Chapter 28 Operation Slaying the Falcon: Golden Shields Forged with Blood and Sweat
Jiang Shouxin searched his memory for information about the Skyhawk.
“I know Shen Tianyao. He used to be an employee of the supply and marketing cooperative. He often traveled all over the country to do business. He spoke to people in a way that suited them and made many friends. In 1985, he was dismissed from his job for embezzlement. He went to the south for two years. After returning, he opened a passenger transport company with more than 20 minibuses, which ran routes within the province.”
After hearing Jiang Shouxin's words, Yuan Yi became beaming with joy.
My goodness, Jiang Ling's psychological profile is incredibly accurate!
There really is a person named Shen Tianyao!
The gang used the name "Kite" because they wanted to make a name for themselves.
Shen Tianyao opened a passenger transport company.
Jiang Ling mentioned the word "convoy" at the beginning, which facilitated the transportation of abducted children.
Specializing in routes within the province.
Therefore, members of the Hawk gang only beg within the province, with the "company" providing abandoned minibuses as their base, and a designated person collecting commissions each month and handing them over.
Shen Tianyao was originally a salesman at a supply and marketing cooperative and had many friends.
This aligns with the psychological profile that describes someone as "eloquent and highly intelligent."
The information provided by Jiang Shouxin is highly consistent with the results of Jiang Ling's "face painting"!
The only point of contention is the criminal history.
Ying Songmao initially said, "The suspect should have no criminal record so that he can deal with government departments openly and honestly." But he never expected that in Qingshi Town, money and power can get you anywhere. As for past dark history... it has probably been wiped clean and no one cares.
Yuan Yi leaned forward, his voice tinged with suppressed excitement: "Shen Tianyao, how old is he?"
Jiang Shouxin thought for a moment: "He was taken to the police station for investigation in 1985 for embezzlement. I remember he was about 35 years old at the time, so he should be 42 or 43 years old now."
Yuan Yi couldn't hold back any longer and slammed his hand on the dining table, his face glowing with excitement: "42 or 43 years old, I guessed right!"
Zhou Jinliang said it was between 30 and 50, but Yuan Yi narrowed it down to 40-50, and to his surprise, he guessed right! How to describe the feeling? It's very fulfilling.
—I consider myself a good student of the criminal profiling theory lecture series.
Snap!
Yuan Yi slammed his hand on the dining table, a sound that startled the people eating nearby, who all turned to look at him with curiosity.
Yuan Yi's smile froze on his face, and he hurriedly cupped his hands in apology, "Um, sorry. My hand slipped, my hand slipped."
Seeing that nothing had happened, everyone turned away without saying anything.
Yuan Yi stared intently at Jiang Shouxin: "Does he own a house in the suburbs?"
Jiang Shouxin had no idea what Yuan Yi was so excited about, especially the phrase "I guessed right," which left him feeling baffled. Since when could solving a case be done by guessing?
However, Jiang Shouxin was a veteran policeman and was very familiar with confidentiality regulations. He knew that Yuan Yi and his team had come to investigate a case, so he would answer whatever they asked and wouldn't ask any further questions.
Jiang Shouxin thought for a moment: "I have to go back and check. Shen Tianyao's hometown is Dahuai Village. Although he built a house in town after he became rich and brought his parents over, the old house should still be there."
Everything matches up!
That's wonderful.
Yuan Yi clenched his fist, turned his gaze to Jiang Ling, and his eyes showed his admiration.
Jiang Ling remained calm.
She already knew the answer, but using criminal profiling theory to deduce the process was nothing special.
If one day we can promote this theory and all police officers can skillfully use it to solve cases, that would be a real skill.
Yuan Yi thought for a moment, then reached out and shook hands with Jiang Shouxin: "Thank you for the information you provided. It's very helpful to us. Please keep it a secret."
Jiang Shouxin nodded repeatedly: "Okay."
Looks like the police are going to arrest Sun Falcon? That's great!
Jiang Shouxin gripped Yuan Yi's hand tightly and said in a low voice, "This man is a tyrant in Qingshi Town. He not only rips off passengers but also squeezes out his competitors. I don't think his men are very honest. However, he and our director are like brothers and often eat together, so no one dares to interfere."
Yuan Yi reached out and patted Jiang Shouxin's arm: "Okay, Lao Jiang, you secretly help us investigate Shen Tianyao's businesses, and call us if you have any news."
After saying that, he took out a notebook from his pocket, quickly wrote down a phone number, tore off the page with a "rip" and stuffed it into Jiang Shouxin's palm.
Jiang Shouxin glanced at the phone number, silently repeated it a few times in his mind, then lit it with a lighter and put the embers in the ashtray.
Seeing his caution, Yuan Yi felt relieved: "Then let's go back, we still have a lot to do."
There is indeed a lot to do.
Yuan Yi had even come up with a name for the future action plan: "Operation Slay the Hawk." The goal was to conduct an in-depth investigation into Shen Tianyao's passenger transport company's criminal network, collect evidence of child trafficking, and ultimately carry out a precise arrest without alerting the perpetrators.
Although there is no substantial evidence yet, Jiang Ling's psychological profile is truly amazing. In just one morning, he found the main culprit by following the clues and quickly pointed out the direction of the investigation, which also gave Yuan Yi endless motivation.
—With a suspect, everything becomes much simpler.
If this still cannot solve the case, Yuan Yi will bring his head to me.
Ahem... It's impossible to offer a head as a reward. Anyway, Yuan Yi was full of confidence.
Knowing that speed was of the essence, Jiang Ling stood up and said, "Uncle Jiang, we'll head back now. I'll come see you again after this case is over."
Jiang Shouxin looked at Jiang Ling, who stood tall and straight like a bamboo shoot, and his eyes flashed with relief: "Good, good, good. Do your job well at work and don't worry about me."
Jiang Shouxin watched Jiang Ling grow up, and he knew very well how much she longed to be a police officer. Jiang Ling seemed cold and aloof, and didn't like interacting with people, but she was warm-hearted, intelligent, and brave. Given the opportunity, he was sure she could become an excellent police officer.
The group returned to the municipal bureau.
Yuan Yi didn't sleep a wink last night and has been traveling all day. He was so tired he was about to collapse, but after washing his face in the office, he was full of energy and called a meeting with all the team members.
Jiang Ling listened attentively throughout the entire process without uttering a single word.
In the fight against human trafficking, Yuan Yi's team was very experienced, so she could not play a significant role.
Yuan Yi, full of energy, began to give instructions.
"Operation Slay the Hawk, Phase One: Covert Investigation. Each team should pay attention to identity disguise and infiltration."
"You, disguised as a long-haul freight contractor, contacted Shen Tianyao under the guise of discussing cooperation, and investigated the company's vehicle dispatch records."
"You, posing as a customer, strike up conversations with the bus driver to extract information and analyze the psychological weaknesses of the gang members."
"The first team is responsible for collecting key evidence, including vehicle trajectory analysis, financial transaction verification, and screening of the social relationships of all employees at the bus station. Remember to screen drivers with criminal records or debts, and try to recruit them as informants. You can promise them reduced sentences while protecting the safety of their families."
"Yes!" the first group member responded loudly.
"The second group will implement monitoring and control measures."
"You are in charge of monitoring the passenger station."
"You, you, are in charge of communications monitoring. Request permission to monitor Shen Tianyao's pager and landline."
"Yes!" the second group member responded loudly.
"The third group, under the guise of the government's demolition office, will conduct a focused investigation into Shen Tianyao's hometown. Led by Officer Jiang Shouxin, they will visit the villagers of Dahuai Village, especially the area around Shen's old house. Remember to coordinate with the municipal government's demolition office and prepare a reconstruction plan, etc., so that the villagers won't suspect anything."
"Yes!" the third group member responded enthusiastically.
Yuan Yi looked at the remaining personnel and said, "The rest of you, don't just sit idly by. Conduct a surprise interrogation of Xie Jiayan, Shen Sanzhuang, and the others. I don't believe they can stay calm once we reveal Shen Tianyao's name!"
"After the first phase is completed and the facts of Shen Tianyao's crimes are confirmed, the next step is to build a chain of evidence and make simultaneous arrests at multiple locations."
Yuan Yi raised his voice, his booming tone echoing in the closed office: "Everyone to your positions, work through the night, and strive to complete the operation within two weeks. Are you confident?"
Everyone stood up: "Yes!"
Caught up in the atmosphere, Li Zhenliang's hands trembled slightly as he stood up and shouted along with everyone else, "Yes!"
Yuan Yi shouted, "This operation must be swift, covert, and decisive. Shen Tianyao is very powerful in Qingshi Town and is on friendly terms with the police station chief. He has many informants. If we encounter danger, we will use the crackdown on illegal taxi operations as a cover to conceal our true purpose of combating human trafficking and avoid alerting other gangs. Do you understand?"
Everyone responded again: "We heard you!"
Jiang Ling stood straight and saluted solemnly.
The thrilling scene before her stirred up her calm heart.
Her theories are certainly useful, but to truly put them into practice, we still need these frontline criminal police officers who are not afraid of death and dare to confront criminals head-on.
The golden shield is more than just a symbol.
It was forged from countless drops of blood and lives.
It represents the strong fighting capacity of the people's police and their love for the people!
Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang were not assigned any tasks. After the "Operation Slay the Hawk" mobilization meeting, they left the Municipal Public Security Bureau and returned to the Jinwu Road Police Station.
As dusk fell, the streetlights were not yet on.
Only a faint ray of light remained on the horizon, appearing and disappearing behind the gold-edged clouds.
Jiang Ling walked wearily into the backyard of the police station, only to be greeted by Xiao Wei and Xiao Yong's joyful shouts: "Auntie's back! Auntie's back!"
The child's innocent voice instantly washed away all my fatigue.
Jiang Ling reached out and picked up Xiao Wei, who was running towards her, and looked at the man behind her with tears in his eyes: "Who are you?"
The man suddenly knelt down with a thud: "Thank you, thank you! Officer Jiang, I'm not very good with words, so let me kowtow to you."
Before Jiang Ling could react, he had already started kowtowing.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
His forehead slammed heavily against the ground, making a dull thud.
Jiang Ling quickly put Xiao Wei down and reached out to stop her.
Li Zhenliang quickly stepped forward, grabbed his arm, and pulled him firmly.
But the man was very determined and strong. Even though Li Zhenliang held him back, he still knelt down the three times earnestly.
Jiang Ling bent down and said, "You scared Xiao Wei, get up quickly."
The man stiffened and looked up at Xiaowei. Xiaowei held Jiang Ling's hand tightly, her eyes filled with panic.
He then realized that he had been too agitated and had frightened the child who had been begging for a living and was subjected to beatings and threats. He quickly stood up from the ground.
Jiang Ling asked, "Are you Xiao Wei's father?"
Xu Weida nodded repeatedly, looking excitedly at Xiao Wei leaning against Jiang Ling: "Yes, yes, I am Xu Weida. You saved my daughter, her name is Xu Qingyao. I see clearly now, Xiao Wei is my Yao Yao."
Judging by his age, Xu Weida should only be in his thirties, but his temples are already graying, and his face is haggard, making him look like a man in his forties. It seems that Xu Qingyao's abduction was a huge blow to him.
Xu Weida's gaze never left the child, his eyes filled with joy and longing.
He was from Xin'an County and worked as a driver at the county's bus station. His parents died early, and Xu Weida had always longed for a home of his own. Finally, at the age of 27, he was introduced to Lin Suqin, a nurse at the county health center. The two hit it off and quickly started a family. When he was 28, they had a daughter, named Xu Qingyao.
Even now, Xu Weida still remembers the first time he held a child. Looking at the baby in his arms, his heart melted completely, and he wished he could offer her the most beautiful things in the world.
Both husband and wife work for companies, and under the family planning policy, they could only have one child, so they raised their daughter as if she were a precious treasure.
When Xu Qingyao was three years old, Lin Suqin took her shopping, but in the blink of an eye, the child disappeared.
The couple searched frantically everywhere. Xu Weida printed thousands of missing person notices and posted them wherever the bus went. He traveled to every county and city in Hunan Province, but to no avail.
Lin Suqin felt responsible for losing her child, and her self-blame and remorse caused her mental health problems. Whenever she saw someone else's daughter, she would rush over to hug her and call out "Yaoyao." Xu Weida couldn't bear to send his wife to a mental hospital, so he quit his job to take care of her at home during the day and drive a taxi for the night shift.
Whenever he had time, Xu Weida would take his wife out to search for the missing person.
Having persevered this far, Xu Weida truly feels like he's going crazy.
When Xu Weida received a call from the Yanshi Public Security Bureau saying they had news, his heart felt like it was hanging in mid-air, swaying precariously.
They were both overjoyed to hear news about their child and afraid that their joy would be in vain.
He arrived in Yanshi by car early in the morning and was taken to Jinwu Road Police Station. The first thing he saw was Xiao Wei hiding behind Wei Changfeng. Although her face was burned and her original appearance was not visible, the blood ties between father and daughter made Xu Weida certain that this was his child!
She was the precious child he had loved dearly for three years, the one who had been lost for so long.
After listening to the police officers from the local police station recount the rescue process, Xu Weida felt a wave of fear.
If Jiang Ling hadn't recognized Yao Yao, she would have continued to live under the control of human traffickers. Those heartless beasts deliberately maim children to make big money; how much suffering would Yao Yao have endured! If she had fallen ill or had any accidents, the traffickers would never have provided proper treatment, and she might have lost her life.
Xu Weida trembled all over at the thought that Yao Yao might be tortured to death.
During the three years he searched for his child, he endured countless cycles of hope, disappointment, and despair. He prayed to God countless times, begging Him to have pity on him and Suqin and send Yaoyao back to them. Even if it meant shortening his lifespan by twenty years, he would be willing to do so.
Now, God has finally opened his eyes.
Jiang Ling saw his missing person poster, recognized Yao Yao, and swiftly protected the child, taking the trafficker to the police station.
In Xu Weida's mind, Jiang Ling was his savior and the lucky star of his whole family.
Xu Weida was filled with gratitude, but it all stuck in his throat. He could only keep saying, "Thank you, thank you!"
Jiang Ling looked at Xu Weida, who was excited and unshaven. His heart and eyes were full of his daughter. He wanted to get closer, but he was afraid of startling her, so every movement was filled with a cautious attempt to please her.
Thinking of the despair, emptiness, and bewilderment in his eyes when he saw his daughter's corpse in his previous life, Jiang Ling smiled and said, "If you keep thanking me, the food in the cafeteria will get cold."
Li Zhenliang laughed as well: "After a busy day, you know what, I'm actually quite hungry."
Wei Changfeng laughed heartily: "Nothing is more important than eating. Come on, let's stop talking here and eat quickly."
As soon as Wei Changfeng finished speaking, Li Zhenliang immediately responded and pushed Xiaoyong's wheelchair to go first.
Xiao Yong stirred, and Xiao Wei—oh no, she should be called Xu Qingyao now—also tugged at Jiang Ling's hand: "Auntie, are you hungry? Let's go eat together."
Xu Weida followed his daughter closely.
His daughter was clearly still wary of him and preferred to be close to Jiang Ling, so he dutifully kept his distance from her. As long as Yao Yao was safe and sound, he was content even if he was just watching from the sidelines.
The next day, Yao Yao finally began to approach Xu Weida.
On the third day, Xu Weida was about to take Yao Yao home. Xiao Yong sat in his wheelchair, looking at them pitifully.
Xu Weida couldn't bear to see the longing in the child's eyes. After hesitating for a moment, he said to Jiang Ling, "How about I take Xiaoyong home with me? I'll bring him back after you find Xiaoyong's parents."
Jiang Ling knew that trafficked children lacked a sense of security, and that if two children could keep each other company, it could effectively eliminate their fear of unfamiliar environments.
She knelt down beside Xiaoyong's wheelchair: "Xiaoyong, would you like to go with Uncle Xu and Yaoyao?"
Xiao Yong shook his head firmly: "No, I want to find my parents."
Although he was reluctant to part with Yao Yao, he longed even more to find his biological parents and return to the home where they ran a grocery store. His parents and younger sister were there; it was the place he dreamed of.
Seeing Xu Weida's affection for Yao Yao, Xiao Yong became even more determined to find his biological parents. He stayed at the police station, hoping to get any news as soon as possible so that his family could be reunited sooner.
Jiang Ling nodded: "Okay, then you stay here and we'll help you look for it."
Li Zhenliang also encouraged Xiaoyong from the side: "The Municipal Bureau has already notified the public security bureaus of various cities and counties about your situation and asked them to assist in the search. We should have feedback soon."
A bright light shone in Xiao Yong's eyes.
Jiang Ling's rescue of him from Xie Jiayan and Shen Sanzhuang restored his trust in the police. With so many police officers helping him find his parents, he was sure he would find them.
After reluctantly bidding farewell to Yao Yao, the Jinwu Road Police Station welcomed a special person—Liang Jiushan.
Ever since Jiang Ling helped the siblings get rid of Qian Darong's harassment and bullying, Liang Jiushan has fallen in love with the Jinwu Road Police Station. He would come over every few days to wander around and follow Jiang Ling, affectionately calling her "Sister Ling".
He wasn't annoying; seeing Jiang Ling busy, he would sit in the police station and do his homework; when Jiang Ling had free time, he would follow her around like a shadow, asking her all sorts of questions.
"Sister Ling, which school did you attend? What was your major?"
"Sister Ling, you were assigned directly to the police station after graduation? Why didn't you stay with the Public Security Bureau?"
"Sister Ling, Uncle Li said you grew up in an orphanage. Which orphanage was it? Did anyone bully you when you were little? When will you take me to see where you grew up?"
Jiang Ling is usually very quiet, occasionally responding with an "um".
However, Liang Jiushan didn't mind Jiang Ling's coldness at all. Since Jiang Ling didn't answer his questions, he would ask and answer them himself.
"Sister Ling, you graduated from the Criminal Psychology major at the Hunan Provincial Police Academy, right? I heard that police academies admit students in the early admission batch and have physical requirements. Don't worry, I will definitely eat well, exercise well, and study hard so that I can take the police academy entrance exam and become a police officer like you to protect the people."
"Sister Ling, do you not like interacting with people? You just want to do what you like quietly by yourself? If the police station doesn't want you, we don't care! The police station is great, the food is good, the accommodation is good, and the colleagues are all friendly, right?"
"If it weren't for your help, my sister and I would have been bullied to death by that bastard Qian Darong. Sister Ling, it's okay that you don't have parents, you have me. From now on, I'm your brother, and I'll do whatever you ask me to do."
It chattered like a little sparrow, making Jiang Ling's head ache.
But looking at his youthful and vibrant appearance, and his clear and beautiful eyes, Jiang Ling felt a little soft-hearted. He was only fifteen years old this year. If he had his parents' protection, he would be at the age of rebellion and arrogance. Right now, he was just a little talkative, which was nothing serious.
Thus, with Jiang Ling's repeated tolerance, Liang Jiushan became an unofficial staff member of the Jinwu Road Police Station.
Even Yao joked, "Jiu Shan is here again. Is he here for an early internship at our institute?"
It was the weekend, and when Jiang Ling saw Liang Jiushan coming over with his schoolbag, she frowned: "Isn't it almost final exam time?"
Liang Jiushan smiled, pursing his lips: "Reviewing here is more efficient."
Both the Liang siblings were born with good looks. When Liang Jiushan smiled, it was as bright and dazzling as the rising sun.
Jiang Ling could only compromise: "Focus on your studies and don't disturb the case."
Liang Jiushan turned his gaze to Xiao Yong, who was sitting in a wheelchair: "Is this the child you rescued? Have you found his parents yet?"
Jiang Ling glanced at Liang Jiushan.
Liang Jiushan raised his hands, his smile widening: "Alright, alright, I won't disturb your investigation. I'll go read."
An hour later, Liang Jiushan came again.
He pushed Xiao Yong around in circles in front of the police station, chatting with him with a smile.
What do you remember?
"Your mother's name is Cuifang, your father's surname is Hu, your younger sister's name is Lili, the aunt next door's surname is Liu, and your family runs a grocery store with a cement table in front where you can play ping-pong. Besides these, what else do you remember?"
"Do you remember how to say it in the local dialect? I'll say a few, see which one sounds familiar?"
Liang Jiushan began to try speaking everyday language in various local dialects of Hunan Province.
"The little boy is off to eat."
"Hello, stop making noise!"
"Cicada Head, lead the way?"
Why are you staring at me?
...
Jiang Ling stood to the side and did not stop Liang Jiushan.
The dialects of Hunan Province vary greatly, including Xiang dialect, which retains the entering tone of ancient Chinese and has a complex tonal system; Gan dialect, which ends with "ge" or "li"; Southwestern Mandarin, which has a strong retroflex ending; Hakka dialect, which retains Middle Chinese vocabulary; Waxiang dialect, which mixes Yao and Yue dialect elements; and the local dialects of southern Hunan.
Unexpectedly, Liang Jiushan had a great talent for languages and was able to speak most of the Hunan dialect.
Xiao Yong knew that Liang Jiushan was helping him, so he listened attentively and tried hard to recall.
Liang Jiushan was very clever. He even incorporated the characteristics of Xiaoyong's parents running a grocery store into his imitation of the dialogue between customers and the owner.
"Boss, do you sell cigarettes here?"
"Only Baisha cigarettes are available, do you want some?"
Do you have any better cigarettes?
"Good cigarettes are expensive, are you willing to spend the money?"
Upon hearing these four sentences, Xiao Yong's eyes suddenly lit up, and he excitedly patted the armrests of his wheelchair: "This is it! This is it!"
Liang Jiushan turned to look at Jiang Ling, a hint of smugness in his eyes: "This is Liuyang dialect. The pronunciation of 'yan' in Liuyang dialect is flatter than in the provincial capital dialect, which has a slight upward inflection. 'Sha' is shorter and not as long."
The opening of the "Liuyang County Annals" states: "The three mountains of Dawei, Lianyun, and Jiuling stretch and undulate, forming a natural barrier." Liuyang was only upgraded from a county to a city this year. When Xiaoyong was abducted, the tunnel through the mountains had not yet been built, and it would have taken 2-3 days to travel to the provincial capital.
Due to inconvenient transportation, the child abduction case that occurred in Liuyang in 1988 was very likely not reported to the provincial capital in a timely manner. Even if the provincial capital police received the assistance order issued by the Yanshi Public Security Bureau, they may not have been able to find anything.
Seeing Liang Jiushan's eager expression for praise, Jiang Ling's lips curled up slightly: "Not bad."
Encouraged by the affirmation, Liang Jiushan continued to ask Xiaoyong, "Do you usually eat steamed dishes where you're from? Steamed ribs in bamboo tubes, steamed pork with dried green beans, steamed fish and pork together, steamed sausages, steamed edamame, steamed radish slices, steamed taro... and the dishes are sprinkled with lots of bright red dried chilies and black fermented soybeans?"
Although Liuyang is inconvenient to access, its steamed dishes have a history of nearly 600 years and are quite famous in Hunan Province. Liuyang steamed dishes can be found in restaurants of all sizes in the provincial capital.
Xiao Yong's memory was awakened, and he nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, brother is right. When we were little, my mother often made dried green beans and pickled vegetables. My sister and I were afraid of spicy food, so she put ginger shreds and fermented black beans in the steamed dishes. My parents always put a lot of dried red chilies in the bowl they ate, and sometimes they would sprinkle chili powder on it."
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