Luo Wenwu had gone missing.
Luo Wenwu had actually gone missing.
The news shocked everyone to the point of nearly falling off their seats.
Had someone actually managed to abduct that large fellow?
Could they even lift him?
Hmm…
The focus seemed to have strayed a bit, but it didn't matter, as everyone had already pieced together what happened on the street that day.
"So, have those three policemen been found?"
"Not yet, but I've already gone to find Lu Jiao. He should know what's going on."
Li Yang's expression remained unchanged, but he was quite worried about Luo Wenwu. Upon learning of the bald man's disappearance, he immediately investigated the day's events and discovered that Luo Wenwu had been taken away by some policemen. He then questioned all the police stations in the city, but none admitted to it.
At that moment, Li Yang concluded that it was a case of imposters posing as the real thing, and the real officers had been captured by the fakes.
Soon, Lu Jiao arrived at the police station. Upon hearing about Luo Wenwu's disappearance, Lu Jiao's face turned grim. "Shopkeeper, it must be our manager behind this."
Lu Jiao explained that the pawnbroker's manager was named Qi Ge, a typical man who preyed on the poor. He used various methods like malicious lowball offers and setting up traps.
"Then why are you still working for him?" Lu Jiao detested such pawnshops the most, so why was he still employed there?
"Benefactor."
"Stop, you can call me Brother Hu."
"Brother Hu, you don't know the situation," Lu Jiao said. In reality, the pawnshop wasn't Qi Ge's property. He was merely a helper, just one with a slightly higher status than Lu Jiao.
The actual owner of the pawnshop was surnamed Fang, named Fang Guobin. However, as he had too many businesses, he left these operations to his subordinates.
"I'd long noticed that the manager was dishonest, and I was looking for an opportunity to bring him down," Lu Jiao said, appearing a bit embarrassed. "If I said I was doing this entirely to ensure better pawn prices for the poor, would you believe me?"
Although everyone nodded, Lu Jiao knew that many of them didn't believe him. After all, if a man doesn't look out for himself, heaven and earth will destroy him. But he didn't care; how could his original intention be dismissed so easily?
Lu Jiao explained that Qi Ge often used this trick to swindle people. For instance, the three ruffians who bumped into Luo Wenwu were there to stop Luo Wenwu, intending to make him pay compensation.
Once he paid, he would have no extra money to redeem his coat.
Over time, the coat would become the pawnshop's property. And this manager could then resell the coat, create false accounts, and pocket the money.
Even if the person eventually redeemed the item a month or two later, he wouldn't lose out. After all, he'd earned extra interest, leading to higher commissions.
Upon hearing Lu Jiao's explanation, everyone was outraged.
The lives of the poor were already difficult enough without being bullied by people like him. Zhan Ruoxuan immediately stepped forward, demanding to go teach him a lesson.
As everyone got caught up in the commotion, Li Yang, listening from the side, gradually felt that the conversation was veering off track.
Weren't they here to discuss rescuing Luo Wenwu? Why had it turned into a plan to "educate" Qi Ge?
Li Yang cleared his throat twice. "That's not right. You said those three were just there to stop Wenwu from redeeming his pawn. And he often does such things, but there's no reason for them to abduct the man. Providing food and lodging would be a huge loss, wouldn't it?"
Uh…
Lu Jiao only then realized that it did seem to be the case.
"Also, is your manager very familiar with the police station? Able to get police help?" Li Yang asked again.
Lu Jiao frowned, thinking for a moment. "Hmm, that doesn't seem right. No matter how boastful our manager is, he can't command the police. The extra month's interest he might gain through such schemes probably isn't enough to pay for a meal."
Indeed, Lu Jiao had hit the nail on the head.
Qi Ge's motive for having people stop Luo Wenwu was for money, and only a small amount at that. How could he possibly spend a large sum to enlist help just to get a small amount of money?
Therefore, Luo Wenwu's disappearance had a deeper mystery!
Hu Jia, who had been listening for a while, finally understood the twists and turns. "You guys, immediately go and investigate the identities of those police officers again. They were in uniform, so their targets were obvious. I don't believe you won't find any clues."
With that, he was about to leave when he noticed Lu Jiao's hopeful gaze. He paused, then turned and instructed Zhan Ruoxuan, "If you have nothing else to do, go and help him. I'll mention it to Qingqing later."
Zhan Ruoxuan was delighted, finally having a task to lead.
Although it was to help Lu Jiao catch Qi Ge, Qi Ge himself was not a good person, so it would be considered eliminating a menace for the people.
…
That afternoon, a merchant came to the pawnshop. The item he pawned was a family heirloom jade pendant. As soon as Qi Ge saw the pendant, he was certain it was extremely valuable. Thus, he used all his cunning to acquire the jade pendant at a very low cost.
After the pawnshop closed, Qi Ge slipped out the back door with the jade pendant tucked away.
In the darkness of the night, a little rabbit led the way, with a big bad wolf following behind.
Zhan Ruoxuan wasn't particularly skilled in many areas, but with his innocent, childlike face, he had successfully completed several tracking missions.
Practice made perfect, and he was now tailing Qi Ge.
"That's our pawnshop's storeroom," Lu Jiao reminded Zhan Ruoxuan as Qi Ge entered. According to regulations, once an item was pawned, it would be stored in a designated area.
However, these designated areas had distinctions. Ordinary items were kept in ordinary rooms, but more valuable items required rooms with better security.
The room Qi Ge entered was where precious items were stored.
A moment later, Qi Ge emerged. He glanced around left and right, his hands in his pockets as he walked away.
"He must have stolen something, perhaps that jade pendant of yours," Lu Jiao said excitedly, wanting to apprehend him.
Zhan Ruoxuan stopped him. "Don't rush. The fish has only bitten the hook; it could still get away."
Lu Jiao heard this and agreed. Unless Qi Ge was caught red-handed, he could always find a perfect excuse.
The two quietly followed, soon trailing Qi Ge to a small alley. They saw him knock on a door, and after a moment, a man with a small mustache appeared. As he opened the door, he subconsciously glanced behind Qi Ge, as if confirming no one was following.
Seeing that the area was deserted, the man with the mustache let Qi Ge in.
"Why is he here?" Lu Jiao asked, full of confusion.
"Do you know this place?" Zhan Ruoxuan inquired.
Lu Jiao nodded. He explained that this was the back door of an antique shop. The owner, Master Gou, had a working relationship with their pawnshop, specializing in repairing damaged antiques.
"Does your jade pendant have a flaw?" Lu Jiao asked, concerned for Zhan Ruoxuan.
"Nonsense. That's a treasure Captain Hu borrowed, it's perfectly fine. Besides, the pawn period hasn't ended. Even if there was a flaw, Qi Ge has no reason to bring it for repair."
"Could he have brought other jade pendants, or other items?" Lu Jiao murmured to himself. "But that doesn't make sense. There haven't been any antique items received at the shop recently. Moreover, even if he was bringing something for repair, he could have come during the day. Why sneak around at night?"
Zhan Ruoxuan raised an eyebrow. "Stop guessing, I'll go see for myself."
With that, he leaped a few times and scaled the wall.
Wait for me!