Chapter 51: Burying Aunt Mei Alive

Yang Chun’s lingering anger had not yet subsided when he caught sight of the detestable buck-toothed man once more. Raising his foot again, he delivered another vicious kick straight to the wretch’s groin.

The buck-toothed man collapsed to the ground, clutching his crotch with both hands, joining his father in a duet of supreme agony.

Yang Chun looked around, hoping to find another target to vent his fury upon, only to discover that the two brothers had already been brought down by Ma Quanyi and several veteran soldiers using clubs, leaving them completely immobile.

Li Haibo gave a wave of his hand, commanding, "Tie them up!"

Ma Quanyi and the others sprang into action, quickly fetching ropes and expertly binding the captives so tightly that they could not move a muscle.

Auntie Mei, bound hand and foot, refused to give up. A forced, ingratiating smile crept onto her face. "Master Bo! There's no need for this! It's just that we didn't pay our respects to the local turf. Name your price, Master Bo, and I'll smash my pots and sell my iron to scrape it together for you!"

Ignoring her pleas entirely, Li Haibo turned his gaze toward the six children huddled in the corner, trembling with fear.

A flicker of pity and heartache crossed his eyes for a split second before he murmured softly, "The crimes you have committed deserve a thousand deaths!"

The children were covered in shocking knife wounds and bruises, fresh scars overlapping old ones.

Two of them had legs twisted at deeply unnatural angles—the tragic result of having been cruelly and repeatedly broken by human hands, left without any medical treatment to heal however they might.

The gruesome sight was too agonizing to behold, further highlighting the utter depravity and monstrous crimes of these traffickers.

Burning with anxiety, Yang Chun hurried into the crude shack and emerged shortly after with an armful of quilts and clothes.

He gently wrapped the children, his eyes brimming with tenderness and affection, as if he hoped to use this meager warmth to dispel the gloom and terror in their young hearts.

Touched at the most fragile chords of their hearts by having survived such an ordeal, the children began to sob quietly once more, their feeble cries wrenching every soul within hearing distance.

Yang Chun pulled them softly into his arms, soothing them, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid!"

His brows furrowed deeply, Li Haibo turned to Hou Yong. "Monkey! Go borrow a flatbed cart from Old Man Zheng!"

Without a second word, Hou Yong acknowledged the order and dashed off.

Clenching his teeth with burning resentment, Ma Quanyi snarled, "Brother Bo! What should we do with these body-harvesting scoundrels?"

One veteran soldier stepped forward, his face flushed with righteous indignation as he shouted, "Brother Bo! Beat them to death!"

This outcry instantly reignited the fury in everyone present, and they chimed in one after another, "Right! These traffickers deserve to go down to the eighteenth level of hell!"

A resolute look settled in Li Haibo’s eyes. "Which level of hell they go to isn't up to us to decide, but before they descend, we mustn't let them die too easily!"

"Brother Bo, what’s the plan?" the men asked in unison.

Squinting slightly, Li Haibo squeezed a few words through his teeth: "Break their limbs, dig a pit right here, and I'm going to bury them alive!"

The men immediately snatched up their clubs. Without a shred of mercy in their eyes, with every stroke of the staff came the agonizing shrieks of Auntie Mei, her husband, and her sons as their limbs were snapped one by one.

Shortly after, someone hurriedly fetched rags and brutally gagged them, reducing their cries to muffled sounds of absolute despair.

Right before their eyes, several shovels rapidly churned the soil, letting them watch with their own eyes as the grave meant to bury them took shape, the flying dust acting as a prelude to death.

Auntie Mei and the others thrashed wildly, trying to break free, but all their struggles were in vain.

Terror and despair filled their eyes. Their former ferocity and cruelty had utterly vanished, replaced now by a profound dread of the impending doom.

Watching from the side, the children still trembled, but a glint of vindication had crept into their gazes.

Standing like a stern statue with a cold expression, Li Haibo cast a gaze as sharp as ice blades over the unfolding scene.

Such methods might seem overly cruel, yet what else could be done in the face of these heartless, utterly conscience-less traffickers and body-snatchers?

They had wantonly trampled upon the fates of innocent children and ruthlessly destroyed the kindness and beauty of the world.

Only by inflicting the most extreme punishment could justice be served for the suffering children and the wickedness of this world be held slightly in check.

Once the pit was dug, the crowd tossed the traffickers in like garbage. The earth slowly covered them, their figures gradually swallowed by the darkness, purging just a little bit of evil from the world.

After the pit was filled in, Li Haibo stepped atop the mound with a cold expression and stamped down heavily.

Then, turning to Ma Quanyi and the veterans, he cupped his fists in salute and said sincerely, "Many thanks to you brothers for lending a hand tonight. It's bitter cold—why not come over to One-eyed Zheng's tavern and bowl some rice wine to warm up?"

Ma Quanyi shook his head slightly, a solemn look on his face. "No need! There's nothing to celebrate about today's business. The night is deep, and we must head back early!"

With that, he returned a formal salute to the men and resolutely turned away, leading the veterans into the night.

At that moment, Hou Yong walked over and asked, "Brother Bo! What should we do with these poor children?"

Gazing at the pitiful children, Li Haibo heaved a helpless sigh. "Put them on the flatbed cart and follow me!"

Yang Chun quickly pursued, "Where are we going?"

"Zhabei Orphanage!"

Guiding the others, Li Haibo pushed the flatbed cart laden with children all the way to the Zhabei Orphanage.

Stepping forward, Li Haibo struck the door heavily, the knocking sounding exceptionally abrupt in the silent night.

After a long while, a nun emerged holding a flickering candle, her voice laced with wariness. "Who is it?"

Li Haibo called out in a clear voice, "Police!"

Silence hung behind the door for a few seconds before a reply came: "Officer! This is an orphanage; only women and children are inside. The night is late, so please go back!"

Li Haibo let out a dry, helpless chuckle upon hearing this, suddenly recalling that this was not the modern era—in this day and age, the reputation of the police left much to be desired.

Pondering for a moment, Li Haibo unhooked the jade pendant he always wore around his neck and gently slid it through the crack in the door.

The person inside took the pendant, followed by a voice saying, "Wait a moment!" Then came the sound of retreating footsteps. Evidently, the nun had recognized the directress's token.

A short while later, the door creaked open, and the elderly directress appeared at the entrance accompanied by two nuns.

Clutching the jade pendant tightly in her hand, a gentle smile graced the directress's face as she asked softly, "Child, you've come at a deep hour. Is there anything I can help you with?"

Without a word, Li Haibo simply turned aside to make way.

The moment the directress's gaze fell upon the bruised and horrifyingly battered children on the flatbed cart, her expression changed drastically, and an exclamation escaped her lips: "Dear heavens! Quickly, bring them inside!"

The group hurriedly lent a hand, carefully carrying the children into the orphanage.

Looking at Li Haibo with eyes full of worry and affection, the directress pressed, "How did this happen?"