The Bodyguard King’s CEO Wife Chapter 1817: Pipeline

"In any case, I just don’t support it, Kai. Since you’re now a training officer in the army, why bother helping the police? Besides, you’re not trained in criminal investigation, so how can you solve a case?" Chen Yuxin objected. Ever since the last incident, she had always agreed to Ye Shikai’s requests, but this time, she kept opposing him.

"Just because I haven’t studied criminal investigation doesn’t mean I can’t solve cases. I’ve always wanted to be a detective, and I have a hunch that this case is definitely not ordinary." Ye Shikai persuaded. He was spending his days idly at home, almost going moldy. The training at Dragon Teeth only required him once a week, so he planned to do something meaningful with his remaining time, which, of course, wouldn’t be too dangerous. Although the task force Zhang Ting was in dealt with "dangerous cases," compared to the man-eating creatures in the Kunlun Mountains, these cases posed almost zero threat to him.

"Kai, I’m pregnant now, and it’s already five months. Don’t you want to spend more time with me?" Chen Yuxin said, looking reluctant.

"So you’re worried I won’t spend time with you. You can relax about that; haven’t I already promised you that I’ll be with you every day? Besides, I’m only helping Zhang Ting with the case, not taking it all on myself. I’ll be home every night." Ye Shikai explained.

"Kai, you should reconsider."

"Xin, you’re pregnant now, so what you should do most is stay at home and not worry about anything else." Ye Shikai didn’t say much more, and Chen Yuxin didn’t press him further, perhaps concerned about provoking his displeasure.

After dinner, Ye Shikai lay on the bed, still holding the case files Zhang Ting had given him. Missing persons cases were not uncommon. For instance, children being abducted, and even many adults disappearing, were not unusual. The people missing in these cases were scavengers and beggars, individuals from the lowest rungs of society, who typically garnered no notice from others. The photos Zhang Ting gave him depicted their "homes," some of which had nowhere to go, living inside pipes that looked pitiful.

"Kai, are these all case files?" At this point, Chen Yuxin also got into bed, lying beside him, but Ye Shikai was so engrossed that he didn’t notice.

"Yes, speaking of which, police officers really have a tough job with these cases." Ye Shikai murmured, thinking the photos provided too little information and were of almost no help.

"They’re just some homeless people. Maybe they left on their own." Chen Yuxin said dismissively.

"They’re pitiful people. Zhang Ting told me that several of the missing persons are children under ten. If they simply left Yanjing, how could they leave their belongings here?" Ye Shikai countered.

"Alright, it’s quite late now; let’s get some rest." Chen Yuxin turned off the bedside lamp, and Ye Shikai glanced at his watch. It was already past eleven, so he put the files on the bedside table.

The next day, at the police station.

As Ye Shikai stepped through the police station doors, he was taken aback by the chaos; everyone looked like ants on a hot pan, frantically bustling about.

"What on earth is going on?" Ye Shikai walked into Zhang Ting’s office and immediately asked.

"It’s good you’re here. There have been five more missing person cases today, and all our personnel have been dispatched." Zhang Ting quickly explained.

"The identities of the missing persons."

"Same as before, all homeless people and scavengers."

Ye Shikai felt a vague sense of unease; these individuals went unnoticed by the public, yet today, there were five new cases. Could there be others whose disappearances went undiscovered? The real number of missing persons might be far greater.

As of now, there were already more than twenty missing person cases. Ye Shikai suspected a serial disappearance, and the real number of missing might be over a hundred. After all, who knows when these criminals started? Furthermore, if this were a gang, could disappearances be occurring in other cities too? The situation had become urgent.

"Enough; sitting in the office is just armchair strategizing. Let’s go have a look." Zhang Ting grabbed Ye Shikai’s arm and they went straight to the police car.

An hour later.

"Where is this place? It’s way too remote." Ye Shikai looked around. They were likely on the outskirts; thankfully, Zhang Ting drove fast, and there hadn’t been any traffic, or they might have taken two hours to leave the city limits.

"Indeed, but among the five new missing person cases, this location is the closest to the station. The other four are even farther, nearly beyond Yanjing’s boundaries." Zhang Ting seemed a bit anxious. Based on the clues from the files, they quickly found the missing individuals’ "home."

"Oh man, why does it smell so bad?" Zhang Ting exclaimed, stepping back a few paces with her nose pinched. Calling it a home was charitable—it was really just a pipe.

There were numerous belongings inside, like beddings and basins, but this pipe was nowhere fit for human habitation—it probably had flowing water below at night.

"I never thought anyone could live here." Zhang Ting was quite shocked. There were many pitiable people in the world, and perhaps others worse off.

Having been trained, Ye Shikai was indifferent to the environmental conditions. He easily crawled into the pipe, and seeing this, Zhang Ting had no choice but to follow.

"Oh dear, this can’t possibly be a place for people to live."

"For scavengers, just having a place to shield from the wind and rain is a blessing." Ye Shikai’s concern wasn’t about how rudimentary their living conditions were, but about who could be targeting these homeless people. This place was so hidden; the target must have been under observation for some time.

Ye Shikai pulled out a bag from beneath a worn-out pillow, and upon opening it, found it full of small bills, totaling only a few hundred yuan. Since the money was still there, robbery wasn’t the motive. Of course, no one would rob a beggar.

"So, did you find anything?" Zhang Ting asked.

"Not yet."

Ye Shikai examined the surroundings again, peculiarly noting a lack of footprints and any signs of people moving about.

"Why are there no footprints or traces around here?" Ye Shikai murmured.

"There was a rain last night; it might have washed away the footprints." Zhang Ting explained.

"But there aren’t any footprints even inside the pipe." Ye Shikai noticed something amiss. If it rained, the missing persons’ shoes would surely have mud on them, yet there wasn’t a trace of dirt inside the pipe.