Diary of a Criminal Investigator

Thank you, the villagers of Gourd Village are not foolish; they just haven’t received higher education.

But that doesn’t mean they don’t understand human nature.

Faced with dozens of police who dared not act and one who did, they knew how to choose.

After all, not every household in Gourd Village is involved in human trafficking.

The only ones marrying off brides are families like Wang Dahua’s; what does it matter to others?

The traffickers’ price isn’t cheap, and not every family can sell people.

Moreover, having the money doesn’t guarantee someone will send people over.

On the small square behind Lu Chuan, two helicopters roared in, one already picking up people and leaving.

Lu Chuan’s actions just now made the villagers keep their distance, or just spectate.

But no one dared rush in again.

Also, the immense wind pressure from the helicopter rotors made it impossible to approach.

Those are things they could only see on TV.

In the roar, the second helicopter left Gourd Village.

The rescue operation concluded.

Huangcheng County.

Although the people were rescued, there is much more follow-up work.

Three adults and two children need to be contacted with their families.

Sometimes rescuing trafficked individuals is only the beginning; the follow-up work can be more challenging.

Adults are easier, but especially young children who may not remember anything when trafficked, yet not know where they were taken from when rescued.

Fortunately, these two children were brought to the village by Zhang Haiyan, who already explained from where they were trafficked.

"The work here is divided into two paths."

First, deal with the three trafficked adults, handled by the Huangcheng County Criminal Investigation Team.

These three trafficked adults have identifiable profiles known to the Huangcheng County Criminal Investigation Team, and attempts were made to rescue them previously but failed.

The two children will be taken over by Lu Chuan’s team.

The case with Zhang Haiyan isn’t over yet.

Besides Gourd Village, the neighboring village is also involved.

Additionally, there’s Li San.

The trafficked individuals in Qingzhou are essentially brought over by two: Li San and Zhang Haiyan.

This includes activity here in Qinzhou City and Heishan led by these two.

So Lu Chuan’s team has more work to deploy, with a few more children needing rescue.

"We’ll continue to lead the subsequent rescue operation."

Lu Chuan had the unique advantage of getting the helicopters over with his own funds, unlike others who lacked this convenience.

Those with helicopters are typically the military.

However, not all military units have helicopters.

Qingzhou doesn’t have any.

Usually, it’s only available in provincial capitals or special locations.

Thus, when they called for help, Chen Yang and his team had nowhere to turn.

Moreover, they didn’t think of this approach.

And even if they did, considering today’s operation results, they might not have been able to retreat safely; it carried significant risks.

Not everyone has the skills of Lu Chuan, who faced dozens of villagers without elevation.

Initially, Chen Yang wasn’t particularly supportive of Lu Chuan’s action plan.

They had previously sent people undercover into villages but failed.

This time it was unexpected how assertive Lu Chuan was.

Gourd Village’s issue is not entirely resolved.

Human trafficking isn’t complete once people are found.

Traffickers are guilty; the sellers are even guiltier.

Numerous charges apply, like rape, illegal detention, abuse, and more.

Additionally, the guilt isn’t solely on male perpetrators.

His relatives and accomplices must also face justice.

If these individuals aren’t apprehended, processed, and subjected to legal sanctions, the trend persists.

Hence, further work remains; rescuing them is only the first step, reuniting them with families and penalizing suspects is imperative.

"Captain Chen, regarding arresting suspects from Gourd Village, might still need your efforts."

"Captain Lu, you’re too kind; it’s our duty, our duty."

An incident like this happening within their jurisdiction makes arresting suspects the duty of Huangcheng County Criminal Investigation Team.

The initial lack of arrests was due to hostages and village inaccessibility.

But now hostages are freed, allowing police here to act. Once suspects leave the village, arrests ensue.

These individuals can’t remain in the village forever.

They must procure supplies from town.

The next night, Lu Chuan and others acted again.

The neighboring village had another child trafficked by Zhang Haiyan.

This time the rescue was successful.

Not only was the child rescued, but Lu Chuan and Zhang Hui apprehended the suspect.

With special circumstances in Gourd Village, involving more rescued people.

Thus, Lu Chuan opted for a swift resolution strategy.

The neighboring village differs.

The villagers hadn’t clashed with police.

The key reason is this village borders Gourd Village but is even more secluded; entering requires passing Gourd Village.

Police who couldn’t resolve Gourd Village naturally couldn’t bypass to the next village.

However, helicopters enabled direct access.

Lu Chuan tasked Huangcheng County Criminal Investigation Team with cleaning up afterward.

They remained busy, heading to Heishan.

"Brother Hui, this time we divide our forces."

"Heishan’s situation is relatively simple, likely completing the task in one to two days."

Lu Chuan preliminarily contacted Heishan where villagers didn’t dare clash with police.

Children trafficked by Zhang Haiyan were moved unbeknownst to anyone.

From a rescue perspective, minor issues occurred.

Baishui County Public Security Bureau contacted, investigating, and preparing.

"You handle the birth certificate case."

"Qingzhou’s Zheng Hu is difficult to apprehend."

According to Qian San, Zheng Hu is extremely cautious.

Even after frequent transactions with the government and was an early developed subordinate, contacting him requires half a month’s period.

"Leave Qian San to you; I’ll finish Heishan’s case and meet you afterward."

"Alright, I’ll wait for you in Qingzhou."

Heishan’s case seemed simpler.

Arrive, rescue the children, and arrest suspects.

Remaining tasks were less troublesome.

The main issue is Qingzhou’s Zheng Hu.

This elusive individual was challenging to confront.