Chapter 520: Little Anti-Trafficking Hero (4)
Back then, at the train station, Su Li had been filled with hatred for the human traffickers, hitting and spitting on them. And this man had seen it all?
Mr. Zhang saw the look on Su Li’s face and knew what she was thinking. He nodded at her in confirmation.
"It’s just as we expected."
Su Li was stunned. "So... that’s why he targeted Little Mo again?"
She never knew such a venomous snake had been watching them all this time.
Mr. Zhang sighed. "It’s more than that, Su Li. He didn’t just go after Little Mo. From the sound of it, he’s tried to go after you too."
He thought for a moment. "Last night, I analyzed his feelings toward you. He seems very frustrated, as if he’s unhappy that you’ve escaped time and time again."
The moment Su Li and Little Tang Mo heard this, they immediately thought of the kidnapping!
The kidnapping that had forced Little Tang Mo to speak out of fear for her safety!
At first, she had thought Ye Xilan was behind it, but it turned out that wasn’t the case. The investigation eventually went cold, leading nowhere. And now it turned out to be this trafficker!
"My God, they’re... they’re despicable!"
Su Li gritted her teeth. "If I had been captured that time, would I have ended up like those other girls?"
The better outcome would have been getting sold off to some remote mountain village where no one could hear you scream, to be bought by some unknown man as a wife...
Otherwise, I would have been sold into some special establishments, forced into prostitution...
Su Li couldn’t help but shiver.
If she hadn’t been lucky enough to escape last time, she couldn’t even bear to imagine the consequences.
Mr. Zhang understood how Su Li felt, but he had more to say.
"Su Li, I’ve analyzed his words. It seems he thinks you were captured this time."
This time, Su Li froze. "This time? But I wasn’t attacked this time. They didn’t make a move on me. Why would he think..."
Su Li’s words died in her throat as a possibility suddenly occurred to her.
"No... that’s not right... Miao... Miao Zhi!"
Mr. Zhang looked astonished. "Are you saying?"
Su Li exhaled slowly. "Yes. I’m saying it’s possible... they mistook Miao Zhi for me, and so..."
"Is that possible?" Mr. Zhang asked doubtfully, though deep down, he already believed it.
Su Li gritted her teeth and didn’t answer.
If things were really as she suspected, then Miao Zhi... might have been caught in a disaster meant for someone else.
She might have taken the fall for her.
Little Tang Mo now fully understood what Su Li meant. His face was a mask of shock, and his little hands clenched into fists.
He hadn’t been particularly fond of Miao Zhi before, but she had seen him outside, worried about him, and asked what was wrong. She’d even offered to take him home.
She was just being kind. But if her kindness in speaking to him had led her into this disaster, then...
Little Tang Mo bit his lip and suddenly grabbed Su Li’s hand.
"Mom, we have to save Sister Miao Zhi. We have to get her out."
His small face was full of determination, but tears welled up in his eyes, and his little hand trembled slightly.
If something really happened to Miao Zhi because of this, Little Tang Mo would probably blame himself for the rest of his life.
Su Li took a deep breath, knelt down, and pulled Little Tang Mo into a hug, patting his back.
"Okay. We’ll save her."
"We’ll save her."
We have to save her!
Mr. Zhang watched the mother and son, at a loss for words.
He didn’t know Miao Zhi, but he had met Father Miao. He held the old hero in high esteem and wanted to find Miao Zhi as soon as possible, but... it wasn’t going to be that easy.
Beard definitely knew where Miao Zhi was, but getting him to confess would be extremely difficult.
Beard was perfectly aware of his situation, which made him even harder to deal with!
Mr. Zhang’s expression was grim, but he forced himself to sound reassuring for Su Li and Little Tang Mo’s sake.
"We don’t know the full truth yet, so don’t blame yourselves too much. We will investigate this matter with all urgency."
Su Li held Little Tang Mo, patting his back, but didn’t reply immediately.
Mr. Zhang continued, "Su Li, you two should go home for now. Go home and get some rest."
Su Li was silent for a moment. She didn’t move to leave, but asked in a low voice, "Can I see that man?"
Mr. Zhang immediately shook his head. "No, it’s too dangerous."
He couldn’t risk it. If that man saw Su Li, he might clam up for good. Su Li couldn’t take that risk either.
Of course Su Li knew that. She didn’t want to see that terrifying man either, but she had to do something.
She thought for a moment before saying, "Didn’t you say he’s been asking to see us? If I see him, maybe I can get something out of him."
Little Tang Mo immediately spoke up, "I’ll go too."
This time, Su Li and Mr. Zhang objected in unison. "No."
Su Li set Little Tang Mo down, gently stroked his hair, then looked up at Mr. Zhang with a serious expression.
"Mr. Zhang, please let me see him. I can’t just do nothing. My conscience won’t let me."
Mr. Zhang heaved a deep sigh.
「An hour later.」
Su Li took a deep breath to steel herself, then followed Mr. Zhang into the interrogation room.
Inside the interrogation room, Beard was not only handcuffed but also had his entire body, including his feet, bound with ropes, making it difficult for him to even move.
Because he hadn’t been allowed to rest or sleep, Beard’s eyes were bloodshot. After rounds of questioning, he looked terrible and utterly exhausted.
However, the police’s previous efforts had managed to pique his interest.
When he saw Su Li enter behind Mr. Zhang, his eyes instantly lit up.
But then the corner of his mouth twitched, and he spat her name through gritted teeth, "Su Li!"
Every syllable was filled with bone-deep hatred.
He scoffed and looked at Mr. Zhang. "I can’t believe you actually brought her to me!"
The next second, his expression turned cold, and a bloodthirsty smile spread across his face. "To think my entire operation was destroyed by you!"
His chest heaved violently, his emotions clearly unstable. "Tell me, how did you do it?"
After entering, Su Li sat down quietly and watched Beard, her eyes filled with the look one gives a stranger.
At this, she finally spoke.
"What can I say? The person who destroyed your operation wasn’t me. I... I’m completely in the dark. I don’t know you, and I have no idea why you wanted to see me."
Beard’s mouth twisted for a moment. "Stop lying and playing dumb. So, how were my men’s skills? How many did you go through? Someone like you definitely needs a good ’breaking in’."
He gave a chilling smile. "I gave them special instructions, you know. To give you a ’warm welcome’."
Su Li’s brow twitched slightly. "I don’t know what you’re talking about. I think you’ve made a mistake. I’ve been perfectly fine. I never fell into the hands of people like you."
Beard’s face stiffened.
"You don’t even know when you’ve grabbed the wrong person... No wonder your whole group was wiped out." Su Li shook her head with a look of mock pity.
Beard suddenly began to struggle, but he couldn’t move, bound as he was.
"Impossible, impossible! How could we have gotten the wrong person? We scouted the location in advance, and we had that bitch’s help. There’s no way we could have made a mistake!"
Su Li’s eyes narrowed dangerously as she immediately seized on the key point. "What bitch? Who are you talking about?"