Steve frowned and nodded. He had been outside the carousel and had seen Paimon interacting with the little girl, but he had assumed it was just children chatting and hadn't paid it much attention.
"Lucy invited me to play hide-and-seek, but I told her I was going to play on the swings with Steve, so I said no."
Paimon explained.
"Did she have two pigtails, a black-and-white spotted tulle dress, brown hair, and gray eyes?"
When Paimon confirmed it, Sally burst into tears.
"It was her. It was her!"
"What do I do? Where's my daughter? Where is she?"
Seeing her like this, Paimon hurried to comfort her.
"Please don't cry. Since Lucy has turned up, maybe your daughter is okay too. Why don't you ask Lucy tonight?"
"Tonight?"
Lin Ze realized something was off.
"How do you know Lucy will be back tonight? What did she tell you?"
Steve hadn't expected Paimon to have exchanged so much with the girl named Lucy in just a few minutes. He grew wary as well.
This was no ordinary missing-person case. It could very well be a planned child-trafficking operation involving an organized group.
"She told Paimon there would be a fireworks show in the park tonight, and that it would be more fun than during the day. She said I could come watch if I lived nearby."
"I told her my home wasn't here, and that I was only staying here for a couple of days."
"Lucy said if I missed the fireworks show today, I'd never get to see it again. Her mom had brought her here especially to watch it."
"She also said I definitely hadn't seen fireworks this pretty in my entire life."
Paimon planted her hands on her hips and said indignantly,
"Hmph, she really underestimated me! Paimon goes to Liyue with the Traveler for the Lantern Rite every year."
"Now those fireworks are beautiful."
Paimon hadn't expected a little kid to look down on her. Although she hadn't said so, it had bothered her, which was why she hadn't wanted to play with Lucy afterward.
Paimon pouted.
"Liyue has the most beautiful fireworks shows, and that's not up for debate. Hmph."
After hearing Paimon's account, Lin Ze had a rough idea of what was going on. He also understood the gravity of the situation. Things clearly weren't as simple as he had imagined.
If Paimon had been an ordinary child, she would surely have had a very good first impression of a girl her own age who kindly shared candy with her.
Most children would naturally warm to Lucy and play with her after receiving tasty snacks.
If Lucy then suggested going somewhere else to play, a few snacks would be enough to lure most children into following her.
Parents tended to be less wary of other children. If their own child slipped out of sight, their first thought would be that the child had wandered off to play somewhere. By the time they realized the truth, it would already be too late.
It was just like what had happened to Paimon.
Even if a child refused to play with Lucy, she would offer another lure: the evening fireworks show.
Steve took out his phone and tapped away for a while before finding the relevant information.
"There really is a fireworks show tonight. The little girl wasn't lying about that."
Is that so? Lin Ze lowered his eyes.
The fireworks show.
While chatting with the girl, Paimon had already revealed that she didn't live nearby. That meant if she went missing, passersby would be unlikely to recognize her, reducing the risk to the traffickers when they moved her.
And at night, there would surely be plenty of people coming to watch the fireworks. It would be perfectly normal for a child to get lost the moment an adult's attention wandered.
The parents' first thought would certainly be to report it to the police, not that traffickers had already set their sights on their child.
The fireworks show was suspicious too. Someone might have organized it with a specific purpose in mind: to attract a crowd, then traffic or abduct children.
Steve had thought of that as well.
"Maybe we should call the police, but..."
He trailed off. Sally's frantic actions earlier that day might already have alerted the culprits, and a police operation would attract too much attention. He wasn't sure how extensive this trafficking ring was or how powerful it might be.
Would telling the police create a risk?
After all, an experienced trafficking ring operating this brazenly was bound to have people working around the police station, or even inside it.
It had already been two weeks since Otilia disappeared. The longer a child remained missing, the lower the chances of bringing them home.
With the child potentially anywhere in the country, finding her would be anything but easy.
Lin Ze's suspicions struck Sally like a bolt from the blue. She had never imagined that trusting a stranger so readily could cost her her child.
"No, no. It's my fault. It's all my fault."
"Sir... both of you..." she sobbed.
"I'm begging you. Please, help me. I really... I really don't know what else to do."
"Otilia is everything to me. I can't lose her."
"Please... save my daughter."
Sally fell to her knees, crying out in anguish.
Her cries were hoarse and heartbroken, tears and mucus streaming down her face.
Days of fear, guilt, and regret had stretched her nerves to their limit. Only the hope of finding her daughter had kept her going until now.
The moment she learned she might lose her daughter forever, all the strength seemed to drain from Sally's body.
"Don't panic yet."
Seeing Sally like this pained Steve as well. He crouched down and helped her up.
There were still several hours until nightfall. They had time.
"Aunt Sally, please don't be sad. We can help you. The Traveler is really strong. He'll help you find Otilia."
Paimon had been startled herself when she learned that someone had targeted her for trafficking, but she couldn't bear to see a mother in such anguish.
"Traveler, hurry and think of something."
Lin Ze loathed human traffickers too. They knew nothing about this organization and couldn't act rashly. They needed a carefully considered plan.
"Tonight, I'll bring Paimon to watch the fireworks."
After a moment's thought, Lin Ze said,
"Since they've set their sights on Paimon, they won't just give up. We might as well pretend we know nothing and turn their scheme against them..."
"No. I won't agree to that. It's too dangerous."
Steve couldn't let two children put themselves in danger. If something happened, the cost would far outweigh any gain.
"I'll bring Paimon instead."
"Mr. Steve, I have faith in my abilities, and I hope you'll trust me too. I can guarantee Paimon's safety."
Lin Ze tried to persuade Steve.
"If you come, those people might not dare to show themselves at all."
That was the plain truth. With Steve's build and bearing, all he had to do was stand there. What criminal would dare cause trouble right under Captain America's nose?
Steve felt rather helpless too. He really wasn't well suited to this task. Seeing Lin Ze insist, he relented.
"Are you okay with this, Paimon?"
"Of course! I trust the Traveler. He'll protect me."
Paimon puffed out her chest and declared confidently,
"And if Paimon really does run into danger, I'll fly away. Don't worry."
Steve didn't notice Paimon's choice of words. He simply thought the little girl was trying to reassure him.
"Don't worry. I'll definitely keep you safe!"
"But to get inside their hideout, you'll have to put up with a little discomfort tonight, Paimon."
Lin Ze explained his plan. After hearing it, Steve set aside his worries and agreed to his suggestion.
It was a very risky plan, but if they could catch a lead on those traffickers and follow it back to the source, they would have a chance to recover the missing children.
By the time they had checked every step of the plan, it was getting late.
"Aunt Sally, the next part is up to you."
The woman's gaze was resolute. Before leaving, she said gratefully to Lin Ze and Steve,
"Whatever happens, good or bad, thank you."
With that, she hurried away.
Lin Ze felt a swell of emotion. He pulled himself together and called to Steve and Paimon.
"Then let's head home too and get ready."
Before you continue