Eric's offer didn't faze Lian in the slightest.
If he was going to join the detective division, he'd do it on his own merits—by passing the exam.
"I'm already studying for the detective test," he replied coolly.
Eric blinked.
He hadn't expected a flat-out rejection. Not from someone so young, so talented.
But it wasn't a "no" to the department—just to him.
"…Interesting."
Rather than offended, Eric looked even more intrigued.
"Lian, who do you think kidnapped Ava?"
Eric's tone was casual, curious—not confrontational.
Lian studied him briefly, then answered.
"There are usually three motives in a case like this."
"One, Ava herself was the target—someone had their eyes on her."
"Two, she was taken because of someone else. Maybe her parents got into trouble."
"Three, the most straightforward—money. But this case doesn't feel like your average ransom job."
"The real answer needs investigation."
By now, Red Pine Park was crawling with officers. Patrol cops canvassed the area, interviewing anyone who might've seen a man with a child, or someone hauling a large bag or suitcase.
Eric nodded as Lian explained.
Lian was spot on—kidnapping motives typically fell into those categories.
"If it was for money," Eric added, "they wouldn't bother with cyanide."
Even in the U.S., cyanide wasn't something you could casually pick up.
Sure, it was possible to extract it from apple seeds… if you had the right lab setup and a lot of seeds.
Too much work—for what? To silence a dog?
They could've just shot it.
But Lian was already thinking ahead. A terrible, gnawing suspicion twisted in his gut.
Organ trafficking.
He'd already looked into Ava's background. She came from a standard middle-class family. Her parents had respectable but unremarkable jobs—nothing political, nothing sensitive.
A ransom plot? Maybe.Espionage? Unlikely.Retaliation? No red flags.
But cyanide?Professional methods. Silent. Instantaneous. No fuss.That ruled out amateurs.
The only thing that made sense was a ring with infrastructure. Something organized. Something clinical.
Eric caught the dark glint in Lian's eyes.
"What is it?" he asked. "You have a theory?"
Instead of answering, Lian turned to Emily.
"Emily," he said gently, "has Ava had any medical exams recently? Like… bloodwork, physicals, anything like that?"
Emily blinked, surprised by the question. Then her face twisted with worry as she thought.
"I think… yeah. Last week, her school had a health screening."
"They said it was a normal check-up. Is something wrong?"
Eric's face darkened immediately.
Lian's expression was grim.
"Goddammit…" Eric hissed, turning away to make a series of rapid-fire calls.
He knew what this meant.
So did Lian.
Emily, confused and frightened, looked to Lian.
"What's going on? What does that have to do with my sister?"
"We'll do everything we can to find her," Lian assured her, but inside… he wasn't nearly as optimistic.
This was worst-case scenario.
They weren't dealing with a lone predator or a desperate ransom plot.
Ava had been selected.
Medical compatibility between donor and recipient couldn't be determined with a simple blood test—it required detailed HLA typing, an expensive procedure not covered by standard checkups.
Which meant the "health screening" had been a front—a mass data harvest funded by someone with very deep pockets.
And now, Ava had disappeared.
Coincidence? Not a chance.
The so-called "school exam" had been part of a selection process—screening children to match with wealthy clients in need of new organs.
And once they took you?
They didn't stop at a kidney.
They took everything.
Lian walked over to Eric, who was just finishing his call.
"Every hour that passes reduces her chances by ten percent," Lian said bluntly. "I need surveillance footage—park exits, nearby streets, traffic cams. Everything."
It didn't matter that he was a newly confirmed patrol officer.
Right now, rank didn't mean a damn thing.
Eric looked at him for a long moment.
Then nodded.
"Done."
He turned around and shouted, "Helena! You're working under Officer Lian now!"
"Yes, sir!"
A sturdy white woman stepped forward, hair tied in a sharp ponytail, dressed in a crisp women's suit.
Helena Green. Team Leader, Squad One, Robbery-Homicide Division, Team Three.
"I need a laptop," Lian said. "Load all surveillance data into it—everything from the park and the surrounding blocks."
He cracked his knuckles.
It was time to let his Lv.4 Master-level Computer Skill shine.