The figure before her wore a faded dark blue cotton tunic. Her complexion was sallow and a headscarf was tied over her hair. She looked exactly like any ordinary middle aged rural woman.
“Mother you are up already” Su Wan spoke breaking the silence.
Her mother recognized her voice instantly. Even though she had seen her daughter in disguise before she smiled warmly.
“You gave me quite a start dressed like that. But it is sensible too. It is best not to draw unwanted attention when traveling far from home”
Su Wan smiled. She had fair skin and took great care of it using homemade ointments so it always stayed soft and would not darken even under the sun. For a young and attractive woman traveling alone carried real risks. That was why she always disguised herself.
She wasted no time saying goodbye to her parents and heading to the railway station. The green train traveled slowly covering a distance of about one hundred kilometers in three to four hours. Su Wan found a seat settled in and watched the crowd fill the carriage. It was stuffy and crowded with the mingled smell of sweat and cigarette smoke.
She sat by the window listening to the rhythmic clatter of the wheels watching the scenery pass by while her thoughts turned to her missing child. The train stopped frequently at every station. People got off and new passengers boarded. Su Wan shifted her stiffening gaze toward the woman sitting across the aisle holding a small child. She had noticed the woman when she first boarded. Her clothing was plain and unremarkable yet something felt wrong.
An hour passed. The train rattled on and other children cried or fussed around them. But the child in the womans arms remained perfectly silent not making a single sound. It looked fast asleep yet Su Wan knew from experience that children did not sleep so deeply in unfamiliar surroundings. Even when asleep they would twitch or stir occasionally. This child did not move at all. It did not look like natural sleep at all. A chilling thought struck her. Human traffickers.
Her heart sank. Could her own lost child have been drugged and carried away in the same helpless manner She composed herself and prepared to find the railway police. As she walked she noticed several rough looking men watching her intently. She hesitated. If they were accomplices going openly to the police might provoke them into violence.
While she was thinking a tall figure pushed through the crowd walking toward her. She looked up and met a pair of sharp familiar eyes. It was Lu Linzhou. He was dressed in coarse grey clothing and his face was dusted giving him the appearance of a common laborer. He was on the train too. Was it for duty or personal business Before she could decide whether to greet him he gave her a faint knowing smile.
“Are you on this train too Auntie”
Su Wan paused. He had called her Auntie. Her disguise was indeed convincing enough to make her own mother do a double take yet he had recognized her instantly. She managed a look of delighted surprise.
“Yes Tiger it is you. Are you traveling too”
“I am heading to Jiangcheng on business” A flicker of amusement showed in his eyes. She had matched his cover name perfectly.
Su Wan leaned closer speaking quietly. “Commander Lu there is a woman sitting across the aisle holding a child who has not made a sound. I believe she is a trafficker and there may be others watching nearby”
Lu Linzhou replied equally quietly. “Our team is already in position. Do not alert them prematurely”
She felt a wave of relief. He was indeed on official duty. His presence made her feel safer.
“I will be going to the restroom”
“Very well”
Lu Linzhou resumed his casual posture scanning the carriage then returned to his seat. When Su Wan came back he was already seated.
“Excuse me” A woman sitting opposite the trafficker spoke up. “Why has the child not woken up Is he ill”
“Mind your own business” The woman snapped clutching the child tighter. “He is just tired”
The passenger hesitated then quietly stood up and began walking toward the rear of the carriage. Su Wan heart raced. Another good soul had noticed something amiss and was heading to find help. Before the woman could take two steps a man in grey clothing rose and followed her. Su Wan saw the glint of a blade hidden in his sleeve. The passenger froze turned pale and slowly walked back to her seat. They were armed.
The announcement came over the speakers. The train would stop at the next station for twenty minutes before continuing toward Jiangcheng. The woman holding the child stood up and motioned to her accomplice to leave. Su Wan looked toward Lu Linzhou who was making his way through the crowded aisle but moving slowly.
She quickly took a packet of pastries from her bag and dropped it on the floor blocking their path. “Please watch out Do not step on my things” She bent down deliberately delaying their departure.
Lu Linzhou saw her signal and moved swiftly behind them. Before the accomplice could react Lu Linzhou seized the wrist holding the concealed knife twisting it just enough to force a sharp gasp of pain. The weapon clattered to the floor. In one fluid motion Lu Linzhou pinned both his arms behind his back and pressed him firmly against the carriage wall.
“Do not move Stay still”
Gasps rose from the surrounding passengers. Meanwhile the woman holding the child tried to flee. Su Wan stepped forward and drove silver acupuncture needles swiftly into the base of her neck. The woman cried out her limbs going limp as the child slipped from her grasp. Su Wan caught the little one securely in her arms.
The soldier traveling with Lu Linzhou rubbed his eyes in disbelief. The woman everyone had taken for a simple aunt had just disabled a trafficker with a single precise movement.