When they finally saw Da Kui’s body, they discovered that he had been shot twice in the head—one bullet through the center of his forehead and another through his temple.
The other man had also been killed by a shot to the head.
It was obvious that one of the bullets in Da Kui’s head had come from Gu Zheng, while the other two “junior officers” had also completed their task flawlessly.
“Not bad!”
Gu Zheng said to the two young officers, “From the moment you pulled the trigger just now, you officially became qualified Public Security officers.”
The two young men could hardly contain their excitement. They immediately stood at attention and saluted Gu Zheng.
The next moment, they turned toward Song Ning and gave her a solemn salute as well.
No one knew how much of a psychological barrier they had overcome in those few short minutes.
The chief had told them to follow Captain Gu and gain some experience.
This had been their very first case.
Yet this young woman had entrusted both the hostage’s life and her own life to them without reservation.
In just a few minutes, she had done everything possible to create favorable conditions for them.
She lured the kidnappers out of the house.
She distracted their attention.
She used the flashlight to indicate the target points.
She had Lanying lower her head, exposing the hostage-taker’s head.
Their coordination had been seamless and flawless.
And all the while, Captain Gu had quietly stood behind them as their safety net.
Although Da Kui and his accomplice had been killed, Brother Da himself still had not appeared.
Afterward, Song Ning and the now-calmer Lanying provided Gu Zheng with every detail they knew, hoping to give the authorities as many clues as possible.
After listening, Gu Zheng wasted no time and immediately reorganized the operation and reassigned personnel.
By the time daylight fully broke, two men disguised as traveling peddlers arrived with another team to meet up with Gu Zheng.
They had come from even deeper within the mountains and had also rescued two young women from villages farther inside.
Da Kui and his companion had fled to this village while evading pursuit.
They had not dared enter the village directly and had planned to rest in a house outside the village first.
Unexpectedly, Lanying had made a noise out of nervousness.
They had broken in, leading to the hostage situation that followed.
After identifying the captured suspects, it was confirmed that everyone in the trafficking ring except for Brother Da had either been captured or killed.
Following discussions, Gu Zheng and his team revealed their identities as officers from the Anping City Public Security Bureau of Gui Province.
They then conducted a full search of the village, carried out public awareness campaigns, issued warnings, and continued rescue operations.
Around noon, Xiao Fang and Yu Zhen—the two girls who had previously been sold to villagers—were also rescued.
There were other trafficked women in the village as well.
Only one voluntarily stepped forward and expressed her willingness to return home with the police.
Most remained silent.
They all had children now.
And most had more than one.
At dawn the next day, Gu Zheng’s team split into two groups.
Gu Zheng would escort the rescued women and captured criminals out of the mountains.
The remaining team would continue searching for Brother Da and carrying out rescue and outreach efforts among trafficked women.
A week later, when the rescued women finally arrived at Shajiao Town outside the mountains, their number had grown to twelve.
Not only had all seven girls from the current trafficking case been rescued, but five women who had been abducted in previous years had also been saved along the way.
The Anping City Public Security Bureau sent vehicles to transport all rescued individuals to Anping.
There, their identities would be verified one by one, and detailed statements would be taken.
The process was meticulous and time-consuming.
Not every woman could maintain a clear mind and stable emotions.
Many would suddenly break down in tears during questioning, requiring immediate comfort or psychological intervention.
For these women, being rescued was only the beginning.
The real challenge was finding the courage to face life after being trafficked.
As soon as she arrived at the Public Security Bureau, Song Ning submitted a request to the officer handling the case.
She hoped that both her statement and Lanying’s could be taken last.
Because she wanted to take Lanying to the hospital first.
After the long journey, the injuries on Lanying’s face had become horrifying to look at.
There were clear signs of infection and ulceration.
Her injuries had been inflicted on the very first night after she was kidnapped, when she tried to escape and was caught by the traffickers.
Without proper treatment, and with repeated abuse afterward, the wounds had become severe.
When Song Ning returned from the hospital to the temporary guesthouse where they were staying, a staff member called out to her.
“Comrade Song, someone came looking for you earlier. Since you weren’t here, they left this bag for you.”
Song Ning looked down.
It was a canvas bag containing several sets of women’s clothes.
She quickly asked, “How long ago did the person leave?”
“Just now! If you hurry, you might still catch up!”
Song Ning immediately ran in the direction the staff member pointed.
In the distance, on the far side of the guesthouse, a jeep had just started moving.
“Wait! Please wait!”
She waved as she ran toward it.
Fortunately, the vehicle soon stopped.
A young man stepped out from the passenger seat.
Broad-shouldered and long-legged, dressed in a military uniform.
He wore his hair cropped short.
His features were handsome.
His posture was straight and commanding.
He was an exceptionally striking man.
Song Ning froze for a moment before speaking.
“Y-you’re Gu Zheng?!”
Standing before her, Gu Zheng looked at her with deep eyes and smiled without answering.
Song Ning could not help sighing.
“To be fair, if you had looked like this when you were pretending to be Pan the Hunchback, you wouldn’t have needed to trick anyone. The girls would have followed you willingly.”
Gu Zheng clicked his tongue and laughed.
“Even looking like that, I still had girls showing up at my door in the middle of the night, okay? Good thing I’m clear-headed, upright, and kindhearted. Otherwise, that girl wouldn’t have known how to deal with the consequences.”
Both of them burst out laughing.
Song Ning’s gaze landed on the insignia on his shoulders.
Two bars and two stars.
She had not expected someone so young to already hold the rank equivalent to a deputy regimental officer.
Gu Zheng glanced at his watch before speaking again.
“I actually came to say goodbye. I’m not a Public Security officer—I’m a soldier. My mission happened to overlap with one of their cases, so I lent them a hand. They’ll handle the rest of the investigation. I have to return to my unit.”
Song Ning nodded in understanding.
After arriving in Anping, she had heard the officers mention that “Pan the Hunchback” was actually a major underworld figure several levels above Brother Da and was involved in a case being investigated by the military.
He had already been captured.
Gu Zheng and his team had learned about Brother Da’s crimes while wrapping up that operation.
They had simply taken advantage of the situation, entered the mountains under Pan’s identity, and rescued the women as quickly as possible.
She had not seen Gu Zheng since arriving at Shajiao Town and had assumed he had already left.
The fact that he had specifically come to say goodbye—and even brought clothes for her—came as a pleasant surprise.
Gu Zheng looked at her and said,
“Although we haven’t known each other long, there’s something I’d like to tell you. You’re intelligent, observant, and courageous. If you ever get the chance, consider joining the military. Don’t waste your talent.”
Song Ning was surprised.
She had never really considered where her future might lead.
For now, she was simply taking things one step at a time.
“Boss—!”
Someone in the jeep called out to Gu Zheng.
He glanced back before extending his hand toward Song Ning.
“Comrade Song Ning, it’s time for me to go. I wish you all the best in the future. Goodbye.”
Song Ning shook his hand.
“Thank you.”
Then she stood there, watching as they drove away.
Her gratitude was sincere.
Not only because he had rescued her from the mountains.
But also because of those clothes.
The Public Security Bureau had already provided free lodging, meals, and basic toiletries for the rescued women.
The clothes she was currently wearing had been donated secondhand by relatives of the officers.
For a government department, they had already been remarkably thoughtful and considerate.
However, the only change of clothes she personally owned was the set that had belonged to the original Song Ning.
After all the hiding, running, and hardship along the way, those clothes were nearly impossible to clean anymore.
She had never expected that Gu Zheng would notice something so small—and think of it for her.