Chapter 88 10

Chapter 88.10

Their conversation continued.

Li Shang then analyzed, "To permanently silence Zhao Lunjiang and prevent him from implicating them, the best method is to destroy the evidence and make him vanish entirely."

He Lin understood, "Just like how Yu Jinghui was handled back then."

"Yes," Li Shang nodded gently. "If everything is as we previously analyzed, and Qin Youlai is the mastermind, he's a cautious man. The reason he hasn't killed Zhao Lunjiang all these years is because he still sees some value in him. He'll definitely choose a method he considers safe."

He Lin agreed, "We should also investigate any unusual activities in the Qin family's operations over the years."

As they discussed this, He Lin noticed the wound on Li Shang's brow. Li Shang had already treated it in the restroom, wiping away the blood and applying a band-aid.

He Lin suddenly felt a warmth on his neck and reached up, somewhat awkwardly, to touch it.

Then, he opened his desk drawer, took out a few purple-wrapped candies, and offered them to Li Shang.

He asked, "Your..."

Suddenly, the office door burst open from the outside.

Li Shang snatched the candies, instantly turned, and sat back in his seat. His cold fingers brushed He Lin's palm, making He Lin instinctively clench his fist. But Li Shang was too quick, almost touching and withdrawing in an instant, leaving He Lin with only a lingering chill in his hand.

Cheng Xiaoyi rushed in, looking disheveled, and placed her backpack on the desk. "I'm here. What do you need me to investigate?"

He Lin walked over and stood beside Cheng Xiaoyi. "The route of that black car tonight, the past ownership structure and related businesses of the Qin Corporation, and try to locate Qin Youlai and Zhao Lunjiang's phones to confirm their whereabouts..."

Cheng Xiaoyi began typing. Just then, the office door opened again, and Wu Yunsheng entered with Fang Jue.

They greeted the others and returned to their seats.

Outside, the night was deep, and a chilly wind swept up fallen leaves, whistling through the cold, deserted streets before silently disappearing into the darkness.

It was nearing midnight, but the office windows still glowed with indoor light.

The night was cold and dark, but dawn would eventually break.

.

As the first light of dawn appeared, another morning arrived, and sunlight streamed into the Missing Persons Investigation Unit's office.

Almost no one had slept. The whiteboard was covered with simple symbols, whose deeper meanings only the investigators could understand.

Li Shang sat before a mountain of documents, almost buried under the files. Fortunately, significant progress had been made overnight, and more links in the evidence chain were gradually becoming clear.

He Lin systematically placed important documents into a file folder, preparing for the upcoming meeting.

Cheng Xiaoyi applied eye drops and continued to focus intently on her screen.

Wu Yunsheng lowered his head to clean his service weapon.

Everyone was diligently making their final preparations.

Just then, Fang Jue hurried into the office with breakfast, and everyone began eating in silence.

Li Shang also forced himself to eat a little. He had a premonition that a tough battle might await them.

After breakfast, Li Shang stood up and said, "Everyone, get ready. We'll depart shortly."

The entire team, except for Cheng Xiaoyi who remained on duty, split into two groups.

He Lin prepared to attend the upcoming municipal meeting, while Wu Yunsheng, Fang Jue, and Li Shang would meet up with Lin Hui to search for Zhao Lunjiang.

The previous night, after securing the scene, Lin Hui had arranged for a tow truck to remove the damaged police car.

The Investigation Unit then collaborated with traffic police to issue a BOLO for Zhao Lunjiang, setting up strict checkpoints at various highway and national road exits.

With fewer cars at night and a concentrated police presence, Qin Youlai had no chance to smuggle anyone out of the city under such a tight dragnet.

However, by morning, with the onset of rush hour, those individuals might seize the opportunity to make a move.

For today's operation, Li Shang changed clothes in the duty room. He wore a black shirt under a tactical vest, topped with a black outer jacket.

His police firearm, knife, handcuffs, and other equipment were all in place, secured at his waist.

Finally, he put on a pair of black fingerless tactical gloves.

Dressed entirely in black, Li Shang appeared lean and capable, his pale complexion and lips giving him a stern, cold demeanor unlike his usual self. He stood straight-backed, his expression serious, like an unsheathed blade ready for action.

Intimidated by his aura, Fang Jue didn't dare speak to him and instead went to ride in the same car as his mentor.

Once in the car, Li Shang sat curled up in the back seat, eyes closed, head bowed in silence. The wound on his back still ached dully, and cold sweat occasionally beaded on his forehead, but he gritted his teeth and bore it silently.

In his mind, Li Shang carefully assessed which movements might be compromised by his injury in the upcoming confrontation.

He also reviewed the recent developments of the case in his thoughts.

After last night's thorough investigation, various signs indicated that it was likely Qin Youlai himself who had abducted Zhao Lunjiang. But for them, this might actually be a good thing.

The more desperate their opponent became, the more mistakes and vulnerabilities they would reveal.

Originally, they had worried about insufficient evidence to bring Qin Youlai and his group to justice. But now, if they could catch the other side in the act, it would be ironclad evidence, more convincing than any confession.

During last night's investigation, they conducted a comprehensive and meticulous search of properties owned by the Qin family and their relatives.

Subsequently, they made an unexpected discovery.

During the time of Yu Jinghui's disappearance, Qin Youlai's father-in-law had secretly acquired a remote, small-town livestock farm.

The farm employed several workers, appearing legal and compliant on the surface, but the wages the owner paid these people were suspiciously high. Even more suspicious was that among the workers were several ex-convicts.

Cheng Xiaoyi then accessed surveillance footage from intersections near the farm.

After careful comparison, they discovered that the farm's gates were always closed, with only an occasional car making deliveries inside. Nothing was ever seen being transported out. The pigs raised there were neither sold nor ever sent to slaughter.

Even the Qin family themselves did not consume the pork from this farm.

The farm had no business revenue, yet its annual expenses—electricity, refrigeration, feed procurement, and other costs—were substantial.

Clearly, Boss Qin was spending a fortune to keep these people employed.

They then studied more materials and quickly found that the farm originally operated on a combined breeding and slaughter model, with a slaughter facility on one side of the farm.

Soon after, Cheng Xiaoyi found complaints from nearby residents. Some said the factory made strange mechanical noises in the middle of the night, and others even reported hearing faint screams.

All evidence indicated that after acquiring the farm, Boss Qin had publicly claimed to halt slaughter operations, but in reality, some workshops might still be operating secretly...

As these shocking discoveries were presented one by one, a chill ran down everyone's spines, inevitably leading to dark suspicions.

Killing isn't difficult; getting rid of the body is.

After millennia of development in animal husbandry, people have perfected a complete set of procedures for slaughtering livestock.

Those pigs, sheep, and cattle are stunned with carbon dioxide, mercilessly hung on cold, large hooks, drained of blood, then gutted—their complete set of heart, liver, and internal organs are all removed and placed on trays. Next, giant saws split them open, dividing them into left and right halves.

Those incredibly sharp serrated blades can tear through any bone and flesh in the world.

The animal carcasses are divided into variously sized chunks of meat, chopped into ribs, ground into minced meat, minced into paste...

But what if what’s hanging isn’t livestock, but a human?

Like hiding a tree in a forest—a farm equipped with all the slaughtering facilities. There’s no more perfect way to dispose of a body.

When they analyzed this possibility, Fang Jue immediately ran out and vomited.

He probably wouldn’t want to eat meat for the next few days.

The others in the office also fell silent. Could this be the reason Yu Jinghui had completely vanished?

Everyone was asking themselves: to what extremes of madness could these people go?

He Lin and his team worked through the night finalizing the search plan for the farm and went to see Director Chen first thing in the morning.

After hearing their report, Director Chen hesitated for a long time, debating whether to bring in SWAT.

But since there was no solid evidence yet, if their inference was wrong and the police acted rashly, if they came up empty, it could leave them in a passive position.

At the critical moment, it was Li Shang’s calm remark, "I’ll go with them," that made up Director Chen’s mind.

The old man said, "Bring extra officers, coordinate with the Criminal Investigation Department, and keep a close watch on this farm. It’s best to wait for a suspicious vehicle to enter, then go in under the pretext of arresting a fugitive. Once there’s solid evidence, proceed with further action. Request more support anytime if needed."

The farm was located at the border of the town, out of the way and well-hidden. Several police cars set out early in the morning, heading in that direction.

Meanwhile, the police were also watching over a dozen properties under Qin Youlai’s name through various surveillance feeds, closely watching for any vehicles heading toward the farm.

Around 7 a.m., in one of the moving police cars, the radio suddenly came to life with Cheng Xiaoyi’s urgent voice: "A vehicle is on the move, heading toward the target location. Estimated arrival in thirty minutes."

Hearing this, Li Shang, who had been resting with his eyes closed in the back seat, suddenly opened them. His dark eyes turned cold as he looked ahead...

.

At the same time, Zhao Lunjiang, sitting in the car, nervously watched the scenery moving past outside the window.

Early that morning, he had been woken by Qin Youlai’s house manager, who said Young Qin Yuheng was taking him to check on the situation at a branch factory in town.

Qin Yuheng kept calling him "Uncle Zhao," so Zhao Lunjiang sleepily got ready and got into the car.

Qin Yuheng sat in the passenger seat, Zhao Lunjiang in the back, and then two men who looked like bodyguards sat on either side of him.

After driving for a while, Zhao Lunjiang glanced at the silent men on either side of him, nervously licking his lips. "Young Qin, is this the way to the branch factory?"

Having spent many years in Yuncheng, Zhao Lunjiang could tell the road was getting more and more remote. Something felt off.

Qin Yuheng said with a laugh. "Yes, Uncle Zhao. You’ve been in Jinzhou, so you might not know. The environmental regulations are tight here in Yuncheng now, so the branch factory is in a bit of a remote location."

"Will we make it back in time?" Zhao Lunjiang put on a smile. "The conference officially ends today, and I was planning to catch a taxi back. If there are any changes, I should at least let my family know, to reassure them."

Qin Yuheng smiled. "Don’t worry, Uncle Zhao. My dad specifically asked me to take good care of you. After dinner tonight, we’ll have the driver take you back. You’ll definitely make it."

Zhao Lunjiang nodded, feeling a bit better. "How time flies. I used to hold you when you were little."

For a moment, the car fell silent again. After another ten minutes or so, Zhao Lunjiang still felt something was wrong. He lowered his head, sweat beading on his forehead, and trembling, he reached for his backpack. His phone was inside—pressing the power button five times would trigger an emergency call.

But Qin Yuheng noticed his movement and signaled the guys in the back. The man beside Zhao Lunjiang moved, snatching the backpack and phone from his hands with a quick move.

Zhao Lunjiang’s face instantly turned pale. "Young Qin, what is the meaning of this?"

Before he could finish, Qin Yuheng muttered a curse, his expression completely changed. "Old man, do you know how much trouble your carelessness caused us? You’re wanted now. Yesterday, we blocked the cell signal at the estate so the police couldn’t track your phone. Now that we’re out of the city, I don’t have the patience to keep pretending."

"What? Wanted? What are you planning?" Zhao Lunjiang suddenly understood why his phone hadn’t been able to send messages since last night. He had thought it was just poor signal.

"Hel—" Zhao Lunjiang managed to cry out once before his throat was grabbed.

The other man beside him also moved in. Zhao Lunjiang’s hands were restrained, and a gag was stuffed into his mouth. He mumbled cries for help, struggling desperately.

Qin Yuheng shut off his phone right in front of him and yanked the SIM card.

Then, a black hood was shoved over his head.

Zhao Lunjiang was terrified, his legs trembling uncontrollably. All he could hear was the wind whistling outside and the sound of tires on the pavement. The car drove onward, carrying him toward an unknown fate...

.

When the agreed time arrived, He Lin walked downstairs to find Director Chen’s black Hongqi car parked at the entrance.

He Lin greeted Director Chen in the back seat and was about to get into the passenger side when Director Chen waved him over. "Come, sit in the back with me."

Once He Lin was in the car, Secretary Liu started the engine.

Director Chen pointed to his own seatbelt and reminded He Lin, "Even in the back seat, you should buckle up."

He Lin reached for the belt, wincing slightly as it crossed his ribs, but he gritted his teeth and endured the pain.

After he fastened it, Director Chen said, "I had an old mentor, a principled bureau director. He died suddenly on his way to a meeting once. When those people can’t win fairly, they play dirty."

He Lin gave a grunt of acknowledgment; he had experienced just that last night.

"You’ve all been working hard lately," Director Chen said with a smile. "So, are you nervous now?"

He Lin answered truthfully, "Not really."

"Good," Director Chen said. "Remember, I’m here too. This old man wasn't raised on fear. Back when I was in the anti-gang task force, the gang leaders I dealt with were a lot more arrogant than these people. Though I’m not as strong as I used to be, I can still look after my team."

He Lin, holding a file folder, just grunted again.

Director Chen noticed his reticence and guessed the reason. "You’re worried about their mission, aren’t you?" He patted He Lin’s leg. "Don’t worry. You have to trust your comrades."

Then Director Chen called out to the front, "Secretary Liu, put on *Taking Tiger Mountain by Strategy*."

Secretary Liu acknowledged, and turned on the audio. The familiar opera singing soon filled the car.

Director Chen closed his eyes, tapping to the rhythm with a finger, and hummed along: "Let the red flag fly across the world, even if it means charging through fire and sword. I wish I could command the flying snow to turn into spring water, bringing spring to transform the world!"