Learn one small skill every day

Zhang Ze shrugged: "So that's what it is. I've heard about it before, but I don't think it's very likely. It's obviously the work of human traffickers. We should investigate the victims' routes home."

Bai Miao was surprised by Zhang Ze's objectivity and calmness.

He originally thought that the people who came to see him on Saturdays when they had nothing else to do were the kind who believed that the missing students had seen their deceased relatives.

"What did your dad say? If what he said is true, that they were all kidnapped by human traffickers, the government couldn't have remained completely silent, could it? Did your dad warn you to be careful?"

Zhang Ze slapped his thigh, looking heartbroken: "There must be a mole within the government! The human traffickers bribed the police, otherwise how could they be so arrogant? We need to gather evidence and teach these corrupt officials a lesson!"

"..."

It must be said that elementary school students have very rich imaginations, and Zhang Ze seems to firmly believe in a conspiracy theory from another direction.

He'd rather believe someone embezzled money than believe in ghosts; he's too materialistic.

The man who knew the older brother from the vocational school was named Chen Tianzhuo. He chimed in, "Actually, one of my older brothers' younger brothers went missing. Before that, they said they saw the younger brother's deceased grandmother leading him into an alley. They told the police about this clue, but the police actually told them not to cause trouble. This clearly shows that there are problems within the police force."

No... no police officer would believe a middle school student who says they saw a dead person abduct a child...

Chen Tianzhuo was more convinced of the combination of the two facts: on the one hand, there was something fishy going on, and on the other hand, there were problems within the police force.

Bai Miao's other teammate was the class's academic representative, who was interested in this kind of thing. Bai Miao needed him to cover for him, so when he asked questions, he would pretend to be asking the academic representative for advice.

After all, no matter what kind of parent they are, they all hope that their children will play with those who have good grades.

However, he didn't have any ideas of his own on this matter; he was simply curious and wanted to follow Bai Miao to find the answers.

They are easy to manage and convenient pure support teammates.

"What do you think?"

Bai Miao looked at the last teammate, the one who claimed to have a good relationship with the victim and used to visit the victim's home often.

This is the only girl in the team, named Zhao Zitong.

Her relationship with the victim was more like that of childhood sweethearts; their families lived across the street from each other, and they often played in the mud together in the courtyard downstairs before they even started elementary school.

Zhao Zitong is also in fourth grade this year, and in terms of age, she is the oldest among the five.

“I…I think Chen Tianzhuo is right. Actually…I’ve met Zhong Hui’s grandmother…”

Feeling a little embarrassed by being stared at by a group of boys a year or two younger than her, Zhao Zitong was told by Bai Miao not to worry about it and continued.

"That day I was playing a jigsaw puzzle with him in his room... He said his grandma was cutting fruit in the kitchen and asked me if I wanted some."

“I didn’t pay much attention at the time and just said I wanted to eat. After a while, his grandmother came in with a plate of fruit. The fruit tasted a bit strange to me, so I only took one bite and didn’t continue eating.”

"But when I got back, I remembered that Zhong Hui's grandmother must have slipped on the stairs when she was in the second grade. She fell and lay in bed for a month or two before passing away."

At this point, Zhao Zitong began to tremble uncontrollably, and the others, even those just listening, could feel the horror behind them.

Bai Miao was already immune to these ghost stories. He patted Zhao Zitong on the shoulder and said, "Let's keep going. We will definitely find Zhong Hui. Don't be afraid. I saw my deceased grandmother come back with my own eyes. I believe we can find out the truth behind these chain events."

Encouraged by Bai Miao, Zhao Zitong mustered her courage again and continued, "After that incident, I felt that Zhong Hui was somewhat absent-minded. When we went home together, he would occasionally glance behind him, but when I turned around, I didn't see anything."

“I asked him why he kept turning around, and he said that his grandmother kept calling his name from behind.”

Chen Tianzhuo crossed his arms and took a few steps back: "Damn, you're not making this up to scare us, are you?"

Tan Xuelong said in a deep voice, "Shut up! If you're a coward, go home by yourself!"

Chen Tianzhuo was displeased upon hearing this and shoved Tan Xuelong, saying, "If you're not happy, hit me!"

Tan Xuelong didn't give in either, and pushed him back, and the two immediately started fighting.

"Almost got it."

Bai Miao was also mentally prepared to act as a babysitter. The moment the two started fighting, Bai Miao grabbed their wrists and forcibly separated them.

Seeing that Bai Miao was able to suppress two people all by himself, Zhao Zitong also looked at him with surprise.

Although she couldn't understand it, she felt that Bai Miao was very powerful.

Chen Tianzhuo was completely convinced; he had never seen anyone with such strength.

Even the eldest brother can't hold down two people by himself.

"Don't fight. We're a team. If you keep fighting amongst yourselves, I'll kick you all out, understand?"

"I understand, understand..."

Chen Tianzhu nodded repeatedly, like a chicken pecking at rice.

Tan Xuelong nodded reluctantly.

"And you, you know your brother but you're still so cowardly? Aren't you afraid of embarrassing your brother if word gets out?"

Chen Tianzhuo was not about to back down; that would be disgracing his elder brother. So he immediately straightened his chest and said, "I'm not afraid! If there's any danger, or if I'm needed to take action, I don't think I'll back down even a step."

"Okay, I hope you remember what you said. You can continue."

Finally, Bai Miao looked at Zhao Zitong.

“I was also scared after hearing what Zhong Hui said... Plus, Zhong Hui didn’t come to visit me, and I didn’t dare to go to his house, so we didn’t have any contact for about three or four days. Later I found out that he had disappeared.”

"From the time you met his grandmother at his house to the time he disappeared, it was roughly a week?"

Zhao Zitong nodded: "But he may have gone missing a little earlier, although he probably met his grandmother for the first time earlier than I met her at his house, so I think it was about a week in total."

A week... Lin Shanshan said that from the time she saw her grandmother until she disappeared, it was almost a week.

We have a pretty good idea of ​​the modus operandi, but there is another problem to face.

How can these children be taken away in full view of everyone?

Bai Miao looked at Chen Tianzhuo: "Could you contact your older brother? You said he saw the missing classmate being taken away. I'd like to ask for the specific details."

Chen Tianzhuo confidently stated, "No problem! We can go directly to the vocational school to find him. I know where he usually hangs out on Saturdays."

Chapter 236 The Most Familiar Stranger

In the 05s, junior high school delinquents had limited places to go on weekends.

At that time, going out to sing karaoke or go to bars was not popular, and the conditions in the county town were not suitable for it.

Amidst a cluster of densely packed houses, Chen Tianzhuo led Bai Miao and his group to a very secluded entrance.

Hearing the sounds of keyboard typing, cursing, and various QQ message notifications coming from inside, Bai Miao knew what was going on inside.

Black Internet cafe.

Zhao Zitong was reluctant to go in, after all, the school had repeatedly emphasized that going to illegal internet cafes was forbidden, and her parents also considered going to internet cafes a capital offense, and that she would definitely be beaten up if caught.

“We don’t all need to go in. Chen Tianzhuo and I will go in. You guys can split up and pretend you don’t know each other. If anything happens, just run away and meet at the usual place.”

Bai Miao made the arrangements and led Chen Tianzhuo into the smoky, shady internet cafe.

When the internet cafe owner saw that there was business, he enthusiastically came over and asked Bai Miao how many hours he wanted to use the computer. After being told that he was just looking for someone, the owner returned to the counter cursing and swearing, telling Bai Miao not to stay too long.

"You two better watch your eyes. If I catch you standing next to someone else's computer watching, I'll charge you too!"

It has to be said that anyone who can run an illegal internet cafe so successfully is definitely not a good person.

Bai Miao didn't mind and told Chen Tianzhuo to hurry up and find the person.

Chen Tianzhuo looked left and right and finally saw three or four people operating the screen in a corner.

I'm still playing Audition Online, which is currently very popular.

"Brother, I have something I'd like to ask you."

Chen Tianzhuo moved closer, a fawning smile on his face.

The older man glanced at Chen Tianzhuo impatiently: "Can't you see I'm busy?"

He missed pressing a button during the conversation, which caused him to lose the game immediately.

The sarcastic messages from his teammates in the game infuriated him even more.

"Damn it, it's all your fault for asking such a question!"

The older brother was furious and naturally vented his anger on Chen Tianzhuo, grabbing him and preparing to beat him up.

Bai Miao grabbed his wrist and said, "If you lose this round, I'll help you win ten rounds. If you win, you'll have to answer my questions honestly, okay?"

"Who do you think you are... hiss!"

His wrist ached from Bai Miao's grip. He thought to himself that this guy had some strength. He hadn't planned to give up, but when he heard that Bai Miao was willing to help him win ten games back, he felt he had both the financial and personal gain, so he didn't pursue the matter further.

"Fine, then you fight. If you lose, I'll hold you responsible!"

As he spoke, he mocked the other side in the public chat, telling them to play ten more rounds and that the loser would have to call him "daddy."

The other side, naturally unafraid of this defeated opponent, readily agreed.

Bai Miao sat down and flexed his fingers. He knew the rules of Audition Online by heart, and with his own skill level, he could get the best score in almost every game.

The leader, who was watching from the side, was dumbfounded. He called over his other buddies, and the group gathered behind Bai Miao to watch his unbelievable actions.

"Are you cheating?"

"Call me Dad first."

"Get lost, I don't talk to bastards."

The other side couldn't handle the game and left the room cursing after losing three rounds in a row.

The senior student was so impressed by Bai Miao's gaming skills that he immediately decided to become his apprentice.

These days, if you're good at Audition Online, you're definitely considered a master by everyone.

"I still have some questions I want to ask you about your missing henchman."

Bai Miao didn't waste time with pleasantries and went straight to the point: "You said you saw him being taken away? Do you remember the specific time and place, and who took him away?"

"You're also trying to investigate the disappearances? Take my advice, these things are really strange. Here's what we'll do, I'll get you a computer, we can play games together, and I'll protect you at your school from now on. You can forget about becoming a detective, okay?"

"All I want now is to find out the truth."

"Why are you so stubborn? Fine, you'll give up once you suffer a loss. I, Xu Hao, admire people like you."

Bai Miao looked at Xu Hao's outstretched hand, somewhat puzzled.

Xu Hao urged, "Come shake hands with me, that way we'll be acquainted. What's your name?"

"Bai An."