Chapter 347

Winter.

Dum dum dum.

At 10: 0 a. ., the muffled sound of a gong rang out precisely at the front gate of the Ningtai County Bureau.

In response to the gong and drum beats, dozens of civilians lined up, holding silk banners, carrying offering tables laden with ritual fruits, as if preparing to mourn an elderly matriarch.

Director Guan Xi frowned during the meeting, stepped to the window, studied it for a moment, then asked softly: "What's going on?"

"They're delivering silk banners to Jiang Yuan," Huang Qiang said, having received prior notice; he looked slightly surprised but smiled. "I told them it was a good thing to give banners, but I didn't expect them to go all out like this—it's quite unusual."

"That's a lot of people," said the director. He feared nothing more than failing to maintain stability—it was his greatest weakness now.

Huang Qiang explained: "Parents who lost children join many online groups; many know each other. Jiang Yuan's anti-trafficking operation recovered over 300 women and children, affecting so many families. Many sincerely want to thank him by gifting banners, but since Jiang Yuan kept operating outside the county, it's been delayed until now."

"Didn't they go to Guqi City?"

"Some did send banners to Guqi City, but after two attempts, everyone realized Jiang Yuan—the real detective solving these cases—is from our Ningtai County. The victims' families communicate with each other, and they've all organized events before."

"No wonder."

"So they easily gathered this crowd—it's already been filtered and counseled."

"Are they all parents who lost children?" Guan Xi watched the line marching below, and gradually felt reassured.

Huang Qiang nodded. "Some parents have searched for their children for years. Some adult women were trafficked multiple times—yet all were successfully recovered. It's incredibly difficult."

Guan Xi slowly nodded. "Alright, let's go down. We'll set up a backdrop for Jiang Yuan."

With the director's order, everyone smiled and followed him out.

The banner-delivery group had just reached the building's entrance and paused, beating drums and gongs, waiting for Jiang Yuan and his team to appear.

Jiang Yuan quickly ran down and met Guan Xi and the others.

The director nodded to Jiang Yuan, then gestured for him to step forward.

At the front, several couples who had met Jiang Yuan before were now weeping uncontrollably.

The banner delivery had been planned, but the emotion was genuine. The couple holding the banner reading "Law Enforcement for the People, Upright and Just" had searched for their son for four years—from when he was one and a half, until he turned six—until Jiang Yuan helped them find him in a small city 800 kilometers from home.

The future remained long and uncertain, but this moment's emotion was a floodgate opened—uncontainable, and needing no concealment.

The moment they saw Jiang Yuan, both collapsed to their knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

They weren't kneeling for Jiang Yuan—they were simply overwhelmed, unable to hold back their emotions.

The couple, in their thirties, looked like they were fifty, trembling violently as they wept; those around them couldn't pull them up.

Under their lead, several other couples also rushed forward, joining the wailing.

In this world, places where people can freely weep are extremely rare. Even at home—if these parents, who had traveled endlessly searching for their children, still had private residences—they could hardly scream so wildly, so desperately.

At home, there were the newly recovered children, still frightened and insecure; neighbors nearby, equally unstable and prying; across the street, someone might already be filming with a phone, chasing likes.

Jiang Yuan stepped aside and knelt half-bent beside them.

His month-long pursuit had given him deep understanding of these parents. Losing a child isn't like losing property—it's not merely a material loss. What follows is endless worry: Is the child safe? Where were they sold? Where might they be now? What should we do next? Should we keep searching? Does the child even want us to?

From the moment the child vanished, most ordinary people were sealed inside a cage of depression.

Too many fears they dared not think of—and yet couldn't stop thinking about.

Jiang Yuan placed his hand on the rough, dark hand of a man holding a banner, and gently patted it twice to comfort him. This gesture quickly drew more hands, encouraging everyone to weep even more freely.

Police officers from the entire building leaned out their windows. Some who hadn't been drawn by the drums and gongs now turned toward the sound of weeping, whispering among themselves—until they learned it was the parents of trafficked children, and fell silent.

Any normal person encountering such cases feels profound helplessness. Especially in an age that prides itself on civilization, where humans are traded as commodities—where penalties for traffickers are weaker than those for trafficking wildlife—the absurdity and moral chaos are unbearable.

The first couple to weep gradually fell silent. The wife lay curled on the ground, sobbing intermittently, exhausted and dazed.

The husband, Hao Tie, struggled to rise. "We shouldn't disrupt the bureau's normal operations. The officers have plenty of work and tasks. Let's set up the incense table and form a new line."

Hao Tie was the admin of multiple online groups, often organizing members to search suspected locations—and had even helped fellow group members find their children. He was highly influential.

The grieving families slowly rose, set up the incense table, placed the ritual fruits on it, and resumed beating the drums and gongs loudly.

One by one, silk banners and horizontal scrolls were unfurled.

"The People's Police Serve the People—Extending a Hand in Crisis"

"Heart Tied to the People, Grace as Heavy as Mountains"

"Chasing Across a Thousand Li, Solving Cases with Lightning Speed"

"Divine Police, Fierce and Mighty—The Criminals' Nemesis"

The police administration, having received advance notice, excitedly snapped photos. It was rare to have so many banners—these were all achievements to be counted.

Huang Qiang nodded with deep satisfaction. He had promoted Jiang Yuan, built a new office, upgraded vehicles, and added new equipment—all known to everyone. But if they could also gain a whole package of honors, it would be even better.

Gao Yuyan also came down to the courtyard. She watched people holding banners seriously, others pretending to film, and found it slightly amusing, yet also heartbreaking—and intensely envious.

This was exactly the police career she wanted…

Gao Yuyan edged closer to the crowd, listening to the waves of emotion, watching the crowd disperse. Only when everyone began to leave did she approach Jiang Yuan quietly and say: "Captain Jiang, I found a case."

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"Hm? Don't you want to rest a bit longer?" Jiang Yuan, still calming his emotions, replied. "Old cases don't need rushing—we can handle them gradually."

"It's not an old case," Gao Yuyan said.

"A current case?" Jiang Yuan looked at her in surprise.

Gao Yuyan, skilled in combat, broad-shouldered and thick-necked, nodded seriously, her chin jutting out like she might strike someone. "I came across it while reviewing files. A small restaurant reported someone paying with counterfeit 20-yuan bills. I remembered—just half a month ago, we had similar cases in Guqi City…"

"Counterfeit money is an economic crime case," Jiang Yuan said. The Criminal Investigation Unit and the Economic Crime Unit were separate, non-subordinate departments.

Gao Yuyan shrugged. "Your boss is now Director Huang. Who cares if it's a criminal investigation case? As long as we solve it, Director Huang is happy, Director Guan is happy, we solve the case, and public security improves—everyone wins."

Jiang Yuan chuckled. "That's not a valid reason to interfere in an economic crime case."

"It's likely a linked case. The 20-yuan counterfeits appeared in Guqi City just half a month ago. Concentrated timing suggests a new counterfeit gang has emerged. The sooner we crush it, the better—minimal social impact." Gao Yuyan wanted a big case and pressed hard.

Jiang Yuan was slightly swayed. He thought for a moment. "What's the current status of this case?"

"Someone might be investigating it, but there's been no progress."

"Why haven't they made progress?"

"From what I see, resources are lacking everywhere," Gao Yuyan said, spreading her hands in a gesture of 'I'm with you.'

"I'll check," Jiang Yuan said, now genuinely interested.