"Times are changing, you don't need to say too much, just keep a close eye on things!" Given my rank was several levels higher than Captain Guo, and considering my reputation, he was very polite to me.
Upon returning to the hotel lobby, there were less than two minutes left. No one felt reassured despite the strict police cordon. As time dwindled, they grew even more nervous than before. The men clenched each other's hands, trembling, while many women shivered, as if they had witnessed something horrific.
In reality, those scenarios were all their own imaginations, self-imposed pressure. I tried to comfort them a few times, but they remained fearful. Especially in the last minute, everyone stared at the clock hanging in the lobby, not daring to look away. Time ticked by, and it was almost over. In the final ten seconds, I had already started to relax, thinking the matter was resolved and that person had ultimately failed.
However, precisely at midnight, smoke suddenly billowed from somewhere, and the fire sprinklers immediately activated, spraying water. For some reason, the crowd shrieked as if the water were sulfuric acid burning their skin. With their cries, they started running in all directions, shoving each other. No matter how much we tried to calm them, it was useless.
I grabbed a few students, urging them to calm down. I wondered how the sprinkler system could have been triggered so suddenly and where that smoke came from. This couldn't be a coincidence!
I didn't have time to investigate then, my sole focus was on appeasing the students. In the thick smoke, no one could see each other clearly. I thought this must be the killer's objective; he had cleverly exploited the latent fear within people, knowing that students would be tense and push each other in such a situation.
Judging by the amount of smoke, I didn't think the hotel was actually on fire. It was likely someone deliberately creating smoke to cause chaos.
Amidst the confusion, many students rushed towards the main entrance, crowding to get out. Captain Guo, with two officers, got into an altercation with them. "Let us out immediately, we can't stay here! The hotel is on fire!"
"You cannot go out now, or you will give the criminal an opportunity. Please hold on a little longer, it will be over soon. We have already sent people to investigate the cause of the smoke. Once we find it, we can restore order. Please remain calm for now."
"No, we want to go out now. Open the door for us, open it!"
"Yes, why aren't you opening the door? Is something happening outside? Open the door for us now!"
One person shouted, and others immediately echoed. The situation grew increasingly out of control. Many were pushing from behind, and Captain Guo and a few detectives were almost overwhelmed, but they still persisted in guarding the entrance. At that moment, a large man forcefully charged from behind, pushing into the students in front of him. With the momentum of this shove, Captain Guo and his team had no choice but to step aside, and the door was immediately burst open by the students.
Many people ran straight out. Zhang Keying had been by my side the whole time, following me wherever I went, never leaving my side. Seeing that the situation was beyond control, I shifted my attention and rushed towards the direction from which the smoke had originated.
I walked through a corridor in the hotel and found a room. I don't know who it was, but someone had burned some joss paper, placing it in a red iron bucket. It looked as if a ritual was being performed. Seeing this, I immediately opened the fire extinguisher from the nearby fire hydrant and forcefully pressed the switch, extinguishing the fire in the bucket first.
"He Sheng Gege, who put this here? It looks like it was done intentionally."
"Yes, the killer is too cunning. He must have created the chaos to take the opportunity to..."
Before I could finish, a student's scream came from behind not far away: "Oh no, Xiao Xin is missing!"
"Yes, weren't we escaping together just now? How did she disappear in the blink of an eye?"
"Could it be that the killer took her away during the chaos?"
Several students were making wild guesses. I went over to them and learned that the missing Xiao Xin was the former roommate of Takeda Yuko. I had spoken to her a few times before. This time, it was her turn to disappear.
"Everyone, don't panic. Do you remember what happened with Yuzi? Perhaps we'll find her somewhere on Rainbow Island later!" Zhang Keying suddenly said.
"Yes, Keying is still the smartest. Let's split up and look for her!" one student said. Others then joined the search. Seeing how the situation had escalated, Captain Guo could only help search. Thus, students and teachers, cooperating with the Rainbow Island police, began searching the entire island.
Professor Huo and Teacher Huang, among others, searched inside the hotel. When Zhang Keying and I went out, we found the parachute instructor Kuang Junxiong among them. We divided into several teams and searched various places on the island, such as inns, shops, the aquarium, and amusement parks. Zhang Keying and I visited many places and questioned many people, but we couldn't get any information about Xiao Xin.
It was as if she had never been to the island. But after we came out and met with Yuzi and the others, they all confirmed that Xiao Xin had come to the island with them and had even eaten a few meals with them.
Zhao Xiaoxin, that was her full name. I got a photo of her from Yuzi's phone and sent it to He Xin. After she investigated, she sent me detailed information.
I didn't know until I checked. It turned out this girl was the daughter of Zhao Shiyi, the boss of Guangming Logistics. I remembered that guy was incredibly wealthy, controlling almost the entire logistics industry of Guangming City. Now that his daughter had been kidnapped, I wondered what his reaction would be.
This news would probably reach him soon. As I was thinking about it, Captain Guo anxiously walked over and told me, "Detective He, I just received a call from Zhao Shiyi. He severely scolded us on the phone. He'll probably be here soon. He's coming by hydrofoil."
"There's no way around it. Zhao Xiaoxin is his daughter. This case probably won't be resolved easily. I wonder how Zhao Shiyi will treat us when he arrives."
"Uh, I hate dealing with cases involving these wealthy people the most. These rich people always think they're so great and don't put us police officers in their eyes."