Two days later.
Jiangcheng City, in the east of the city.
An old residential building built in the 1990s.
The hallway was dimly lit.
The walls were covered with haphazardly pasted small advertisements for locksmith services and drain cleaning.
Xu Lan followed behind two plainclothes police officers and a middle-aged female staff member from the Women's Federation, her heart pounding uncontrollably.
She clutched her phone tightly in her hand.
The screen still displayed a message sent by editor-in-chief Wang Dean two hours earlier:
[Xiao Xu, be careful. Remember, you don't represent yourself, you represent *New Tide* magazine, and Professor Jian Shen.]
The energy of the "New Tide" magazine is astonishing.
After Wang De'an mobilized legal resources and personally called relevant departments,
In just a day and a half, they identified the source of the problem through the blurry postmark on the envelope and the purchase record on the letter paper.
The approximate location of the girl who called for help, "Xiaoduo," was pinpointed.
Then, through the visits and investigations of community grid workers,
A man named Zhang Qiang, who had alcoholism and violent tendencies, came into their view.
"Thump, thump, thump."
The plainclothes policeman at the front knocked on the worn iron gate.
Who is it?!
An extremely impatient male voice came from inside the door.
"The drain in the upstairs toilet is broken. We've come over to check if there's any leakage in your house."
The police officer's voice was calm and unwavering.
A series of cursing footsteps came from inside the door, and the door creaked open a crack.
A man wearing a dirty vest, with a burly face and reeking of alcohol, poked his head out.
"What do you mean by 'going underwater'..."
Who are you?!
The man's eyes instantly turned wary and fierce when he saw the group of people standing at the door.
Before he could react, the policeman had already pushed the door open with his shoulder and slipped inside.
"Police! Don't move!"
"Fuck your mother!"
The man instantly flew into a rage, but instead of surrendering, he did not give in.
Instead, he turned around, grabbed an empty beer bottle from the shoe cabinet, and smashed it at the policeman with a ferocious expression!
The sharp crack of the exploding bottle echoed in the narrow stairwell, and Xu Lan's scream caught in her throat.
The shards of glass reflected the cold light and splashed down to her feet.
What she saw was not the fighting in the movie.
It is not violence, but brutal, dirty, and capable of instantly crippling someone.
At this moment, the editor-in-chief's instructions and Professor Jian Shen's gentleness...
They've all become distant slogans, leaving only the most primal fear.
At this moment, an older policeman made the first move.
A side kick, delivered precisely to the man's wrist.
Immediately following, a clean and swift takedown...
He was immediately pinned to the wall with his hands tied behind his back.
His face was pressed directly against a piece of broken glass.
"Let me go! You bitch, you dare call the police?! I'll break your legs!"
The man struggled frantically, roaring obscenities.
His cheeks were scratched and bleeding from the glass, making him appear even more frantic.
It wasn't until the Women's Federation staff pushed open the door to the inner room that Xu Lan snapped out of her daze and followed them inside.
The faint smell of blood mixed with a sour stench wafted through the air first.
Then, she witnessed a scene she would never forget.
A mother and daughter huddled in the corner of the bed.
The woman had obvious bruises on her face, and the little girl had a numb and empty look in her eyes.
All of this makes the "warmth" described by Jian Shen seem so pale.
Xu Lan's eyes instantly reddened.
It wasn't out of sympathy, but a sense of powerlessness.
A skepticism about the power of words.
The women's federation staff stepped forward and spoke in the gentlest voice:
"Don't be afraid, we're here to help you."
The woman's lips trembled, and she couldn't utter a single word.
Until, that girl named Xiaoduo, bypassed all the adults in uniform,
He looked at her timidly and asked in an almost whispered voice:
"Was it...was it Grandpa Namiya who sent you?"
"boom!"
Xu Lan was deeply affected by those words.
All fear, doubt, and helplessness were shattered at this moment.
She finally understood why the editor-in-chief said she represented "New Tide" and was Professor Jian Shen.
Words themselves may be powerless, but they can ignite a spark.
And they are the ones who pass on the torch.
She quickly wiped away her tears and forced an encouraging smile at her.
He nodded heavily.
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