Chapter 30

Chapter 30 Chapter 30: Unfinished Building.

Unfinished buildings are mostly the product of developers running away.

This building on Wutong Street was the same.

Rusty steel bars crisscrossed and protruded outside. The safety nets that were originally used to prevent people and objects from falling had long since been weathered by wind and sun into pieces of green rag.

The originally neatly arranged barricades were also twisted and crooked. The advertisements pasted on them were long outdated, mottled and faded as they peeled off. The ornamental trees had dried up with dead branches, but weeds grew so tall they could reach a person’s waist. At the edge, someone had secretly moved aside an inconspicuous “small door,” faintly revealing a few paths buried in debris, worn down by footsteps.

Looking further up, one after another of the barely formed “houses” were ventilated front and back, stacked in square arrangements, like pairs of dark hollow eyes.

Screech——

Accompanied by a somewhat piercing scraping sound, a sedan suddenly drove in from the street corner, the steering wheel turned crookedly, almost bumping into the sidewalk beside it.

Not long after, a short-haired female driver got out from inside, holding her phone, her face dark and sour as she looked around, as if calling someone she knew. In the end, she fiercely kicked the tire, held back her anger, opened the door again, and sat back inside.

“Your acting is pretty good, Captain Yan,” Zhou Shan, who was obediently hiding in the back seat, looked out through the window film with privacy protection, “How’s the situation?”

Yan Qiuyu shook her head: “Too far. Hard to say.”

Just in case, afraid the kidnappers might really be holding a hostage inside the unfinished building, they didn’t dare to approach rashly and could only pretend the car had broken down while passing by to keep watch.

There were too many floors. If the kidnappers picked any upper level at random to stand on, it would be a terrain with a wide field of view and easy to defend but hard to attack.

“The information on this building,” Yan Qiuyu, alert to everything around her, passed a tablet to the back, “later have Wang Lai check the internal network again.”

Zhou Shan took it: “Whoa, joint development. The branding is pretty big.”

But after he briefly scanned it, there wasn’t a single name he was familiar with. The Jian family had originally risen through real estate, but after Jian Qing took over, they gradually transformed and rode the wave of the internet era.

According to a mix of news reports and forum gossip, this building had been halted for over five years. The developer ran away but not completely—occasionally sending people back to make a show of things. Many homeowners had tried to appeal and sue, but there had been no real outcome. In recent years, fewer and fewer people were fighting for their rights, and the developer had become increasingly perfunctory. It had gradually turned into a place for scavengers.

“Just based on a phone call, it’s really hard to file a case,” Zhou Shan scratched his head and said pragmatically, “According to President Jian’s statement, his younger brother left home at eight in the morning. It hasn’t even been five hours. Traveling together, and he’s a sixteen-year-old boy with normal intelligence—the probability of being abducted on the streets of Beijiang is too low.”

Yan Qiuyu: “I know.”

“Just… we can’t let him lose another family member because of some bastard’s actions.” Even if it’s only a one-in-ten-thousand possibility.

Yan Qiuyu still remembered her first time meeting Jian Qing. Back then, she was younger than Song Xiaotong, just arrived for internship at the municipal bureau, and she saw a handsome boy sitting in the reception area.

His features were delicate, his skin pale, about eight or nine years old. He was quiet and well-behaved, like a porcelain doll.

However, after she finished all her work and got off duty, in a corner of the lobby reception area, the beautiful boy was still sitting motionless in the same place. The officer on duty wasn’t surprised at all—not only did they not chase him away, they even walked over and asked if he was hungry and what he wanted to eat.

Much later, Yan Qiuyu learned from her master that the boy was the only survivor of the Qingshan Road massacre. After being adopted by relatives, he would come to the municipal bureau every weekend to “report.”

Year after year, through wind and rain, without interruption.

At first, Yan Qiuyu thought this was a silent accusation or provocation, since the real murderer who killed his parents and grandparents had never been caught.

But gradually, she realized she was wrong. The boy had no hostility or resistance toward the police. Instead, he was like a frightened little beast, trying to stay in the place where he felt safest.

Later on, perhaps because he grew older, Jian Qing’s frequency of visits to the municipal bureau decreased. Until he entered Jiang University with top scores as the science entrance examination champion, his features fully developed, attracting waves of “suitors” who loved challenging the law, and he once again became a frequent visitor to the Beijiang Municipal Bureau.

Zhou Shan had joined the municipal bureau only a few years later than Yan Qiuyu. Hearing this, he also sighed: “You’re right.”

Even if it was truly a prank, they still had to investigate it clearly.

Jian Qing was a law-abiding, tax-paying good citizen who had received many commendations for bravery. How could they just single him out and bully him.

Then he turned off the tablet, picked up his phone, and said: “I’ll call Consultant He and ask about the situation over there.”

He guessed that the kidnappers might contact the families again. Jian Qing staying at the police station made technical investigation work more convenient, so they split into two groups—he and Captain Yan would go first to probe the situation.

Almost as soon as the notification tone rang, He Linfeng picked up quickly: “File the case.”

“At least three children who have gone missing and are suspected of being abducted.”

“I’m busy breaking up a fight. I’ll explain the details to you later.”

Zhou Shan, who hadn’t managed to get a single word in: What?

Break up a fight?

Who would be so bold as to start a fight in a public security bureau?

Time rewinds two minutes earlier.

Skillfully handing over a few tissues, the duty officer said helplessly: “Ma’am, please wipe your tears first and slowly explain the situation. Otherwise, it’s very difficult for us to provide accurate help.”

“Slowly explain? What else am I supposed to say? My son has been kidnapped! Kidnapped—don’t you understand?” Her voice suddenly rose. A middle-aged woman with permed hair and covered in jewelry looked furious, then instantly seemed to switch personalities. She grabbed the tissues and burst into loud crying. “They said they’re going to kill him! Kill him and dump the body! My precious son! Waaaah—”

The speed of her emotional shift left everyone stunned, and at the same time made people feel she might seriously need a psychologist recommendation.

The man beside her, who arrived a bit later and seemed to be her husband, was not surprised at all. Instead, he looked rather annoyed: “This is outside. Can you behave yourself a little?”

“All this rushing, crying—use your brain for once, okay? Jumping at shadows. I told you these scams have been common lately.”

“That’s our son’s phone!” The woman forcefully threw the crumpled tissue ball at him. “He doesn’t even let me touch it normally!”

The duty officer, who had been listening in, roughly pieced things together: “So, your child…”

“Phone, phone. Have you seen the person? Or even heard your son’s voice?” The man completely ignored the officer’s question, his brows furrowing so hard they could crush a fly. “Real kidnappers would at least send a video, right? No proof at all, and you still fall for it so easily.”

The woman’s voice immediately shot up another octave: “Video? What video? Are you hoping our son ends up missing limbs? You only feel satisfied if he’s injured?”

“Li Guojian! Do you even care about us mother and son?”

“Or have you secretly kept another little mistress outside!”

The conversation, completely derailed, drew everyone’s attention in the hall. The duty officer’s ears were buzzing. Seeing the woman raise her bag and swing her arm as if about to hit someone, he was about to slam the table and deliver a stern reprimand—

When a arm wrapped in a tracksuit suddenly blocked her.

“Ma’am.”

“Is your child also kidnapped?”

Like the fuse of a bomb being instantly cut, the woman turned back in a hurry. What met her eyes was a handsome young man with naturally smiling eyes, looking at her with concern and focus. A sense of being understood rose in her instantly.

“Yes,” she unconsciously lowered her voice. Though surprised by how young he looked, she still followed his lead. “You also received threats, right?”

“I told you this is real.”

With the crisis defused, the relieved duty officer looked up in surprise: “Consultant He?”

“It’s me,” He Linfeng replied. “Looks like the serious crime team has no fate with vacation.”

He stepped slightly to the left, revealing Jian Qing standing behind him: “Help register this one too.”

“Later there should be a few more parents arriving—Xu Hao and Gao Zixuan’s parents. Take them directly to the serious crime team meeting room.”

It was as if someone had pressed a mute button. The moment they clearly saw the newcomer’s face, the hot-tempered husband immediately went silent. Even the wife, who had been crying and shouting, opened her mouth wide: “Ji… Jian, President Jian?”

Jian Qing gave a cold nod.

Their previous interactions had all been at banquets or negotiation tables. Meeting in such a disheveled state at a police station was truly a first. Li Guojian awkwardly tried to say something, and even felt curious about when the other party had gotten married and had children. It was only after his wife secretly elbowed him that he remembered Jian Qing had a younger brother attending the same school as his own son.

The woman quickly thought of something: “Gao Zixuan, yes, Gao Zixuan. Our son went out with him today. He’s in the same class as President Jian’s younger brother.”

Wang Lai, who arrived late: …

What a complete wipeout.

“Were there any other children with them?” To be safe, he asked another question.

The woman hesitated and shook her head: “I don’t know.”

He Linfeng then asked Li Guojian: “Your child is called Li Ming?”

“Yes,” Li Guojian subconsciously replied, then only reacted afterward. “How did you—”

“Your wife called him ‘Mingming’ when you two were arguing just now,” He Linfeng succinctly explained his doubt away. He then turned to Song Xiaotong: “Record Li Ming’s phone number and send it to technical investigation.”

“Wang Lai, take Mr. Li and Mrs. Li upstairs. Don’t interfere with the others’ work.”

The farce came to an end.

Yet He Linfeng’s heart did not relax.

Habitually sitting down beside Jian Qing, he signaled Wang Lai to bring two cups of water, then asked, “Did the kidnappers’ phone call—did Mrs. Li record it?”

“No…” The woman looked annoyed and said urgently, “I was too panicked at the time, I completely forgot about that.”

“But I still remember what he said!”

“Three hours. He said in another three hours, I would personally see Mingming’s corpse. I’m a mother—how could I listen to something like that!”

“Three hours?” Jian Qing, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

“Not twelve?”

“Yes, yes,” the woman stuttered, startled by the young man’s pitch-black eyes, then quickly and firmly repeated, “It was three hours.”

“I’m absolutely not mistaken.”

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have rushed straight to the police station after hanging up, terrified that her son’s life was already in danger.

…but what did that even mean?

They went out together, got kidnapped together—so was her son going to be the first one to die?

The woman stared blankly at Jian Qing, who had shared her situation just a moment ago, and murmured: “Why?”