Zhang Hui and Ah Bao staked out the hotel lobby. When they saw Wu Laizi hand a canvas bag to a dark, thin middle-aged man, they immediately took photos of the transaction in secret with their phones.
The middle-aged man took the canvas bag and quickly left the hotel, then rode away on a motorcycle.
Ah Bao's brother immediately took Zhang Hui and the other to track and pursue them. However, the traffic on the street was heavy, and the motorcycle's agility and speed became apparent. They were quickly outrun by Zhang Hui and his companions.
The county town of Xiao Mengla was only two kilometers from the border. In the end, Zhang Hui and the others could only watch helplessly as the middle-aged man entered the forest and disappeared.
When they received notification and returned to the rubber factory, they learned that Yang Jian had engaged in a shootout with a group of people.
In a warehouse at the rubber factory, the pierced-ear young man was woken up by cold water. Standing before him were two tall and strong young men. He recognized one of them; it was the one he had taken down, along with two of his friends, in less than ten seconds with two extendable batons. His skills were terrifying.
"Two big brothers, I don't know how I offended you. Please tell me, and I will apologize. If you want compensation, name your price, and I'll have someone deliver it."
The young man knew very well that in this dog-eat-dog world, being kidnapped meant surrendering, or he would suffer immense torture.
Yang Jian took out San Pang's photo: "What's your name, and have you seen this person?"
"Big brother, my name is Peng Yu. I haven't seen this person."
Peng Yu took the photo and looked at it carefully. He had no memory of this person.
Yang Jian then took out Mao Ge's photo: "What about this one? Have you seen him?"
"I know this one. He's Mao Ge. I've done business with him twice."
Finally, a breakthrough. Yang Jian was overjoyed: "Do you know where Mao Ge lives?"
Peng Yu shook his head: "I don't know. He's a drug dealer from the mainland. The quantity he takes each time is very large. He's our big client. He used to come in person, but this time he found someone to act as an intermediary for the transaction, while he directed from behind the scenes."
"Half a year ago, Mao Ge scammed several people and sold them. Do you know about this?"
"I don't know. Mao Ge has only been in direct contact with us for less than three months. Before that, we didn't know him."
Ah Bao kicked him in the face: "I think you're not being honest at all. If you don't tell the truth, I'll break your bones one by one."
Peng Yu was kicked and sat up from the ground with a bloody nose. He wiped his face with his hand and said tearfully, "Big brother, I'm really not lying. Mao Ge and we only met about two months ago. I truly don't know what he did before that."
"Who do you work for? Who is your boss?"
"My boss is Qian Zhuangfei. I'm specifically in sales for him."
Ah Bao was stunned for a moment: "Qian Zhuangfei? You mean Qian Zhuangfei, also known as Fei Ge?"
"Yes, yes, big brother. You know my Fei Ge?"
"No, but I've heard of him. He specializes in producing methamphetamine pills. Let me ask you, are your Fei Ge and Mao Ge familiar with each other?"
Peng Yu quickly shook his head: "Not familiar. They don't know each other. Fei Ge is only responsible for production. He never directly participates in sales. Mao Ge used to contact me directly."
From Peng Yu's words, Yang Jian basically concluded that Mao Ge's trafficking of San Pang and others had nothing to do with Peng Yu and Fei Ge's group.
Ah Bao pondered for a moment and then asked, "How did you connect with Mao Ge?"
"It was introduced by someone named Nan Ge. This Nan Ge is the boss of a horse gang. He used to buy goods from us. I think he's very likely the one who helped Mao Ge traffic people."
Peng Yu understood that the two men in front of him were not his enemies, nor were they after drugs. They were simply looking for people. Therefore, he wanted to help them figure it out, which was his only chance to get away.
Yang Jian didn't quite understand: "What is a horse gang?"
Before Ah Bao could explain, Peng Yu preempted him: "A horse gang is a group that specializes in helping people smuggle, transport drugs, and illegally transport contraband across the border. They are usually organized gangs, referred to as horse gangs.
Therefore, the group of people Mao Ge trafficked was most likely handled by him. If you find him, you might find the people you're looking for."
"Isn't this what they call a snakehead?"
"Snakehead is a domestic term, and it primarily involves helping people smuggle. Horse gangs, on the other hand, focus on transporting goods. Helping people smuggle is just one of their businesses. Xiao Mengla is not only rampant with gambling, prostitution, and drugs, but it's also the largest distribution center for wildlife trading in Asia.
Therefore, horse gangs not only help people smuggle and transport drugs but also smuggle bear paws, tiger skins, ivory, and other rare animal products that cannot be bought domestically across the long China-Myanmar border, thereby earning substantial commissions.
Helping people smuggle is actually their least profitable business. They charge at most fifty yuan to transport one person, and there's still a risk of being caught by border guards.
Also, most snakeheads eventually have to go through horse gangs for smuggling. Snakeheads are essentially human traffickers, responsible for luring people from their homes and selling them, a complete chain.
Horse gangs, however, only help people cross the border. They are local border residents who are very familiar with the terrain and know how to evade checks by border guards. Some even collude with border guards for profit."
Peng Yu could see that Yang Jian was new and unfamiliar with the situation here, so he explained as thoroughly as possible, hoping to gain his favor and ultimately be released.
Yang Jian looked at Ah Bao, who nodded, indicating that Peng Yu was not lying.
"Do you know Nan Ge's full name? Where is he from?"
Ah Bao asked again.
"I don't know. In our line of work, it's most taboo to inquire about each other's names and related information. However, you can easily find horse gangs in the wildlife trading market. By asking around among peers, it shouldn't be difficult to find Nan Ge."
"Can you arrange for Mao Ge to meet us?"
"That's unlikely. Mao Ge is a very cautious person. He wouldn't dare to meet me alone. The previous two transactions were conducted with Nan Ge accompanying him. Now that he has found an agent, he's even less likely to meet me."
"Then can you arrange for Nan Ge to bring the goods?"
Peng Yu gave a wry smile: "Xiao Mengla is just a small city with tens of thousands of people. What happened today has probably spread throughout the entire city. My companion was shot dead, and I was kidnapped. Nan Ge must know. If I call him now to arrange a meeting, will he trust me?"
This was indeed true. Although Xiao Mengla was rampant with gambling, prostitution, and drugs, and its public security was poor, shooting incidents were not very common. Every shooting would attract widespread attention. Nan Ge and even Mao Ge might have already heard the news.
Everything that needed to be asked had been asked. Yang Jian had gained some useful information from Peng Yu. Yang Jian pulled Ah Bao out of the warehouse.
"Brother Bao, I'm afraid we'll have to start with the wildlife trading market. Do you know where it is?"
Yang Jian urgently wanted to verify the information Peng Yu provided.
"I know, but we can't rush to find Nan Ge now. Nan Ge is very familiar with Peng Yu, and since Peng Yu was kidnapped, he will definitely be on high alert. Going to the market to find him now would be like beating the grass to scare the snake."
"It's okay, I just want to find someone who knows him. At worst, I'll spend more money to bribe them. If we're afraid of scaring the snake, it doesn't matter when we go."
"That makes sense. I'll deal with this person first, and then I'll go to the trading market with you."