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墨書 Inktalez
The technicians at the police station quickly pinpointed the location of the video transmission to an abandoned gas station on the west side of Changling Village. Jiang Zhendong immediately mobilized the police force, preparing for a rescue operation.
"No, let me go alone," I stopped him.
"It's too dangerous!" Zhou Jing protested.
"They're watching the police station's movements," I said. "If we deploy officers, Old Liu will undoubtedly die."
Jiang Zhendong thought for a moment. "You're right. But at least let me send a few undercover agents."
"No need," I replied, pulling out the bronze mask I had taken from the basement. "I have a way to get close to them."
In the end, they agreed to my plan. I drove back to Changling Village, contemplating various details about A Hu along the way. Although he was Zhang Shou's trusted aide, he always seemed to slow down during child abductions, giving victims a chance to escape.
The gas station had long been abandoned, overgrown with weeds. I donned the mask and approached slowly. Before I reached the door, I heard A Hu's voice: "Come in, I know it's you."
Pushing open the rusty iron door, I saw Old Liu tied to a chair, his mouth taped shut. A Hu sat across from him, playing with a hunting knife in his hands.
"You arrived faster than I expected," he said without looking up. "It seems this old guy really means a lot to you."
"Let him go. What do you want in return?" I demanded.
A Hu finally lifted his head. "Take off your mask."
I removed the mask. In the morning light filtering through the broken window, I saw his face was marred with scars, yet his eyes were surprisingly calm.
"Do you know why I chose this place?" he suddenly asked.
I glanced around. The walls of the gas station were riddled with bullet holes, and in the corner, I could still see some rusted shell casings.
"Sixteen years ago," he continued, "right here, you set a trap to catch human traffickers. I was there that day."
A jolt ran through me: "You know me?"
"Of course," he said with a bitter smile. "It was he who gave me a way out."
A Hu stood up and moved to the window. "Back then, I was just a rookie, forced to work for the traffickers. You didn’t fire your gun; you gave me a chance." He said that as long as I helped him gather evidence, he would clear my name.
"And then what?"
"Then he disappeared." A Hu turned around but added before vanishing, he told me to keep an eye on you. Over the years, whenever you were in danger, it was me who secretly informed Old Liu.
I was stunned. No wonder every time I investigated my mother's case over the years, Old Liu always seemed to know beforehand and managed to pull me away from danger.
"Then why did you still help Zhang Shou?"
To survive, he said, and to continue gathering evidence. For the past sixteen years, I have recorded the names of every child, every detail of the transactions.
As he spoke, he pulled out a disk from his pocket: all the evidence is here. The network of transactions, buyer information, accounts from underground money houses, and he paused, the surveillance footage from the day your mother went missing.
My hands began to tremble: they are still alive. A Hu's voice became faint, hidden in a secret base in the mountains of the west. Zhang Shou intended to use them to blackmail the police, but he didn’t expect your will to be so strong, that you never yielded.
Old Liu let out a whimper, shaking his head desperately. A Hu moved closer and tore off the tape from his mouth.
“Don’t listen to him!” Old Liu said urgently. “It’s a trap! They want to lure you—”
Before he could finish, the sound of a car engine suddenly roared outside. A Hu's face changed dramatically: “They’re here so soon?”
“What’s happening?” I asked.
“Zhang Shou!” He quickly cut through Old Liu’s ropes. “He must have discovered my plan. Hurry! Through the back door!”
With a loud crash, the front door was smashed open. Zhang Shou burst in with several masked men.
“A Hu,” he sneered, “I knew you would betray me.”
A Hu shoved the disk into my hands: “Run! I’ll hold them off!”
“But—”
“Just go!” He drew a hunting knife and positioned himself at the doorway. “Don’t let your mother’s sacrifice be in vain!”
I supported Old Liu and dashed out through the back door. Sounds of fighting erupted behind us, followed by a gunshot. I didn’t dare look back, pulling Old Liu into the cornfield by the roadside.
Another gunshot rang out, this time much closer. A bullet whizzed past my ear.
“There!” someone shouted.
We dared not stop and continued running. The cornfield was vast, with weeds rising to our waists. I had no idea how long we ran until finally, we could no longer hear the sounds of pursuit.
“Did they catch up?” Old Liu panted.
I glanced back; through the morning mist, black smoke rose from the gas station. My eyes welled up—A Hu must have set fire to it to block our pursuers.
I tightened my grip on the disk in my hand; I had to save my mother.
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