"Voluntary? If that were the case, you wouldn't be feeling distressed right now. Do you feel your bodies have been defiled, that such things have been made public, and that you'll have no face to face your family, friends, and colleagues in the future? When you return to them, you'll only be met with disdain. Your lives are ruined, so you don't want to go back? To do the same work?"
The girl seemed to be exposed by my words, but she didn't dare to look me in the eye. Her head drooped, her lips tightly pressed together, as if even the strongest shovel couldn't pry her mouth open.
This girl!
I met not only this girl but everyone in this group. Although their numbers were large, in order to bring Du Tianqiu and the others to justice, I personally met with all of them, enduring the hardship.
However, their answers were all the same: "We did it voluntarily."
Damn it, this made me feel as if they hadn't fully woken up.
I called Xia Xiaoling over. Seeing my serious expression, she knew what I was thinking. She quickly said to me, "Da Shengzi, really, I've already cured them all!"
"Why do you all like to call me by my high school nickname so much?"
"It's a habit. Besides, it's just us, isn't it?"
"Hmph, never mind that. Tell me seriously, is there no other way?"
"They all have mental scars now. They're afraid of facing their families. We can only approach it through their families. We've already notified the family members, and they should be here soon. But it really depends on how these family members treat them."
"Even if their own daughters become like this, isn't that the mothers' fault? Although some were kidnapped for no reason, the majority were sent away by the women themselves..."
"Exactly, they must feel very guilty."
Even knowing this, we still met with these parents first. To our surprise, before we could even counsel them, most of them stated that they would definitely not abandon their daughters, and that their hearts were filled with longing.
I originally thought that with the parents' intervention, things would naturally fall into place. However, after the parents met with them, these girls still remained unmoved, insisting they were voluntary.
Watching their reactions, I punched the wall in frustration: "How could this be? Have you all really given up?"
My fist felt no pain at all. Perhaps I was so enraged that all other feelings vanished, leaving only anger.
I couldn't help but run into the conference room and raise my hands, shouting at those girls: "You are simply ignorant, foolish, and naive! Do you think by not testifying against those criminals, you can return to your former lives? That you can preserve your dignity? This will only lead them to harm more people! Don't you know? If they get out of here, they'll likely create more girls like you. Don't you have any compassion!!"
My anger permeated the entire conference room, striking awe into everyone, yet the girls maintained their previous stance.
It seemed they were truly beyond saving. I turned and ran out, but I didn't lose my head. Instead, I ordered people to accompany me to the criminals' homes for a thorough search. Since they wouldn't testify, we would have to rely on physical evidence.
Starting from Du Tianqiu's residence, we police officers broke into the homes of all involved personnel and conducted a carpet search.
Under normal circumstances, the police would collect evidence from suspects' residences at this stage. We deployed a significant number of personnel this time, especially forensic technicians, who played a crucial role. In a short period, we had searched these hidden residences, but there was no progress, not even a single useful discovery. As expected, these people wouldn't expose evidence so obviously. Otherwise, with our police methods, we would have caught them long ago and wouldn't be in this situation today.
Not at their residences, but we could continue to trace based on nearby surveillance. We also used Locard's exchange principle to detect trace elements at the scene.
However, it was ultimately with the help of Locard's principle that we collected a significant amount of trace particles, and these particles were very similar to those found on the girls. This meant that Du Tianqiu and the others had been in contact with them.
At this point, theoretically, we had ironclad evidence. Yet, I still wanted the girls to personally identify them. That day, countless reporters surrounded the provincial department. The matter of the human puppets had reached the highest levels, and this situation quickly became a media sensation, garnering tens of millions of clicks.
This morning, a notice arrived from the Ministry of Public Security of China, officially appointing me as the Director of the Guangming City Public Security Provincial Department.
Director Zhang had sacrificed his life, and I had inherited his position. The notice read: "In 2011, He Sheng, then a student at the police academy, following in his grandfather's footsteps, continued to dedicate himself selflessly to society. In 2013, less than half a month after graduating and becoming a forensic examiner, He Sheng solved several major and important cases in Fuming City. Subsequently, he solved numerous bizarre cases such as the Twelve Constellations, the Cathinone Traffickers, and the Baptism of Moonlight. Time flies. In 2022, Comrade He Sheng, for his years of great contributions, his tireless efforts, and his camaraderie with his colleagues, and in recognition of his countless case-solving achievements over the years, making significant contributions to China's criminal investigation事业, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China has unanimously decided and officially announced that He Sheng will assume the post of Director of the Guangming City Public Security Provincial Department. We hope he will continue to strive."
The notice also included my new work ID, but I still kept my ID for the Punishment Group. After all, I wouldn't reveal my identity in my daily work. Even if I appeared on television, not actively revealing myself would be much better.
Now, given my position, the reporters naturally wanted to question me. Initially, their attention was on my appointment as Director. I spoke some words about working hard and persevering, and then finally, the topic turned to the current case.
In fact, I was well-prepared. Du Tianqiu, this time, I will make you convinced.
I led the reporters to the press conference room and had Liu Yuning, Xiao Yuande, and others take their seats. I gripped the microphone and said, "Dear reporters, we will announce the latest progress of the case shortly. Currently, the girls are still unwilling to testify against Du Tianqiu and others, but please rest assured."
As soon as I finished speaking, many reporters raised questions. One man curiously asked, "Without eyewitness testimony, shouldn't physical evidence be sufficient? Doesn't China prioritize physical evidence over eyewitness accounts?"