Chapter 2 — Traps for Mother-in-law

Police Co synchronized the video to the command unit at the scene. She held the headset, her voice decisive: "The subjects have completed the handover. The baby was placed in the black box. The suspect's car can move east. All teams pay attention, priority is given to ensuring the safety of the newborn." I suddenly heard myself asking: "Is there a lack of air in the box?" Policeman Co looked at me: "We will not let it be closed for too long."But the traffickers did not care about science. They only care if the baby cries or not. Very quickly, there was movement at the abandoned gas station. A silver-gray commercial vehicle drove out the back door, without turning on the headlights, along the broken road and turned out. The police car did not immediately chase, but let a normal car follow behind. I know they're waiting for a safer capture location. But I can't wait. With each passing second, I felt Doan Doan in that box breathing less. Tham Lo's phone call came in. "I'm following the second car. Hua Duong, don't be afraid." "Don't go too close." "I know." Her mouth said she knew, but her voice was fierce and scary. "Where is that old woman?" I asked. “Ma Que Phan? Still at the gas station, counting money.” I closed my eyes. At the gas station, another group of police surrounded it. A few minutes later, news came from the headset: Ma Que Phan had been controlled, and thirty thousand yuan in cash was confiscated at the scene. Police Officer Co gently scolded: "Animals." I said nothing. I just stared in the direction the commercial vehicle had gone. Fifteen minutes later, news came from the front: The suspect car did not go onto the provincial road as expected but turned into an old brick factory on the outskirts of the city. The locator also flashed back near that area. It only lit up for exactly one second, I immediately sat up straight. "The baby is still in the car!" Police Officer Co immediately reported the coordinates. The police car accelerated, its tires grinding over the rough road, making my stomach churn violently. The old brick factory is located on the outskirts of the city. Next to it is the resettlement site that is being demolished. Gray walls, iron frames, abandoned cement pipes. The wind blew through inside, like someone was crying. When we arrived, the police had blocked two exits. But the terrain inside is very complicated. The commercial vehicle was parked in the yard, the car door was wide open, but the person had disappeared. The black cooler is also no longer in the car. I immediately grabbed the car door. Police Officer Co held me back: "You can't come in." "I recognize your child's cry." "There's a suspect inside." "My son is in there!" I almost screamed. Police Officer Co looked at me and finally let go: "Walk behind me, don't run around." As soon as I entered the factory area, the night wind blew away the musty smell. From afar came the very faint cry of a baby. Just one hour. Like a kitten being strangled. The blood in my body seemed to explode. "Doan Doan!" The sound came from behind a row of abandoned cement pipes. Before police officer Co could stop me, I rushed towards it. 5 Behind the cement pipe, a man was carrying a black cooler onto a three-wheeled vehicle. The lid of the box is slightly open. Doan Doan lay inside, his little face was red, his eyes were closed, his crying was so weak that it was almost inaudible. I rushed forward and hugged the box. The man cursed and then raised his foot and kicked me in the shoulder. I fell to the ground, a large piece of my palm was torn, but I still held on tightly to the strap of the box. "Let go!" He lowered his voice and shouted. I didn't let go. At that moment, my mind couldn't think of anything. Not thinking about the law, not thinking about evidence, not thinking about whether he was injured or not. I just

knowing that once I let go, my son may no longer be there. The man kicked me again. My chest felt like it had been hit by an iron hammer. It hurt so much that my eyes went black, but my fingertips still dug deep into the strap slot. "This bitch wants to die!" He bent down and removed my hand. The next second, a drawn stick hit him hard on the wrist. A cracking sound rang out. The man yelled at him. Tham Lo rushed out from the other end of the cement pipe and kicked him, causing him to fall face down. She used her knees to press on his back, her elbows choking his neck. “Try moving one more time.” Her voice was so cold that it was completely different from her usual cousin who was always cursing. Police Officer Co and several other police officers also ran over. Someone controlled the suspect, someone opened the cooler. I rushed to carry Doan Doan out. The child's whole body was so hot that it was scary, his lips were purple, his neck was limply tilted back. "My child is not okay!" My voice was shaking so much that it didn't sound like myself. The accompanying doctor immediately took the baby, measured the temperature, listened to the heartbeat, and then administered oxygen. "Thirty-nine point nine degrees. Suspected of having taken a sedative, immediately taken to the hospital!" When I got on the ambulance, Ma Que Phan was being escorted next to the police car.