Chapter 166

Peng Weibing's eyes were no longer as murky as before, replaced by clarity and solemnity. He lowered his voice and said slowly: "This place has been deeply infiltrated by the Supreme God Sect, to an extent far beyond your imagination! Take this Mangdang Village, for example. There are only 385 households in total, but basically, every household has only left-behind elderly people guarding their homes alone. Situations like Cui Jiao Laohan's are simply common here!"

Hearing this, Gu Changzheng couldn't help but be shocked and exclaimed: "What? It's actually reached such a serious point!"

Peng Weibing nodded slightly and continued to narrate slowly: "This place is located in a remote area, which can be called a poor and backward place. Transportation is extremely inconvenient, the land is barren, food is difficult to grow, and there are no other side businesses to make a living. If there is any advantage to this place, I'm afraid it's just that it's relatively close to the national border." Speaking of this, he paused slightly, then continued: "What's even more astonishing is that almost every household here will have a child like Zhang Qizhi. Of course, these children were not bought by them with their own money, but were fostered in various families by the Supreme God Sect!"

Gu Changzheng widened his eyes, his face full of disbelief, and muttered to himself: "There is actually such a thing happening? Isn't this so-called collective criminal behavior?" Immediately after, he couldn't help but ask Peng Weibing: "Is it possible that none of them realize that doing this is illegal?"

"Hehe! For a group of mountain villagers who can't fill their stomachs, abundant material is more important than whether it's illegal or not. Besides, everyone does it this way. If there really are one or two households that don't want to do it, wouldn't they become outliers? Then you think, how can they live here?" Peng Weibing sighed.

Then, he stared at Gu Changzheng thoughtfully, a deep meaning that was hard to describe flowing in his eyes: "Captain Gu, regarding that mysterious letter left by Master Lu, what kind of secret is hidden in it? Is it time to reveal it to me now?" Gu Changzheng's gaze was like two sharp flashes of lightning, piercing straight into Peng Weibing's eyes. He replied expressionlessly: "Master warned me in the coded letter to be extra vigilant about the local police!"

Hearing this, Peng Weibing's face did not show the slightest surprise. He slowly extended his right hand, gently stroking his chin, and after pondering for a moment, said: "Did Master Lu not clearly point out the specific object to be wary of? For example, which police officer or which department?" Gu Changzheng shook his head slightly, and replied in a heavy tone: "No, the situation was urgent at the time, and the length of the paper was very limited. Besides, I guess it was already not easy for Master to risk leaving such a warning. Perhaps he hadn't yet found out who the mastermind was!"

Peng Weibing nodded suddenly, expressing understanding. Immediately after, he began to scratch his head and mutter to himself: "This is really confusing! Since it's not me, it's even more impossible for Old Yin. Then who could it be? Could it be that there is a mole we don't know about lurking in the police station?" At this moment, Gu Changzheng suddenly burst into laughter and teased: "Haha, stop racking your brains and guessing blindly here! Master's coded letter only has this much useful information. I really don't know anything! If you want to say who knows the situation best in their heart, I'm afraid it's none other than you, the 'local snake' who is familiar with the local situation, right?"

"This, can't be said indiscriminately!" Peng Weibing suddenly became serious, but he couldn't be serious for even three seconds before he saw him mysteriously lean close to Gu Changzheng and say in a low voice: "Haven't you heard? A nursery rhyme is popular here: Big ghosts and little ghosts sit in a row, the Supreme God Sect comes to take the helm; dolls, dolls, don't cry, the God Sect will feed you until you're full. This nursery rhyme seems simple, but it reveals an evil nature. Every time a child cries and makes a fuss, as long as this nursery rhyme is recited, the child will immediately quiet down." There was a trace of fear in Peng Weibing's eyes.

Gu Changzheng frowned, "This must be related to the Supreme God Sect. Maybe it's a kind of suggestion or control method."

"I think so too. Before, villagers secretly told me that sometimes at night, they would see some black shadows wandering around the village, as if they were guarding something. And those fostered children, their eyes would occasionally flash with strange light, as if they were being manipulated by something." The more Peng Weibing said, the more excited he became.

Gu Changzheng pondered for a moment and said: "It seems we have to investigate the secrets behind those children and this nursery rhyme. Maybe this is the key to uncovering the conspiracy of the Supreme God Sect."

Peng Weibing nodded, "No time to lose. Let's start investigating from near Cui Jiao Laohan's house. That place is closer to the mountain, and we might find some clues." After speaking, the two walked toward Cui Jiao Laohan's house.

The group came to Cui Jiao Laohan's house. Things had already changed here. Cui Jiao Laohan was killed by the Supreme God Sect, and the child Zhang Qizhi who was fostered in his house had also been taken away by the police, leaving only Cui Jiao Laohan's sister-in-law, who later also left this village. At this time, the Cui family courtyard was left with only one empty room!

Seeing this familiar house, Luo Fei said: "Director Peng, do the residents here have the habit of digging cellars themselves?" He thought of the cellar in the Cui family and asked.

"Mm, basically! People in the mountains like to pickle some wild game or something, and putting it in the cellar is easy to preserve, so basically every household has a small cellar." After Peng Weibing finished speaking, he said: "Does this have any connection to the case?"

Luo Fei said awkwardly: "No, nothing, I just remembered the cellar I saw in the Cui family last time."

"Cellar?" Gu Changzheng seemed to think of something, and he hurriedly asked Peng Weibing: "Director Peng, are there any caves on the mountain nearby?"

"Cave?" Peng Weibing was stunned for a moment, then said: "To tell you the truth, I am familiar with every corner of this area. I have also thought about the possibility you mentioned. About 10 miles west from here, there is a natural cave, but..." He paused for a moment and then continued: "I have been to that place several times, and I didn't find anything special!"

Gu Changzheng thought for a while and said: "Director Peng, take us to see it again!"

Peng Weibing thought that he could find clues that so many of his people had ignored at the crime scene earlier, so he thought maybe there could be some gains?

So he said: "Alright, let's set off!" As he spoke, he took big strides and turned to leave! Luo Fei said: "Director Peng, are we going to walk all those ten miles?" Peng Weibing stared with wide eyes and said: "Mm! It's all mountain roads, the car can't go!"