Chapter 4: Iron-Blooded Interrogation
In the No. 3 slaughterhouse, on the pig slaughtering platform, a gaunt middle-aged man was bound at all four limbs, stretched out to form a striking "X" shape. Around the platform, seven or eight young men in uniform work clothes stood watching.
The strong, pungent smell of blood and meat filled the air in the slaughterhouse. Li Yi, though slightly nauseous, couldn't help but feel a sense of excitement. The familiar stench—one that carried the weight of his childhood memories and years of hardship—was something he'd longed for, even if he had to endure it again. Over the years, he had often wished to experience this scent once more, but things had changed. Even within the same slaughterhouse, under the new mechanized production line, it was no longer the same.
Li Yi's gaze returned to the trafficker, and he held his daughter, Weiwei, closely in his arms. He turned to Wei Sanpao and said, "Take Weiwei to Old Liang's shop for some popsicles and put it on my account."
Wei Sanpao nodded. "Understood."
He pointed to a young man nearby and instructed, "Xiao Wu, take Weiwei. No need to put it on the account."
As he spoke, Wei Sanpao took out a large sum of money from his pocket and handed it over to Xiao Wu. Without a word, Xiao Wu accepted the money and left with Weiwei.
Once his daughter was out of sight, Li Yi's demeanor shifted entirely. His face hardened, and his presence became more imposing. He walked toward the corner of the workshop, where he grabbed an iron rod. He found several thick rags and approached the trafficker, who began to look visibly uneasy.
Seeing Li Yi's approach, the trafficker's face twisted with fear. He immediately shouted, "What do you think you're doing? It's illegal to hit people!"
Li Yi simply smiled coldly, continuing his slow advance.
"Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll call for help!"
The trafficker's voice was trembling, and his cries echoed through the slaughterhouse. Wei Sanpao and the others covered their ears, wincing at the harsh sound. But Li Yi didn't halt. He knew this place too well.
The Jiangnan Province Meat Processing Plant was the largest of its kind in the province. It was responsible for providing meat for five million people in Jiangcheng, the provincial capital, and also for producing pickled meats, bacon, and canned pork and beef, some of which were even supplied to the military.
At its peak, the plant slaughtered more than 8,000 pigs and over 500 cows every day. Trucks from all over the province, and even special trains from other provinces, brought pigs for slaughter. The three slaughterhouses operated around the clock, with non-stop work. But all that had changed with the advent of the market economy. Now, only the No. 1 slaughterhouse remained in operation, and its production capacity had sharply decreased. No more than 300 pigs were slaughtered daily, and only one cow was slaughtered every two weeks. The No. 2 and No. 3 slaughterhouses were now abandoned, hardly visited at all.
"Scream. Scream all you want. This could be your last chance to speak. Consider it your final words!" Li Yi's voice rang out coldly, and his words sent a shockwave through the room. The trafficker, who had been shouting in fear, froze in terror. Wei Sanpao and the others could hardly believe what they were hearing.
"Brother, I was wrong. I was wrong," the trafficker quickly muttered, realizing the situation was dire.
"Where did you go wrong?" Li Yi asked, his tone emotionless as he spread the rags on the trafficker's chest.
"I shouldn't have come to the factory. I shouldn't have…"
Li Yi didn't believe this man's fabricated remorse. His lips curled into a slight smirk, and without warning, the iron rod in his hand came crashing down onto the trafficker's chest.
"Bang!"
The heavy sound of the iron rod hitting the trafficker's body echoed through the room.
"Ah!" The trafficker screamed in agony, followed by a sickening splatter as blood splashed out of his mouth.
The room went silent. No one had expected Li Yi to strike so suddenly and with such brutality.
Li Yi leaned down, his cold gaze never leaving the trafficker. "You see these rags? They'll absorb the impact of the iron rod. Even if you die from the beating, we can just dump your body in a ditch. The police will only say you fell off a cliff. Understand?"
The trafficker, now trembling and paralyzed by fear, wet himself in terror. The yellow liquid seeped from his pants, and the foul smell reached the others, sending shivers down their spines.
Li Yi showed no signs of mercy. The expression on his face was steely and emotionless, a stark contrast to the rage burning within him. This man in front of him wasn't just a trafficker; he was the one responsible for destroying Li Yi's family. In a past life, it was this bastard who had kidnapped Li Yi's daughter. His wife had left him because of it, and in the end, she had taken her own life in despair. Li Yi's parents had also severed ties with him, and he was left with nothing but guilt and regret.
If murder were legal, Li Yi would have killed this man a thousand times over, tearing him into pieces and feeding him to the dogs.
"Tell me where your hideout is, and how many people are involved in your gang!"
The trafficker's eyes darted nervously, avoiding direct eye contact. Li Yi raised the iron rod once again, his voice low and threatening, "If you lie, the next strike will hit your left leg. After that, your right leg, and then…" He paused, his voice taking on a sinister tone. "I'll break your balls."
The trafficker's face paled at the mention of his "third leg." The man was so terrified, it was as if he'd seen a demon straight from hell. His resolve crumbled under Li Yi's brutal threats.
"Alright, alright! I'll talk! Our hideout is in Lijiazhuang, Qiaoxi. There are four of us: Liu Wu, Huang San, Lin Yan, who is Liu Wu's mistress, and me."
"Do you usually work alone? How many children have you kidnapped?"
"We usually work in pairs. One keeps watch while the other kidnaps. There are still six children who haven't been released yet."
Li Yi's eyes widened with realization. His voice dropped low, "That means your accomplices must be nearby. When we caught you, they must've seen us and fled."
"Yes! Liu Wu was supposed to meet me, but he might've seen that you had backup, so he didn't show up."
Li Yi's expression darkened. "Third Brother, we're running out of time. If the traffickers are fleeing, the children are in danger. They'll harm them to cover their tracks."
Wei Sanpao and the others, upon hearing this, understood the urgency. The lives of the kidnapped children were at stake, and they couldn't afford to waste a second.
"Brother Yi, what should we do?" Wei Sanpao asked urgently.
Li Yi's voice was calm but firm. "We'll split into three teams. You go report to the police station immediately. The rest of you, take Weiwei to my dad. The rest of us will take this bastard and go rescue the children."
"We can't let the traffickers escape. We need to move quickly. Third Brother, go to the factory director's office and steal the key to Room 212. You're the only one who can get in."
"Understood. I'll do it to save those kids."
Without another word, they all split up and began to follow Li Yi's plan.