Chapter 141: A mind numbing link.

Rong Jian’s lips trembled, but no words came. It was his mother, Madam Liu, who stepped forward. Her face was pale, her hands clenched tightly. “We are not letting you into our home. We saw too many police officers that never helped.”

Liwu replied softly, “You have my sympathies. It is okay, we can stay out here and just talk. Maybe we can begin with something simple like the ransom demand and amount.”

“I will tell you the same thing we told the police back then,” she said softly. “It was 5,250,960. We had money, we could have paid, but because my daughter-in-law called the police, my grandson died.”

Rong Jian closed his eyes for a brief moment. “Mom,” he called out in a pained voice, “He died because of the asthma, please, stop blaming it on my wife.”

He Xiao Yi was convinced more than ever that the victims were connected. He raised his phone, and showed Rong Jian the pictures of the parents of the other kidnapped children. “Do you know them?”

Rong Jian seemed to hesitate. His body tightened and he crossed his arms across his chest. “No.”

Liwu and Xiao Yi knew immediately. He was lying. There was a connection between the money and the families. She nudged Xiao Yi, pretending to stumble.

He got what she meant and he softened his voice to an almost hypnotic tone. “Mr. Rong, your son is dead. Your wife couldn’t take the grief and she killed herself. You could not take the guilt so you sold your old home and ran all the way to this village. But running doesn’t absolve you of your past sins. Whatever you are hiding, we will find out anyway, we are the system bureau, we have our ways.

But, I think that rather than take that route, it is better for you to take this chance to unburden yourself. Come clean and save the life of a child. Do something that makes your son proud, and maybe, some of that guilt you have will be washed away.”

Mrs. Liu frowned heavily. “What do you mean? What guilt? My son didn’t do anything. This kidnapping, this…..this…” she croaked, started to heave and covered her mouth with the scarf. Tears slipped from her eyes, liquid overwhelming grief that had never healed.

Rong Jian started sobbing too, and he slipped to the floor.

Liwu crouched down, and placed her hand on his knee. “What happened uncle Jian? Tell us and get justice for your son.” She would get answers out of him, even if it meant using hypnosis or her bad luck. “The first kidnapping happened ten years ago. What happened back then?”

Rong Jian’s voice dropped to a whisper, “A fire, that was what happened. Back then, I was still working for Shenling investment group. There was a merger between three companies, a big celebration at a banquet hall Nanjing.”

Liwu nodded. “I remember that fire. It was caused by fireworks, three hundred guests attended. There was only victim, a boy who failed to make it out.”

Rong Jian buried his face in his hands, sobbing with more strength.

He Xiao Yi sent a text to the chief, to start digging up everything to do with that fire. If the trigger for these kidnappings was a location, then the banquet hall was it.

“It was not that simple.” Rong Jian wiped his eyes, but he kept looking at the ground. “Most people escaped before the entrance and exit to the banquet hall collapsed. Seven of us were trapped us inside.” He shook his head, “No, eight. There were eight of us, including that boy.But something happened in that fire. Something cruel.”

Liwu’s heart thudded. “What happened?”

“His father was a chef, the kid was not supposed to be there but his father used to sneak him into the hotel because there was no one at home to take care of him. The fire was big and it was hot, and we were all desperate for a means of escape.

The kid, he said he knew where an old elevator was, one that led to the basement, and then a subway platform. He led us to it. Oh God….” he covered his face. “Please don’t make me say it.”

Liwu shook her head. “You must say it.”

Mrs. Liu whimpered. “What did you do Jian?”

Rong Jian refused to say, shaking his head and choosing silence. “It was terrible. I can still hear his screams as he begged. They haunt me still, just as much as the death of my son.”

Liwu squeezed his knee. “Which is exactly why you must say it.”

He Xiao Yi finally spoke. “An old elevator, it probably couldn’t withstand the weight of how many people exactly….”

Rong Jian crawled to the roses, and emptied his gut. The detectives and Aang followed, stalking him like predators.

“You killed that kid, didn’t you?” He Xiao Yi grilled.

Rong Jian shook his head frantically. “It wasn’t me. It was another Su Daji. The elevator was not moving, there was an excess of fifteen kilograms. Someone had to stay and wait for it to return again. But we were all scared, nobody wanted to burn. We could all see the fire, it looked like this big monstrous cloud coming at us. Su Daji just shoved the kid out and pushed the button.”

“Oh my God.” Liwu whispered. She felt certain that she would be sick as well.

Madam Liu fainted.

Aang teleported her to a hospital immediately.

He Xiao Yi looked at his watch. In his opinion, they had spent enough time on the past. The clock was ticking and they had 45 hours left. Each hour needed to count for progress.

“We were all in shock,” Rong Jian continued, meanwhile, “But at the same time, we couldn’t deny that we were relieved not to be the unlucky one that had burned to death. We made a promise never to tell anyone what had happened there and we also swore never to contact each other.

I remember the news, the cries of that man, the boy’s father. They ate me alive. Some of us felt more guilt than others so we collected money, and sent it to him anonymously to help with the funeral and other things.”

“5,250,960 yuan.” He Xiao Yi said coldly.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep