Chapter 161

After finishing the phone call with the young man who reported the crime, Gu Changzheng explained the situation to the Chuncheng police. He realized that the person who had used a shopping receipt to pass information to the young man and instruct him to call the police was his own master, the retired veteran criminal investigator—Lu Haoxuan! He immediately arranged for Lu Haoxuan's photo to be sent to them.

He also informed them of Lu Haoxuan's mysterious disappearance and the suspicion that it was related to the evil cult, the Supreme God Sect. The Chuncheng police took the matter very seriously upon hearing the news and immediately organized personnel to track the train that had Baoshan as its final destination. Through surveillance footage, they discovered Lu Haoxuan's whereabouts...

After arranging these matters, Gu Changzheng realized that the call he had been trying to get through during his own conversation was from his master's wife, Wei Jie. He hurriedly called her back.

A trembling voice came from the other end of the line: "Changzheng! Is there any news about your master?"

Hearing the tone of her voice, Gu Changzheng hurriedly comforted her: "Master's wife, please don't worry. Master is fine. We are increasing our search efforts, and there will be definite news very soon!"

He had wanted to tell Wei Jie about what had just happened, but thought better of it, deciding to wait until the Chuncheng police confirmed his master's whereabouts so as not to cause the elderly woman unnecessary fear and anxiety.

Wei Jie seemed to hesitate for a moment, then said softly: "Mm, alright. Changzheng, remember to notify me the first moment you have any news!"

Gu Changzheng patiently comforted his master's wife, speaking in a soft, gentle voice for quite a while until he felt her emotions had stabilized slightly, only then slowly hanging up the phone. However, he did not rest for a second; his fingers quickly swiped across his phone screen, and he immediately dialed Gao Jianjun's number.

At this moment, Gu Changzheng had already made an important decision in his heart—he was going to Diannan in person! Once this thought took root, it was like a raging fire that could not be extinguished.

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the thin clouds, scattering across the earth. Gu Changzheng and Luo Fei appeared side-by-side on the platform for the train from Zizhen to Chuncheng. Each carried a simple travel bag, their postures as upright as pines, their gazes firm and sharp.

Speaking of this trip, it was actually closely related to their previous experience in Mangshi. During their last mission in Mangshi, an unexpected situation led to the failure of the operation, which had always weighed heavily on Luo Fei, who held himself to strict standards, leaving him filled with self-reproach and unwillingness to let it go. So, when he learned that Gu Changzheng intended to head to Diannan, he volunteered for the mission without hesitation.

Gu Changzheng naturally understood Luo Fei's request. He knew his partner's character and determination very well, knowing that Luo Fei was desperate to make up for his past regrets, and he also believed that Luo Fei's abilities would be a great asset to this trip to Diannan. Thus, after some consideration, Gu Changzheng gladly agreed, taking Luo Fei with him on this journey to Diannan.

It was already noon the next day when they arrived in Chuncheng. The Chuncheng Criminal Investigation Detachment had arranged for a captain to meet them. His surname was Han, a local of Chuncheng. He was not tall, looking to be no more than 170 centimeters, with a purplish-red face and a build that perfectly defined the term "burly." He was about the same age as Gu Changzheng, and perhaps because his face was so dark, his mouth full of white teeth was extremely conspicuous when he smiled.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Captain Han drove them to the Chuncheng Municipal Bureau in a semi-new Mitsubishi off-road vehicle. Gu Changzheng was preoccupied with his master and wanted to start the case briefing without even eating. Captain Han, though rough in appearance, was extremely meticulous in his heart; he didn't complain about working on an empty stomach, but instead arranged for local specialty rice noodles for everyone.

Gu Changzheng looked apologetically at Captain Han and the several criminal investigators: "Sorry to trouble you brothers, Captain Han. I'm just too anxious to know about my master's situation. I've made everyone suffer along with me!"

Captain Han chuckled: "Why are you being so polite with me! Besides, the brothers are used to it! It's fine, let's start while we eat!"

Gu Changzheng smiled and cupped his hands in a salute to everyone. One of the tall, thin young investigators, nicknamed "Little Sheep," turned on the projector. He showed the video of the young man who reported the crime getting off the train at the Chuncheng station, as well as the information on the two passengers in the lower berths beneath the young man's, which had been obtained through the railway police. Knowing that the two men's destination was the next stop, Baoshan, they tracked them there. After screening the passengers exiting the station, they discovered that the two people who had shared the same compartment as the young man had indeed purchased their tickets using fake identities: Lu Haoxuan and another young man named Xiang Feng!

At this point, their whereabouts were no longer hard to determine. Following the surveillance cameras, it was quickly discovered that after leaving the train station, they had boarded a long-distance bus, and the bus's destination was Mangshi!

However, after the police tracked them to Mangshi, it became difficult to find their trail. Gu Changzheng had already learned from Liang Yongjun, who was from Mangshi, that it was a relatively backward county with weak infrastructure, making it basically unrealistic to continue searching for the two through surveillance.

Upon learning that Lu Haoxuan had finally lost his trail in Mangshi, Luo Fei couldn't help but think of his own experience not long ago in a place called Mangdang Village within Mangshi. He glanced at Gu Changzheng, signaling that he wanted to speak. Gu Changzheng nodded slightly, and Luo Fei said loudly: "Captain Han, colleagues, let me say a few words. I was in Mangshi not long ago, and there should be a branch of the Supreme God Sect there." He then detailed his encounter in Mangdang Village.

"Therefore, I believe that if Master Lu was abducted by people from the Supreme God Sect, the final destination is very likely Mangdang Village, because I always feel there is a huge secret there!"

Hearing his statement, the crowd couldn't help but discuss it in low voices, especially after hearing him recount how the men in black intended to assassinate all the police officers. They couldn't help but marvel at how bold the Supreme God Sect was, and that they actually had such desperate thugs under their command!

Captain Han was furious upon hearing this! He glanced at the crowd and asked: "What does everyone think?"

Gu Changzheng wanted to express his opinion, but because he was operating on someone else's turf and needed their cooperation for many things, he remained silent, waiting for others' opinions. Sure enough, another slightly older investigator spoke up: "Captain Han, I think Comrade Luo's analysis is correct. I've stayed in that Mangdang Village before. The folk customs are simple, but it's located in a remote mountain area. The villagers are basically uneducated and quite superstitious, which fits the development of an evil cult like the Supreme God Sect that relies on mystification. However, although that place is just a village, it's not small, and currently, our mobile signals haven't covered that area. Transportation and communication are extremely inconvenient. It's not easy to find a few people there, or an evil cult that intends to hide!"

Captain Han heard this and said: "Old Liang and the others from Mangshi aren't here, but Long Gang from the Criminal Investigation Detachment is at home. I've already contacted him to report Master Lu's situation, but there's been no news yet."

As soon as he finished speaking, his phone started "beeping"!