Chapter 13 The Final Piece
A week later, Miaomiao and my parents headed back home.
I went to the station to present banners of gratitude to the police, the train crew, and the Train Police.
If they hadn’t all worked together, I never would have gotten Miaomiao back.
The older Train Police officer still remembered me clearly. He greeted me warmly.
From him, I finally learned the full truth.
The traffickers were a four-person gang.
We had only caught three of them. One had almost escaped.
A cold sweat broke out across my back.
Thankfully, the police handled the case thoroughly. If anyone had gotten away and come back for revenge, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
“Don’t worry. Don’t overthink it. Trust us,” the older Train Police officer said, patting my shoulder.
“You’ve been wondering the whole time how your sister disappeared, right?”
“The answer lies with the fourth person.”
He showed me a photo. It looked like a small child—maybe three or four years old.
“A kid?” I asked in disbelief.
“Don’t let the appearance fool you. This is actually a thirty-something adult. They just have dwarfism.”
What he said next finally made everything clear.
On that train, the fourth trafficker had boarded pretending to be a child. They hadn’t even bought a ticket.
Once the gang decided to target Miaomiao, they put the plan in motion.
The one disguised as a child slipped into the bathroom ahead of time and hid up in the ceiling panel.
When Miaomiao went in, they drugged her instantly. She never stood a chance.
The black-faced man stood guard outside, ready to help them slip away once the door opened.
“So that’s how it happened…”
I sucked in a sharp breath. Goosebumps rose on my arms.
“But why Miaomiao? Did they pick her the moment we got on the train?”
“You’re thinking too simply. They had already chosen you two back at the station.”
The older Train Police officer’s voice carried heavy regret.
I realized then that Miaomiao had been in danger from the very beginning—and I had no idea.
Traffickers loved targeting young children accompanied by young men.
Compared to cautious older people, young men often let their guard down.
“You weren’t their first victims. They’ve been moving around, abducting seven or eight children already.”
“But this time they finally got caught. The kids are all being returned to their families.”
I let out a long, heavy sigh.
I hoped—no, I prayed—that no more children would be taken. No more families torn apart.