Even in a megacity like Modu, an economically powerful metropolis, there are poor and underdeveloped areas.
The villagers of Yaoxi have a fierce reputation, are skilled at cooperating, and present a united front against outsiders. Their ‘business’ is booming.
There are many like Shao Hongmei in Yaoxi Village.
This method brings money fast and requires little effort. The villagers protect and indulge each other, and if one is in trouble, all rush to help, allowing the human trafficking business to grow larger and larger.
But who knows how many innocent children have been sold by them to distant lands.
At this moment.
To protect their interests, the villagers would do anything to kill Lu Ming. Moreover, these are almost all elderly people in their sixties and seventies. Even if they kill someone, they would receive a lighter sentence.
Coupled with their belief that the law does not punish the masses, they have become so brazen.
Normally, Lu Ming would not bother with a group of elderly people in their sixties and seventies; it would be beneath him.
But today is different.
These are not humans; they are beasts!
Lu Ming raised his hand, grasped the prepared extendable baton, and charged into the crowd. The outcome was obvious. How could a Dragon Warlord, capable of handling thousands of troops, be a match for these old men and women?
In less than a minute, all the villagers had fallen, each clutching their hands or legs, writhing in pain.
Shao Hongmei was terrified by this scene.
While the individual combat strength of these villagers was lacking, with so many of them and such a numerical advantage, how could they still be no match for Lu Ming alone?
Lu Ming's strength was simply too formidable!
Lu Ming walked up to Shao Hongmei, pressing the baton against her head. "Where is the child?"
Seeing the fierce look in Lu Ming’s eyes, if she didn’t tell the truth, this baton would surely be brought down on her head, likely cracking it open.
Shao Hongmei panicked.
She hurriedly shouted, "Don't do it, I'll tell you, I'll tell you."
After a pause.
Shao Hongmei said, "Your little girl, I didn't bring her back to the village. When we were in the city, I already… sold her."
What?!
Lu Ming struck the door with his baton, instantly creating a huge dent.
"Sold?" Lu Ming questioned, "You were quick to act. Who was the buyer?"
Shao Hongmei replied, "It wasn't an ordinary buyer, but a snakehead."
Lu Ming frowned slightly.
Snakehead?
What did that mean?
He asked, "What do you mean by snakehead?"
Shao Hongmei explained, "Under normal circumstances, after we abduct children, we hand them over to the snakehead. The snakehead will score the child based on their appearance, and the higher the score, the higher our reward."
Simply put, Shao Hongmei and these villagers were like individual sellers, while the snakehead was the buyer.
The better the appearance, the higher the purchase price.
Except, while others bought and sold fruits, vegetables, and the like, Shao Hongmei and the snakehead traded in children! This is an offense against heaven!
Shao Hongmei continued, "Your family's little girl scored 90 points, which is very high. For this one child, I received eighty thousand yuan. All the money is at my home, untouched. Take it all if you want, just don't hurt me."
Lu Ming asked, "What does 90 points mean?"
Shao Hongmei explained, "It means your child will be sold to a wealthier family. Generally, only children scoring above 80 points can be sold to families with money and power; the higher the score, the better the sale. Children scoring between 60 and 80 points can only be sold to ordinary families. Those below 60 points are sold to mountainous regions or desolate areas. Some who are truly unwanted have their limbs broken, and they are made to beg on the streets to earn money."
Their profession was quite strict about the control of appearance. A score of 90 was considered excellent.
This also meant that Chen Xian was temporarily safe.
For a 90-point child like this, even one sale could allow the snakehead to make a huge profit, enough to not work for the rest of the year. Therefore, the snakehead would keep Chen Xian under strict guard and would not let her get hurt.
If the child were injured, their appearance would be compromised, and the selling price would be greatly reduced.
This was a blessing in disguise.
If she had been classified below 60 points, even if found, she might have been missing limbs, or mentally broken from torture.
One last question.
Lu Ming stared at Shao Hongmei and asked, "How do I contact the snakehead?"
Uh…
This…
Shao Hongmei stammered for a long time, unable to speak.
It was a professional taboo to reveal the snakehead's location.
If she did, it would mean Shao Hongmei could no longer continue in this line of work, and no snakehead would be willing to buy from her again.
Shao Hongmei had been in and out of prison many times, but she had never once revealed the snakehead's identity!
Lu Ming saw her hesitation.
So.
Lu Ming reached out, grabbed Shao Hongmei by her hair, and dragged her down the corridor.
Shao Hongmei cried out in pain, "Ouch, ouch."
"It hurts! It hurts."
"Be gentle! Stop pulling."
"You're a police officer, aren't you? If you want to arrest someone, just arrest me. I'm not afraid."
Lu Ming ignored her, dragged her by the hair all the way to the corridor, and then tied her securely to a pillar with a rope.
Following that.
He picked up a dagger from the ground and dangled it before Shao Hongmei's eyes.
"What… what do you want to do?" Shao Hongmei panicked. "What you're doing is illegal, and against the rules, do you know that? You can't do this!"
A human trafficker lecturing about rules?
Without a word, Lu Ming sliced open Shao Hongmei's thigh, leaving a deep gash.
Blood flowed down her leg.
Shao Hongmei screamed like a tortured pig in pain, "Ah!!!"
Lu Ming threw the dagger on the ground and said coldly, "With your current blood loss, you'll go into shock in less than 5 minutes and die in under 10 minutes."
Shao Hongmei looked at Lu Ming with despair and fear. She didn't know who this formidable person was.
Whose parent was this powerful?
His methods didn't seem like those of a police officer.
"Who… who exactly are you?" Shao Hongmei cried.
Lu Ming said faintly, "Instead of worrying about who I am, you should worry about how many minutes you have left to live."
Besides the pain, Shao Hongmei slowly felt her brain being deprived of oxygen.
If she continued to bleed profusely, she would truly die. Lu Ming was not bluffing.
"I… I'll tell you."
At the brink of death, Shao Hongmei finally relented. She realized that Lu Ming was neither part of the underworld nor the legal system, and her usual tactics were useless against him.
If she didn't tell the truth, Lu Ming would really kill her.
Lu Ming asked, "The snakehead, where is he?"
Shao Hongmei, enduring the pain, said with all her might, "In the library in the West District, on the top floor, there's a VIP room. The snakehead is there. But to see the snakehead, you must have a ticket."