n

n

n

nThey didn’t tell Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe because they were afraid that this news would agitate them. Furthermore, they couldn’t confirm that this was the same batch of people, so they could only try their best to save them.

nShao Qihai told Mu Jingzhe all the news he had gotten after eavesdropping. “We can’t wait anymore. We have to save them before they get the ransom. Otherwise, it might be too late.”

nAfter receiving the ransom, they might just silence them. There was still some hope before they received it.

n“But the problem is, where will we find them? How can we save them?” Mu Jingzhe was already anxious to begin with, so anxious that blisters had formed in her mouth. When she heard this news, she became even more anxious.

nMu Jingzhe hugged her head. “No, I have to calm down. I have to calm down and find more clues.”

nThey had searched everywhere nearby. The police had asked around with photos and information about the car, but there had been no news.

nMu Jingzhe tried her best to calm down and sort out the clues, but she couldn’t find anything. Shao Xi, Little Bei, and Xiao Wu had also arrived. They tried to think of a solution together. “If it was possible, Big Brother and Little Nan would’ve tried their best to leave behind clues, but we can’t find any.”

nWhen Mu Jingzhe heard them, her heart suddenly skipped a beat. She carefully looked at the photos sent by the kidnappers. A female police officer saw that Mu Jingzhe kept looking at the photos and couldn’t help but try to persuade her. “We’ve already looked at it. They are very experienced and didn’t leave behind any useful information. Also, nothing can be seen outside the window.”

n“I know, I just want to take a look again.” Shao Xi’s words inspired Mu Jingzhe. Maybe Shao Dong and Shao Nan had left them some clues, but she hadn’t noticed.

nMu Jingzhe looked at the photo and didn’t miss a single inch, especially the way Shao Dong and Little Nan looked. However, no matter how she looked at it, they didn’t seem to have left any clues.

nThat made sense. The kidnappers were highly experienced and weren’t stupid. If there was an obvious hint, then they would definitely tell and wouldn’t have sent the photo.

nJust as Mu Jingzhe was about to give up, her gaze suddenly landed on Shao Dong and Little Nan’s tied hands. They had their backs against each other, and a part of their tied hands was visible in the photo.

nAt a glance, this seemed very normal. However, upon closer inspection, Mu Jingzhe discovered that Shao Dong and Shao Nan’s pinkies were linked. It looked very normal, but Mu Jingzhe then saw Shao Dong’s gaze. Shao Dong’s gaze was directed downward, right at his hand.

nAt first glance, Mu Jingzhe thought that Shao Dong was dodging out of fear, but upon looking at where Shao Dong was looking, she suddenly felt that Shao Dong and Shao Nan might really be transmitting news to them.

nWhen the two fingers were together, they formed the symbol of multiplication. Tilted, they could even form a cross.

nMu Jingzhe drew out the symbols and tried her best to think of any clues.

nShao Qihai, who stood beside her, looked at the cross. “A cross. A hospital or a doctor?”

n“Both are possible.” Mu Jingzhe’s attention was mainly focused on the cross. “No matter what, this is still a clue. We might be able to find something.”

nMu Jingzhe quickly told the police about her discovery. The police didn’t say much but immediately started investigating with Mu Jingzhe and Shao Qihai.

nThey took a look at the doctors in the county, as well as the clinics and hospitals.

nHowever, they didn’t find any clues. Some of the doctors indeed owned cars, but none of them owned a jeep. In the end, they didn’t gain much after looking around.

nAs time ticked away, they became even more anxious.

n“What else? What else?” Mu Jingzhe had no other clues and continued to focus on the symbol, as she believed that Shao Dong and Shao Nan would work hard to send them a clue.

n“A cross… Other than the hospital, there’s also a cross in… a church!” Mu Jingzhe asked the police, “Is there a church in our county?”

n“No, I’ve never heard of one.”

nThe county city wasn’t big. In addition, most people in the county were Buddhists. There were temples, but there were no churches.

nAs Mu Jingzhe started feeling disappointed, an old lady who had been sent to the police station after losing her way on the street suddenly spoke.

n“A church. I know where it is. I’ve even been given some bread to eat there.”

nMu Jingzhe’s eyes lit up as she rushed over. “Grandma, do you know where we can find a church?”

n“I know. It’s where the cross is. I went there when I was young. It was halfway up the mountain in the west. However, no one goes there anymore. The people inside have also run away.”

nMu Jingzhe was about to continue asking questions when a police officer beside her said helplessly, “Don’t believe this old granny. She’s so old and muddle-headed that she can’t even find her own home.”

nMu Jingzhe looked at the old granny but didn’t intend to give up. The old granny might have a bad memory or be demented. However, there was something special about this kind of elderly folks. She might not be able to remember recent events, but the memories of her youth might be vivid in her mind.

nTherefore, Mu Jingzhe continued asking. According to the old granny, the church had suddenly come into existence one day. No one knew how it had come to be, but when they’d heard that food would be distributed, they had gone there and really received dry bread.

nThis was entirely possible. Mu Jingzhe didn’t dare let go of any clues and immediately told Shao Qihai and the police about this clue.

nSeeing that it was already five o’clock and the clues had been provided by such an elderly person, the police asked Mu Jingzhe not to go for the time being. Delivering the ransom was more important, so they didn’t want to waste time. The West Mountain was overgrown with weeds, so they couldn’t drive there. They had to run there.

n“I’ll run over there and run back as fast as I can.”

nMu Jingzhe was unwilling to give up on this clue, fearing that Shao Dong and Shao Nan would be in danger after she handed over the ransom.

nShao Qihai was also on Mu Jingzhe’s side. “Let’s go take a look together. If there’s no problem, we’ll definitely be back at six. If we’re not back, something must have happened and you guys will have to come.”

nShao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe got in the car and rushed to the abandoned church in the west.

nWhen they reached the foot of the West Mountain, there was indeed no way to drive up. It usually took half an hour to get halfway up the mountain, but Shao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe managed to run up in fifteen minutes. When they arrived outside the church, Shao Qihai stopped Mu Jingzhe, who was about to rush forward. “Let’s observe first. Wait for me. I’ll take a look.”

nShao Qihai, who wasn’t panting as hard as Mu Jingzhe, bent his waist and walked over. After a while, he returned. “There’s something strange here. There’s no activity inside, and it’s very messy. It’s as if no one lives here. However, the grass has been stepped on, and there’s also garbage, which is a sign that someone is living here.”

n“So someone is staying here!” Mu Jingzhe was shocked.

n“Mm, I’m not sure if it’s a tramp or really the kidnappers.” Shao Qihai asked Mu Jingzhe to wait. “I’ll go in and take a look first. You wait here.”

n“I’ll go with you. We can take care of each other if anything happens.”

nShao Qihai held a stick in one hand, and Mu Jingzhe picked up a rock with both hands. They walked toward the church one after another, moving very carefully.

nHowever, when they pushed open the door, what greeted Shao Qihai was an iron rod.

nShao Qihai and Mu Jingzhe had been very careful, but they had still been discovered. Shao Qihai raised his hand to block the hit. With a groan, he ignored the pain and retaliated.

nMu Jingzhe was startled, but at the same time, she knew that her gamble might have been right. She hadn’t misjudged the clues Shao Dong and Shao Nan had left behind.

n