Chapter 12 — My Daughter's Iron Box

"That was not as if I forced her to drop out of school."

It was she who insisted on leaving.

If she had only been willing to bow her head, if she had only been willing to listen, would things ever have turned out this way?

Shen Zhiqiang looked at her, and suddenly, this household felt chillingly, terrifyingly unfamiliar. In the past, he had always convinced himself that Tang Meiqin's harshness was merely a matter of bark being worse than bite. He had convinced himself that Shen Anan's silence was simply a sign of maturity and understanding. In the end, he had been the one to personally hand others the weapons and the confidence to shatter his own daughter.

The investigators quietly packed away the collected evidence. Just before she was taken away, Tang Meiqin suddenly whipped her head around and glared viciously at He Jiahao.

"You dared to betray me?"

He Jiahao shuddered violently, yet he refused to shrink back. "In a low, trembling voice," he replied.

"Mother, it was you who lied to them in the first place."

As Tang Meiqin was being escorted out through the doorway, she was still spewing venomous curses. The elevator doors slid shut, sealing away her voice until it vanished completely. Shen Zhiqiang stood alone in the small balcony alcove, slowly opening the notebook Shen Anan had left behind. A small slip of paper drifted out from between the pages. Written upon it was an address. Linshui county, Tay Ha township, Qingqiao warehouse. Directly beneath it was another line of handwriting. If I cannot return, there are still people there.

Shen Zhiqiang clutched the scrap of paper, his fingers tightening instantly until the knuckles turned white. "Officer Lu, upon receiving the photograph, immediately dispatched a request for verification to Linshui county." The Qingqiao warehouse was situated on the remote outskirts of Tay Ha township. In its early years, the area had served as a grain storage station, but it had long since been abandoned before being privately leased out to store bolts of fabric. The surrounding region lacked surveillance cameras, and at night, it was virtually devoid of human presence. Unless Shen Anan had written down that address with her own hand, it would have been nearly impossible to track down in such a short span of time.

Shen Zhiqiang did not return to the hospital. He accompanied the investigators directly to Linshui county. Along the way, Officer Lu's phone call came through.

Shen Anan has regained consciousness.

Shen Zhiqiang's breath hitched.

"How is she?"

Her body is still quite weak, but she was able to speak for a short while.

"Ms. Jiang is staying right by her side, so her emotional state is much more stable than it was this morning."

Shen Zhiqiang gripped the phone tightly.

"Did she say anything?"

The person on the other end of the line fell silent for a moment.

She asked if you had already gone to look for those children.

Shen Zhiqiang closed his eyes.

"Yes."

Officer Lu continued.

She said the Qingqiao warehouse was merely a transit point.

The place where people are actually being held might be the old water pumping station located directly behind the warehouse.

She also said that there is a young girl there named Xiao Man, "who has been running a high fever for a very long time."

Shen Zhiqiang snapped his eyes wide open.

She has been brought to such a wretched state herself, yet she still remembers to worry about others.

"Officer Lu's voice grew heavy."

She is not trying to put on a brave face.

She is providing us with crucial clues.

Shen Zhiqiang murmured quietly.

"I know."

This time, I will listen to her.

As dusk fell, a convoy of several vehicles drove silently into Tay Ha township. The sky was overcast and sullen, the roadside puddled with stagnant water. Viewed from a distance, the Qingqiao warehouse loomed like a dark, crouching beast amidst the desolate wasteland. The iron doors were pulled half-shut. There was no one on guard at the entrance. Inside, the cavernous space was stacked haphazardly with rolls of ruined fabric and ancient wooden shelving. The air was thick with a pervasive, moldy stench.

The officers split into two teams to press forward. Shen Zhiqiang was instructed to remain outside. He stood rooted before the entrance, his eyes locked fixedly upon that rusted iron door. Not long afterward, a shout echoed from within.

There are signs of recent habitation.

"There is a concealed door in the back."

Shen Zhiqiang could no longer stand still; he lunged forward a couple of steps, only to be blocked by an officer.

"You cannot go in."

"It is not safe inside."

He gritted his teeth and retreated. A few minutes later, Officer Lu emerged from the rear exit of the warehouse. His expression was grave and grim.

The people were just moved away.

The bedding is still warm.

There are empty infusion bags and fever-reducing medication scattered on the ground.

A sharp buzzing erupted in Shen Zhiqiang's mind.

They just left?

Officer Lu nodded.

Someone might have tipped them off.

The first person who sprang to Shen Zhiqiang's mind was Tang Meiqin. However, she had already been restrained and detained. This could only mean one thing: within this dark network, there were still accomplices who had yet to be exposed.

The old water pumping station behind the warehouse was forced open shortly after. The interior was pitch-black and damp. Lined up against the walls were several crude wooden sleeping platforms. Scattered across the beds were the worn clothes of young children, alongside a few shattered bowls. Deep within the innermost wall, several crooked lines had been scrawled in pencil. "Do not be afraid." "Wait for daybreak."

Shen Anan had been here.

Shen Zhiqiang stared at those final four words, and his eye sockets instantly turned burning red. He raised a hand as if to touch them, but froze mid-air, terrified that he might disturb the faint trace she had left behind.

Officer Lu discovered a torn piece of paper tucked into a corner of the pumping station. The fragment appeared to have been ripped from a ledger. Written upon it were the names and ages of several children. Xiao Man, thirteen. A Dong, fourteen. Vien Vien, twelve. Further down was a column detailing their destinations. The destinations of two among them had been heavily crossed out. Behind the name Xiao Man were written two words. Tonight.

Shen Zhiqiang stared intently at those two words, his voice taut with panic.

They were planning to move the girl tonight?

Officer Lu immediately issued an order to thoroughly inspect all surrounding exit routes. Adjacent to the warehouse ran an abandoned narrow path that led directly to the Tay Ha dockyard. The dock had ceased commercial operations long ago, but during the rainy season when water levels swelled, small boats could still navigate the waterways.