Chapter 617 - 616: Union of the Two Swords (Part 1)

Su Li paused in thought before answering.

"Just now, by the sewer drain in that courtyard, I saw a few long hairs. A girl’s long hair."

Captain Zhang and the other officers with him were a bit baffled. "Long hair?"

"Yes. And one of them... was blond." The blond hair was what concerned Su Li.

According to the information Mr. Cook provided, his daughter, Alice, takes after her mother and has the most beautiful, waist-length blond hair.

"Blond hair?" A glint flashed in Captain Zhang’s eyes.

"Yes, blond hair. And that cesspool... I have a feeling something’s not right. The look on Song Shengfu’s face when he answered our questions was strange. I took a closer look at the cesspool, and it just seemed too full."

"Too full?" Captain Zhang was having trouble following Su Li’s train of thought.

"Right." On the way back, Su Li’s mind was filled with the image of Song Shengfu answering their questions. When he’d said it was a cesspit, his expression had been indescribably odd.

"I took a good look at that cesspool. It was so full it was overflowing. When our car drove past just now, I faintly heard a neighbor complaining about how bad Song Shengfu’s place smelled, blaming it on the full cesspit."

Su Li’s eyes shone with a startling brightness. "So the cesspit might have filled up suddenly."

"So..." An idea flashed through Captain Zhang’s mind. "Are you talking about... the bus?" His voice cracked on the last word from excitement.

"Yes, the vehicle. The bus." Su Li’s tone, however, was very calm. "The dimensions of that cesspit are large enough to hold the bus."

Captain Zhang was stunned by Su Li’s words. He wanted to say it was impossible, but deep down, he felt it was entirely possible.

"Stop the car. Turn around and go back," Captain Zhang said immediately.

"No, we can’t," Su Li quickly stopped him. "If we go back like this, and the children really are there, we’ll be putting them in danger. We’ll also tip him off."

"I’ll go in quietly to check. He won’t notice me," Captain Zhang said, anxious.

"Still no. You can’t go alone. We need a thorough plan before we act. We’ve already tipped him off just by being there; he’s on his guard now."

This was the second time they had gone to Song Shengfu’s house to investigate. He was already wary.

"Then what do we do?" Captain Zhang wanted nothing more than to catch the criminal and rescue the hostages immediately.

"We don’t know the full situation, so we have to act cautiously." Su Li wasn’t sure if Song Shengfu had noticed her strange behavior right before she left his house earlier.

But whether he had seen it or not, they had to assume the worst-case scenario. They absolutely could not act rashly.

By today, the students had been missing for four days. It was impossible to know if they were even alive. Even if they were, their condition was surely not good.

Song Shengfu’s calm and confident demeanor today suggested he had an escape plan ready—the worst-case scenario. It was also uncertain if he had accomplices. Acting rashly could lead to something even more severe.

That’s why Su Li hadn’t said anything at the time. She was afraid Captain Zhang might give something away or move to arrest him on the spot.

"First, we need to confirm if my guess is correct. Then, we need to make all the necessary preparations and move according to a plan. We have to get it right on the first try, or else..."

Su Li didn’t need to finish the sentence. Captain Zhang understood.

He took a few deep breaths to calm himself. "Okay. I’ll listen to you. We’ll do it your way."

「As evening fell, a time when people are most relaxed, several cars drove silently into a county on the outskirts of the Imperial City. After the cars stopped, the occupants disembarked and communicated without a word, moving to surround Song Shengfu’s house.」

Ling Zhen, Su Li, and a few others followed silently, staying some distance behind.

Because the situation couldn’t be fully confirmed and they were afraid of tipping off the suspect, the operation was kept secret.

However, Ling Zhen, with her keen reporter’s instincts, had still tagged along. She was determined to provide thorough coverage of this missing students case that had the entire nation’s attention. If she could document the arrest and rescue process, that would be even better.

The sub-bureau’s leadership couldn’t refuse Ling Zhen, and since this was a case everyone was following, they just waved her on.

As for Su Li, she naturally had to be there. The cameraman came along with them as well.

More than thirty police officers silently split up according to the plan, surrounding Song Shengfu’s house. One officer took a long pole and went to the cesspool to probe it.

With the first poke, he immediately noticed something was wrong.

The cesspit was deep around the edges, but not in the middle. There was something in there.

It was hard, with a rectangular outline.

Unless they were mistaken, it was the missing bus.

The massive bus they had searched nearly the entire Imperial City for, the one they’d asked all the people of the Imperial City to help find, was unexpectedly in a cesspit!

Although they couldn’t get the bus out right away, their suspicions were confirmed.

With a grim expression, Captain Zhang waved his hand, giving the order to move in.

Song Shengfu’s house was surrounded. Captain Zhang and several officers were at the door. Just as they were about to break it down, a loud cry suddenly came from inside.

It was the cry of a child, hoarse and filled with terror.

Captain Zhang, who had been about to break in, his face changed drastically. With a loud CRASH, he slammed the door open.

The moment the door opened, something was suddenly thrown at them.

Captain Zhang deftly blocked it. Only a few drops splashed on his face, but his arm was soaked.

"Don’t move!"

"What did he throw?"

The officers who followed him in aimed their guns inside and shouted sternly.

They saw Song Shengfu toss a bucket aside. He held a lighter in his hand, watching them slowly.

He was still the same small, thin man, but his entire demeanor had changed drastically, becoming alarmingly unfamiliar.

At his feet was a young girl, her hands and feet bound. The rope was looped around his arm. The girl, her face filled with terror, was crying. Her clothes were damp.

A few of the officers who had entered started to rush forward, but Captain Zhang stopped them with a sharp cry.

"Don’t go any closer!"

Captain Zhang’s expression was grim. "The child is covered in kerosene."

He could smell it. What had been thrown at him was kerosene.

Kerosene lamps had been the main source of light for everyone before electricity, so everyone was very familiar with the substance.

At this time, apart from some of the larger cities that had electricity, many villages and even towns still used kerosene lamps.

Kerosene was a common household item, but no one would have thought it would become a dangerous weapon at this moment.

The child was soaked in kerosene. All Song Shengfu had to do was light his lighter, and she would instantly be engulfed in flames. The consequences were unthinkable.

"Officer, save me! Save me..." The girl, tied up and in a terrible state, weakly reached out a hand toward Captain Zhang and the others, her voice a piercing shriek.

Before Captain Zhang could speak, Song Shengfu spoke up.

"Get out! All of you, get out! If you don’t want them all to be burned alive, then get out!"

His voice, calm at first, grew agitated until he was shouting.

His whole body began to tremble. "Get out! Don’t you dare disturb my life with Xiao Hong! Get lost! All of you, get the hell away!"

From his initial cold composure to this heart-wrenching outburst, Song Shengfu’s emotions were extremely unstable. He seemed to be on the verge of completely losing control.

Su Li watched all of this through a crack in the door, her heart nearly leaping out of her chest.

’Even though we tried to be so careful, we still ended up tipping him off.’

’This is... bad.’