Chapter 19: Apprehending the Primary Human Trafficker (3)

"Knock, knock, knock."

The sound of knocking persisted.

"Who could that be? Why are they coming now?" the Provincial Public Security Department Director asked, surprised.

"This..."

Everyone in the room grew puzzled, unable to fathom who might be arriving at such an hour.

"Knock, knock, knock."

The knocking continued.

"Little Wu, go and open the door," the Director commanded.

"Understood, sir."

Wu Cong walked to the entrance and pulled the door open. Standing there were the Mayor of Taiyuan City and his secretary.

"Mayor Zhang," Wu Cong greeted one of them.

"Who is it, Little Wu?"

Wu Cong stepped aside and addressed the room: "Leaders, it is Mayor Zhang of Taiyuan City and his secretary."

"Mayor Zhang, please, come in," the Director said to the two at the door.

Mayor Zhang then turned to his secretary and said, "You may return." The secretary nodded and turned to leave. Once the secretary was gone, the Mayor entered the room, and Wu Cong closed the door behind him.

"Greetings, leaders and comrades. I heard from others that you were holding a meeting at our city's Public Security Bureau tonight, so I pushed aside several engagements to rush here. I apologize for arriving late," Mayor Zhang said.

The room fell silent.

"Mayor Zhang, let me introduce you. These two are criminal investigation experts sent from the capital, Beijing," the Director said, gesturing toward Zhang Heng and Liang Song.

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

"Hello."

Mayor Zhang, Liang Song, and Zhang Heng shook hands one by one before taking their seats.

"Little Wu," the Director called out.

"Yes, sir?"

"Please go through the presentation again."

"From the beginning?"

"Yes."

Wu Cong reset the projector and displayed the first image, beginning his explanation. He proceeded to the second image, continuing his briefing. No one interrupted him as he spoke. Once he covered the previously discussed material, he moved on to new information.

He clicked the remote, displaying a photo of a resignation letter. It read:

"Respected Leaders, due to my limited capabilities, I am unable to solve this case. To ensure the case is solved as soon as possible and not to hinder more capable personnel, I hereby tender my resignation. I hope for your approval."

Wu Cong faced the room: "Leaders, this resignation letter belonged to Luo Guangyi, the most outstanding criminal investigator in Y City. He was not only the best in Y City but in the entire province. After he submitted this, no one dared to take over the case. As far as I know, this wasn't for any other reason than the fact that everyone believed if a 'detective god' like Luo could not solve it, no one could. People wanted to protect their reputations, so the case remained stagnant until now. That is why the state has sent these two excellent officers from Beijing to assist us."

The Provincial Director turned to the Y City Police Chief: "Chief Liu, did no one else in Y City take over? Was it truly that no one would, or were there those who wanted to, but you as Chief did not allow it?"

"Sir, that is not the case. Our bureau has been handling many critical cases over the past two years—some even larger and more important than this one. It is simply a lack of manpower. There are too few specialized talents, and salaries are not high, leading to a loss of personnel."

When Chief Liu finished, the room fell into a heavy silence. After two minutes, the Director spoke again: "Comrades, does anyone have questions regarding this case? If not, let us hear from our two comrades from Beijing."

Silence remained. The Director turned to Liang Song and Zhang Heng: "Since no one else has anything to say, let us hear from the two comrades sent from the capital to investigate and gather evidence."

"Hello, comrades. I heard from your leadership in Beijing that one of you arrived in Y City first and has been investigating for several days, while the other arrived just recently. Why don't you both introduce yourselves?"

The Director applauded, and the others followed suit. Liang Song stood up, and the clapping ceased.

"Greetings, leaders and comrades. My name is Liang Song, a criminal investigator from the Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau. I am also a veteran member of the team known as the 'nation's top criminal investigation unit.' I am the one who arrived just recently. Thank you."

Warm applause followed. He sat down, and Zhang Heng stood up.

"Greetings, leaders and comrades. My name is Zhang Heng. Like Liang Song, I am a member of that team, though I am a newcomer. We are both graduates of the People's Public Security University of China. I am the one who arrived in Y City first to begin the investigation. Thank you."

Another round of applause followed as he sat down.

The Director then asked: "Very well. Which of you would like to explain the circumstances of the case?"

Liang Song stood up. "Leaders, I will start by explaining my current understanding of the case. I have heard the backstory from Comrade Zhang Heng. The victim is a woman named Liang Lahua, from Yanjin Village, a remote area in Y City. The culprit behind the disappearance of the child—the primary suspect—is the child’s biological father, the woman's husband."

The room gasped, everyone stunned by the revelation. Liang Song paused, but the Director urged him on: "Continue, Comrade Liang Song."

"Yes, sir. The situation is roughly this: the suspect, the child's father, was a gambler. As you all know, gambling is a bottomless pit that ruins countless happy families. In China, this is a recurring tragedy. I will skip the details and focus on the core: Liang Lahua's husband was a shrewd man who gambled behind her back. He lost everything—their savings, their property, even their home. When he had nothing left to lose or mortgage, he turned to his own flesh and blood. He contacted human traffickers online, secretly sold his child, and used the money to gamble again. When the debt collectors eventually came knocking, he chose to commit suicide to escape. The mother, finding her child gone, reported it to the police and sought help online. Thanks to the internet, a concerned netizen told her that her child looked like a beggar on the streets near Beijing—which brings us to the screenshot of the Beijing evening news we saw earlier."

The room listened, spellbound, filled with sympathy for the mother.

"That is the background of the case, leaders. I have finished."

Y City's Police Chief, Liu, raised his hand. "Comrade Liang Song, I have a question, if I may." He looked at the Provincial Director, who nodded. "Comrade Liang Song, where did you obtain this information? Is it reliable and authentic?"

The others nodded in agreement. Liang Song smiled faintly. "Sir, I obtained this information from the victim's mother, Liang Lahua, herself. She wrote it down for me, word by word."

"No, that is impossible," Chief Liu said, his reaction strangely agitated. Everyone turned to look at him.

Seeing their gazes, he quickly added: "Director, leaders, the woman, Liang Lahua, has lost her mind and is unable to speak. I find it impossible that she could have told you these things."

"Old Liu, Comrade Liang Song said she wrote it down for him, word by word," the leader of the Anti-Organized Crime Office noted.

Chief Liu offered a forced, awkward smile.

"Old Liu, why are you so flustered? Do you have low blood sugar?" Mayor Zhang asked.

"Oh, apologies, comrades. I am fine. I was just a bit... excited." He turned to the Provincial Director. "Director, since the victim can communicate, why don't you hand the case over to our bureau? This incident happened in our city, and as the Chief and Deputy Mayor, it is my duty to investigate."

"Old Liu," another leader, the Taiyuan City Police Chief, interrupted, "The higher-ups and the Beijing bureau have requested that these two comrades handle the case. You don't need to get involved. Besides, when it was in your hands, you couldn't solve it after so much time. Don't add to the chaos."

"Very well," Chief Liu replied, his voice trembling. The others began to notice his unusual demeanor.

"Does anyone else have anything to say?" the Director asked. Silence filled the room. He turned to Liang Song: "Comrade Liang Song, please continue with your plan for the next steps."

Liang Song stood once more. "Leaders, my next step is to uncover the key figure: the first buyer, the trafficker who bought the child from the biological father. We must capture him first, as the rest of the investigation revolves around him. With my colleague's assistance, I have already grasped a lead—his contact information—and I have already made contact with him."

"Comrade Liang Song, where is this trafficker? Tell me, and I will return to Y City to mobilize forces and arrest him!" Chief Liu roared.

"Chief Liu, sir, there is no need for your assistance in making the arrest," Liang Song said, staring directly at him. He turned back to the Director. "Director, sir, for the arrest of this trafficker, we need you to personally oversee the command."