Chapter 672: Vanishing Clues

Book Chapter 672: I Seriously Don’t Trust You (Update 5)

Night had deepened. Lin.

The bright moon hung high while countless stars dotted the sky.

A gentle evening breeze brushed against the cheeks, offering a refreshing coolness.

Xiao Yu and Wang Dong leaned against the hood of a business car.

With a cigarette hanging from his lips, Xiao Yu gazed at the night sky over City W, exhaling thick clouds of smoke.

“People can’t just vanish into thin air,” he remarked.

Xiao Yu continued calmly, “From my experience, if there’s no sign before someone goes missing—everything’s normal: leaving home, going to work or school—then suddenly, they just evaporate. Once you investigate, you’ll find the truth.”

“And about those blank periods… No one can simply disappear without leaving a trace. Besides, when foreigners arrive in a new city, if they wanted to vanish, they’d have to have the means to do so,” he added.

“Wherever someone exists, they leave behind traces. Over forty foreigners in City W experienced blank periods in the past two years, and that can only mean…”

Wang Dong cut in eagerly, “It was man-made!”

“Exactly,” Xiao Yu affirmed.

Exhaling his smoke, he nodded, “It must be that a criminal organization is handling their pickup. To avoid unnecessary trouble, they go through a process. For instance, they might kidnap these foreigners while they’re out sightseeing.”

While the two conversed,

members of Team Two, the investigative unit, returned.

They brought not only an investigation report but also several recordings from the Tianyan Surveillance Cameras.

The suspect, Barney Owen, a 31-year-old male from Country J, had entered on a three-month tourist visa before transferring to City W.

During his stay, he spent a week sightseeing in City W…

But from the eighth day onward, his whereabouts became a mystery during a 33-day blank period.

Thirty-three days later, he reappeared at a certain three-star hotel in City W, having stayed inside for five consecutive days.

After that, he left City W, transferred through Magic City, and eventually returned to his home country…

The Tianyan Surveillance Cameras had recorded him from his initial appearance in City W.

Yet none of them captured that 33-day gap.

The disappearance occurred in a scenic area that wasn’t monitored by the cameras.

Even when he reemerged, he seemed to step right out of that very area…

That very night, Xiao Yu and his team scoured the scenic area for two entire hours.

“Not here,” he finally declared.

Xiao Yu shook his head. “It’s likely just the pickup point. They whisk the victims away from here to somewhere without cameras, making further tracking impossible. Their counter-surveillance is top-notch; they leave no clues.”

“Should we investigate the other suspects?” Wang Dong asked.

After all, there’s more than one foreign suspect on the list.

The Tianyan Surveillance Cameras aren’t civilian-grade; all footage is permanently archived.

“It’s useless,” Xiao Yu replied.

He shook his head again, “I told you, their counter-investigation skills are formidable. The pickup locations are prearranged.”

“What about communication?” Wang Dong wondered aloud.

“They probably use special tools—anything that just needs a network connection will do,” Xiao Yu explained.

Xiao Yu snorted, “Like the Dark Web!”

He went on to say that most transactions and contacts between sellers and clients are conducted via this confidential method.

Furthermore, this Dark Web likely exists abroad; few here in the country would know about it.

That’s why there’s no domestic news about ‘organ trade.’

After all, since their targets are all foreigners, they don’t engage in local ‘business’ at all!

Why go through such trouble?

First, for concealment—you know how that works, right?

Second, for safety. As long as they steer clear of domestic operations, it’s nearly impossible for the police to catch wind of this criminal organization.

Finally, the investigation itself would be extremely challenging.

Their meticulous counter-surveillance and safety measures mean that even if you uncover their existence,

proving their case remains a monumental task.

Just look at our current situation.

Even if we track them down in City W,

we still wouldn’t know who they are or where they hide.

Finding them would be like looking for a needle in a haystack!

“Are we meant to wait until the next… client shows up?”

Wang Dong groaned in frustration.

“We can’t wait,” Xiao Yu stated.

He winced, “We can’t even be sure they haven’t realized that we’ve discovered them.”

“Forget the tongue twisters; my head’s been spinning for ages,” Wang Dong laughed bitterly.

That’s the difference between a married man and a married aristocrat… Xiao Yu smirked.

Man, his stamina just isn’t what it used to be!

“Straight to the point,”

Xiao Yu sighed in resignation, “Even if we pinpoint the pickup spot, we won’t be able to catch them in time.”

Life’s tragic irony is like dreaming up a night of steamy passions only to wake up with no recollection the next morning.

Yeah, that’s about it!

“As long as they remain in City W, we’re bound to find them,”

Wang Dong said coldly.

“But we don’t have that kind of time,” Xiao Yu countered.

Leaning against the car hood, he closed his eyes, “I’m about to lose it.”

“Huh?”

Wang Dong was perplexed, “What do you mean by ‘lose it’?”

He joked, “Little Brother, you’re not planning to self-harm, are you? Would you really sacrifice your pretty sister?”

“There’s an animated show with a main character named Ikkyu,” Xiao Yu replied.

With his eyes closed, he laughed, “Every time Ikkyu tries to solve a tough problem, he says ‘lose it!’—oh, and it’s actually from a song!”

Drawing on his knowledge of ‘404**’, he answered accordingly.

Wang Dong fell silent.

At that moment, he felt an urge to mess with Little Brother again.

At what time the heck are you still spouting cheeky remarks?

Xiao Yu didn’t really want to continue either.

But before deep thought sets in, the brain needs to relax.

For instance, teasing Wang Dong a little left Xiao Yu feeling quite pleased.

His mind finally eased up…

“If I were the head of an international human organ trafficking ring…”

Wang Dong’s hair practically stood on end as he quickly stepped back.

His eyes locked onto the motionless, murmuring Xiao Yu.

Though Xiao Yu had slipped into this ‘state’ before, Wang Dong had seen it a few times.

He recalled Xiao Yu once saying,

“What do you call this state… self-hypnosis?”

I seriously don’t trust you!

Every time Little Brother slips into this mode, Wang Dong feels an inexplicable sense of danger.

His body instinctively sends out warnings,

advising him to steer clear of Xiao Yu and avoid any threatening moves.

Otherwise, you’re in for a terrible end!

“If I were the head of that criminal organization…”

Xiao Yu slowly opened his eyes.

Those cold, numb pupils stared intently.

“What would I do?”

Wen

Xue