Kidnapping

After dinner, Lu Chengchuan had nothing else to do, so he went home.

Zhou Yaning's recruitment attempt had failed. After leaving the restaurant, she said she had something to do and told him to take a taxi home himself. Lu Chengchuan did not care whether she really had something to do, and he hailed a taxi home.

One evening a week later, Lu Chengchuan killed several monsters outside. Nothing much had happened that week, aside from the expanding range of the black fog and the appearance of kidnappers in Anyang City. Quite a few people had gone missing.

Just as he was about to head home, Zhou Yaning called. Whenever this phone rang, something had definitely happened.

"Captain Zhou, what is it?"

"Get here quickly. Something happened."

Zhou Yaning's tone was calm, but there was a trace of coldness beneath it, as though someone in her family had died. Lu Chengchuan answered with an okay and sent her his location.

Soon, Zhou Yaning sent him a message: "The car is on the way." Lu Chengchuan could only wait where he was.

By the usual routine, the car would arrive half an hour later. But the matter was probably truly urgent. In less than twenty minutes, Qian Xiaoling came speeding over in the car.

"Mr. Lu, get in!"

Qian Xiaoling was in a hurry. It was obvious from her expression and tone.

After he got in, Qian Xiaoling did not say a word. She floored the accelerator, made a U-turn at the intersection ahead, and sped all the way there. The scenery on both sides flew past, and twenty minutes later, Qian Xiaoling tore into the government office building.

"Follow me!"

Qian Xiaoling got out, casually shut the door, and led Lu Chengchuan straight to the twelfth floor.

"What exactly happened?" Lu Chengchuan took the chance to ask while they rode the elevator up.

"Do you know about the recent kidnapping cases?"

Lu Chengchuan nodded. "The news reported that quite a few people were kidnapped and went missing. Did she call me here because of that?"

"The Mayor's Daughter was kidnapped. An hour ago, a group of thugs abducted the Mayor's Daughter and her friend at school. They have vanished without a trace, and the kidnappers have not sent any message demanding money."

"Do we know where the kidnappers came from?"

"An overseas mercenary organization called the Black Tower Mercenaries. They are notorious internationally and claim that as long as the money is enough, they will do anything." Qian Xiaoling knew some inside information and did not hide it when Lu Chengchuan asked.

"Overseas mercenaries? They dared come here?"

Lu Chengchuan found it hard to believe. Mercenaries actually dared come here.

The Shenghua Republic was not a war zone. It would be easy to expose mercenaries trying to fish in troubled waters here. There were surveillance cameras everywhere, yet they still dared to kidnap someone at a school. They were far too brazen.

"Nowhere is peaceful anymore. Even without wars, there are monsters to fight. The Black Tower Mercenaries took advantage of the chaos to slip in."

"Have you found the mastermind? Who hired them to kidnap the Mayor's Daughter?"

"No. It only happened an hour ago. The major crimes unit could pull out all their hair and still not find a clue." Qian Xiaoling did not know who was behind it.

"We're here. The captain is in a meeting. Let's wait in the office."

Qian Xiaoling brought him to another office, where the others were also waiting. When they saw Lu Chengchuan enter, several of them immediately stood and greeted him.

"I'm not your leader. What are you doing this for?"

The scene looked like a high-ranking official visiting subordinates, with the subordinates acting flattered and overwhelmed. But Lu Chengchuan was not their leader. At most, he was an unofficial member of the Investigation Bureau.

The others came to their senses, their faces turning a little awkward.

Mainly because they all knew Lu Chengchuan and understood how formidable he was. Seeing him arrive, they had reacted instinctively.

Lu Chengchuan sat down with them and waited for Zhou Yaning to finish.

"Does the Investigation Bureau have to handle things like finding people too?" With nothing else to do, Lu Chengchuan started chatting with them.

The Investigation Bureau really handled a lot. They had to deal with monsters, and they had to help when people were kidnapped too. What exactly were they supposed to do? Or did they have to do everything?

"That is how the Investigation Bureau works. If there is a need, we have to act."

Qian Xiaoling had been in the Investigation Bureau for three years and was considered a veteran. Before the monsters appeared, most of their work had been assisting with all kinds of case investigations.

"Mr. Lu, what did you do before?"

As they chatted, the topic turned to Lu Chengchuan. The Investigation Bureau had investigated his past records, but only their captain and bureau chief were qualified to read them. They did not know much about him.

What they wanted to know most was how Lu Chengchuan had trained his martial arts to become so powerful.

"Me? There's nothing much to say."

Lu Chengchuan did not want to talk about it. Qian Xiaoling and the others were disappointed, but they did not dare press him further.

After chatting for over ten minutes, Zhou Yaning hurried in. Seeing Lu Chengchuan there, her expression did not change much.

"You're all here, so I'll explain." Zhou Yaning had no time for greetings. She quickly opened her notebook. "The major crimes unit has not found the mastermind. All exits from Anyang City have been sealed off, and people are guarding some smaller routes as well. The higher-ups want us to cooperate with the major crimes unit and capture those Black Tower Mercenaries."

"If you have any questions, ask quickly." After explaining the basic situation, Zhou Yaning asked if there was anything else they wanted to know.

"Captain, where are we supposed to look for them?" Chen Long stood and asked.

That was what everyone wanted to know. Without clues, where could they look? Were they supposed to turn Anyang City upside down and tear up even the concrete?

"We'll go to the school first and see whether the scene has any traces left behind," Zhou Yaning replied.

As soon as she finished speaking, Qian Xiaoling stood up. "Captain, how many of them are there? Are there any Espers?"

"There were several witnesses at the scene. There were seven Black Tower Mercenaries, all Espers. There may be several more hiding in the shadows to assist them, but we still do not know the exact number."

After the two of them finished asking, the others remained silent. Lu Chengchuan said nothing either.

"Mr. Lu, do you have any questions?"

Lu Chengchuan did not speak, so Zhou Yaning asked him proactively. She also knew he could not provide any useful information, but she still asked out of habit.

"I don't know. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't even know the Mayor's Daughter had been kidnapped. By the way, what is the Mayor's Daughter's name?"

"Her name is Li Xin. Since there are no more questions, let's go. We'll head to the school first."

"Miss Li was kidnapped at 5:52 p.m. She was leaving with a friend when several masked men seized her. She was unable to put up any resistance throughout the entire process."

The group of seven drove to the school attended by the Mayor's Daughter. Along the way, Zhou Yaning explained the basics to Lu Chengchuan.

Anyang University was the top institution of higher learning in Guangnan Province. The Mayor's Daughter was a second-year university student. It was Wednesday, a school day. Li Xin had planned to go home after classes in the evening, but she was abducted at the school gate.

At the entrance to Anyang University, Lu Chengchuan and the others parked by the roadside and got out. Night had fallen, and the lights at the school gate were the only source of illumination.

"How are we supposed to find clues? I don't see anything here."

People came and went at the school gate, and the kidnapping seemed not to have affected the other students.

Across from the school gate was a food street where students liked to buy meals and snacks. Lu Chengchuan was not a professional detective. Asking him to solve a case was truly asking too much.