Chapter 62: Who Is Most Likely to Gain Trust
“Comrade, are you saying that female boss was sitting right across from you?”
“Are you certain?”
Having learned so much information, Chief Conductor Xu already believed Shen Yi’an’s account deep down.
But the matter was of great importance—it wasn’t enough for just him to believe it.
The more details they knew, the more favorable it would be for the subsequent arrest operation.
Meeting Chief Conductor Xu’s probing gaze, Shen Yi’an’s answer was much firmer this time. “I can confirm that the female boss was the woman sitting across from me.”
“And that family of three was sitting right behind me.”
After sharing this information, it felt as if she had finally completed some important task, and her tense nerves finally relaxed.
As her body relaxed, a sudden cry of pain escaped her lips.
“Hiss!”
Though the sound was faint, both Chief Conductor Xu and Conductor Li heard it.
Their gazes turned toward her in unison.
“What’s wrong? Are you injured?”
“Is it serious?”
Even as he asked, Chief Conductor Xu promptly gave an order.
“Conductor Li, go find the accompanying medical staff.”
“This comrade has been a great help to us.”
“Even if she isn’t injured, we’ll feel more at ease after a thorough checkup.”
Watching Conductor Li’s retreating figure leave the duty room, Shen Yi’an, who ‘didn’t have time to stop him,’ smiled sheepishly. “Sorry for causing trouble, Chief Conductor.”
“I didn’t even know when my palm got scraped.”
As she spoke, she didn’t forget to open her palm for a look.
Upon seeing it, she thought, wow, she had been a bit too harsh on herself earlier.
Her originally pink and tender palm now bore several crimson crescent-shaped marks.
Two of those crescents had broken the skin, and blood had seeped out at some point.
Earlier, her mind had been entirely focused on ‘reporting’ the matter, so she had overlooked this detail.
Only now, with her entire body and mind relaxed, did she feel the pain in her palm.
That earlier cry of pain had been partly intentional.
It was meant to let the two standing before her know how frightened she had been in that situation.
But only upon seeing the dried blood on her palm did she realize just how delicate her skin, nourished by the spiritual spring, truly was.
Tsk, it felt like she hadn’t even used much force!
However, it was precisely because of the bloodstains on her palm that the ‘self-inflicted injury ploy’ became even more effective.
Sure enough, when Chief Conductor Xu saw the bloodstains on her palm, the hidden suspicion in his eyes faded by eighty percent.
The remaining twenty percent would likely only dissipate after the medical staff’s examination.
But for now, he didn’t forget to express concern.
“You’ve worked hard, comrade!”
“You’ve been a great help to our train, yet you ended up getting hurt.”
“Here, take a seat over here and wait. The medical staff will arrive shortly.”
Hearing this, Shen Yi’an didn’t stand on ceremony and sat on the stool Chief Conductor Xu pointed to.
As for why she didn’t pull the stool over to sit—it was because the stools on the train were fixed in place.
If they were movable stools, who knows how they’d be shaken loose by the train’s vibrations when no one was around.
In just five minutes, medical staff followed Conductor Li into the duty room.
Upon seeing the wound on Shen Yi’an’s palm, a look of understanding flashed across the medical staff’s face.
It was exactly as she had heard!
When people are in a state of extreme panic or fear, they instinctively clench their fists tightly.
Fully focused on the external situation, there was no spare mental capacity to worry about whether she might injure herself.
This also made the origin of the palm wound quite evident.
Though such thoughts crossed her mind, while assisting with the wound treatment, she subtly nodded to the chief conductor before carefully reiterating the details.
“The wound on your palm isn’t severe, but it shouldn’t be taken lightly.”
“After all, it did bleed.”
“If it gets infected with tetanus, even a young person would suffer greatly.”
Hearing this, Shen Yi’an nodded earnestly and replied, “I understand, doctor. I’ll be sure to pay attention!”
After the medical staff bandaged the wound and left, the last trace of suspicion in Chief Conductor Xu’s expression vanished completely.
He then resumed his initial stern demeanor.
“Comrade, first of all, thank you for promptly reporting the situation, which allowed us to take timely action.”
“In addition, we need your assistance with a small matter.”
Fearing any misunderstanding, he quickly added,
“Of course, whether you’re willing to help is entirely up to you. We won’t force you.”
“After all, you’ve already contributed greatly to this matter.”
Faced with such a sincere request, Shen Yi’an was actually willing to help.
Because when she decided to report the situation, she had prepared herself to be “utilized” at any moment.
After all, no one knew exactly how many human traffickers were on this train.
Without a thorough plan, even one escaping criminal could prove fatal to everyone involved in the operation.
These were people who trafficked women and children—the concept of “humanity” was completely foreign to them.
In such circumstances, any escaped trafficker might seek revenge.
They might target railway staff, the train crew, or even her for providing the tip.
In any case, a comprehensive plan was essential.
Therefore, the first step was to avoid arousing the traffickers’ suspicion.
Only by maintaining the normal environment could the plan proceed smoothly.
So, who would be most likely to gain their trust?
Naturally, someone the traffickers were relatively familiar with, or someone they perceived as non-threatening.
Considering all factors, Shen Yi’an was clearly the best candidate.
She was sitting right under the nose of the trafficker’s leader—any suspicious moves would be difficult to conceal.
But understanding the situation and being prepared were one thing.
She couldn’t agree immediately.
Her palm had been pierced from the fear induced by what she’d overheard earlier—facing a similar situation again would naturally make her hesitate.
So, after Chief Conductor Xu finished speaking, Shen Yi’an bit her lip with a troubled expression and said, “Could you give me some time to think about it?”
“I know saving innocent children is a noble cause, but…”
She didn’t need to elaborate further—Chief Conductor Xu and Conductor Li immediately understood her meaning from her expression.
As an ordinary citizen, being able to take care of herself was already commendable.
Without any combat skills, it was natural to feel afraid in dangerous situations.
She had managed to avoid danger last time only thanks to the cover provided by the restroom.
There was no guarantee it would happen again.
Understanding the situation, Chief Conductor Xu made subsequent arrangements.
“Comrade, this duty room will be left for you to consider carefully.”
“But time is pressing. We hope you won’t keep us waiting too long.”
After saying this, he nodded to Conductor Li beside him. “Let’s go arrange the next steps.”
Knowing they were going to prepare for what came next, Shen Yi’an nodded somewhat hesitantly. “I’ll consider it seriously.”
Hearing this, Chief Conductor Xu and Conductor Li nodded to her before hurriedly leaving the chief conductor’s duty room.
Only after confirming they had gone far enough did Shen Yi’an finally let out a long sigh.
Everything was ready—all that was needed was the east wind!
Considering that this operation couldn’t allow any fish to slip through the net,
While Chief Conductor Xu and Conductor Li thought she was carefully considering things in the duty room, Shen Yi’an had already locked the door from inside and used her Space ability to return to her original carriage.
Her sole purpose was to recheck the places where those people had settled.
The final confirmation revealed that the carriage where the Female Boss was located had the highest concentration of people, with additional personnel distributed in the carriages on both sides.
However, the numbers were small—three people at the end of one carriage and two at the front of another.
After confirming this situation, she used her Space ability again to return to the chief conductor’s duty room.
Before she could even warm her seat, rhythmic knocking sounded at the door, followed by someone entering.
But the person standing at the front wasn’t either Chief Conductor Xu or Conductor Li who had appeared earlier.
Instead, it was a comrade in military uniform wearing a full army outfit.
When he appeared, the air in the duty room seemed to grow several degrees heavier.
His voice when he spoke was like low, rumbling thunder.