If that man really was a doctor, how could he fail to recognize such an obvious pregnancy?
But she was alone and outnumbered. If she openly confronted them now, she wouldn’t be able to overpower the two of them. Besides, she couldn’t risk exposing the secret of her spatial storage.
She had to find someone to help.
Fortunately, her uncle had been farsighted. Worried something might happen to her during the journey, he had prepared identification proving that she was a military dependent.
Now she just needed to find an excuse to get away and seek help from the railway police on the train.
After giving it some thought, Su Man blushed as if embarrassed and spoke in a quiet voice.
“Auntie, I need to use the restroom.”
There weren’t many people in the sleeper carriage. Most passengers had already stopped paying attention to what was happening, though a few sympathetic glances still drifted their way as people quietly discussed the situation among themselves.
Afraid that the prize she had practically caught would slip away, Zhou Chunhua hurriedly said,
“I’ll go with you.”
Realizing she sounded a little too eager, she quickly added,
“There are lots of pickpockets on trains these days. A young girl who’s never seen much of the world is exactly the kind of target they like.”
Su Man sneered inwardly, but outwardly she acted as though she had no opinions of her own.
“Oh, that won’t do, Auntie. You still need to take care of your daughter. Why don’t I leave my luggage here, and you can keep an eye on it for me?”
After a moment’s thought, Zhou Chunhua agreed.
She was still playing the role of the kindhearted mother and couldn’t let the girl grow suspicious. Besides, her luggage was still here—there was no way she could run off.
Smiling warmly, she nodded.
“Go on, then. Come back quickly. It’s fate that brought us together. Don’t worry, Auntie will watch your things for you.”
Su Man deliberately left her luggage behind and hurried away as though she were desperate to reach the restroom.
Once she was gone, Zhou Chunhua cautiously looked around to make sure no one was paying attention before turning to Hu Ming with a glare.
“What was wrong with you just now? Did that little bitch dazzle you? If she gets away, I’ll skin you alive!”
One look from her vicious eyes made Hu Ming instinctively shrink back. The refined, gentlemanly image he had been pretending to project disappeared completely, replaced by an ingratiating grin.
“I know I messed up, Sister Zhou. It’s just… that girl’s too pretty. I swear it won’t happen again.”
But unable to suppress his lust, he gave a lewd smile.
“Sister Zhou… once we’ve got her, could you let me have a turn too? It’s been a long time since I’ve…”
Seeing his pathetic expression only made Zhou Chunhua angrier.
She couldn’t help taking out her irritation on Su Man.
*It’s all that little slut’s fault for being so pretty and acting so seductive. Once she’s in my hands, I’ll show her what happens.*
Still, they hadn’t reached their destination yet. She still needed Hu Ming’s cooperation to secure both girls, so she simply brushed him off.
“Once the job’s done, you’ll get your reward. The train will reach the next stop soon, so keep your wits about you. Those two girls are top-quality merchandise. Once we get them, our whole crew will be living comfortably for quite a while.”
Hu Ming’s mind was already filled with Su Man’s beautiful face. Hearing Zhou Chunhua’s promise, he nodded enthusiastically.
Meanwhile, after passing through several train cars, Su Man finally found a railway police officer at the end of the train.
Time was running short.
Without wasting a second, she quietly took the letter of introduction she had secretly retrieved from her spatial storage and handed it to him.
The officer, whose surname was Li, looked to be around forty years old. He was somewhat thin, but his eyes were exceptionally sharp.
He had noticed the pretty young woman approaching him as though she wanted something, yet instead of speaking, she silently handed him a letter.
Taking it, he discovered that she was the dependent of a military serviceman.
His expression immediately grew serious.
Although the young woman named Su Man appeared calm, he had no idea what kind of trouble she needed help with.
Still, since she was from a military family, he intended to do everything he could to assist her.
“Hello, Comrade Su Man. What can I help you with?”
Although anxious, Su Man kept her thoughts organized.
“Officer, I believe I’ve encountered human traffickers. I need your help.”
Human traffickers?
Li Gang’s eyes immediately sharpened.
Not long ago, there had indeed been reports of a trafficking ring that specifically targeted young women traveling alone on trains. The gang was extremely brazen, operating as an organized network with different members responsible for different stages of the crime.
At recent meetings, the authorities had repeatedly emphasized this case.
Lately, patrols had been intensified, inspections strengthened, and checkpoints added, yet they had found nothing suspicious.
Li Gang had been deeply troubled by the matter. Despite finding no irregularities during inspections, reports from victims’ families kept increasing.
Whenever they encountered young women traveling alone, they paid especially close attention.
Yet whether the traffickers were simply too cunning or the police had been looking in the wrong direction, they still hadn’t uncovered a single useful lead.
And now this young woman had actually discovered a clue.
Seeing how certain Su Man appeared, Li Gang still had a trace of doubt, but he reacted immediately.
“Where are they?”
Su Man didn’t waste words.
She briefly and clearly described everything she had witnessed, along with every suspicious detail she had noticed.
Most importantly, she pointed out that the man claimed to be a doctor, yet somehow failed to recognize an obvious pregnancy.
She also explained that someone in her own family had studied medicine. Shock was a life-threatening emergency, so there was no way any real doctor would dismiss it as something minor.
By the time Li Gang finished listening, he was already mostly convinced.
He hadn’t expected someone so young to be so observant and meticulous.
No wonder they had never managed to catch the traffickers.
They had been using perfectly reasonable-looking excuses to lure victims off the train.
In those days, very few people understood medicine, and almost no one questioned a doctor’s authority.
When he heard Su Man say that they planned to take the girl off the train at the next station, he immediately sent someone to summon the other railway police officers.
Within minutes, two more officers arrived.
The atmosphere instantly became tense as they discussed how to apprehend the pair.
One of the younger officers suggested simply arresting them on the spot.
Li Gang frowned and immediately rejected the idea.
“No. They still have that young woman under their control. Besides, we don’t have solid evidence. If they cry foul, we’ll be the ones put on the defensive.”
As the minutes ticked by, Su Man couldn’t help speaking up.
“I do have an idea. I’m just not sure whether it’ll work.”
Li Gang was already struggling to come up with a better plan. Hearing that, he quickly said,
“Go ahead, Comrade Su. Let’s hear it.”
Su Man immediately laid out her proposal.
“The first thing we need is evidence convincing enough to prove who they are. If we arrest them by force, people who don’t know the truth may end up believing whatever lies they tell.”
“The only real breakthrough…” she said, pausing briefly, “…is that young woman.”