HH Chapter 83

Pei Qinghuai placed the laptop in front of everyone and said, “The surveillance footage of Li Yixin’s disappearance is the shortest. Take a look.” As he spoke, he enlarged the video.

“Ten minutes before Li Yixin disappeared, she talked to a woman,” Pei Qinghuai said.

In the video, Li Yixin’s face was blurred, and the woman Pei Qinghuai pointed out looked like a small glowing dot by the roadside, something no one would typically notice.

Li Yixin only paused at this ‘light spot’ for less than ten seconds. Discovering that this spot was a person was like finding a needle in a haystack.

“This is a main route from the school, and some of the surveillance footage here is clearer.” Pei Qinghuai then pulled up another video, which was much clearer.

A girl in a white dress emerged cautiously from a small path beside the school and quickly got into a taxi. By enlarging the initial surveillance footage, it was possible to match the two individuals.

With this new discovery, Zhang Yibao was invigorated and immediately started investigating the video. Others gradually joined in. Just as Pei Qinghuai was about to take a nap, he turned around and saw Cheng Ye staring blankly at the computer. He walked over and sat next to him without Cheng Ye noticing.

Pei Qinghuai glanced at the enlarged surveillance video on the computer and asked, “Did you find something?”

Cheng Ye was startled and then shook his head. “No, I was just thinking about what their motive might be.”

“Motive…” Pei Qinghuai looked at the few stars hanging in the night sky outside the window, his expression becoming serious. “I think we need to prepare for the worst.”

“How so?” Cheng Ye wasn’t very surprised, as he had also considered this.

The room was silent for a moment. Pei Qinghuai didn’t voice his thoughts, merely responding, “Let’s hope it’s nothing.”

Cheng Ye saw Pei Qinghuai’s hesitation and changed the topic. “Do you think there will be more disappearances?”

“There will be.” Pei Qinghuai answered without hesitation. “And there will likely be many similar cases mixed in.”

He continued, “This case is causing an uproar online. Many people are starting to worry about themselves or their children being in danger. This is a catalyst. Once something happens beyond their control, they will instinctively link it to this case, causing our investigation to hit a dead end.”

Pei Qinghuai’s brow furrowed slightly. “Of course, there’s also a scarier factor to consider: copycat crimes.”

Cheng Ye didn’t respond. He knew the importance of this case. Higher-ups were trying their best to suppress the news to buy them time, and even Team One had lent them a few officers to assist.

“There’s no use in just worrying. Let’s wait for Zhang Yibao’s results.” Cheng Ye cracked his knuckles, looking frustrated. “I feel like the perpetrator is hunting.”

Pei Qinghuai took a sip of water. “You noticed too?”

Cheng Ye took a deep breath. “Yeah, it seems like they’re enjoying the process of hunting from the shadows.” He looked at Pei Qinghuai. “Do you think this person is insecure, unattractive, or has been abused? Or maybe they experienced something that made them target pretty, defenseless girls?”

Pei Qinghuai’s eyes lit up, and he smiled. “That analysis isn’t wrong, but it’s not comprehensive.” He continued, “People who are insecure or abused often develop a twisted psyche after being bullied for a long time, growing up with a hatred for everyone. These people typically commit retaliatory or violent crimes. Like the case of Feng Daqiang we encountered before.”

“However, this perpetrator doesn’t fit those characteristics. They seem more like someone who looks down on others and enjoys the hunt from a superior position.” Pei Qinghuai squinted. “Such individuals often think they’re superior, that others are beneath them. They have a strong desire for control. In this case, the victims are pretty, defenseless girls who fulfill both their fantasy and control needs.”

After speaking, Pei Qinghuai laughed helplessly. “The profile is perfect, but it’s useless.”

Cheng Ye, enlightened, chuckled. “It’s very useful.” He looked at the time. “It’s late. You should rest. There’s work to do during the day.”

“Alright.” Pei Qinghuai smiled in agreement.

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Zhang Yibao worked from early morning until noon, constantly on the move. By noon the next day, Jiang Fei came over and shook him awake. “Yibao, wake up. Time to get up.”

Zhang Yibao jolted awake, drooling slightly. “What… what’s wrong? Another case?”

Jiang Fei threw two buns at him. “No, I was worried you’d starve yourself to death. You haven’t eaten since yesterday noon. Aren’t you hungry?”

Zhang Yibao realized he was indeed hungry, so he took a sip of water and started eating a bun. When he saw Pei Qinghuai and Cheng Ye arrive, he put down his food and said, “Captain Cheng, Mr. Pei, I’ve got something.”

He continued, “This person is Tang Jiale, a student at Beilin Medical University, currently in his third year. The school is on break now. I’ve contacted the school, and they said they’d call as soon as they find him. It should be any minute now.”

“Good job,” Cheng Ye said.

“Just doing my job,” Zhang Yibao replied. Just then, his phone rang. He looked at Cheng Ye. “Here it is.”

Holding the phone in one hand and a pen in the other, Zhang Yibao quickly jotted down an address.

“Thank you very much,” Zhang Yibao said, ending the call.

He looked at the address and sighed in relief. “Luckily, it’s not far.”

Cheng Ye took the address. “You rest now. I’ll go check it out.”

Zhang Yibao yawned and told Jiang Fei, “Wake me if you need me. I’m going to get some sleep.”

As Cheng Ye was about to leave, he scanned the room and asked Jiang Fei, “Where’s Fang Yuan?”

Jiang Fei looked up. “He went to check the scenes where the people disappeared. Left this morning.”

“This kid doesn’t report in…” Cheng Ye muttered and looked at Pei Qinghuai. “Let’s go have a look.”