Chapter Forty: Target Acquired

When Wen Yuxin received Haifeng’s call, she knew her vacation was over and new challenges awaited her. As she packed her bags, her son Longlong came over and asked, “Mom, are you leaving again? Won’t you stay with me?”

Wen Yuxin knelt down, gently stroked Longlong’s head, and said, “Be good, Longlong. Listen to your grandparents at home and study hard. Mommy has to go catch bad people. Only when the bad people are caught can you live a happier, safer life and play with your friends. So don’t cry, be strong. When I’ve caught the bad people, I’ll come back to be with you, alright?”

Longlong nodded firmly, “Then hurry and catch the bad people, Mom. I won’t cry, I’ll be good and wait for you at home.”

Wen Yuxin smiled at him, said goodbye to her parents, and left home.

She had never imagined the world could harbor so much evil until she saw it for herself. Now, she was filled with infinite pride for her new job and her place in the White Tiger Squad. She knew her efforts today were worthwhile—only by doing this could Longlong live a safer, happier life, and only then could her country become a better place.

When Wen Yuxin arrived at the secret base, the rest of the White Tiger Squad had already assembled, including Qiu Zhiyong, who had returned once again. Everyone smiled and welcomed Wen Yuxin back.

With the team gathered, Haifeng began briefing them on the case.

“Two weeks ago, a female student at Mingcheng University committed suicide. All examinations confirmed it was an ordinary suicide. However, the girl had old scars, and her parents insisted she would not have taken her own life so easily. At the request of Dean Yang Shen of the School of Psychology and Cognition, I, Zhao Zhijie, and Li Mengyang went to the university for a detailed investigation.”

Haifeng paused, then continued, “The girl was Li Tangmei, a student at the School of Psychology and Cognition. Her family was poor, and she often worked part-time jobs on campus. About six months before her death, introduced by classmates, she joined an adult live-streaming platform and became a broadcaster.”

“At first, she only performed talents for pocket money. Later, under the persuasion of the platform’s customer service, she began erotic performances. A month ago, because of her outstanding performance, she was invited abroad by the platform. Once overseas, she was treated as a sex slave by the criminal group behind the platform and suffered inhuman abuse.”

“After returning home, Li Tangmei was threatened by this group. They forced her to continue performing on the platform to make money for them, threatening to publish videos of her previous performances online and inform her family and friends. The immense psychological pressure became unbearable, and she ultimately chose suicide.”

After listening, Li Weiwei was shocked. Once again, her understanding of the world’s evil was overturned. She could hardly believe such cruelty existed—girls treated as toys, their humanity and dignity so trampled. She felt deep pity for Li Tangmei, recognizing that all the girl wanted was a better life, but she lost both her dignity and her life.

Haifeng continued, “We investigated the platform and found it’s entirely profit-driven through erotic performances. It employs a large number of broadcasters nationwide, managed in ‘clans,’ each with a clan leader overseeing and promoting the platform.”

“The platform profits from paid performances and viewers’ purchase of gifts for the broadcasters. For high-level users, the platform even arranges for the broadcasters to provide sexual services. Because recruitment and performances are all conducted online, the network’s reach is vast—viewers and broadcasters are spread across the entire country. This case is a huge challenge for us.”

Li Weiwei listened in silence. Hearing how much intelligence Zhao Zhijie and the others had already gathered, she nudged him with her elbow and joked, “You’ve been investigating this long and only now tell us? You left me out of all the fun!”

Zhao Zhijie smiled awkwardly and lowered his head. Zhang Mufeng laughed and answered for him, “You can’t blame Zhao Zhijie. After all, this time it’s an adult platform. He couldn’t very well ask you to watch those performances with him, could he?”

Li Weiwei blushed at Zhang Mufeng’s remark.

Once Haifeng finished the briefing, he began assigning tasks. He said to Li Weiwei, “Weiwei, you and Zhao Zhijie will first locate the platform’s base of operations. Also, track down where the clans and broadcasters are based as quickly as possible. The rest of us will support you. Our first priority is to pinpoint the main target—the headquarters of this criminal group. We must monitor the clans and broadcasters but not alert them before we destroy the platform.”

Zhang Mufeng, inspired by the assignment, asked, “Captain Hai, did you find out where this girl was invited to travel by the platform?”

Haifeng nodded, “She went to Annan.”

Zhang Mufeng pondered, “I recall when we were handling the Qian Group case in Tanghua, Qian Zhen sent Zhang Yue to Annan to discuss a cooperation with a Mr. Chai, also involving an adult platform. Could the platform that led to this girl’s death be the same one Zhang Yue mentioned?”

Haifeng nodded, “It’s possible. That’s why we must first locate the platform before making our next move.”

After the younger team members left, Qiu Zhiyong asked Haifeng, “How’s Professor Yang?”

Haifeng replied, “He seems alright, just shaken. After all, multiple students of his have had accidents, and he invests a lot of energy in each one.”

Qiu Zhiyong continued, “How do you see this case? Confident?”

Haifeng answered, “It’s manageable. Internet cases always have a wide scope, and this one’s no different.”

“But isn’t there a strong possibility the suspects are abroad? Doesn’t that change things?” Qiu Zhiyong pressed.

Haifeng smiled, “Isn’t there a saying, ‘Whoever offends China, no matter how far, must be punished’? As long as it's a crime, even to the ends of the earth, I’ll bring them to justice!”

Qiu Zhiyong smiled, admiring Haifeng’s confidence. He saw this as the source of Haifeng’s ability to break through difficulties time and again—never discouraged, always composed, calmly analyzing, finding the enemy’s weakness, and delivering a decisive blow at the right moment.

A week later, Li Weiwei and her team reported their findings. As anticipated, the platform’s clans and broadcasters were scattered nationwide, with performers in every province. The server, however, was indeed in Annan, meaning their headquarters was there.

When Li Weiwei hacked into the platform’s servers, she was stunned by what she saw—not just her, but everyone present. Such a small adult platform had a daily revenue of ten million, exceeding three billion a year—an income many large corporations could only dream of.

What shocked them even more was the number of broadcasters—over a thousand. This meant the criminal network woven by this little platform included over a thousand people nationwide, and countless more were affected.

Even more terrifying, when Li Weiwei breached the internal network, she and Zhao Zhijie discovered a massive trove of video footage, screenshots, and contact data. This meant all these broadcasters had become puppets of the criminal group, and countless girls could be threatened at any moment—their images exposed online and to their loved ones if they resisted.

Li Weiwei couldn’t help but gasp. She asked Zhao Zhijie, “Does money really have such power? Can it make so many people willingly endure enslavement?”

Zhao Zhijie replied, “I’ve told you before—people don’t fear scarcity but inequality, not poverty but insecurity. Our country now is stable; no one starves anymore. But the wealth gap is still an issue, and housing and living costs are still high.”

He paused and continued, “Not everyone has a good family to shield them from these pressures. Young people are under immense stress, with few opportunities. So yes, some will take such risks. People mock the poor but not those who sell themselves; to improve their lives, they’ll go to extremes.”

“What’s more, many don’t understand the dangers of the internet. They think they can get away with it, make quick money, and walk away when they’ve saved enough—never realizing they’re already someone else’s puppet.”

Li Weiwei pressed, “If no one’s starving, why are they so desperate to make money, to throw away their youth and future?”

“Because you come from a good family; you don’t have to worry about these things. But they do. Do you know how high housing prices and education and healthcare costs are? When you understand that, you’ll see their desperation.”

“In the long run, owning a home may be a matter of time, but in the short term, it takes a lifetime of effort. How many people carry mortgages for twenty or thirty years? How many families must rely on six adults supporting one child? Aren’t they afraid? Of course they are.”

“They are consumed by the power of money because they fear for their future, not because they hope. That’s why they make choices you can’t understand.”

He added, “For poor kids, money is a temptation. With it, they can buy the clothes, food, and life they’ve only seen and heard about. Now there’s a chance to have those things, so they chase after them. They don’t realize the price—until it’s too late.”

Li Weiwei still didn’t fully understand. She believed everyone had the right to pursue the life they wanted, even if that dream was simply wealth. But, she thought, there are proper ways to earn money. Why sell your soul? Why become someone else’s puppet?

She felt both pity and anger toward these enslaved youths—pity for their misfortune, anger at their lack of resistance. At this moment, her outrage at the criminal group was overwhelming. How could they hurt others so coldly for money? Did they have no conscience?

She asked, “How can this criminal group be so heartless? Is money all that matters, even over others’ dignity and fate?”

Zhao Zhijie smiled. He respected her clear sense of right and wrong but knew she was still young, inexperienced, and unable to see the deeper issues.

He told her, “Marx once said: If there is 10% profit, capital will be used everywhere; with 20%, it becomes bold; with 50%, it will rashly risk danger; for 100%, it will trample all human laws; at 300%, there’s no crime it won’t commit, even at the risk of the gallows.”

“Calculate this group’s profits and ask yourself if they care about conscience. Besides, for criminals in the online adult industry, the cost is low, penalties are light, and it’s hard to track them down. Even if something happens, it’s the broadcasters who take the fall. What do they have to fear?”

“If you arrest these broadcasters, they’ll just recruit more. As long as the market exists, they won’t lack new recruits. Training an adult broadcaster isn’t like training a technical worker—it takes little time to build a new team. Add in the clan leaders’ encouragement—how could this business not be lucrative?”

Li Weiwei was speechless. She realized this was far more than the crime of a few individuals—it was an enormous industrial chain. The female broadcasters were just the lowest parts, always replaceable, always threatened, with no way to escape. For the first time, she felt powerless in the face of crime. She asked, “Is there really nothing we can do?”

Zhao Zhijie smiled, “There’s always a way. Money isn’t everything, and evil can never defeat justice. You’re part of the ‘Justice League.’ As long as we keep fighting, as long as people with a sense of justice persevere, faith in justice will prevail and evil will be punished. Those who trample on the dignity of others will be judged.”

Hearing these words, Li Weiwei felt a new sense of responsibility rise within her. At that moment, she felt like a superhero—her mission was to make justice a creed and ensure evil was brought to account.