Chapter 22 Shen Xiaowei: There are still four years until the Hawk Gang is arrested.
When Lei Junyue left with Qian Jianshe, Jiang Ling wanted him to bring the information about the stolen bicycle bell to Ying Songmao, but he refused.
Lei Junyue laughed heartily: "That's what you promised to give him, so you should give it to him yourself."
There was no other way, so Jiang Ling had to make the trip herself.
She turned to the other three members of the case team: "Team Leader Ying said that the bicycle bell theft case we solved is very valuable and can be written into a paper for publication, and all four of us will be listed as authors."
A cheer erupted in the office.
"Publish a paper? That's great!"
"My name will appear below the title of the paper? How honorable!"
"Ying is a graduate student at China People's Public Security University. His submitted paper will definitely be accepted, and we'll benefit from that!"
Even Wei Changfeng, who rushed over upon hearing the news, became excited: "Publishing a paper? Haha! Our Jinwu Police Station is going to become famous."
Jiang Ling raised her hand: "Don't rush, the paper is nowhere to be seen yet. Team Leader Ying just asked me to send the materials over."
Wei Changfeng patted Li Zhenliang on the shoulder: "You and Xiao Jiang go together!"
Li Zhenliang was almost knocked unconscious by his palm strike: "Old Wei, you have a broken palm, take it easy."
Wei Changfeng laughed heartily and made a gesture to pat the table again: "Aren't you going yet?"
Li Zhenliang dodged while shouting, "Go, go, go right away."
The police station doesn't have a car, so the two of them have to take the bus.
Jinwu Road Police Station is a bit out of the way; to get to the Municipal Bureau, you need to transfer to a bus at the train station.
The buildings around the train station are low-rise; I remember the Yinxin Building with its blue glass curtain wall hadn't even started construction yet. The passersby are dressed in a style reminiscent of a bygone era: there are fashionable women in long woolen coats and bright red berets, as well as migrant workers carrying gray-white snakeskin bags and blue-and-red woven bags, wearing thick cotton-padded coats.
The square in front of the station was bustling with people, and the familiar local accents filled the air.
"Provincial capital, provincial capital, let's go right now!"
"Yuezhou, Yuezhou, is there anyone from Yuezhou who can go up there?"
This is the sound of ticket sellers soliciting passengers on long-distance minibuses traveling from the train station to various parts of Hunan Province.
"Buy instant noodles and get hot water free..."
"The wide-shouldered, fitted blazer from the TV series 'The Greed of Man' is on sale at a low price! Come and check it out!"
This is the sound of vendors calling out their wares around the square.
The radio played "Love Song 1990," a song I hadn't heard in a long time.
"Your dark, round eyes and your smiling face"
I can never forget the changes in your appearance.
The fleeting old days have slipped away just like that.
Looking back, several years had passed in a flash.
The scene before her was like a faded, old videotape. But Jiang Ling had no mood to appreciate this new and unfamiliar environment; something was still on her mind.
Where is Shen Xiaomei, who is only 11 years old now?
Lin Xiaoyue was found, and her psychological problems were resolved. From then on, the mother and daughter relied on each other, and naturally, she did not drop out of school and become a wanderer, nor did she have the opportunity to meet Shen Xiaomei.
However, the thought of Shen Xiaomei, nicknamed "Crazy Bell," made Jiang Ling feel a tightness in her chest.
If one is born happy, who would willingly wander the streets and make a living by stealing?
Shen Xiaomei has lost her right ear, has a burn scar on her left shoulder, and her right hand is disabled with only three fingers. She often wakes up in a fright every night and repeats the muttered words, "Don't panic, don't panic, the bell won't ring." She must be living in a cruel and cold environment.
Jiang Ling did not expect that she would see Shen Xiaomei so soon.
However, the first person she saw was the victim of another case.
While waiting for the bus, Jiang Ling felt someone gently tug at her trouser leg. A timid voice came from below: "Kind sister, please have mercy and give me some money..."
A worn-out, peeling enamel bowl was held out in front of me, with a few scattered banknotes inside.
Jiang Ling looked down at the little beggar standing in front of her.
The little beggar was only five or six years old, dressed in tattered clothes, her hair dirty and tangled, her small face upturned. Her dark, bright eyes and round, diamond-shaped lips suggested she was a beauty in the making, but two large, mottled, uneven scars on her cheeks were twisted and terrifying, completely ruining her appearance. Anyone who saw her would sigh with pity.
That face!
Jiang Ling remembers this face.
However, in her previous life, Jiang Ling saw it in the autopsy report.
The small, emaciated body was wrapped in a tattered cloth and buried in the backyard of a remote farmhouse. Its face, neck, and limbs were covered in bruises, and a hard, dry bun was stuffed in its mouth. The cause of death was suffocation.
At only eight years old, he died quietly, tortured to death by human traffickers.
The little beggar's name was Shen Xiaowei, whose real name was Xu Qingyao. She was abducted by human traffickers when she was three years old, her face was disfigured, and she was forced to beg. Even after her death and her body was disposed of, Xiaowei was controlled by a gang called "Hawk".
This "hawk" gang is arguably the most vicious of all human traffickers.
Initially, they bought disabled children abandoned by their parents from remote rural areas and brought them to big cities to beg for a living, profiting from people's sympathy. These sickly children were abused for a long time and could not survive more than three years under their care.
Because these disabled children have such short lifespans, the "hawk" gang began to abduct them. After abducting them, they would gouge out their eyes, chop off their feet, cut off their hands, etc. They were extremely ruthless. The children who survived became their tools for making money, while those who did not survive were gone forever.
Jiang Ling raised her eyes and carefully observed her surroundings.
The square in front of the station was crowded with people. Jiang Ling had sharp eyes and quickly spotted two children who were dressed in tattered clothes, just like Xiao Wei.
A boy whose legs had been amputated sat on a wooden plank with four wheels underneath. He used his hands as oars to drive the little cart around, kowtowing and begging for mercy when he saw people. Many people stopped and shook their heads, putting change into his enamel bowl.
Another small, thin girl was missing her right ear and had a crippled right hand with only three twisted and terrifying fingers, like chicken claws. She held an enamel bowl in her left hand and stared with eyes that looked unusually large because of her thinness. Even the most impatient passersby would sigh and give her some money.
This girl is none other than Shen Xiaomei!
In an instant, Jiang Ling understood everything.
Before Shen Xiaomei became homeless, she had been controlled by a human trafficking gang and forced to beg.
During this period, Shen Xiaomei not only had one ear cut off, but also suffered burn scars on her body, which were caused by the cruel abuse she was subjected to by human traffickers.
Because of the abuse she suffered, she developed an eccentric personality, became sensitive and irritable, and was unable to sleep.
She may have met Lin Xiaoyue after her difficult escape from the Hawk gang, and the two became close friends who relied on each other for warmth and support.
But at this moment, she is still in the hands of human traffickers, living by begging.
Including Xiaowei, there are three begging children in the square in front of the station. According to the modus operandi of the "Hawk" gang, there should be two people hiding in the dark controlling them, one acting as a lookout and the other as a thug. They usually call each other husband and wife. Where are they?
Perhaps because Jiang Ling had been silent for too long, Xiao Wei lowered her eyes and mustered up her courage again to tug at Jiang Ling's sleeve: "Sister, please give me something. I haven't eaten all day and I'm so hungry."
Jiang Ling took a dollar out of her pocket and put it into the broken bowl that Xiao Wei used for begging.
The little girl smiled and thanked her repeatedly.
Seeing the little girl so happy over a dollar, Jiang Ling felt a pang of sadness, but she didn't show it on her face. She handed the handbag containing the documents to Li Zhenliang and whispered, "We'll see how things go later."
Li Zhenliang took the military green satchel, a little nervous at her actions. He looked around but didn't see anything amiss: "What's wrong?"
Jiang Ling lowered her voice: "Stay calm, don't look around, there's a human trafficking gang."
Li Zhenliang's brain went blank for a moment.
All I did was make a trip to the Municipal Bureau to deliver materials and follow Jiang Ling to the Technical Brigade to get acquainted with them. How did I end up running into a human trafficking gang like that?
Li Zhenliang started out as a community police officer, with a mild temperament and little temper. He mainly handled civil disputes involving family matters. It was only after teaming up with Jiang Ling to run field cases that he began to deal with criminal cases.
Human traffickers, and a gang at that? This is a major case!
He's only been in the case team for three months, and he's already handling such a big case?
Li Zhenliang dared not look around, his neck instinctively stiffening as he gritted his teeth and asked, "How many...how many human traffickers are there? Should we call the police?"
Jiang Ling glanced at him sideways: "We are the police."
Li Zhenliang stammered, "I... I mean, call the anti-trafficking team."
Human trafficking cases were originally under the jurisdiction of the Second Detachment of the Criminal Investigation Division. In the early 1990s, the Office for Combating Trafficking in Women and Children of the Criminal Investigation Bureau of the Ministry of Public Security instructed the public security bureaus of all counties and cities to attach great importance to the matter, and Yan City established a special anti-trafficking brigade. Li Zhenliang felt that he should call the anti-trafficking brigade directly and ask them to send people over. They were well-equipped and experienced, definitely better than him and Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling raised her eyes and scanned the entire room.
Just moments ago, a man and a woman appeared beside the boy with the broken leg who was begging in the square in front of the station. Since Jiang Ling could only see their backs, he couldn't tell anything from their faces, but his intuition told him that the couple was already on guard.
The reason the hawk gang has remained at large is precisely because of this level of vigilance.
They are like hawks watching the wind; at the slightest sign of trouble, they immediately take the children away and start over somewhere else.
Even if a kind-hearted person sees the child's plight and wants to offer help, they will quickly take the child and leave. By the time the kind-hearted person arrives with the police, they have already vanished without a trace.
Jiang Ling's voice remained calm: "Go make a call and call for more people. I need to leave the children here."
If these three children weren't found today, Jiang Ling didn't know when she would be able to find them. By the time she found them, they would probably be corpses, or... homeless thieves.
Upon hearing that he was to make a phone call, Li Zhenliang vanished in a flash.
Although Jiang Ling didn't specify how many people were in the gang, Li Zhenliang assumed there were at least seven or eight. How could he and Jiang Ling possibly fight against a human trafficking gang? Hurry up and go get the anti-trafficking team.
Jiang Ling quickened her pace and caught up with Xiao Wei, who was begging from other passersby. She picked her up and exclaimed, "Yao Yao, I've finally found you!"
Only when Jiang Ling held this poor child in her arms could she feel at ease.
The little girl was suddenly picked up by Jiang Ling, her feet dangling in the air. Startled, she pursed her lips tightly, clutching the broken bowl containing the money, and stared blankly at Jiang Ling like a frightened deer: "I, my name is Xiao Wei, not Yao Yao."
Jiang Ling knew, of course, that Xu Qingyao had been abducted when she was three years old and must have long forgotten her real name.
But Jiang Ling was different. She had seen photos of Xu Qingyao's body and witnessed her parents' tears, accusations, and wails on television. Jiang Ling had fantasized about what would happen if she were Xu Qingyao, if she died, her biological parents would be as sad and heartbroken as Xu Qingyao's parents.
There was no need for acting; Jiang Ling couldn't help but get excited just thinking about being able to save the child in front of her. She looked at the child in her arms and said, "Yaoyao, I'm your auntie, your auntie."
Jiang Ling was simply dressed, with delicate features and a clear, bright look. The surprise in her eyes seemed genuine, immediately attracting the attention of passersby.
"What? This little beggar is your niece?"
"What are you adults thinking? How could you let such a young child beg for money outside?"
"The child didn't say he recognized you. You're not a child trafficker, are you?"
Xiao Wei was ragged, disheveled, and smelled bad, but she was a soft little bundle in Jiang Ling's arms, which instantly softened her heart. She didn't care about the comments from passersby; she simply held Xiao Wei as if she were a rare treasure, looking at her with joy.
Xiao Wei met her gaze and asked timidly, "Auntie?"
Jiang Ling nodded, took out the milk candy she had prepared beforehand, and stuffed it into Xiao Wei's mouth.
The candy melted in her mouth, its sweet flavor spreading throughout her oral cavity, and Xiao Wei, who had been feeling uneasy, gradually calmed down. She stared intently at Jiang Ling, not even wanting to blink, as if afraid that it was all a dream, and that if she blinked, this gentle "aunt" in front of her would disappear and never be seen again.
Can the days of being beaten and starving really end?
Passersby stared at the two with curiosity at the sight.
A middle-aged woman stood close enough to hear clearly and asked, "Are you this little beggar's aunt?"
Another elderly man, who looked like a retired cadre, also asked, "Is this child yours that was lost?" He trusted his judgment of people. Jiang Ling didn't seem like a child trafficker. She didn't mind the beggar's dirt and was happily holding the child and calling his name. This child was most likely hers.
Jiang Ling held Xiao Wei in one arm, calmly looking at the enthusiastic crowd.
She spoke little, but her words were concise and clear: "Yes, this is my sister's child. She went missing in the provincial capital three years ago, and her family has been searching for her ever since."
A chance encounter with a little beggar at the train station, only to discover she's the girl's lost niece—everyone loves a story like this. More and more people gathered around, asking for details.
The woman who had been guarding Shen Xiaomei in the station square noticed something was wrong and rushed over, pushing through the crowd and heading straight for Jiang Ling, shouting, "Put down my Xiaowei!"
Jiang Ling's plan was to lure the snake out of its hole. She kept her eyes on the surroundings and dodged away when she saw someone rushing towards her, coldly staring at the other person.
The "Hawk" gang has finally shown its face!
The woman's cheeks were sunken, her eyebrows were disheveled, and her eyes drooped downwards, giving her a sorrowful look. This thin face and those sinister triangular eyes triggered Jiang Ling's memories, and her criminal records surfaced in her mind.
File Number: NJ-1999-074
Nature of the case: Child trafficking, abuse, intentional homicide
Name: Hsieh Chia-Yin (born in 1960, from northern Taiwan)
Educational background: Primary school dropout
Xie Jiayan abducted her nephew in 1987 due to family poverty, receiving a reward of 100 yuan, thus beginning a decade-long path of child trafficking. From 1987 to 1989, she trafficked five children from Hunan Province to northern cities. In 1989, Xie Jiayan was arrested on suspicion of child trafficking and released after three months of criminal detention.
In 1990, Xie Jiayan continued her crimes and quickly became one of the leaders of the "Hawk" gang. In 1997, the police raided the human trafficking den in Xinchang County, Hunan Province, but Xie Jiayan managed to escape and continued to commit crimes under a different identity. She was finally arrested in 1999, and all her crimes were investigated. She and her gang were sentenced to death.
According to the timeline of the previous life, in 1997, Xiao Wei's body was dug up in the backyard of a farmhouse in the suburbs of Qingshi Town, Xinchang County. A total of thirteen children died at the hands of the Hawk gang.
There are still four years until the Hawk gang is arrested.
There are still six years until Xie Jiayan is sentenced to death.
We have to be quick.
We must stop Xie Jiayan and wipe out the Hawk gang as soon as possible!
Otherwise, the number of children they traffic will continue to increase, and the number of lives they take will also increase.
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