"If the demise of Shen Weimin's team was purely because they were investigating the missing persons case, there's uncertainty concerning the timeline. The timeline of the child kidnappings shows that this underground trafficking ring has been operating for five years already.

Shen Weimin started the investigation five years ago. If they wanted to eliminate him for it, they would have acted much earlier. Why now? Unless…"

"Unless it became necessary to take out Shen Weimin, unless Shen Weimin had become a threat to them," Li Yan added quickly as Wang Lan's words settled.

"Exactly. There must have been a trigger at this point, a reason that forced the mastermind to act… And yet, Mr. and Mrs. Lu Shicheng were killed around the same time. Lu Shicheng and Shen Weimin had contact before their deaths; the answer is almost within reach."

"The interaction between Shen Weimin and Lu Shicheng marked a significant breakthrough in this case, possibly posing a direct threat to the mastermind. So, did the mastermind strike first and kill both Lu Shicheng and Shen Weimin? Furthermore, to ensure no loose ends, did they kill all of Shen Weimin's team members, including their families?"

During the short drive back, Wang Lan and Li Yan bounced ideas off each other and managed to revive this deadlocked case, leaving the other three—Lu Qian included—utterly astounded.

Li Yan's detective skills indeed slightly surpassed the other two. But for Star Martial Warriors, power was always seen as fundamental; they believed that strength overrode any professional skill. However, this is a common misconception among Star Martial Warriors, shared by many agents from the Tianjian Bureau. They all tend to think this way. But if Star Martial Warriors truly only valued strength, Wang Lan, once considered weak, would not have achieved such remarkable battle honors.

Although Wang Lan had explained the case thoroughly, the other three were still confused. Li Yan, however, was able to follow Wang Lan's line of thought, which earned Wang Lan's appreciation.

"So, the origin of this case has been identified, and the next step is to unravel it layer by layer. Ma'am, do you know what Lu Shicheng and Shen Weimin discussed when they met?"

"Shen Weimin? Who is Shen Weimin?"

"Shen Weimin is the guard in the photo I showed you earlier."

"I don't know. It was Shicheng who invited him. Shicheng, Yuanyuan, and Shen Weimin spoke in the room for a long time, then he left carrying a large bag. I initially thought that guard was up to no good, perhaps looking for money. But later, I found out the bag was filled with Xiaoguo's old clothes, toys, photos, and other things."

"Is that so? Did Lu Shicheng stumble upon a clue? When did you start noticing something odd about Lu Shicheng's behavior?"

"No, not really. Ever since Xiaoguo disappeared, Shicheng and Yuanyuan have rarely been happy. I'm just an old woman from the countryside; I don't understand much. They didn't tell me many things."

The five returned to police headquarters and began to sort through the day's findings. Although they had only visited four or five homes, their discoveries were immense. Firstly, the mastermind wasn't abducting children indiscriminately; all the kidnapped children were, without exception, prodigies.

The mastermind's methods were cunning, capable of snatching children from right under their parents' noses. The most significant breakthrough came from Lu Shicheng's home. The connection between Lu Shicheng and Shen Weimin had clearly prompted the mastermind to act. This meant Wang Lan's team was very close to identifying them—so close that the mastermind felt compelled to eliminate them.

The pivotal moment wasn't seven days ago, but ten days prior. Wang Lan had even seen Mr. and Mrs. Lu Shicheng at the Illusion Demon Zoo back then.

"Ma'am, we've reviewed Lu Shicheng's movements over the past six months and noticed something peculiar: they visited the Illusion Demon Zoo every week. Why was that?"

"Because before Xiaoguo was kidnapped, she was insistent on going to the Illusion Demon Zoo. At that time, Shicheng and Yuanyuan were both busy with a very important project. They had promised to take her but had to cancel due to an unexpected meeting.

Xiaoguo got so mad that she ran out of the house, and in the blink of an eye, she was gone. Shicheng and Yuanyuan felt immense remorse, so they went to the zoo every week. They hoped that if Xiaoguo had encountered a kind person, they might see her at the zoo. Although they knew the chances were slim, people always need something to hold onto."

"Actually, I saw Mr. and Mrs. Lu Shicheng ten days ago," Wang Lan murmured suddenly. "At that time, a Silverback Gorilla suddenly went berserk and shattered the glass. It was I who saved Mr. Lu."

"Is that so? Oh, you're that Star Martial Warrior? I remember now; Shicheng told me about that," the old lady hurriedly responded. "He also said that after that, the gorilla performed a 'Barbara' dance in front of him."

"Barbara?" Xu Ting stopped writing mid-sentence, wondering how to record that.

"'Barbara' was a name Xiaoguo came up with herself. She said it was the dance from the 'Barbara Fairy' cartoon that she liked, so she called it 'Barbara.'" The old lady quickly pulled out her phone. "Xiaoguo's 'Barbara' dance was really good; I have a video of it."

Soon, the old lady found a video folder and played it. In the living room, on the wall-mounted TV, a children's animated show was playing. A little girl in a cute dress and tights danced in sync with the animation, mimicking every movement perfectly despite facing away from the TV screen. In a corner of the video, a blissful Lu Shicheng clapped his hands and watched the scene, an image of warmth and happiness. But unfortunately, such happy moments could now only live on in the memory of the video.

Watching the video, Xu Ting's eyes teared up. But at that instant, Wang Lan's mind exploded.

The memory surfaced in his mind: in the zoo, after the Silverback Gorilla had been incapacitated by tranquilizer darts, it had looked at him with such a piercing, pleading gaze, full of despair and sorrow.

Wang Lan had always thought the Silverback Gorilla was looking at him, but now it seemed more likely it had been looking at Mr. and Mrs. Lu Shicheng behind him.

The strength of a silverback gorilla is formidable. However, shattering 20-centimeter-thick bulletproof tempered glass with a single strike seemed utterly terrifying. Yet, the silverback gorilla had done just that, which Wang Lan found inconceivable.

At the time, the situation was urgent, so Wang Lan didn't dwell on it. But reflecting on it now, too much didn't add up. After all, an animal is an animal, even if it's a primate. How could it possibly manifest such complex emotions in its eyes? Animals might display fierceness, sorrow, despair, or pleading in their eyes. However, it's impossible for them to simultaneously express despair, sorrow, pleading, and pain.

Furthermore, the dance performed by that gorilla was identical to that of Lu Xiaoguo in the video.

A chilling and horrific speculation brushed through Wang Lan's mind, and in an instant, Wang Lan shivered.

The greatest distance in the world isn't that I'm searching everywhere for you, unaware of where you might be. It's that I'm standing right in front of you, but you no longer recognize me. Who could link a silverback gorilla to a little girl?

The gorilla's strange behavior must have caught Lu Shicheng's attention, not just Wang Lan's. Even if Lu Shicheng didn't realize it at the time, he would surely have pondered it later. The more he thought about it, the more peculiar it seemed, which is why they contacted Shen Weimin.

Even if the possibility seemed absurd, Shen Weimin decided to investigate. The silverback gorilla incident occurred ten days ago, while Shen Weimin and Lu Shicheng were murdered five or six days ago. The timing formed a perfect sequence.

"Chief? Chief, what's wrong?" several members of the special case team asked, seeing Wang Lan staring blankly.

BANG! Suddenly, Wang Lan slapped the table and stood up. "I hope my guess isn't correct… Otherwise, you're all truly heartless, worse than beasts. Li Yan, notify Supervisor Li, we've got a major operation!"

"A major operation? Chief, don't tell me you already know who the murderer is! You haven't cracked the case already, have you?"

Notified, Supervisor Li arrived in a rush, followed by a visibly sweating Inspector Gaoyu. "Wang Lan, have you really found the mastermind? Headquarters gave us seven days, and it hasn't even been forty-eight hours, has it?"

"I only have a rough speculation. We'll see if it's true based on the outcome of this operation," Wang Lan said, gingerly pinning a photograph to the blackboard. "Today's operation is to thoroughly inspect the Illusion Demon Zoo."

"Inspect? But aren't you investigating Inspector Shen Weimin's murderer? How did it lead to a zoo?"

"I suspect the zoo is the mastermind. Of course, I'll provide a detailed explanation to both of you after the operation. Right now, it's time for action. I hope the police department can deploy forces to completely surround the Illusion Demon Zoo to prevent them from violently resisting if they are indeed the culprits."

"Hold on, do we have evidence? If we surround a zoo without evidence, it will create a bad impression. The Illusion Demon Zoo is an internet-famous attraction, visited by many influencers and new media personalities. If we take action, the entire country will know."

"The reason is easy to find. Wasn't there an incident at the Illusion Demon Zoo ten days ago where a silverback gorilla burst through a glass wall? This indicates safety hazards at the zoo. Isn't it perfectly reasonable for us, as police, to inspect whether they've addressed these security risks?"

Inspector Gaoyu looked at Wang Lan's matter-of-fact expression and couldn't help but admire him internally. Is this really reasonable? Do we need to surround the Illusion Demon Zoo for a simple safety check? He's something else!

Although Inspector Gaoyu was itching to know what Wang Lan suspected and why he believed the Illusion Demon Zoo was the mastermind, he refrained from asking. He commanded the assembly of forces: about eight hundred guards in thirty or forty vehicles, sirens wailing, charged toward the Illusion Demon Zoo.

Along the way, the citizens of Modu City were surprised to see police cars whizzing past, with trucks filled with heavily armed guards.

When had Modu City ever witnessed such a display? The curiosity of its citizens was instantly ignited, spreading like wildfire.

"It must be an international fugitive or a psychopathic killer responsible for dozens of lives. Would they deploy such a force for a petty thief?"

"Don't be naive. Where are we? This is Modu City! You really think they're taking action? It's probably just a drill."

"The police conduct drills too?"

"Of course. If the militia conducts drills, why wouldn't the police?"

"Hey, hey… wait a minute, why are these officers following me? I'm seriously panicking." After saying this, he posted on his social media feed: "On my way to the Illusion Demon Zoo, but I have a bad feeling about this trip. This might be my last post ever."

Replies came quickly.

"Dude, I just want to know what you did to warrant such a massive response? Even robbing a bank wouldn't call for this, right?"

"Rest in peace, buddy. We'll look after your wife and kids for you!"

"Hahaha… Why don't you pull over for the officers? Careful, or they'll revoke your driver's license!"

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