CHAPTER 38: CHAPTER 36: THE MISSING PERSON CASE

Morning.

Xiao Tian had just finished washing up in the bathroom when Lin Bingxuan’s voice called him to breakfast from outside.

There was a mix of both Chinese and Western food, even stir-fry dishes, a whole table-full of delicacies spread out on the table—abundantly rich indeed.

Xiao Tian was just about to comment on how he couldn’t possibly eat so much.

Sure enough, he heard Lin Bingxuan say, "You’ve been injured. You must eat more of the good stuff to replenish yourself." With that, she pressed down on Xiao Tian, commanding, "Eat quickly."

A woman’s love may be similar, but Xu Ying’s was a sisterly concern for her brother, whereas Lin Bingxuan’s was the love of a romantic partner.

From her mouth, these words sounded even sweeter.

Xiao Tian smiled faintly and chose not to retort, sitting down obediently to eat.

Lin Bingxuan sat down as well, occasionally looking up to smile at Xiao Tian and serving him food.

The scene was simply too warm and cozy.

...

Meanwhile, on the other side, Ce Shi was in a foul mood just after being discharged from the hospital.

"What! You actually failed!"

Ce Shi sprang from his chair, pointing angrily at the Black Cloaked Mysterious People and scolded:

"Didn’t you say it was foolproof? How did you fail? I trusted you so much and took such great risks to help you, and you can’t even handle this minor task—useless!"

Ce Shi was in the middle of his tirade when one of the quick-tempered Black Cloaked Mysterious People stepped forward.

"Who are you calling useless!" The tone was icy.

Ce Shi immediately sensed a murderous aura and shivered, realizing the gravity of the situation.

He wasn’t scolding his own subordinates, but a mysterious and powerful organization.

If he offended them, he wouldn’t fare well, and his attitude quickly became less arrogant.

Another mysterious figure in a black cloak slowly spoke, "Young Master Shi, please trust our capabilities. This was just an accident. Next time, we will definitely not fail."

"Hmph, in any case, if you still want me to risk helping you, you must first kill the person I previously instructed you to!" Ce Shi loathed Xiao Tian to the bone, wishing to see him ground into dust.

"Young Master Shi, rest assured. Now, even without your mention, we have already prioritized him as an obstacle to eliminate!" The tone from the Black Cloaked People also carried a hint of hatred.

Ce Shi’s sinister face broke into a satisfied smile seeing these mysterious people aligning with his hatred.

"However, according to our intel, this person’s skills are incredibly strong, very difficult to deal with. We need to devise a strategy."

"What do you mean ’incredibly strong’? He’s just a country bumpkin. You can’t set up a trap to kill him?" Jealous of Xiao Tian, Ce Shi would never acknowledge his abilities.

"Actually, we have thought of a way: using her." The Black Cloaked figure said, pulling out a photo from their pocket and handing it over.

"Who is it?" Ce Shi leaned closer to take a look.

The photo featured an incredibly capable and beautiful woman, who looked somewhat familiar.

"Based on our investigation, this woman has an extraordinary relationship with him. Kidnap her, and we can surely lure him into our trap. Once he comes, there will be no escape, hehe." The Black Cloaked figure let out a chilling smile, exuding a palpable murderous aura that seemed to lower the room’s temperature by several degrees.

"Good, very good. I’ll be sure to support you to the best of my ability when the time comes." It seemed like these people were starting to take things seriously—Xiao Tian, wait for your doom.

Ce Shi twisted into a smile.

...

After breakfast, Xiao Tian prepared to go to work.

While changing shoes at the door, Lin Bingxuan, like a dutiful wife, helped him tidy up his clothes.

This scene really had the feel of a young married couple.

"What do you want to eat tonight?" Lin Bingxuan asked.

The implication here—is she inviting him over tonight? Could Lin Bingxuan intend to live together with him?

Xiao Tian couldn’t help but wonder.

So proactive! Xiao Tian wasn’t mentally prepared yet, but living with such a woman would make any man beyond happy!

Xiao Tian would be crazy if he hesitated.

He smiled slightly, "Anything, I’ll eat anything."

"Alright, I’ll come home early and make you something delicious tonight. Come home early."

"Okay, no problem, I’ll definitely rush back." Having tasted Lin Bingxuan’s culinary skills, they’re definitely comparable to a five-star chef from the Lan Qi house.

Really, how a female CEO manages to refine such culinary skills amid a busy schedule is beyond him.

Xiao Tian couldn’t help but marvel.

"Haha, look at you, you foodie."

...

In the West City Branch, officers were quietly working at their respective posts.

However, as soon as one person appeared, the orderly officers instantly brightened up, and noisily gathered around.

Needless to say, this person was Xiao Tian, who had now become something of a celebrity in the branch.

Before Xiao Tian came, they had already spent half a day discussing the case that happened last night.

"Xiao Tian, I heard you solved two cases after work yesterday? And the last one was a major case?" Zhang Meng was the first to spot Xiao Tian, and came over to ask.

"Hey, I also heard that you caught the criminals in the last case by racing with them?"

"Yeah, Xiao Tian, you’re simply all-rounded! I need to reevaluate you again."

Xiao Tian thought to himself, news sure travels fast.

"Oh right, Xiao Tian, I heard you raced them on the famous deadly track in Shanghai, is it true?"

"Wow, that road is infamous for being thrilling and dangerous! Xiao Tian, tell us what happened at the time?"

"Yeah, yeah, just share some driving skills with us."

Zhang Meng led the eager crowd of colleagues, eyes brimming with excitement, eagerly looking at Xiao Tian.

Xiao Tian could only give a helpless smile, "Actually, it’s just like that..."

He briefly shared yesterday’s events.

"Oh, oh!"

"No way!"

"Amazing!"

"That’s freaking awesome!"

"Xiao Tian, I really admire you to the core."

Although Xiao Tian spoke simply, his colleagues couldn’t help but exclaim at the thrilling parts.

"What are you all doing here?" A serious voice suddenly rang out.

Everyone looked up to find it was Captain Yang He, who came over seeing them chatting in a group.

"Hehe, Captain Yang, we were just listening to Xiao Tian talk about last night’s case."

"Is there nothing to do during work hours? Get back to your posts quickly."

Reprimanded by the captain, everyone gave an awkward smile and returned to their stations.

"Xiao Tian, come to my office for a moment."

Just as Xiao Tian was about to head back to his seat, Yang He called him over.

As he headed to Yang He’s office, Xiao Tian wondered.

Could it be that his recent streak of solving cases made him too high-profile, and Yang He couldn’t stand it anymore and wanted to give him a talking-to?

But the reprimand that Xiao Tian imagined didn’t come. Instead, when Yang He entered the office, he immediately put on a smiling face.

"Sit." He even got a chair for him personally.

"Captain, what do you need me for?"

Yang He pulled out an envelope from a drawer and handed it to Xiao Tian, saying, "This is a commendation letter from the Armed Police sent in this morning."

So it was all about this; Xiao Tian had thought wrong. He thought he had garnered too much attention for his achievements and Yang He wanted to warn him.

"Xiao Tian, you’re getting more and more attention in our field. Keep up the good work, and your future is limitless."

Even in a short time on the force, his captain was now praising him.

This indicated the remarkable achievements of Xiao Tian.

...

The morning was quiet, with no cases.

After lunch, Xiao Tian sat at his desk reading the newspaper.

At that moment, the police station’s door was suddenly pushed open.

Tap, tap, tap,

Immediately, Xiao Tian heard a pair of very heavy and hurried footsteps.

When he looked up, a middle-aged couple with anxious faces had already quickly approached Zhang Meng’s desk, which was nearest to the door.

"Officer, our daughter is missing, please, you must help us find her!" The middle-aged woman said, her eyes red and swollen, her speech scattered with anxiety.

It seemed to be a missing person case, so Xiao Tian put down the newspaper.

Zhang Meng handed a form to the woman, saying, "Don’t worry, first fill out this report form, then tell me slowly."

The disappearance of her daughter left the woman distressed and unable to voice her troubles through her tears after uttering just a few words.

Her accompanying husband, though distressed, remained slightly composed and conveyed the situation to Zhang Meng.

"Officer, we have a daughter who just started middle school, but she didn’t return home after school yesterday. Her phone is off and her classmates don’t know where she is. This has to be foul play!" The middle-aged man expressed with deep concern.

"Officer, please, you must find our daughter!" Hearing about foul play, the mother was already sobbing uncontrollably.

"Alright, alright, don’t worry, we will definitely find her!"

Zhang Meng consoled them thoroughly and managed to send them off.

After the middle-aged couple left, Zhang Meng started reviewing the form they filled out, murmuring to himself, "What’s going on lately? All these cases of missing girls."

Suddenly noticing Xiao Tian, he called out, "Hey, Xiao Tian, come and take a look at what they’ve filled in."

The colleagues at the station all saw Xiao Tian as a detective genius, calling him over whenever there was a case.

Feeling idle, and ready to tackle worldly matters, Xiao Tian was just about to go over when, suddenly, the phone rang.

Ring, ring...

He pulled it out for a look, and it showed: Caller - Bingxuan.

Xiao Tian smiled, having been apart just a morning; could it be Bingxuan missed him already?

"Hello, Bingxuan, did you miss me again?"

He asked with a playful tone, and after a few seconds of silence on the other end, there was no voice from Lin Bingxuan, but he vaguely heard heavy breathing.

This breathing belonged to a man!

Xiao Tian’s face stiffened, and he asked coldly, "Who are you? Why are you using Bingxuan’s phone?"

"Don’t worry about who I am. If you want your woman to stay alive, come alone to the abandoned factory at Wang Family Gully in the east of the city."

This time, a hoarse and chilling voice came from the other end of the phone.

"What have you done to her?"

This was directed at him, they had kidnapped Lin Bingxuan! Xiao Tian gripped his phone, his face grim.

"We haven’t done anything to her yet, of course. But if you don’t follow my instructions, I can’t guarantee what will happen to her, hehe."

Xiao Tian heard the sinister laugh from the other side of the call.

Beep, beep, beep.

The call was then abruptly cut off.