Chapter 78

Chapter 78

The man lying on the ground and wailing suddenly felt emboldened upon seeing the armed forces officers. He stopped crying and half-heartedly tugged at Feng Xia's pant leg with one hand, shouting at the officers, "Comrades, oh, comrades! I met my sister who ran away from home a year ago on the road and wanted to take her back. But this girl jumped out and stood in my way and used some kind of magic to knock us all down so we couldn't stand. You have to get justice for me!"

The two or three women who had been numbed by the electric shock chimed in, "That's right, that's right, comrade! We all came from the same place. How can the capital be so lawless? Just a few words from us and she knocked us down. She's trying to kill me!"

"Oh, my back hurts so much, you little bitch, you really have a black heart."

The armed forces officers had no choice but to help the people up and escort them all to the police station. Feng Xia and the two elderly women were also taken along. The middle-aged man and the few women disagreed, waving their hands and saying they wouldn't go to the armed forces department, but it wasn't up to them. Since someone had reported the incident, the officers had to handle the case. The whole group was forcibly taken away.

At the station, the two groups were separated for statements. The girl who had been grabbed by the wrist by the man claiming she was his sister now had red and swollen eyes and was still crying from time to time. She tightly clutched Feng Xia's sleeve, not daring to let go for a moment.

Her voice choked with sobs: "I really don't know that man. My name is Guo Xiaodie, 18 years old, from Deyang. My parents are both from Deyang. Two years ago, I came to the capital with my brother and sister-in-law and work at the Capital Textile Factory. Comrade police officers, you can check it out. Everything I said is true." She was very agitated and was about to cry again as she spoke, and she also coughed. The female police officer saw that she was having trouble breathing and poured her a cup of warm water to drink, which made her feel a little better.

The police officers didn't suspect the girl of lying. They continued to ask Feng Xia, "Comrade, how did you determine that these two comrades are not brother and sister?"

Feng Xia raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of mockery appearing on her fair cheeks. Her voice was clear and crisp: "One of them looks like a pumpkin, the other has delicate features. This female comrade has fair skin and is dressed fashionably, obviously from a well-off family. Look at the man: he reeks of sweat and doesn't care about cleanliness. Not a single facial feature matches, their living habits are completely unrelated, and he forcibly grabs a woman in public. I suggest you investigate thoroughly—this should be an organized human trafficking ring."

At these words, the square-faced officer in charge immediately turned serious, his eyes sharp as knives, and his voice authoritative: "Comrade, when you speak, you must have evidence. You can't make wild accusations. What evidence do you have that those people are traffickers?"

Feng Xia waved her hand and pointed at the girl beside her who was trembling even more upon hearing the word "trafficker." She said, "Isn't this an obvious witness? He inexplicably wants to take a girl home to see her parents. You could say he mistook her, but when the girl very strongly expresses that she doesn't know him and doesn't want to go, and he still forcibly drags her away, what is that if not plain kidnapping? These are just common methods of traffickers."

The officer looked at Feng Xia and then at the girl. He instructed the lower-level police to contact the girl's relatives. Just then, the clerk who had been taking statements came out with a frown. The officer followed him out the door—apparently the questioning on the other side was not going smoothly.

Chen Yue sat together with her friend. The female police officer saw that both ladies were elderly and carrying many bags, so she poured them each a cup of water. The old lady then asked her to help contact Professor Zhu. Fortunately, the research institute had a telephone installed, so it was convenient to contact him.

The female police officer dialed the number. She remembered that this number seemed to be an internal one. Almost as soon as the ringtone sounded, someone answered: "Hello, may I ask who is calling?"

Female police officer: "We are from the West District Armed Forces Department of the capital. We are looking for Comrade Zhu Guangya."

"Okay, please wait a moment."

They probably went to call him. In a moment, a male voice was heard, which should be Comrade Zhu Guangya.

The female police officer handed the receiver to the old lady. The old lady's voice was gentle: "Oh, Old Zhu, that little girl of ours saw an injustice on the road and stepped in to help. Now she's giving a statement at the police station. She and I have bought too many things. Come pick me up."

Professor Zhu Guangya was baffled upon hearing this. How could shopping end up at the police station? But since it had already happened, what else could he do? He could only agree!

The old lady calmly hung up the phone. Her old friend beside her praised her, saying that Old Zhu was still as devoted as ever. She also said she had things to do and needed to go back to Peking University first. Since Old Zhu was coming, she would take her leave.

The old lady saw her friend out the door and then calmly sat back down to drink tea.

The female police officer couldn't quite figure out the old lady for a moment, but from their conversation, she guessed that the old lady might have some connection to Peking University. Given the old lady's demeanor, she was probably an old professor. At that, the female police officer grew more respectful toward her.

The square-faced officer here was actually the captain of the armed forces department and an expert in interrogation. As soon as the young officer described the abnormalities during the suspects' statements, he immediately knew something was off with them. Then, thinking about what that girl had said, he made a snap decision, ordering the suspects to be taken to the interrogation room, where he would personally question them.

The girl clutching Feng Xia's sleeve drank a few more sips of warm water before finally calming down. Basic information and the whole story of Guo Xiaodie had been recorded. The female police officer flipped a page in her notebook and prepared to take a statement from Feng Xia.

Female police officer: "Name, age, current address, and what happened."

Feng Xia: "Feng Xia, 14, the Institute 101 residential compound in the capital. I saw someone trying to abduct a female comrade, so I stepped in to stop it."

The female police officer was secretly surprised. Institute 101 was a national-level unit, and they had naturally heard of it. It was said that some of the researchers there traveled with guards; they were almost all pillars of the nation. She hadn't expected the girl to be from that area. With this thought, her gaze toward Feng Xia softened considerably. People have always respected knowledge, not to mention that Institute 101 had made great contributions to the country's technological development.

However, the female officer still said, "Young lady, you can't say that yet. It hasn't been determined whether it's a misunderstanding or not. We need to speak based on evidence." Her attitude was kind, and Feng Xia just smiled and said nothing.

Guo Xiaodie clutched Feng Xia's sleeve like a frightened little animal. Suddenly, a woman ran in from outside. She had short hair, a resolute face, looked about thirty years old, and wore a worried expression. As soon as she entered, she shouted, "Xiaodie!"

Guo Xiaodie staggered over and was embraced tightly by the woman, bursting into loud sobs.