Chapter 83: Chapter 083: Behind the Scenes (Fourth Update)
Translator: 549690339
Upon hearing about the presence of a kidnapper in the town, the cup in his hand nearly crashed to the ground out of fear. Without bothering to change his tea-soaked clothes, he hastily summoned two people to accompany him to see what the situation was.
The town had previously experienced incidents of children and young girls being kidnapped. At that time, the county magistrate had been furious, berating him for ineffectual governance as pavilion chief, that such atrocities could happen under his watch.
Gong Qingsheng also felt greatly humiliated, as his dignity and authority in the town seemed to have diminished somewhat.
In short, the incident of a kidnapper appearing in the town during the Lantern Festival greatly disturbed him.
Now, little over two months later, a similar incident had occurred. Gong Qingsheng took it very seriously, resolved in his heart that he would capture the kidnapper at all costs.
However, when he and his informant arrived at the scene, what they saw were two burly men, mercilessly beaten, bound up like dumplings, and an old woman huddled on the ground, unable to get up.
Also, the inconsolable Lin San, whose daughter had gone missing before, and his wife Mrs. Ma, were sobbing so intensely that they could hardly catch their breath.
“What the hell happened?” Gong Qingsheng wiped the sweat off his forehead, simultaneously letting out a sigh of relief.
If the suspects had been caught and there were no other victims, it seemed that the kidnapper had been caught before they could succeed.
Thank the heavens! If this was just closing the barn door after the sheep had been stolen, he would have still been able to retain his position as pavilion chief, perhaps even gaining some merit for it.
“Pavilion Chief, here’s what happened. I was working at home when I heard someone outside shouting about splitting money. I came out to see what was happening and before I had a chance to join in the commotion, someone shouted that there were kidnappers. Upon hearing this, I rushed forward to see who these heartless bastards were still daring to make trouble in our town.”
“Just as I’d run up, I saw these two sons of bitches turn tail and run. Looking at the situation, who would hesitate? If they weren’t kidnappers, why would they run? They had to be guilty, scaremongering like that. So, I immediately gave chase. To tell the truth, these two bastards ran really fast. It took a lot of effort to corner them. We took turns throwing punches and kicks, then tied them up with rope while waiting for you to get here.”
A man from the crowd named Zeng Shunzi vividly relayed the sequence of events.
“And what about this woman?” Gong Qingsheng pointed to the old woman huddled on the ground.
“While we were catching these two bastards here, we saw this old hag from far away cursing and swearing that those two good-for-nothings couldn’t even carry out their tasks properly. It didn’t take long to figure out that those two were her accomplices. So, we tied her up as well and questioned the two bastards. They admitted it was all three of them.”
Zeng Shunzi went on to say, “Their plan was for this black-hearted old hag to scout out potential victims. When she saw someone suitable, she’d be the first to approach, building rapport and whatnot. After a few days, she would trick children or young girls into taking her home. Once they’re in a deserted place, she would signal the two bastards to tie the person up. When the opportunity came, they would transport the victim away and sell them off for money…”
“Oh, my poor lost daughter. I don’t know where she is now, whether she’s alive or not…” Mrs. Ma, whose cries had gradually faded, erupted into wails again upon hearing Zeng Shunzi’s words, and lunged at the three suspects, scratching and clawing at them.
She shouted furiously, “Tell me, did you rob my daughter? Where did you sell her? Speak up now!”
“Speak up!”
Seeing the three suspects saying nothing, Mrs. Ma angrily began to strike them.
No one in the crowd tried to stop her
The pain of losing a child was like a sharp dagger to the heart. Mrs. Ma was in unspeakable grief. At this moment, slapping these damned beasts to vent her anger was only natural.
Some in the crowd were moved to tears.
Zeng Shunzi sighed and said to Gong Qingsheng, “You see, Pavilion Chief, Mrs. Ma heard we’d caught the kidnappers, and she came running over without even putting on her shoes. She’s been crying and hitting them, demanding her daughter’s return…”
No one stopped her.
“Having committed so many heinous acts, don’t they deserve these blows now?” Gong Qingsheng looked at the three captives with clear disgust in his eyes. He then ordered, “Come clean now! Were the girl, Lin Cuilan, from Lin San and Mrs. Ma’s house, kidnapped by the three of you?”
“Admit everything now. If you can help us find her, I may speak on your behalf to the county magistrate. Perhaps you will be able to save your lives. But if you don’t confess, once you enter the County Government Office, hmph, surviving won’t be so easy!”
“Mercy, sir…” One of the burly kidnappers, tied like a dumpling, was leaning against the wall, curling up his body, knocking his forehead to the ground like a pecking chicken. “We truly just came here for the first time. We’ve never kidnapped anyone from here before. Whatever this auntie is saying about her lost daughter, it really wasn’t us.”
“Moreover, we originally didn’t want to come here. In the town, everyone is familiar with each other. Aside from the familiarity, the place is also small, and it’s easy to be discovered…”
“If you didn’t want to come, why are you here now?” Gong Qingsheng was not satisfied with the answer.
Was it because they thought his town was easy to bully? Or did they consider him, the Pavilion Chief, easy to bully?
“Sir, if we tell you, you have to promise to plead for us in front of the county magistrate, to save our lives…”
Seeing Gong Qingsheng’s stern expression and hearing his cold snort, the man realized Gong Qingsheng was getting impatient and quickly spoke up, “Someone offered us money to kidnap a specific person. They said we could keep all the money from selling the captive, so we risked coming here…”
Who would have thought they’d get caught on their first attempt.
If only they’d known, they wouldn’t have been tempted by the silver pieces. They should have chosen a safer place and a more suitable person to kidnap.
“Useless things, scared sh*tless after a few words, spilling everything. Still thinking about the money?” The old hag on the ground scolded.
“Money? You’ve got to be alive to spend it. At this point, you’re still saying such unrepentant nonsense. I’m tempted to cut out your heart to see. I wonder if your heart is red or black!”
Gong Qingsheng barked angrily, his brows knitted together even more tightly.
Someone had provided funds, and even specified who to kidnap. This was practically the same as hiring a killer!
This situation did not seem to be as simple as it appeared. He needed to pursue the matter with the County Government Office right away, so that the county magistrate could conduct a thorough investigation, uncover the culprit behind all this, and not let any evildoer go unpunished..
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