The police instructed the couple not to leave Shangshuang City in the near future and to keep their phones available 24/7. If needed, they would be contacted in advance to assist with the investigation.
Though the couple had suffered an undeserved misfortune, they remained cooperative, showing no reluctance. After nodding repeatedly in agreement, the woman asked, "Officer, has that child... gone missing?"
The local police officer didn’t hide the truth and nodded straightforwardly. "Yes, we’re still searching for them."
The couple exchanged glances, their expressions filled with regret. They seemed to want to say something but hesitated, looking expectantly at the officers around them.
Noticing this, the older female officer asked, "Do you have any additional information to share?"
The woman quickly shook her head. "No, no. I just wanted to ask if there’s any way we can help. Maybe we could post about it on social media or share it in our community groups?"
Given their enthusiasm, the officers didn’t refuse. They patiently explained that the case had already been publicized across various neighborhoods and suggested the couple could help by forwarding the information to their social circles.
After the explanation, the officers sincerely thanked the couple and exchanged a few polite words before watching them walk through the glass doors.
Once the couple had left, the older female officer turned to Guan Xia and the others. "My colleague wasn’t clear on the phone earlier. Let’s return to the station and discuss how to proceed with this case."
Back at the police station, Jiang Yingyao and Wang Yu handled the discussions. Though the specifics weren’t disclosed, they later informed Guan Xia and the team that the case had been transferred to Captain Zhou’s unit at Nanping District Bureau. From then on, the investigation would be led by their team.
Guan Xia wasn’t surprised. After smoothly receiving all case files, relevant clues, and surveillance footage, the group hurried out of the station and into their car.
Too busy to eat, they sped back to Nanping District Bureau.
Upon arriving at the office, computers were provided for each team member. As they wolfed down their meals, they held a brief case analysis meeting around the conference table.
As usual, Wang Yu began first.
She had already pinned a photo of the missing boy on the whiteboard, alongside several images of the residential complex.
Wang Yu tapped the boy’s photo. "The missing child is named Yan Xingyu, age six. He disappeared around 2:00 PM on August 9, 2025."
She then pointed to the other photos. "These show his movements that day. According to his grandfather’s statement, they left home around 1:15 PM, taking the elevator downstairs. It was a weekday and the hottest part of the day, so the grandfather recalled few people in the complex—only a few familiar elderly men playing chess under the shade of a tree. He first took the boy to play near a freshly watered garden bed. The child was excited, playing for over ten minutes and refusing to leave. But the grandfather, feeling the heat, tried twice to persuade him to move to a cooler spot. When the boy still refused, the grandfather, assuming the area was safe, left him briefly to rest under the nearby tree."
"Initially, the grandfather remained vigilant," Wang Yu continued, indicating two photos. "This is where the boy played, and this is where the grandfather rested. The distance between them wasn’t far—the child was still within his line of sight. But by 1:35 PM, after twenty minutes in the sun, the grandfather worried the boy might overheat and half-coaxed, half-forced him to join the chess players under the tree—here."
Wang Yu tapped another photo.
Guan Xia studied it closely. No wonder the elderly frequented this tree for chess—it was exceptionally lush, possibly decades old, rivaling even the trees in the old neighborhood where Ning Xin had once lived. Its trunk was so thick two people might not be able to encircle it, and a wooden bench encircled its base, making it a natural gathering spot.
Wang Yu went on, "From the grandfather’s statement, it’s clear he wasn’t skilled at chess but loved the excitement of the game. At first, he kept an eye on the boy, but soon became absorbed in the match. He didn’t notice when the child wandered off. Most people in the complex at that time were elderly, and no one paid much attention. It wasn’t until 2:03 PM, after the chess game ended, that the grandfather realized the boy was missing. He and the other elderly searched the area but found nothing. They reported the disappearance at 3:47 PM."
Wang Yu circled a spot on a photo with her pen. "This is the last location where the child was seen on surveillance footage." She then circled another spot. "This is the direction he ran toward—a blind spot in the cameras. The local officers investigated and found this blind spot strategically narrow, allowing someone to hug the wall and reach another unmonitored area. Further along, a surveillance camera on a nearby path had been damaged. The path led to the complex’s fence, where residents had removed bars in several places for easier access between neighborhoods. These gaps were wide enough for even a heavyset adult to pass through—let alone someone carrying a child."
Lu Tingfeng was the first to react. "So these spots could easily allow an adult to carry a child through. It seems these perpetrators either live nearby or have been scouting the area for a while. Otherwise, they wouldn’t know the blind spots this well."
"And that damaged camera," Guan Xia added, "is too much of a coincidence. It’s likely their doing. Though the methods differ, the meticulous planning rivals that of Ning Xin and her daughter’s disappearance case."
She pressed further, "Did the local officers determine when and who damaged the camera?"
Wang Yu replied, "Local police handle a wide range of duties, and only two officers were assigned to this case. Since the disappearance was recent and no related cases were found, it hadn’t been escalated to the district bureau. By the time we took over, this was all they’d uncovered."
Guan Xia knew it was time to begin the most routine task again. She gathered the empty snack wrappers from the desk and said, "No time to waste—let’s start reviewing the surveillance footage now."
Guan Xia had a sharp eye for spotting clues in such cases, so the others waited for her to pick her segment before dividing the rest among themselves.
She chose the footage from the camera closest to the last known location of the missing child. In her view, whether the perpetrators lived nearby or had spent a long time scouting the area beforehand, anyone searching for blind spots in surveillance would inevitably move around frequently and linger for extended periods.
As expected, Guan Xia noticed several individuals appearing repeatedly in the footage. Compared to the residents of the neighborhood captured on camera, these people stood out—not only did they pass by more often, but they also paused for long stretches, pretending to relax or watch people in the community. Yet their eyes kept darting toward corners, and they constantly scanned their surroundings, as if discreetly observing something.
Unfortunately, all of them had disguised themselves. It was summer, so some wore sun-protective clothing with hoods pulled up, making it impossible to identify them beyond their general posture. Others wore wide-brimmed hats and sunglasses. Based on their builds, they appeared to be adult women—the heaviest among them likely no more than 140 pounds, light enough to slip through gaps even while carrying a child without assistance.
The frequency of their scouting suggested they didn’t live nearby. If they kept tracking these leads, there was a good chance of identifying them.
Just as Guan Xia perked up, ready to share her findings, Wang Yu suddenly called out, "Guan Xia, I found the person who tampered with the camera."
Immediately intrigued, Guan Xia stood from her chair and walked over.
Wang Yu deftly rewound the footage, waiting until everyone had gathered before hitting play.
The angle showed a surveillance camera mounted on a streetlamp, capturing a dimly lit scene late at night. Positioned along a narrow path near the community’s fence, it also recorded a stretch of abandoned land outside the neighborhood—uneven mounds of dirt, scattered garbage in the hollows.
Guan Xia glanced at the timestamp in the corner: 1:12 AM. The path under the streetlamp was deserted until, seconds later, a short figure slipped through the fence and strode straight toward the camera. With a quick motion—too fast to see what was thrown—the screen flickered violently before cutting to static.
Wang Yu paused, then rewound to the moment the person looked up directly at the camera.
"Judging by height, build, and the skin visible on the neck," Wang Yu said, "this is likely a young or middle-aged woman. I’d lean toward young—no visible neck wrinkles."
The proximity and the streetlamp’s glow made the figure clear enough. But like the suspects Guan Xia had spotted earlier, this person was fully disguised—hat, glasses, mask, long sleeves, and pants despite the summer heat. Every inch was covered.
Unlike Lu Manqing, the perpetrator in Zhang Weiyan’s case, this individual wore no jewelry, carried no bag, and had no watch. Even the clothing bore no distinctive marks. Beyond rough guesses about age based on physique and skin, there was almost nothing to analyze.
A brief silence followed Wang Yu’s words before Guan Xia spoke. "This case seems different from Ning Xin and her daughter’s disappearance. I also found something—several people who might’ve been scouting. Coincidentally, they all appeared to be women. But with sun protection or hats, I couldn’t check for neck wrinkles to confirm their age."
"That is odd," Ji An remarked. "When I worked on Ning Xin’s case, I handled plenty of abduction files and even dismantled a few rings. Of course, these two groups are clearly distinct, but small-scale criminal teams usually include women to lower victims’ guard—just not many. The actual abductors and getaway support are almost always men, for speed and physical control. But this one’s unusual—all women?"
Jiang Yingyao pondered. "Could it be because their target was a six-year-old? Maybe they didn’t need men. Or they confirmed beforehand that no strong adult male guardian would be around during the abduction, so they didn’t involve any."
The group fell into thought until Lu Tingfeng shook his head, frowning. "Something’s off. Ji An and I have traveled everywhere these past few years, dealing with all kinds of multi-person criminal groups. But regardless of the crime, it’s rare—almost unheard of—for an entire team to consist of women. And did you notice? Guan Xia said even the scouts were all female. That defies logic. Even if they prioritized success, if male accomplices existed, at least one would’ve participated. Unless..."
His reasoning clicked not just for himself but for the others as well.
Guan Xia caught on first. "Unless the male members had another target and couldn’t spare anyone—but they had to act fast on this boy, so the women handled everything from scouting to execution."
"Simultaneously..." Wang Yu’s eyes lit up before her expression tightened. "Meaning on August 9th, the day this child disappeared, there was likely another abduction—maybe even more than one. That’s the only explanation for why no men were available."
Guan Xia suddenly understood and gasped in shock, her mouth falling open. "Is this criminal organization insane? They're getting this brazen now? That means during our investigation period, people could be going missing at any moment?"
As soon as she finished speaking, the others couldn't stay seated. Lu Tingfeng was the first to react. "We can't keep focusing solely on this one case. Two or three people can stay to review the surveillance footage—the rest of us should look into recent missing persons reports. Combining cases might help us uncover more leads."
He then called out to Wang Yu, "Wang Yu, how about we go through the missing persons files together?" Though his words were firm, his tone was questioning when addressing her.
Wang Yu agreed without hesitation. "Sure. We're both familiar with the process anyway—better to stick together."
The two acted swiftly. After a brief exchange, they informed Guan Xia and the others before rushing out of the office, likely to coordinate with the logistics team at Nanping Precinct.
Guan Xia sat back down, her emotions in turmoil. Just as she was about to resume reviewing the footage, her phone buzzed with a notification.
Almost simultaneously, everyone else's phones chimed as well. Guan Xia realized it must be a group update on the case.
Sure enough, when she checked, it was a message from Qi Bai—concise and to the point. They had reason to believe Geng Jing and his accomplices were planning another abduction. He and Captain Zhou were preparing to set up surveillance.
Guan Xia had barely calmed down for two seconds before shock overtook her again. August 9th was only two days ago, and these criminals were already targeting their next victim—possibly even multiple victims. They really had lost their minds.
