succinctly.
"Why are you so sure the children were abducted? And how did you determine that Song Qinghua and Liu Xiaozhen were the ones who abducted them?" a policeman in his thirties asked.
“We’ve only been in the city for a few days and don’t know many people. The only woman the children are familiar with is Liu Xiaozhen. The children at school said they saw them being picked up by a woman.”
"My children are so old, they couldn't possibly get lost. They're usually very well-behaved; if they hadn't been abducted, they would definitely be back in school by now." Deng Xiuzhen's voice choked with emotion, but her narration remained clear.
How old are the children?
"One is twelve, one is ten, and one is six."
"Xiao Hai, pass the word down: mobilize everyone immediately to search for Song Qinghua and Liu Xiaozhen!"
"Chief Tian..."
"Do as I say! At the same time, call the traffic police brigade and the other police stations and ask them to cooperate. We must find Song Qinghua and Liu Xiaozhen!"
"Director Tian, this is against the rules."
"I am the director. You just need to carry out orders. If anything goes wrong, I will take full responsibility!" Tian Guoqiang's words were firm and powerful.
"Yes!" He Xiaohai replied and quickly left with the other police officers.
"Please tell me the specifics of the situation, including any recent anomalies," Director Tian Guoqiang said to Deng Xiuzhen and Qin Yanlin after they left.
Qin Yanlin and Deng Xiuzhen recounted in detail everything from Qin Wenyu's disappearance and subsequent recovery, to being scammed while buying the store, and now the disappearance of their three children.
After listening, Tian Guoqiang thought for a moment, then turned and left. He returned a short while later, told Qin Yanlin and the others to go back first, and then hurriedly left.
The two waited for a while, but no one paid any attention to them. Thinking they should look for it again, they left the police station.
As dusk settled over Pucheng, pedestrians hurried along the streets, their cries of vendors, shouts, and laughter creating a bustling atmosphere. But all of this only deepened Qin Yanlin and Deng Xiuzhen's despair: this crowded, chaotic world shrouded them in a fog, and they could no longer see their child.
Knowing that the chances were slim, the two still went to Puzhong. Looking out the window, it was pitch black inside, and no one answered the door when they knocked.
“Let’s go see if Chen Guohu has returned!” Qin Yanlin said.
"Yes, let's go find Chen Guohu!" Deng Xiuzhen and Qin Yanlin had the same idea: Chen Guohu and Song Qinghua must be very familiar with each other, and they might be accomplices!
The two found Chen Guohu's house by memory. There were no lights inside, but the door was ajar, just like when they came in the morning.
The two pushed open the door and vaguely saw something shaking in front of them, which startled them.
Calm yourself down and look closely in the occasional glare from passing vehicles on the national highway. You'll see that someone is hanging there!
The two were so frightened that they ran all the way to the police station, shouting, "Someone's dead! Someone's dead!"
The entire police station was mobilized to search for Song Qinghua and Liu Xiaozhen, leaving only two officers on duty. Upon hearing that someone had died, they immediately called their superiors for backup.
A police car arrived quickly and took Qin Yanlin and his group to the scene.
Under the bright electric light, Deng Xiuzhen saw the old woman they had met that morning hanging from the roof beam. Her white hair hung down, obscuring her face and making it impossible to see her expression. Her limbs hung down naturally, and her body was cold and stiff.
When Deng Xiuzhen saw the old man standing outside the door, she was only afraid, but she was able to express herself clearly and completely.
Looking at the unfinished food on the dark table, she felt a chill run through her body, her lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Something inside her was crumbling. All the strength in her body seemed to vanish in that instant, and she collapsed.
Qin Yanlin helped Deng Xiuzhen up and let her lean on him.
"There's a forensic doctor here. Come with us to make a statement," a police officer said to them.
"Okay," Qin Yanlin agreed and helped Deng Xiuzhen into the police car.
After hesitating for a moment, Qin Yanlin asked, "Could you give us something to eat?" They had eaten breakfast and hadn't eaten anything since. It wouldn't matter if he went hungry for a while, but Deng Xiuzhen probably couldn't afford to go hungry.
After arriving at the police station, the officers made them two packets of instant noodles. They ate while answering questions.
"Notify the child's parents tomorrow and have them come to pick up the child," a familiar voice said.
The two looked up and saw Chief Tian, who also saw them. He asked, "You didn't go back?" Then he said, "Your child has been found. Go and take him home."
"Found it?" Deng Xiuzhen was still a little dizzy, but suddenly she came to her senses, stood up, grabbed Director Tian's arm, and asked, "Really found it?"
"We really found it. Thank you so much this time, the information you provided was very useful..."
"Where are the children?" Qin Yanlin and Deng Xiuzhen asked in unison. They didn't care about gratitude or credit; they just wanted to see their children as soon as possible.