Chapter 25 Recommendation: How about letting Jiang Ling give it a try?
Immediately afterwards, Yuan Yi picked up the phone and began to methodically arrange the case handling process and police dispatch plan.
Let professionals handle this; Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang waited patiently.
The policewoman walked in with three children who had eaten, drunk their fill, and washed their hands and faces. She smiled slightly at Jiang Ling and said, "The children don't want to stay in the break room. They want to stay with you."
As soon as Xiao Wei saw Jiang Ling, she rushed forward and grabbed her sleeve. Although every policeman here was friendly to her, and although there was a bright canteen and delicious food, the unfamiliar environment still made her feel apprehensive. Only when she was by Jiang Ling's side did she feel at ease.
Jiang Ling knew why Xiao Wei was so afraid, because she had also been abducted and sold into slavery.
Jiang Ling was never a likable child. She was too quiet, unsociable, not lively, and not cute. Her caregiver, Zhao Hongxia, especially disliked her sharp eyes and often beat and abused her.
Zhao Hongxia didn't dare to be too obvious, so what she did most often was to secretly pinch her waist, legs, and arms, while secretly warning her: "A child like you who has no parents would have frozen or starved to death long ago if it weren't for me taking you in. If you dare to tell on me, I'll throw you into a deep mountain ravine to be fed to the wolves!"
Most children would probably be trembling with fear by now, but Jiang Ling was different.
She didn't believe Zhao Hongxia's words at all, firmly believing that she had been accidentally lost by her parents, and that as long as she found her parents, she could live a happy life.
Driven by this belief, Jiang Ling ran away from the orphanage when she was six years old. However, she was too naive to understand anything at that time, and she was spotted by human traffickers before she got very far. They tricked her into abducting her with a few words of deception.
Because she was a girl and frail and sickly, Jiang Ling was always disliked and went through many buyers until two years later, when she grabbed Officer Jiang Shouxin's hand at a market in Qingshi Town, Xinchang County, and was finally rescued.
Being repeatedly abandoned during her abduction left Jiang Ling with psychological trauma.
Even after she got a stable job and her own place, she was still filled with anxiety and never felt at ease or calm.
One reason why Jiang Ling studied hard and worked hard to get into the police academy was that, in her mind, Officer Jiang, who saved her, was the greatest person in the world and the person she wanted to become.
Another important reason is that she harbors a dream—to become a police officer and find her biological parents.
She wanted to know who her parents were.
She was tall and thin, and even severe malnutrition didn't stop her from growing taller. Could her parents also be tall and thin?
She has an oval face, almond-shaped eyes, a high nose bridge, and thin lips. Did she inherit these facial features from her father or her mother?
She wanted to ask her parents: Why did you lose me?
She also wanted to ask her parents: Have you looked for me all these years?
She wanted to know more: Do you still remember me?
Unfortunately, Jiang Ling did not realize this dream in her previous life.
She was abandoned at the gate of the orphanage before she was even a month old. Apart from a bright yellow swaddle blanket with red trumpet vine flowers printed on it, she had no other keepsakes. In addition, criminal investigation technology was not advanced at the time, and DNA databases and information databases for abducted children had not yet been established, so Jiang Ling did not find her biological parents.
Reborn, seeing Xiao Wei clinging to him like a lifeline, Jiang Ling felt a sharp, agonizing pain in her heart.
She knew what Xiaowei was afraid of.
Jiang Ling reached out and held Xiao Wei's small hand tightly in her palm.
The slight pressure of their skin touching soothed Xiaowei's unease. Xiaowei looked up and timidly called out, "Auntie."
Jiang Ling hummed in agreement. "Don't worry, I'm here."
Xiao Wei relaxed a little and turned her face to press her smooth forehead against Jiang Ling's hand.
Xiao Wei's cheeks were untreated, leaving her skin rough and uneven, but the skin on her forehead was smooth and cool to the touch. Jiang Ling knew that abducted children were perceptive, but she hadn't expected Xiao Wei to be so sensible. She couldn't help but sigh inwardly and turned her gaze to Shen Xiaomei and Shen Xiaoyong.
Xiao Mei and Xiao Yong's eyes were wet with tears, and Jiang Ling reached out a hand to pat their heads. Jiang Ling knew, of course, how much abducted children longed for family affection and how much they yearned for love.
Jiang Ling's touch was gentle and warm, giving the children courage.
Xiao Yong's voice trembled slightly: "I... I was abducted when I was playing near my house. My leg was cut off by Shen Sanzhuang. At that time, I was really scared. I was afraid I would never see my parents again. My parents ran a grocery store. There was a cement platform in front of the store where children would play ping-pong after school. The aunt next door was surnamed Liu. She called my dad Lao Hu and my mom Cuifang..."
Jiang Ling did not interrupt him, but patiently listened as he recounted his childhood memories. When he finally stopped, she nodded gently and said, "Okay, I've written it down."
Shen Xiaomei didn't speak; her gaze was blank, but her heart was in turmoil.
Xiao Yong and Xiao Wei have their families waiting, but what about her? She's an unwanted child; where can she go if she leaves Xie Jia Yan and the others?
At this time, Shen Xiaomei had not experienced the beating before her escape, had not witnessed the deaths of Xiaowei and Xiaoyong, and had not yet developed that kind of violent hatred towards heaven, earth, and society; her heart had not yet hardened like iron.
At that moment, she was just a child trying to survive.
Jiang Ling looked down at Shen Xiaomei's crippled hand and asked gently, "Xiaomei, do you still remember where your home is?" In prison, Shen Xiaomei refused to talk about her past, showing no attachment or affection for her parents and family. Perhaps she had an unhappy childhood.
Shen Xiaomei pressed her lips tightly together and didn't say a word.
Her parents sold her to human traffickers like trash, and when they got the money, they counted the money with their saliva-covered hands, without even glancing at her. That scene was deeply etched in her mind.
The pain was too much for Shen Xiaomei to tell anyone.
She could choose not to defend Shen Sanzhuang, and she could watch Xie Jiayan be taken away by the police, because she didn't want Xiaoyong and Xiaowei to lose the opportunity to reunite with their families.
However, seeing that Xiaowei had found her aunt and Xiaoyong had the police helping him find his parents, Shen Xiaomei felt a pang of sadness and distress.
Jiang Ling noticed Shen Xiaomei's embarrassment and struggle, squatted down to look her in the eye, and said: "Don't worry, if you can't find your family, you can go to the welfare home to live."
Shen Xiaomei's eyes finally lit up: "An orphanage?"
Jiang Ling said, "Yes, it's funded by the government. There are big houses and yards, caregivers to take care of the children, teachers to teach the children, and a director to manage the welfare home. They will send children your age to school until they become adults, find jobs, and live independently."
The light in Shen Xiaomei's eyes grew even brighter as she looked at Jiang Ling in disbelief. Her body trembled slightly from the intense longing in her eyes: "Really? They would want someone as disabled as me?"
Jiang Ling nodded emphatically: "It's true, I came from an orphanage."
Ying Songmao had just finished his experiment and rushed to the anti-trafficking team's office when he heard this sentence as soon as he entered.
Is Jiang Ling an orphan?
Ying Songmao stopped in his tracks, his gaze unconsciously revealing a hint of pity.
Jiang Ling lacked the love of parents and relatives, yet she was strong, composed, independent, and calm. One wonders how many hardships she endured to develop such a character.
Thinking of Jiang Ling, and then of his own younger sister, Ying Yuhua, Ying Songmao had a bold idea. Yuhua was born deaf and somewhat withdrawn. Her parents and he had gone to great lengths to help her integrate into the world of ordinary people. Perhaps if she spent more time with Jiang Ling, Yuhua might become more outgoing?
Yuan Yi had arranged everything. After hanging up the phone, he saw Ying Songmao and greeted him, "Songmao, you're here."
Ying Songmao nodded to him, walked up to Jiang Ling, and held out his hand: "Give me the materials."
Jiang Ling handed over all the information about the stolen bicycle bell to him.
Ying Songmao said dryly, "Thank you." After thinking for a moment, he added three more words, "You've worked hard."
Li Zhenliang leaned closer and asked, "Captain Ying, will my name really be on the paper?"
Ying Songmao glanced at him: "Three works."
Upon receiving a response, Li Zhenliang excitedly raised his eyebrows: "Third place is pretty good too, thank you, Captain Ying!" If Liu Haoran hadn't brought a journal to explain things to everyone, Li Zhenliang wouldn't even know what a journal article was. Now, thanks to Jiang Ling and Ying Songmao, he could have his name printed in a professional journal within the public security system—how glorious!
Li Zhenliang has already decided that after the paper is published, he must buy several copies and give one to each of his relatives and friends.
He wanted to tell everyone: I, Li Zhenliang, have made something of myself!
Seeing that he was getting a little cocky, Jiang Ling had to lower her voice and say, "Control point."
Upon hearing her words, Li Zhenliang realized that he was not in the police station, but in the office of the anti-trafficking brigade of the municipal bureau. He couldn't help but look up and scratch his head awkwardly, straightening his smile and trying to appear more composed.
Ying Songmao almost laughed.
Jiang Lingming is the youngest in the Jinwu Road Police Station, having graduated from police academy just six months ago. Unexpectedly, she has already developed a leadership demeanor, and the other members of the case team all follow her lead.
Zhou Jinliang from the anti-trafficking team pushed open the door, waved the notebook in his hand, and shouted, "Damn it! These two are complete tough nuts, they won't say anything."
Yuan Yi frowned: "They didn't tell us where they'd be staying that night?"
Zhou Jinliang shook his head: "That Xie Jiayan was crying and sniffling, constantly playing the victim. First she said the children were her own, then she said they were adopted. She also said she brought three children to the big city for medical treatment, begging for food during the day and sleeping on the streets at night. She said she had spent all her money and wanted us to help her."
Shen Xiaomei suddenly interrupted, "Officer, they're lying. They kidnapped and bought us. We had to hand over all the money we begged for. If we didn't beg enough each day, they would beat us with sticks. Xiaowei's face, Xiaoyong's legs, and my ears—they did all that to us!"
Shen Xiaomei, who was in charge, spoke the truth, and Xiaoyong and Xiaowei also chimed in.
"They're not Mom and Dad, they're bad guys."
“They don’t give us food, and we get beaten if we don’t obey.”
"I slept in a dilapidated tin car at night. It was drafty and very cold in winter."
Shen Xiaomei was very smart and had a good memory. Although she had never attended school, she had learned addition and subtraction within 100 on her own because she had to count money every time she begged: "There were not only the three of us, but also six children. They divided us into three groups, and each group was watched by a man and a woman. Five children had died before and were buried."
With the children's testimonies in hand, Yuan Yi and Zhou Jinliang exchanged a glance.
Human trafficking and child abuse resulting in death, with as many as 14 victims – this is a major case!
With the children's testimonies, the case was filed and the police were dispatched much faster.
With Shen Xiaomei pointing the way, Yuan Yi led the team and found a dilapidated bus in a remote abandoned factory area on the outskirts of the city. This was the nighttime hideout of the Hawk gang.
The city police took this operation very seriously, mobilizing officers from the first and second detachments. More than a dozen well-trained criminal police officers, armed with guns, stormed into the bus and wiped out the entire Kite gang.
While Shen Xiaomei followed the main police team to give directions, Jiang Ling and Li Zhenliang took the remaining two children and were sent back to the police station by a special car dispatched by the Municipal Bureau.
Seeing two people go and four return, Wei Changfeng's eyes widened: "What happened? Who are these two children...?"
Jiang Ling held Xiao Wei's hand, with Xiao Yong following closely behind her. The city police station originally wanted to arrange for someone to take the two children to rest, but they both insisted on staying with their "aunt." Helpless, they had no choice but to send them back to the police station together.
Li Zhenliang told Wei Changfeng what had happened that afternoon, and Wei Changfeng couldn't help but admire Jiang Ling: "You just went to the Municipal Bureau to deliver some documents, and as a result, you helped the Anti-Trafficking Team crack a major cross-provincial child trafficking case? You're incredibly lucky."
Li Zhenliang said smugly, "This isn't luck. It's Jiang Ling's keen eye that spotted the human traffickers. She saw the little girl begging at the bus station and recognized her as Xiao Wei, who was being controlled by human traffickers."
Wei Changfeng raised his hand: "Good, good, Jiang Ling has a good eye for talent." He turned to look at Jiang Ling, "You've all been busy all day, take a break."
"Okay." Jiang Ling picked up Xiao Wei and said to Xiao Yong, who was walking on a small wooden cart, "Auntie will take Xiao Wei to take a bath. Xiao Yong, you go with Officer Wei."
Although the Jinwu Road Police Station is small, it is fully equipped with a canteen, a bathhouse, and a hot water room. Today it was Wei Changfeng's turn to be on duty, so he took Xiao Yong to the bathhouse in the backyard.
After taking a bath, Wei Changfeng helped Xiaoyong change into his own cotton undershirt, and then put on a thick cotton-padded coat that Li Zhenliang had gotten from a friend. Seeing the emaciated child's tragic state after losing both legs, his eyes reddened, and he almost burst into tears, cursing the human traffickers incessantly.
"The broken part of his leg is ulcerated, and he has new and old wounds all over his body. No one has treated the wounds, and they are all festering. I have to take him to the clinic for treatment."
"Those heartless human traffickers, they really have the guts to do this!"
"These human traffickers should all be sentenced to death if they are caught!"
Night had fallen, and the lights were on in the backyard of the Jinwu Road Police Station.
Wei Changfeng and Jiang Ling threw away the dirty clothes the children had changed into, wrapped them in warm cotton-padded coats, and applied medicine to their festering wounds.
They had never been this clean and comfortable since they fell into Xie Jiayan's hands. The two children finally showed their original beautiful appearance, with timid smiles on their faces.
Wei Changfeng borrowed a wheelchair from the hospital, put Xiaoyong in it, and taught him how to control the direction and how to push the wheelchair. Xiaoyong quickly mastered the technique and sat in the wheelchair, circling around the backyard.
The old wooden cart could also move, but the person was almost sitting on the ground, with a very low line of sight, only able to look up at others. The wheelchair was higher, and the view from it was so beautiful. The police officers at the police station even bent down to be at Xiaoyong's eye level. This heartfelt respect and care made Xiaoyong want to cry.
He held back his tears and smiled as he called out to Xiaowei, "Xiaowei, look! Brother has a car now."
Xiao Wei held Jiang Ling's hand tightly the whole time, and smiled sweetly as she raised her little face: "Brother runs so fast! That's great."
When Liu Haoran and Zhou Wei returned from their patrol, they joined in the fun, pushing Xiao Yong around as they ran.
The surrounding scenery receded into the distance, and in front of us, a large locust tree stretched out its branches, and a sprig of wintersweet in the flower bed was in full bloom, exuding a rich fragrance. Everyone was smiling.
Xiao Yong felt incredibly happy at that moment and grinned from ear to ear.
Ha ha ha ha……
The innocent laughter of children lingered in the air above the backyard of the police station, like the clear birdsong coming from the woods in spring, pure, melodious, and touching.
Such simple happiness.
How easily satisfied they are.
Such a lovely child, yet Xie Jiayan and her gang cut off both of his feet!
Xiao Wei noticed Jiang Ling's low spirits, tugged at her hand, and gestured for her to bend down.
Jiang Ling bent down as instructed and asked softly, "What's wrong, Xiao Wei?"
Xiao Wei placed her little hand on Jiang Ling's cheek, blinked her big eyes, and said, "Auntie, don't be sad. My brother and I are very happy now."
A warm, soft little hand pressed against her cheek, and Jiang Ling's heart melted completely. She, who was originally afraid of skin-to-skin contact, did not feel anything was wrong with this touch at the moment. On the contrary, she longed for a deeper level of intimacy.
Jiang Ling's hands trembled as she gently stroked the scar on Xiao Wei's cheek: "Does it still hurt?"
Xiao Wei smiled and shook her head repeatedly: "It doesn't hurt, it doesn't hurt at all."
Actually, she still experiences occasional sharp pains. However, Xiaowei has a sensitive and kind heart, and knowing that Jiang Ling is distressed for her, she is unwilling to mention her pain at all.
Jiang Ling opened her arms and hugged Xiao Wei tightly: "It's good that it doesn't hurt, it's good that it doesn't hurt."
Human traffickers deserve to die!
Two small flames flickered in Jiang Ling's eyes.
Although Yuan Yi and his team managed to catch the human trafficking gang in Yancheng tonight, the Hawk gang's hideout is still there. They must be uprooted and severely punished as a warning to others!
--
The building housing the Criminal Investigation Detachment of the Yan City Public Security Bureau was lit up all night.
All six human traffickers were apprehended, but the overnight interrogation revealed their stubbornness. They claimed that their families were so poor they couldn't afford food, so they went to the countryside to buy disabled children to beg for money, resolutely denying the crime of killing five children.
Of the nine abducted children, only Xiaoyong and Xiaowei were taken away by Jiang Ling. The other seven were all badly injured and emaciated. Some needed hospitalization, while others needed nutritional and psychological intervention. Each of them required the criminal police to put in a lot of effort.
After a night, upon seeing the suspect's confession, Yuan Yi was so angry that he started cursing in his office.
"A bunch of sons of bitches! How can you be so stubborn!"
“Keep interrogating them! Until they tell the truth.”
"I refuse to believe that these beasts can outlast us!"
Shen Xiaomei said they had killed five children, but the traffickers insisted that she was mistaken and that the children were just too sick to be sent back to their hometown for treatment.
As for where their hometown is or where their children are, they all remain silent.
I want to see him alive or dead.
If the body cannot be found, it's difficult to convict someone of intentional homicide. At most, the charges would be trafficking or abuse.
No wonder Yuan Yi was furious.
While having his subordinates continue the interrogation, using fatigue tactics to pry the human traffickers' words out, Yuan Yi went to the technical team to seek help from Ying Songmao.
Yuan Yi and Ying Songmao were childhood friends. Yuan Yi was three years older than Ying Songmao. Their parents both worked at the Yanshi Chemical Plant and they grew up in the same residential compound. Later, one of them was admitted to the Public Security University and the other to the Police Academy. After graduation, they were both assigned back to the Yanshi Public Security Bureau. The two had a very good personal relationship.
Yuan Yi pulled Ying Songmao out of the lab: "Songmao, come here, give me some ideas, what's a way to nail these human traffickers to the ground?"
Ying Songmao spent the whole night looking at the information Jiang Ling had sent him. Jiang Ling had managed to make a big deal out of a simple bicycle bell case.
It involves both criminal psychological profiling and geographical profiling, and even PTSD counseling. I have to say, Jiang Ling is quite capable.
In particular, when she mentioned the word "intuition," her eyes were full of confidence, which left a deep impression on Ying Songmao.
Generally speaking, so-called intuition is a quick judgment and decision-making ability formed after years of experience. Only seasoned criminal police officers possess this ability.
However, Jiang Ling has only been out of school for half a year. Perhaps... this is talent.
As soon as Ying Songmao entered the lab at work today, Yuan Yi stopped him. With his mind full of "criminal psychological profiling," he subconsciously replied, "Why don't we let Jiang Ling give it a try? Her criminal psychological assessment is very impressive."
Yuan Yi stared at Ying Songmao for a long time, making Ying Songmao feel a little uneasy.
After a long pause, Yuan Yi patted Ying Songmao on the shoulder: "Brother, aren't you giving that girl a little too much credit? She just graduated and is still a rookie. It's good enough if she doesn't mess things up during missions. Let her participate in the investigation? Are you kidding me?"
Ying Songmao took a step back to avoid Yuan Yi's clutches: "Her criminal investigation skills are indeed outstanding."
Yuan Yi chuckled and nudged Ying Songmao with his elbow: "Hey, do you have a crush on her?"
Ying Songmao glared at him: "Don't talk nonsense! I just appreciate talent."
Yuan Yi knew Ying Songmao disliked putting his arm around others, but he wouldn't let him have his way. He raised his arm and grabbed Ying Songmao's neck, saying with a grin, "Don't be stubborn. I know you too well, hehe..."
Even when Ying Songmao was just a little kid, he was the cleanest kid in the entire apartment building. Even when playing ball with Yuan Yi and the others, he remained spotless. Yuan Yi had heard countless praises and criticisms of Ying Songmao from parents for this alone.
"Look at you, you're covered in mud after just one trip. Why can't you be like Songmao?"
"Songmao is such a clean kid, he's so easy to take care of."
"Learn from Songmao, and don't sit or run around aimlessly."
After hearing it so many times, Yuan Yi developed a rebellious streak. With the mindset of "if I can't beat him, I'll drag him down with me," he would try every means to "dirty" Ying Songmao whenever he saw him. Seeing Ying Songmao's efforts to avoid him futile, and his helpless expression as he could only awkwardly put his arm around him, Yuan Yi felt quite pleased.
Ying Songmao's face flushed red as Yuan Yi grabbed him by the neck: "Hey, let go!"
Yuan Yi laughed almost lewdly: "Haha, I won't! Let me tell you, I stayed up all night yesterday, didn't shower, and didn't change my clothes..."
Upon smelling Yuan Yi's scent, Ying Songmao held his breath and struggled desperately.
Yuan Yi teased him for a while, then finally took pity on him and let him go. Seeing Ying Songmao grit his teeth and back against the wall, the fatigue from staying up all night vanished, and Yuan Yi laughed heartily: "Being too clean is a disease, don't you know that?"
Ying Songmao ignored him, straightening his collar with a cold expression, clearly unhappy.
They didn't leave immediately? Something's up!
Yuan Yi's curiosity grew even stronger: "Tell me! Why did you recommend Jiang Ling?"
Ying Songmao shrugged and answered seriously, "Jiang Ling's criminal psychology is very professional, and she has more ingenuity than the experts in our technical team. In particular, her innovative criminal psychological profiling technology can infer the criminal motives, psychological characteristics, and family background of the perpetrator based on the results of physical evidence, and can even pinpoint the perpetrator's place of residence. She calls this a geographical profile."
"Geographical mapping?" Yuan Yi's eyes lit up. "That's amazing!"
Hearing Ying Songmao's high praise for the newcomer for the first time, Yuan Yi put away his previous joking and said seriously, "We interrogated those six human traffickers all night, but we still couldn't find out where their bodies were buried. Can Jiang Ling use that geographical profiling method to find it?"
Ying Songmao thought for a moment and said, "I don't know, but we can ask her."
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Don't worry, I'll try to add an extra chapter at 9 PM tonight!
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