Chapter 523: Mysterious Disappearance

After visiting his “parents,” Chen Shi felt relieved as if he had finally resolved a pressing concern.

On the night of September 10th, around 8 PM, Chen Shi was driving back from a neighboring city. He had a car full of snacks for Tao Yueyue. The drive on the highway was monotonous, so he listened to the radio to pass the time.

“I should be home by nine,” he thought.

Ahead, he noticed a white Mercedes with a Husky sticking its head out of the passenger window, tongue lolling. Chen Shi waved at the dog, which turned its head to look at him.

The driver, a woman wearing sunglasses, glanced at him through the rearview mirror. “Wearing sunglasses at night on the highway? Isn’t that dangerous?” Chen Shi mused.

The woman suddenly accelerated and sped away.

Ten minutes later, Chen Shi pulled into a gas station to refuel and grabbed a burger and a drink. Back on the road, he soon spotted the same white Mercedes parked by the roadside. He slowed down and saw that the car was empty, except for the Husky scratching at the window. There seemed to be a red stain on the dog’s fur around its mouth.

Chen Shi’s professional instincts kicked in. He parked his car ahead, turned off the engine, and ran back to the Mercedes. The dog was frantically scratching the window, and there appeared to be blood on the seat.

“Could something have happened?” Chen Shi thought.

He immediately called Lin Qiupu. “I’m on the highway. A female driver has mysteriously disappeared, and there’s blood in the car.”

“What!?” Lin Qiupu seemed taken aback.

Chen Shi repeated himself, adding, “I suspect something serious has happened.”

“Which highway?”

“XX Highway.”

“That’s the outskirts. It’ll take us a few hours to get there, and everyone’s off duty now…”

“Get whoever’s nearby to come over. I’ll send you my location.”

“I’ll notify the district station. By the way, why do you always stumble upon these situations?”

It would take some time for the police to arrive. Chen Shi feared the woman might still be in danger and thought the dog might help. He fetched a wrench from his car and smashed the Mercedes’s window. Fortunately, no one was around to see. The glass shattered, and the Husky eagerly jumped out, injuring itself slightly.

The dog excitedly circled Chen Shi, wagging its tail and panting. It had a collar and leash. Afraid it might get hit by a passing car, Chen Shi grabbed the leash and said, “Let’s find your owner.”

The Husky seemed to want to cross the road. Seeing no traffic, Chen Shi followed it across. The dog sniffed around before relieving itself and then sat down, panting and looking at Chen Shi.

“You’re a true Husky, aren’t you? Where’s your owner?”

The Husky kept panting, so Chen Shi took it back to the car, where it lay down. Peeking inside the car, he saw the keys were still in the ignition, the engine was running, and there was a phone and a pack of cigarettes on the seat. Chen Shi looked around, thinking how strange it was for someone to just vanish.

The police soon arrived. A team leader approached Chen Shi. “Are you Consultant Chen?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Hello, I’m Captain Zhang.”

“Captain Zhang, here’s the situation…”

After explaining, the police were baffled. They had only brought four officers and no forensic equipment. They examined the Mercedes but didn’t know where to start.

Chen Shi suggested, “Contact the traffic control center and check the surveillance footage. Also, the gas station has cameras. We need more personnel to search for blood stains or footprints around here.”

Captain Zhang frowned. “Did she really vanish into thin air?” He still seemed in disbelief.

Chen Shi was frustrated. “How many times do I have to tell you? I didn’t see her disappear, but the car was here when I returned after ten minutes.”

“Incredible!” Captain Zhang shook his head in amazement.

“Captain Zhang, I know it’s hard to believe, but we need to secure the scene and gather evidence.”

“I need to make a call first.”

Chen Shi almost laughed. This small district station clearly had little experience with criminal cases.

He called Lin Qiupu again. “The officers you sent are rookies. We need experienced investigators. Send Captain Peng over.”

“We can’t come now! Did you find a body?”

“There’s blood but no body.”

“Cases like this need 48 hours to file a report, even 24 hours in special cases. Maybe she just left temporarily.”

“Who abandons their car and dog on the highway with the keys still in the ignition?”

“Notifying the district station was already an exception. Do you want us to treat it as a criminal case immediately?” Lin Qiupu sounded annoyed.

“Lin Qiupu!” Chen Shi was exasperated. “Are you giving me the bureaucratic runaround now?”

“Can’t be bothered with you!” Lin Qiupu hung up.

Chen Shi sighed, looking at the Husky beside him, tongue lolling. This was one of those situations that seemed bizarre unless you were there.

His instincts told him this was serious, but instincts aren’t evidence.

Chen Shi fed the remaining burger to the dog, then checked the Mercedes. Captain Zhang had his men searching the surrounding area. He retrieved the phone from the car and called the recent contacts. “Hello, this is the police. The owner of this phone appears to be missing. Can you provide some information about her?”

The responses were unhelpful: “Is this a scam?” “I just saw her this morning. How could she be missing so soon?” “You say you’re the police? Prove it!”

Captain Zhang shrugged. “Got nothing.”

“Sorry to trouble you with this late-night call-out,” Chen Shi said.

“It’s okay. I just hope it’s a false alarm.”

Chen Shi leaned into the car and sniffed. The red liquid was definitely blood and fresh. He took the keys and opened the trunk. Both he and Captain Zhang were stunned.

Inside was a woven bag full of cash, likely over a million yuan. Chen Shi inspected a stack, “Old bills.”

Captain Zhang said, “I’ll call for more backup!”