[Mission Triggered: Assist the police in solving the child disappearance case.]
[Mission Rewards: +150 Eerie Power, +1500 Points, 1 Life Drop]
Li Ran curled the corner of his mouth into a smile, thinking he had done the right thing by coming to Captain Zhang—sure enough, a new mission was triggered.
He had anticipated this possibility beforehand. Captain Zhang was, as far as he knew, the only native resident who had some understanding of the Dark Palace.
The Golden Finger’s prompt: Captain Zhang is a highly experienced police officer. Due to his daughter’s critical illness and bedridden condition, he constantly needs money, leading him to engage in some underground transactions with vendors in the Dark Palace.
When he first saw this prompt, Li Ran realized Captain Zhang might be using his position for personal gain to save his bedridden daughter.
By directly asking about the Dark Palace, he had clearly touched one of Captain Zhang’s sore spots. How could Zhang possibly admit to anything?
“Yes, I can provide clues and assist Captain Zhang in solving the child disappearance case,” Li Ran said earnestly.
Captain Zhang narrowed his eyes slightly, trying to determine if Li Ran was lying by watching his expression—but Li Ran appeared serious, as if he meant every word.
“How can you prove it?” Captain Zhang asked.
Li Ran replied calmly, “Before these three children, wasn’t there another child who went missing and remains unfound to this day?”
“Yes, that child went missing over a year ago. The grandmother at home lost her sanity because of it,” Zhang responded.
“Under the lotus pond in the neighborhood, beneath the tangled roots of the lotus flowers—you’ll find the answer you're looking for.”
Captain Zhang stared at Li Ran solemnly, his eyes scrutinizing him like a criminal.
Li Ran smiled casually, “I’m not a criminal. I’m just a kind-hearted citizen.”
Though filled with doubt, Captain Zhang immediately organized an underwater rescue team to head toward the center of the lotus pond.
Li Ran also went with them, participating in the police's search operation.
Since completing Grandma Mi’s first mission, he hadn’t seen her again. But he still had follow-up missions related to the mutton restaurant and the pursuit of the killer, which were also connected to Grandma Mi. Maybe he’d see her again after completing those tasks.
Li Ran was also curious whether the child disappearance case was connected to Yu Peng, the murderer from the mutton restaurant.
If there was a connection, he might be able to complete both missions at once.
One hour later.
The underwater rescue team retrieved a skeleton from the pond, along with decayed clothing and a backpack full of silt.
“It’s the school uniform and the backpack,” Officer Xiao Feng confirmed after triple-checking.
Captain Zhang turned to look at Li Ran in the back: “How did he know this?”
Li Ran stepped forward, gazing toward where the remains were recovered. Two forensic doctors were collecting samples from the skeleton.
“The victim died of suffocation by strangulation before being dumped in the pond,” Li Ran said.
Soon, Captain Zhang received the forensic report, which matched Li Ran’s statement exactly.
“Do you believe me now?” Li Ran asked, a mysterious smile appearing on his face.
Captain Zhang looked at Li Ran in shock and said, “I’m beginning to suspect you are the killer.”
“I’ll help you find the real culprit—but only if you tell me about the Dark Palace,” Li Ran said sincerely.
Captain Zhang furrowed his brow tightly, hesitated for a long time, but remained silent.
Inside, Li Ran couldn’t help but wonder: To Captain Zhang, is the secret of the Dark Palace more important than the child disappearance case?
But the more this happened, the more intrigued Li Ran became about the Dark Palace’s mystery and the secret gate hidden within it.
No matter what, he had to find the location of that gate.
“Looks like I’ll need to use some push-pull tactics,” Li Ran thought.
Just as he stood up to leave, Captain Zhang called out to him: “Where’s the next child?”
“I don’t know. I think with your abilities, Captain, you should be able to find out easily. If there’s nothing else, I’ll take my leave.”
Seeing Li Ran about to leave, Captain Zhang knew he was getting angry. After all, he had promised to help find the real killer.
But this case was under pressure from many sides, weighing down on him so hard he could barely breathe. As long as it remained unsolved, he had no peace. If he managed to withstand the pressure and solve it, a promotion was very likely.
However, if he told Li Ran about the Dark Palace, it meant his own dealings within it would be exposed. If Li Ran used that as leverage, his own future would be at risk.
So, caught between the missing child case and the secrets of the Dark Palace, the choice was painfully difficult.
Li Ran chuckled coldly and walked off.
Captain Zhang gritted his teeth, as if making a difficult decision, then chased after Li Ran: “A word in private.”
He led Li Ran into a wooded area, watching the surroundings carefully. Only when he confirmed they were alone did he speak: “I’ll tell you the secrets of the Dark Palace. But this matter must stay between us. If a third person finds out—I won’t let you off.”
“Deal,” Li Ran replied with a calm smile. “Now I need the details of the second missing child.”
…
3:00 PM.
Li Ran looked up at the sky. It was pitch black.
“Found it.”
Ahead, the rescue team unearthed a body from under a vegetable patch by the riverbank.
The body belonged to a little girl. She had been wrapped tightly in layers of plastic wrap and buried in the soil. The forensic report arrived shortly after.
Captain Zhang read the report, his face full of sorrow: “You were right. The killer was after the kidneys.”
Besides the skeleton recovered from the lotus pond, the two subsequent child victims had died in the same way—strangled to death, then had their kidneys removed.
With his Golden Finger, solving crimes was almost like cheating for Li Ran.
As long as Captain Zhang provided clues and trace evidence from the scenes, Li Ran could peel back the layers step-by-step through the prompts from his Golden Finger and find the missing children.
“We’re just one short now,” said Captain Zhang, his face both happy and worried.
He was happy the case was close to being solved, but worried the last child might already be dead.
Captain Zhang placed the case file of the final missing child in front of Li Ran.
After going through all the clues, the furrow between Li Ran’s brows finally relaxed.
(He’s in danger. If rescued within the hour, he can still survive.)
That was the prompt Li Ran received.
“What is it?” Captain Zhang asked.
“This child is in extreme danger,” Li Ran said urgently.
So far, all the clues from the police pertained to the three previous children. The Golden Finger’s prompt could only lead him to the children.
“Captain Zhang, have your people check the hospitals—see if there’s a child in urgent need of a kidney transplant. That’s the key to finding the killer!”
Before, they couldn't identify the motive due to the lack of recovered bodies. But now that two victims were found with missing kidneys, the motive became clear.
If they followed the trail of the missing organs, the killer would soon be revealed.
“Yes, yes! I’ll have them check right away,” said Captain Zhang.
Li Ran let out a long breath of relief. From morning to evening, the case was finally nearing resolution.
As the children's remains were recovered, many native residents gathered at the scene, watching the commotion.
Li Ran scanned the crowd, and out of the corner of his eye, noticed a man wearing a baseball cap.
A prompt message immediately appeared—making Li Ran’s expression darken in an instant.
(End of Chapter)