Immediately afterward, Yuan Yi picked up the phone and began methodically arranging the case procedures and the dispatch plan.
Professional matters were handled by professionals. Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang waited quietly.
A female officer walked in with three children who had eaten their fill and washed their faces and hands. She gave Jiang Ling a slight smile. “The children refuse to stay in the lounge. They said they want to stay with you.”
As soon as Xiaowei saw Jiang Ling, she hurried forward and tugged at the hem of her clothes. Although every police officer here was friendly to her, and although the cafeteria was bright and the meals delicious, the unfamiliar environment still made her anxious. Only by staying close to Jiang Ling did she feel safe.
Jiang Ling understood why Xiaowei was afraid—because she had also been abducted.
Jiang Ling had never been an endearing child. She was too quiet, too unsociable, not lively, not cute. The caretaker, Zhao Hongxia, especially hated her sharp, piercing eyes and often beat and abused her.
Zhao Hongxia dared not act too openly. The most common thing she did was to secretly twist Jiang Ling’s waist, legs, and arms while whispering threats: “A child like you, unwanted by her parents—if I hadn’t taken you in, you’d have frozen or starved to death long ago. If you dare complain, I’ll throw you into the deep mountains to be fed to wolves!”
Most children would have trembled with fear, but Jiang Ling was different.
She didn’t believe Zhao Hongxia at all. She firmly believed that she had simply been lost by her parents, and that as long as she found them, she would live a happy, joyful life.
With this belief, at six years old, Jiang Ling ran away from the orphanage. But she didn’t understand much at that time. She hadn’t gone far when human traffickers noticed her, and a few coaxing words were enough to abduct her.
Because she was a girl and physically weak, Jiang Ling was constantly rejected, passed from one buyer to another. Two years later, in the market of Qingshi Town, Xinchang County, she grabbed Officer Jiang Shouxin’s hand and was finally rescued.
The repeated abandonments during her abduction left deep psychological scars.
Even later, when she had a stable job and her own small home, her heart remained anxious and unsettled, never calm or at peace.
One reason she studied so hard and worked to get into the police school was that, in her mind, Officer Jiang—the one who rescued her—was the greatest person in the world, the person she wanted to become.
Another important reason was a dream buried deep in her heart: to become a police officer and find her biological parents.
She wanted to know who her parents were.
She was tall and thin, and even severe malnutrition hadn’t stopped her from growing. Were her parents also tall and thin?
Her face was oval, with almond-shaped eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips. Were these features inherited from her father or her mother?
She wanted to ask her parents: Why did you lose me?
She also wanted to ask: Have you ever tried to find me all these years?
She wanted even more to know: Do you still remember me?
Unfortunately, in her previous life, Jiang Ling never fulfilled this dream.
She had been abandoned at the orphanage door when she was less than a month old. Aside from a bright yellow swaddle with red trumpet vine flowers, there was no token or clue. At the time, criminal investigation techniques were underdeveloped, and there were no DNA databases or missing-child registries. Jiang Ling never found her parents.
After being reborn, Jiang Ling saw Xiaowei holding onto her like she was her only hope, and her heart hurt deeply.
She knew what Xiaowei was afraid of.
Jiang Ling reached out and tightly held Xiaowei’s small hand in her own.
The slight pressure of skin-to-skin contact comforted Xiaowei’s unease. Xiaowei tilted her face up and timidly called, “Auntie.”
Jiang Ling responded with a soft, “Mm. Don’t be afraid. I’m here.”
Only then did Xiaowei relax a little, turning her cheek to press her smooth forehead against Jiang Ling’s hand.
The scars on Xiaowei’s cheeks hadn’t been treated; her skin was rough and uneven. But the skin on her forehead was smooth, cool, and silky. Jiang Ling knew abducted children were perceptive, but she hadn’t expected Xiaowei to be so sensible. She sighed inwardly and turned her gaze toward Shen Xiaomei and Shen Xiaoyong.
Xiaomei and Xiaoyong’s eyes were moist. Jiang Ling lifted a hand to gently touch the tops of their heads. She knew how much children who had been abducted longed for family affection and longed for gentle care.
Jiang Ling’s touch was soft and warm, giving the children courage.
Xiaoyong’s voice trembled. “I—I was abducted while playing outside my house. My leg was cut off by Shen Sanzhuang. I was really scared back then. I was afraid I’d never see my parents again. They run a grocery store. There’s a concrete platform at the front where kids play ping-pong after school. The neighbor lady’s surname is Liu. She calls my dad Old Hu and my mom Sister Cuifang…”
Jiang Ling didn’t interrupt him, patiently listening as he poured out his childhood memories. When he finally stopped, she nodded gently. “Okay, I’ve noted it down.”
Shen Xiaomei said nothing, her gaze vacant, though her mind was in turmoil.
—Xiaoyong and Xiaowei still had families waiting for them. But what about her? She was an unwanted child. If she left Xie Jiayan and the others, where could she go?
At this moment, Shen Xiaomei hadn’t yet experienced the beatings before her escape, hadn’t witnessed Xiaowei and Xiaoyong’s deaths, and hadn’t developed a rage-filled hatred for the world. Her heart was not yet hardened like iron.
She was just a child trying desperately to survive.
Jiang Ling looked down at Shen Xiaomei’s crippled hands and gently asked, “Xiaomei, do you remember where your home is?” In prison, Shen Xiaomei would never reveal her past, showing no attachment or warmth toward her parents. Perhaps she had an unhappy childhood.
Shen Xiaomei pressed her lips tightly together, saying not a word.
Her parents had sold her to traffickers like garbage. Counting the money with saliva-stained fingers, they never even glanced at her. That scene was engraved in her memory.
The pain was too great; Shen Xiaomei didn’t want to tell anyone.
She didn’t have to defend Shen Sanzhuang. She could watch Xie Jiayan be taken by the police, because she didn’t want Xiaoyong and Xiaowei to lose their chance to reunite with their families.
But seeing Xiaowei find her aunt, and Xiaoyong being helped by the police to find his parents, Shen Xiaomei felt a bitter, aching sadness.
Jiang Ling saw Shen Xiaomei’s embarrassment and conflict. She crouched down to meet her gaze. “Don’t worry. If you can’t find your family, you can still live in the orphanage.”
Shen Xiaomei’s eyes brightened slightly. “The orphanage?”
Jiang Ling said, “Yes. It’s funded by the government. There are big houses and courtyards. Caretakers look after the children. Teachers teach them. The director manages the orphanage. They will send children your age to school until they grow up, find work, and live independently.”
Shen Xiaomei’s eyes grew brighter, burning with disbelief. She trembled slightly with hope. “Really? Even for a cripple like me, they’d still take me?”
Jiang Ling nodded firmly. “Really. I came from the orphanage myself.”
Ying Songmao had just finished an experiment and hurried to the Anti-Trafficking Task Force office. The moment he walked in, he heard that sentence.
Jiang Ling came from the orphanage?
He paused, his gaze unconsciously filled with a hint of pity.
Jiang Ling had no parents or relatives to love her, yet she was strong, steady, independent, and calm. No one knew how many hardships had forged this temperament.
Thinking of Jiang Ling reminded Ying Songmao of his own younger sister, Ying Yuhua, and he came up with a bold idea. Yuhua was born deaf and somewhat introverted. Her parents and he himself had spent considerable effort trying to help her integrate into the world. Perhaps if she had more contact with Jiang Ling, Yuhua might become a little more lively?
Yuan Yi arranged everything and, putting down the phone, saw Ying Songmao, giving him a greeting: “Songmao, you’re here.”
Ying Songmao nodded at him and then walked over to Jiang Ling, extending his hand: “The materials—give them to me.”
Jiang Ling handed over all the information regarding the stolen bicycle bells case.
Ying Songmao dryly said, “Thank you.” After a moment, he added three more words: “You’ve worked hard.”
Li Zhenliang came closer and asked, “Captain Ying, will the paper really have my name on it?”
Ying Songmao glanced at him: “Third author.”
Li Zhenliang’s eyebrows lifted in excitement. “Third author is fine! Thank you, Captain Ying!” If not for Liu Haoran giving them a brief introduction to journals, he wouldn’t even know what one was. Now, having his name published in a professional police journal alongside Jiang Ling and Ying Songmao felt like a great honor.
He had already decided that once the paper was published, he would buy several copies and give one to each relative and friend.
He was practically itching to tell everyone: I, Li Zhenliang, have finally made it!
Seeing him a little carried away, Jiang Ling had to lower her voice: “Control yourself a bit.”
Hearing her, Li Zhenliang realized he wasn’t at the police station but in the municipal bureau’s Anti-Trafficking Task Force office. Sheepishly, he rubbed his head and adjusted his smile, trying to look more composed.
Ying Songmao almost smiled.
Jiang Ling, the youngest officer at Jinwu Road Police Station, had graduated from the police school only six months ago. Yet she already exuded leadership; the case team followed her lead without question.
Zhou Jinliang of the anti-trafficking squad pushed the door open, waving his notebook, shouting: “Damn it! These two are like rolling knives—won’t say a thing!”
Yuan Yi frowned. “They didn’t tell you where they stay at night?”
Zhou Jinliang shook his head: “That Xie Jiayan cried with tears and snot running together, kept playing the victim. First, she claimed the children were hers, then said she’d picked them up. She said she brought three kids to the big city for medical treatment, begged for money during the day, slept on the streets at night, spent all the money, and wanted our help.”
Shen Xiaomei suddenly spoke up: “Uncle Policeman, they’re lying. We were all abducted or bought by them. The money we begged for had to be handed over to them. If it wasn’t enough each day, they would beat us with sticks. Xiaowei’s face, Xiaoyong’s legs, and my ear—they did that to us!”
With Shen Xiaomei speaking the truth, Xiaoyong and Xiaowei also joined in:
“They’re not our parents—they’re bad people.”
“They didn’t give us food. If we didn’t obey, we got beaten.”
“At night we slept in broken metal vehicles. Wind would come through. It was so cold in winter.”
Shen Xiaomei was smart and had a good memory. Though she had never attended school, begging had taught her to count money, and she had learned addition and subtraction within a hundred on her own: “It wasn’t just the three of us—there were six other children. They divided us into three groups, each watched by a man and a woman. Five children have died before, and they were buried.”
With the children’s testimony, Yuan Yi and Zhou Jinliang exchanged a look.
Human trafficking and child abuse resulting in death, with as many as fourteen victims—this was a major case!
With the children’s statements, filing the case and mobilizing the police went faster.
Following Shen Xiaomei’s guidance, Yuan Yi led a team to a rundown bus in an abandoned factory area on the outskirts, where the Hawk gang spent the night.
The municipal bureau treated the operation with high importance, mobilizing officers from the first and second squads. Over a dozen trained detectives stormed the bus armed and captured the Hawk gang in one sweep.
As Shen Xiaomei guided the team during the raid, Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang brought the remaining two children back to the police station in a vehicle arranged by the municipal bureau.
Seeing two go in and four come back, Wei Changfeng’s eyes widened: “What happened? These two children are…”
Jiang Ling held Xiaowei’s hand while Xiaoyong followed closely behind her, step by step. Originally, the municipal bureau planned to have someone take the two children to rest, but they insisted on staying with their “aunt,” so there was no choice but to bring them back to the station together.
Li Zhenliang recounted the afternoon’s events to Wei Changfeng, who couldn’t help but admire Jiang Ling: “You just went to the municipal bureau to deliver some materials, and you helped the anti-trafficking squad crack a cross-province child trafficking case? That’s some luck!”
Li Zhenliang proudly said: “It’s not luck. Jiang Ling has a keen eye for traffickers. She saw the little beggar girl at the bus station and immediately recognized her as Xiaowei, under the control of traffickers.”
Wei Changfeng raised his hand: “Alright, alright, Jiang Ling has a keen eye.” He turned to Jiang Ling: “You’ve been busy all day. Get some rest.”
“Okay.” Jiang Ling picked up Xiaowei and said to Xiaoyong, who relied on a small wooden cart to walk, “Aunt will bathe Xiaowei. Xiaoyong, you go with Officer Wei.”
Although Jinwu Road Police Station was small, it was fully equipped with a cafeteria, bathhouse, and hot water supply. Wei Changfeng, on duty that day, took Xiaoyong to the rear bathhouse.
After the bath, Wei Changfeng helped Xiaoyong change into his own sweater and a thick cotton coat Li Zhenliang had borrowed from a friend. Seeing the child, emaciated and missing both legs, his eyes reddened, almost shedding tears, cursing the traffickers incessantly.
“The stumps of his legs are rotten, new and old wounds all over his body. No one treated the injuries—they’re all infected. I need to take him to a clinic for treatment.”
“Those traffickers have no conscience!”
“They should all get the death penalty!”
Night had fallen, and lights shone in the police station’s backyard.
Wei Changfeng and Jiang Ling threw away the children’s dirty clothes, wrapped them in warm coats, and treated their infected wounds.
For the first time since being in Xie Jiayan’s hands, the children were clean and comfortable. Their original beauty returned, with timid smiles on their faces.
Wei Changfeng borrowed a wheelchair from the hospital, placed Xiaoyong in it, and taught him how to steer and push. Xiaoyong quickly got the hang of it, rolling around the backyard.
Previously, the wooden cart allowed some movement, but it kept him almost on the ground with a low view. Sitting in the wheelchair, he could see the world from a higher perspective. The officers bent down to meet his eye level, showing respect and care that moved Xiaoyong to tears.
He held back his tears, smiling at Xiaowei: “Look, Xiaowei! Big brother has a vehicle now.”
Xiaowei clung to Jiang Ling’s hand, smiling sweetly: “Brother runs so fast! That’s great.”
Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei returned from patrol and joined in, pushing Xiaoyong as he raced.
The scenery flowed past, the old locust tree stretched its branches, and a wintersweet in the flowerbed bloomed richly, filling the air with fragrance. Everyone smiled.
Xiaoyong felt boundless happiness, laughing out loud.
The children’s laughter echoed over the police station’s backyard, like clear birdsong in a spring forest—pure, pleasant, and touching.
Such simple joy.
Such easy contentment.
These lovely children had been amputated by Xie Jiayan and her gang!
Sensing Jiang Ling’s low mood, Xiaowei tugged her hand, signaling her to bend down.
Jiang Ling bent forward and asked softly: “What is it, Xiaowei?”
Xiaowei pressed her small hand to Jiang Ling’s cheek, blinking her big eyes: “Aunt, don’t be sad. Brother and I are happy now.”
The warm, soft touch softened Jiang Ling’s heart completely. Normally wary of skin contact, she now felt no discomfort—only a longing for deeper closeness.
Jiang Ling’s hands trembled as she gently stroked the scar on Xiaowei’s cheek: “Does it still hurt?”
Xiaowei shook her head repeatedly with a smile: “No, it doesn’t hurt at all.”
Sometimes it did ache, but Xiaowei’s sensitive and kind heart knew Jiang Ling was worried for her, so she refused to mention her pain.
Jiang Ling opened her arms and held Xiaowei close: “It’s okay, it’s okay.”
Traffickers deserve death!
Two small flames of determination danced in Jiang Ling’s eyes.
Although the Hawk gang was caught tonight, their main base remained. They had to be eradicated and severely punished to set an example.
…
The small building of the Yan City Public Security Bureau’s Criminal Investigation Unit stayed lit all night.
All six traffickers were arrested, but during overnight interrogations, they remained stubborn, insisting their poverty drove them to buy disabled children from the countryside to beg. They refused to admit to causing the deaths of five children.
Of the nine abducted children, except Xiaoyong and Xiaowei who were taken by Jiang Ling, the remaining seven were emaciated and covered in scars. Some needed hospitalization, others nutritional and psychological intervention; each required painstaking care from the detectives.
After a whole night had passed, seeing the criminals’ statements, Yuan Yi was so furious that he started cursing loudly in his office.
“Those bastards! How can their mouths be so hard!”
“Keep interrogating! Until they tell the truth!”
“I don’t buy it. There’s no way these animals can hold out longer than we can.”
Shen Xiaomei said that they had killed five children in succession, but the traffickers insisted she was mistaken—that the children were simply too sick and had been sent back to their hometowns for treatment.
As for where the hometown was or where the children were now, they all remained silent.
A living person must be seen alive; a dead one must be seen as a corpse.
If the bodies can’t be found, it’s very difficult to charge them with intentional injury causing death. At most, the charges would be limited to trafficking and abuse.
No wonder Yuan Yi was going crazy.
On one hand, he had his subordinates continue interrogating, using fatigue tactics to pry information from the traffickers. On the other, he went to the technical division to seek help from Ying Songmao.
Yuan Yi and Ying Songmao had been childhood friends. Yuan Yi was three years older; both of their parents worked at the Yan City Chemical Plant, and they grew up in the same residential compound. Later, one got into the Public Security University and the other into the Police School. After graduation, both were assigned back to the Yan City Public Security Bureau, and their personal friendship was very close.
Yuan Yi pulled Ying Songmao out of the lab. “Songmao, come here. Give me some advice—how can we nail these traffickers for good?”
Ying Songmao had been reviewing the materials Jiang Ling had delivered last night. A seemingly minor case involving bicycle bells had been turned into something elaborate by Jiang Ling.
There were criminal psychological profiles, geographic profiling, and even PTSD counseling involved. One had to admit, Jiang Ling had serious skills.
Especially when she mentioned the word “intuition,” her confidence was evident in her eyes—a memory that stayed with Ying Songmao.
Generally speaking, so-called intuition is a fast judgment and decision-making ability developed through years of experience, possessed only by seasoned criminal investigators.
But Jiang Ling had graduated just half a year ago—perhaps… this was just talent.
As soon as he started work today, Yuan Yi dragged him into the lab. Ying Songmao, whose mind was full of “criminal profiling,” instinctively replied, “Why not let Jiang Ling give it a try? Her criminal psychological assessments are impressive.”
Yuan Yi stared at him for a long time, making Ying Songmao a little uneasy.
After a while, Yuan Yi patted him on the shoulder. “Brother, don’t you think you’re overestimating that girl? She just graduated, she’s still a rookie. If she doesn’t mess up on a mission, that’s already good. Let her participate in an investigation? What a joke.”
Ying Songmao stepped back to avoid Yuan Yi’s playful grasp. “Her investigative abilities are truly outstanding.”
Yuan Yi grinned and bumped him with his elbow. “Hey, are you… into her?”
Ying Songmao glared. “Don’t talk nonsense! I just value talent.”
Yuan Yi knew Ying Songmao didn’t like casual physical contact, but refused to respect it. He raised his arm, looped it around Ying Songmao’s neck, and said with a smile, “Don’t be stubborn. I know you too well. Hehe…”
Even as a kid, Ying Songmao had been the cleanest in the whole residential building. Even when playing ball with Yuan Yi, he stayed spotless. Just for that, Yuan Yi had heard countless parents praise him—and criticize him.
“Look at you, going out all muddy. Why can’t you be like Songmao?”
“Songmao’s such a clean kid—so easy to deal with.”
“Learn from Songmao; don’t sit or run around everywhere.”
After hearing it so many times, Yuan Yi developed a rebellious streak. Following a ‘if I can’t beat him, I’ll drag him down with me’ mentality, he tried every opportunity to get Ying Songmao a little dirty. Seeing him struggle to avoid it and fail, Yuan Yi’s mood improved at his helpless expression.
Ying Songmao’s face turned bright red as Yuan Yi looped an arm around his neck. “Hey, let go!”
Yuan Yi laughed, almost giddy. “No way! I stayed up all night yesterday, didn’t shower, didn’t change clothes…”
Smelling Yuan Yi’s stench, Ying Songmao held his breath and struggled.
After teasing him for a while, Yuan Yi finally relented. Seeing Ying Songmao grind his teeth and retreat to the wall, Yuan Yi’s own fatigue from the night evaporated, and he laughed heartily. “Being too clean is a disease, you know that?”
Ying Songmao ignored him, straightening his collar with a cold expression, clearly displeased.
He didn’t leave immediately? Something’s up!
Yuan Yi’s curiosity grew. “Tell me! Why recommend Jiang Ling?”
Ying Songmao dusted off his shoulders and answered seriously: “Jiang Ling’s criminal psychology is extremely professional. She has an extra spark of ingenuity compared to our technical division experts. Especially her innovative criminal profiling technique, which can deduce a suspect’s motives, psychological traits, family background, and even pinpoint their residence from the evidence. She calls this ‘geographic profiling.’”
“Geographic profiling?” Yuan Yi’s eyes lit up. “That’s impressive.”
It was the first time he had heard Ying Songmao give such high praise to a newcomer. Yuan Yi put away his previous teasing and said seriously, “We interrogated those six traffickers all night but couldn’t get them to reveal where they buried the bodies. Could Jiang Ling use this… geographic profiling… to find out?”
Ying Songmao thought for a moment. “I don’t know, but we can ask her.”
…
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