Chapter 22: The Madman in the Dark Room

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Despite the combined efforts of Jiang Cha and the others, they failed to subdue the village chief. Sensing the situation was worsening, Deng Yixiang quickly ran off to fetch reinforcements. They could not overpower the chief, but their agility gave them the advantage to outrun him. Given the chief’s large residence, Jiang Cha and her companions began to play a game of hide-and-seek, scattering in different directions.

“I’m right here! Village chief, if you have the guts, come and cut me!” They taunted him like cats and mice, making the chief dizzy from chasing them around.

“Jiang Cha! Jiang Cha!” Shouts from Song Bo rang out nearby, accompanied by the growing wail of police sirens. Jiang Cha squinted at the distant flashlight beams and called out loudly, “Song Bo, we’re here!”

Song Bo, accompanied by several officers, kicked open the gate and rushed inside. They saw the village chief in the courtyard, wildly brandishing a kitchen knife. The officers immediately moved in and restrained him.

The village chief, being elderly, was quickly overpowered by the professionally trained police and handcuffed tightly. Song Bo approached Jiang Cha, scrutinizing her from head to toe, his face filled with concern.

“Are you alright?” Jiang Cha shook her head slightly.

“We’re all fine.”

Song Bo’s furrowed brow relaxed a bit as he exhaled deeply.

“You’re really brave, facing a criminal alone. What if something had happened to you? How would you explain that?” Tao Zhiyong stepped forward sternly to reprimand them. Tao Zhiyong was an old acquaintance, having apprehended several suspects in the past. In the provincial capital, he was a well-known police officer. Recently, their village had been the site of frequent incidents.

Late at night, when Song Bo came to find Tao Zhiyong, the latter was still groggy, wondering if another problem had arisen so soon. Jiang Cha glanced at Tao Zhiyong and sheepishly explained, “We were afraid he would eat all the green peacocks, so we acted out of desperation. Besides, didn’t Song Bo come to bring you guys?”

The village chief struggled on the ground, shouting curses. “You little bastard, when my son recovers from his foolishness, I’ll have him avenge me!” Despite his thrashing, Tao Zhiyong frowned deeply and ordered, “Take him in for questioning!”

Since it was late at night, only four officers had come. Three of them forced the village chief into a vehicle and drove him to a nearby guesthouse. The journey back to the provincial capital was long, and who knew what might happen at this hour? Tao Zhiyong decided it was best to wait until morning to take him back.

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“What about the peacocks?”

Song Yang quickly responded, “The green peacocks are still in the iron cages. One of them is injured, and it looks quite serious.”

The group approached the iron enclosure beneath the bamboo hut. Jiang Cha was the first to enter and soothe the flock.

“You’re safe now. The village chief has been taken away. You’re free.”

[Thank you, human. Do you think my brother’s injury can be healed?] the peacock communicated. Jiang Cha stepped forward to examine the wound. She had relevant experience from her internship at a zoo, having cared for pandas, peacocks, and red-crowned cranes alike.

After inspection, she concluded, “It’s nothing serious—just surface wounds. A few days of rest will do.”

Hearing this, the male peacock leader finally relaxed.

[That’s a relief. Our entire peacock clan now consists of only six individuals. If we lose even one more, we’ll be on the brink of extinction.]

What? Only six left? That was alarming. Tao Zhiyong watched Jiang Cha whispering to the peacocks, clearly puzzled.

They worked together to release the peacocks. Returning like this to the rainforest would likely mean capture by poachers again. Tao Zhiyong thought for a moment and suggested, “Your yard is quite spacious. Why not keep them there for a few days? I’ll apply to the bureau to establish a nature reserve and arrange proper care for the peacocks.”

Jiang Cha pointed at herself in disbelief, “Me?”

Tao Zhiyong nodded seriously. “You managed to save a pangolin before. These surface wounds should be nothing to you.”

Jiang Cha smiled awkwardly—her reputation for rescuing the pangolin had already spread far and wide. She looked at the male peacock leader, who nodded in agreement.

[Human, we trust you.]

That night, Jiang Cha brought the six peacocks home.

Zheng Xiaozhen was stunned to see six peacocks following Jiang Cha, her face full of surprise. After hearing the full story, Zheng Xiaozhen sighed and found an empty spot in the yard to settle the peacocks.

The next morning, Jiang Cha was awakened by urgent shouting.

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At dawn, Song Yang and Fan Minghui stood at Jiang Cha’s doorstep, calling her incessantly.

Still groggy, Jiang Cha stepped outside to see what was going on. Song Yang grabbed her arm hurriedly and pulled her outside.

Jiang Cha was bewildered. “Song Yang, what are you doing? It’s early morning—can’t a person sleep?”

Song Yang’s anxiety was nearly overwhelming, while Fan Minghui gestured wildly beside him. “Sleep? What sleep? Don’t you know something big happened?”

Jiang Cha jolted awake instantly. “What happened? Tell me!”

Song Yang’s face was grim as he walked briskly ahead, glancing back to explain, “Last night, Uncle Tao and the police thoroughly searched the village chief’s house. And guess what? The village chief is truly a wolf in sheep’s clothing!”

Jiang Cha frowned, sensing he was holding back. “Come on, spit it out! What happened to the village chief? Stop teasing me!”

As they walked, Fan Minghui hurriedly filled in, “Uncle Tao found the village chief’s wife and daughter in another cellar under the house. And there were a lot of dead pangolins down there too!”

What? What was going on? That news snapped Jiang Cha fully awake. “So you’re saying there’s more than one hidden room in his house?”

Song Yang nodded. “It’s all because of his mentally challenged son.”

His expression grew serious as he looked at Jiang Cha. “You were right. Someone must be manipulating the village chief behind the scenes. He wouldn’t have come up with this on his own.”

That morning, Fan Minghui went for a morning run and saw Tao Zhiyong and others still searching the village chief’s home. They brought out the village chief’s wife, Fei Xiaqing, and daughter, Feng Ruilin.

Fan Minghui was stunned. As a child, he had seen Fei Xiaqing before, and he had met Feng Ruilin a few times. Based on their ages, Feng Ruilin was roughly the same age as him.

But now, both mother and daughter looked like wild creatures—disheveled hair and clothes, utterly untamed.

Fan Minghui shivered, recalling the morning’s grim scene.