Chapter 99: Battalion Commander Zhao's First Loss of Control in Expression

Jiang Wanqiu was close by, and some of the splattered blood also got on her cheek.

Everyone in the room was stunned and stared in horror at the doorway.

In the dim light of dawn, a tall and upright figure stood against the light.

His crisp military uniform seemed so out of place in this dirty, dilapidated house, yet it carried a reassuring power.

The man had a stern, handsome face, and he held a pistol that was still smoking in his hand.

Zhao Wenchang quickly scanned the hellish scene in the room, and finally, his deep and sharp eyes landed on Jiang Wanqiu, whose cheeks were stained with blood and whose eyes held a hint of astonishment.

In an instant, all the murderous aura and coldness emanating from him transformed into a surge of heartache.

With a click, Zhao Wenchang deftly put away his pistol.

Late autumn!

He rushed over in one stride, and without saying a word, he unbuttoned his military overcoat, which was still warm from his body, and wrapped it tightly around the slightly trembling Jiang Wanqiu, pulling her and the coat into his firm, burning embrace.

The familiar, clean scent of tobacco and soap enveloped her, and Jiang Wanqiu's nerves, which had been tense all night, finally relaxed completely at this moment.

She buried her face in the man's firm chest, feeling his strong heartbeat, and her nose tingled; tears almost fell.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here." The man wiped the blood off her face with his rough fingertips, his voice low and hoarse, trembling with lingering fear, "I'm late."

He picked her up horizontally and turned to walk out.

A group of soldiers stood outside the house, along with soldiers from other places who had rushed over after hearing the gunfire.

As Zhao Wenchang carried the woman out, everyone's eyes immediately turned to him.

Feeling stared at by pairs of eyes, Jiang Wanqiu couldn't help but reach out and push the man, signaling him to put her down: "I can walk, put me down."

She wasn't so scared that she couldn't walk.

The few women left in the house, upon seeing the armed and uniformed People's Liberation Army soldiers outside, were initially frightened and huddled together in a corner.

Then, as if they understood something, they craned their necks and stared intently at the doorway, a faint light rekindling in their lifeless eyes.

Is this time... truly a day of salvation?

"Ah—my hand! My old man!" Old Mrs. Zhou was stunned for a long time after seeing her husband's hand being knocked away. Finally, she reacted, sat down on the sewage-covered ground, and started slapping her thighs and rolling around in a rage. "Murder! The People's Liberation Army has no law! They've killed someone! You damned bandits, you broke into our homes and injured my husband! Is there no justice in this world?!"

As she howled, she saw Jiang Wanqiu being protected in Zhao Wenchang's arms, and suddenly she jumped up like a madwoman, baring her teeth and claws as she tried to tear Jiang Wanqiu's hair.

Zhao Wenchang's eyes turned cold. He grabbed Jiang Wanqiu and dodged to the side, then raised his long leg, clad in military boots, and kicked Old Lady Zhou in the stomach without any mercy!

"Ouch!" Old Mrs. Zhou was kicked and sent flying backward, rolling twice on the ground, clutching her stomach and unable to get up for a long time.

Zhao Wenchang glanced at her coldly, his lips twitching as if he were laughing in anger: "Look carefully, who is the lawless one!"

The commotion in the courtyard attracted many villagers, who looked at the soldiers with guns with fear and dared not approach.

Old Mrs. Zhou's eyes darted around. Seeing that force wouldn't work, she pointed at Jiang Wanqiu in front of everyone and cried and complained to the villagers who had rushed over after hearing the commotion: "Everyone, come and see! Judge for yourselves! It's this vixen! We took pity on her and kindly took her in, gave her a bite to eat, and what did she do? She knocked out my youngest son and drove my eldest son insane! Now she's seduced a soldier and broken my old man's hand! You have to pay for it! Pay for my son's medical expenses, and pay for my old man's hand!"

This ability to turn the tables on someone is simply masterful!

Jiang Wanqiu trembled with rage. She broke free from the man's embrace, steadied herself, pointed at Old Lady Zhou, and retorted in a clear voice, "You're talking nonsense! Your whole family are human traffickers! You abduct women and abuse people! The people in this house are all evidence!"

"What trafficking?" Old Mrs. Zhou retorted stubbornly. "They were beggars outside, homeless and without a livelihood. We kindly took them in and fed them. How did that become trafficking? You can ask them if you don't believe me!"

As she spoke, she glared fiercely at the women in the room, the threat in her eyes unmistakable.

Moreover, Jiang Wanqiu did not expect that some of the villagers watching would start to agree.

"Yes, we all know that Aunt Zhou is kind-hearted."

"These women seem to be people the Zhou family picked up; I've seen them before..."

Upon hearing these words and seeing the murderous glare in Old Lady Zhou's eyes, the women in the room instantly lost their hard-won courage and shrank back in fear.

Jiang Wanqiu felt a chill in her heart and instantly understood.

This village is probably rotten to the core!

These women can't escape; they're inextricably linked to the entire village!

Seeing this, she turned to the people inside and shouted encouragingly, "Sisters! Don't be afraid! The People's Liberation Army is here! They've come to save us! Look at their uniforms, look at their guns! With them here, no one will dare to bully you anymore! This is your last chance! If you don't speak up today, you'll really be stuck here for the rest of your lives!"

The egg-selling girl who helped her untie the rope trembled upon hearing this.

Looking at the imposing soldiers at the gate, then at Jiang Wanqiu's face—disheveled yet still stunningly beautiful, now radiating encouragement—she didn't know where the courage came from. She gritted her teeth, dragging her chained feet, and scrambled to a soldier's feet, embracing his leg and sobbing uncontrollably.

"Sir! Save us! What she said is true! We were all robbed and tricked here to be sold! I... I just came to town to sell a few eggs... Please, take us home! Waaah..."

This cry was like the first domino to fall; the other women, though silent, also began to cry intermittently.

Zhao Wenchang's face was so dark it could drip water. Without further hesitation, he waved his hand sharply: "Take control of all Zhou family members involved in the case! Seal off the scene! Anyone who dares to resist or harbor them will be treated as an obstruction of military affairs and an accomplice!"

"yes!"

The soldiers immediately took action, pinning the old man Zhou and the old woman Zhou, who were still rolling on the ground and throwing a tantrum, to the ground.

The villagers who had been chiming in just moments before were terrified by this display of force and fell silent, not daring to utter a single word.

Some of the more perceptive ones had already hurriedly slipped away.

While the soldiers were settling the rescued women, the pregnant woman with a high belly huddled in the darkest corner, hugging her knees and shaking her head in despair.

"I won't leave... I won't leave... I have no face to go back..." She stroked her belly, tears streaming down her face. "I'm carrying this bastard child, my family will beat me to death... I'd rather die here..."

"My body is tainted... If I go back, I'll be talked about behind my back for the rest of my life... Living is worse than dying..."

Jiang Wanqiu felt a pang of sadness and went over to persuade him for a long time.

However, the concept of chastity in this era is like a mountain weighing on women, and it is not something she can change with just a few words.

Zhao Wenchang walked over, glanced at the stubborn pregnant woman, and merely nodded to the guard behind him.

The guards immediately understood and called two soldiers. No matter how much the pregnant woman cried and struggled, they forcibly took her out.

The chaos in the courtyard subsided temporarily, and Jiang Wanqiu walked to Zhao Wenchang's side, looking up at him with her beautiful almond-shaped eyes full of doubt: "How did you get here so quickly?"

Zhao Wenchang looked at her small face, which was covered in dust and blood but still beautiful, and reached out to tidy her messy hair. He said in a deep voice, "Those enemy agents are more cunning than human traffickers. I have been dealing with them for many years. Finding a few insignificant human traffickers is a piece of cake."

He paused, then changed the subject, pinching her cheek with a hint of inquiry in his eyes: "I'm surprised that these lawless bastards would dare to target military dependents. They're really asking for trouble!"

Not only him, but all the greenhorns in the military region were stunned when they received Zhao Wenchang's order.

Kidnapped? Kidnapped whom? Your sister-in-law?! Who gave them the audacity to do this?! Isn't this blatantly pulling the tiger's mane?!

At this moment, a soldier came to report that Zhou's youngest son had been knocked unconscious, and his eldest son... was in the pigsty, clinging to an old sow and refusing to let go, and several soldiers couldn't pull him apart.

Zhao Wenchang frowned, walked over and took a look: "What is he doing hugging the old sow?"

With just one glance, he turned back with a dark face, his expression indescribable.

It's simply unbearable to look at.

He walked up to Jiang Wanqiu, looking at her with a deep gaze: "This... you did all of this by yourself?"

Jiang Wanqiu blinked guiltily and whispered in defense, "What I did was... self-defense."

Zhao Wenchang didn't press further, but he felt that the woman in front of him seemed strangely powerful.

"Battalion Commander!" A soldier in charge of the search ran up quickly, holding a rusty iron box in his hands. "It was found in the Zhou family's kang (heated brick bed)!"

Zhao Wenchang took the box, opened it, and found a thick stack of cash ranging from one to ten yuan, as well as a small ledger the size of a palm.

He opened the ledger, where the handwriting was crooked and the "transactions" of the past few years were recorded in some code words.

The women who were sold were called "goods" by them, and their prices ranged from tens to hundreds of dollars.

Next to the latest transaction of "two hundred yuan", four words were clearly marked in red: "Shanghai Stock Exchange Fine Goods".

Zhao Wenchang roughly counted the amount, which was already several thousand yuan.

This is already an astronomical price.

He was surprised; where did this family get so much working capital?

At that moment, a soldier came over to report.

The Zhou family's cellar was locked with a padlock, and they asked Zhao Wenchang if he wanted to pry it open to take a look.