"The workers, as before, opened the dried fish containers and shoveled the fish into the sea. Nearly a thousand pounds of dried fish were dumped at once. The seawater, originally dark, foamed white from the sheer volume of dried fish, as if laundry detergent had been poured in."
"Shen Tong, holding a small camera, filmed silently. At half-past eleven at night, the workers stopped shoveling fish, and what happened next left her dumbfounded."
"Suddenly, many people emerged from the containers!"
"There were men, women, old and young. These people had clearly been inside the containers all along. Moreover, everyone had ropes tied around their waists, chained together in a long line like slaves."
"Two old men were already dead. The workers shoveling fish untied the chains and folded the old men's bodies in half, stuffing them into pure white plastic barrels. At midnight, the two transport trucks arrived. The cargo doors opened, and the people tied by ropes were loaded inside, along with the barrels containing the old men's bodies. Then the cargo doors were closed and locked, and the trucks drove away."
"Shen Tong realized. These were people smuggled in, packed into dried fish containers. They had been on the road for days and couldn't come out. They ate, drank, defecated, and urinated inside the containers. Therefore, much of the dried fish was soaked in excrement, urine, and vomit, making it impossible to pass inspection. They could only shovel it into the sea; it was cheap fish anyway, so the loss was not significant. The real cargo was these smuggled people."
"Of course, why they were tied up, where they came from, where they were going, and who the mastermind behind organizing the workers to help with the smuggling was, all related matters remained unclear."
"The workers finished their tasks and left, carrying their shovels."
"Shen Tong wanted to film their faces with her camera, but a worker saw the lens extending out."
"The workers chased after her. Shen Tong tried to run, but a thrown shovel hit her on the head, and she fell."
"She tried to scream for help, but her mouth was stuffed with a sock, and her hands and feet were tightly bound with leather belts. Although she had received grappling training, as a young girl, she was no match for over a dozen strong men."
"A fat man with pale skin looked at her camera and said, 'This might be a reporter. She's filmed everything we're doing. Luckily, we caught her. What should we do? Just snap her neck and throw her into the sea?' After speaking, the fat man grabbed Shen Tong's head with his hands and was about to twist it."
"A very thin worker said, 'We can't just throw her into the sea. There are many boats nearby. If the body floats up and is discovered by fishermen, it will be troublesome. Find a large barrel, stuff her in, seal it tightly with cement, and then sink it into the sea. It definitely won't float up.'"
"'Plastic barrels don't rot for a hundred years,' another worker said. 'The sea here is shallow. If someone dives, they'll find it. The bones won't be damaged in the cement either, and doing a DNA test will be a big problem. Why not cut her into small pieces and throw them into the sea to feed the fish? We dump dried fish into the sea every night. There are over three hundred sharks in the nearby waters waiting. They'll eat it clean in less than half an hour. Even if their bones aren't digested and are excreted, they'll be chewed up. Who knows what animal's bones they are?'"
"Shen Tong was so terrified she was about to faint. She couldn't resist and could only cry."
"A worker came over to look at her face and was startled. He said, 'We can't kill this person. I've seen her before. She's an employee of the logistics city, responsible for the hygiene inspection of aquatic products. She's under Sister Hua. If she goes missing, the police will be looking everywhere within three days, and they might find us. It's better to bring her into the fold. We can have Sister Hua keep an eye on her, and she won't dare cause trouble.'"
Jiang Ye broke out in a cold sweat. "Fortunately, someone spoke up for her."
"This person who spoke up for her was one of the secret agents I sent to support the logistics city. It was his first time participating in this kind of activity that night, and by sheer coincidence, he saved Shen Tong," Shao Wan said. "After he said that, the other workers immediately changed their attitude. They untied her, but kept a pistol pointed at her forehead."
"One worker said, 'Girl, you're a reporter, aren't you? Some things can be reported, and some things can't. Do you know who ordered us to do this? The current head of the logistics city, Director Ju Lanlan! Do you know who Director Ju's backer is? General Jiang! To tell you the truth, General Jiang ordered this. Our planet has a small population, and we're expanding it.'"
"'Another worker said, we stopped you, and coincidentally saved you. If you were to carelessly report this matter to the newspapers and sell it all over the planet, you would surely lose your head. Your life would be lost carelessly.'"
"'Another worker said, Sister Hua is also on our side. Do you know who Sister Hua is? She's your leader, the team leader responsible for the hygiene inspection of aquatic products, Ji Honghua. Sister Hua is about to be promoted by Director Ju. If you join us and work together, you'll take Sister Hua's position, and none of your other colleagues will get it. We'll give you three hundred thousand a month, and you'll be responsible for inspecting the containers carrying people. At the end of the year, there will be profit sharing based on headcount. For every living person smuggled in, you'll get a thousand yuan. Isn't that fair?'"
"'Another worker said, if you're unwilling to do it, we'll cut you into pieces and feed you to the sharks, destroy the evidence, and no one will find us, nor will they find us.'"
"To save her life, Shen Tong immediately agreed to join."
"The workers took photos of her face with their mobile phones and sent them to someone. They quickly found her citizen information and address. The workers showed her the information and said, 'If you join, work hard. If you dare to leak this matter, as long as you are still on Jiang Ye Planet, we will definitely kill you.'"
Jiang Ye's face was filled with rage. "I did not order this. I had no idea about this matter."
"Since it was not your order, then this matter is very serious," Shao Wan lowered his voice again. "Based on the evidence currently available, Ju Lanlan is manipulating this."
Jiang Ye's eyelids twitched. "Smuggling people from other planets?"
"That's right. Shen Tong has been working with us for a week and has compiled some data, gathering more intelligence. This matter even involves Feng Zhi Shuang's subordinates, although we don't know if Feng Zhi Shuang is involved."
Jiang Ye's pupils contracted, a feeling of dread washing over him.
He suddenly understood the feeling of an emperor being sidelined by powerful officials.
If Ju Lanlan and Feng Zhi Shuang were working together, it would be terrifying.
"Explain in detail," Jiang Ye said.
"In the past week, a total of 24 containers carrying people have arrived at the logistics city, and 300 people were unloaded. Fifteen died on the way due to starvation and sudden illness, leaving 285 alive. The price of smuggling varies depending on the planet of origin, generally between one million and three million. Calculated at two million per person, that's six hundred million in smuggling fees, most of which is said to have flowed into Ju Lanlan's pockets."
"Besides the smuggling fees, we haven't figured out where these people will work or how their identities will be handled. There might be profits to be made there as well."
"Why do you say it's related to Feng Zhi Shuang's subordinates?" Jiang Ye asked.