Chapter 161: Field Study
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
It was a new day and Zhao Yu got a “Li-Kan” hexagram. The hexagram reading was, “Fire and Water. Fire burns water, symbols burn, neither life or death, the ability to be fearless.” From his memory, it was the first time that the “Li” hexagram was in front. According to Zhao Yu’s deduction, this “Li” hexagram was highly likely to represent friendship. He could make use of the opportunity to find out.
“Kan” represented woman. Who would he meet today? Could it be Miao Renfeng!? Although there was no “Gen” hexagram, Zhao Yu still followed his plan and drove out to the crime scene early in the morning.
As there were no surveillance facilities on the roads twenty-six years ago, and also no valid eyewitness, the police that year could only use the van’s speed to roughly estimate the area where the kidnapping had taken place. It was highly possible that Niu Weiguang and the group of students had been kidnapped while they were on the road; however, it was a pity that the mountain road that year had now become a highway, and there was nothing left! Zhao Yu looked at the Qinshui River at the side as he was driving on the highway and he had no idea what he was doing there! There was only a tunnel called Hujiazui on the highway which still looked like it had originally over twenty years ago. It looked old and mottled.
As he entered the tunnel, a thought flashed in Zhao Yu’s mind. He thought to himself, would he would choose to strike in this part of the tunnel if he were the kidnapper? The entire tunnel was two kilometers and could be be passed through in a flash. Shortly after passing through the tunnel, a road sign with the word “Mianling” appeared. He had already reached the area of Mianling Town.
Mianling Town was the closest place to city in that area, which explained why Mr. Tao and the rest chose to send their children to the better schools in the city. There were no boarding schools then, so they could only hire a driver to send their children back and forth. Actually, the then already well-off Liang Wanqian and Mr. Tao had previously bought a house in the city area and had intended to move to the city with their families, but in the end, they were met with such a tragedy! The two were both full of regrets after the incident. If they had moved earlier, their children would not have befallen such mishap!
Zhao Yu drove down the highway and went one time around Mianling Town. He had never been to this place in either his previous or present life. However, he could read from the data that Mianling Town was no longer the poor village that it used to be. It had already expanded more than ten times, and there were high-rise buildings everywhere he went. Zhao Yu did not feel any inspiration and drove back to the highway, and went toward the cliff where Mr. Tao had thrown the money to the kidnappers.
That part of the cliff was different from Mianling Town. It was located in the mountain hinterland and was very far from developed areas. After the car exited the highway, Zhao Yu drove a long distance of mountain road before finally finding it. The last part was almost all unsurfaced road and was very difficult to move on.
After Zhao Yu got out of the car and strolled to the top of the cliff, he noticed a problem! Although Mr. Tao threw the ransom money from here, the kidnappers were hiding at the bottom of the cliff to get the money. Would it be better if he went to the bottom to experience what it was like? However, the cliff was steep, and he did not see any road that led to the bottom. To get down, one had to choose to make his way down using a fixed road or make a big detour.
Zhao Yu looked down from the top and saw that the bottom was covered with trees and dense vegetation, and there was barely any exposed area. Needless to say, this was really a good area to receive the ransom money! According to the map, the bottom of the cliff was all deserted valleys which were suitable for hiding. It could be seen from here that the kidnappers were indeed very cunning!
However… Zhao Yu squatted at the top of the cliff and realized something while looking down. Mr. Tao had thrown down five bags full of money that year! Mr Tao was unable to carry them all by himself and had come together with another parent! Was the kidnapper able to carry them all? He had to remove the tracking device and carry the money away, which was not easy! Could there be two kidnappers at the bottom, or even more?
According to the records, other than Mr. Tao’s handbag, the other suitcases which contained the money had all been dumped at the scene by the kidnappers. The police had made an analysis on this. The ransom from the other hostages’ families were all heavy suitcases, and they contained old notes. As for Mr. Tao, his were all new notes from the bank, and were the lightest among the ransom bags, and easiest to carry. Therefore, the kidnappers took the handbag away together.
Zhao Yu went closer to the edge of the cliff to have a clearer look. He had a strange thought when he saw the tall and lush trees at the bottom. “What if…when Mr. Tao threw down the ransom money, the suitcases got caught in the trees? Could it be the trees were not so tall at that time?”
According to the records, when Mr. Tao had gotten here following the kidnappers’ instructions, the kidnappers were afraid that he would get the place wrong and specially placed an arrow at the entrance of the road. They had even painted a red circle at the top of the cliff. A walkie-talkie had already been placed under the rock, and the kidnappers used the walkie-talkie to coerce Mr. Tao to throw the money off the cliff. They had asked Mr. Tao to stand inside the red circle and throw the five suitcases down to the same position. If not, they would be collecting the dead bodies of their children! Mr. Tao acted according to the kidnappers instructions as he was anxious about the safety of his child.
It was reported that this walkie-talkie had been kept in the City Bureau’s evidence department. It was a type of walkie-talkie commonly used at construction sites, and there was no DNA left on it.
There was another point. According to Mr. Tao’s recollection, the walkie-talkie rang the moment he reached the cliff. This meant that the kidnappers had seen him, but… Zhao Yu studied the angles and realized that if the kidnappers were at the bottom of the cliff, they probably could not have seen the top of the cliff, right?
Tsk tsk…Could it be…There was another kidnapper hiding near the cliff at that time? There was something else that was even stranger. The bottom of the cliff was full of rough and uneven valleys, and it was difficult to walk through them. On top of that, it was nighttime. How did the kidnappers escape after getting the money?
The data files recorded that after Mr. Tao threw down the suitcases, the detectives immediately gathered a large police force and surrounded the area. They had searched the mountain for nights, and had even set up checkpoints at nearby towns and villages. However, other than finding a few tracking devices at the bottom and some messy footprints, they found nothing else. Logically, with such manpower and speed, the possibility of the kidnappers escaping with the money was low.
“Don’t tell me they could fly? What happened exactly?” Zhao Yu thought. He was preoccupied with this thought when his phone suddenly rang. The loud ringing sound gave him a big scare and he almost fell off the cliff. “Holy sh*t…” Zhao Yu quickly climbed back to the safe area and his face was pale from shock! He cursed as he picked up the call. In the end, he was surprised to hear that the call was actually from the provincial leader, Su Yang. Su Yang told Zhao Yu that he was back from a business trip and would like to treat him to hotpot at Liuheshun that afternoon!
Zhao Yu did not expect this big leader to really keep to his word, and immediately accepted his invitation. After hanging up, he immediately thought of the “Li” hexagram today. If “Li” represented friends, did it mean that he would become friends with this provincial leader after this meal?
“If there’s really a provincial leader looking after me, wouldn’t I be able to call the shots at the police station in the future? Liu Changhu, if you dare provoke me again, you’re gonna die…” Zhao Yu thought. However, he still felt a bit uneasy about having a meal with a big leader. He knew that this leader’s face would become red once he drank alcohol, and he was an unyielding and forthright man. If he said something wrong and offended him, Zhao Yu would be in trouble! After much deliberation, Zhao Yu’s eyes lit up as he suddenly thought of Yao Jia.
“Right, Su Yang and Yao Jia chatted quite happily when they met at the hotpot place the other time! I heard that they grew up in the same area. I’m sure they have a lot to talk about. Hmm… if I invite Yao Jia, with this gentle and understanding head nurse around, would it lessen the probability of me offending the big leader?” he wondered. Also, Zhang Jingfeng had thoroughly checked the background of Yao Jia’s boyfriend. Since Yao Jia had asked him for a favor, he could made use of this chance to give her an answer, wouldn’t it be perfect?
Zhang Jingfeng and Zhao Yu had gotten into a big mix-up that time at Sanlitun. They had thought that Zang Jie had cash flow problems and therefore needed to produce fake goods and went Sanlitun for shipment! However, this was totally not the case! Zang Jie had no cash flow problem at all. He had only bought a small villa at Lingyun without telling Yao Jia! Also, he had gotten a Volvo for Yao Jia! He had planned to use these two items as dowry to marry Yao Jia and to surprise her! As the loan had come a few days late, Zang Jie borrowed some money from Yao Jia first.
As for his business, it was doing really well! Zang Jie not only did procurement for branded clothes, but he also managed two small garment factories together with his grandaunt. He was just doing some legal trading that time at Sanlitun. Luckily Zhao Yu had been held up by Liu Pengfei’s issue. If not, he would have definitely screwed things up! Since this was the case, Zhao Yu had to inform Yao Jia so that she did not have to worry anymore.
Previously, Zhao Yu would have definitely gone nuts knowing that Zang Jie was a good guy, and think of ways to ruin him! However, ever since he found Miao Ying, his love for Yao Jia was no longer like before. Although Yao Jia looked like his old lover, her temperament and character were very different. Other than her perfect looks, Zhao Yu had no feelings for her. Seeing that she and her boyfriend were a perfect match, he also did not feel a tinge of jealousy. Therefore, when Zhao Yu made the phone call, he sounded normal and told her everything matter-of-factly. Yao Jia was happy to hear what he said and also accepted his invitation.
With Yao Jia’s help, Zhao Yu felt more at ease, as if he had bought insurance. He quickly drove his car back and finally reached Liuheshun Hotpot after almost an hour’s drive. Before Zhao Yu entered, he was shocked to hear a loud bang on the table and Su Yang’s loud roar, “Huh! This bunch of people are really too much!!!”