Chapter 536 - 535: Sentencing (Part 1)

Two days later, more than half the personnel from both the city and county where Taoyuan Village was located were mobilized. After a long trek over mountains and across rivers, they finally arrived at Taoyuan Village.

The people born and raised in Taoyuan Village had truly known the business of kidnapping since childhood.

The results of the separate, round-the-clock interrogations over the past two days had shocked everyone to the point of numbness.

When Father Miao received the call and rushed to Taoyuan Village as quickly as possible, he saw Miao Zhi. She was pale and had lost a lot of weight, but she was bustling about helping others.

The man who guided them there finally had an answer to a question Father Miao had asked earlier: why had the county never discovered such a large, village-wide kidnapping ring? After arriving and hearing the whole story, he finally understood.

Why? Because their methods weren’t like those of Beard’s group. They specialized in exploiting women’s kindness, spiriting people away without a sound or a trace.

Moreover, they always operated in other regions, never within their own county, which was how they managed to stay hidden for so long.

Fortunately, they had finally been exposed.

After six days in Taoyuan Village, Su Li and her group departed.

Theirs was one of the last groups to leave.

After they left, there wasn’t a living thing left in Taoyuan Village. Not only had all the villagers been removed, but even the chickens, dogs, cattle, and sheep had been cleared out.

They had no choice. No one could be left behind.

The authorities didn’t dare leave anyone, because they all knew that whoever stayed would absolutely continue the kidnapping trade.

This was a criminal syndicate of an unprecedented scale.

"I’ve been a reporter for so many years and thought I’d seen every bizarre thing imaginable, but this... this was a real eye-opener."

Ling Zhen, who had only arrived yesterday, walked beside Su Li. She glanced back at the picturesque Taoyuan Village, her expression full of wistful sighs.

She was here as a reporter, conducting interviews to prepare for her upcoming story.

And it was Su Li who had asked Wu Sheng to pass the tip about this place on to her.

Ling Zhen was now focused on the legal beat. She had been following the nationwide anti-trafficking campaign, and a story like Taoyuan Village was bound to be reported by both the province and the city. Since it tied directly into the national campaign, who better to cover it than her?

Su Li patted Ling Zhen on the shoulder, saying nothing.

"Auntie Ling Zhen, be careful," Little Tang Mo reminded her from the side, telling her to watch her step.

Hearing Little Tang Mo’s voice, Ling Zhen turned to him, her eyes instantly lighting up.

"Alright, Little Mo. Auntie Ling Zhen will listen to you."

Ling Zhen flashed a grin like the big bad wolf. "Come on, Little Mo, let Auntie Ling Zhen get a little closer. I need to absorb some of your genius."

As she spoke, her expression grew dreamy. Her antics were enough to make one both laugh and cry.

"Auntie Ling Zhen, there you go again."

Little Tang Mo sounded completely exasperated.

After the last incident, Ling Zhen had kept in touch with Su Li and Little Tang Mo. Even though they hadn’t seen each other often due to everything that had happened and their busy schedules, they hadn’t grown distant.

Ling Zhen had always known Little Tang Mo was smart and had been extremely fond of him. But after learning what he had done, "fondness" was no longer a strong enough word. Now, she practically worshipped the ground he walked on.

She was so impressed by how capable Little Tang Mo was that whenever they met, she would either shower him with praise and adoration or demand a hug, hoping to absorb some of his intelligence to rescue her own sometimes-inadequate brain.

Su Li and Little Tang Mo could only feel exasperated by her behavior.

"Oh, honestly. You two just don’t understand the heart of a commoner like me."

As Ling Zhen spoke, she started to raise her hand again, but Yu Zhengqing, who was walking behind her and couldn’t bear to watch any longer, pulled her back.

Yu Zhengqing had come along with Ling Zhen. He had graduated and was now an official employee at the TV station. Just like in her previous life, he was beginning to shine.

Of course, just like in her previous life, he was always hovering around Ling Zhen. If there was a chance for them to work together on an assignment, he would definitely seize it.

And so, he had come with Ling Zhen this time as well.

"This path is treacherous. Watch where you’re going."

Yu Zhengqing shot a smile at Su Li and Little Tang Mo, then gently steered Ling Zhen forward.

Ling Zhen’s expression instantly became a complex mix of embarrassment, annoyance, and bewilderment.

"Xiao Yu, you’re bossing me around again! Don’t you know I’m your senior and older than you?!"

Yu Zhengqing was incredibly good-natured. "I know, I know, Sister Ling Zhen. Just be careful."

Su Li watched them interact. It felt a little strange, but mostly familiar. ’After all, this is exactly how they were in my previous life.’

’Judging by Ling Zhen’s expression, she’s probably realized Yu Zhengqing likes her. Or maybe he’s already confessed.’

Su Li’s suspicion was confirmed when they all stopped for a rest.

When Ling Zhen and Su Li found a moment alone, she couldn’t hold it in anymore. "Su Li, you’ll never believe this... Yu Zhengqing... he actually said he likes me! I’m three years older than him! And his senior at work!"

Ling Zhen hadn’t noticed anything at first, but then she sensed something was off about Yu Zhengqing’s attitude toward her. Soon after, he made his feelings clear, which Ling Zhen found completely unacceptable.

It wasn’t that she disliked Yu Zhengqing—she was very fond of him, but as a friend and a junior colleague. So after his confession, she felt all twisted up inside and things between them became incredibly awkward at times.

"He’s completely insane!" Ling Zhen concluded.

Seeing Su Li’s complete lack of surprise, Ling Zhen was baffled. "Su Li... you don’t find this strange?"

Su Li nodded quickly. "I... I am a little surprised, yeah. But Yu Zhengqing is a great guy, and you two are a good match. Who cares if you’re three years older?"

Ling Zhen: "...I was hoping you’d help me talk some sense into him, but you..."

Su Li: "..."

’I have no desire to talk him out of it. I just want them to get married and have kids as soon as possible!’

Somehow, Ling Zhen seemed to understand Su Li’s expression and fell silent. "..."

"Su Li, you met Yu Zhengqing first, so you’re taking his side, aren’t you?" Ling Zhen demanded indignantly.

Su Li rubbed her nose. ’Maybe... just a little...’

In a huff, Ling Zhen playfully pinched Su Li’s cheek before walking off.

Ling Zhen’s personality was normally like a whirlwind, but when it came to dealing with the victims, she was far more professional than Su Li—she could almost pass for a psychologist.

After she arrived, she spent her time either conducting official interviews or just talking with the survivors. Both Miao Zhi and Xiao Mi grew very fond of her.

And thanks to her and Su Li’s different approaches to counseling them, the conditions of Miao Zhi and Xiao Mi had improved significantly.

After a two-day trek, they finally made it back to the town, and everyone breathed a collective sigh of relief.

By this time, the dust from the nationwide anti-trafficking campaign was beginning to settle, and the media started its widespread reporting on the case.

The day after Su Li’s group returned to the county seat, an overwhelming wave of reports began to flood the nation’s television channels, newspapers, and radio stations.

The entire nation was in an uproar.

Meanwhile, the interrogations of the Taoyuan Village residents were complete. The case file was being compiled, and authorities were using the testimony to track down and rescue victims who had been trafficked to various parts of the country.

The crimes committed by everyone in Taoyuan Village, from young to old, were heinous. Because the entire village had operated as a single criminal unit, the case was unique, sparking intense debate over how to prosecute and sentence them.

The adult men were a straightforward matter. The problem lay with the women—themselves victims of trafficking who had then become perpetrators.

Some of these women, who were both victims and criminals, were also pregnant—a fact that filled people with a welter of complex emotions.

As for the village elders, despite their advanced age, their crimes had compounded over the years to become the most severe. In the end, they received no leniency or reduced sentences.

The people of Taoyuan Village—men and women, young and old—were sentenced according to the severity of their crimes, along with Beard and his accomplices.

Aside from the more than a dozen people sentenced to life in prison, twelve individuals, including Beard and the village chief, were sentenced to death.