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Hmm.
It was an ancient tomb.
The ghostly wailing they heard was the wind blowing out from the cracks in the ancient tomb, carrying a mournful and eerie feeling through the night and the mountains.
The principle behind the human voice emanating from Stone Bell Mountain, as described in Su Shi's "Record of Stone Bell Mountain," is the same: "It is hollow with many openings, which interact with the wind and water," and it produces the sound of ghosts crying.
Just as Zheng Nanle was about to get up and inform the construction team of the discovery, he suddenly noticed that beneath the ancient tomb was an even older small tomb, in which lay a series of children.
Zheng Nanle had a gut feeling that this was the human trafficker's hideout.
How cunning!
Even if someone were to follow them, they would only find the ancient tomb mentioned above.
Once the ancient tomb above is discovered, noises will be heard below, and an immediate evacuation will be necessary.
Zheng Nanle stood up and, without changing her expression, told the construction team leader about the ancient tomb. She didn't mention anything else, but spoke with great righteousness: "Although there are many ghost stories in the mountains, that's because people at that time were ignorant and didn't know the principles, so they fabricated supernatural tales. As successors of socialism, we must believe in science."
The engineering team leader also said seriously, "The young comrade is right, we must believe in science."
After a brief chat, Zheng Nanle took his leave. At the foot of the mountain, he went to a nearby state-run restaurant to buy steamed buns and mantou for a few days. He then filled his military water bottle with water, took a different route up the mountain, and cautiously returned to the ancient tomb.
Instead of rushing to arrest people or rescue the children, she stayed inside the ancient tomb, imprinting her spiritual mark on each of the adults who appeared within.
These people were actually quite cautious, each wearing a black straw hat to conceal their figures completely, but against the mental power of cheating, concealment was as good as no concealment at all.
After observing for three days, Zheng Nanle discovered that it was always the same few people coming and going. Tomorrow, these people would release the qualified children and leave the remaining children to languish in the ancient tomb. Zheng Nanle then followed one of the people who seemed to be giving orders.
After catching up to him for a while, she used her mental power to knock him unconscious, dragged him into the cave, and slapped him awake.
As soon as she slapped the other person, Zheng Nanle regretted it. The other person was wearing a metal mask, and when she hit their face, her palm also felt a slight pain from the impact.
"Who?" The man on the ground, wrapped in a black straw hat, opened his eyes alertly. Just as he was about to get up, his eyes went blank, and he lost consciousness.
Zheng Nanle asked, "Why does your organization kidnap so many children?"
"Execute the Spring Bud Project."
Just as Zheng Nanle had guessed, they abducted the children of high-ranking officials, raised them for a period of time to erase their past memories, instilled new memories, and once they were sufficiently brainwashed, sent them back.
These high-ranking officials hold key political positions, and their children can gradually climb to high positions by leveraging their connections.
In this way, the spiderweb will eventually cover the entire country and bring it under complete control.
Of course, some children are too intelligent to be successfully brainwashed, so they will abandon these children and find another child who looks very similar to them to replace them. Later on, they prefer this approach.
If the child is biologically related, with the family's daily affirmation, they might doubt their own origins and be prone to betrayal. However, those who are surrogate children, for the sake of their own wealth and status, will only be loyal and will never turn against their parents.
Although this person was in charge of the base, he was actually just doing what he was told. For example, when someone released nine Kongming lanterns, nine being the ultimate and full, he knew that all of them had to be released and the base had to be abandoned.
These days, he has been busy with the follow-up work.
Those children cannot be simply released. If they are released so casually, it will arouse suspicion and ruin all previous plans.
They couldn't keep it in the base either, as many elements there couldn't be exposed to light. Their original plan was to completely destroy the place with a pack of explosives.
Therefore, the simplest solution is to dump the children in a spare cave, lure them out, and then evacuate.
In other words, this person did not know the old man's identity.
He didn't actually know the identities of the other people, since everyone who came here concealed their identity, changed their accent, and some even changed their walking habits.
However, he said that everyone who knew about the base had come over in the past few days, and the matter needed to be discussed and handled together, so no one asked for leave.
He also provided a bombshell: he had a list of the children at the base, which he had hidden in the yard of another residence of his.
Zheng Nanle blurred his memory of interrogating him, handed him over to Xie Jianhua, then went to the courtyard, copied the list, and put it back exactly as it was.
After placing it properly, the list was handed to Xie Jianhua.
She gave Xie Jianhua a look that said, "You know what I mean."
Xie Jianhua really knows what he's doing.
To prevent high-level personnel from being infiltrated and having their lists altered.
He put away the list and said to Zheng Nanle, "You don't know about this; I did it."
Zheng Nanle nodded.
Afterwards, she found other people who had been imprinted with her spiritual power, handed the list to Xie Jianhua, and then went to the old man's house.
The old man was so cautious, and the arrangement of everything in his house was deliberate. He usually stayed at home, so she suspected that he was hiding something there.
The old man's house had been searched thoroughly. It wasn't messy, but it was quite different from what Zheng Nanle had seen during his daily surveillance. Zheng Nanle unleashed his mental power and searched every inch of the house.
Then, they discovered a hidden compartment in the wall behind the bed.
Visually, the room looks normal, but looking down, you'll find that it's actually smaller than the room next door.
Also, there's a taut wire where the old man was tapping; the sound of tapping here can be transmitted to the other side of the wall via this taut wire.
This small place is easily missed.
Very clever.
The empty cubicle was a rectangular room for lying down, hidden by the bed. You wouldn't notice it unless you crawled down and went over to remove the red bricks on the wall.
Inside was a wooden cabinet, filled with various documents and lists.
If this information and list were to be leaked, it would likely cause a stir.
Zheng Nanle put the documents and list back exactly as they were, without making a copy. This was not something she could interfere with at the moment.
She went to find Xie Jianhua, dragged him to the old man's house, and pretended to be looking around. Then she "accidentally" found the tunnel and then "accidentally" found the hidden compartment.
Xie Jianhua cooperated with her movements, and at the right moment showed surprise on his face, praising, "Er Ya, you are so meticulous, you can even find this."
The two exchanged a glance and tacitly moved on from the matter.
He didn't ask Er Ya if she had seen it beforehand, nor how she found it. He pretended that the information was found by chance when the two of them searched the old man's room again.
"Er Ya, I've approved your leave. You and Dr. Lu haven't seen each other in a long time, so take this time to cultivate your relationship so I can attend your wedding banquet soon. Your sister has been paying close attention to your marriage."
Zheng Nanle knew that Xie Jianhua was telling her to lay low for a while.
He added, "General Zhang is not in good health. You and Doctor Lu should visit him when you have time. Doctor Lu is a skilled doctor and would be quite adept at recuperation, wouldn't you say?"
The General Zhang that Xie Jianhua mentioned was Grandpa Zhang from the cowshed.
Xie Jianhua hinted to Zheng Nanle to spend more time with Old Master Zhang. He said she didn't need to do much; as long as someone was wary of Old Master Zhang, Zheng Nanle would be safe.
Zheng Nanle's achievements were known only to him and the military leaders. On the surface, she was just a nobody, and no one would bother to deal with her.
"knew."
Zheng Nanle is not stupid; he can understand the subtle meaning behind the music.
Even if you can't do it, you can still do it by doing it.
That evening, she bought a ticket to the capital.
Trains in this era were all old-fashioned green trains, looking very old and worn. I was worried that they would get stuck halfway through the journey and become unable to move. The train station was crowded with people. "Crowds of people" would be too modest; it should be described as "a sea of people."
With so many people carrying huge luggage, squeezing onto the train, and even stuffing their luggage and children through the windows, Zheng Nanle, who was traveling light with only a cloth bag, stood out all the more.
Another woman glanced at Zheng Nanle for a moment, then shoved the child into her arms and slipped away to get her luggage.
Zheng Nanle: "???"
No, ma'am, aren't you afraid she might be a human trafficker?
She met the gaze of the little girl, who was a little over a year old, in her arms. The little girl had a yellowish complexion and yellowish hair, but her eyes were exceptionally big and bright, making her quite adorable.
She gave Zheng Nanle a bright smile.
All right.
Kids are all adorable.
She obediently held onto the old woman and followed her onto the train.
The old woman carried all the luggage onto the train, took the little girl from Zheng Nanle's arms and put her back in her arms, smiling and saying, "Thank you so much, little girl. Come here, An'an, thank you, sister."
The little girl called out in a clear, sweet voice, "Sister, sister."
She doesn't know how to say thank you yet.
Zheng Nanle smiled weakly, still advising the old woman, "Auntie, you can't do that. There are many child traffickers at the train station, and they love to steal children. Moreover, child traffickers are cunning, and they are mostly old women and young women. Don't just hand your child over to them because they look kind."
"What if you hand your child to someone and they don't give the child back to you? What if they're holding the child, and there's a son and daughter-in-law, or a husband and mother-in-law nearby? They tell you a story in a few words, but the child is too young to speak, and you can't defend yourself. The crowd will easily believe them. What can you do?"
If your child is lost, you have nowhere to cry.
Even if you go to the train police, they'll have already taken the opportunity to escape, and it will be too late.
As Zheng Nanle spoke, he was already planning to write a book about the many tricks of human traffickers. He had been too busy before to do so, but now that he was on vacation, he could finally finish the book.
The old woman chuckled, "Don't think I just gave it to you randomly. I know you, Officer Zheng."
Zheng Nanle: Okay.
She couldn't help but say a few more words, "Even if it's someone you know, you can't give it to them. Many child abduction cases are committed by acquaintances. Children are not wary of acquaintances and go with them without anyone suspecting anything. Once an acquaintance sells someone out, they can deny it to the death, and no one will suspect anything."
"Also, be very careful at the train station. You chat with someone for a bit, and you feel like you get along well. You exchange names and food, and everyone around you thinks you know each other. You also think the other person is a good person. At this moment, you need to pee, so let her hold your child and look at it."
"The person left with their child, and your child thought this acquaintance was someone worth getting close to, so they didn't cry or make a fuss. But when you came back from the restroom, you were dumbfounded. The address information they gave you was all fake. When you asked the other passengers, they assumed you two knew each other and wouldn't bother to look out for you. Don't you think so?"
"Auntie, you must never let your child out of your sight for a moment. Your gullibility could very well cause you and your child to be separated for life."
Although the little girl had yellow hair and a yellowish face, her clothes were patched, and she wasn't very fleshy, that's how most children were these days. Just by looking at how clean and tidy her clothes were, and how clean her hands and face were, you could tell that the old lady had taken good care of her and wasn't the kind of person who would mistreat her granddaughter.
While Zheng Nanle was talking to the old woman, a group of people gathered around, listening to Zheng Nanle's lecture. When Zheng Nanle stopped, they hurriedly asked, "What else? What else should we pay attention to?"
Seeing that they were willing to listen, Zheng Nanle simply explained the tactics used by human traffickers in later generations, and finally emphasized: "Don't tell outsiders about your child, never let your child out of your sight, and if there are any disputes, don't rush to be a judge, go directly to the train police, and they will tell you the truth..."
Zheng Nanle didn't expect her words to cause much of a stir, but they did have an impact, preventing several tragedies.
Several human traffickers were secretly following Zheng Nanle, hoping to kidnap her and use her to teach them a lesson. They felt that the methods Zheng Nanle described were far better than the kidnapping methods they had thought of.
Of course, the ending was that he was caught by Zheng Nanle and sent to prison.
Thanks to the human traffickers for bringing this business to my door.
For three days and two nights, Zheng Nanle stood on the land of the capital.
She looked at the low-rise houses with a touch of melancholy.
Who could have imagined that decades later, this place would undergo such a dramatic transformation, as if a divine hand had played a game of infrastructure development?
Unlike ordinary events in the human world, these are things that the immortals and gods of the Heavenly Mountains casually wipe away.
Compared to the county, the capital is much more fashionable and stylish. Young girls wear long boogie skirts and leather shoes, with permed bangs, or white shirts and loose wide-leg pants. They are slim-waisted and long-legged, youthful and beautiful, riding bicycles and laughing as they go, like a beautiful sight.
This style of dress will not be out of fashion even fifty years from now.
This contrasts sharply with Zheng Nanle's plain, unadorned indigo blue clothes.
Zheng Nanle looked at the smiles on the young girls' faces, and was infected by their smiles, so he smiled along with them.
She happily imagined that she would also wear a white shirt, wide-leg trousers, and a pretty skirt.
Following the address, Zheng Nanle carried her bag, took the bus, and headed to Lu Guangbai's house.
Originally, she was preoccupied with seeing Doctor Lu and how to get him into bed, but when she saw the bluestone streets and ordinary alleys, her wandering heart couldn't help but settle down.
By the time she could remember, the capital was already a vibrant oil painting. These ancient streets and alleys had an added touch of exquisite, man-made beauty. Green tree branches stretched out of the walls, dust clung to the stone slabs like fine sand, and the mottled walls and blackened moss told tales of history.
Zheng Nanle was immediately captivated, his eyes darting left and right, wishing he had a camera to capture the walled alley and the blue sky behind it.
The only drawback is the concrete utility poles and the low-hanging power lines on them, which detract from the overall atmosphere of the scene.
The blooming crape myrtle resembles the rosy clouds on the horizon, dazzling and eye-catching. A brilliant branch stretches out, bending down with flames like purple mist, scorching straight into one's heart.
Zheng Nanle paused to admire the view for a moment, then suddenly had a gut feeling and turned to look at the gate.
Squeak—
A young man in a Zhongshan suit stood behind the door, his hand on the doorframe.
Looking up, surprise and joy burst forth like stars, instantly illuminating those eyes. The radiant joy within seemed to envelop one completely.
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