You're supposed to be a security officer, what case are you solving?

Chapter 386 The nature of the case is becoming increasingly serious!
Qincheng.

Tayan District Shelter.

Holding a notebook and a pen, Cai Ting took notes while asking the shelter director, "You mean that homeless people have been disappearing in this area since 1996?"

The director was a middle-aged man wearing tortoiseshell glasses, with white hair. He nodded: "That's right, people go missing every year, and we don't know where they go."

Li Yang asked, "Could it be that some local 'beggar gangs' are specifically using them to beg..."

The director shook his head: "We have reported this matter. The local police station and joint defense team organize personnel every year to crack down on these gangs and detain a number of people, but we have not found those missing homeless people."

I've been to the funeral home several times. Some people die unexpectedly, like from illness, or by suicide; their bodies are all taken to the funeral home. But some homeless people disappear without a trace, neither alive nor dead.

How many people are like this?

"There are three in this area."

"What is your name?"

"We haven't registered them, so we don't know their names."

"What about gender?"

"Two men and one woman, and they were all elderly people."

Cai Ting frowned: "Are they all elderly? There are no women or children?"

"It seems not." The director shook his head.

Do you have their photos?

"No, not here either."

Where did these three people usually hang out before they went missing?

"Their location isn't fixed. In spring and summer, when the weather isn't too cold, they sleep wherever they happen to be. In autumn and winter, when it's too cold, they usually stay around our shelter, looking for a place that can be sheltered from the wind..."

The director turned around and pointed to the north of Tayan District: "Isn't there a large shopping mall being built over there?"

A few years ago, the project was halted because the boss absconded with the money, and many homeless people started living on the construction site. I visited them a few days ago to give them food and some necessities.

Is anyone missing over there?

"Yes, there was an old man who hasn't been seen since last month."

Cai Ting frowned: "So, four people are missing? Could you please take us to see them?"

"Okay." The director nodded.

After greeting the person on duty at the shelter, he prepared to ride his bicycle there.

Cai Ting said, "Take our car, I'll take you back in a bit."

"also."

The car drove to the construction site of the shopping mall. The director led Cai Ting and Li Yang along the mountain of bricks, winding their way to a building.

The building's exterior walls were only partially plastered with cement, and it was only built up to the third floor. The large windows on the second floor were covered with wooden boards and cardboard, indicating that people were living up there.

After going up the cement-covered stairwell, Cai Ting smelled a strong odor of urine.

Upon arriving on the second floor, she and Li Yang saw that the space was very large, almost 500 square meters, with pillars in the middle.

Around the pillars, tents were erected using corrugated cardboard and tree trunks. The space was so small that only a single quilt could fit inside.

Looking around, there were about a dozen tents, all with people lying inside.

Hearing Cai Ting and her group's footsteps, several homeless people crawled out of the tent, glanced at them warily, and seeing that it was the director of the shelter, who wasn't carrying anything, they lay back down.

The director shouted, "Stop lying down, get up! The police are coming to ask some questions."

Upon hearing that the police were coming, these people not only didn't get out of bed, but also covered themselves tightly with blankets, as if afraid of being dragged out.

Seeing this, the director had no choice but to find the 'leader' of the group, a disheveled middle-aged woman.

She was wearing a tattered down jacket, squatting under the quilt, reaching under the dirty blanket to pull out a half-smoked cigarette, lighting it with a match, and taking a deep drag.

Her hair was a messy tangle, her face was so dirty you couldn't tell her age, she was missing two front teeth, but her eyes were bright and piercing.

The director pointed at her and said, "Her name is Dongju. She has been wandering around here for several years. She said her hometown is Dong'an City."

Cai Ting squatted down and took out a box of Hongtashan cigarettes from her bosom.

Seeing this, the woman chuckled and reached out her hand.

Cai Ting originally intended to give her one, but after thinking about it, she handed her the whole pack of cigarettes instead.

The woman took it in her hand, pulled out a cigarette, sniffed it, then lit it with the crumpled half-burnt cigarette butt in her hand and took a satisfying drag.

She stuffed the cigarette pack into the quilt and patted it with her hand.

Cai Ting asked, "Your name is Dongju?"

"Ah."

"I am a criminal police officer."

"Ah."

"Didn't an old man go missing last month?"

"Ah Qiu, he's made it big."

"What do you mean?"

"They were taken away."

Who took him away?

"I don't know them, there were just two men."

"What did those two people look like?"

"I don't remember." Dongju took a drag of her cigarette and squinted. "Oh right, one of them was a cripple."

"You're lame in your left leg?"

"Do you know them?"

Cai Ting did not answer, but instead took out the portraits of the two thugs and handed them to her.

"Take a look and see if they are them."

Dongju pulled the quilt over her lower abdomen.

Cai Ting glanced at it and frowned slightly.

Dongju stared at the portrait and nodded: "It's them."

"They've been here before?"

"I've been here several times."

"What are they here for?" "Like they're looking for someone."

"Find someone?"

"Yes, let's look at them one by one."

What did they say?

Dongju pointed to the tall man in the portrait: "This person pulled us out of the quilt and asked this cripple, 'Does he look like him? Is he okay?' If the cripple shook his head, he would find the next person."

They came several times, but still couldn't find the person they were looking for.

Last month, they came again. Old Qiu was the last one to join our group, and they chose him.

Cai Ting narrowed her eyes slightly: "You've taken a liking to it? What does that mean?"

"They were just taken away."

Did they say anything?

“Yes, they told Lao Qiu that they were from the Red Cross and that they specifically helped homeless elderly people. They said they could provide Lao Qiu with a place to stay and food so that he could live a stable life. So Lao Qiu went with them.”

After saying that, Dongju laughed and said, "This is obviously a lie. There's no such thing as a kind person in this world who provides food and shelter."

Cai Ting nodded and continued, "Do you know what Old Qiu's real name is? Where does he live? Does he have any family?"

“He’s only been here a short time, so we don’t usually talk to each other. He just told us to call him Lao Qiu.”

Do you know where those two men took him?

"do not know."

"Have these two people drawn your blood before?"

"No."

"Really not?"

"Indeed not."

Cai Ting's brows furrowed deeper and deeper. Not only her, but also Li Yang, who was investigating the case with her, knew that the case was becoming increasingly serious.

The incident occurred on December 7th. On the morning of December 8th, under Yang Jinwen's instructions, Cai Ting and Li Yang went to the Second Bridge under the Wei River to confirm that the homeless old lady had lived in the underpass.

Furthermore, these two criminals had visited the Second Bridge archway multiple times, just like the previous archway and the abandoned buildings here. They had scouted the area multiple times, and what they did was 'identify people'.

If they meet the criteria, they will lure these homeless people with benefits to go with them.

It is now afternoon on December 10th. Cai Ting and Li Yang have been investigating for two days, traversing all the areas in Qincheng where homeless people gather. They find that the situation is becoming increasingly confusing.

Qincheng has three shelters, plus areas where homeless people congregate.

The number of people abducted, as counted in Cai Ting's notebook, including the old lady and 'Old Qiu' from before, has reached five!

And that doesn't even include the three missing people the director mentioned.

If we include them, then there are eight people in total!
Excluding the three whose fates are uncertain, it's now confirmed whether the five people taken away are alive or dead.
What exactly was the purpose of these two thugs?
Moreover, Cai Ting and Li Yang did not visit many places. How many homeless people have been abducted in the eleven districts of Qincheng?
Moreover, the abducted individuals all share a common characteristic: they are elderly men and women. Women and children have also gone missing, but their disappearances are unrelated to the actions of the two criminals.

Li Yang asked, "Sister Cai, should we continue the investigation?"

Cai Ting shook her head: "We can't investigate. The two of us aren't enough. We have to go back and report to Captain Yang."

"Mm." Li Yang nodded.

Cai Ting turned her face to look at the homeless woman Dongju, then took out her wallet, took out all the loose change, stuffed it into the quilt where Dongju hid the cigarette box, and then patted it with her hand.

When the homeless woman saw the man give her money, her eyes widened in surprise, and she wasn't as excited as when she took the cigarettes.

Cai Ting put her wallet in her shirt pocket, then reached out and shook the homeless woman's fingers, sighed softly, and said, "Take care of yourself and live well."

Then, Cai Ting stood up and said to Li Yang, "Back to the brigade."

Li Yang nodded and followed Cai Ting's steps.

The homeless woman stared at Cai Ting's retreating figure, her eyes devoid of any light. She didn't even notice the cigarette butt burning down to the filter in her hand.

The director jogged downstairs after Cai Ting, adjusting his glasses: "Officer, why did you give her so much money?"

Cai Ting stopped and looked at the director, saying, "If you can help, please do so. It would be best to take her to the hospital."

"Don't worry about that..."

Before the director could finish speaking, Cai Ting added, "She's pregnant."

"Oh no?"

The director was startled by these words, and Li Yang's eyes widened as well.

Cai Ting nodded, a cold glint in her eyes.

"Once I finish my current case, I'll investigate this matter. Whoever violated her, I won't let that person get away with it!"

------

at the same time.

Sangong Lane, on the road inside the park.

The old woman's body was placed on a white cloth. Wen Ling squatted down and carefully examined the deceased's body, paying particular attention to her eyes and throat.

After a long silence, she stood up, looked at Wu Kai and Yang Jinwen, and said, "The death occurred a day ago, on December 9th. The exact time will be known after the autopsy."

Wu Kai sighed and asked, "What was the cause of death?"

"uncertain."

How can you be unsure?

"The car was sealed off, which is consistent with death by suffocation. The temperature was very low yesterday, almost below zero, and the deceased was dressed too lightly, which is consistent with death by freezing. It is possible that the combination of these factors led to death."

Wu Kai looked at the old woman's corpse and cursed, "These damned bastards!"

Yang Jinwen squinted and looked at the body of the homeless old woman, her gray hair, her pale and aged face, and her bluish-purple lips.

He felt as if a huge stone was pressing on his heart, making him feel suffocated.

A moment later, the two members of the joint defense team who had been searching above the park ran quickly from the alley.

"Captain Yang, we've found it! We've found a lead!"

Cat, standing to the side with a mobile phone in his hand, also called out, "Captain Yang, it's Sister Cai on the phone."

Wu Daqing held Yang Jinwen's phone in his hand, and at that moment, the phone was ringing.

Wu Daqing glanced at the number on the green screen and said, "Captain Yang, this is the phone number for the Yulin Police Station."

Yang Jinwen squinted and turned to look into the park. Yao Weihua, who had disappeared for three days, was running towards him with Feng Xiaocai.

The case occurred on December 7th. After three days of investigation, it seems that the case has finally taken a turn for the better!

(End of this chapter)