TTB C11

Chapter 11

8  “Suspects.”

He Lin and Li Shang thanked the old man, crossed the street, and stopped before the placement agency.

Labor agencies like this were common in Yun City; the glass at the entrance was plastered with job postings. The interior wasn’t visible from outside. He Lin pushed—unlocked—so he led Li Shang in.

A woman’s voice called from the back: “Coming!”

A woman emerged from the inner room—well‑kept figure and skin, light makeup, shaped brows, black‑rim glasses, the poised beauty of maturity.

Smiling, she let her gaze sweep over them. “First time here, bosses? Where from? Looking to hire workers?”

As she spoke, she grabbed a dossier from the desk. “What education? Middle school, vocational, high school, university? What skills? I’ve got everything—and cheaper than job sites, just a fraction.”

He Lin didn’t hide who they were. Following procedure, he presented his badge.

She gave a small “oh,” then produced her business license for them to see.

Li Shang registered details: her name was Wan Hong, age 43, a local of Yun City.

He Lin showed her Tang Ailian’s photo. “Have you seen her?”

Wan Hong tilted her head, glanced, and shook it quickly. “No impression… The flow here is huge—too many faces. Asked out of the blue, I can’t pull it up.”

“Look carefully—her name is Tang Ailian.” He Lin read out Tang’s phone number. “Have you spoken with her by phone?”

Wan waved her own phone. “Dozens of calls a day—some cold calls, some referrals. Even if she called me, I can’t remember every single one.”

He Lin showed her Liu Yushu’s photo.

Wan’s brow furrowed deeper. “This one also… looks unfamiliar.”

Lastly, He Lin showed Guo Mucun.

Wan shook her head. “Likely never seen.” Then, with a gossipy lilt: “You officers looking for them? What happened? Are they suspects? Or victims?”

He Lin kept it vague. “Routine police checks. If you know anything about these three, you must inform us.”

Li Shang paused his notes and asked: “Could you check your computer to see whether they registered here?”

A computer was clearly on in the back room.

Wan smiled and waved it off. “I’m older—eyes aren’t great—the computer’s decoration. Most of my records are on paper.”

Warmly she added: “If you’re not in a rush, leave a contact. I’ll comb old files and let you know.”

He Lin had her write down her number and reviewed the business license.

Only Wan Hong ran the place. Besides job placement, she sometimes brokered housing—whatever made money.

In the midst of their chatting, her phone rang; she took the call, then returned to continue talking with the two officers.

He Lin asked: “How long have you been here?”

“Two decades or so. I do everything here. Want information? A blind date? I can help.”

He Lin: “You never married, boss lady?”

“What for? I’m too busy to serve a man.” She laughed, eyes flicking toward He Lin. “Besides, back when I was young I didn’t meet someone as handsome as you.”

It was a forward tease at He Lin’s expense.

He Lin didn’t mind; Li Shang, however, looked up and shot her a cool glance.

A few young job seekers came in soon after. He Lin and Li Shang didn’t linger; they stepped out.

Wu Yunsheng and Fang Jue finished canvassing just then. The four regrouped in their roadside car.

He Lin went straight to it. “We’ve likely found ‘Red Sister’—the owner of that placement agency.”

“Then she may be tied to Tang Ailian’s disappearance,” Wu’s eyes lit. “Did you question her?”

“A brief chat—there are tells.” He Lin didn’t answer directly first; he turned to Li Shang. “Thoughts?”

Li Shang considered. “Red Sister trades labor resources—the basics of her job is recognizing faces. She pegged us as first‑timers the moment we walked in. When shown the photos, she denied recognizing them very quickly. Police canvassed this block before—even the shop owner across the street still remembers. For a placement agent not to recall? Unlikely.”

Old Wu ventured: “Could be she doesn’t want trouble?”

He Lin shook his head and added: “When Li asked her to run a computer check, she flustered. Also—while we questioned, she cared less about those people and more about fishing info from us—why police were asking.”

As He Lin spoke, Li Shang lifted his notebook to jot things down; He Lin snatched the pen. “No need to write that.” He turned to Wu: “Have Cheng pull her call logs—see whether Tang or Liu phoned her.”

Fang chimed in: “Could Red Sister be hiding them? Both women suffered domestic violence—maybe she placed them in jobs where they wouldn’t be seen.”

Wu rubbed his chin. “Plausible—but a sticking point: we’ve seen many missing cases. Hiding two living adults without a trace is hard. Food, shelter, supplies, communications—how? I can’t think of an easy method.”

Fang guessed: “Shipped to a mine? Or out to the countryside? If out of town, tougher to find.”

He Lin: “We can’t think of it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. If Red Sister did hide them, she’d monitor police and family—make sure they aren’t found.”

Li Shang followed: “If their disappearances tie to her, she’d keep contact with them…”

Just then, He Lin’s phone rang. He connected it and put it on speaker.

Captain Zheng’s voice came, excited: “Captain He, we’ve got something. The Pianyifang neighborhood did a census a few months ago. It includes unemployment data. We screened and identified two suspects, then more—we have six in total. We’re planning arrests this afternoon. Any spare hands to help?”

He Lin didn’t refuse. “We’re near Pianyifang—send details.”

Right after the call, Deputy Cai posted the main suspects of the milk case in the work group: one had worked both milk delivery and parcels—odd jobs, currently unemployed; another had a veterinary degree, previously assistant at a nearby vet clinic, unemployed for six months.

Zheng added: “They’re fellow townsmen. We checked with the landlord—those two rent together, often go out at night, sleep by day—very suspicious. Also—they’re trying to break the lease early to ‘return home.’”

Timing suggested Guo’s tainted milk might have been their last job; perhaps a death spooked them into fleeing.

“After confirming those two, the rest fell into place—we found four more,” Zheng said.

He Lin was surprised. “That smooth?”

“Yeah,” Zheng sighed. “They’re mutual follows on apps—like pulling a string of gourds: yank one and a chain comes along…”

He Lin: “…”

Li Shang fished out earlier surveillance stills and handed them over.

He Lin compared the ID photos—one milk‑delivery suspect was the “yin‑yang tan line” thief in the stills: Fan Xiaozhuang.

“Split up,” He Lin decided. “Old Wu, you and Fang shadow Red Sister—she hasn’t seen you; it’ll be easier. Dig deep. Li and I will head to Pianyifang to back Zheng’s arrests.”

—

Pianyifang sat where two districts and a town met—originally a cluster of small vendors, two‑story storefronts lining the street.

Over time, stalls crept toward the road’s center; illegal add‑ons piled up; the place devolved into a messy bargain bazaar.

When online sales surged, the market waned. After several safety sweeps, many shops closed—cheap rentals followed.

The government had long wanted demolition, but various reasons stalled it.

Driving toward Pianyifang, traffic snarled. Li finally switched on navigation.

He Lin joined the anti‑theft channel.

Zheng rallied: “No rush—assemble first. They seem to be gathering; we’ve got eyes on. They’re oblivious—perfect for a sweep.”

He posted a map, marking positions.

He called He Lin directly: “You see our formation—encirclement. If you two hold the front exits, we’ll bottle them up.”

He Lin demurred: “Arrests are your play—your plan stands. We’re five minutes out.”

“Don’t be modest—I heard you once took six on and won. Good chance to show the rookies a live lesson.”

As the two captains exchanged pleasantries, Zheng’s tone shifted. “Wait! Something’s up—we’ll talk in a moment.”

He Lin hung up. Their car turned the corner into Pianyifang; the road narrowed.

As they rolled forward, an e‑bike suddenly sliced past through a gap, nearly scraping them. It sped away, a second rider on the back—neither wore helmets.

Li glanced sideways once, reacted instantly—braked, threw it in reverse, then pivoted to pursue.

The lurch made He Lin sway. “What is it? Did they clip us?”

Li’s answer was clipped: “Suspects.”

He Lin startled; he hadn’t even caught a good look. “Could you be mistaken?”

Li’s reply was firm, flat: “No.”