I nudged He Xin's shoulder, urging her to stop overthinking and focus on her work. Meanwhile, Yuan Hezhe had already found the last known location of the suspicious truck. However, it was a chemical plant, a place where similar trucks came and went daily.
I arrived with my team, armed with videos and photos. When we found the plant owner, he looked surprised. "Police officers, what's going on? Why are you looking for me? I haven't done anything wrong!"
"This truck, haven't you seen it?" I asked, fixing him with a probing and serious gaze.
"This kind? Isn't that what we use for transport? They're all this model, what's wrong?" The chemical plant owner appeared even more confused.
"Specifically, do you know which one it was? We've discovered this truck is involved in something very serious; it's been transporting girls!"
"What? Girls! I don't know anything about that. I don't know which specific truck it was. The person who managed the garage was Xiao Huang!"
"You're lying! Mr. Wu, we already spoke to Xiao Huang. He hasn't been here for a week; he resigned! And you're telling us to look for him now?"
Caught in my accusation, the owner's face fell. Xia Hou and Xiao Yuande, who were with me, quickly moved to surround him. He had been trying to leave, but with the imposing presence of Xiao Yuande, he was quickly subdued.
"What are you doing? It wasn't me, really! Please don't do this!"
"Not you? Then why did you let Xiao Huang quit? He was in on it with you, wasn't he? You're connected to the Les club, and you know Qian Ziyan?" Xiao Yuande rattled off the questions like a machine gun.
"I don't know what you're talking about. I haven't done anything. Xiao Huang left because of family matters!"
"Heh, such a coincidence? We investigate him, and he resigns? Who would believe that?" Xia Hou said coldly.
I quietly watched Mr. Wu. He finally fell silent, and we took him back.
Upon returning to the provincial department, we took him to the interrogation room. I said, "Wu Pingrui, if you don't cooperate, and we find more evidence, your situation will only worsen, understand? For now, your factory has been sealed by us."
"Why did you do that? I don't know anything! You just arrested me like this! Is there no law?"
"Done nothing? Do we need to bring Xiao Huang back before you admit anything?" Zhang Keying, beside me, said sternly. My phone rang. He Xin had just informed me that Huang Zerong, also known as Xiao Huang, had been found in his hometown in Hunan, and the local police were cooperating with his transfer.
I looked up and mockingly showed the text message on my phone to Mr. Wu. His face turned extremely pale.
"This… how could you find him so quickly… I didn't…"
Seeing that he had slipped up and wanted to backtrack, Wu Pingrui was too late. He could only offer an awkward smile. "I'll talk, I'll talk. I do know Qian Ziyan!"
"Continue!" I pressed him impatiently.
"But I didn't know what she was using my truck for. I only did the deal because she paid me. You know I'm a businessman; profits are all that matter."
"How much per transaction? What did she tell you?"
"Five hundred thousand. She said she needed a truck and that I shouldn't ask about its specific use."
"Are you sure? If we later find out you're still lying, your situation will only worsen. Don't say I didn't warn you!"
I became cold, the feeling like dousing Mr. Wu with cold water in the dead of winter. He felt an endless chill envelop him, paralyzing him. The colder it got, the more fear he felt, just like the effect of ice water on a criminal suspect.
Wu Pingrui, who might have been hiding something earlier, finally decided to cooperate. "Actually, it was that much per transaction, and all she needed was a truck. I knew there was something fishy going on. Besides, I'd heard rumors about this woman and knew she was a lesbian. Later, I had someone follow that truck and saw them delivering some girls behind it. That's when I realized they were using my truck for this kind of thing, which is serious. If the police found out, I'd be implicated."
Angrily, I went to Qian Ziyan and argued with her, telling her I didn't want to be involved in this mess anymore. However, she threatened me, saying I was already in too deep to back out. If anything happened to her, she would implicate me. Furthermore, she offered to increase the price to one million, but I refused. She then held me hostage, and had people tie me up. I was truly scared she would kill me if she got angry, knowing what kind of illicit activities she was involved in. People like her were capable of murder.
With no other choice, I groveled like a subservient dog, begging her to let me go. I also agreed to help her. Fortunately, she didn't do anything to me, and gave me money, perhaps to appease me. I went back and pretended I knew nothing, only delivering a truck to them on certain days each month. They didn't have a fixed schedule; whenever they needed it, Qian Ziyan would send someone to call me.
We recorded everything Wu Pingrui said. With so many witnesses pointing fingers, Qian Ziyan was beyond clearing her name. In such circumstances, even without physical evidence, the charge would be sufficient for conviction.
However, I didn't immediately go to Qian Ziyan's interrogation room again. Instead, everyone continued searching for the girls. Qian Ziyan's case was settled; our priority now was to find the victims and rescue them as quickly as possible.
Shortly after I left Wu Pingrui's interrogation room, a police officer approached me. "Deputy Director He, we just received a report. Another girl has been found, unconscious."
"Okay, where? I'm on my way!"
The officer gave me an address, and I immediately headed to a hospital in the specified location.
Several cleaning ladies had found her. The girl was walking on the street like a zombie. The sanitation workers, seeing this, thought she was a lunatic who had escaped from a mental institution and called for help.