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墨書 Inktalez
In Dongxing City, rain poured down as a figure stood in the downpour. The person was about six feet tall, with dark skin, and despite wearing camouflage, his muscular build was evident. His chiseled face bore an expression of reluctance, and judging by his age, he appeared to be in his twenties.
Old Shao sat under an eave with another elderly man, watching the drenched team member.
"This guy looks promising," Old Shao remarked from a distance, observing the young man. "Old Zhang, how are his skills?"
The elder referred to as Old Zhang chuckled upon hearing Old Shao's words. "Of course! Don’t let his youth fool you; he excels in every discipline. Whether it’s cross-country running, combat, firearms, or driving, he ranks among the best in our armed police unit."
"The Special Police are already a rare breed; those who excel here are even rarer," Old Zhang continued, clearly holding this team member in high regard.
Old Shao interrupted him. "As I mentioned when I arrived, I'm here to borrow someone. Since you think so highly of him, I feel reassured."
Old Zhang gently stretched his neck and leaned forward to ask, "What’s the mission this time? Back when you first joined the special cases team, you took our armed police instructor Yan Junde away. At least this time you’ve given me some face by not taking my instructor."
Old Shao reminisced about stories from his youth, a smile creeping onto his face before he shook his head with a sigh. "After Yan Junde retired, he went to France to enjoy his retirement. You two were the closest back when he was still with the armed police. He told me to look for you; I know you wouldn’t mess around."
"Absolutely," Old Zhang slapped his thigh. "Just like you two had each other's backs during your time as armed police officers; I shared a bond of life and death with him too."
"But it seems he’s not too keen on this," Old Shao remarked as he glanced back at the young man standing in the rain.
Old Zhang's expression turned serious as he addressed Yuan Jun. "Do you know who this person is?"
"I don’t know," Yuan Jun replied loudly, seemingly trying to assert dominance over Old Shao.
Old Zhang picked up on Yuan Jun's displeasure and explained, "This is an honor from the China People's Public Security University..."
Before Old Zhang could finish, Old Shao interrupted him. "No need for all those titles that don’t really matter. I’m currently the head of the special cases team responsible for investigating major cases. We have encountered a situation that requires your involvement. It’s that simple—are you willing?"
"I’m not willing," Yuan Jun replied defiantly.
Old Zhang slammed his hand on the table and declared, "You’re going whether you want to or not! Unless someone sends you back home, if your abilities aren’t up to par, don’t embarrass me."
Old Shao knew Old Zhang's fiery temper, so he gently waved his hand, signaling Old Zhang not to be so angry.
Old Shao asked softly, "Why don't you want to go?"
Yuan Jun spoke up, "If I tell you the truth, you might not like it."
"Go ahead," Old Shao said directly.
Yuan Jun stood tall and spoke clearly, "The reason I joined the Armed Police Special Forces was to defend the Motherland and combat terrorists. My favorite is my Sniper Rifle. But now you want me to join your task force? Isn't that just catching a murderer with a kitchen knife or a petty thief? Do you really need me for that?"
"You mean transferring you to the task force is a waste of talent?" Old Zhang stood up and pointed at Yuan Jun's nose. "You and I both know that the people's matters are paramount. You are protecting individuals, not some abstract concept of defending the country! Without the people, there is no country as you describe it. Understand?"
Yuan Jun fell silent.
"Furthermore," Old Zhang continued, "have you heard of Yan Junde? He was also a member of a special task force back in the day. Do you think you're better than him?"
"I wouldn't dare," Yuan Jun replied.
Old Zhang pointed into the distance. "Right now, go back and pack your things. In an hour, follow Old Shao. Understand?"
"Understood!" Yuan Jun shouted before dashing out.
Old Shao watched Yuan Jun run away and suddenly thought of his old friend Yan Junde.
Old Zhang looked at Shao the Elder and said, "This kid is indeed talented, but he's also a troublemaker. He often causes issues in the army and tends to act impulsively; after all, he's still young."
"He's the one," Old Shao declared firmly.
Two hours later, Old Shao arrived at the entrance of the Jingzhong City Public Security Bureau with Yuan Jun.
All members of the task force had gathered.
On the plane heading to Yue Min City, Old Shao assigned tasks to everyone.
The team heading to search for Desolate Village included Qiuju Niu, Wang Chao, Jiang He, Xu Yiman, Old Shao, and the newly added Yuan Jun. Guan Deng remained at the City Public Security Bureau, responsible for coordinating with the task force and the police department. Previously, Wang Chao had already contacted the leaders at the City Public Security Bureau, who had assigned the mission of searching for Desolate Village.
Based on the investigations conducted by local police officers at the precinct, they had initially ruled out villages within a certain distance. As for those deeper in the mountains, they had not yet had time to search but had already made arrangements. During the task force's search, police officers from various precincts would also be looking, though not under the guise of searching for missing children; instead, they would be looking under the pretext of conducting welfare checks.
With this dual approach to searching, Desolate Village was sure to be found.
Having narrowed down the search area significantly was advantageous for the task force as they moved forward with their work.
After landing, the members of the task force went directly to the City Bureau. Under their arrangement, Old Shao received a satellite phone so that he could stay in contact with Guan Deng even in areas without signal.
Wang Chao appeared somewhat worried about this mission; he seemed preoccupied throughout the journey. In contrast, Yuan Jun scoffed at his concerns. To Yuan Jun, this was merely an extreme jungle rescue operation and much less challenging than a true jungle expedition—at least there were no poisonous insects or wild beasts to contend with.
Old Shao spoke up: “Let me briefly explain our situation. Since we do not know the exact location of Desolate Village or whether Zhang Wenhua is already there, we cannot raise any alarms. In my previous experience, if they know that police are coming to look for missing children, it would be easy for a villager to take a child into the mountains and hide them for weeks. At that point, finding the child would be impossible.”
“What should we do then?” Wang Chao asked.
Old Shao replied: “We will present ourselves as an archaeological team from the government. While conducting our research in the mountains, we will claim to have accidentally discovered this village. For convenience's sake, we will temporarily stay in the village and no one is allowed to reveal their identity. Once we confirm that Zhang Wenhua is in the village, we will use the satellite phone to contact the local precinct and wait for officers to come and help us rescue the child.”
“Understood,” Wang Chao nodded.
Yuan Jun frowned and said: “If we find the child, why wait for police? What’s there to fear from those villagers? Aren’t we enough?”
Old Shao looked at Yuan Jun and said: “Never underestimate those you perceive as weak; under special circumstances, they can be ruthless. We will all follow my lead and no one should act rashly. Especially you, Qiuju Niu—if you see your granddaughter, remain calm and avoid letting her see you. If she calls out ‘grandma,’ who knows what might happen.”
Qiuju Niu nodded in agreement.
“As part of an archaeological team, we cannot carry firearms; each of us will carry a dagger for self-defense,” Old Shao continued.
After distributing supplies, Wang Chao looked at Old Shao and said: “Old Shao, given your age and that these villages are deep in the mountains with difficult paths ahead, why don’t you stay at City Bureau directing operations? With Jiang He’s brains and Yuan Jun’s strength, I doubt there will be any major issues.”
Old Shao shook his head and replied: “You’re all too young. If something goes wrong when you’re out there, what will you do? Don’t worry about me; I’m still quite fit.”
Wang Chao tried to persuade him a few more times but ultimately could not change Old Shao’s mind.
To save time, the City Public Security Bureau specially borrowed a helicopter to drop everyone off on a mountainside in the south where it could land. Following Jiang He's deductions and the area narrowed down by the police, they began their search, aided by Qiuju Niu, a guide who hadn't been to this place in thirty years, as they sought out the so-called Desolate Village.
Old Shao wasn't worried about not being able to find the village. After all, any human trafficker who had been there would know that this village still had communication with the outside world; it was not a completely isolated place. Old Shao understood that across China's vast landscape, there were indeed mysterious villages hidden deep in the mountains that had no contact with the outside world and had yet to be discovered. However, these villages often faced slow decline due to factors like low population and serious issues with inbreeding, eventually becoming empty, abandoned settlements.
Perhaps for the people of Desolate Village, human traffickers were an essential part of their survival. Old Shao knew that it wasn't just about Zhang Wenhua; it likely involved other children as well, and more importantly, the issue of women being trafficked.
This was precisely why Old Shao was reluctant to act rashly and why he took the situation seriously.
The matter at hand was definitely more complicated than just the trafficking of one child; this was what concerned Old Shao.
Yuan Jun studied the map and led everyone forward with a village as their destination.
August 24th, 5 PM.
In the shaded woods, on a path through the mountains that seemed indistinguishable from a trail.
Qiuju Niu suddenly exclaimed, "I... I have some recollection!"
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