162: The chill reaches the sky, and the hidden crisis of death

The calm, powerful speculation entered his ears, and Zhou Xiaodong’s breathing hitched, feeling as if all the blood in his body had frozen, a chill rushing straight to his head.

Gao Ze had seen through him; he had nowhere left to hide.

But how could he admit it?

“Officer Gao, are you mistaken? I am the father of my child, Zhou Xinchen, so how could I be an inside man leaking information to the kidnappers?

At that time, I wasn’t the only one who knew about the Tiancheng residential district clue; my wife and many of your Police Officers also knew. It’s possible that one of you is the inside man.”

Zhou Xiaodong took a deep breath, forcing a smile as he said,

“As for planning the kidnapping of my son…

That’s too absurd, isn’t it? I’m worth billions, I’m not short on money, I don’t lack attention, and I have a happy family. Why would I do such a thing?”

Gao Ze stood up from the long bench, shaking his head with a light chuckle:

“This kidnapping case isn’t complicated. It’s impossible for there to be an inside man among our Police Officers, and your wife, Han Jingmei, isn’t one either. She has no motive to plan the kidnapping of her son, Zhou Xinchen.”

“Mr. Zhou, you are different. You have ample motive to kidnap your son, because you want to find out the whereabouts of your daughter, Zhou Lina, from your wife, Han Jingmei!”

Zhou Xiaodong’s intentions were not hard to guess; the only person he truly cared about was his daughter, Zhou Lina. That’s why the system intelligence initially revealed that Zhou Lina was the most important matter to Zhou Xiaodong.

“Officer Gao, I don’t understand what you’re saying!”

Zhou Xiaodong maintained his composure, saying, “If I wanted to know my daughter Zhou Lina’s whereabouts, couldn’t I just ask my wife directly? Why go to such lengths? It doesn’t make logical sense.”

“But the problem is, can you get her to tell you?”

Gao Ze said, “Han Jingmei has Han Fenglin backing her up. Would your wife be afraid of you? Would Han Jingmei tell you the truth?”

“The answer is obvious. Given Han Jingmei’s personality, she wouldn’t be afraid of you at all.

That’s why you deliberately set up a situation similar to when Zhou Lina went missing years ago, hoping to use the life-or-death pressure of the kidnapping, and Han Jingmei’s love for her son, to break through her psychological defenses and make her reveal the truth and whereabouts of Zhou Lina from back then.”

“At that time, you had me repeatedly pressure Han Jingmei, precisely because you wanted us, the Police, to force it out of her.”

“Officer Gao, you’re quite the joker!”

Zhou Xiaodong clearly sighed, saying, “In the entire wealthy circle of Donghai, I have always acted honorably and never done anything evil or bad, nor have I oppressed or exploited anyone. My character is evident to everyone!

I did not plan the kidnapping of my son.”

“Compared to many wealthy businessmen, Mr. Zhou, you are indeed very good, even daring to rush into a burning building to save people.

However, being of good character doesn’t mean one is without emotions, desires, or persistent obsessions. Your daughter, Zhou Lina, is your obsession.”

Gao Ze calmly said, “Mr. Zhou, if you truly think I’m joking, why don’t you make a call to the kidnappers and ask about your son’s situation?”

“Officer Gao, I don’t know the kidnappers, and I don’t have their contact information. If you don’t believe me, you can check my phone; I absolutely did not make a single call tonight.”

Zhou Xiaodong showed a helpless expression, placing his phone in Gao Ze’s hand, indicating that he could investigate freely.

Gao Ze did not check the phone, and chuckled lightly, saying, “I believe that with Mr. Zhou’s methods, you could certainly erase the call records to Xu Ning霜 without leaving a trace.”

“Who?”

Zhou Xiaodong’s pupils constricted, his heart lodged in his throat, beating wildly.

“Xu Ning霜, the marketing manager who has been with your company for fifteen years!”

Watching the subtle changes in Zhou Xiaodong’s facial expression, Gao Ze smiled slightly and said, “She is the woman in the red dress who kidnapped your child at noon today, Mr. Gao hasn’t forgotten, has he?”

“Xu Ning霜, of course I know her, but how could she be the woman in the red dress who kidnapped my son, Zhou Xinchen?”

Zhou Xiaodong’s smile stiffened, and a monstrous wave surged in his heart. Gao Ze already knew he was the planner, had clearly understood the method and motive, and had even deduced the perpetrator, Xu Ning霜.

So, does this kidnapping still have any meaning?

“Regardless, I now solemnly remind Mr. Zhou, try calling Xu Ning霜’s phone and see if you can get through.”

Gao Ze’s expression was serious and earnest, saying, “Do you know what I saw in that unfinished house in Tiancheng residential district?”

“Blood-stained tissues, likely from hitting your child, Zhou Xinchen, causing skin damage and bleeding, and also blood-stained wire, used for binding and restraining him.”

“Really?”

At this moment, Zhou Xiaodong shuddered, suddenly reaching out to grasp Gao Ze’s arm, and asked in surprise, “Was all that my son’s blood?”

“It should all be. I imagine Mr. Zhou, you probably didn’t order Xu Ning霜 to beat or abuse your child, at most it was just for show.”

Gao Ze said, “But all that blood is fresh human blood. Without a doubt, Xu Ning霜 has gone beyond your control.”

“Impossible!”

Zhou Xiaodong’s face changed dramatically. He snatched back his phone and immediately dialed Xu Ning霜’s number, but the other end of the phone repeatedly echoed ‘power off’.

At the same time.

Wei Haoran pushed open the transparent floor-to-ceiling glass door of the villa’s backyard and rushed to Gao Ze’s side, shouting, “Han Jingmei is gone!”

Han Jingmei is gone?

Gao Ze turned to look at Wei Haoran, his eyes serious as he said, “What happened?”

No matter how overbearing Han Jingmei was, she was still a living, vibrant person, and her love for her son, Zhou Xinchen, was absolutely genuine.

“After Han Jingmei received the second kidnapping video from the kidnappers, her emotions became somewhat unstable, and she went upstairs to rest alone.

But just now, when our Police Officers went to take her statement, they found no response from the room. After opening the door, they found no one inside, and she wasn’t found anywhere in the entire villa.”

Wei Haoran’s face was slightly pale as he said,

“I suspect Han Jingmei received other information from the kidnappers, such as a demand for her to meet them alone. Out of concern for her son, Han Jingmei concealed it from us, the Police.”

“Officer Gao, what should we do now!”

“We haven’t found the child Zhou Xinchen yet. If we lose Ms. Han Jingmei, or even if she suffers injury or death, we will be held responsible.”

The more Wei Haoran spoke, the paler his face became, and fine cold sweat seeped from his forehead.

It was no wonder he was so nervous and worried.

Han Jingmei was not an ordinary person. If anything went wrong, Han Fenglin would certainly not let it go.

Moreover, the kidnapping case was already at a standstill, and now Han Jingmei had disappeared. How could they rescue the child Zhou Xinchen, and how could they find Han Jingmei?

There were no clues for any of this!

“Wei Team Leader, calm down!”

Gao Ze tried his best to soothe Wei Haoran’s emotions, but without a powerful backer like his own, Wei Haoran remained full of worry.

“How can I calm down? I’m not going to be the third person to be fired from the position of Jinghai District Criminal Investigation Team Leader, am I? I’m still acting, I haven’t even been made permanent!”

Looking at Gao Ze’s young, calm face, Wei Haoran felt so frustrated he wanted to vomit blood.

“Don’t worry, there’s a way!”

Gao Ze patted Wei Haoran’s shoulder and looked at Zhou Xiaodong, who was still in a state of shock, saying,

“Mr. Zhou, you must now admit that you planned the kidnapping of your son!

You can’t even get through to Xu Ning霜’s phone, so you should understand the critical situation now. If you continue to conceal it, I’m afraid your son and your wife, Han Jingmei, will be in mortal danger.”

“I need to know—what truth exactly are you trying to force out of your wife, Han Jingmei, and also detailed information about Xu Ning霜!”