Chapter 29 06

Chapter 29.06

In the temporary interrogation room, Li Shang and He Lin were both stunned upon hearing Yu Wanying's response and witnessing her subtly triumphant smile.

They saw in the girl's eyes a fierce desire for victory; everything unfolding was her way of releasing pent-up emotions. The scales of victory tipped in her favor, yet this subtly drew her deeper into a darker abyss.

Their original strategy was for He Lin to play the "bad cop," applying pressure, while Li Shang acted as the "good cop" to encourage Yu Wanying to confide in them.

Initially, things progressed smoothly, and Yu Wanying's emotions showed fluctuations. However, it was clear their plan had failed.

At the crucial moment, the girl seemed to have donned an impenetrable emotional armor. She quickly re-established her psychological defenses, regained her composure, and denied everything outright.

Unwilling to concede, He Lin pressed on with several more questions. Yu Wanying, however, appeared to have deciphered their tactics. No longer swayed by emotion, she responded with composure and ease.

She lowered her eyes slightly, sighing softly as she said, "They've all been very kind to me. There's no bad blood between us. I truly hope the police can find them soon."

With a hint of sarcasm, the girl added, "Also, as police officers, you should believe less in superstitious nonsense and read fewer unrealistic novels. That would actually be more helpful for your investigations."

Though feeling a touch of helplessness, He Lin, mindful that the girl was still a minor, managed to control his emotions and calmly accepted her suggestion: "Thank you for your cooperation and advice. We will get to the bottom of this."

He then turned, exchanging a glance with Li Shang. A trace of regret lingered in both their eyes.

They knew in their hearts that they had missed the optimal moment for a breakthrough in this interrogation. Now, getting the girl to speak again would be exceedingly difficult.

Given ample time and suitable circumstances, they might have employed more sophisticated interrogation techniques to gradually erode her will and breach her psychological defenses.

But with the current urgency, and Yu Wanying being a minor, they couldn't resort to overly aggressive methods. Prolonging the interrogation would not only fail to yield results but could also invite further complications.

Moreover, despite the girl's highly suspicious demeanor, without concrete evidence, they, as police officers, were bound by law to conduct their investigation properly. They could not coerce her or detain her arbitrarily.

After a brief deliberation, He Lin made a decisive call to temporarily suspend the interrogation.

He stood up and said, "Teacher Zhou, our questioning concludes here. Please take her back now."

Hearing this, Teacher Zhou seemed to exhale a sigh of relief, quickly stepping forward to escort Yu Wanying out of the room.

After they left, Li Shang lowered his gaze, asking with a hint of doubt, "Was there something wrong with my line of questioning earlier?"

"No, the problem wasn't with you." Although Yu Wanying's emotional shift occurred during Li Shang's questioning, He Lin harbored no blame. Instead, he calmly analyzed the core issue: "Yu Wanying must have once been in a situation where she felt her thoughts were being read. Later, for some reason, that state was resolved. She saw through those people's schemes, which is why our approach failed with her."

He Lin took the responsibility upon himself: "I didn't consider this possibility thoroughly enough at the outset."

Li Shang seemed to disregard He Lin's attempt at reassurance. He remained with his head bowed, replaying the interrogation in his mind, searching for any subtle clues. Just as Li Shang was getting lost in his thoughts, He Lin beside him suddenly stretched, letting out a long yawn.

The temporary interrogation room was merely a vacant classroom, furnished with old, discarded desks and chairs that hadn't yet been removed. For a tall man like He Lin, squeezing into such furniture was quite uncomfortable.

He Lin draped his arm over the back of Li Shang's chair, making it appear as if he were embracing his shoulder from behind.

Li Shang's thoughts were broken by He Lin's dramatic gesture, and he frowned, looking at him.

He Lin shrugged and said earnestly to Li Shang, "Alright, stop overthinking it. Anyone asking would have gotten the same result. The key questions are limited, and one of them was bound to trigger her defense mechanism—it's unavoidable. Besides, it's not a complete loss. At least we've confirmed that Yu Wanying is the key figure in the disappearance. We'll find more clues; we're bound to cross paths with her again."

At this, He Lin let out a long sigh and looked at Li Shang with utmost seriousness, saying, "As a police officer, being lectured multiple times a day by a young girl is... well, pretty frustrating."

Li Shang stared, wide-eyed, at He Lin, who was acting so uncharacteristically informal, momentarily speechless. But soon, he grasped the keywords in He Lin's statement and instantly understood the crux of the matter.

So that was it. No wonder Yu Wanying's emotions had shifted so dramatically. It wasn't that their interrogation method was flawed; she had anticipated what the police would ask and had mentally prepared herself in advance.

If the term "mind-reading" was the key that unlocked Yu Wanying's heart, releasing the vulnerable part seeking help, then there must also be a "safe word" that reactivated her self-protection mechanism, locking that innocent, naive part away again.

And that word might just be "missing persons."

So no matter how emotional she was before, once she heard that safe word, Yu Wanying's psychological defenses would rebuild, even stronger than before.

Reflecting on this, Li Shang felt a pang of both sympathy and admiration for this young girl, Yu Wanying. What kind of suffering must she have endured to develop such formidable mental resilience at her age?

The frustration that had weighed heavily on his mind now completely dissipated as he grasped the crucial point of this interrogation process.

No, this wasn't the end. The truth extended far beyond this, and he still had much work to do.

Li Shang turned his head and met He Lin's smiling eyes. Facing those incredibly familiar features, Li Shang's heart rate quickened involuntarily. His throat felt as if it were burning, and an indescribable heat radiated from within.

He opened his mouth, about to say something.

Just then, their phones vibrated simultaneously, messages flooding the screens.

As He Lin pulled out his phone to check, Detachment Commander Jin from the Criminal Investigation Department poked his head through the doorway and greeted them, "Oh, Captain He, still busy with the students?"

He Lin couldn't be bothered with his sarcastic tone and instead asked, "How's your progress?"

Detachment Commander Jin replied boastfully, "Not bad, we've made some good headway. We confirmed that Zhang Yan took his family's DSLR camera when he left home, saying he was going to take photos for classmates. We also tracked down the ride-share car he booked—it dropped the four of them near Qingshan Camp. This aligns with the earlier information."

He couldn't resist adding, "Our team is preparing to withdraw from the school. Looks like you guys didn't make much progress, huh?"

His implication was clearly mocking He Lin and his team for pursuing the wrong direction.

He Lin, however, acted as if he hadn't heard the sarcasm and said expressionlessly, "Oh, good. Glad you're making progress. Also, we're parallel departments—no need to report your withdrawal to me separately."

Jin Tingrui's provocation fell flat. He coughed dryly a few times and sheepishly pulled his head back.

Li Shang, meanwhile, opened a map on his phone, carefully comparing it with the information from the Criminal Investigation Department.

Qingshan Camp wasn't far from here, nestled against the mountains. The area was vast and desolate, dotted with abandoned construction sites and relocated factories.

Without more precise coordinates, finding the missing persons would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

At that moment, their work group chat suddenly buzzed with shocking news: "Someone claiming to be the kidnapper called the parents!"

This turn of events caught them completely off guard. It was only 10:30 in the morning, just over ten hours since the children had left home. The two had just clarified the relationships between the students and were preparing to investigate further when a kidnapper suddenly emerged.

He Lin reacted swiftly, leading Li Shang quickly toward the temporary police office.

Lin Hui was inside, directing operations. Seeing them enter, he quickly stood up and moved aside: "You're here because of the message too? The call was made to Wu Yingying's mother."

He Lin asked urgently, "Has the audio been sent over?"

"Officers were already with the parents and monitored their phones," Lin Hui said, pointing to the office computer. "The audio just came through. Listen quickly."

He Lin took one headphone and handed another to Li Shang. Both focused intently, putting on the headphones and listening closely to the phone recording.

The recording featured a noticeably voice-disguised, rough voice speaking slowly and hoarsely.

"Hello, is this Wu Yingying's mother?"

A woman's anxious voice replied, "Yes, who is this?"

"Listen carefully. Your daughter and her classmates are with me. Get one million ready in ransom for each person, and I'll let them go. Otherwise, I'll tear up the ticket."

"Where are they? I need to confirm my daughter's safety first."

"You'll get it later." The voice on the phone skipped the question without hesitation. "I want unmarked bills, prepared by tomorrow."

"Such a large sum of cash, we need time to prepare." Clearly, there were officers quietly coaching the woman beside her, trying to stall the kidnapper with words to prevent him from hanging up too quickly, so the police could obtain a more accurate location through technical means.

"Two days, two days at most. Put the money in a black backpack."

"Alright, I'll prepare it. You must ensure the children's safety. How should I deliver the money to you?"

"I'll contact you again."

Then, the call ended.

After listening, He Lin looked up and asked Lin Hui, "Did any follow-up videos or photos come through?"

Lin Hui shook his head helplessly. "No, the phone was powered off right after the call. However, the parents discussed it and decided to prepare the cash as instructed. Our team will be involved throughout the process. If the kidnapper calls again, we must find a way to ask for the exchange location to set up ahead of time."

At the very least, for the desperately anxious parents, this sudden call offered a glimmer of hope that their children were still alive.