"Sister Cui!" Qin Shuran hurriedly helped Cui Jie.
Chen Fan also quickly stepped forward and pressed his fingers to Cui Jie's philtrum.
After a moment, Cui Jie slowly opened her eyes.
"Xiao Ling'er, it's, it's mom who's sorry for you, it's mom's fault." Cui Jie mumbled incessantly as she opened her eyes.
Qin Shuran comforted Cui Jie, "Sister Cui, Xiao Ling'er will definitely be safe and sound. Don't worry too much. Chen Fan has already called Da Xiong, and they are all looking for Xiao Ling'er now. I believe there will be news soon."
Seeing Cui Jie wake up, Chen Fan stood up, walked a few steps away, and took out his phone to call Da Xiong.
"Brother Fan!" Da Xiong's voice came through as soon as the call was answered.
"Any news about Xiao Ling'er?"
"Not yet."
Chen Fan pondered for a moment, "Check for me if there are any human traffickers active in Jiangcheng."
Da Xiong was surprised, "Brother Fan, you suspect someone abducted Xiao Ling'er?"
"I heard from parents around that many children have gone missing in Jiangcheng recently. Check it for me, no matter the cost," Chen Fan ordered.
"Brother Fan, don't worry. Xiao Ling'er is such a well-behaved child. If anyone dares to harm her, I'll kill them!" Da Xiong said fiercely.
After hanging up the phone, Da Xiong immediately had his subordinates spread the word: anyone with clues about human traffickers would be rewarded with one million yuan if the clues were useful.
As soon as this news broke, the entire underground forces of Jiangcheng became instantly lively.
Almost everyone started inquiring about human traffickers in Jiangcheng, after all, it was a huge sum of one million yuan.
Under a generous reward, there would surely be brave individuals.
Not long after, someone called Da Xiong, reporting that there was a human trafficking den hidden in a village in the northern suburbs of Jiangcheng.
When Da Xiong received the news, he directly gave the address to Chen Fan, and at the same time, he rushed to the village with many men.
Chen Fan did not hesitate at all, and drove to the address with Qin Shuran and Cui Jie.
He dared not delay for a moment, fearing that any delay would cause harm to Xiao Ling'er.
Cui Jie sat in the car, her heart filled with anxiety and unease, praying constantly that Xiao Ling'er would not be in any danger.
If anything happened to Xiao Ling'er, she truly didn't know how she would live on. Xiao Ling'er was her only hope and motivation to live now.
At this time, in Miaowang Village, located in the northern suburbs of Jiangcheng.
A van drove in and stopped in front of a two-story Western-style house.
A middle-aged man got out of the car, looked around, and after confirming he was not being followed, pushed open the gate.
In the courtyard, two men were sitting and playing on their phones, with cigarettes dangling from their lips, appearing very relaxed and at ease.
"Boss!" The two men quickly stood up and greeted him upon seeing the newcomer.
The middle-aged man was furious, "You two idiots, things are so urgent, and you still have the mood to play games here!"
The two men were confused by the scolding, "Boss, what, what happened?"
"Damn it, I don't know what's going on, but the entire underground forces of Jiangcheng are looking for human traffickers, and they're even offering a reward of one million yuan for useful clues!" the middle-aged man cursed.
Upon hearing this, the two men nearly fell to the ground in fright.
They asked with great trepidation, "Boss, those, why are those underground forces looking for us?"
The middle-aged man glanced at them, "I wish I knew!"
Then, he looked at the two men and asked, "Where are those children?"
"They're all in cages inside the house," one of the men hurriedly pointed to the house behind them.
The middle-aged man pushed open the door behind him, and a foul odor assaulted his senses. He waved his hand in disgust, and then the middle-aged man walked in.
Inside the house, there were five iron cages, and in each cage, several children were locked up.
Many of the children were only three or four years old, and they were covered in injuries.
Seeing the door open, these children all huddled together in fear, their eyes filled with terror.
"Boss, what about these children? What if, I mean, what if they find us, then, then we'll be dead," one of the men said nervously.
Another man offered a suggestion, "Boss, why don't we take three cars and take these children out of Jiangcheng?"
"Slap!"
The middle-aged man slapped the man on the head and cursed, "Idiot, if you take them away now, won't that be seeking death?!"
"Then, what should we do? We, we can't just bury them, can we?" the man said, covering his head, looking very wronged.
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up, "You're a real talent, why didn't I think of that?"
"Go, you two, get shovels and dig open the well that was blocked in the courtyard earlier, and then throw them all in and bury them."
The two men exchanged glances, "Boss, then, then they'll die?"
The middle-aged man glared at them, "If they don't die, we die! You figure it out yourself, do you want to live or do you want them to die!"
Hearing this, the two men could only nod quickly, went to the adjacent room to get shovels, and started digging up the well that had been blocked in the courtyard.
"Uncle, please don't kill us, we don't want to die."
A faint voice came from the cage. It was a little girl in a pink jacket. Her face was dirty, and she was holding a pink doll in her hand.
The middle-aged man glanced at the little girl, a curve forming on his lips, and said, "Don't worry, uncle won't kill you. Uncle will take you to another place to play later, and when you get there, you'll see your mom and dad."
"Really? Thank you, uncle." The little girl's innocent face broke into a smile.
The middle-aged man chuckled playfully and turned to leave the room.
Half an hour later, the two men dug out the large stone slab that had been blocking the well.
The middle-aged man sat aside, leisurely smoking a cigarette, his earlier panic gone. He waved his hand and ordered, "Throw those children down."
He knew that as long as these children disappeared, their lives would be saved.
After all, he knew that under the temptation of one million yuan, he couldn't guarantee that the human traffickers who had brought him the children earlier wouldn't sell him out.
The two men entered the room, opened the cages, and drove the dirty children out of the room.
More than a dozen children stood hesitantly by the well.
The middle-aged man's lips curved upwards, he threw the cigarette butt into the well, and then pointed to the well, "Your parents are waiting for you down there. Uncle will send you to see them now."
Saying that, the middle-aged man gave a sinister smile, grabbed the collar of the pink jacket girl, and lifted her body up.
"Bang!"
However, at this moment, the previously tightly shut courtyard gate was kicked open!