Shen Zhenbang's voice was a little choked up as he softly said:
"It was late at night, and there was only a small lamp on in the room. She sat there quietly, neither crying nor making a fuss, her little hands tightly clutching the hem of her clothes, staring blankly out the window..."
"Huaiyue and Weiwei went undercover and haven't contacted their families for over three years, not even sending a single photo. We have no idea what they look like..."
Shen Zhenbang paused, trying to calm himself down.
"But seeing that our child is alright, without any missing parts, we finally... finally feel a little relieved, knowing that at least we still have Zhouzhou! Zhouzhou is okay, thankfully... God didn't completely block our path..."
Qin Peilan completely lost control of her emotions. She suddenly broke free from Shen Zhenbang's hand, crying as she rushed over, opening her arms to try and hug that small figure tightly, screaming at the top of her lungs:
"Zhouzhou! My precious granddaughter! Grandma's here!"
However, what the elderly couple never expected was...
Their eager attempts to get close to the child were met with extreme fear!
Like a frightened little animal, she scrambled to the corner of the bed, rolling under it and hiding herself in the darkest corner, trembling and clutching her head. No matter how softly Qin Peilan called to her, she wouldn't come near or make a sound.
The elderly couple were at a loss, not knowing what to do.
Finally, a female military doctor heard the commotion and rushed over. She knelt down by the bed and comforted Zhouzhou for a long time before the child crawled out from under the bed.
The child was still shaken, especially when he saw Shen Zhenbang and Qin Peilan. The fear in his eyes did not diminish at all. He just clung tightly to the military doctor's clothes and refused to let go.
The elderly couple were heartbroken to see their granddaughter so terrified. They dared not upset her any further, so with tears in their eyes, they had to leave the ward and wait outside the door.
After a while, the female military doctor came out, closed the door, and explained to the elderly couple:
"This child... witnessed such a bloody and horrific scene firsthand; the trauma is too great. She won't recover from this state anytime soon. Don't rush to get close to her, and don't ask her too many questions. Let her adjust slowly, and absolutely do not let her experience any more trauma..."
Shen Zhenbang and Qin Peilan's hearts sank immediately, and they asked in trembling voices, "Comrade military doctor, what did you say? What... a bloody and horrific scene? What... what did the child see?"
The medic paused, somewhat surprised: "You...don't know the specifics? Zhouzhou was rescued from the drug dealers' hideout..."
"What?! A drug dealers' hideout?!"
The elderly couple were struck dumb. They only knew that their son and daughter-in-law were seriously injured on duty, and had no idea that the details were so tragic!
They even got the kids involved!
Just then, several officers from the Y Province Public Security Bureau arrived at the hospital. They were also injured and looked grave.
The group found a quiet corner, and the police officers, with tears in their eyes, told the Shen family elders everything that had happened.
Just a few days before Shen Huaiyue called home to share the good news, their undercover team had already obtained the most crucial evidence and finalized the plan for the operation to close in.
It seemed that the three-year undercover operation was about to be completed.
"But who could have imagined that at this critical juncture... such a huge mishap would occur!"
On the day of the mission, a young comrade in the group inadvertently saved a woman who was being severely beaten.
That woman was one of the drug lord's lovers. Lin Wei had dealt with her a few times before because she needed to go undercover. Feeling sorry for her, she helped her out of kindness.
I originally thought that at least some good karma could be formed.
"But to my utter surprise, this woman... is an ungrateful wretch! Somehow... she sensed something and turned around and ran to tell her drug dealer husband!"
Those desperate criminals were inherently suspicious and ruthless, and upon hearing this, they immediately harbored murderous intent.
They pretended to remain calm and set a trap. Taking advantage of Shen Huaiyue and his group's unpreparedness, they swarmed in and captured all five of them, imprisoning them in a dark and damp water dungeon.
"Those beasts..."
Shen Zhenbang's fists clenched so tightly they cracked, and the pain in his eyes almost overflowed.
"They used every method imaginable—whipping, branding with hot irons, cutting flesh with knives—they employed every inhumane means imaginable, torturing and tormenting them relentlessly... to force them to reveal whether they were actually undercover agents sent by the Public Security Bureau!"
"But Huaiyue, Weiwei, and those other three comrades are all outstanding! They're all made of iron!"
Shen Zhenbang's voice carried an indescribable pride, but even more so, a heart-wrenching pain.
"They...they were beaten black and blue, on the verge of death, and passed out several times, only to be revived by cold water and continue the beating, but from beginning to end...their teeth were clenched tight! They didn't utter a single word! They didn't betray their police uniforms! They didn't betray their organization!"
Those utterly depraved drug dealers, seeing that torture could not pry these people open their mouths, completely lost their patience and became even more vicious and ruthless, devising an even more cruel and inhumane method!
"Those beasts, they actually sent people... to secretly capture all the children of several comrades in the group who were hiding outside!"
"Among them... is our Zhouzhou!"
Shen Zhenbang's voice shattered completely; immense grief and anger made it almost impossible for him to breathe.
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