Human traffickers, no matter the era, are universally despised and hunted down.
Now that they knew traffickers had come to Ping’an Brigade, they had to be on guard. The ideal outcome would be to capture all the traffickers in one swoop.
Song Wei and Lin Zhen went to find the brigade leader again.
This matter required the brigade leader’s cooperation and the involvement of others in the brigade.
Late at night, the brigade leader, who had already worked all day and was ready to sleep, rubbed his eyes as he opened the door, grumbling internally about which troublemaker had come now.
When he opened the door and saw Lin Zhen, he let them in without hesitation.
He trusted Lin Zhen; the man wouldn’t come to him for trivial matters.
“What’s the matter?”
Lin Zhen’s words left the brigade leader stunned.
“There are traffickers in our brigade.”
“What did you say?!”
The shocked outcry didn’t come from the brigade leader but from Aunt Xinghua, who was behind him.
“Come inside and talk, quickly!”
The brigade leader hurriedly ushered them in.
Once seated, Song Wei recounted the conversation she had overheard between Xu Laidi and the trafficker.
The brigade leader was so angry that he slammed his hand on the table.
“That Xu Zhiqing—does she think she’s above the law?!”
Song Wei replied, “No, she clearly wants to go to jail.”
Aunt Xinghua was also fuming. “Does she have no conscience? Our brigade hasn’t wronged her. She’s the one who ruined her life, and now she dares target our brigade’s children?!”
The brigade leader paced back and forth, puffing on his pipe. “This won’t do! We can’t let anything happen to the children.”
Song Wei reassured him, “Brigade Leader, don’t worry. Since we’re aware of their plans, we can stop them. Our best course of action is to catch all the traffickers. Who knows if they’ve taken other children before?”
“Exactly! We need to use this opportunity to catch the whole gang. I’ll report this to the Public Security Bureau immediately.”
“No, that won’t work,” Lin Zhen interjected.
“The police can’t show up just yet. If the traffickers know they’ve been discovered, they’ll go into hiding.”
“Not necessarily,” Song Wei said, rubbing her chin. “Didn’t Lin Youfu just get arrested? Sending two officers to inform old lady Lin would make perfect sense. While the traffickers might postpone their actions, the police can shadow Xu Laidi tomorrow when she meets them.
“We don’t know if these people are armed, so having the police around to protect the villagers would be best.”
“What? Lin Youfu got arrested?”
Both the brigade leader and Aunt Xinghua were stunned. The night was proving to be full of surprises.
Song Wei, maintaining a serious expression, explained, “Yes, I saw it happen when Su Zhiqing and I went to town today. He got caught selling illegal goods on the black market.”
“I’ll head to the Public Security Bureau right away!”
Despite his exhaustion, the brigade leader was ready to hop on his bicycle and head to town.
Lin Zhen stopped him. “I’ll go. I have contacts at the Public Security Bureau.”
The spy case was still ongoing, and now there were traffickers to deal with. Ping’an Brigade was bustling with activity.
Even if they didn’t report it, the Public Security Bureau would likely send officers the next day to investigate Lin Youfu’s case.
Lin Zhen planned to notify them in advance so they could deploy plainclothes officers to protect the children discreetly.
The Next Morning
Ping’an Brigade was bustling early in the morning. Old lady Lin’s shrill voice echoed throughout the area.
“That’s impossible! Absolutely impossible! Comrades, you can’t accuse an innocent person. My grandson would never engage in illegal trading. There’s been a mistake somewhere. He’s always so well-behaved at home!”
The arrival of two police officers caused quite a commotion.
Some villagers were simply curious, while others, harboring guilty consciences, were terrified.
Among the latter was Xu Laidi. Her face turned pale when she saw the officers, but when she realized they weren’t there about the trafficking, she relaxed slightly.
Even so, her nerves got the better of her, and she hurriedly left after a quick glance.
Meanwhile, disguised as villagers, plainclothes officers quietly blended into the crowd.
Xu Laidi wasn’t from the area, so she couldn’t identify the strangers. The traffickers, hiding at a distance, panicked when they saw uniformed officers but remained unaware of the plainclothes personnel.
Xu Laidi quickly went to inform the traffickers.
Song Wei and Lin Zhen followed her silently, like expert predators stalking their prey. They moved with such precision that Xu Laidi remained oblivious.
Eventually, she arrived at an inconspicuous hollow in the hills.
“What’s going on? Why are the cops here? Have we been discovered?”
A man jumped down from a tree, startling Xu Laidi so much that she nearly screamed.
“No, it has nothing to do with you. Old lady Lin’s grandson, Lin Youfu, got caught for illegal trading. Maybe we should hold off for now. The police are still around.”
Her voice trembled with fear.
The man sneered, his expression menacing. “You don’t want to do it anymore? Then cough up everything we’ve given you.”
Xu Laidi, intimidated by his murderous gaze, collapsed to the ground in terror.
“N-no, I didn’t mean that. I just think we should wait until the police leave…”
“No, now is the perfect time,” said another voice.
A middle-aged man emerged from a hidden spot. His presence commanded respect, and even the intimidating man became deferential.
“My people looked into it. Someone was indeed arrested yesterday for illegal trading on the black market.
“This proves the police aren’t here for us. They’re busy with another case, and the villagers’ attention is elsewhere. It’s the perfect time to take the children. No one will notice.”
The middle-aged man gestured, and the first man handed Xu Laidi the pre-prepared “bait.”
“This meat is for the dogs. These candies are laced with something. Use them to lure the kids out. Get as many as you can.”
Xu Laidi’s eyes lit up at the sight of the meat, her mouth watering. Her greedy expression filled the two men with contempt.
“The meat is drugged. Don’t be stupid enough to eat it yourself,” the middle-aged man warned.
Xu Laidi muttered under her breath, “What a waste to feed this to those animals.”
The man smirked coldly. “Bring us the children, and you can eat all the meat you want. If you can bring some women too, even better.”
Xu Laidi’s eyes darted with calculation.
“Fine.”
Her greed for money and food overpowered her fear of the police.
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