Chapter 8 - 6: Barren Mountains and Treacherous Waters

Li Family Village.

It was a backward village, a place one could even call godforsaken.

For kilometers in every direction, there was nothing but barren, uninhabited land and one desolate mountain after another.

Human trafficking cases were almost always tied to places like this. The locals were generally aggressive and incredibly difficult to govern. Their moral standards were low, and their way of thinking was utterly benighted!

As for just how benighted they were...

"Everyone, get ready. We need to get out of here as fast as possible!"

Li Xiang’s expression was exceptionally grave. He took a deep breath, stood up inside the minibus, and then flicked his right hand.

"SHHNK!"

A police baton instantly extended, and he gripped it tightly in his hand.

Rescuing a trafficking victim wasn’t as simple as walking over and having a few words!

Everyone held their breath, their eyes fixed grimly on the world outside as the minibus gradually approached the village along the rugged mountain road.

The minibus reached the village entrance.

A few people working in the fields straightened up immediately upon seeing the "iron vehicle," their faces showing confusion.

Xu De looked from side to side.

Li Family Village was mostly made up of mud-brick houses, without a single paved road. A quick glance gave one the feeling of having traveled back to the 1970s or 80s.

Or perhaps even further back than that!

The victim, Wang Mei, had been sold to this very place.

"SCREECH!"

In a blur, the minibus stopped in front of an unremarkable courtyard gate. The yard was enclosed by a mud wall, and inside stood a house made of mud bricks.

Seeing this, Li Xiang immediately sprang into action.

"Move out!"

At his command, the other six police officers also drew their batons, extending them with a sharp "SHHNK."

Then, in perfect unison, they disembarked from the bus.

Li Xiang stared at the closed wooden door in front of him, and without a moment’s hesitation, he slammed his body against it.

"BANG!!!"

The wooden door was instantly thrown open, revealing the entire courtyard.

To the left was a woodshed, to the right was a kitchen, and directly across from the gate was the main house.

Li Xiang didn’t hesitate, striding quickly inside.

"Wang Mei is in the woodshed! Find her and let’s go, quickly!"

"TAP TAP TAP..."

The group moved fast. Without another word, they led Wang Qiang and Xu De directly toward the woodshed.

They didn’t even bother to inform the homeowner... or rather, there was no need to.

The commotion from smashing the door had already alerted them!

"CREAK~"

The simple door to the main house was pushed open, and an old man and an old woman emerged. They were stooped and frail, dressed in rags, looking like a pair of withered trees.

They came out just in time to meet the police, who were preparing to break down the woodshed door.

The moment they saw each other, the two elderly people were stunned. When they came to their senses, they immediately began to shriek in high, piercing voices.

"AHHH!!!!"

"What do you think you’re doing!?"

The sound was ear-splitting. They screamed as they tried to rush forward.

In front of the woodshed, Li Xiang’s brow furrowed.

"Li! Wang! You two hold them back!!!"

At his command, the two officers, without a word, immediately blocked the two clamoring elders who were trying to push forward. The old couple was frail and weak, unable to advance any further.

But their screams were incessant.

"They’re kidnapping someone! The police are kidnapping someone!!!"

"Someone help! Come quick! The police are here to snatch someone while my son’s away!!!"

Seeing that they couldn’t get past, the two elders plopped right down on the ground and started rolling around, wailing and making a scene.

They were so loud, he figured it wouldn’t be long before a crowd gathered.

Li Xiang felt a surge of anxiety. He pushed aside the officer who was trying to pick the lock and stared at the woodshed door, which was barred with an iron rod.

"Stop picking it!"

With that, he lowered his shoulder and suddenly threw his full weight into it!

"BANG!"

The wooden door trembled, and the hinges rattled in the frame.

Li Xiang lowered his shoulder again.

"BANG!"

The door flew open!

It was a woodshed.

Inside, firewood gathered from the fields for cooking was piled everywhere. The floor beneath was paved with bricks, which were covered by a layer of packed earth.

On the wall opposite the door, the only window was sealed shut with several steel bars.

The place was as stifling and gloomy as a prison cell, devoid of a single ray of sunlight.

"Ngh..."

Beside a pile of firewood, a figure that had blended into the shadows suddenly flinched and curled up.

She instinctively raised a hand to shield her eyes.

When the door was smashed open, the blinding light formed a square on the ground, like a reflection from a mirror. Having not seen light for so long, she was so dazzled she couldn’t open her eyes!

Xu De noticed her instantly.

Her hair was a tangled, matted mess, caked with dirt and bits of straw. The ends were dry, yellow, and split, crusted with filth and reeking of a foul stench.

Her cheekbones protruded sharply, making her eye sockets appear sunken.

Her eyes were just two turbid hollows, her eyelids swollen and drooping. Her gaze was vacant and numb.

Was this...

"Wang Mei!?"

A voice suddenly rang out in the woodshed; it was impossible to tell who had spoken.

Beside the firewood pile.

The woman flinched. Fear brewed in her eyes, and her body began to tremble and curl in on itself.

Another voice spoke.

"Mei..."

This time, it was laced with a tremor.

The bone-thin Wang Qiang’s lips were trembling slightly as he stared at Wang Mei in disbelief. He hardly dared to breathe.

This was his daughter.

His daughter who had been trafficked for ten years!

She was twenty-four years old this year. Even though he hadn’t seen her in a decade... even though she looked like she was forty, Wang Qiang still recognized her.

"Uuhh..."

Wang Qiang abruptly pulled Wang Mei upright and hugged her, sobbing uncontrollably. His skeletal hands wrapped around her body like steel, refusing to ever let go!

There was no rape or beating, as she had expected.

The woman froze.

She looked at the man in front of her, then at Xu Hong, who was so choked with sobs she couldn’t speak.

’Who are they?’

The woman, who looked like a madwoman and seemed jumpy and erratic, stared with confused, fearful eyes.

She stared at Wang Qiang, at his wrinkled, coarse face, and stood rooted to the spot.

In her mind, the memories of ten years living in the woodshed began to recede, replaced by a fuzzy, indistinct face she could no longer clearly recall.

Her memory gradually sharpened until it matched the face before her.

Suddenly, Wang Mei froze. She looked at Wang Qiang, her lips trembling.

She wanted to say something, but couldn’t; she wanted to pour out her grievances, but didn’t know where to start; she wanted to break down and cry, but when she opened her mouth, she only felt a wave of dry heaves rise in her throat.

A torrent of emotions... finally...

Her voice sounded.

"What took you so long to come..."

Wang Mei said, her voice hollow.

Her voice wasn’t loud, her emotions weren’t intense, she wasn’t even crying.

Yet it made the hearts of the surrounding officers sink, and an indescribable emotion swelled in their chests.

Wang Qiang could hold back no longer, breaking down into tears and snot as he clutched her tightly.

"Officer Li, let’s get her out of here first."

Xu De suddenly spoke, his eyes sweeping over their surroundings as his brows knitted together.

Though he wasn’t a police officer, he knew what they would face if they delayed any longer.

Officer Li Xiang didn’t waste any time either, saying directly:

"Let’s go!"

At his word, Wang Qiang, not even bothering to wipe away his tears and snot, lifted Wang Mei and started to walk out.

But as he stood up, he discovered that Wang Mei’s ankle was chained to something, the other end driven straight into the ground.

Without a word, Li Xiang swung his baton down. The object stuck in the ground trembled, and then he yanked it straight out.

The group quickly formed a protective detail around Wang Qiang as they headed out.

Outside the woodshed.

Seeing this, the two elders who were rolling around on the ground immediately grew furious and shrieked:

"Someone help! Quick! The police are taking her away!!!"

"You can’t leave! We paid money for her! You’re not allowed to leave!"

"I don’t want to live anymore! The police are robbing us..."

Their wails echoed through the yard as the two young officers struggled to hold them back.

The sound made Li Xiang’s scalp tingle. He quickened his pace toward the exit.

As they moved, Wang Mei, still in her father’s arms, suddenly remembered something. A look of panic crossed her face, and she looked at the officers and said:

"My child, my child..."

’A child?’

Right, Wang Mei had a child!

Li Xiang froze, instinctively glancing toward the main house, then back outside.

He was just about to say something.

But Xu De, who had already reached the gate, saw a dark, surging mass of people ahead. His face turned grim as he said:

"The child will be fine!"

"Get Wang Mei out first! Save one while we can! If we’re half a minute later, no one gets out!"

Right.

The child would be fine!

Li Xiang instantly understood.

The child was Wang Mei’s, but it was also the buyer’s. They wouldn’t do anything to harm the child. The only one in danger here was Wang Mei!

"Captain Li!" The two officers behind him were barely holding on.

"Go!"

Without hesitation, Li Xiang decisively ordered the two officers to fall back to the group.

Immediately, the group escorted Wang Mei, moving quickly along the village’s dirt paths toward the minibus.

Their footsteps were hurried, their breathing heavy. It wasn’t long before they reached the minibus.

"SHHH!"

The group had just gotten on the bus. Li Xiang wanted to drive away immediately, but unfortunately...

...a teeming crowd, like a black tide, surged forward from behind and instantly surrounded the minibus.

It was the villagers.

The villagers of Li Family Village.

Led by the two elders, a horde of villagers now had the minibus completely surrounded!

"Get out of the bus! Get out!"

"Go get Er Niu! Tell him to come back from the fields! If he doesn’t come back now, his wife will be gone!"

"Get the fuck down here! What right do you have to snatch people!?"

"You think you can just bully us?! Hand her over!!!"

"..."

The faces of the Li Family Village residents were contorted with rage. Some held hoes, others gripped sickles, all of them roaring at the people in the bus. The noise was deafening!

In the back of the bus, Wang Qiang’s breathing grew heavy, his eyes becoming bloodshot. Feeling the woman in his arms tremble, he held her even tighter.

In the driver’s seat,

Zhang, the driver, tried to pull away, but unfortunately... the villagers in front of the bus wouldn’t budge an inch. The only way forward was to run them over!

"Goddammit!"

Zhang cursed, scanning the villagers who had surrounded the police, noting the hostility in their eyes and the hoes in their hands.

The tools in their hands were no mere decorations.

The people in this godforsaken place weren’t afraid of the police at all!

Zhang’s face was grim, his heart sinking to the pit of his stomach. He turned to look back at Li Xiang and asked in a low voice:

"What do we do!?"