Chapter 253: The Trafficking Village

Chapter 253: Chapter 253: The Trafficking Village

A grating, duck-like voice sounded from outside the door, followed immediately by the sound of the door being pushed open.

"Alright, let’s be quick. We need to leave before the families of this ’shipment’ realize they’re gone," another voice chimed in.

Soon, two tall, large-framed men walked into the room.

One of them stood in the middle of the room, looking around. He randomly pinched a few of the captives’ faces, only relaxing when he confirmed they were all still unconscious.

The man with the grating voice noticed his partner’s actions and chuckled. "Relax. I upped the dosage. I guarantee this bunch won’t wake up for at least three or four hours."

"Just be careful with the dose. Don’t kill anyone. Next time, if anyone dares to resist, you can just break their legs. It doesn’t affect the price, and it’ll stop them from running." The other man nodded in satisfaction, adding a few instructions before saying, "Alright, you watch them here. I’ll go have someone bring the car around.

Let’s get them loaded up and get out of here. I’m worried something will go wrong if we wait too long."

The man with the grating voice waved his hand, signaling for his partner to go on without worry.

’A bunch of unconscious women. What’s there to worry about? I can definitely keep an eye on them!’

Behind the door, Zoe Sawyer and the others were tense, their full attention fixed on the situation inside the room.

Meanwhile, Officer Lee’s fingers flew across his keyboard. He quickly pinpointed the location of the room where Zara Zane and the others were being held.

"Zoe, the moment he turns his back, you open the door fast. I’ll hit him with the tranquilizer gun and take him down."

"Then we lie in wait. As the others come in, we’ll take them out one by one," Sean Hughes said, quickly formulating a plan.

Heath Hale, who had been listening from the side, interjected, "We can follow Sean’s plan for the first part. After we’ve caught him, Zoe, you move the door to the front and then poke the camera out slightly.

We need to confirm how many of them there are and if they have any other weapons. That’s the only way to capture them with minimal casualties."

These guys were clearly human traffickers. Judging by how practiced they were, this definitely wasn’t their first time.

If we rush out recklessly and they get desperate, they might try to run people over with their car. The consequences of that would be severe.

They had to save the victims, but they also had to catch the traffickers.

But safety had to be the top priority.

Sean Hughes took a deep breath. She didn’t argue, understanding that Heath Hale’s plan was better than her own.

"I was being too hasty. Let’s go with Heath’s plan." Sean Hughes clenched her fists, her expression determined. ’I will get them out of here.’

Zoe Sawyer reached out and squeezed Sean Hughes’s hand, offering her comfort in her own way.

After that, the team quickly got into position.

The moment the man with the grating voice turned around, Zoe Sawyer threw the door open. Sean Hughes swiftly fired a tranquilizer dart into his neck.

The specially-made tranquilizer took effect instantly. The man with the grating voice staggered and collapsed to the floor.

Sean Hughes rushed forward with a few team members. They quickly tied up the man and checked on the other abducted young women.

She breathed a sigh of relief after confirming they were all unharmed.

"Help them all up. If something happens, we’ll be able to move them out quickly," Sean Hughes commanded her subordinates.

Soon, the young women, who had been lying unconscious on the floor in disarray, were propped up by Sean Hughes and her team.

This way, it would be easier to move them if any unexpected situations arose.

During this time, following Heath Hale’s instructions, Zoe Sawyer moved the door to the front wall of the room. Using a mini camera poked through the opening, she surveyed the surrounding area.

From the layout, it looked like a farmhouse courtyard. On the empty patch of ground next to the room holding Zara Zane and the others, there were several large iron cages filled with chickens and ducks.

The poultry were constantly flapping their wings inside the cages, making a considerable racket.

Many people were coming and going outside the courtyard, but because the walls had been built higher, no one on the outside could see what was happening within.

"I get it. They’re using the sound of the flapping chickens and ducks to cover any noise from this room. Combined with the lack of a clear view inside, it’s easy for people outside to overlook what’s happening here," Heath Hale said, a flash of understanding in his eyes.

’Their choice of location is also quite clever. According to normal logic, a hideout for human trafficking should be in a secluded place.

That way, even if they accidentally make some noise, they’re less likely to be discovered.

But these traffickers chose a normal, bustling village instead.’

Zoe Sawyer stared through the crack in front of her, her thoughts racing.

’Are these traffickers just really good at hiding in plain sight? Or... is everyone in this village involved?’

Zoe Sawyer gasped as she considered the latter possibility.

’If that’s really the case, then this is huge! It’s not something our small team can handle alone!’

Zoe Sawyer tugged on the corner of Heath Hale’s shirt beside her and quickly told him what she was thinking.

Heath Hale crossed his arms, his expression grave. "We can’t rule out that possibility. Let’s prepare for the worst. If it’s true, we can call for backup in time."

Just as they were talking, a minivan drove in from outside.

"They’re here! Everyone, on alert!" Heath Hale beckoned to the team members behind him, signaling them to get ready.

Heath Hale even grabbed a sharp knife from nearby, preparing to find a chance to slash the minivan’s tires to buy time for the operation that would follow.

At that moment, the voices of several people drifted in from outside. Although their accents were a bit thick, Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale could still make out what they were saying.

"Hey, Sid! Off to make another delivery? After this run, remember to swing by Aunt Pierce’s place. The two I have here are all broken in, guaranteed to be good! The money’s the same as before, a 70-30 split!"

"The two at my place are about ready, too. Sid, take them for me today, and when you get back, I’ll butcher a chicken for you."

"Sid, those two girls you brought me aren’t working out. They keep screaming about going home. Not as obedient as the last batch."

"Yeah, exactly! The college students fetch a good price, but they’re too hard to tame. Next time, let’s pick some that are easier to handle."

As the villagers chattered back and forth, the faces of Zoe Sawyer and Heath Hale, who were eavesdropping through the crack in the door, had already turned grim.

The worst-case scenario had come to pass.

The entire village was in on it!

"Evan Keller, call for backup! Get the nearest police station to send people over now! Surround the entire village! They’re getting ready to move the victims," Heath Hale said, his face grim and his words coming out in a rapid-fire burst.

Evan Keller, who had been excluded from this operation due to an injury, wasted no time. Using the location data, he dialed the precinct with jurisdiction over the area and quickly explained the situation in the village.

"Captain Keller, are you saying that Feldon, in our jurisdiction, is a human trafficking village?"