Chapter 20: Catching Human Traffickers

The man nodded slightly upon seeing him.

Su Yuanyuan, startled and not hearing her son’s murmur, looked up and saw the man standing at the carriage connection.

He was tall and well-built, with strong facial features, a buzz cut, bright eyes, and an estimated height of six feet.  His military uniform accentuated his imposing stature.

He was handsome but had a cold aura.

“Thank you,” Su Yuanyuan stepped aside.  With two children and several bags, she was struggling. She could manage, but she welcomed the help.

Without a word, the man steadily lifted Lu Mingzhu.

Suddenly facing a handsome face, Lu Mingzhu gasped, “Soldier uncle, you’re so handsome!”

The man paused, his eyes flickering slightly, a hint of embarrassment. “Wash your hands.”

Lu Mingzhu giggled and obediently washed her hands and mouth. “Clean!”

The child’s eyes were bright and clear.  She blinked and smiled at the man, who couldn’t help but smile back. “Very good.”

After putting the child down and washing his own hands, the man nodded at Su Yuanyuan and returned to his carriage.

Su Yuanyuan watched his back, her gaze lingering on his waistline – a perfect physique.  His face was striking.

He was handsome, and somehow familiar.

But Su Yuanyuan was certain she’d never seen a man with such striking features and physique before, either before or after she transmigrated.

Why did he seem familiar?  It was strange.

“Mommy, the soldier uncle was handsome, right?” Lu Mingzhu tugged on Su Yuanyuan’s hand, grinning mischievously.

Caught by her daughter, Su Yuanyuan blushed, clearing her throat nervously.  “He was… alright.”

She had a husband; having an affair in this era could get you in trouble.

Handsome as he was, she had more pressing matters.

Su Yuanyuan pondered.  With two children, they were vulnerable to being targeted.  She needed to seek help from the conductor.

Su Yuanyuan found the conductor a carriage away from the couple.

The train had traveled some distance from the station.  Few people were near the carriage connection.  Su Yuanyuan pulled the conductor to a corner and explained the situation.

The conductor looked shocked. “Are you sure? Some children are just heavy sleepers.”

Catching traffickers meant the death penalty.  The conductor, a twenty-something-year-old from a wealthy city family, was unfamiliar with such crimes.

This train went to Beijing, and the passengers were generally lively, and the security personnel were professional. She found it hard to believe traffickers would be so bold as to use this train.

“I was in that carriage’s sleeper berth with my children. I saw them arguing twice, and the child showed no reaction whatsoever. That’s not right.”

She was embarrassed to admit she’d been involved in the argument.

As she finished, a conductor pushed a food cart past, announcing the available items.

Someone ordered water, and several children gathered to look at the food.

Despite the commotion, the woman’s child remained completely unresponsive.

The conductor realized something was wrong.  The woman was telling the truth; the child had likely been drugged.

“Thank you for telling me.  There are many people on board; acting now could injure passengers. Take your children to the other side. I’ll contact the station and the police when the train stops at the next station.”

They weren’t arresting the traffickers immediately because of the limited space and the crowd.  If the traffickers panicked, they might hurt someone.

All the conductors would gather, alerting the traffickers.

As the conductor was about to contact the train manager, Su Yuanyuan stopped her.

“No.  I overheard them saying they’ll get off at the next station.  There might be accomplices waiting outside, making it even more dangerous.”

Traffickers were perceptive.  If the police boarded before passengers disembarked, they’d know something was up and might resort to desperate measures.

“Then…” The conductor frowned. Su Yuanyuan was right, but…

“We’ll need to work with passengers and security personnel. Two people approach the traffickers to subdue them, while others evacuate passengers and secure the area.”

The conductor had emergency training and could handle various situations.

“That’s possible, but it’s dangerous.  Finding suitable passengers is difficult, and even if we find them, they might refuse.”

Traffickers were desperate. Passengers might be unwilling to help.

Finding a strong and willing passenger wouldn’t be easy.

Su Yuanyuan immediately thought of the soldier who had helped her at the sink.

He looked capable and fit, likely skilled in self-defense.

“I have someone in mind!” Su Yuanyuan explained about the soldier she’d met to the conductor, whose eyes lit up.

If it was a soldier, he would surely help.

Su Yuanyuan, after some thought, led the conductor and her children towards where the man had gone.

Luckily, the man had walked in the opposite direction of the traffickers’ carriage; otherwise, passing them might have aroused suspicion.

Even luckier, the man was in the next carriage.

There weren’t many people in the next carriage, and the seat next to the man was empty. Su Yuanyuan asked the conductor to watch her children while she approached the man.

Lu Zhengan was resting his eyes when he heard a sound and opened them, catching a glimpse of smooth, fair skin.

Su Yuanyuan had beautiful skin, glowing delicately in the light.

Lu Zhengan saw the conductor and her children and lowered his voice, “Comrade, do you need help?”

Su Yuanyuan was about to speak when she turned, startled, to look at him.

Their eyes met, each seeing their reflection in the other’s pupils.

Lu Zhengan looked at her intently, his gaze unwavering.

Su Yuanyuan suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and explained the situation.

“Alright, I’ll help,” the man agreed readily, which didn’t surprise Su Yuanyuan, but her initial tension eased.

“Thank you,” Su Yuanyuan smiled at Lu Zhengan, not noticing his stunned expression, before retrieving her children.

“Comrade, please contact the security personnel.  The soldier has agreed to help.”

The conductor breathed a sigh of relief, thanked Lu Zhengan, and hurried to find the security personnel.

Su Yuanyuan stood with her children in the aisle, occasionally glancing towards the other carriage.

Her hair was long but slightly frizzy due to malnutrition, like her children’s.

Lu Zhengan’s gaze fell on Su Yuanyuan’s back.  He found her strangely familiar.

“Comrade, this is a security officer in plain clothes. We’ll need your cooperation in apprehending the traffickers.”

The conductor quickly contacted the security personnel. Six officers, to avoid arousing suspicion, approached separately.

They had already contacted the officers in the other carriage via radio. Officers would be stationed at both carriage entrances to prevent the traffickers from escaping.

Lu Zhengan nodded at the officer, took the plain clothes, and they discussed their plan before changing into them in the restroom.

The conductor went to the other carriage, pretending to patrol.

Lu Zhengan and the officer, each carrying a large cloth bag, disguised themselves as long-distance travelers.

They walked to the sleeper carriage, one after the other. After checking for empty berths, they both breathed a sigh of relief, avoiding eye contact with the couple and greeting the conductor.

The conductor immediately approached, standing next to the couple.

“Comrades, do you need help?”

The officer scratched his head, pointing to an empty berth. “Is this berth taken?  If not, I’d like to upgrade from a hard seat. How much is it?”

The officer reached for his wallet.

Lu Zhengan also spoke. “Is that berth available? I need one to Beijing.”

Lu Zhengan put his bag down, opened it, and took out money.

The bag contained old clothes and a thin blanket, typical of someone traveling for work or visiting relatives.

Lu Zhengan took out a worn wallet, checked the money inside, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, looking like a tired traveler who wanted to lie down.

Lu Zhengan looked up, meeting the eyes of the couple in the aisle, giving an awkward but friendly smile.

The traffickers, seeing the man’s apparent discomfort, didn’t suspect a thing.

Before they could react, Lu Zhengan grabbed the trafficker’s neck, taking him down.

The officer quickly restrained the trafficker, and the other officers rushed to help.

Lu Zhengan reacted swiftly. After subduing the trafficker, he grabbed the child before the woman could react, then swept her legs, taking her down as well.

The restrained trafficker was strong, his loose clothing hiding a muscular physique.

He pulled out a hidden knife and stabbed wildly at the officer.

The nearest officer, unprepared, was cut on the arm, and the carriage erupted into chaos.

Passengers, unaware of what was happening, screamed and ran.

The conductor helped evacuate passengers to other carriages.

The trafficker fought back fiercely, desperate now that he was exposed.

The officers avoided the knife, maintaining distance while protecting the passengers.

One passenger, unable to escape, was stabbed in the leg and crawled away screaming.

The conductor helped her to another carriage.

The woman scrambled up, grabbing a knife and lunging at the man holding the child…