Chapter 20: Are You Giving Me a Crash Course in Crime?

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Could the kidnappers’ target not be the billion yuan ransom? Then why go through such trouble—kidnapping, sending ransom letters—what else could they want? Shen Ting pondered.

“Captain Guan, are you suggesting this case might not be a simple kidnapping for ransom? Instead, perhaps it’s a robbery? Not only might the typos in the ransom letter be deliberate misdirection, but even the letter itself could be a ruse? That group may not be as greedy as we thought; their true target might actually be the ten million yuan in cash that Liu Furen was carrying.”

Guan Hongfeng replied, “That’s possible. Another possibility is that the perpetrators’ goal isn’t money at all, but Liu Furen himself.”

Liu Furen personally? This theory surprised Shen Ting even more. But considering Liu Furen’s wealthy status, he quickly thought of the typical melodrama of power struggles in wealthy families. Besides, given the scale of Liu’s business, it’s unlikely he was entirely clean. Enemies seeking revenge disguised as murder—this was not impossible.

Shen Ting felt his thinking open up, though it seemed to stray a bit far afield.

“Let me summarize: the biggest current doubts in this case are as mentioned just now. First, why did the kidnappers never contact the Liu family again to collect the prepared billion-yuan ransom? Second, the kidnappers’ cold brutality contrasted with their sparing of the boatman—this is suspicious. Third, the meticulous planning by the kidnappers conflicts with the low literacy level revealed in the ransom letter. Though this contradiction has many possible explanations.

Simply put, the nature of this case cannot yet be confirmed as a kidnapping with absolute certainty. Due to insufficient information on the number, roles, and specifics of the criminal gang members, many contradictions arise, making it difficult to form a clear image of them. This is obviously detrimental to the investigation.”

Detective Qin Feng remarked, “Of the three doubts, only the first—the criminals’ motive—really aids the investigation. Looking back at the case twelve years later, things are clearer. The case’s final outcomes are twofold: Liu Furen and his companions remain missing, and the ten million yuan they carried has vanished. The criminals ignored the temptation of the billion-yuan ransom. So their real target might indeed be one of these two.

If their goal was the ten million, then this is a greedy but restrained—and somewhat self-aware—robbery gang. If it’s Liu Furen himself, that’s more interesting. Maybe we can investigate who benefited most after Liu’s death—that’s a motive of personal gain. And who was happiest after his death? That’s a motive of revenge.”

“Reasonable,” Shen Ting agreed. “Though the direction feels scattered, that’s normal. Usually, investigations work best when the criminals’ motive is clear. Whether it’s a crime of passion, revenge, or money-driven murder, knowing the general motive gives a clearer investigative path. But now, the biggest doubt is the unclear motive. This uncertainty spawns many theories, each representing a potential line of inquiry, naturally making things seem scattered.”

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“Well, since there’s no better lead, let’s keep investigating for now—no need for me to review the files!” Shen Ting immediately used the data-sharing system to access Liu Furen’s company records, including the post-case changes in company ownership, previous major disputes, and some rumors.

The surviving boatman family triggered some suspicion in Shen Ting—they might be connected to the kidnappers or even be accomplices. Though the original investigation team had checked them and cleared them, Shen Ting prudently still gathered their records.

“Everyone, take a look! See if you can find any clues,” Shen Ting messaged, glancing out the window. Through the fading shadows of roadside plane trees flowed a surging river, sunlight sparkling on the water’s surface—it was the Luo River.

Xiong Beibei parked the car at a ferry crossing. “This is the spot. Liu Furen’s car boarded the ferry here back then. However, few drivers took the ferry then; the ferries were mostly private. The case’s occurrence brought attention to this area, and an official ferry terminal was later built.”

Xu Xin added, “The criminals were very calm. After Liu Furen’s car boarded the ferry, they didn’t rush to act. There were few people on the shore, just a handful scattered about. Passersby said they barely noticed the ferry. So at first, the kidnappers didn’t show their hand. Maybe they realized the ferry was headed the wrong way or only attacked after reaching a hidden spot.”

Shen Ting looked at the busy ferry terminal. Although twelve years had passed and finding new evidence here was unlikely, he still got out to take photos from different angles and uploaded them to the investigation group.

“Let’s go see where the ferry bodies were found!” he said. Calling it the ferry ‘bodies’ was not an exaggeration. The ferry’s hull was mostly wood, and after being doused with gasoline and set ablaze, only the metal engine and core parts remained.

The police car started again. Xiong Beibei and Xu Xin exchanged a glance, both puzzled. They noticed Shen Ting was constantly looking at his phone, having been doing so the whole way. Then he got out, took a few photos, and left… Was this really an investigation? It felt more like sightseeing.

Unaware of their doubts, Shen Ting checked the detective group chat. Jigsaw said, “The criminals were indeed meticulous. Looking at the ferry photos, downstream there’s a large bend. Attacking there on the ferry would keep them out of sight of bystanders. Plus, the river narrows and the current is swift and loud, masking any sounds of struggle.”

Kira Yoshikage commented, “A very cautious choice. Attacking on the ferry confines the space. With enough accomplices and traps, and possibly poisoning food or water, even a wealthy man with two bodyguards wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Receiving praise from two top crime experts, Shen Ting put away his phone. The police car boarded the ferry, feeling the boat’s vibrations as it crossed. Upon reaching the opposite shore, they drove along the road beside the Luo River, heading downstream.

One had to admit, ignoring the case, the scenery along the way was quite pleasant. Though winter stripped the trees bare and the grass turned yellow, paired with the bleak west wind and rushing river, it had the atmosphere of old vines, ancient trees, and dusk crows.

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“Ah-choo!” Shen Ting shivered from the cold wind and closed the car window.

Twenty minutes later, the car turned onto a narrow path, entering a forested area. Inside was a river bend formed by the concave shape of the Luo River—relatively secluded.

The original investigation team eventually salvaged ferry debris from this bend. Unfortunately, no forensic evidence pointing to the criminals was found on these parts.

Two important traces remained: two bullet holes and one arrow mark. But no bullet casings or arrowheads were recovered, so the types of firearms and bows used couldn’t be identified.

Because the criminals possessed guns, the police deployed unprecedented manpower at the time. Since gun confiscation policies, such violent gun crimes have become increasingly rare, especially into the 21st century.

Despite deploying tens of thousands of personnel and thousands of officers for the massive manhunt, nothing was uncovered.

Shen Ting stood at the water’s edge, snapping photos. “The river bend is much smaller now, less than half its original size.”

Xu Xin nodded, “The Luo River’s flow has decreased in recent years, so it’s normal for the bend to shrink.”

Xiong Beibei scratched his head, seeing Shen Ting turn to leave after taking photos. “We’re leaving already? Where to next?”

Shen Ting smiled, “I’d like to visit other places, but I need somewhere to go first.”

The ferry terminal and this river bend were nearly the two most iconic locations in the entire case. The boatman, his wife, and their infant—who had been knocked unconscious—were all found in the woods beside this bend. That’s why the investigation team quickly suspected the ferry wreckage was here.

Now, Shen Ting didn’t even know where else to investigate.

Hannibal commented, “Judging from the salvage results, almost no useful clues were found on the ferry parts. I suspect the criminals deliberately left the boatman’s family near this bend. The hull was relatively large, so the team would eventually find it. Better to give them a hint and false hope, diverting their attention here.”

Kira Yoshikage added, “A clever tactic. Hunters are always drawn to their prey. To protect themselves, prey can leave conspicuous but useless traps to mislead the hunter. Fascinating!”

Shen Ting felt Kira was almost applauding. This guy seemed like he was attending training sessions here. If he mastered these tactics and returned home, could Josuke Higashikata handle it?

As Shen Ting mused randomly, he reaffirmed how tricky this case was. The three criminal experts in the group had all highly praised the perpetrators.

At that moment, kikO suddenly asked, “I’m curious—what happened to Liu Furen’s car back then? A ship is easy to locate, but such a large car must have been caught on surveillance, right? Also, since the criminals were a gang, there must have been at least three or four cars on the road simultaneously. Finding them should be easy. But the files don’t seem to have any clues about this. Why is that?”