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墨書 Inktalez
Ding Derun reflected on his life, realizing that he had wasted the first half of it. If he had known there was such a quick and easy way to make money, he wouldn't have spent those years as a mechanic. He couldn't help but recall the nickname others had given him: the King of Scamming in Worker’s New Village.
Ding Derun enjoyed this title because it brought him financial benefits. Just like now, he had saved up enough money—four hundred thousand—and was ready to buy another apartment in Jingzhong City. Today, he planned to take his wife to look at properties, which would give him three apartments in total in Jingzhong City, including an old one.
In these times when morals were declining and people were no longer as they used to be, many laughed at the poor but not at the rich. Regardless of what others thought, the life of the wealthy was indeed good; at least he no longer had to struggle as he once did. Ding Derun remembered those days when he couldn't afford what he wanted to eat or wear, but now he didn't have to worry about money.
He patted his chest. Although he was in his sixties, he still felt strong and capable. Scamming for another ten years wouldn't be a problem; by then, he would probably acquire a fourth apartment.
“Wife! Wife!” Ding Derun called out while knocking on the door. “Let’s go look at some houses.”
However, there was no response from inside; it seemed no one was home.
Reluctantly, Ding Derun fished out his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door.
“Wife?” He set down his keys and sunglasses, calling out again, but there was still no answer.
He called his wife’s phone only to hear it ringing somewhere in the house. Following the sound, he found her phone in the bedroom. He hung up, filled with confusion. Logically, since he had told her they were going to look at houses this afternoon, she should have been waiting for him at home.
It was hot outside; surely she wouldn’t go shopping in this heat. Besides, she always kept her phone close by for fear of missing a call from their son. How could she leave her phone behind? Was it true that memory declined with age?
Ding Derun set the phone aside and turned on the television. An hour passed without any sign of his wife. He stood by the window, watching people come and go on the street outside, but still no sign of her return.
Two hours went by before Ding Derun began to feel anxious. He knew his wife's character; if she realized she had forgotten her phone, she would rush back home. There was no way she would stay out for so long.
What could have happened? His mind raced with various frightening possibilities.
He called relatives one by one to inquire about his wife's whereabouts but received no news.
Ding Derun's wife was missing.
At that moment, a phone call came in. Ding Derun looked at the screen; the number was a long string of digits that did not resemble a typical phone number. Uncertain of who was calling, he felt it might be related to the whereabouts of his wife, so he hurriedly answered.
"Hello, your wife is in my hands. If you want her to live, withdraw the four hundred thousand you were planning to use to buy a house. I will contact you afterward. You need to make an appointment to withdraw that amount, so I’m giving you a time frame."
Ding Derun's hands trembled as his heart raced, nearly choking him with anxiety.
"What? What? You know you've kidnapped my wife! Who are you, and what do you want?" Ding Derun asked urgently.
The voice on the other end replied, "Who I am is not important; what matters is who you are. As I said, I've taken your wife. Go withdraw the four hundred thousand for the house, and I will contact you tomorrow. By the way, there's something important I need to tell you—listen carefully."
Upon hearing this, Ding Derun quickly responded, "I understand! Please don’t harm my wife. I agree to your terms; I'll make an appointment for the four hundred thousand right away and withdraw it all tomorrow. Just don’t make things difficult for her—I won’t call the police, I promise."
Ding Derun had been married to his wife for nearly fifty years. She had been with him since he was struggling and poor. Throughout their lives together, they had never enjoyed much luxury; they had only managed to get by. Finally, after all these years, they could enjoy some peace together—only for someone to kidnap her now.
Ding Derun was not a fool; otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to avoid scams all this time. Typically, kidnappers target children; who would kidnap a spouse? Moreover, how did this person know he had exactly four hundred thousand in the bank?
It seemed this person knew him—could it be someone familiar?
Ding Derun's mind was in turmoil. He could give the money to the kidnappers, but he had to save his beloved wife.
"No," the person on the line stated a strange condition: "You must report it to the police."
Ding Derun couldn’t believe his ears. Either he misheard or the caller was mistaken. He hesitantly asked again, "You mean I must not report it? I won’t call the police! Please don’t hurt my wife; she has health issues and a heart condition—don’t scare her!"
"I’m very clear about this," the kidnapper reiterated firmly. "You need to report it to the police—absolutely report it—and when you do, say one specific phrase to them. Someone will come to help you."
Although Ding Derun had never experienced anything like this before, he had seen similar situations on television; kidnappers never wanted their victims' families to call the police—it was always advised against doing so. Although he didn’t understand what the kidnapper was thinking, several minutes passed without any sign of his wife’s return. He feared something terrible had happened to her. Reluctantly, he agreed to comply with the kidnapper's demands.
"I promise, but what should I say to the police when I report it?" Ding Derun asked.
"You just need to play a game with us, and make sure the police relay this message to the task force led by Shaoshilin." The other party made this very clear, and Ding Derun understood it completely.
"Okay, okay, I will definitely pass it on," Ding Derun replied.
"Very good." The kidnapper sounded quite pleased. "Just remember to do exactly as we say; otherwise, your partner will be in danger."
Ding Derun wanted to ask something else, but the other party hung up the phone.
His phone fell to the ground as he slumped down, the sudden turn of events making him feel as if he had aged ten years in an instant. Sitting there on the floor, he appeared utterly drained. In the empty room, he was all alone, and it took him several minutes to gather his thoughts and realize what he needed to do next.
His hands were still trembling as he dialed the bank first, scheduling a withdrawal of four hundred thousand in cash for the next day. After that, he called 110 and relayed the kidnapper's demands to the police.
"We're going to play a game."
The Jingzhong City Public Security Bureau received Ding Derun's report call and heard the words "task force" during the conversation.
Upon learning about this situation, the leadership at Jingzhong City Public Security Bureau took it seriously. It was unlikely for an ordinary person to know about a task force, especially one led by Shaoshilin; very few people were aware of this matter. However, the caller had directly mentioned Shaoshilin's task force over the phone, which raised suspicions.
The leadership in Jingzhong City felt that there might be something amiss and decided to call Old Shao on the evening of August 21st.
During the call, they explained the case details.
Upon hearing the familiar phrase "Let's play a game," Old Shao immediately decided to head to Jingzhong City to investigate what seemed like a serious kidnapping case.
The leadership in Jingzhong City was puzzled by Old Shao's decision to come for this case. The task force usually handled major cases—at least murder cases—but for a kidnapping case, it seemed like an overreaction.
But Old Shao did not think so. When he was in Shangxi City, he received a mysterious phone call, and now the informant had mentioned this very phrase, specifically requesting the task force to come. Old Shao knew that these two matters must be related. After deciding to head to Jingzhong City, Old Shao began dialing the numbers of the current task force members one by one.
At this moment, there were two more members in the task force: Jiang He, Wang Chao, Xu Yiman, Guan Deng, plus himself.
Wang Chao and Jiang He immediately agreed to report to Jingzhong City as quickly as possible, with Wang Chao picking up Jiang He along the way. Upon hearing this news, Guan Deng sent a flurry of worried messages, primarily concerned about facing the other members of the task force. Old Shao could only reassure him that the rest of the team were not exactly normal people either.
Xu Yiman hesitated for a while but still did not give Old Shao a response. She replied that she would get back to him later that evening, and Old Shao did not press her further.
After hanging up the phone, Old Shao felt a mix of emotions. Among the entire task force, aside from Wang Chao who seemed somewhat normal, everyone else—including himself—had their own psychological issues. Old Shao was conflicted about whether they should consider bringing in a psychologist for the team to prevent their mental health problems from worsening.
This indeed needed to be addressed.
Meanwhile, those who received the call were unable to sleep throughout the night. Jiang He and Wang Chao were excited; Jiang He had been waiting for a case for a long time, while Wang Chao was thrilled to finally join the task force. Guan Deng was worried; he feared he wouldn't be able to get along with others and was anxious about making mistakes. Xu Yiman was in doubt; she wasn't sure if she could keep going.
Old Shao also couldn't sleep. He pondered who it could be that was playing games with him.
Could it be his old rival?
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