47: Chapter 47 Rampant

2:00 AM, at Director Li Zhongmin's home.

Director Li Zhongmin had just dozed off at his desk when he was startled awake by a rapid knocking at the door.

"Director Li! Director Li!"

He sat up abruptly and yanked the door open.

Standing outside was Xiao Liu. His face was deathly pale, his body covered in snow, and his lips were frozen purple, but his eyes were full of panic.

"What happened?"

Xiao Liu panted heavily, lowering his voice as he said, "Director Li, over at Qili Village... those three girls have been moved."

Director Li Zhongmin's mind buzzed. He grabbed Xiao Liu's arm and asked, "When? Where were they moved to?"

"Just a moment ago, around one o'clock."

"Xiao Zhu, who was staking out outside the village, called me. He said he saw Village Head Wei Laosan leading a few young men, escorting the three of them along that small path behind the mountain."

"It was dark and snowing heavily, so he didn't dare follow too closely, but from the sound of it, they headed deep into the back mountain."

Director Li Zhongmin let go of his arm, paced in a circle twice, then grabbed the phone to dial.

"Director Li!"

"You're calling now? Secretary Xu just left a little while ago..."

Director Li Zhongmin's hand froze in mid-air. That was true; Xu Weidong had just left.

But those three girls were being moved. Every minute of delay meant they were being taken further away and would be harder to find.

He gritted his teeth and dialed the number anyway.

It rang three times before being picked up.

"Director Li?"

Xu Weidong's voice was alert, clearly he hadn't slept either.

"Secretary Xu, something has happened."

Director Li Zhongmin explained the situation. There was silence on the other end for a few seconds, then Xu Weidong's voice came through.

"I understand."

"Wait at the station. I'm coming over immediately."

After hanging up, Director Li Zhongmin looked at Xiao Liu and said, "Tell Xiao Zhu to keep watching. You go too. Report any developments immediately."

"Be careful and don't get exposed."

Xiao Liu nodded and turned to rush into the wind and snow.

Director Li Zhongmin stood at the doorway, watching the snow outside, his fists clenched so tight they cracked.

These animals were fast.

In the back mountain of Qili Village, inside an abandoned forest ranger station.

The three girls were thrown in the corner, hands and feet bound, with rags stuffed in their mouths.

There were no lights in the room, only a few candles stuck on the windowsill, their flames flickering in the wind.

Village Head Wei Laosan sat on a broken chair, legs crossed, a cigarette dangling from his mouth.

Standing nearby were four or five young men. The youngest looked to be only eighteen or nineteen, the oldest no more than twenty-five or twenty-six. Their eyes gleamed with evil intent as they stared at the three girls in the corner.

The oldest girl was in her early twenties, with delicate features. Her clothes were disheveled, and there was blood at the corner of her mouth—a result of being slapped when she resisted earlier.

She leaned against the wall, her eyes filled with hatred, like a trapped wolf.

The other two girls were noticeably younger, looking to be around eighteen or nineteen. They were wearing down jackets and jeans; despite their disheveled state, it was clear they were students from the city.

One of them, with short hair and a round face, was crying so hard she couldn't speak. The other, who had a ponytail, bit her lip hard, forcing herself not to sob out loud.

"Alright, alright, stop crying."

Village Head Wei Laosan flicked the cigarette ash and said, "Crying is useless. No one is coming to save you."

The girl with the ponytail suddenly raised her head, spat out the rag in her mouth with force, and said in a hoarse but clear voice, "What you're doing is a crime!"

"We are students from Lvjiang City University. When the school finds out we're missing, they will definitely call the police!"

The young men froze for a moment, then burst into laughter.

"Call the police?"

A young man with a buzz cut laughed so hard he couldn't stand straight, as if he had heard the biggest joke.

"The police? Hahaha, do you think they can find you?"

The buzz-cut man leaned in toward the two students, grinning and revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Let me tell you, plenty of people go missing every year. If the police looked for every single one, they'd be at it until the end of time."

"Just stay here in the mountains. After the New Year, you'll be sent to good families, and you can forget about ever going home."

The ponytail girl's face turned pale, but she still glared at him stubbornly. "Aren't you... aren't you afraid of retribution?"

"Retribution?"

The buzz-cut man laughed again, looking back at Village Head Wei Laosan.

"Third Uncle, she said retribution!"

Village Head Wei Laosan exhaled a puff of smoke and said slowly, "Little girl, in this day and age, money is retribution."

"If you behave, once you get to someone's home and have a baby, you'll get used to it over time."

"But if you don't behave..."

He pointed to the woman with blood on her lip. "See that? That's an example."

The ponytail girl's tears finally flowed down. The buzz-cut man's gaze swept over the three girls, then he leaned into Village Head Wei Laosan's ear and whispered something.

Village Head Wei Laosan frowned, glanced at him, then looked at the three girls, pondering for a few seconds.

"Fine."

"You can have some fun with them, but don't do anything serious."

"This batch of goods has already been spoken for. It's Wang Dagou and Li Erdan from the east end of the village."

"Wang Dagou bought these two students at once, and Li Erdan wants the older one."

"If you mess them up, those two will never let you hear the end of it."

Hearing this, the eyes of the young men lit up.

The buzz-cut man was the first to step forward. He squatted in front of the ponytail girl, reached out, and pinched her cheek. "Lvjiang City University? A college student?"

"Heh heh, I've never touched a college student in my life."

The ponytail girl tried desperately to shrink back, but the wall was right behind her; there was nowhere to run.

"Don't touch her!"

The round-faced girl suddenly lunged forward, slamming her bound body into the buzz-cut man.

The buzz-cut man stumbled from the impact, and in a fit of rage, slapped her across the face.

"You bitch, you're looking to die!"

The other young men swarmed in and pinned the two girls down.

The woman with blood on her lip leaned against the wall, eyes closed, trembling all over.

Village Head Wei Laosan sat in his chair, watching all of this with cold eyes, even wearing a hint of a smile.

Twenty minutes later.

"Third Uncle, these two students are really nice. That son of a bitch Wang Dagou is in luck this time."

Another young man leaned in. "Third Uncle, Wang Dagou must have made a lot at the coal mine, right? Buying two at once, how much did that cost?"

Village Head Wei Laosan stubbed out his cigarette. "Sixteen thousand."

"Eight thousand for one, sixteen thousand for two."

"Holy shit, he's really willing to spend!"

"Willing to spend?"

Village Head Wei Laosan sneered. "Wang Dagou worked at the mine for a year; who knows how much money he saved up."

"Now that the mine is shut down, he's just worried about having nowhere to spend his money."

"Buying two wives to take back—one to do chores, one to have kids—it's a good deal."

The buzz-cut man smacked his lips. "Third Uncle, why is the mine shut down? I heard Boss Wan is trying to find a way to fix it."

Village Head Wei Laosan glanced at him. "Stop asking about that."

"The business at the mine has nothing to do with you. Just honestly deliver the goods and get the money, that's all."

Village Head Wei Laosan stood up, walked to the corner, and looked down at the three girls from above.

The ponytail girl's eyes were unfocused, the round-faced girl was still crying silently, and the woman with blood on her lip glared at him coldly, as if looking at a dead man.

"Get them dressed properly."

Village Head Wei Laosan ordered. "Deliver them to Wang Dagou's house before dawn. Don't delay on the road."

The young men clumsily put the tattered clothes back on the three girls, then dragged them out the door like livestock and threw them onto an agricultural tricycle parked at the entrance.

The engine roared to life, and the tricycle wobbled as it drove into the wind and snow.

Inside the forest ranger station, the candles went out, leaving only cigarette butts and shredded scraps of cloth all over the floor.

The snow fell harder and harder, quickly covering all traces.

3:20 AM, Hukuang Township Police Station.

Xu Weidong sat in Director Li Zhongmin's office, a hand-drawn map spread out in front of him.

It was a topographical map of the back mountain that Xiao Liu had drawn from memory, marking several potential hiding spots and transfer routes.

Director Li Zhongmin stood to the side, his eyes bloodshot and his face ashen.

"Secretary Xu, we can't wait any longer."

"If we keep waiting, there's no telling where those three girls will be taken."

Xu Weidong's gaze rested on the map, not moving for a long time.

"I know."

"But the more critical the moment, the less we can afford to lose our heads."

"When will the task force arrive?"

"Not until after daybreak at the earliest."

"They have to come from the county, and with the thick snow on the road, it will take at least three hours."

Xu Weidong was silent for a moment, then stood up and said, "Then we must do two things first."

"First, have Xiao Liu and the others keep watching to determine the transfer route and destination."

"Second, you contact the task force, brief them on the situation, and ask them to set out early, aiming to arrive before daybreak."

Director Li Zhongmin nodded and turned to make the call.

Xu Weidong walked to the window, looking out at the snowy night.

In the distance, the direction of Qili Village was pitch black.