Guardian: Returns

5

Zhao Yunlan was sitting in his office and reading a new case file. A girl went missing a day before, and Xingdu Bureau sent them the job. He frowned, trying to figure out why the police couldn't deal with it. There was a knock on the door, and he lifted his head. Zheng Yi came in and smiled.

"You wanted to see me, Chief Zhao?"

"Yes. Take Xiao Guo and visit the family of the missing girl. Some things are missing in these papers. The mere fact that the kid disappeared in broad daylight doesn't make it an S.I.D. business. There has to be more to it. If need be, nudge them a bit..." he trailed off.

"Wouldn't it be an abuse of power?" her smile broadened.

"I'm not telling you to force them. Just make those people see that saying everything would be more beneficial and would help us find the kid."

"Yes, boss," she excused herself. Right after finishing school, she had joined the S.I.D. and was a charismatic and trusted worker. Her power of manipulation saved their asses more than once.

Zhao stood up and went to the common area of the S.I.D. Headquarters. Time has passed, but not much has really changed there. He frowned, hearing humming from the kitchen area and went to investigate. The door to the fridge was open, and Da Qing was sitting on the floor, eating fish and drinking milk straight from the bottle. He looked up and almost choked on the last bite. With his leg, he closed the fridge and hastily got up, smiling sheepishly.

"Sorry, I wasn't fed today," he admitted, grinning. Zhao frowned.

"You look exceptionally cheerful today. Did something good happen?"

"Yup. Met someone nice. Got petted a lot. Things are looking up."

"I thought that you had attached yourself to some boy a couple of years back."

"That's right. A friend joined him today. I will allow them to take care of me."

"That's something new. Anyway, I need you to go and investigate the Northern High School. A kid went missing. From what I read, she didn't come back home. Talk to the headmaster, but do it discreetly. We don't want the news to spread."

"Since when are we dealing with the missing persons, huh?"

"Since Xingdu Bureau thinks that it is a fitting case for us," the detective looked at him somberly.

"Wait," Da Qing frowned. "Did you say the Northern High School? That's my mas... I mean, that's the biggest school in the city."

"That's right. So before it gets late, I suggest that you go there."

"On it." Da Qing finished the milk, handed the empty bottle to his boss and left.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" Jiang Feng tried to match Luo Fei's pace as they walked through the almost empty school building. Jiang Xin Bai was at the rear with hands in his pockets. Luo had called him, saying that he was taking his brother back to school. They intended to prepare the classroom for the mindblowing presentation the following day and that he was welcome to join. Reluctantly, the boy agreed.

There were only a few students around. Only those interested in some extracurricular clubs were crazy enough to stay longer after the lessons ended. Luo had never understood them.

The trio entered the classroom, and Jiang Feng located four markers, each different colour. He started writing and drawing things on the large whiteboards, then paused and looked at his companions.

"I'll put all the information here, so you two go and collect the pinecones," he blinked happily and fixed his glasses.

"You sure?" Luo tilted his head. The amount of information that Feng insisted on sharing with the class was overwhelming.