The normally refined Xiang Wanfeng finally let out a curse.
Thus, the city's public security departments officially launched a special operation targeting "clearing backlog of missing persons." Ostensibly, it was to clear accumulated work, but in reality, a "Revenge" task force was established, with Xiang Wanfeng personally serving as its leader. The task force was divided into two action groups. The first action group, led by Qiao Yidan, would simultaneously manage operations from the municipal bureau, coordinating and strategizing, and collecting new intelligence through the "clearing backlog of missing persons" initiative. The second action group, led by Gao Xiaofei, would exercise regional law enforcement authority, continuing the in-depth investigation into the "Ma Delu case" and providing security for the upcoming model competition, while secretly investigating any unusual activities. The third action group, led by Mei Qian, would lawfully arrest Dai Anna, delve into peripheral leads such as "5C" and Awei Culture based on information provided by Han Shi, and cooperate with Interpol to understand and attempt contact with overseas criminal organizations. In addition, Gao Liang, who had been out of the public eye, once again rushed to Hechuan, leading the Ministry of Public Security's task force to combat the "Mr. Ke" criminal organization, secretly investigating the resurgence of the "Mr. Ke" organization.
As for Ping An?
"Me? Of course, I'm going to seize this opportunity to court your Aunt Lin Dang!"
Another pleasant morning. Su Tang, temporarily "isolated" at home for safety reasons, looked on helplessly as her master, with ill intentions, held up an empty bowl and shamelessly flirted. She shook her head with a hint of disdain.
"Master, when can I go out? I'm so bored at home." Seizing the moment when her master was in good spirits, Su Tang began to act cute.
"Dream on. Stay at home. It's not safe outside. What if something happens to you again?" Ping An said sternly.
"Exactly. Senior Sister, you were deceived by a bad man once, and then you went to prison again. You need to learn your lesson." Zhang Xiao'ao, sitting on the side pretending to be an extra, also offered a rare piece of advice.
"Shut up!" Su Tang was now particularly disgusted with "bad men," especially after learning that Han Shi, who had deceived her, was actually her former senior brother. The sadness and anger were beyond words!
"Xiao'ao is right. Haven't you learned your lesson this time? You call yourself a high-IQ genius. Bah! You were played like a fiddle." With no outsiders present, Ping An naturally didn't care about his disciple's dignity and said whatever sounded harsh.
"Master, I know I was wrong. I wish I could kill that Shi Han now, oh wait, they call him Han Shi now!" Su Tang pouted. "But didn't I achieve merits later? I found the real culprit. See, I haven't disgraced you, have I?"
"You'd better stay put. Hechuan has been restless lately. They're looking for girls like you all over the place. After being tricked into going abroad, your eyeballs and livers are harvested, and when you die, you're chopped up and fed to the fish in the sea. Aren't you afraid?" Ping An asked.
"Don't worry, I won't act alone this time. I'll tie the three uncles to me," Su Tang said. "Master, I'm not lying to you. I'm just really unwilling. Dai Anna is still somewhat useful right now. Let me follow the case. I promise I won't cause trouble."
"Dai Anna? She's about to be arrested. You can still make a splash out of it— wait, have you found something new?" Ping An put down his bowl and looked at his disciple seriously.
"Master, you know, I've wanted to be a detective since I was little, and I've learned a lot from you. If I messed up this case, I admit it, but I'm not convinced. If it were you, wouldn't you be unconvinced either?" Su Tang dropped her playful demeanor and spoke earnestly. "Let me try one more time. I'm not willing to give up! This is your case, it's the Public Security Bureau's case, but it's also my case! It's the first case of my life. You don't want your disciple to stumble at the starting line, do you?"
Unquestionably, Su Tang's words touched Ping An.
Seventeen years old. Well, not exactly grown, but not a child either. Although her skills were mediocre, it had to be admitted that a few times she had indeed done things in a proper manner.
"Take Xiao'ao with you. You can't solve cases alone, and you must report to me every day!" Ping An sighed, laying down three conditions.
"Got it!" Su Tang's face lit up with joy. She didn't even eat and trotted upstairs, ready to get to work.
Zhang Xiao'ao watched Su Tang leave and asked cautiously, "Master, I still have to catch up on my studies and practice archery. I really don't have time to accompany her— and I don't want to go with her, it's too troublesome."
Ping An stared at Zhang Xiao'ao like he was a dead fly for a long time before saying, "This is for your own good. At crucial moments, only you can keep her in check! We agreed, keep an eye on your senior sister and don't let her be lured away by some irrelevant bad guy again."
"She's not my wife, why should I watch her so closely?" Zhang Xiao'ao said dismissively.
Kid, you'll know how good your master is in the future— Ping An smiled imperceptibly.
It was rather improper for four large men and one delicate young girl to squeeze into a small car, so Su Tang haughtily ordered Dashu to bring a nearly new van.
In the van, Dashu, driving, glanced at Su Tang sitting in the passenger seat and asked somewhat guiltily, "Ancestor, you've only had a few comfortable days. What are you planning to do now?"
"Now that I'm finally out, I plan to let loose!" Su Tang said through gritted teeth. "First, we're going to the Municipal Public Security Bureau, and then we'll see."
In the reception hall of the municipal bureau, Qiao Yidan tilted her head and looked at Su Tang standing before her. The girl held her hands behind her back, one hand holding up an envelope high.
There was no way to ask. If asked, she would just say, "Master sent me to deliver something to Han Shi."
What is it? I don't know! Can others see it? No! Can it be handed over? No!
It had to be delivered personally to Han Shi— and don't even think about calling to verify. He was currently brewing, oh no, studying the case, and would definitely hang up on anyone who called.
Disbelieving, Qiao Yidan called Ping An twice, and indeed, her call was directly hung up. Thinking that nothing serious would happen at the Public Security Bureau, she reluctantly took Su Tang to see Han Shi.
Han Shi, feeling like he had been reborn, never imagined he would see Su Tang again in the detention room.
Where enemies meet, their eyes burn with hatred. Su Tang, filled with rage, didn't wait for Han Shi to recover from his awkward situation and delivered a kick to his groin.
"Su Tang, are you here on official business? Do you want to stay in here for a few more days?" Qiao Yidan, who had a premonition that something was wrong, said angrily upon seeing the scene.
"Aunt Qiao, this kick is what Master sent me to give him. My mission is complete, I'm leaving!" Su Tang gave Han Shi the middle finger and was about to leave.
"Wait!" Han Shi, lying on the ground and gasping in pain, suddenly called out to her.
"What else is there? Do you want another kick?" Su Tang said impatiently.
"The driver! I suddenly remembered— the driver of the car that took the girl that night had buck teeth and a tattoo behind his ear. It looked like a coin!" After being kicked, Han Shi, as if possessed, recalled a detail. After ambushing Su Tang that night, to make the act complete, he had indeed followed that car all the way. And while waiting at a traffic light midway, he inadvertently noticed a few characteristics of the driver.
"I voluntarily gave up later, so I didn't pursue it, but this piece of information is very useful. If I hadn't seen you today, I really wouldn't have remembered it," Han Shi said.
After listening to Han Shi's words, Su Tang said nothing and clapped her hands before walking out of the Municipal Public Security Bureau.
"Arrange for someone to follow this girl. Don't let her discover it." Watching Su Tang leave as if nothing had happened, Qiao Yidan quietly made arrangements.
After getting into the car, Su Tang stretched comfortably. Finally, she had gotten some revenge. But, was the information that guy mentioned actually useful? She still had other leads to follow.
It turned out that after Su Tang returned home, she had never given up. She had asked Dashu and the others to keep a close eye on Dai Anna. Perhaps it was due to the shock of Ma Delu's death, or perhaps because she discovered the police were taking action against her, but recently she had been behaving herself. However, even so, Dashu and the others had still managed to catch her "red-handed"— one midnight, she was secretly burning something in the basement, which Dashu happened to discover. He successfully played a "catch the thief" game, scaring her away and obtaining some documents that she hadn't managed to burn. These documents were all accounts, which were later found to be accounts for Awei Culture's live-streaming website.
"Boss, should we continue to follow those accounts?" Seeing that Su Tang's mood had improved significantly after venting, Dashu quietly asked.
"Dashu, have you ever seen anyone with a coin tattooed on their neck or other places?" Su Tang suddenly asked.
"A coin?" Dashu looked at Old Yuan and Old Fang sitting behind them, somewhat bewildered.
"For tattoos, why don't we ask the 'Master'?" Old Yuan offered a suggestion. The "Master" he referred to was a famous tattoo artist in Hechuan.
Upon hearing Old Yuan's suggestion, Su Tang deliberated and then said, "Han Shi gave me a clue, saying the driver he chased that night had a coin tattoo on his neck. I think the current live-streaming accounts are dead ends and difficult to investigate. It might be better to investigate that driver. If we catch him, we might be able to find out the route by which the girls were abducted, and perhaps uncover even more useful information."
"Then let's not delay. Let's go see the 'Master'!" Dashu started the car.
To Su Tang's disappointment, the "Master" whom Dashu and the others revered turned out to be a scrawny old man.
"Master, long time no see. Are you feeling well?" Old Yuan, who seemed to lack politeness, surprisingly greeted the old man formally.
"I heard you three brothers are now bodyguards for a young girl and playing detective— not bad, it's good to be on the right path." The old man spoke with a slight wheeze and a very unfriendly tone, which annoyed Su Tang greatly.
"Master craftsman, we're here to ask you something!" Su Tang, eager to solve the case, rudely interrupted the old man's reminiscence.
The old man clearly didn't pay Su Tang any mind. After hearing her words, he continued with his work without even looking at her.