"You should hurry and apprehend those individuals; surely, something can be extracted from their confessions. As for their laboratory and personnel, based on the information I obtained from the Ding family, it's either at Five Finger Mountain or the old Tang family residence." Zhang Liunian pointed to the photograph of Ding Xiaoyue among the more than a hundred victims. Though the photo was black and white, Ding Xiaoyue's features were unmistakable; not everyone possessed such distinctive looks. Officer Tu stroked his chin as he carefully examined the evidence. After a long pause, he requested Zhang Liunian to accompany him in apprehending the suspects.
However, Zhang Liunian wished to refuse. "Yesterday, I received a call saying my mother had gone missing. I want to go look for her." The moment he spoke, Officer Tu's mouth parted slightly, but in the end, he uttered not a single word, nor did he permit Zhang Liunian to leave. "No, we're going to investigate shortly, and you must cooperate with us. If your claims are true, it will be credited to you, and you will be duly rewarded. However, if the intelligence is false, you will also be punished. Therefore, for the time being, you cannot leave." Officer Tu had no intention of letting Zhang Liunian go.
Zhang Liunian was somewhat surprised. He knew that informants were generally allowed to leave, which was why he had rushed to report the incident so he could then attend to his mother's affairs. He hadn't anticipated that Officer Tu would refuse to let him go. Officer Tu, noticing his confusion, replied, "This matter is of great importance and has severe implications. If it were to be exposed, the entire nation would be shocked. For such a serious crime, you must actively cooperate with our investigation. At the very least, you'll only be allowed to leave after we've gathered conclusive evidence at the breeding farm."
"But my mother..."
"I will dispatch officers to help you search."
"..."
Zhang Liunian was ultimately detained by Officer Tu. The entire morning passed, and no police action was taken. Zhang Liunian grew anxious and borrowed a phone to call Zhangjiacun. "Big brother, how is it? Have you seen the eighteen uncles?"
"Yes, we've seen them. They said no one entered Nancheng. They kept watch all night, and Mom is still nowhere to be found. What on earth is going on?" Zhang Liushui sounded extremely worried on the other end of the line.
Zhang Liunian was silent for a moment before speaking grimly, "Mom might have gotten into trouble because of me. I didn't tell you, but a few days ago, my Qingqing and Huabao also went missing. Qingqing was taken by my wife's family, but Huabao was taken by the Tang family. This might be a counterattack by the Tang family if they slipped up."
"What? How could the Tang family do such a thing? Can they really cover the sky with one hand in Nancheng?"
"Not the whole sky, but half of it."
"..." Zhang Liushui was speechless. After a moment, he asked again, "What should we do now?"
"I've already reported it to the police, but we can't rely solely on these servicemen. We have to take action too. Listen to me..." Zhang Liunian instructed his elder brother on the next steps, seemingly oblivious to Officer Tu, whose eyes flickered outside the door without appearing.
In the afternoon, Officer Tu, along with Zhang Liunian, left the station and headed for the breeding farm. However, when they stormed the basement, they found none of the things Zhang Liunian had described. Instead, it was a perfectly normal basement for storing pig feed.
"How could this be?" Zhang Liunian was shocked to see the basement, so drastically changed in just one morning. Then, as if realizing something, he abruptly turned to look at Officer Tu. Zhang Liunian's gaze made Officer Tu extremely uncomfortable; his eyes flinched, but he quickly regained his composure. Yet, Zhang Liunian saw this subtle movement clearly. "Why?" he asked. Why would they do this? Zhang Liunian never expected Officer Tu to betray him at the last minute. Otherwise, he wouldn't have come to him to submit evidence. Wait, this case was so major, why wasn't it reported? Why was the bureau so calm? Could it be that from the beginning, he never intended to expose this matter?
Officer Tu closed his eyes. "You filed a false report and obstructed official duties. Come with us, you'll be detained for a few days!"
"..."
Zhang Liunian wanted to argue, but looking at the transformed basement, nothing he said seemed to matter. He didn't realize, however, that just as he was being taken back to the station by Officer Tu, his two shops were being vandalized and looted. Although Zhang Ziping and Du Ziteng were present, it still affected normal business operations.
"Where did Brother Liunian go? Why hasn't he returned?" Du Ziteng looked at the damaged shop with a troubled expression.
"Boss's mother is missing, he must be looking for her," said Grandpa Huang, tidying up with a somber demeanor.
"Alas, why are there so many problems recently?" Du Ziteng sighed and resignedly began to clean up. Grandpa Huang didn't say much and continued his work.
"I've handled the matter. The laboratory has been safely moved, and Zhang Liunian won't be able to get out. Now, can you tell me the whereabouts of my daughter?" Officer Tu approached a secluded location and spoke to a stranger. The man heard this and curved his lips. "Come closer, and I'll tell you." Officer Tu's heart skipped a beat, and his hand instinctively reached back. But before he could act, the man turned and ran, leaving only the words, "I'll tell you next time," before disappearing.
"You're playing me!" Officer Tu was furious at this, drawing his pistol without hesitation, but his finger couldn't pull the trigger for a long time. In the end, he watched the other person vanish. "Damn it, damn it!" Officer Tu was so angry he smashed the wall. After a long while, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.
"Who?" Officer Tu spun around abruptly, only to be stunned on the spot the next instant.
"What? I can leave?" Half an hour later, Zhang Liunian was released from the police station. He was told he was free to go home as there was nothing against him. Zhang Liunian walked out in confusion, looking back repeatedly, trying to understand what was going on. But no matter what, he was out now and could search for his mother.
"Ziteng, Old Huang, what happened?" Arriving at the old shop, Zhang Liunian saw the mess and strode forward to inquire. He was told that Brother Tang had once again brought people to smash his shop. Zhang Liunian was enraged. The Tang family was too despicable; the elders kidnapped, and the younger generation smashed shops. They were rotten from top to bottom.
"Let them clean up. Ziteng, Old Huang, you come out with me." Zhang Liunian intended to visit the Tang family to find out what they wanted.
"Okay," Du Ziteng and Old Huang agreed and followed him to the Tang family home. Coincidentally, as they arrived, another police officer was visiting the old Tang family residence with a search warrant.
"What breeze brings Director Wang here? Please forgive our lack of proper reception." The one opening the door was Tang Shikang. When he saw who it was, his heart sank. Even the deputy director was here? It seemed they had indeed investigated something. A hint of gloom flickered in Tang Shikang's eyes, but he kept his expression neutral.