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Chapter 46
“That blood belongs to a national first-level protected animal, a large raptor called the white-tailed sea eagle.”
“Bloodstained cloth, cardboard box, and sealing tape; don’t move any of these. Send them all for fingerprint and forensic analysis. Give Shen Xiaoqi’s phone number to the technical investigation team and ask Director Huang to do another trace. I want to know where this kid is. Send someone to call the Cultural Heritage Bureau and ask them to contact Shen Xiaoqi’s school teachers; get the list of all classmates and guardians for this outing immediately!”
Yan Xie’s roar echoed through the corridor, and all the on-duty police officers at the city bureau sprang into action simultaneously. Everyone became busy instantly.
“Brother Yan,” Gao Panqing hurriedly approached, whispering, “Should we call Chief Wei?”
Yan Xie didn’t respond immediately; instead, he glanced at Father Shen.
Father Shen repeatedly dialed his son’s phone, and the repeated “user is not in the service area” prompt was heard on the mobile phone. Just by looking at their expressions, it was clear that the nerves of this couple were on the verge of snapping.
“Wait a bit for Lao Wei,” Yan Xie said to Gao Panqing in a low voice. “Call Ma Xiang and the others back.”
Gao Panqing nodded and rushed off.
“Why is he always out of the service area? Where did your son go for the outing?” Yan Xie asked aloud.
“Tianzong Mountain,” Mother Shen said, looking at Yan Xie’s puzzled expression. “At first, I hadn’t heard of this name, but later I found out it’s a new scenic area developed in the southeast. After they arrived yesterday morning, the mobile signal was intermittent, saying they went into the mountains, and the signal was bad there.”
Yan Xie motioned toward the forensic lab, “When and where was the cardboard box found? Can you give me the specifics?”
“After we got back in the afternoon, we talked to our son on the phone. When we came out of the company in the evening, he… the signal wasn’t good originally.”
Mother Shen was anxious, stuttering, and struggling to explain. Yan Xie frowned and wanted to tell her something, but seeing so many people in the corridor, he hesitated. After a moment of contemplation, he gestured, “Come with me for now.”
Mother Shen was puzzled but pulled Father Shen along, following Yan Xie into a small meeting room.
“I’m breaking the rules by saying this in advance,” Yan Xie closed the door and got straight to the point, “But seeing you so anxious, I’ll give you a brief. The smell of those bloodstained clothes is slightly different from human blood. The likelihood of your son meeting with misfortune is relatively low.”
Mother Shen felt like she had been given a new lease on life, excited to the point of almost biting her tongue: “Huh?”
Yan Xie nodded.
“You can smell that too?!”
Yan Xie thought, I’ve smelled all kinds of fresh, spoiled, and coagulated blood more than I’ve eaten hot pot in my life. How can I not smell it? The scary thing is that a guy named Jiang doesn’t even need to smell it; he can tell it’s animal blood just by looking…
But he didn’t say this out loud and just said, “Currently, it’s only speculation. The specific result depends on the forensic analysis. Did you find the cardboard box at the company gate tonight?”
Mother Shen finally managed to calm down a bit, though her tone was still a bit unsteady: “Yes, yes. We originally had a very important dinner tonight, and when we came out of the company…”
Shen Xiaoqi was a well-off young man; his parents owned a clothing company. As Jiang Ting said, if the kidnapper only asked for two million, the police might not even receive the report at all, and the kidnapper would’ve already got the money.
In the afternoon, on their way back from the police station, the alarmed parents called their son again, urging him not to go on the outing and to come home immediately. However, Shen Xiaoqi insisted that he had plans with classmates for the evening “activity.” Even if he came back early, the earliest departure would be tomorrow morning, and the phone signal might not be good at night.
After multiple assurances from their son that he should stay honestly at the farmhouse and that even if he went out, it should be with classmates as a group, never separating, they reluctantly hung up the phone, filled with worry, and returned to the company.
In the evening after work, the couple had an important contract waiting to be signed at the dinner, so they intentionally left early. Unexpectedly, just as they left, they saw a cardboard box on the ground containing blood-stained clothes.
—The warehouse of Shen Company was located in the industrial area, while the office was set up downstairs in their own residential area for convenience. There were no proper surveillance cameras around, unlike in a standard office building. If someone intentionally placed blood-stained clothes in a cardboard box there and managed to slip away unnoticed, it could be technically achievable.
However, what was frightening was how the other party knew the location of Shen parents’ office and could catch the moment when Shen Xiaoqi’s phone went out of service.
If the afternoon incident could still be a telecom fraud, now the crime target seemed to be very specific.
“Beep beep—”
The out-of-service area prompt suddenly disappeared, and everyone’s spirits rose simultaneously. Father Shen was trembling violently, almost slipping his phone out of his hand. A few seconds later, a voice came from the other end of the phone:
“Hello, Dad?”
Mother Shen’s legs went weak, and if it weren’t for Yan Xie’s timely support, she would have almost sat on the ground.
At that moment, the door clicked open, and Jiang Ting entered.
“…” Yan Xie rushed toward the door amidst Father Shen’s roaring into the phone, closing it quickly. He asked in a low voice, “How did you get here?”
“Didn’t you say both Chief Lu and Chief Wei are not here?” Jiang Ting seemed indifferent, as if he didn’t care at all. “Where’re the buns?”
Only then did Yan Xie realize that his hands were empty and the buns had long been thrown into some corner.
“Damn, why are you so delicate? Okay, I’ll get you another one…”
Jiang Ting, looking at Father Shen, who was both anxious and angry, suddenly raised his hand to stop Yan Xie and stepped forward.
“Don’t you know how worried your mom and dad are? Don’t go to places with no signal. Just stay in the hotel! Activity? What activity? Someone sent a bloody piece of clothing to our doorstep today!…”
“Mr. Shen?” Jiang Ting spoke to confirm.
Father Shen, as if awakening from a dream, said, “Huh?”
Jiang Ting pointed to the phone and said, “Turn to the video call.”
Father Shen, now aware, almost dropped his phone but managed to ask his son to hang up and call again.
Judging by Shen Xiaoqi’s reaction, he probably didn’t like it, but he couldn’t resist the urging of his mentally distressed parents. A few seconds later, the video was connected, revealing the face of a young and spirited teenager in the background: “Hey, Dad, is it okay now?”
Jiang Ting propped his thumb on his lower jaw, covering half of his face with a clenched fist, his teeth lightly touching the base of his index finger—this was his habitual gesture when thinking.
Yan Xie walked to his side and noticed the pair of eyes peeking out from under the baseball cap, tightly fixed on the phone screen.
“We’re coming to pick you up now; it’s too dangerous! Don’t say anything! We’ll explain when we get there!”
“Oh, Dad, it’s just a prank. You’ve reported to the police twice already…”
“Why aren’t you at the hotel? Where are your classmates? Why are you alone outside?!”
Shen Xiaoqi complained, “We have a bonfire party tonight; can’t you see I’m picking up wood? I promise to leave early tomorrow morning and come back home!…”
……
“How is it?” Yan Xie asked in a hushed tone.
Jiang Ting’s gaze didn’t leave the phone screen. “What do you think?”
“For a boy of his age who just finished exams and is eager to experience communal living outside, it seems normal. I didn’t see anything unusual.”
Jiang Ting nodded, suddenly leaned close to Yan Xie’s ear, and whispered, “Look at the boy’s eyes.”
A warm airflow, more like a shock, hit Yan Xie’s eardrums and veins, pounding on every nerve. For several seconds, Yan Xie’s expression and mind went completely blank. His heartbeat resounded like a drum, and every word from Jiang Ting echoed in his ears, yet the meaning took a long time to reach his brain.
“Yan Xie?”
“…”
Jiang Ting backed away a bit. “What’s wrong with you?”
“…” Yan Xie’s gaze was fixed on Jiang Ting’s lips, seemingly a bit elusive, then he turned to the phone screen. “…Hmm.”
Hmm?
Jiang Ting furrowed his brows, but before he could say anything, the door of the small meeting room suddenly knocked a few times and was then pushed open by Huang Xing. “Lao Yan!”
Yan Xie, as if granted a reprieve, didn’t even respond to the ending of Father Shen’s call or the disconnection of the video. He hastily gestured to the couple, asking Huang Xing, “Are the results out?”
“Yeah, this is the coordinates of Shen Xiaoqi’s phone signal, and this is the nearby map.” Director Huang glanced at Jiang Ting, who was casually dressed, but since there were many casually dressed police officers in the city bureau today, he didn’t pay much attention. He hurriedly pointed to the location result for Yan Xie. “Here, it’s Tianzong Mountain in the southeast suburb of Jianning City. It was developed into a tourist attraction earlier this year. This list shows registered farmhouse inns and family hotels within the scenic area. Tianzong Mountain is said to have well-preserved primitive features, but since it hasn’t been promoted yet, it hasn’t become a trendy destination for local youths, although I may be guessing too quickly.”
Yan Xie took the location data, flipped through a few pages, and murmured, “Something’s not right.”
Huang Xing asked, “What’s not right?”
“Why would a few middle school graduates think of going to a newly developed scenic area that hasn’t been promoted?”
Father and Mother Shen looked at each other, unable to come up with a reasonable explanation.
“It’s easy to understand,” Huang Xing, who had a son who was constantly called in by teachers for talks, shared his insights: “It’s the adolescent rebellious phase, always wanting to appear unique, going to places where they can show off their unique taste. It makes sense a little.”
Yan Xie took a sharp breath, the suspicion on his face deepening.
Suddenly, a voice behind them said, “It doesn’t make sense.”
Yan Xie turned around.
Jiang Ting, maintaining the posture of covering half of his face with one hand, judging by the natural fall of his gaze and the relaxed facial muscles, now probably wore his signature expression—meaning no expression.
“What do you mean, officer?” Fathe Shen hurriedly asked, slapping his forehead in realization, “Oh, I forgot to ask for your rank!”
—Jiang Ting naturally exuded the calm and steady aura of a veteran, so much so that Father Shen thought he must be a higher-ranking officer than Yan Xie, at least a deputy chief.
“I’m his friend.” Jiang Ting faced Huang Xing’s puzzled gaze and casually gestured to Yan Xie.
You obviously didn’t want to be just friends with me, Yan Xie thought.
“Although adolescent boys in their puberty tend to be rebellious, the desire to show off is also quite strong. Kids who have never left home often choose the first destination to be a well-known tourist attraction with high online publicity. They usually share a lot on social media to attract attention. Choosing Tianzong Mountain, which is inconvenient for a round trip and lacks a platform for showing off, reduces the likelihood of it being the first choice for their inaugural outing.”
Jiang Ting rubbed his temples, seemingly contemplating for a moment before abruptly changing the topic. “But it could also be another situation.”
“What?”
“Someone specifically wanted to go there, and this person is the leader of the small group.”
Both Father and Mother Shen instinctively shook their heads, but then hesitated. Mother Shen twisted her fingers and said, “Our son… he plays basketball, swims, and seems to be quite active among his classmates.”
Father Shen added, “We also give him pocket money; let him occasionally treat his classmates to a meal or a drink…”
Seeing the subtle expressions of the police officers, Father Shen hastily added, “But that kid has a good personality and never conflicts with others, let alone bully classmates in his class! If we find out, he’d be grounded for sure!”
“Think about why Shen Xiaoqi would go to Tianzong Mountain.” Jiang Ting seemed uninterested in the concerns about campus violence in the air. He said casually, “Choosing to act at this time indicates knowledge about your family situation, which means it basically rules out the possibility of a common telecom fraud.”
Poor Shen parents, who had just relaxed, tensed up again. The couple looked at each other, starting to whisper and calculate whether they had offended anyone in the business field, whether they had inadvertently shown their wealth, or whether they had offended any troublemakers.
“Hey, my police flower.” Yan Xie turned his head and whispered, “What did you want me to see just now?”
“Eyes.”
“What’s wrong with the eyes?”
“…” Jiang Ting whispered, “Sometimes your fluctuating professional level really surprises me.”
The warm breath brushed against Yan Xie’s neck again, and his earlobes burned instantly.
—Fortunately, Yan Xie was on a blind date today and wore a pair of custom-made leather shoes. Jiang Ting, who casually put on a pair of soft-soled shoes and went out, had nearly a ten-centimeter height difference. Since Jiang Ting didn’t intentionally raise his head to look at other men’s ears, he remained oblivious.
“The treetops in the background of the video are obviously low and dense, not like in places with a lot of human traffic. However, the Tianzong Mountain scenic area might have this kind of environment. What caught my attention more was that the kid’s eyes flickered. He avoids eye contact with his father, whether subtly or intentionally, and during the conversation, he turned his head twice, seemingly paying attention to something.”
Yan Xie’s nerves, which belonged to the criminal investigation department, were instantly touched. “What is he avoiding?”
“Hard to say, but it seems like the boy is in an excited state.” Jiang Ting contemplated for a moment and said, “But it could also be that I’m observing too closely.”
“Lao Yan! Hey!” Director Huang waved after hanging up a call, saying, “Let me tell you, the results of the forensic analysis of that blood-stained clothing are out!”
Not only Yan Xie but even Shen parents were immediately drawn to attention. “How is it, Officer?”
“No effective fingerprints were extracted from the cardboard box for now, and further analysis is needed for the adhesive tape. As for the blood-stained clothing,” Huang Xing paused, seeming a bit puzzled but continuing, “it’s not human blood; it’s a type of… avian blood.”
Shen’s parents immediately breathed a sigh of relief, their expressions showing a sense of gratitude.
—This was only natural. Although the couple suspected that they were targeted by a maniac, at least it wasn’t to the extent of using human blood to soak clothes. It could be considered a fortunate situation in the midst of misfortune.
However, Yan Xie didn’t think so: “I can tell from your reaction that avian blood doesn’t refer to chickens or ducks, right?”
Director Huang hesitated for a moment, “No, it’s an eagle species. Possibly… a white-tailed sea eagle.”
Everyone revealed a look of confusion, and Mother Shen instinctively blurted out, “What eagle?”
“White-tailed Sea Eagle, a large eagle species and a raptor. It was endangered globally in the last century; later, its numbers recovered, but its subspecies is still a level one protected animal within our country.” Huang Xing explained, “The technology at the municipal bureau can only identify it as avian blood, but we want to obtain more detailed information. So, Chen Chu took it to the provincial hall for assistance, and that’s how we got the results from the provincial forensic analysis lab just now.”
Yan Xie looked at Jiang Ting, who shook his head slightly, indicating that he also couldn’t think of anything.
“Make a call to the Forestry Bureau first,” Yan Xie suggested. “We need to find out how many eagles might have been killed.”
Huang Xing nodded. Just as he raised his foot to leave, a cellphone ringtone suddenly came from behind.
Yan Xie subconsciously touched his pocket, then followed the sound—everyone’s attention turned back. Father Shen’s cellphone, which was placed on the table just now, was ringing.
The caller ID displayed a string of disordered numbers.
“This is it, this is it!” Father Shen pointed at the phone, gritting his teeth. “The extortion call from this morning was the same! It’s this lunatic!”
“Answer it. Try to delay and negotiate for time; don’t let the other party hang up.” Yan Xie decisively said, “Director Huang! Set up the equipment and start tracking. Hurry up!”
Before he finished speaking, Director Huang had already rushed out like his pants were on fire. Yan Xie picked up his phone, pressed the answer button, handed it to Father Shen, and gave an encouraging look.
“…” Father Shen took a deep breath, adjusted his emotions, and said, “Hello—”
The next second, he was interrupted by the cold synthesized voice from the other end of the phone:
“You’ve called the police, right?”
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