Chapter 127

Chapter 127

Although Tang Qingqing felt helpless, she still scanned through all the files.

Compared to Qian Xin's disappearance case, the other cases had been ongoing for some time and were therefore more detailed.

These cases were significant because the evidence obtained was scarce, and manpower was insufficient, leading to delays.

Clearly, seeing her come on her own, they were eager to take advantage of her presence.

Tang Qingqing had rarely taken on cases in the past half year as she prepared for the college entrance exam. A single case from the Qingcheng District Police Station was enough to keep her busy, and while other districts occasionally approached her, such instances were rare.

Especially since she was still a student, everyone felt it inappropriate to exploit her too much.

But now that she had come herself, things were different.

However, from these files, it was evident that social order had become even more chaotic in the past half year, reaching a rampant state, necessitating strong measures by the state to deter crime.

Indeed, as Tang Qingqing had anticipated, a crackdown would begin next year.

Tang Qingqing was unaware of this; in another memory, she was stationed at the island military base at this time, where there was no such chaos, and the books did not mention these events.

She set aside the other cases and focused on Qian Xin's disappearance.

This was a critical period for finding Qian Xin; missing this opportunity would make it difficult to locate him again.

"Can we confirm that Qian Xin didn't run away to play?" Tang Qingqing asked.

Tang Qingqing only had information from Li Guifen, who, although Qian Xin's mother, might not truly understand her child at times.

Especially someone like Li Guifen, who doted on her child, would always see her child in a positive light, often providing biased information.

Xiao Wu, Tang Qingqing's intern, replied, "The probability of him running away to play is low. Qian Xin has been performing well both at school and at home recently. His friends haven't heard him mention any conflicts with anyone or at home. He enjoys company, so if he went out to play, he would have taken his friends along and wouldn't have gone alone. All his close friends are currently at home, and they returned home on time yesterday after school."

"Moreover, his final exams are coming up, which he takes very seriously, so it's unlikely he would run away before the exam."

Tang Qingqing was curious. "Why does he take this exam so seriously?"

"In the past, his academic performance was poor, always placing last. This semester, with a new class teacher, he studied hard and believes he won't be last this time."

Tang Qingqing chuckled but then sighed.

Having determined that Qian Xin likely did not run away to play, Tang Qingqing focused her attention on the case.

After the opening up, with many people becoming wealthy, some criminals began targeting the rich.

This led to an increase in kidnapping cases, with several unsolved ones still pending.

Often, it wasn't that the police were ineffective; some parents worried about their children's safety and complied with the kidnappers' demands, paying ransom without reporting it to the police.

Some kidnappers kept their word and released the hostages upon receiving the ransom.

However, others took the money and killed the hostages, fleeing before the victims' families could report the crime.

In those days, without internet connectivity or surveillance cameras, once the kidnappers escaped, it was challenging to catch them, leaving the cases unresolved.

Since the child had just been lost yesterday, there was limited information available, and Tang Qingqing quickly reviewed it.

There was little effective information, but it was clear that the Qian family had complex social relationships and numerous enemies.

Based on the current information, if it was an acquaintance who kidnapped Qian Xin, there were too many possibilities.

All three of Qian Xin's married sisters could be suspects.

The Qian family was a typical example of favoring sons over daughters. Despite being generous to their son, they were not as kind to their daughters.

Their success was partly due to their daughters and sons-in-law, but now that their business had grown, they became stingy towards them, wanting to leave their wealth solely to Qian Xin.

The eldest daughter's husband was imprisoned, yet they showed little concern for their daughter and sought to seize the resources he controlled.

For this reason, they had argued a month ago.

The other two daughters and their husbands also had similar conflicts, primarily over the distribution of benefits.

All these actions were driven by their desire to benefit their son, Qian Xin.

Apart from their daughters, they had made numerous enemies.

Xiao Wu said, "If it were a kidnapping for ransom, it's already the second day, and there's no sign of the kidnappers, which doesn't fit the usual pattern."

This was one of the reasons why it was believed that it might be an acquaintance seeking revenge.

"Could it be that they're lying low due to the heightened scrutiny?"

"It's possible. The Qian family reacted swiftly, organizing a search party and promptly reporting the incident to the police."

As soon as the child went missing, the Qian family organized a search and reported it to the police immediately.

Such a quick response was relatively uncommon.

For a child of this age to go out to play and not return right away was normal, and many parents would assume the child was playing at a friend's house or watching TV somewhere, delaying their return.

So most parents would first look around before reporting it to the police, rather than making a big fuss from the start.

But the Qian family only inquired with a few of Qian Xin's playmates, and when they said they hadn't seen him, they immediately took action.

This likely made the kidnappers wary of the police, fearing they would be traced, so they didn't dare send a ransom note.

After Tang Qingqing had a general understanding of the situation, she headed to Qian Xin's school.

Intern Xiao Wu also followed along, assisting not only out of duty but also with a mindset to learn.

Unlike usual, Li Gang did not deliberately keep his distance from Tang Qingqing, fearing it might affect her life; instead, he stayed close by her side.

Over the past two years, Li Gang and Hong Baoguo sometimes assisted Tang Qingqing during investigations, so they were quite accustomed to this role.

The area where Qian Xin's school and residence were located was considered one of the better-policed districts in Yang City, which was also why the local police rarely sought her help.

At this time, there were hardly any people on the streets, most shops were closed, but the houses mostly remained lit.

Those shops that were still open were often crowded with many people, layer upon layer, all trying to watch the shop's television.

Tang Qingqing: "There are quite a few shops here. Didn't anyone see Qian Xin when he left?"

Xiao Wu: "When Qian Xin left, it was dinnertime. Besides, the shops around here cater mainly to students, who would have mostly gone home by then, each busy with their own things."

"Anyone who saw Qian Xin only noticed him leaving the school gate and heading in the direction of home, and didn't pay further attention."

"What time did he leave the school?"

"It was already past six o'clock."

"That late?"

Nowadays, elementary school students usually finish classes around four o'clock. Logically, even if he had cleaning duties, it shouldn't take that long.

"He had some unfinished homework and needed to complete it first, hence the delay."

It wasn't just Qian Xin who had to catch up on homework; there were a few other classmates, including two of his best friends.

Because Qian Xin took a long time with his homework, they couldn't wait any longer, worried about getting scolded for being late, so they left without helping him clean up.

"Leaving so late, he must have been hungry. Did he not buy anything nearby?"

Tang Qingqing had met Qian Xin before. He was a rare sight these days—a chubby little boy, very sturdy and taller than his peers, indicating he had good meals regularly.

Back at the restaurant, he could eat a lot too.

A child like him would definitely be starving by six o'clock.

Moreover, he had money on him, so logically, he should have bought something to eat.

Xiao Wu paused, "During our investigation, no one mentioned this. I'll ask again later."

Tang Qingqing walked to the school gate, examined the ground, and ultimately sighed in resignation.

The street was cleaned every morning, and with so many children passing through, the concrete ground made it impossible to track footprints.

Tang Qingqing wasn't disappointed; she had anticipated this outcome.

After circling the school gate, Tang Qingqing and her team headed towards the shops still open.

Xiao Wu, still in his police uniform, called out to the shop owner, who immediately stopped watching TV and came out.

The people watching TV barely glanced over, quickly returning their attention to the screen, indifferent to their surroundings.

Since the investigation into Qian Xin's disappearance had already covered the area, the shop owner was not surprised to see Xiao Wu.

"Officer, what can I do for you?"

Xiao Wu showed the missing person poster of Qian Xin and asked, "Did this child buy anything from your shop yesterday?"

The shop owner shook his head vigorously: "No, he usually buys snacks here after school, but he didn't yesterday. I remember him well; I wouldn't forget."

Qian Xin spent generously, buying not only for himself but also for his classmates, so the shop owners around knew him well and spoke confidently.

"Did he go to another shop?"

"I didn't notice. I was eating and watching TV, just told him it was late and to go home soon, and didn't pay further attention."

Tang Qingqing: "Was there anything unusual about him?"

The shop owner thought for a moment: "He was just as usual, smiling happily. The kid is rich but easy to get along with."

Xiao Wu and Tang Qingqing moved on to the next shop, receiving similar responses.

At the third shop, as they were about to leave, the shop owner's daughter suddenly spoke up:

"I think I saw him turn a corner ahead, but I'm not sure."

The shop owner glared at his daughter, making the little girl shrink back.

The shop owner laughed awkwardly: "Officers, kids don't know better; they sometimes say things without thinking."

The little girl became upset, "I'm not making things up! I really saw him!"

The shop owner's face darkened: "Stop lying. You weren't even outside playing yesterday! These are police officers; lying can get you in trouble!"

The little girl, now scared, hid behind her father, eyeing Xiao Wu warily, fearing she might be taken away by the police officer.

Tang Qingqing smiled and waved at her: "Little sister, can you tell me what happened yesterday?"