Chapter 614 - 613: Kidnapping? (Part 3)

It had been three days. The teachers, the students, the driver, and even the bus itself—they had all been gone for three whole days.

At first, they suspected it was a kidnapping and waited for a message from the culprits. But now, no one had any idea what was going on.

There was no news, no clues had been found anywhere, and no kidnappers had contacted the parents. There was nothing. A bus, along with forty-one people, had vanished without a trace, leaving no clues behind.

The parents of the missing children were on the verge of a mental breakdown, if they hadn’t broken down already. Their emotions were completely out of control.

The entire Imperial City, and even the whole nation, was watching this case.

This was no exaggeration. With forty-one people missing, it was impossible to keep the case under wraps. So, on the second day after the disappearance, reports about the case began to surface.

Su Li was the one who covered the story for Imperial City TV Station.

By that day, most people in the Imperial City knew about the disappearance, and everyone was anxiously following the case’s progress.

But by the third day, the case was still at a standstill, with no new clues or information.

At this point, the police temporarily ruled out the possibility of kidnapping for ransom.

Three days after the incident, thanks to reports from Huaguo TV Station and Huaguo Daily, the case had captured the attention of the entire nation.

With the case stalled, the pressure on the various police departments mounted, fueled by the public’s attention and the grieving parents.

A special task force for the disappearance was officially formed on the third day, headed by Captain Zhang. Since taking the report, Captain Zhang hadn’t slept a wink.

Three full days and nights had passed. Captain Zhang smelled faintly of sweat. His clothes and hair were filthy, his face was gaunt, and his eyes were shot with blood.

His lips were severely chapped, and from the anxiety and stress, a cluster of cold sores had broken out around his mouth.

For this type of disappearance case, the first twelve hours were the crucial rescue period. With three days gone, the golden window for rescue had already passed.

Captain Zhang and his team had practically turned the entire Imperial City and its surrounding areas upside down, yet they had still found nothing.

No matter how hard they searched, no matter how much effort they put in, they couldn’t find a single clue.

On the fourth day after the disappearance, when Captain Zhang was out on the case, he noticed that people who saw him and his team no longer respectfully made way for them as they used to.

They heard dissatisfied huffs and muttering, as if people were asking why they were so incompetent.

"You’ve already been here to ask three times. I told you I didn’t see anything and I didn’t hear anything! Why don’t you go check somewhere else instead of always coming here to ask? How are you ever going to find anyone like this?"

When they knocked on one door to ask for information, they were met with a furious tirade, tinged with a sense of exasperation, as if scolding them for not living up to expectations.

"Can’t you people put more effort into this and find those kids sooner? It’s not one or two children, it’s over thirty of them!"

This was a parent who had children of their own. Like countless others, they were terrified after seeing the news. Worried about their own kids and seeing that the case remained unsolved, they had stopped letting their children go to school, afraid that some accident might befall them.

They weren’t the only parent in the Imperial City doing this; there were quite a few.

The school where the incident occurred had already suspended all classes. Until there was a resolution and safety was assured, the parents didn’t dare let their children attend, and the principal and teachers didn’t dare have them come.

At other schools, about half of the elementary students had been kept home. The other half who did attend were extremely anxious. Schools tightened security, kept their gates locked, and parents personally dropped off and picked up their children.

Beyond elementary schools, safety for middle school, high school, and university students also became a top priority, with everyone taking it seriously.

There were so many families with children. The entire Imperial City was on edge, closely following any news on the case’s progress, just waiting for it to be solved.

This was just in the Imperial City. But, not surprisingly, starting this day, the tension and attention spread nationwide.

After all, the news had already gotten out.

Hearing this, Captain Zhang closed his eyes and lowered his head slightly. "We know. We’re doing our best. Sorry to have bothered you."

Listening to the parent’s sigh behind him, Captain Zhang felt the heavy burden on his shoulders grow even heavier, pressing down on him until he could barely breathe.

"If I find a clue, I’ll contact you then, alright? You don’t need to film this, do you? It’s all so tedious."

Captain Zhang took a couple of steps, then hesitated before speaking.

He was speaking to the camera crew following him, which is to say, to Ling Zhen.

Due to her past experiences and accomplishments, Ling Zhen’s public image and capabilities were well-recognized by the audience. For the past year, she had been in charge of a program called "Case Tracking."

As the title "Case Tracking" suggests, Ling Zhen, as both the host and producer, specialized in reporting on cases that were either closed or under active investigation.

The show aired weekly, but for special circumstances—like the current case that had the entire Imperial City, and indeed the whole nation, captivated—they would air additional episodes as needed.

A program like this was the first of its kind, and its ratings and influence were both quite good. Encountering a case like this, of course Ling Zhen wouldn’t just stand by.

Ling Zhen had been following Captain Zhang and his team for two days. But with the case stalled, Captain Zhang, who was already uncomfortable with a camera crew tailing him, had finally spoken up.

"Captain Zhang, please don’t mind us. You can just pretend we’re not here."

Ling Zhen hurried forward and said.

Captain Zhang looked at Ling Zhen for two seconds before giving a helpless wave of his hand, saying no more.

After a moment of thought, he reassigned his officers, and they split up to get back to work.

Around noon, as previously arranged, everyone returned to the precinct to meet and discuss the case.

This case discussion involved all the officers consolidating and reporting the information they had each gathered. After sharing this information, they would analyze it to determine their next steps.

Since there was no useful information, and with forty-one people missing, no one knew who among them might have been the target. The police had far too much to investigate and could only go through everything one by one, eliminating possibilities as they went.

After three sleepless days and nights of investigation, the case files grew thicker and thicker, as did the list of eliminated leads. But the remaining information also grew increasingly convoluted.

"...These are the investigation files based on information provided by the parents. We’ve visited all of their homes and found nothing out of the ordinary."

In the conference room, the officers were in discussion while Su Li sat in a corner, carefully reviewing the new investigation files.

She had been stationed here for the past two days and, due to the special circumstances, had been allowed to sit in on meetings like this.

Su Li was the last known witness to see the bus and its occupants. Having provided details about the final situation on the bus, she was also considered a key witness.

She was already acquainted with Captain Zhang. He was well aware of Su Li’s skills and abilities and was hoping she could help them again this time.

"These are all the people involved. We’ve basically looked into all of them over the past two days. Does anyone look familiar?"

While the others were discussing, Captain Zhang quietly sat down next to Su Li and asked in a low voice.