After hanging up the phone, my mind was much clearer. I first went online to search for some information, but the results were meager. Firstly, there were very few relevant news reports, and even those only provided a brief summary; secondly, online rumors and speculation were rampant, although they did provide some clues, their authenticity was hard to verify. After careful consideration, I decided to give Shen Shiyan a call.

  It turned out that I had deleted his phone number from my mobile phone a long time ago. Fortunately, I was clever enough to dig up the text message sent by the matchmaker and found his number again.

  It wasnt until now that I realized we havent seen each other for a year. Yesterday, when I saw him, he still felt the same. People like him probably wouldnt have changed their phone number either.

  It rang only three times before it was picked up. There was a silence of several seconds on the other end of the phone before Shen Shiyan spoke: "Tan Jiao, whats going on?"

  My heart skipped a beat, he still had my number.

  "I said: Officer Shen, Id like to discuss something with you."

  "Whats wrong?" he said calmly.

  "I said, Its like this, you see, yesterdays case happened very suddenly, I feel that my temporary memory, my testimony, may not recall all the valuable clues. After all, I was also scared at the time and might have overlooked something. After careful consideration, I think if you can provide some inspiration for me, some similar information, it may be more effective."

  He fell silent for a moment and said, "I didnt understand."

  I rolled my eyes, and here it came again, that feeling of being out of sync with him. If it were Wu Yu... the thought suddenly popped into my mind, if it were Wu Yu, he would definitely know at once... I had an ulterior motive. Although we had only known each other for a few days.

  I smiled and said, "Officer Shen, can you show me the files of those serial cases from before? Maybe Ill get inspired again and think of some new leads. And Im also a victim and a good Samaritan, your police departments helpful assistant. It wont hurt to let me take a look."

  Shen Shiyan almost immediately said stiffly: "No way, Tan Jiao, we have confidentiality agreements."

  I really want to punch him. However, with this kind of person, I can only use verbal sparring and not physical fighting. My brain quickly turned around and said: "Okay, I certainly respect your rules. But have you noticed one thing? According to the online description, the murderer had committed crimes four times before, but no one saw his real face, nor did anyone come into contact with him face-to-face. Except for me, who was in contact with him the deepest and longest. Human consciousness is divided into normal consciousness and subconsciousness. If my subconscious mind can recall something valuable earlier, it might be the key clue youve been looking for all along! I also want to help you solve the case as soon as possible."

  He fell silent, which made me feel a bit uneasy.

  "Alright, Ill go ask our leader," he said.

  I was delighted and thought I had succeeded after all. I said: "Great, go quickly."

  Although Shen Shiyan was wooden, he was very efficient in handling matters. An hour later, I received the materials. After carefully studying for several hours, I summarized the following common points:

  The perpetrator has so far abducted a total of 4 children, each time at night, but the time is not fixed. Some were taken directly from their homes in the backyard when the child was alone, and two even sneaked into the childs room and took them away. Although the modus operandi is simple, it has allowed him to succeed every time. It can be seen that his ability to act and observe must be very strong.

  Two of the missing children are 5 or 6 years old and two are 7 or 8 years old. The age range is relatively concentrated.

  Thirdly, all the victimized children come from ordinary families, neither rich nor extremely poor. The common point is that they are concentrated in the same urban area.

  Four, there are two case scene photos that captured the bird. But I bet the police wont notice it. The other two cases didnt capture it, but that doesnt mean it doesnt exist.