The night grew darker, the starlight concealed, and many people had already gone to sleep, but Shen Youquan was still waiting at the Southern Division station. The two officers who were responsible for receiving him, one surnamed Li and the other surnamed Luo, were both young and had particularly active minds. They closed the record book and lowered their voices, saying, "Mr. Shen, Dr. Song lives far away and will take at least forty minutes to get here. You've already provided the necessary information, and further questioning would just be repetitive and not very meaningful. How about we chat about something else for now?"
Shen Youquan asked for a bottle of mineral water, and while hydrating himself, he asked, "What do you want to chat about?"
"Can we chat about Van Gogh?" Xiao Li propped his head on the desk, his neck stretched out long, and his bright eyes were full of curiosity and eagerness. The officer named Luo Hong also echoed, "Yes, let's talk about Van Gogh. He's also an important figure in this case." After speaking, he earnestly turned on the recording pen.
Shen Youquan had obtained Van Gogh's permission in advance, so he recounted the situation when they met. Xiao Li and Luo Hong listened with fascination, constantly asking for more details, hoping to completely retrace every word and every sentence of Van Gogh. In the process, several officers walked into the reception room, casually sitting in nearby chairs while discreetly eavesdropping.
Shen Youquan found it a bit absurd, feeling like he wasn't there to report a case, but rather to participate in a storytelling event. These people seemed too curious about Van Gogh. Why?
But before he could ponder this question further, the director of the Southern Division station arrived, and got straight to the point, "I heard that Van Gogh asked you to designate Dr. Song to lead the investigation for this case?"
"Yes," Shen Youquan hurriedly nodded.
The director sounded somewhat troubled, "But Dr. Song is not a policeman, he's just a consultant. Logically, he doesn't have the authority to lead a team, only to provide advice from the sidelines."
Shen Youquan's heart tightened, thinking that the matter was hanging on a thread. But then the director added, "However, if Van Gogh believes he can handle it, I'll make an exception and let him lead the team. After all, the child's safety is the most important. You all will listen to Dr. Song's orders this time; he's now your temporary team leader," the director pointed at the members of the criminal team.
"Understood, Director," everyone quickly accepted this arrangement.
Shen Youquan's suspended heart finally eased down. He didn't expect that Van Gogh's words would have such a great impact. Without the backing of the Van family, how did he achieve this? Well, even without the Van family, his abilities were so mysterious that anyone who knew him couldn't help but give him some face.
Waiting was long and painful, and even though Shen Yurao was not his own flesh and blood, he was still a living, breathing life, and Shen Youquan couldn't completely ignore it.
Xiao Li noticed his anxiety and comforted him, "Don't worry, since Van Gogh said the child won't be harmed, he will surely come back safely."
Shen Youquan's nervousness and anxiety were replaced by laughter. He realized that these police officers put incredible trust in Van Gogh. What could have happened to them to develop this mindset? Could it be related to the case of Gao Yize? The five victims were all accurately predicted by Van Gogh, no wonder...
Shen Youquan's thoughts wandered, and time seemed to pass much faster. In the blink of an eye, the legendary expert in the field of criminal investigation, Dr. Song, hurriedly walked in. To everyone's surprise, he was tall and handsome, and his dressing was nothing like an unkempt scholar; he looked more dazzling than a top model on a runway. He was dressed in a silver-gray suit, and wore a light blue pinstripe tie, sparkling sapphire cufflinks shimmering in the light, clearly very expensive, and a lingering fragrance of expensive cologne wafted as he approached, refreshing.
To be honest, if Xiao Li hadn't stood up to introduce both parties, Shen Youquan would've never guessed that this man was a renowned international expert in psychology. In appearance and demeanor, he was too outstanding, enough to overshadow many top models in the fashion industry.
Shen Youquan suppressed his surprise and went over to shake hands with Dr. Song, but he was coldly refused, "Sorry, I have OCD. Let's start the case." Ever since Van Gogh had unmasked him, he was no longer interested in pretending to be courteous and polite. As long as it didn't break the law, no one could do anything to him.
"Okay, okay, this really troubles you," Shen Youquan withdrew his hand, feeling disgruntled.
Dr. Song couldn't be bothered with small talk and immediately picked up the record book, carefully flipping through it. His brow furrowed tightly, seemingly frustrated and contemplative. He couldn’t understand why, on this gradually suffocating hot summer night, he would abandon a heap of papers and drive through crowded traffic and dirty air to a police station several dozen kilometers away to solve a seemingly ordinary kidnapping case. Just for a statement from Van Gogh? That's too absurd!
He desperately tried to deny it, but his inner conscience told him truthfully—yes, just for a statement from Van Gogh, you came rushing in, and that statement was anything but ordinary; it was an affirmation and praise from someone so cold and almost cruel.
Dr. Song had neither love nor hate, didn’t know beauty or ugliness, and didn't have sympathy or pity. Even if someone tragically died in front of him, it couldn't stir even the smallest ripple within him. But tonight, when he heard Van Gogh's original words relayed by Shen Youquan, he unusually found a sense of joy. Being affirmed and praised by such a person unexpectedly created a sense of mission and responsibility within him, so he quickly tidied himself up, then traversed half the city, fighting through a congested stream of cars and rushed over to the police station.
This was too absurd! This was really too absurd! As Dr. Song condemned himself, he meticulously read through all the records.
"As far as I know, Yingcai Kindergarten is a very strictly managed elite kindergarten. How could they easily let someone unknown take Shen Yurao?" he filtered out all the doubts.
Shen Youquan quickly said, "The female kidnapper was wearing a hat, mask, and sunglasses, and her face was bruised, making her appearance unidentifiable. But her voice was almost identical to Zhong Huilu's assistant. She told the kindergarten teacher that she had just had plastic surgery a few days ago and hadn't recovered yet. She even made a live video call to Zhong Huilu to testify for herself on the spot. The kindergarten teacher quickly believed her and took the child away. As you know, Zhong Huilu is a star, and in their circle, plastic surgery is very common. People change their faces every three days, and there are so many people who look like clocks, so the teacher had no suspicions. Later, Zhong Huilu told me that when the kidnapper took the child away, she was live streaming and couldn't have made a video call. Also, her assistant was waiting backstage and didn't leave her side, which is very strange!"
"Not really strange, video calls can be faked. As long as you find a woman who looks very similar to your wife, you can fool the kindergarten teacher with a video call. I heard that your wife is an ideal plastic surgery template for many women. Nowadays, with such advanced plastic surgery techniques, it shouldn't be difficult to find someone who resembles her," Dr. Song analyzed calmly.
Shen Youquan nodded repeatedly, "Yes, many people want to look like Zhong Huilu. If that's the case, the kindergarten teacher wasn't intentional. It's really hard to guard against such deception...”
Dr. Song's voice remained cold, "We will need to verify the situation with the kindergarten teacher later. I've already understood the general situation, Xiao Li, call everyone in, we'll have a meeting."
Xiao Li quickly went to fetch the others, and ten minutes later, all team members gathered around Dr. Song with small notepads. Shen Youquan wanted to leave, but Dr. Song firmly commanded him to stay, “Mr. Shen, we need your cooperation for our work, so please stay and listen to our arrangements.” Without waiting for Shen Youquan's response, he gave instructions, "Currently, the kidnappers have their phones switched off, and the phone number is unregistered; their identities can't be confirmed. They used non-smartphones, so remote tracking can't be activated, thus this lead is currently a dead end. We can only wait for them to call again."
“After taking the child, the female kidnapper once changed cars in a blind spot of the Cao'an public parking lot. The abandoned car was a vehicle stolen ten years ago. It changed hands several times, making it difficult to trace its origins. Additionally, there are tens of thousands of cars parked in the Cao'an public parking lot, and there are very few surveillance cameras, meaning many areas weren't recorded. We can't determine which car she drove away, and we don't know her subsequent route or if she'll continue changing cars. Under the current circumstances where everything is unclear, we can't just sit back and wait. We must carry out some preliminary investigations."
"My investigation plan is as follows: First, Xiao Li, you go investigate who the biological father of Shen Yurao is, with a focus on searching Zhong Huilu's various social media accounts, especially hidden aliases. In a kidnapping case, everyone related to the kidnapped person must be thoroughly investigated to eliminate suspicion. Zhong Huilu is a celebrity, and showing off is a professional flaw, so even if they know that certain matters aren't to be revealed, they always can't resist using certain covert channels to showcase. Once these channels are found, we'll definitely discover some clues. Second, consuming and calling records could also expose her secrets, we need to thoroughly cross-verify to act as quickly as possible. Third, your strong suit is needed to track the female kidnapper's whereabouts after changing her car. There's too much video footage to compare, so screening software is necessary."
"Okay, Dr. Song." Xiao Li nodded while taking notes.
Song Rui looked at the rest of the people and ordered, "You guys go to the Yingcai Kindergarten and the surrounding shops or streets to retrieve the surveillance footage. Since the kidnappers were able to fabricate Zong Huilu's video call in advance and imitate the assistant's voice, it's clear that they had done a lot of prior investigation on the Shen family and are bound to have scouted the kindergarten to ensure the smooth progress of the abduction. Through the surveillance footage, we should be able to identify some suspicious individuals. Remember, in the process of investigating and collecting evidence, you must be discreet and not alert the kidnappers to Mr. Shen's report to the police. Also, make sure to strictly ensure the confidentiality of the kindergarten teachers who are assisting in the investigation. If they leak the information, Shen Yurao may be in danger. Additionally, the woman who was connected to the kindergarten teachers via video also needs to be located. Start by checking with the plastic surgery hospital, as the female kidnapper may have actually undergone plastic surgery and is still in the recovery period, which is also a crucial clue. You divide into three teams: one team checks the surveillance, another the eyewitness testimonies, and the third checks the plastic surgery hospital."
Everyone agreed solemnly.
Only then did Song Rui turn to Shen Youquan and ordered sternly, "Mr. Shen, now please describe in detail what happened after you brought your daughter home, including what your family members were doing and saying. Remember, you must faithfully recount everything that happened at that time, not missing any small details, as it might be helpful to our investigation."
"Okay okay, I will definitely tell the truth," Shen Youquan wiped the sweat from his forehead and began to recount, occasionally supplementing or correcting some missing details.
Song Rui recorded all of his words and then said, "Mr. Shen, now under the arrangement of our officers, you must quietly leave the police station, because the kidnappers are likely monitoring you in secret."
"What should I do? Will they find out that I came to the police station to report the case?" Shen Youquan immediately became nervous.
"On this point, our officers will help you determine," Song Rui remained calm throughout. "If the kidnappers are indeed tracking you, we will have an alternative approach to deal with them, so don't worry. But since the kidnappers have not yet contacted you, it seems that they are composed and probably unaware that you have reported to the police. After you leave the police station, go and raise the money. Whether you are willing to pay the ransom or not, you have to make a gesture to deceive the kidnappers and buy us some time. Two hours later, my colleagues will quietly bring you back to the police station and we will discuss the next step."
Shen Youquan had no idea how to deal with everything in front of him, so naturally, he just listened to what the police said. Fortunately, after viewing the surveillance video, the tracking identification experts at the Southern District Sub-bureau informed him that the kidnappers had not monitored him, and Shen Yurao was currently safe. During this time, he received several calls from Zong Huilu, Shen's father, and Shen's mother, all inquiring whether he had raised the money, but he dodged their questions.
Dr. Song Rui's arrival immediately brought order and method to the investigation work, his train of thought exceptionally clear, as if a hand had dispelled the fog and instantly simplified all the complex problems. This made Shen Youquan more convinced of his judgment on Van Garo, just as the other party had predicted: if anyone could safely bring Shen Yurao back, it was none other than Dr. Song.