Chapter 13: Searching for the Primary Human Trafficker (Part 1)

The next day.

Zhang Heng, still deep in sleep, was abruptly awakened by a commotion. He slowly opened his eyes and glanced out the window, noticing that dawn was just breaking. Then, he checked his phone and saw it was only 7:10. Yet the noise outside had already begun. Curious, he put on some clothes and opened his bedroom door, only to find a scene that left him stunned.

In the living room, Liang Lahua was already dressed — and in his clothes, no less. She was preparing breakfast.

When she saw him, she smiled and gestured for him to go back to bed and rest some more, promising to call him when the meal was ready.

Still feeling drowsy, Zhang Heng smiled back and said, “You eat by yourself. I want to get some more sleep. Just stay in your room after you finish.”

Liang Lahua nodded in agreement.

Zhang Heng then went to the bathroom to quickly relieve himself and wash his face before returning to his room, closing the door behind him, and trying to sleep again.

But this time, no matter how he tossed and turned, he couldn’t fall asleep. He finally pulled the covers over his head, but after a short while, he woke up again.

Lying in bed, he browsed his phone, opening WeChat Moments to check updates from his friends — mostly fellow students from the police academy.

Their posts showed their lives after graduation: some working as police officers in their hometown stations, others employed at provincial public security bureaus, some at major internet companies, or government institutions, sharing snapshots of daily life.

After scrolling for quite a while, his sleepiness vanished. He looked at the time: it was already 8:25. The noise outside had ceased, so he got up, dressed, and opened his door.

Liang Lahua had returned to her room, but on the living room coffee table sat a bowl of noodles and a plate of vegetables, alongside a note that read:

“Comrade Policeman, I cooked these noodles for you. You must eat them. I’m in my room; knock if you need me.”

Reading the note, Zhang Heng felt a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

But looking at the breakfast before him, he fell into thought.

Should he eat it? What if the food was poisoned? She was still mentally unstable; unpredictable things were possible.

If he didn’t eat, it might hurt her pride.

After much consideration, he decided poisoning was unlikely — she needed him now.

Still, better safe than sorry.

He resolved to discard the food, preferably flushing it down the toilet, then prepare his own breakfast.

Soon, he made and ate his own meal. Throughout, Liang Lahua stayed in her room.

After tidying up, he sat on the sofa and called his superior, Officer Li, the captain of his current team.

On the call, Zhang Heng truthfully recounted the details of the Liang Lahua case from years ago, a case that had drawn high-level attention. He relayed all of Liang Lahua’s witness statements and updated Li on how the local underworld group, the Black Dragon Society, was oppressing the landlord family of the house.

After some thought, Officer Li gave orders: first and foremost, they must capture and arrest the suspect who had initially sold Liang Lahua’s child. He emphasized that they needed to swiftly obtain information about the buyer — the first person to purchase the child from her father — and then trace the chain back to arrest and bring them to justice in Beijing.

As for other criminal matters related to the underworld, those would be dealt with after this priority. Child trafficking was a far graver crime, for children were the nation’s future.

After hanging up, Zhang Heng felt a headache coming on.

Following the captain’s orders to identify that initial buyer was no simple task. Arrests would be handled by higher authorities once the suspects were identified, but the detective work to pinpoint them fell squarely on him.

The more impossible the case seemed, the more it tested a criminal investigator’s skill — a lesson his professor at the police university had often emphasized.

This case was precisely such a test.

He sat lost in thought on the sofa.

***

After a long while, Liang Lahua’s bedroom door opened, and she stepped out, rousing Zhang Heng.

She immediately gestured that she needed to use the bathroom. Understanding, Zhang Heng nodded.

She went inside.

He sighed deeply, feeling this case was truly beyond his current capabilities.

Just then, his phone rang. It was the landlady.

She told him that the residential management would be coming soon to read the water meter and collect the fee, and asked if he could pay on her behalf, promising to transfer the money later.

Zhang Heng replied warmly, “No need, no need. I’ll pay it. Keep your money in Beijing and spend it on yourself.”

He asked after her living situation and whether she liked the apartment his friend had found for her in Beijing, whether the rent was expensive, and if she had visited any tourist sites.

She smiled gratefully and said it was her first time in the capital. She had visited Tiananmen, Wangfujing Street, the Old Summer Palace, the Summer Palace, the Ming Tombs, the Bird’s Nest stadium — all very enjoyable.

She assured him not to worry about her expenses: she had tens of thousands in her bank account, enough to enjoy Beijing for a year.

She even said that after the Black Dragon Society was eliminated locally, she planned to stay in Beijing a while longer before returning — telling him to rest assured and take care of her house.

Before hanging up, she kindly reminded him to always close doors and cut power when leaving the house. She awaited the good news of the underworld’s downfall.

Moments later, Liang Lahua emerged from the bathroom and sat beside Zhang Heng, smiling.

She gestured that she could tell him about her child’s situation, asking if he wanted to know now.

For Zhang Heng, wanting to know or not wasn’t the issue. His priority was to discover who her husband had sold the child to first.

Seeing no reply, Liang Lahua pointed at his phone, indicating she wanted to use it to send him a message.

He handed it over, thinking it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about her child’s fate.

She quickly typed and passed the phone back.

On the screen was a message:

“Comrade Policeman, my child has already been buried. The grave is in a desolate field in Yan Jing Village, the rural area shown on my ID card. If you want, I can take you there. But the journey is long—over twenty kilometers through uninhabited land and across a mountain. If we leave now, we could arrive around three or four in the afternoon.”

Zhang Heng couldn’t help but smile wryly.

He replied, “Thank you, but no need. I’ve already been to Yan Jing Village. There’s no need to go see it.”

Liang Lahua signaled, “Really no need?”

He nodded firmly.

Her expression fell, then quickly brightened as she pointed to her room, indicating she would return there and wait, and to call her if he needed anything.

Zhang Heng understood and asked, “Do you know who your husband sold the child to first? Do you have any contact information?”

Tears welled again in her eyes, but this time she didn’t sob. Wiping them with two tissues from the coffee table, she shook her head, signaling she truly didn’t know.

It seemed genuine. As a mother, she naturally wanted to know who her husband had secretly sold her child to. But the only thing she learned was that her husband had died by suicide, and her child was found barely alive online. Three days after finding the child, the child passed away too.

Seeing her persistent shaking of her head and tears, Zhang Heng nodded in understanding.

“Sigh,” he sighed again.

Liang Lahua then pointed at his phone, wanting to write again.

He handed it over.

She typed: “Comrade Policeman, although I don’t know who or where my husband sold the child, I do know his phone number and some of his social media accounts — QQ, WeChat, Kuaishou, and so on. I can give them to you. You can follow these contacts to investigate. This is my suggestion, hope you find it helpful.”

Reading this, Zhang Heng’s eyes lit up.

Of course — tracing her husband’s contacts would be far more efficient. His phone must hold critical information about the first buyer. Especially with the phone number, they could quickly track and locate the suspect.

His heart lifted.

He handed the phone back to Liang Lahua, saying, “Great idea. Please send me all your husband’s contact details.”

She nodded and began typing.

Suddenly, a knock came at the door.

“Knock knock knock.”

The sound startled both of them.

“Knock knock knock…”

The knocking persisted.

Liang Lahua grew anxious. She quickly returned the phone to Zhang Heng and gestured toward her room—she wanted to stay inside and avoid visitors.

After signaling, she dashed back to her room and closed the door.

Outside, a voice called out, “Hello? I heard movement inside. Please open the door.”

Zhang Heng responded, “Okay, I’m coming.”

He got up and opened the door to find an elderly man, likely the water meter reader. He breathed a sigh of relief.

The old man said, “Hello, I’m here to read the water meter and collect payment. Since you live here, the previous owner must have told you that we come by during these two days each month to read and collect fees.”

Zhang Heng replied, “Yes, he did. Please come in.”

He led the man into the kitchen area.

The old man went straight to the bathroom, found the water meter box in the corner, opened it, and took photos of the numbers on the display with his phone. After closing the box, he fiddled with his phone.

“Your water usage last month was 7.2 tons, costing 44.7 yuan. How would you like to pay?”

Zhang Heng said, “WeChat payment is fine.”

The old man showed a QR code for payment, which Zhang Heng scanned.

After receiving payment, the old man left.

Zhang Heng closed the door behind him.

He called Liang Lahua out of her room to the living room, sitting on the sofa.

Handing her his phone again, she began typing.

Soon, she had listed all her husband’s contact information — phone number, WeChat ID, QQ, Kuaishou account — all in a new note on the phone and handed it back with a smile.

Zhang Heng looked over the details with relief.

He decided to call her husband’s phone number first to see if it was still active.

He dialed the number Liang Lahua had provided.

To his surprise, the call connected.