46: Chapter 46 Communicating with the Leader

The night was deep, and the snow had not stopped.

Director Li Zhongmin's home was in the backyard of the Hukuang Township Police Station, consisting of two single-story rooms—a bedroom and a living room—with pitifully simple furniture.

In the living room, there was an old-fashioned wooden table and a few chairs.

A silk banner hung on the wall with the words "Guardian of the People" written on it, inscribed by the family of a miner whom Director Li Zhongmin had saved three years ago.

At this moment, Xu Weidong sat by the wooden table, holding a cup of hot tea in his hands. The tea had been brewed by Director Li Zhongmin's wife; it was coarse-leaf tea that tasted bitter.

Director Li Zhongmin paced back and forth in the room, his footsteps making the concrete floor creak as he walked from the east end to the west, then back again.

"Secretary Xu, I can't sit still."

Director Li Zhongmin stopped, bracing his hands on the edge of the table, his eyes rimmed with red.

"Those three girls—the youngest one I saw couldn't have been more than thirteen or fourteen."

"Where are they now? What are they doing? What kind of suffering are they enduring?"

Xu Weidong looked up at him and said in a calm voice, "Director Li, sit down first."

"I can't sit!"

"Then stand."

Xu Weidong said in an even tone, "But you need to think clearly. If you rush into Qili Village now, how many people can you actually save?"

Director Li Zhongmin froze. Xu Weidong set down his teacup and said, enunciating every word, "If you go now, you'll likely find nothing; they've surely moved the people already."

"Then you'll be surrounded by the villagers, and they'll charge you with trespassing."

"Even if you get lucky and find them, how will you bring them out?"

"There are over a hundred households in Qili Village, with no fewer than two hundred able-bodied young men. How many people are you taking with you?"

"Do you dare to aim your gun at the common people?"

Director Li Zhongmin opened his mouth, but no words came out.

"We must save them."

Xu Weidong stood up, walked to the window, and watched the heavy snow swirling outside.

"But we must use the right methods. Acting recklessly won't just fail to save them; it will alert the enemy, making those human traffickers more vigilant and harder to catch in the future."

Director Li Zhongmin took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

"Secretary Xu, tell me, what should we do? I'll listen to you."

Xu Weidong turned around, his gaze calm. "First, seek reinforcements from the City Public Security Bureau task force stationed in Changyuan County."

"Report the situation in Qili Village in full detail and request support from superiors."

Director Li Zhongmin frowned. "The City Public Security Bureau task force... will they believe me?"

"How many times have I reported this to the county bureau before? Every single time, Secretary Hu Qiu has berated me severely."

"He said I was making things up and that I was crazy about getting a promotion."

"The past is the past; the present is the present."

Xu Weidong said with certainty, "The leader of the City Public Security Bureau task force was personally appointed by Police Chief Zheng Xilin, and their mission is the Crackdown on Organized Crime."

"This kind of matter in Qili Village is exactly what they are supposed to handle."

"If you explain the situation clearly, they won't just stand by and watch."

Director Li Zhongmin hesitated for a moment, then said, "But..."

"There are no 'buts'."

Xu Weidong interrupted him. "You just focus on the report; I'll handle the rest."

Director Li Zhongmin looked at him and suddenly felt that there was something indescribable about this young man.

It was a kind of confidence—the confidence of having someone backing him, and even more so, the confidence of being willing to take responsibility.

Director Li Zhongmin finally nodded and said, "Alright, I'll report it first thing tomorrow morning."

"No, now."

Xu Weidong checked his watch and said, "It's 11:30; there's still time."

"Call the task force's duty office and say you have a major lead and are requesting emergency support."

"I'll wait here for your news."

Director Li Zhongmin paused, then immediately grabbed the phone on the table and began dialing.

Xu Weidong walked to the other end of the living room, took his phone out of his pocket, found a number, and dialed it.

The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up.

"Hello?"

A slightly weary voice came from the other end; it was Secretary Wan Xiaohan.

"Secretary Wan, it's me, Xu Weidong."

There was a moment of silence on the other end, then Secretary Wan Xiaohan's voice became clear.

"Comrade Weidong? Calling so late—what happened?"

Xu Weidong took a deep breath and reported everything he had seen and heard in Qili Village today, point by point.

The madwoman, the pigsty, the three bound women, the abnormal reactions of the village cadres, the fact that human traffickers had been rampant for years... he left out no details.

He spoke for nearly ten minutes, and Secretary Wan Xiaohan listened the entire time without interrupting once.

When Xu Weidong finished, there was a long silence on the other end of the line.

After a long while, Secretary Wan Xiaohan's voice sounded again, much deeper than before.

"Comrade Weidong, are you saying that right under our noses, within the jurisdiction of Lvjiang City, there are people blatantly trafficking human beings? Selling even children?"

"Yes."

Xu Weidong's voice was very low. "And it hasn't just been for a day or two."

"As far as I know, at least five years."

There was another silence on the other end.

"I thought the sky over Changyuan County was very dark."

Secretary Wan Xiaohan said slowly, "But I didn't expect it to be this dark."

"If even a small village below is such a den of iniquity, what must the whole of Changyuan County... be like?"

Xu Weidong did not speak.

"Comrade Weidong!"

Secretary Wan Xiaohan's voice returned to calm, and he said with a cold tone, "On this matter, I support you on behalf of the Municipal Party Committee."

"No matter who is involved, no matter how great the resistance is, you must investigate it to the end for me."

"Whatever resources you need, just say so."

Xu Weidong felt a warmth in his heart. "Thank you, Secretary Wan, but I still need to report this to one more person."

"Who?"

"Mayor Lin."

"Police Chief Zheng Xilin of the Municipal Public Security Bureau is an official promoted by Mayor Lin. If Mayor Lin can step in to coordinate, the support from the City Public Security Bureau will arrive faster."

Secretary Wan Xiaohan was silent for a second, then laughed. "Good lad, you've got a clear head."

"Go ahead and call; I'll give Secretary Lin Juncai a heads-up."

"Remember, I'm shouldering this matter; you just focus on pushing forward."

After hanging up, Xu Weidong stood by the window, watching the snow outside.

In the room, Director Li Zhongmin was still on the phone with the task force. His voice was very low, but one could tell he was trying hard to control his emotions.

Xu Weidong dialed another number; this one was answered quickly.

"Comrade Weidong?"

There was a hint of surprise in Secretary Lin Juncai's voice, along with a joy he couldn't quite hide.

"Calling so late—is there some good news you want to share with me?"

Xu Weidong knew clearly that Secretary Lin Juncai was being so warm to him partly because of his background, and partly because Secretary Lin Juncai wanted to use him to establish a connection with his father, Xu Tianhua.

But now was not the time to worry about such things; being able to mobilize resources to solve the problem was what mattered.

"Mayor Lin, there is indeed something I need to report to you."

Xu Weidong said respectfully, and recounted the situation in Qili Village once again.

After hearing it, Secretary Lin Juncai was silent for even longer than Secretary Wan Xiaohan.

After a long while, he spoke, his voice filled with complex emotions. "Comrade Weidong, do you know why I was silent?"

"Please instruct me, Mayor Lin."

"I'm thinking, have I, as Mayor, been too derelict in my duties?"

Secretary Lin Juncai's voice was somewhat hoarse. "Right under my nose, such things happened, and I didn't know a single thing about it."

"If you hadn't gone down to investigate, and if that police station director didn't still have a bit of conscience, those three girls would still be tied up in a pigsty, and before the New Year, they would have been sold off to who knows where."

Xu Weidong did not speak.

"I know about this matter now."

Secretary Lin Juncai's tone became firm. "Rest assured, I will have Police Chief Zheng Xilin look into it personally."

"The City Public Security Bureau task force stationed in Changyuan County will cooperate fully with your operation from now on."

"Whatever number of people you need, whatever support you need, call Police Chief Zheng Xilin directly and tell him that I said so."

Xu Weidong said solemnly, "Thank you, Mayor Lin."

"What are you thanking me for?"

Secretary Lin Juncai gave a bitter laugh. "Comrade Weidong, although I also want to advance, I, Lin Juncai, am first and foremost a Party member and a Mayor."

"If I didn't know about such things, that would be one thing, but since I know now, if I don't handle it, then I've worn this uniform in vain."

Secretary Lin Juncai paused, then added, "If you have any progress on your end, report to me at any time. If there is anything that requires me to step forward, just say so."

After hanging up, Xu Weidong stood by the window, watching the snow outside.

Inside the room, about an hour had passed.

Director Li Zhongmin also hung up the phone and walked over, a hint of excitement on his face. "Secretary Xu, the task force suddenly agreed!"

"They had been questioning the truthfulness of my words, but unexpectedly, after a while, they suddenly changed their tune and said they would support us."

"They said they would organize an elite force first thing tomorrow morning and station themselves in Hukuang Township under the guise of an exercise."

"As long as we give the order, we can act at any time!"

Xu Weidong nodded without speaking.

Director Li Zhongmin looked at him and suddenly asked, "Secretary Xu, who did you call just now?"

"Secretary Wan and Mayor Lin."

Director Li Zhongmin paused. "You called both of them?"

These two don't seem to get along, do they?

"I called both."

Director Li Zhongmin opened his mouth, and it took him a long while to squeeze out a sentence.

"Secretary Xu, who exactly... are you?"

Xu Weidong turned his head to look at him and chuckled. "I am the Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of Hukuang Township."

"The rest is not important."

Director Li Zhongmin looked at him and suddenly felt his eyes stinging.

This young man, twenty-four years old, was not much older than his son.

Yet, the calmness, the composure, and the ability to mobilize resources at critical moments that he possessed were things many old political hands would never learn in their entire lives.

"Director Li."

Xu Weidong walked to the table, picked up the cup of tea that had gone cold, and took a sip.

"For tomorrow's matter, you need to be mentally prepared."

Director Li Zhongmin was taken aback. "What kind of preparation?"

"Once this matter in Qili Village is exposed, it won't be a small case anymore."

Xu Weidong looked at him and said in a flat tone, "Who is behind the human traffickers? Who is backing them?"

"Where did those trafficked women come from? Where were they sold to?"

"How many children has Qili Village bought and sold over these years? Where did these children go?"

"Every thread pulled out could potentially lead to big fish."

Xu Weidong paused, then asked, "Are you going to investigate or not?"

Director Li Zhongmin was silent for a few seconds, then smiled—a very calm, open smile.

"I'll investigate."

"At worst, I'll stop being this director."

"Anyway, I've had enough of being a coward all these years."

Xu Weidong looked at him and nodded.

"Then it's settled."

Xu Weidong stood up and put on his overcoat.

"Tomorrow, once the task force arrives, we will act."

"On your end, make a list of people in the station you can trust. They must be capable and tight-lipped."

"As for tonight's matter, besides you and me, don't let a third person know."

Director Li Zhongmin nodded solemnly. "Understood."

Xu Weidong pushed open the door and walked into the wind and snow.

Tomorrow, he would roll up his sleeves and get to work in earnest!

It could also be considered the first fire he, the newly arrived Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee, would light upon taking office!