Chapter 16 — My Daughter's Iron Box

Teacher Jiang held the little girl by her shoulders.

"Anan, do not rush."

Shen Anan shook her head, tears finally welling up in her eyes.

"I promised her."

"I told her that if I could get out, I would definitely bring someone back to save her."

Shen Zhiqiang stood outside the door, feeling as though his chest was being torn apart. He wanted to rush inside and tell the little child that her father would go to the rescue. Yet he knew all too well that what she needed right now was not a comforting promise, but a concrete result. Officer Lu stepped into the hospital room, maintaining a careful distance.

Shen Anan.

"Do you remember any other clues related to Yuan Yuan?"

Shen Anan closed her eyes, trying desperately to recall every detail.

She kept coughing continuously.

The person who took her away had a very strong, fishy smell on him.

He said they had to transfer an urgent shipment to South Harbor tonight.

Officer Lu immediately raised his head.

The South Harbor seafood market.

Shen Anan continued.

There was music playing inside the vehicle.

The song was very old.

The driver called the other man Old Qiu.

Officer Lu turned and strode out instantly. Shen Zhiqiang followed closely behind.

"I am going too."

Officer Lu frowned.

"You stay here."

Shen Zhiqiang shook her head.

Anan is waiting for news.

"I must see with my own eyes that Yuan Yuan is brought back safely."

Officer Lu stared at him for a few seconds.

"You may only wait outside."

"Do not take matters into your own hands."

Shen Zhiqiang nodded. By the time their vehicle departed from the hospital, night had already fallen completely. The South Harbor seafood market at night was even more chaotic than during the day. Trucks rumbled in and out continuously, and the ground was covered entirely in melted ice and fish scales. The air was thick with an overpowering, pungent stench of fish. Officer Lu led his men to split up and inspect the trucks. Shen Zhiqiang stood on the outer perimeter, his gaze sweeping across each parked vehicle. Suddenly, he heard the faint notes of a very old melody. The sound was drifting from a gray truck parked in a dark corner. The rear doors were half-closed. Next to it stood a man wearing a cap, talking on his phone. Shen Zhiqiang locked his eyes onto the license plate. At that very moment, his breathing nearly stopped completely. The last digits of the license plate were thirty-seven. Just as he was about to call out to the officers, a faint tapping sound came from inside the truck bed. One knock. Two knocks. It sounded as though someone was using their very last ounce of strength to beg for help from within.

Shen Zhiqiang did not rush forward immediately. He remembered Officer Lu warning him not to act rashly. But those two knocks from inside the truck struck directly against his bones and marrow. He turned toward the nearest officer and lowered his voice.

The gray truck, license plate ending in thirty-seven, there are people trapped inside the cargo bed.

The expression of the officer changed instantly, and he quickly spoke into his walkie-talkie to alert Officer Lu. The man in the cap seemed to sense the disturbance, abruptly turning his head to look. His phone was still pressed against his ear. The next second, he pulled open the cab door, preparing to climb inside. Without a moment of hesitation, Shen Zhiqiang lunged forward and yanked the truck door open. The man lashed out with his foot, kicking straight toward him. Shen Zhiqiang was thrown half a step backward, a sharp, suffocating pain flaring in his chest. Yet he refused to let go. He clung fiercely to the edge of the car door, his voice turning raw and hoarse.

"Are there children inside this truck?"

The man wore a vicious, ferocious expression.

Get lost.

With that, he threw another heavy punch. Shen Zhiqiang tilted his body to the side, and the fist brushed past his cheek. He caught a heavy, reeking scent of fish emanating from the man. It was the exact same smell that Shen Anan had described. In that fraction of a second, only a single thought remained in his mind. Anan remembered correctly. Yuan Yuan was right here. Officer Lu and his men rushed over from the opposite side. Realizing he had no way of escape, the man suddenly whipped a switchblade out from his waistband. The surrounding fishmongers screamed in terror and scattered to hide. Officer Lu shouted in a booming voice.

Drop the weapon.

Instead of complying, the man spun around and lunged violently toward the rear of the truck. Seeing him charge toward the cargo doors, Shen Zhiqiang felt a loud roar echo inside his head. He knew that Yuan Yuan was inside that very compartment. He lunged forward, wrapping his arms tightly around the man from behind. Both men tumbled together onto the ice-slicked ground. The switchblade grazed Shen Zhiqiang's arm, slicing open a bleeding gash. A wave of blinding pain washed over him, but he refused to loosen his grip. Officer Lu strode forward and forcefully pinned the assailant to the ground. Another officer immediately swung open the cargo doors. A blast of freezing air mixed with the sickening stench of fish rushed outward. Inside the truck bed, foam boxes were piled high. Tucked away in the very back corner, a little girl sat huddled into a tight ball. Her mouth was sealed with adhesive tape, and raw rope burns marred her delicate wrists. Her complexion was ashen, and her entire body trembled uncontrollably. The officer carefully lifted her out into his arms. The little girl opened her eyes, her lips moving to let out indistinct, muffled sounds. Shen Zhiqiang knelt on the ground, watching as the tape was gently peeled away from her face. Her very first words were not complaints of pain. She asked in a tiny voice.

"Where is sister Anan?"

Tears threatened to break free from Shen Zhiqiang's eyes. He rasped out.

She is at the hospital.

She told us to come and rescue you.

Yuan Yuan's eyes instantly turned red.

She did not break her promise to me.

She told me her father would come.

Shen Zhiqiang lowered his head as droplets of blood from his wounded arm fell steadily onto the ground. He had been absent far too many times in the past. But this once, at least, he had ensured that Shen Anan did not break her word.