"Then, the only way is to pretend to be the child's parents, give them a piece of candy, and ask if they've had the candy?" Lin Hao said thoughtfully.
Paul nodded. "The tests showed they ate it all!"
"Giving them candy doesn't make much sense either. Children recognize their parents, and even if strangers offer them candy, there's a chance they'll stop crying and fussing. It's unlikely that all six children would be completely undisturbed. What can we do?"
Paul knew Lin Hao was thinking, so he didn't say anything.
"Is there a pattern to the timing of the crimes? When was the last time?"
"No, the last time was on November 5th!"
Lin Hao frowned and shook his head. "What's the motive? If there's no extortion, kidnapping a child could be considered child trafficking, but there's no need to target a specific group!"
"Hiss! I can't think of any particularly good solutions either. In that case, kidnapping children is indeed despicable. Lend me a computer so I can see the surveillance footage!"
Paul stood up and nodded. "Okay!"
From that day on, Lin Hao would check the surveillance footage whenever he had free time. It was dazzling to see so much footage that he kept watching until the next match against Leeds United.
Lin Hao didn't even finish reading it once.
In the away game against Leeds United, Leeds United used the exact same tactic as Aston Villa: double-teaming Lin Hao, which effectively shut down Arsenal's lifeline. Lin Hao could still pose a threat even when double-teamed, but it was much less effective than before.
His teammates weren't good at seizing opportunities either. Fortunately, Leeds United didn't score in this match, and the two sides ended in a goalless draw, with Leeds United only managing to get one point.
Lin Hao seemed to be in a slump in two things: he couldn't think of a way to break the deadlock in the case, and he couldn't do better as a player to lead the team forward.
Then in the Europa League group stage, they faced Molde again and won 3-0.
Back in the league, Arsenal lost 1-2 to Wolves, extending their winless streak to three league matches.
November has passed, and December has arrived.
When Paul found Lin Hao, Lin Hao was disheveled and huddled behind the counter of the repair shop.
"What... happened to you?"
Lin Hao looked up, revealing a pair of frighteningly red eyes.
Turn the laptop in your hand around and give it to Paul.
Paul looked closely, frowned, and realized the seriousness of the situation.
The screen showed images captured by Lin Hao, depicting six crime scenes. Lin Hao had discovered another commonality that they hadn't noticed before.
That is, homeless people were seen all around the place where the child was last seen, although these homeless people were not the same person.
Paul gasped and grabbed Lin Hao, pulling him away.
"Damn, I knew it! It wasn't just one person's doing, but with six incidents like this, even if it was just one person in two different places, it would still require three people. It's practically impossible for three people to do something like this without money. So it must be a hired killer. But I never expected it to be a homeless man!"
"You know that, so what? Why are you dragging me away? Let me catch up on some sleep, okay?"
"Sorry, I'll fix it in the car!"
"The case just happened yesterday, which may be the best time to solve it. You are more capable than any of us. I hope you can hear something different from what we heard from those homeless people!"
Paul led Lin Hao to a neighborhood where the sun didn't reach and people were huddled by the roadside.
Paul stopped the car, got out, patted the roof, and yelled, "All of you, come here!"
It's common for homeless people to make mistakes, and Paul's status puts pressure on them, causing groups of two or three to gather around.
Paul frowned, his eyes practically bulging out. "Do you think I don't understand? Show your heads!"
Soon another skinny man appeared, and as soon as he came out, Paul and Lin Hao both narrowed their eyes.
Goodness, there's more to it than meets the eye.
Paul was really blunt, handcuffing them and stuffing them in there, then looking at the crowd, "No need for the head, take a look, do you recognize these people?"
Paul showed them the photos, and everyone nodded and told Paul that these were all bosses, the leaders of the homeless.
Lin Hao and Paul exchanged a glance and got into the car.
Lin Hao turned to look at the thin man, took out the photo, and asked, "Where have you been?"
The man looked up and said, "Go ask for some money! And some food!"
"You have more than ten men under you, and you expect me to beg for food? Do you think I'd believe that?"
"What can I do if you don't believe me?"
Hey, what he said actually makes a lot of sense!
Lin Hao continued, "I'm asking you this politely, but when he asks you later, he won't be using this tone!"
"Hmph! Trying to scare me? Big star! Do you think I'll fall for that?"
Lin Hao nodded, turned his head back to look ahead. If he was stubborn as a mule, there was really nothing he could do. He would have to leave it to Paul and the others.
It's clear that this matter has had a significant impact. When Lin Hao and his team arrived at the location, the others had already been taken back by other agents.
There were seven people in total, and they were interrogated separately.
Lin Hao watched on the monitor and could say he gained absolutely nothing. These people kept saying they were begging for food and that if you didn't believe them, there was nothing he could do.
What could Lin Hao and his group do? A powerful memory restoration technique?
Lin Hao didn't know if they would use this method, but he told them that if they wanted his help, they shouldn't use it.
This is the greatest disrespect to a reasoner.
If you beat him until he admitted it, is that the truth?
Three months have passed since the case occurred, and it has spread all over the world. It's not so easy for the murderer to commit the crime now. Surveillance systems in various places are gradually being improved, and fewer people are traveling with children. Even those who do are very careful.
Can they still succeed?
On his way back, Lin Hao kept thinking about this matter. Just as he reached the store entrance, he was stunned. A flamboyant woman was standing in front of the door. She was about to turn around when she saw Lin Hao.
"Ah, I'm back! I thought we were closed today!"
Lin Hao smiled. "What do you want to fix?"
"It's the same part as last time, why does it keep breaking? Can you replace it with a better part?"
"The cable is broken, and there's no better replacement. What's this thing for?"
Lin Hao asked as he opened the door, but didn't hear a reply from the woman. He opened the door and looked back; the woman's face was slightly flushed.
Lin Hao suddenly realized, "Oh, sorry!"
"However, we still need to be careful. If the circuit keeps breaking down, the power might be too high!"
"Oh, okay, then fix it for me again!"
"Okay!" Lin Hao went inside to find tools and began disassembling.
Do you study here?
"Huh? I graduated a long time ago. I'm already twenty-eight this year!"
"Wow, I really can't tell. What do you do for a living?"
"No job, but my family is rich!"
"How wonderful! When did you come to London?"
"That happened ten years ago, Master. Why are your hands shaking?"