49: Chapter 49 Rescue 49: Chapter 49 Rescue “There’s a lock, open it.” Wei Zhenguo’s expression grew much more serious.
The lockpicker wordlessly set to work and swiftly picked the lock on the sliding door.
Having been staking out the location for several days, Wen Ming also sensed something, took a deep breath, exchanged a glance with Wei Zhenguo, and then forcefully slid open the door.
A vertical shaft was revealed before everyone’s eyes.
“Notify Mu Zhiyang and have them follow Tan Yong closely.
I’ll send them backup, and once reinforcements arrive, proceed with the arrest,” Wei Zhenguo grabbed Wen Ming and continued, “Don’t rush, I’ve checked the surroundings.
The nearest building is 30 meters away, and there are no other entrances or exits.
We’ll also wait for backup.”
“I can go down first, and you guys cover from above,” Wen Ming said, excitedly pulling out his baton.
“We don’t know the situation below, just you alone, how will you deal with it…” Wei Zhenguo still wasn’t at ease whether Jiang Yuan should go down or stay above.
Wen Ming had been through numerous arrests, but Jiang Yuan had only received basic training…
Jiang Yuan looked at the two men and said softly, “This sliding door uses a padlock.”
Wei Zhenguo and Wen Ming were both momentarily taken aback.
“That’s a good point,” said Wen Ming as he drew out his baton again.
A padlock can only be opened from the outside, which normally would mean no accomplices of Tan Yong would be in the basement.
Of course, nothing is absolute, but the risk had become relatively lower.
“Let’s go down and have a look.
Be safe, don’t try to show off,” said Wei Zhenguo, no longer insisting on waiting for reinforcements.
If reinforcements arrived, the ownership of the case could potentially be transferred.
This was the provincial capital, and any director from a local police station had a higher rank than him.
Wei Zhenguo and his colleagues had been staking out for so long, and although their original intention was not for merit, he couldn’t bear the thought of success slipping away.
Wen Ming was even more eager now.
After responding, he swiftly slid down the shaft.
“There’s another door,” Wen Ming reported from below, his voice muffled, “It’s a corridor that only allows one person to pass, with an iron door.”
“Mahjong?” Wei Zhenguo called the lockpicker by his nickname.
“I charge by the lock, you know,” said the lockpicker, playful yet clearly curious.
The iron door down below was quickly opened, and after Wen Ming walked a few steps inside, he encountered another iron door.
Upon opening it, a woman’s cry of surprise came from within.
“Damn Li Liang!” Wei Zhenguo’s eyes suddenly widened.
The presence or absence of people in this basement made a huge difference.
Or rather, if there were people inside, the basement was no longer just a basement; it had become a true dungeon.
Below, Wen Ming’s voice was frantic as he spoke, and the woman’s voice gradually turned to sobbing.
Wei Zhenguo quickly pulled out his phone and sent out several messages, then shouted down, “Wen Ming, be careful, is there any danger?”
“No, there are no weapons below,” Wen Ming replied, then called out, “There are three women, locked up, we’re unlocking now, and then we’ll come up.”
“Understood,” Wei Zhenguo texted frantically, and when he heard voices from below, he too drew his baton.
Three women emerged one after another from the vertical shaft.
Wei Zhenguo looked intently, and the last one to emerge was indeed Ding Lan.
Compared to the Ding Lan in the photos, the real person who had just climbed out of the shaft looked even more emaciated, her complexion was pale and lackluster, but visually, her physical condition still seemed to be healthy.
“What’s your name?” Wei Zhenguo asked Ding Lan, suppressing the excitement in his heart.
I’m Ding Lan,” Ding Lan replied in a soft, timid voice.
Wei Zhenguo and the others weren’t wearing police uniforms, and Wen Ming’s announcement might not inspire much trust.
Wei Zhenguo sighed softly, “Don’t be scared, we are police from Ningtai County Bureau…”
Upon hearing Ningtai County, Ding Lan couldn’t hold back any longer and burst into loud sobbing.
She cried with her face covered in tears, mucus streaming out without any awareness, completely devoid of any image.
Influenced by her, another woman also started crying, shaking all over, uncontrollably hugging the nearby Wen Ming, smearing him with her tears and mucus.
The third woman, hiding behind the other two, appeared somewhat stupefied, looking numbly at the scene unfolding before her, with a lifeless gaze as if she hadn’t yet grasped the situation.
“Don’t run around just yet, our colleagues will be here soon to take you out,” Wen Ming said gently.
Okay!” Ding Lan, shivering with excitement, managed to choke out two words before crying even louder.
Wei Zhenguo also exhaled several times.
For this case, he harbored many thoughts and tangled emotions.
To be honest, finding Ding Lan, successfully finding her, and rescuing her involved no small amount of luck.
If Tan Yong had been more patient, Wei Zhenguo and his team weren’t sure how many more days they could have continued their stakeout.
Moving further back, if Tan Yong had been slightly more attractive, fitting Ding Lan’s criteria for a partner better, or even if he had been Ding Lan’s ex-boyfriend, Wei Zhenguo wouldn’t have had the chance to pinpoint Tan Yong.
Going back even further, if Jiang Yuan hadn’t taken the fingerprints one by one, if Wei Zhenguo hadn’t reopened this case, what would have become of Ding Lan’s life?
Wei Zhenguo dared not dwell on these questions in detail.
He feared even more to carefully consider what choices and judgments he had made when faced with an unsolvable case three years ago.
If only things had been different…
Wei Zhenguo shook his head to avoid these depressing thoughts from continuing to assail him.
Only after the initial emotional outpouring subsided did Wei Zhenguo ask the closest woman, “What’s your name?”
“Li Xiangyuan.” This was the first woman who had climbed out, about 20 years old, hugging herself and trembling non-stop.
Where did you live before?” Wei Zhenguo asked gently.
The young woman hesitated for a few seconds before replying softly, “In Changyang.”
Wei Zhenguo nodded and turned to the third woman, asking, “And you?
“Where are you from?”
Wei Zhenguo nodded slightly, while comforting the three women, he took out his notebook and quickly jotted down some notes, but did not formally question them.
As the brief conversation proceeded, the emotions of Wei Zhenguo and the three captive women stabilized somewhat.
“I’ll go down and take a look,” said Jiang Yuan, holding a flashlight and descending into the shaft.