I am not like other police officers. Even if I encountered them, I wouldn't arrest them directly. However, my grandfather didn't want me to violate police ethics. That was the reason I could explain at the time. I had never done anything like this before. If I were to step out of line for him, it wouldn't be what he expected. Even He Xin would likely think the same way. Therefore, they could only try to keep their distance from me, just like last time? They had to wait until they had enough evidence to show themselves.
Understanding this, I stopped worrying. I was watching Yuan Hezhe. I originally thought it would take him some time to help me find the place in the photo. However, he was faster than I imagined. He tapped on the keyboard, zoomed in on a corner, and then said, "Based on the interior design, I've created a virtual exterior structure of the building. Then, using the principle of triangulation, I've pinpointed the specified location. Fortunately, there's a very large supermarket nearby, otherwise, it would have been hard to find. After all, the surrounding area is mostly residential, and if there were many similar houses, it would definitely be more difficult to find."
"So, they are in a residential house? But the supermarket makes me suspicious. They chose that location, surely they knew we could find it easily."
"No, Team Leader He, you should remember that the Guizhe faction prefers open strategies. The more dangerous their arrangements, the more terrifying they become later on. You should still remember that, right?"
Yuan Hezhe's words reminded me. That's right! They were using an open strategy. This explained why they chose this place. However, it was also possible that my grandfather and He Xin deliberately left clues so that we could always track their movements. This way, we wouldn't completely lose contact with them when they couldn't contact us by phone.
Whichever possibility it was, I felt they were still safe for now. At least they hadn't completely lost the initiative. The time was not yet ripe, so I couldn't contact them so quickly.
Be patient. I believe the dawn of victory will arrive soon. Our Punisher Squad has experienced such predicaments before. Noticing me gazing out the window, I don't know who pinched my butt hard. I let out a yelp and turned around to see Liu Yuning staring at me with a playful expression. "Officer He! No, Director He, why are you so lost in thought looking out the window?"
"You're doing this because He Xin isn't here, trying to lighten my stress like she does?" I countered helplessly, deliberately pinching her rosy, though unadorned, yet still charming face. Seeing us dare to flirt in broad daylight in the Information Section, Yuan Hezhe and the others were too angry to speak and all became transparent.
We didn't want to delay. Once we returned to work mode, we quickly dispatched everyone. We had already wasted a few minutes. However, when I looked back, I saw that Gao Mingqiang and Xiao Yuande had already left. These two were becoming more proactive. Seeing their empty seats, Liu Yuning said, "I just saw you weren't moving, so I wanted to come over and ask you."
…
Twenty minutes later, we found the bungalow. By then, Gao Mingqiang and Xiao Yuande had already led a large number of police officers to storm in and conduct a thorough search of the less than forty square meter house. When Liu Yuning and I entered, we found Xiao Yuande pacing around a seat. I quickly recognized this as the seat He Xin had been sitting in before.
However, the restraints were gone. I touched the surface of the seat and felt a lingering warmth, proving they had left not long ago. I also saw two sets of footprints on the ground. Having spent so much time with my grandfather and He Xin, I could easily identify them as their footprints.
The technicians took out their forensic lights and footprint lights to illuminate the area, while a police officer took photos. The general order of police investigation is: after determining the scope and order of the investigation, the scene should be photographed. First, take locational photos and overall photos, and then, as the investigation progresses, take close-up photos and detail photos.
I went to a balcony behind the bungalow. It was a first-floor unit, so the balcony looked a bit strange. I had never lived in such a house before. The house only had a simple seat, but strangely, there were several potted plants on the balcony, and they looked newly planted. I became curious. What was going on?
Who put these plants here? I couldn't figure it out at the time and didn't want to dwell on it. As I squatted down to examine them closely, I noticed a faint glow appearing in the mud. At the same time, I noticed many different footprints on the ground. Although I didn't witness what happened, my mind could quickly conjure up an image.
My grandfather and He Xin were taken away, but my grandfather, to leave me a clue, secretly buried something glowing in the soil of the potted plants. But how to explain these potted plants? Were they from the previous owner? It was evident that the flowers were still alive; they hadn't been watered for at most a day.
But if someone lived here, what about the other furniture? A normal person living at home wouldn't just have a wooden chair, right? This seemed too odd.
I asked Gao Mingqiang to immediately investigate the ownership of the house. He was quick and soon returned with a printed document. I looked at it. The bungalow originally belonged to an old man named Guo Yada. I didn't know where he was now, so we had to ask the neighbors.
Gao Mingqiang and I went around visiting, while Liu Yuning and Xiahou were investigating elsewhere. When we found a house opposite, we knocked on the door. A middle-aged woman came out, and we immediately identified ourselves and explained our purpose. The woman didn't know what we were looking for at first and asked curiously, "Looking for someone? Who are you looking for? I'm the only one living here."
"No, we wanted to ask about your neighbor across the street, Guo Yada. When did he stop living here?" Gao Mingqiang asked.
"That old man? It's been about a month. I don't know what happened, but he disappeared. I only remember that he loved growing flowers, and he was a very solitary person. I don't know anything else," she said.
A month? At that moment, I immediately found a flaw in the woman's statement but didn't point it out. Gao Mingqiang also seemed to have realized something, as he was no longer the person he used to be.
"Auntie, there must have been some activity in the house opposite recently, right? Didn't you hear anything? You're the closest to Guo Yada's house!" Gao Mingqiang asked, maintaining politeness but with an underlying probing tone.