CHAPTER 40: 40

Stepping out from the driver’s seat was a young man in a brown and green military uniform, who hurried over to the group and covertly sized them up. Particularly Lan Tian’s ragged haircut and ill-fitting clothes. First, he saluted the group, then with a beaming smile on his face, he said, "Fellow villager, where are you heading?"

"We’re sending the kid to the town, comrade. And what about you?"

The village chief, well-traveled and knowledgeable, already had a suspicion but kept a straight face all the while casting a glance at the car. The mobilization of two three-wheelers and a horde of people indicated something significant; the little girl might just be the child of some leader!

The young police officer didn’t conceal anything from the village chief, spilling all the details, "Several children have gone missing in the town, the cases were reported to the police station, and locals saw traffickers heading this way. So here we are, coming to take a look. Fellow villager, the child in your vehicle?"

"Comrade, your timing couldn’t be better; this child just escaped from the traffickers..." Upon learning that the officers were here to find people, the village chief recounted the entire sequence of events, and the young officer immediately reported the situation to the captain in the car.

Mo Junhua, sitting across from the captain, heard that a child had escaped from the traffickers and jumped out of the car in a hurry, running towards the ox cart. Lan Tian had been watching the vehicle intently all this time; seeing someone who resembled Mo Junhua approach, she thought she was dreaming. She rubbed her eyes with her palms and as the person drew closer, his features became clearer.

"Child?" Mo Junhua cautiously called out to Lan Tian, who was dirty like a little beggar dressed in boys’ clothes, her hair resembling a rascal dog’s, hardly daring to believe it.

Tears immediately welled up in Lan Tian’s eyes, as if she had been wronged by the world itself. She flung herself into his arms, sobbing uncontrollably, her cries heartbreaking and sorrowful, "Brother Junhua, Brother Junhua, wah wah wah..." Mo Junhua felt a profound sadness within, holding the child in his arms tightly.

"Don’t be scared, don’t be scared, Brother Junhua is right here," Mo Junhua whispered, kissing Lan Tian’s head to comfort her.

The disembarking captain recognized the scene; it was hard not to admit that this family had incredible luck. Of course, the family’s crazed and demonic disposition they had witnessed, that intense gaze, was eerily penetrating.

Mo Yuanle pushed through the crowd and saw the little figure crying so piteously, his heart aching as if cut with a knife. The fierce man’s eyes reddened as he called out with a trembling voice, "Girl."

Hugging Mo Junhua’s neck and crying, Lan Tian heard Mo Yuanle’s voice. She looked up, reaching out her hand, "Uncle~~~~," her voice wavering with a lingering pathos that drew a pang of sorrow from everyone around.

Since he was her real uncle, Mo Junhua reluctantly handed her over to him.

Mo Yuanle, who had never been a father and lacked experience, awkwardly held Lan Tian and cooed, "Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, uncle will take care of the bad guys."

It was indeed a scene of comforting a child. Others around watched with a mix of amusement and poignancy as the commotion subsided and everyone, finally quieted and reassured, gathered on the ox cart to discuss the situation.

Starting with the village chief, they detailed how the villagers discovered the child, how terrified she was at the time, their warmhearted assistance, and the subsequent journey to take the child back to the town, until encountering the PLA comrades, and so on.

After the village chief finished speaking, everyone turned their gaze to Lan Tian, watching as she nodded in confirmation.

With that, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, the suspicion on the village chief and the villagers was lifted. Mo Yuanle, grasping the hand of the village chief, expressed his gratitude, promising to visit in person once the child was stable back home. The policemen verbally commended the villagers and the village chief for their valiant actions.

The villagers, embarrassed by the praise, chuckled sheepishly, shaking their heads and insisting it was nothing.

"Little girl, do you remember how you were abducted?" Despite the glaring scrutiny of the adults, the captain didn’t expect much but still wanted to see if the girl could recall anything.

This time, Lan Tian didn’t hold back. She thoroughly recounted how she was drugged and abducted from the market, awoke in a strange place with several children, the details of the kidnappers, their distinctive traits, and how she managed to escape.

Of course, she left out the part about setting up an Array.

Those who overheard were shocked, the only one who remained composed was Mo Yuanle.

The girl spoke clearly and logically, with bright eyes that belied the villagers’ description of her being terrified. The captain looked between the village chief, the villagers, and the calm demeanor of the family, feeling somewhat inadequate—he was simply dealing with a very clever child.

"Do you remember the way?" The captain asked doubtfully, considering it was dark when she had escaped.

"I remember," Lan Tian nodded.

"Hurry, get on the vehicle. We might be able to catch the traffickers off guard before they move," ordered the captain, hustling everyone to move quickly.

They all boarded the vehicles, and Lan Tian, Mo Yuanle, and Mo Junhua rode at the front with the captain. Following Lan Tian’s directions, they drove over bumpy roads for two hours until they arrived at a secluded crossroad, where Lan Tian told them to stop.

People waited for her explanation as Lan Tian pointed to a track barely wider than the ox cart, "Uncle PLA, we can’t drive any further. We have to go through this path. It’s too narrow for the cars. If we walk this path for about twenty minutes, there’s a village. Behind the village woods, that’s where they’re holding the people."

The captain revised his plan quickly, splitting the force in two groups. One team would capture the kidnappers in the village, while the captain led another team, including Lan Tian, through the forest to the house where the children were being held. Mo Yuanle carried Lan Tian within the group.

Not long after turning into the small path, three people came toward them. Lan Tian, with keen eyes, immediately recognized the traffickers who had kidnapped her. Tapping Mo Yuanle’s shoulder, she indicated the three men, "Uncle, it’s them."

Before the kidnappers could react, the captain and his men charged and pinned them down, slapping handcuffs on.

The three individuals on the ground protested loudly, "Comrade police, what crime have we committed? Why are you arresting us? We are just honest farmers from nearby; you’ve got the wrong people."