56: Chapter 56 Sweeping Away the Lawless

In May, the weather in Changyuan County had already turned warm.

On the provincial highway leading to the county seat, two police vans sped along, one after the other.

The vans were transporting the key ringleaders from Qili Village: Village Secretary Wei Dabiao, Village Head Wei Laosan, and several other core members involved in the trafficking.

Wearing handcuffs and leg irons, they all hung their heads, looking like eggplants wilted by frost.

At four o'clock this morning, Xu Weidong personally coordinated with the County Public Security Bureau and the Hukuang Township Police Station, assembling over fifty officers to launch a surprise raid on Qili Village.

The operation went smoothly; the criminal suspects, still sound asleep, were pinned down on their kang beds before they could even react.

When those girls were rescued, they hugged the female police officers and cried for a full half hour.

The older women stood in the sunlight, staring blankly at the sky, tears streaming silently down their faces.

Xu Weidong did not stay at the scene long. He stood at the entrance of the village, watching the criminal suspects being escorted out and the rescued women and children, his heart filled with a complex mix of emotions.

Three months! Three whole months!

If it hadn't been halted back then, they could have been spared three months of suffering.

But there are no "ifs" in this world...

"Secretary Xu, the people have been taken away."

Director Li Zhongmin walked over, a long-lost smile on his face.

"This time, we've finally lived up to this police uniform."

Xu Weidong nodded and said, "Be careful on the road."

"Don't worry, Deputy Director Zhang is leading the team personally; nothing will go wrong."

Xu Weidong watched the convoy drive away before turning back to the township office.

At ten in the morning, the phone rang. It was Secretary Liu Qingfeng.

"Secretary Xu, something has happened."

Xu Weidong's heart tightened as he asked, "What is it?"

"The vehicle transporting Village Secretary Wei Dabiao and the others was involved in a car accident on the county road."

Secretary Liu Qingfeng said in a low voice, "A large truck was driving against traffic and crashed directly into the first van."

"Village Secretary Wei Dabiao, Village Head Wei Laosan, and the others are all seriously injured and are currently being resuscitated at the County Hospital."

Xu Weidong furrowed his brows and asked, "What about the truck driver?"

"He is also seriously injured and has been sent to the hospital."

Secretary Liu Qingfeng paused, then added, "But the driver's identity... is a bit problematic."

"What kind of problem?"

"He has terminal liver cancer, and his family is dirt poor. According to his family, he suddenly said he needed to go to the county seat on business yesterday and left early this morning."

"No one knows what business he had, and even less why he would drive against traffic to hit a police vehicle."

Xu Weidong fell silent. He immediately understood the crux of the matter.

Terminal liver cancer... impoverished family... suddenly leaving home... driving against traffic to hit a police vehicle!

With these words linked together, anyone could see that there was a problem.

"Director Liu, can that driver be saved?"

"The doctors say it's unlikely."

"He was already in the terminal stage of liver cancer, and the impact was too severe; I'm afraid that..."

Xu Weidong's grip on the phone tightened.

"I understand."

"Director Liu, do everything you can to save them for now, and notify me immediately if there are any updates."

After hanging up, he stood by the window, looking at the gray sky outside.

This was no car accident. This was silencing a witness!

Someone didn't want Village Secretary Wei Dabiao and the others to talk...

Those people moved truly fast, fast enough to be chilling.

That afternoon, Deputy Secretary You Chuan's people arrived.

It was Deputy Secretary You Chuan's secretary, a young man in his early thirties, who was very polite and low-key.

He brought a file bag, handed it personally to Xu Weidong, and said only one sentence.

"Deputy Secretary You Chuan says that Secretary Xu will find this useful."

Xu Weidong opened the file bag and pulled out the contents—a stack of documents.

On top was a whistleblowing letter reporting that Committee Member Chen Qing, the Political and Legal Affairs Commission member for Hukuang Township, had long been accepting bribes from Qili Village and providing protection for human trafficking dens.

Attached below were bank transfer records, photos, and transcripts of recordings.

The evidence was detailed, the timeline clear, and it was written clearly down to the exact year, month, and day of how much money was received.

As Xu Weidong flipped through the materials, his heart grew increasingly puzzled.

Why would Deputy Secretary You Chuan send this?

He was Zheng Dongguo's man and a core member of the conservative faction in Lvjiang City.

Three months ago, when Secretary Xu Qing halted the investigation into Qili Village, Deputy Secretary You Chuan had remained silent from beginning to end.

He hadn't stepped forward then; what did it mean for him to suddenly send evidence now?

A gesture of goodwill? Or was there another motive?

Xu Weidong thought for a long time but couldn't figure it out.

But he knew one thing: these pieces of evidence were real and usable, and that was enough.

As for what game Deputy Secretary You Chuan was playing, that could be dealt with later.

That evening, Xu Weidong took the materials to the County Commission for Discipline Inspection.

Early the next morning, Committee Member Chen Qing was taken away for disciplinary detention.

When Committee Member Chen Qing was taken away, he was already a broken man.

He had been running a high fever, and when the Discipline Inspection Commission officers hoisted him from his bed, his legs were as limp as noodles.

He kept muttering about "crackdowns" and "shooting," his eyes unfocused, like a madman.

Forty-eight hours later, Committee Member Chen Qing started talking.

He confessed far more than Xu Weidong had imagined—the human trafficking network in Qili Village, how much money he had received, who he had bribed, who his superiors were... all of this was within expectations.

But what shocked Xu Weidong the most was another matter that Committee Member Chen Qing confessed to.

"Qili Village is just a transit point. The young and pretty ones are sent to another place."

"I don't know exactly where it is, but I know it's a surrogacy operation."

"Those women are sent in and it's just like being in prison; they can only come out after giving birth."

"As for the children... I don't know who takes them away."

A surrogacy transit point...

This term, which Secretary Wan Xiaohan had mentioned, finally had solid proof.

Xu Weidong worked through the night to organize the materials and, early the next morning, personally delivered them to Qiu Ping's office.

Qiu Ping remained silent for a long time after reading the materials.

"Comrade Weidong, this matter involves too much."

Xu Weidong nodded and said, "I know."

"Are you still going to investigate?"

"Yes."

Qiu Ping looked at him and suddenly smiled, "Good. Mayor Lin was right; you are someone who can get things done."

Qiu Ping stood up, walked to the window, and with his back to Xu Weidong, said, "You can investigate, but be careful."

"Those people will not sit idly by and wait for death."

Xu Weidong did not answer; he knew those people were already in action.

At the very same time Committee Member Chen Qing was taken away, another event was unfolding in Lüjiang City.

In the evening, the daughter of Secretary Xu Qing, the Secretary of the Municipal Political and Legal Affairs Commission, was returning home from work. As soon as she entered the residential complex, she was stopped by a masked man.

The man said nothing, only using his finger to draw a line across her neck.

Secretary Xu Qing's daughter looked down and saw a red line drawn on her neck with lipstick, though she didn't know when it had been done.

By the time she looked up, the man was already gone.

Frightened, she ran home and tearfully called Secretary Xu Qing.

When Secretary Xu Qing rushed home, his daughter was still trembling.

He carefully inspected the "red line"; fortunately, it wasn't a real cut, just drawn with lipstick.

But the meaning was clear: the red line on your daughter's neck could become real at any moment.

Secretary Xu Qing's hands were shaking. He knew who had done this, and he knew what it meant.

Those people were warning him.

That night, a mysterious phone call came in.

"Old Xu, pack your things."

"Someone will pick you up tomorrow morning to take you to Diannan."

"Everything is arranged over there; cross the border and head to Southeast Asia."

"There will be one million US dollars in your overseas account—enough for your family to spend for a lifetime."

Secretary Xu Qing held the phone, remaining silent for a long time.

"What about those people?"

"Those people will be handled. After you leave, nothing will have anything to do with you anymore."

Secretary Xu Qing hung up the phone and stood by the window, looking at the night outside.

He knew this was the best choice. If he stayed, only imprisonment awaited him.

If he left, he could at least protect his family and keep that money.

He began to pack, taking only the essentials.

Documents, cash, and a few changes of clothes.

Everything else was left behind.

Halfway through packing, the doorbell rang.

Secretary Xu Qing's hand trembled as he walked to the door and looked through the peephole.

Standing outside the door were four people. The one in the lead was the Director of the Third Discipline Inspection and Supervision Office of the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection!

Secretary Xu Qing closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and then opened the door.

"Comrade Xu Qing, we are from the Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection. There are some matters we would like you to explain. Please come with us."

Secretary Xu Qing said nothing, only turning back to glance into the room.

The bedroom door was slightly ajar; his wife and daughter were inside. He didn't know how to say goodbye to them.

"Let's go."

The door closed behind him, and the four Provincial Commission for Discipline Inspection officers led him downstairs.

The car started and drove into the night.

Everything was like a dream, a bubble, a phantom!