"It's okay, you did the right thing, little Hely!" Wise said, comforting the softly crying Hely. Qingyi on the side also nodded and said gently, "The Associate Officer is right. A disappearance is not a small matter. It must be handed over to the Public Security Bureau. Hely, do you have a picture of Teddy?"
"I-I have a lot, but... but when we moved last time, because we were in a hurry to catch the evacuation train... all our luggage..." Hely was a little dejected.
But Qingyi firmly said it was fine and then asked her a few more questions, like his height and weight. As little Hely answered Qingyi's questions without hesitation, Qingyi drew a portrait of Teddy based on her description—Teddy, it turned out, was a Shark-fin Bunboo.
"He looks like this, right?" Qingyi handed the paper with Teddy's portrait to little Hely. The latter nodded excitedly.
"Yes! Officer big sister, you draw so well! This is Teddy! A-after so many days, can he still be found?"
"Citizen Hely, your case has now been accepted." Hearing Qingyi's formal reply, Hely was overjoyed. Wise, seeing this scene, smiled. Qingyi really is a gentle senior...
Qingyi then asked one last question: the time and place where Hely last saw Teddy. Upon learning it was at the Gravity Cinema, Qingyi was a little surprised. That place was right next to the Public Security Bureau branch. To think a disappearance case would happen there...
"Is this what they call 'darkness under the lamp'? It's indeed worth investigating." Wise could understand this situation. After all, he was also using his video store to hide his identity as a Proxy.
The two then first took Hely home and then went to the Gravity Cinema in Guangying Plaza together. After arriving nearby, Qingyi suddenly stopped. "Wait a moment... mhm, I've scanned all 283,019 surveillance videos in this area."
"S-so amazing! As expected of Qingyi."
"I just retrieved the surveillance from the database for data analysis and pattern recognition. And there is indeed surveillance footage of Teddy. It's just a little strange... That day, Teddy walked out of the cinema with popcorn, and seemed to be looking for something all the way. The last place his figure disappeared was this parking lot."
Qingyi looked around. Although several days had passed, she felt they should still thoroughly search the area.
"Mhm, then leave it to me." If there was one thing he was good at, it was finding things. After all, from Proxy commissions to find lost items, down to finding Belle's lost underwear and socks, none of it was a problem for him.
"Mhm, youth is so energetic. Then I'll leave it to you, Associate Officer." The task of investigating the surroundings was left to Wise. As for Qingyi, she needed to re-analyze the surveillance video to see if there were any omissions.
A short while later, Wise finished searching for all the nearby clues and returned to find Qingyi. The latter let out a soft "eh" upon seeing him. "From the looks of it, you seem to have found something?"
"Yes, but I'm not sure if it's useful. I'll have to let Qingyi identify it."
"Mhm." Qingyi nodded, then scanned the evidence Wise had brought back, finally locking her gaze on a poster. On it were the words [TO HELY] written in a blurry handwriting. After a careful scan, there was a residue of a strong reaction from a high-activity aether substance, and the value was not low. For an object outside a Hollow to be contaminated with such a high concentration of aether residue was very suspicious. But this also made the search easier.
And Qingyi's side had also found the suspicious vehicle that was parked here when Teddy disappeared. If it was related to the disappearance case, then that vehicle would definitely also be contaminated with aether residue. So, the two immediately agreed and went to the parking lot to inspect the suspicious vehicle. It was a classic white van. (Why classic? Because human traffickers often used this type of vehicle back in the day.)
Sure enough, there was a residue of a strong reaction from a high-activity aether substance on the rear wheel.
"In that case, the owner of this vehicle is highly suspect."
"Mhm, but criminal investigation is about hard evidence. We must remain calm at this time. It's fine, leave the stakeout of this vehicle to me. I don't need to sleep anyway." Qingyi said calmly, spreading her hands.
But Wise didn't think so. "No, if you don't rest at all, even if your body is fine, your mind will get tired, right?"
"Mmm, Zhu Yuan always advises me like this too. It can only be said to be excessive worry. One after another, they're all like this. Zhu Yuan, little Hely, and now even Wise. Humans are truly an interesting species, to project so much emotion onto something that is not even considered a living thing." Qingyi chuckled softly and shook her head, her expression and tone a little low, not as energetic as usual. "Although helping citizens is the duty of a Public Security officer, Teddy is just a Bangboo, after all. At the end of the day, the meaning of an intelligent machine's existence is to be discarded in place of a human when danger is encountered. Although I have an advanced model like the 01G6, I am just a slightly more complex Bangboo. As for life and death, I believe Teddy and I are the same. We have no attachment to it ourselves. I just didn't expect Hely to be so sad..."
"Isn't that to be expected?!"
"Eh?" Qingyi was stunned, clearly not expecting Wise to suddenly say that to her so loudly. The latter then continued, "Sorry, Qingyi. I want to ask, what do you think humans should be like?"
"Hm? What do you mean?"
"Humans are not so cruel. We have emotions. We develop feelings for things that have been with us for a long time. Hely is sad about Teddy's disappearance because in her eyes, Teddy is a friend, and even family. Besides that, there's my family's Ae... Little 18, or you, Qingyi. Aren't you all people with emotions, with family or friends? We care about you, which is why we can't say such things that disregard life and death."
Wise's words made Qingyi stand there quietly, seeming to ponder their meaning. A long while later, a curve gradually appeared at the corner of her mouth. "So, I say, humans are truly an interesting species. But don't worry, Wise. Whether it's a Bangboo or a Jade Doll, neither is as fragile as a human. Today's investigation has been very fruitful. With these clues, I can apply to the Public Security Bureau for a formal search warrant."
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