Liu Datong turned around and brought the little girl over. Her small body was trembling, and her pitiful appearance made Ning Zhiheng's heart tremble.
The child was about the same age as his daughter from his previous life, and they even bore a striking resemblance. A pang of pain shot through his heart; he wondered how his daughter was doing in that other world.
He stepped forward and gently stroked the child's hair, asking softly, "Child, what's your name? Do you know where your home is? How long have you been held captive by bad people?"
The little girl shook her head helplessly and sobbed as she answered, "My name is Xiao Wan. I only remember that my father's name is Chen Guangran. I don't know my mother's full name. My father calls my mother Mei Niang. My home is in the middle of a main street, and there's a small river nearby, but I don't know what it's called." She was too young to remember exactly where her home was. She woke up in a daze and found herself here, with no idea how long she had been abducted.
Ning Zhiheng didn't ask any more questions; he'd find out once the two human traffickers were interrogated. The real problem now was what to do with the child.
Suddenly, he felt that Xiao Wan's accent was very familiar; it was the accent of his hometown, Hangzhou. Could she have come from Hangzhou? If so, he could make some arrangements.
Hangzhou is not far from Nanjing; it's less than a day's train journey. Military academy management is very strict, and Ning Zhiheng hadn't been home for a year, so he missed it dearly.
Now is a good time to go home and visit my family. I can take Xiaowan back to Hangzhou to look for them. Even if we can't find them, I can leave the child with my mother. That way, Xiaowan won't end up on the streets.
After merging with his memories and emotions from this life, he could clearly feel the longing for his hometown and family. He had long wanted to go home and make proper arrangements for things there. It seemed some things couldn't be delayed any longer!
Ning Zhiheng turned to Liu Datong and asked, "Are you married? Who's in your family?"
Liu Datong was taken aback, not quite understanding Ning Zhiheng's meaning, and subconsciously replied, "He's married, with a haggard wife and two wild boys at home!"
Upon hearing that the situation seemed reasonable, Ning Zhiheng said in a consultative tone, "Then could we arrange for Xiao Wan to stay at your home? It won't be long. Once we get the confession from the human traffickers, I'll send the child back."
Upon hearing this, Liu Datong's eyes lit up with secret delight. This young superior seemed to have good character and a kind heart. He'd toiled away in the police station for years without rising through the ranks—wasn't it simply because he lacked connections and powerful backers?
If we can use this opportunity to establish a relationship with these superiors, then in the future, we can use the military intelligence department as a shield in this area. Who would dare to mess with us if we just used the name of the military intelligence department?
He immediately patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, sir. You can leave this child to me. There won't be a single problem. My wife is a kind-hearted woman. She'll definitely treat this child, oh, this Xiao Wan, like her own daughter!"
Ning Zhiheng was delighted to hear this; he hadn't expected Liu Datong to agree so readily. It was clear he was genuinely willing, without the slightest hint of reluctance.
Liu Datong's obvious obsequiousness suggests he might not be simply intimidated by Ning Zhiheng's status as a military intelligence officer; he likely has ulterior motives. Ning Zhiheng, with his experience, could see through this, but he didn't care.
Ning Zhiheng gave Liu Datong his name and contact information, telling him to expedite the interrogation and try to send Xiao Wan back as soon as possible. Xiao Wan's family must be searching for her everywhere, enduring an unimaginable agony.
After dealing with these matters, the action team quickly returned to the Military Intelligence Department. By then, Wei Liangbi had already received the news and was waiting in his office for their detailed report.
As expected, Liang Deyou was berated by him for nearly half an hour. Losing a quarter of the members of an action team, even if they were just ordinary members, would be difficult to explain to the superiors.
Finally, Ning Zhiheng spoke up, explaining the difficulties of the operation and promising to learn from the experience and not dare to make the same mistake again. Wei Liangbi stopped talking because of Ning Zhiheng's sake.
Liang Deyou gave Ning Zhiheng a grateful look before leaving the office. Ning Zhiheng, however, stayed at Wei Liangbi's prompting.
"Senior brother, aren't you being too harsh on Captain Liang? After all, he completed the mission in the end and captured the man alive. You won't really punish him, will you?" Ning Zhiheng whispered.
Wei Liangbi, now wearing a different expression, chuckled and said, "Of course it was intentional. In general, the operation achieved its objective. As for the casualties, they were indeed quite high, but as the saying goes, 'A merciful general cannot command an army.' Are soldiers afraid of sacrifice?"
"And what about your attitude just now?" Ning Zhiheng asked, puzzled.
"It's just an opportunity to give Liang Deyou a warning. This man has shallow roots, yet he always seems a layer away from us, which makes us uneasy," Wei Liangbi pointed out the problem.
Ning Zhiheng then understood why Liang Deyou had always been disliked by his superiors. What leader doesn't like using their own people? But if you consistently refuse to take sides, how can your leader use you? Frankly, it shows a lack of political wisdom. Shi Hong, however, understood this much better than Liang Deyou.
This requires the leader to give them a warning, make them understand the situation, and prompt them to take sides as soon as possible. This is also a way for factions to expand their influence.
Since the ultimate goal is to win him over, they won't actually punish Liang Deyou. Ning Zhiheng was relieved and then asked, "What about the loss of so many brothers this time?"
"If there are losses, we'll replenish them, Zhiheng. You're still young. Sometimes, personnel losses aren't a bad thing. What does a heavy loss of personnel mean? Doesn't it also mean that our operations department's work is extremely dangerous? It means that our work requires enormous sacrifices. From this perspective, how important it is for us to fight on the front lines of espionage! The squeaky wheel gets the grease, so let's see how much we squeaky!" Wei Liangbi decided to give his junior colleague a good lesson. He was still young and didn't understand the dangers of the world!
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