Chapter 23 Taking Action: Human Traffickers, They All Deserve to Die!
Jiang Ling hugged the trembling Xiao Wei tightly and confronted Xie Jiayan head-on: "Who are you? I'm Yao Yao's aunt. Why are you calling her Xiao Wei?"
Xie Jiayan squinted and carefully examined Jiang Ling.
Could this girl in front of me really be the child's aunt?
Xiao Wei was only three years old when she was abducted. She didn't remember anything and only knew how to cry. Xie Jiayan gave the child a name at random. As for the surname, since she and Shen Sanzhuang played a couple, Xiao Wei's surname was Shen.
Xie Jiayan and Shen Sanzhuang begged together with three children. Because they were careful and had a gang to cover for them, they had been doing well. They never expected to meet Xiao Wei's relatives at the train station today.
But soon, Xie Jiayan calmed down.
So what if she's Xiao Wei's aunt? When the child was first abducted, she cried incessantly. After being hit a few times and having her face burned, she calmed down. With just a glance from Xie Jiayan, she would obediently come over. Now, with people coming and going at the train station, this girl who claims to be Xiao Wei's aunt is all alone with no one to help her, and Xie Jiayan isn't afraid of her at all.
Wiping away non-existent tears, Xie Jiayan howled and lunged at Jiang Ling again, waving her hands: "I don't have a sister like you! Don't talk nonsense. Give Xiaowei back to me right now! Xiaowei is my child!"
Jiang Ling took two steps back again, avoiding Xie Jiayan's attempt to snatch her, looked at the crowd, and raised her voice: "Yaoyao has been missing for three years, and our family has been searching for her for three years. Don't even think about taking her away!"
This left the onlookers somewhat bewildered.
"One is called Yao Yao, and the other is called Xiao Wei. Is it Yao Yao or Xiao Wei?"
"Could it be that they've mistaken me for someone else?"
"Stop arguing, talk it out, it's all for the child's sake."
Xie Jiayan tried several times but couldn't snatch Xiaowei back from Jiang Ling's hands. So she simply sat down on the ground and started wailing at the top of her lungs: "Damn it, snatching a child in the street? Is there no justice in this world?"
She pulled out a red household registration booklet and a medical record from her person, opened them and placed them on the ground. With her hair disheveled, she kowtowed to the crowd and cried out, "It's clearly written on the household registration booklet that Xiaowei is my third child. I brought her here to beg for money to treat the scars on her face. Please, everyone, have mercy and help my daughter and me!"
Upon seeing the dark red household registration booklet that Xie Jiayan produced, most of the onlookers believed her.
"The household registration certificate cannot be faked; the baby girl should belong to her."
"There is indeed a medical record in the medical book. The child was asked to beg for money to pay for medical treatment. Alas, how pitiful."
“The child has changed a lot in the three years since he went missing. This girl is probably mistaken for someone else.”
People came and went near the train station, and gradually a circle formed around Jiang Ling.
Jiang Ling held Xiao Wei tightly the whole time.
As long as the child is in her hands, she has nothing to fear from Xie Jiayan's eloquent words and distorted facts. What about the household registration book? What about the medical records? Fake is still fake.
A short, stocky man in a brown cotton coat squeezed into the circle and, without saying a word, slapped Jiang Ling across the face.
Jiang Ling dodged to the side, and the short, stocky man's slap missed. Before he could react, Jiang Ling raised her leg and kicked him squarely in the stomach.
Bang!
The short, stocky man stumbled back several steps before regaining his balance. He hadn't expected the girl in front of him, who looked so slender and frail, to be so agile. His eyes widened, revealing a fierce expression: "You dare to steal my Xiaowei? You're asking for trouble!" With that, he lunged forward and threw a punch.
"ah--"
Seeing the short, stocky man's menacing demeanor, gasps of surprise rippled through the crowd.
Jiang Ling did not back down. She narrowed her eyes and looked coldly at the short, stocky, arrogant man in front of her.
Shen Sanzhuang, a cousin of Shen Tianyao, the leader of the "Hawk" human trafficking gang, was born in 1956. He was detained by the police multiple times for fighting. In 1990, he joined the "Hawk" human trafficking gang, where he and Xie Jiayan claimed to be husband and wife. He was known for his violent temper and ruthlessness, and at least five children were tortured to death under his control. He was arrested in his hometown in 1997. At the time of his sentencing, which coincided with the crackdown on crime, he was sentenced to death and deprived of his political rights for life.
Jiang Ling wished she could tear this heinous human trafficker to pieces.
Having served as a police officer for many years, Jiang Ling had deeply ingrained a sense of duty and discipline. She tried her best to control the urge to beat him to death. She shifted her feet and moved to the left, sending Xiao Wei, whom she was holding, towards Li Zhenliang, who had just called back.
Li Zhenliang was stunned for a moment, then instinctively hugged her.
The child was extremely thin, a tiny bundle in his arms, and very well-behaved, not making a fuss. Li Zhenliang, also a father, felt compassion and held the child steadily in his arms.
When Shen Sanzhuang saw Jiang Ling hand the child over to another man, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he threw a punch, shouting, "You have accomplices? Give me back the child!"
Although Li Zhenliang works in the community, he had practiced martial arts with Zhou Wei at the police station. He reacted quickly, took two steps back, held Xiao Wei in his left arm, grabbed Shen Sanzhuang's fist that was swinging at Jiang Ling with his right hand, twisted and pushed him away by half a meter.
"It hurts! It hurts! It hurts—"
Shen Sanzhuang howled in pain and retreated repeatedly.
Seeing that things were going badly, Xie Jiayan didn't bother to pick up the household registration book and medical records on the ground. She rolled into Li Zhenliang's arms like a madwoman, crying out, "Everyone, please help me! They're in cahoots, they're human traffickers, they want to snatch my child!"
The onlookers were a bit confused.
On one side are Xie Jiayan and Shen Sanzhuang, who rushed forward to snatch the child and claimed to be the "parents"; on the other side is Jiang Ling, who directly took the child away and claimed to be the "aunt". Oh, right, she also has a helper carrying a woman's handbag. Who is the child's relative?
Impatient people started shouting: "Snatching a child in broad daylight! Is there no law? The ones with household registration must be the real parents. This woman who took the child has gang members; she's probably a human trafficker. Comrades, hurry up and help!"
Upon hearing this, several young people actually stepped forward and stood around Li Zhenliang and Jiang Ling, saying, "Don't leave yet! Leave the child here."
When Xie Jiayan saw that someone was helping her, a look of joy flashed in her eyes: "Thank you, thank you so much, you are all such good people. We are country folk, and life is hard. If it weren't for the help of kind people like you, we wouldn't be able to survive at all."
These words further swayed the onlookers' emotions towards Xie Jiayan, and many voiced their support for her.
"They've even gone out to beg for food; they're pitiful people too."
"The child is old enough to recognize people, just ask her."
"Yes, yes, yes, whether they are the child's parents or not, we'll find out by asking them."
Xie Jiayan narrowed her triangular eyes, secretly pleased, but maintained a pitiful expression. Having been a human trafficker for so many years, she knew all too well how to elicit people's sympathy. Her triangular eyes narrowed again, and her gaze towards Xiaowei held a threat: "Xiaowei, come with Mommy. Be good, understand?"
Having been abused for so long, Xiao Wei had developed a deep-seated fear in her bones. She shivered involuntarily and began to struggle under Xie Jiayan's piercing gaze, crying, "Put me down, put me down!"
Li Zhenliang did not let go, but instead hugged Xiaowei even tighter.
Jiang Ling told him to hold the child, and then said there was a human trafficking gang, so he absolutely couldn't put the child down.
Li Zhenliang isn't stupid. The child was behaving well in his arms just now. When Shen Sanzhuang rushed over, the little girl subconsciously raised her hand to cover her eyes, her eyes filled with fear.
What kind of parents are they! They must be human traffickers.
Seeing that Li Zhenliang was able to protect the child, Jiang Ling breathed a sigh of relief, quickly stepped forward, grabbed Xie Jiayan's arm, bent over and loosened her hips, and with an over-the-shoulder throw, slammed her hard to the ground.
Xie Jiayan landed hard on her back, wincing in pain, but having grown up in the underworld, she possessed a ruthless streak. She quickly got up, reaching out to scratch Jiang Ling's face while cursing, "You little bitch, how dare you lay a hand on me! You motherless bastard..."
Jiang Ling raised her hand to block, then slapped him across the face.
A crisp "snap!" sounded.
Li Zhenliang's brow twitched.
Jiang Ling is tall and slender, with shoulder-length short hair, one side of which is held back with a pearl hair clip, making her eyebrows and eyes appear even more delicate. Lian Yao had said that she had a good image and was suitable for being on camera, which shows that Jiang Ling is quite beautiful. She usually speaks slowly and calmly, and acts with composure and calmness. Even when her words were sharp during interrogations, she never laid a hand on anyone.
Only today did Li Zhenliang realize that Jiang Ling was so fierce and skilled.
No wonder he is an outstanding graduate of the police academy.
Jiang Ling didn't give Xie Jiayan a chance to continue appealing to emotions and rallying the crowd. She swung her hand like a knife and slashed heavily at the left side of Xie Jiayan's neck. The neck is rich in nerves and is a vulnerable part of the human body. Xie Jiayan suffered this severe blow and instantly fell into a coma, her body limp and collapsing.
To prevent Xie Jiayan from hitting her head on the ground and causing a bloody incident, Jiang Ling supported Xie Jiayan's back and laid her down.
Standing to the side, Li Zhenliang was startled. He quickly stepped forward, bent down, and pressed two fingers against Xie Jiayan's carotid artery. Only when he felt a strong pulse at his fingertips did he breathe a sigh of relief: Thank goodness, she's not dead.
Xie Jiayan was knocked unconscious, and the square suddenly fell silent.
After hearing Xiaowei call for her mother, many people were shouting for Li Zhenliang to return the child to Xie Jiayan. Many soft-hearted women were wiping away tears, lamenting the family's hardship in begging and criticizing Jiang Ling for snatching the child on the street, saying it was too much of a bully.
But now, Jiang Ling's forceful action caused the victim to faint, which was too illogical, leaving the onlookers speechless.
After a while, the people who had come to their senses started shouting loudly.
"Call the police! Call the police immediately!"
"Not only did they snatch the child, they also injured the child's mother. This is outrageous!"
"This girl looks honest, but I didn't expect her to be such a ruthless character."
As soon as Xie Jiayan fell to the ground, Xiao Wei's tense muscles suddenly relaxed a lot, and a glimmer of light appeared in her eyes.
Seeing the flickering flame in Xiao Wei's eyes, Li Zhenliang had no more doubts and shouted, "Hold that man down!"
Jiang Ling naturally had to hold Shen Sanzhuang down.
This guy has a lot of blood on his hands, and he's incredibly cruel when it comes to abusing children. Since Jiang Ling has run into him, he absolutely cannot be allowed to escape.
Seeing Xie Jiayan dominating the game, Shen Sanzhuang had been lounging on the ground, groaning and whimpering. But when Jiang Ling knocked Xie Jiayan unconscious, Shen Sanzhuang panicked and scrambled to his feet, only to be swiftly kicked by Jiang Ling, knocking him back to the ground.
Before Shen Sanzhuang could react, his hands were already pinned behind his back. Jiang Ling's attack was swift and ruthless, and Shen Sanzhuang's face contorted in pain as he screamed loudly.
"Behave yourself!" Jiang Ling pulled out handcuffs from her lower back and quickly handcuffed his hands.
Crack!
Hearing the crisp, loud sound and seeing the gleaming silver handcuffs, the onlookers were stunned.
"Police! They are police!"
"Could these two people really be bad people?"
"Aren't they this little girl's parents? How come..."
Jiang Ling pointed at Xie Jiayan lying on the ground, her eyes flashing like lightning. She looked around and shouted, "She's a human trafficker. Xiaowei is the child she kidnapped."
Xie Jiayan is known for her eloquence. Her file records an incident where she was detained on suspicion of human trafficking, but she cleared her name with her silver tongue and was released after only fifteen days of detention.
Therefore, Jiang Ling knocked her unconscious with lightning speed to prevent Xie Jiayan from confusing the public and misleading them.
Shen Sanzhuang retorted loudly, "You're talking nonsense! We are Xiaowei's parents, how could we be human traffickers? I think you're the human trafficker, trying to snatch my third daughter."
Shen Sanzhuang was filled with intense hatred.
Having roamed the underworld for many years, Shen Sanzhuang and Xie Jiayan had long since formed a seamless partnership. They took three disabled children to beg, and together with two other couples, they exploited people's sympathy for disabled children to make dirty money, traveling all over the province.
As the saying goes, if you walk by the river long enough, you're bound to get your shoes wet.
Occasionally, they would encounter some clever people who noticed something amiss and wanted to take the child away.
But Shen Sanzhuang and his accomplices were prepared, having forged household registration books and medical records in advance. Whenever someone questioned them, they would cry, make a scene, and threaten suicide, explaining how difficult it was for the couple to raise three children.
The household registration book clearly states that he and Xie Jiayan are husband and wife, and their son and two daughters have simple names: Shen Xiaoyong, Shen Xiaomei, and Shen Xiaowei.
Xie Jiayan was born with a silver tongue; she could talk the dead back to life. Even at the police station, she could persuade the police officers to take pity on them, so they would not only not detain them, but would also give them a dozen or so yuan.
According to the gang's unspoken rules, Shen Sanzhuang and Xie Jiayan never stayed in the same place for too long. Because they were careful, nothing ever happened to them. But today, their car overturned at Yancheng Railway Station.
There's no other reason than that Jiang Ling's movements were simply too swift!
She was clearly a police officer, but she pretended to be an ordinary passerby. She first claimed kinship with Xiao Wei, then took her away, and then knocked Xie Jiayan unconscious.
Shen Sanzhuang was clumsy with words and could only curse; he couldn't possibly come up with any plan. Now, with his hands cuffed behind his back, he couldn't even get up and was filled with regret.
If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have just abandoned Xiaowei and taken Xiaoyong and Xiaomei to another dock to continue making a living. Why did I have to get involved with two policemen?
Thinking of this, Shen Sanzhuang shouted at the top of his lungs, "Xiaoyong, Xiaomei, come quick! Someone's trying to take Xiaowei away..."
Shen Xiaoyong pushed a small wooden cart, while Shen Xiaomei carried a bowl, as they struggled to squeeze through the crowd from the periphery. Shen Xiaoyong's gaze was vacant, fixed on Xie Jiayan lying on the ground. Shen Xiaomei hid behind Xiaoyong, cautiously observing everything before her, her lips tightly pressed together.
Seeing their reaction, Shen Sanzhuang flew into a rage and roared, "Are you all dead? Didn't you see someone snatch your sister away and bully your parents?"
Shen Xiaoyong glanced at his handcuffed hands, but still didn't say anything.
His leg was brutally severed by Shen Sanzhuang. Three children in the same batch had their legs cut off, but he was the only one who survived the excruciating pain and infection.
Shen Xiaoyong was terrified of Shen Sanzhuang.
However, he also hated Shen Sanzhuang, hated him to the core.
Shen Xiaoyong was not a child abducted by Shen Sanzhuang; he was taken away by another man riding a red motorcycle.
When he was first brought here, he was five years old and could remember things. He knew his name was Xiaoyong, that his family owned a tobacco, alcohol and grocery store, that his parents were very kind, and that he had a younger sister named Lili.
Four years ago, one autumn, he was playing in the open space outside the store when a man rode by on a red motorcycle. While his mother was busy in the store, the man grabbed him and carried him away.
After being taken away, he was first locked in a small house with other abducted children. It was common for him to be hungry, cold, and beaten. Once he calmed down, he was assigned to Shen Sanzhuang and Xie Jiayan. After recovering from his injuries, he was taken around to wander and beg for a living.
From then on, his life was plunged into endless darkness and pain.
Xiao Yong was very smart; he didn't want to die, so he always behaved very obediently.
He had asked passersby for help, but most people ignored him. When a kind-hearted person secretly called the police, Xie Jiayan and Shen Sanzhuang took him away before the police arrived.
The only time they were taken to the police station, Xiao Yong didn't even get a chance to speak. Xie Jiayan launched a tearful offensive, using her silver tongue and household registration book and outpatient medical records to convince the police officers that they were really a family, so they let them go.
Upon returning, Xiao Yong was met with a severe beating. Had it not been for Shen Sanzhuang's fear that if he were beaten to death, no one would be able to beg for money, he probably would not have survived.
From then on, Xiaoyong dared not trust strangers anymore, and he didn't even trust the police officers at the police station.
He only hoped that by following Shen Sanzhuang in begging, he could one day return to the familiar grocery store in his memory and see his biological parents.
Out of fear, Xiao Yong did not move.
What if this is another trap? If he doesn't do as Shen Sanzhuang says, will he be beaten again when he gets home?
His severed legs, the scars on his back, his broken collarbone... everything was telling him that he had to endure it, that he had to obey, otherwise he would never be able to see his parents again.
Xiao Yong turned his head and looked at Shen Xiaomei, who had been standing behind him.
Although Xiaomei is disabled, she is bold and intelligent, and knows how to assess situations. She has always taken care of her younger siblings, and he listens to Xiaomei very much.
Shen Xiaomei was actually hesitant about whether to help Xie Jiayan and Shen Sanzhuang. Would the police be able to arrest them this time? If they succeeded in deceiving the police again, would her, Xiaoyong, and Xiaowei's lives be in grave danger?
The thought of possibly being taken back to Xie Jiayan and Shen Sanzhuang's hideout and tortured again sent a chill down Shen Xiaomei's spine. She decided to say nothing, neither speaking up for Shen Sanzhuang nor revealing the truth.
That way, no matter the outcome, she won't face being beaten to death.
If the police had listened to Xie Jiayan's words, she wouldn't have been beaten so badly when she returned to that terrifying "home" without saying a word.
If the police see through Xie Jiayan and her group's true colors, then it's not too late to tell the truth.
Thinking of this, Shen Xiaomei shrank back timidly and said nothing.
Jiang Ling glanced at Shen Xiaomei. According to her age in the file, she should be 11 years old now, but due to severe malnutrition, she looks only eight or nine years old in height and weight.
Children who have been controlled by human traffickers for a long time will develop the early signs of dissociative identity disorder, either becoming compliant or beastly. As an adult, Shen Xiaomei possesses both of these personalities. She pretends to be obedient and ingratiating in front of human traffickers and police, but exhibits extremely aggressive behavior when strangers try to take her resources.
Jiang Ling could understand that Shen Xiaomei didn't trust him now.
Jiang Ling took out her police ID and flashed it in the crowd: "Make sure you see clearly, we are police officers, and we are taking these people back for investigation."
Trusting the police, the onlookers gradually made way for them.
Jiang Ling looked at Xie Jiayan, whose eyelids were twitching and who was clearly about to wake up, and gestured to Li Zhenliang to handcuff her as well.
Crack!
When Xie Jiayan opened her eyes, she saw that her hands were handcuffed. She let out a howl and got up. Just as she was about to speak, Jiang Ling took a step forward, lifted her chin, and dislocated her jaw.
"Ah ba ah ba..." Xie Jiayan was so anxious that she was burning with anxiety, but she couldn't open or close her mouth and couldn't say a complete sentence.
Jiang Ling looked at her coldly and said, word by word, "Human traffickers deserve to die!"
Jiang Ling, who grew up in an orphanage, desperately longed for her parents' love. When she was six years old, she secretly ran away to find her parents, but was kidnapped by human traffickers. If she hadn't been rescued by Jiang Shouxin from the Qingshi Town Police Station in Changping County, she would have been lost somewhere.
Even now, Jiang Ling still remembers the details of being abused by human traffickers when she was a child.
Burning cigarette butts burned her arms, leaving coin-sized scars; scalding water was poured over her head, causing patches of her scalp to fester; a Y-shaped scar remains next to her eyebrow, a wound inflicted by fire tongs.
Why didn't she dare to get married in her previous life?
Because Jiang Ling dared not show these wounds in front of her lover. She dared not wear short sleeves, dared not grow her hair long, dared not show her forehead... She knew she had a mental illness, but a doctor cannot heal himself, so she could only suppress these pains in her heart and slowly process them.
Until the moment her life ended, Jiang Ling finally understood one thing.
Being abandoned by her parents was not her fault;
It wasn't her fault that she was harmed by human traffickers.
The problem lies with the irresponsible parents.
The wrong ones are the cruel and despicable human traffickers!
God gave her a second chance so that she could seek revenge on these evil people.
Jiang Ling's eyes flashed with a cold light, like icicles hanging from the eaves in the dead of winter, cold and hard, making people afraid of them.
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