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She refused to explain the situation, insisting that she had simply tripped and scraped herself on the corner of the coffee table. This left Irina anxious and in tears, and she could only take Qi Qin back to the suburban villa. After dinner that night, the three of them sat quietly in the living room, lost in thought.
No matter how Irina and Zhuo Ya questioned Ksenia, she remained silent, holding her teacup and staring down at the floor. With no other options, they decided to let her stay for now and took her back to the ranch the next day.
When Xu Li saw Ksenia again, even he couldn't believe his eyes. Irina had only been a child when he took her away, and Ksenia was just a girl then too. In just a few short years, she appeared to have aged like a woman in her sixties.
After dinner, whether she wanted to or not, Anna and Eva pulled her into Wei Jian's bathroom for a wash. Soon after, Eva emerged with red-rimmed eyes and pulled Xu Li into the bedroom, locking the door behind them. "She has damage to her left kidney," Eva said, "and her calf is somewhat disabled, as if it had been shackled for a long time. Her arms have deep indentations from needles being repeatedly inserted, leaving her veins lacking elasticity."
In the past, when the elderly in their village fell ill, the sisters would often visit them. Many of them had been on IV drips for extended periods, causing their veins in their hands and forearms to atrophy. (For Xiao Zuo, I was just like that!)
Xu Li understood.
He left the bedroom directly after grabbing his coat and changing his shoes before heading over to the gym. He called Ivan and explained Ksenia's situation. The old Russian frowned in thought for a long time. "That shouldn't be possible. I've been a police officer in Irkutsk my whole life and have never heard of any human trafficking rings there."
"Is it possible this has emerged in recent years?"
"That seems even less likely," Ivan shook his head. "You should know that in this city, nothing escapes our scrutiny—unless..."
"Unless what?" Xu Li asked with a furrowed brow.
On the other end of the line, Ivan's expression grew serious. "Unless there are some bastards among us involved in this."
"I'll ask around here first," Xu Li replied.
After hanging up, he called Alexei, who was on leave: "Gather Maxim and the others; bring your gear over to my place."
He vaguely remembered what that man looked like—excitedly counting out three hundred One Hundred Thousand Rubles as he sent Irina downstairs. Perhaps this bastard knew something about the situation; how could Ksenia—who was nearly forty—possibly be held captive?
He returned to the living room and called over Irina, whose eyes were still red from crying. "Do you remember your stepfather's name? Or the names of his two children?"
"I do," she replied.
Xu Li committed those three names to memory before heading back to his bedroom. He moved aside his bed—a large one he had slept on for nearly thirty years—and pulled on an iron ring to reveal an entrance to a cellar. He went down and tossed several large black bags onto the floor.
By the time he brought more than ten bags back into the living room, Alexei and his crew had also arrived with their gear, filling the spacious area with their imposing figures as they looked sternly at the village chief.
Xu Li opened one of the black bags to reveal pure black tactical gear: bulletproof vests, tactical gloves, and various other equipment. He noticed Alexei's eyelids twitch slightly; these men remained silent as they opened all their bags and selected protective gear that fit them.
Although they lacked combat boots, thick insulated leather boots would suffice. Xu Li donned his hood and fastened his tactical helmet while setting up radio devices. Ksenia changed into warm cotton pajamas and limped into the living room behind Anna.
Her eyes were filled with fear as she looked at these fully armed warriors. Xu Li stepped forward to support the weak Ksenia. In front of all those men, he lifted one side of her pajama top; that centipede scar did not seem to stir any emotion among them.
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