Chapter 508 - 243: Maniacal (4)

Chapter 508: Chapter 243: Maniacal (4)

"Home... your... where?"

The crow looked at the drawing, and its body shuddered visibly.

It clearly recognized the symbol.

It hopped anxiously in its cage a couple of times, letting out a series of rapid "CAW CAW" sounds from its throat. Then, it began pecking forcefully at the side of the cage facing northwest!

"The northwest? Is its nest there? Or a place it knows?"

Chen Jifeng’s voice sounded in the earpiece.

Yang Qi nodded but didn’t reply, continuing his interrogation.

He drew a simple house, then added a few stick figures next to it. Pointing at the crow, he asked,

"People... many people... place with you?"

The crow’s reaction was even stronger this time.

It even tried to claw at the "house" drawing, its throat producing a sound different from its earlier panicked or anxious squawks.

"CAW! CAW CAW! Old... old grain-ry..."

Although the sounds were muffled, hoarse, and intermittent, the syllables for "old grain-ry" made Chen Jifeng snap to attention.

"’Old grain-ry?’ He means the old granary!"

"The west side?"

"The old granary on the west side of town!"

Waiting outside, Chen Jifeng’s eyes lit up.

On the western outskirts of Yuanzhou City, there was indeed an old granary that had been abandoned for many years. It covered a large area and had a complex structure. Due to ownership disputes, it had remained deserted and was rarely visited, making it a perfect hiding spot.

"Advisor Yang, please keep asking about the whereabouts of those children."

...

Yang Qi nodded silently, drew a few more stick figures, and then made a gesture as if they were locked up.

The crow looked at the drawing, seeming to understand part of it, yet confused and mostly agitated.

It flapped its wings, squawking repeatedly.

"Grain-ry, CAW~ Go! Retreat~ CAW!"

"’Go?’"

"’Retreat?’"

Yang Qi’s expression remained unchanged.

Chen Jifeng, however, felt his heart sink.

’The other group found out? They’re relocating?’

But in any case, "the old granary on the west side" was a critical clue.

"All units, listen up! Head to the old granary on the west side! Move fast! Maintain stealth. The suspects may be armed and might have already moved, but search the place thoroughly!"

Chen Jifeng immediately gave the order over his radio.

Soon, several unmarked police cars carrying fully armed SWAT officers and detectives sped toward the abandoned old granary on the city’s western outskirts.

Yang Qi went with them.

High in the sky, Qi Zai circled, providing an aerial view.

The old granary was enclosed by high walls, its large, rust-spotted iron gate securely locked.

The police didn’t force their way in. Instead, they first sent in a drone to reconnoiter.

The footage sent back by the drone showed several tall warehouses and some low-lying auxiliary buildings inside. Two old, unlicensed vans were parked in the courtyard, but the place was silent, with no sign of activity.

"Assault team, go!"

Chen Jifeng ordered.

The SWAT team members quickly used their tools to breach a side door and entered, covering each other in turn.

Yang Qi, Chen Jifeng, and the others stood guard on the perimeter.

The search proceeded quickly.

The warehouses were empty, covered in dust, with nothing but some tattered burlap sacks and scattered grains.

However, in one of the more enclosed compartments, where remnants of insulation material still clung to the walls, they discovered signs of life.

There were a few worn-out folding beds, scattered fast-food containers, mineral water bottles, and cigarette butts on the floor.

In a corner, they even found several empty syringes, used medical gauze, and a few small medicine vials with foreign-language labels.

In another small room, they found a makeshift and extremely crude operating table.

It was an iron-frame bed covered with a filthy plastic sheet. Next to it stood a portable shadowless lamp and a tray holding various scalpels, hemostats, and suture needles. Although the tools looked rough, they were genuine surgical instruments.

There were also suspicious, dried, dark stains on the floor.

What was even more heart-wrenching was the discovery in the room’s trash can: several items of children’s clothing belonging to two of the six missing kids.

The clothes showed signs of being torn and had what looked like bloodstains.

However, aside from these traces, the entire granary was empty.

No children, no suspects, no doctors. Nothing.

Only the lingering evidence of their crimes remained, indicating this had been one of their lairs—and possibly one of the locations where they committed their atrocities.

"They’re gone... They really got away..."

Chen Jifeng stared at the empty operating room, his fists clenching so tightly his knuckles cracked.

"They must have a communication method or an early warning system we don’t know about."

"We arrested three of them and raided the bungalow, and this place cleared out immediately! To leave this cleanly, they must have been prepared!"

"And judging by the signs here, they left in a hurry, but they took the important ’cargo’ and personnel with them."

Yang Qi examined the leftover items, his face grave. "This shows they’re highly organized and react quickly. We found one of their bases, but we’ve tipped our hand. The other children may have been moved to a more concealed location, or..."

He didn’t finish the sentence, but Chen Jifeng understood his meaning.

For a moment, Chen Jifeng’s expression grew even uglier.

Just then, Chen Jifeng’s radio crackled. It was Yao Zhenwei calling from the command center.

"Director Yao, we’ve located the granary base. We found an operating room and a large amount of criminal evidence, but everyone has cleared out. The children aren’t here. The suspects must have been tipped off before our operation and relocated," Chen Jifeng reported in a heavy tone after taking a deep breath.

There were a few seconds of silence on the other end of the radio before Yao Zhenwei’s cold voice came through.

"Understood. The screening of the hospitals has turned something up. Four of the six missing children had a check-up or were treated for a minor illness at Yuanzhou Zhen’ai Private Hospital within the last six months."