Chapter 81: Missing Persons Case

The missing persons are all residents of the slums, men and women, old and young, and the disappearances have occurred mostly in the past few months.

"Sir Li," Jiang Xiaomu summoned Li Wenqing.

"These missing-person cases, do they have any common points?"

Li Wenqing thought for a moment, then said:

"Common point? They're all residents of the slums."

"Before disappearing, they showed no abnormal behavior; it was as if they vanished into thin air."

"Vanished into thin air?"

Jiang Xiaomu repeated those four words, his unease growing.

"Sir," a constable rushed in.

"Someone else has gone missing in the western slums!"

Jiang Xiaomu sprang to his feet and said, "Take me to see!"

The slums remained as dilapidated as ever.

"Who is missing?" Jiang Xiaomu asked.

"It's Old Liu's grandson, Xiao Shitou," a neighbor said through tears.

"He was playing at the doorstep this morning, and in the blink of an eye he was gone."

Jiang Xiaomu looked around and saw that the slum residents' faces were filled with fear.

"Sir Li, immediately seal off the slums—no one allowed in or out!"

Jiang Xiaomu gave the order decisively.

Li Wenqing hesitated a little, but still carried it out.

Jiang Xiaomu frowned, his fingers tapping the table and emitting a dull 'thud-thud' that sounded especially sharp in the quiet yamen.

Following Jiang Xiaomu's instructions, Li Wenqing sent out all available constables to inquire about the missing persons throughout the city.

They investigated their social ties, whether they had enemies, any abnormal behavior before disappearing, and even what they usually liked to eat and drink, leaving no detail unchecked.

However, after several days, they turned up nothing.

These missing persons seemed to have evaporated from the human world, leaving no trace.

"Could it be… her again?" Jiang Xiaomu muttered, the nightmare figure of Shapozi appearing in his mind.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Mr. Jiang, what did you say?"

Li Wenqing didn't catch what Jiang Xiaomu said.

Jiang Xiaomu shook his head, pushing those terrifying memories aside.

"Nothing, just wondering if it might be the work of some trafficker organization."

Li Wenqing sighed:

"But… aside from the victims all being slum residents, these missing-person cases have nothing in common."

"Moreover, no trace has been found of these missing persons leaving the city."

Jiang Xiaomu rose and walked to the window, gazing at the overcast sky outside, his unease growing.

"Perhaps we should change our approach," he suddenly said.

Li Wenqing lifted his head and looked at him doubtfully:

"Mr. Jiang, what are your lofty opinions?"

The slums, with muddy lanes and crooked thatched huts.

"Mr. Jiang, we've turned this area upside down, yet still found no clues."

Li Wenqing wiped sweat from his forehead, his tone weary.

Jiang Xiaomu remained silent, his sharp gaze sweeping every corner.

"Could it really be… vanishing into thin air?"

Jiang Xiaomu muttered to himself, his brow furrowed.

The shadow of Shapozi once again enveloped his heart, filling him with an inexplicable fear.

That was Jiang Xiaomu's nightmare he couldn't shake off!

"Mr. Jiang, it's getting late; we should head back for now."

Li Wenqing urged: "Perhaps tomorrow will bring new discoveries."

Jiang Xiaomu sighed, knowing that staying longer would be of no avail.

He rose, brushed off the dust on his clothes, turned and left the slums.

Returning to his residence, his younger sister Jiang Xiaoyu sat at the table gnawing a meat bun; seeing Jiang Xiaomu return, she leapt off the stool and flung herself into his arms.

"Big brother, you're back!"

Jiang Xiaoyu called out sweetly, her face smeared with grease.

Jiang Xiaomu ruffled his sister's hair, forced himself to cheer up, and squeezed out a smile:

"Xiao Yu, have you been good today?"

"Very good!" Jiang Xiaoyu puffed out her chest proudly.

"I even bought you your favorite osmanthus cake!"

Jiang Xiaomu took the pastry Jiang Xiaoyu handed him, and a warm feeling welled up inside him.

He picked up a piece of cake, chewed it slowly, but his thoughts drifted to the missing-persons cases in the slums.

"Big brother, what's wrong? Have you run into some trouble?"

Jiang Xiaoyu sensitively sensed Jiang Xiaomu's oddness and asked with concern:

Jiang Xiaomu shook his head, not wanting his sister to worry.

Nothing much, just a little tired.

"Oh." Jiang Xiaoyu nodded, half-understanding, then said mysteriously:

"Brother, when I went to buy pastries today,"

"I saw the chef using a very pretty mold to imprint patterns on the pastries—it looked wonderful!"

"Mold? Patterns?" Jiang Xiaomu froze for a moment, a flash of inspiration suddenly crossing his mind.

He recalled the wheel marks he had seen on the ground in the slums, which, though uneven in depth, did indeed exist.

"Xiao Yu, what shape is the mold you mentioned?"

Jiang Xiaomu asked urgently.

"Hmm..." Jiang Xiaoyu tilted her head and thought.

"It's round, with patterns on the side, and many designs on top..."

Jiang Xiaomu sprang to his feet, the doubts in his mind gradually becoming clear.

He snatched the pastry from the table and carefully examined the patterns on it.

"Sir Li!" Jiang Xiaomu shouted, turned, and rushed out the door.

Li Wenqing was organizing files in the Xian Ya office when he heard Jiang Xiaomu's voice and hurried out.

"Mr. Jiang, what's wrong? What happened?"

"I... I know where those missing people went!"

Jiang Xiaomu's tone was urgent, excitement flashing in his eyes.

"Oh? What have you found, Mr. Jiang?"

Li Wenqing looked at him doubtfully.

"Sir Li," Jiang Xiaomu said urgently, his voice tinged with excitement.

"Do you still remember the wheel ruts we saw on the ground at the slum entrance?"

Li Wenqing froze for a moment, then said while recalling:

"I remember. What's up? Those marks are chaotic, looks like they were left by passing vehicles."

"No, Sir Li," Jiang Xiaomu shook his head.

"Think carefully: although the marks are messy, two of them run continuously."

"Moreover, the incoming marks are shallow, while the outgoing ones are deep."

Li Wenqing furrowed his brows, thought carefully, and indeed it was as Jiang Xiaomu said.

He suddenly realized and said:

"Mr. Jiang, you mean... the vehicle was light when coming in and heavy when going out?"

"Exactly!" Jiang Xiaomu's eyes flashed with sharp light.

"This shows that those missing people were likely hidden inside the vehicle and transported out!"

Li Wenqing sucked in a breath of cold air; this explanation, though bold, was extremely reasonable.

He paced back and forth anxiously, muttering to himself:

"Hidden in the vehicle... transported out... but where are they taking these people?"

Jiang Xiaomu picked up an osmanthus cake, held it under his nose and sniffed lightly, but the pastry's sweet fragrance could not dispel his unease.