Chapter 8 — My Daughter's Iron Box

The final line was barely legible: Father, if you are late, do not go find Aunt Meiqin to argue. "I am tired." Shen Chi Quong's hands were trembling violently. Even at this juncture, the little girl was still afraid of him returning home to quarrel, still afraid of implicating others. Officer Lu finished reading the slip of paper, his expression deeply grave.

This child is protecting someone.

It proves she encountered more than one child who was a victim.

Shen Chi Quong snapped his head up.

"What do you mean?"

Officer Lu looked out at the driving rain beyond the demolition building.

Behind the illegal labor, there might not be just a single workshop.

Some children, once taken away, are dispersed to various locations.

She left these things behind perhaps to buy time for the others.

Shen Chi Quong's chest felt as though it had been dealt a heavy blow. He suddenly remembered what Teacher Jiang had said. After Anan won the Olympiad, she had voluntarily asked to go to the orphanage to tutor the younger children. She had never been weak. She had simply been kept at home for too long without being treated like a child. The assistant officer quickly retrieved footage from a nearby grocery store. The image was very blurry. A black sedan was parked in the rain. The door opened, and a person in a black raincoat stepped out, lifting Shen Anan from the corner of the wall. The little girl's arms dangled, devoid of almost all strength. Shen Chi Quong glued his eyes to the screen, not blinking once. When the car turned, the taillights illuminated a puddle by the roadside. The last two digits of the license plate vaguely appeared as 37. Officer Lu immediately ordered his men to check nearby checkpoints. Half an hour later, results came in.

Three black sedans matched the conditions.

One had arrived at the county hospital.

One headed toward the provincial highway.

Another entered West River Town.

Shen Chi Quong immediately said, "To the hospital." Officer Lu cast a glance at him.

"Why?"

Shen Chi Quong tightly clutched his pack of stomach medication.

If she was that sick, and they were good people, their first reaction would definitely be to take her to the hospital.

If they were bad people, they wouldn't bring her from the clearance zone to a place with numerous surveillance cameras.

Officer Lu nodded.

"Check the hospital first."

When they arrived at the county hospital emergency room, it was already dawn. The emergency hall was not crowded. Upon seeing the photograph, the nurse immediately frowned.

This little girl was here before.

Shen Chi Quong could barely stand steady.

"Where is she?"

The nurse flipped through the logbook.

Admitted at one-twenty in the morning.

No family members registered to accompany her; the man who brought her left two thousand as a deposit and left immediately.

She woke up once and refused hospitalization.

Shen Chi Quong's voice was hoarse.

She left again?

The nurse's expression was complicated.

"No."

She is still in the emergency room for observation.

Just now, a woman came to inquire about her condition.

"Officer Lu instantly grew alert."

"What woman?"

The nurse recalled.

Around forty years old, short hair.

Claimed to be her aunt.

Shen Chi Quong's expression shifted instantly.

"Where is she?"

The nurse pointed toward the end of the corridor.

She left less than five minutes ago.

Shen Chi Quong bolted in pursuit. The elevator doors at the end of the corridor were just about to close. Through the gap, the face of a short-haired woman was revealed. Upon seeing Shen Chi Quong, the woman's gaze instantly turned frantic. Shen Chi Quong shouted in a hoarse voice.

"Stop right there."

The elevator doors closed. The numbers began ticking downward. Officer Lu rushed toward the stairwell.

Cut her off on the first floor.

Shen Chi Quong ran downstairs in a frenzy. Moving too hastily, his foot slipped, and his knee slammed hard against the steps. Yet he felt no pain, grabbing the wall to propel himself downward again. The ground floor lobby was noisy and chaotic. The short-haired woman had already reached the exit. Pulling out her phone, she spoke as she ran.

They've tracked us down.

The one in the hospital room cannot be kept.

Hearing those words, Shen Chi Quong's mind went completely blank. Cannot be kept. These four words were like a cold iron nail driving straight into his ears. Officer Lu lunged from the other side, tightly seizing the short-haired woman's wrist. The phone dropped to the floor, still connected. From the other end came a low female voice.

Handle it quickly.

"Do not let Chi Quong bring anyone back."

Shen Chi Quong stood a few paces away, his entire being frozen. That voice was far too familiar. Tang Meiqin. The short-haired woman began to struggle.

"What are you people doing?"

"I only came to visit a sick person."

"Officer Lu twisted her arm behind her back to subdue her."

Visiting a sick person and you try to run?

The short-haired woman remained stubborn.

Am I not allowed to rush off to work?

Shen Chi Quong stepped forward, picking up the phone from the ground. The caller's name was displayed on the screen. Meiqin. He stared intently at those two characters, then suddenly let out a laugh--a laugh with eyes completely webbed in blood. He turned on the speakerphone. The other end was still urging.

"Sister, say something."

"Has Shen Anan woken up yet?"

If she starts talking nonsense, just tell her that her father doesn't want her at all.

Tell her not to show her face back at home and disgrace us.