Chapter 3414: Combustion (3)

Ning Shu used the same method to unlock the second truck. Still, there was no contraband.

With nothing found in the second truck, by this point, most people would have already assumed the third one wouldn’t have anything either.

However, Ning Shu remained exceptionally thorough as she checked the third truck. She searched the cargo compartment inside and out. Eventually, she discovered a box containing a rather heavy powdery substance.

It had been hidden inside sanitary pads.

Ning Shu practically tore them open one by one and collected the substance from within.

Gunfire rang out from the forest, startling flocks of birds into flight.

Ning Shu sat inside the truck and hurried to continue unwrapping.

Some of the smugglers had even disguised the substance as desiccant packets. That made the workload overwhelming. She had so much packaging to open that it was driving her mad.

She pulled out a dagger and began slashing through the parcels.

This stuff was as expensive as gold, sold by the gram.

The obscene profits from this trade were unimaginable.

That was what drove so many people to throw their lives and risk everything to join this trade.

Even knowing full well it was illegal.

If a business offered 100% profit, they’d trample all legal boundaries.

If it offered 300%, they’d commit any crime, even risk the death penalty.

If chaos and conflict brought profits, then they’d encourage chaos and conflict.

While tearing open the packages, Ning Shu kept listening to the sound of gunfire around her.

Her miniature walkie-talkie crackled, and Song Yi’s voice came through. “Wu Jing, did you find anything?”

“I did. Quite a bit,” Ning Shu replied immediately.

“Then eliminate them,” Song Yi said coldly, clearly to the rest of the squad.

The evidence was irrefutable. Even if they killed them now, it wouldn’t trigger an international dispute.

Especially since this was the border, which was already a chaotic area by nature.

As she unpacked, Ning Shu took photos for evidence.

Matters between nations had to be handled in a careful manner. Every action needed to have proper justification.

On the surface, they had to loudly condemn wrongdoings and wave the banner of peace. But in private, they could be as ruthless as they came.

This was the thick-skinned and black-hearted, dark art of diplomacy.

Ning Shu unloaded all the goods from the truck and broke down the items one by one, before stuffing the substance she’d extracted into a single bag.

By the time she was done, Song Yi and the others returned.

Some of the squad members had been injured. Out of six people across three trucks, four had been killed, and two captured.

“How much did you find?” Song Yi asked.

Song Yi’s face was smeared with garish and wild camouflage paint.

Ning Shu lifted the bag. “Looks like around a kilo, for now.”

Song Yi frowned. “That’s it? From what I know, this was supposed to be a major operation. Why is there so little?”

“Sir, could this have been the advance team? A probe run, maybe,” one of the squad members suggested.

Song Yi reached out and grabbed one of the drivers by the collar. “Is there another group coming behind you?”

He was speaking a foreign language. The driver, held in place, quickly waved his hands and babbled in response.

Ning Shu released her spiritual consciousness. She scanned the drivers’ bodies to see if any of them were carrying anything internally.

A lot of drug traffickers smuggled by swallowing or inserting it into their bodies.

With her spiritual consciousness, she could see through their organs—heart, liver, spleen, lungs, kidneys—the entire internal structure laid out in perfect clarity.

Eventually, in the area of the rectum, she discovered a mass.

Shoved up the ass… Wow, how the hell could anyone still want to snort that crap?

Although, the packages were tightly sealed in highly airtight materials.

Ning Shu turned to Song Yi and said, “Maybe we should check the corpses. They might have been trying to smuggle drugs in their bodies.”

The moment the drivers heard her, their expressions shifted slightly. Song Yi caught that subtle change in demeanor and said, “Looks like they really were.”

“Who’s doing it?” Song Yi looked at the four corpses and asked his squad.

Digging around in someone’s anus—whoever had to do that would feel embarrassed, even disgusted.

There were eight squad members, plus Ning Shu and Song Yi—ten people in total. Some stared up at the sky, some stared at their feet, while the rest groaned as they clutched their wounds.

Not a single person volunteered.

Song Yi was speechless. He picked up a pair of gloves, poured some water onto them for lubrication, and without hesitation, pulled down one of the dead drivers’ trousers. Then, he inserted a gloved finger into the corpse’s anus.

Ning Shu almost wanted to give him a thumbs-up. What a true soldier. He was truly unafraid of filth or hardship.

But why had he turned into such a fool after marrying Wu Xianrou? After he married her, he became totally obsessed with her and spent all his time getting tangled up with her.

He’d lost that tough, military edge.

So all of Song Yi’s years of striving and advancement had been for what? To earn a status that matched Wu Xianrou?

With high rank and great power came even greater responsibility. Every decision carried weight and could lead to major consequences.

Yet it seemed like all of Song Yi’s step-by-step promotions had just led to a life of constantly flaunting his love for Wu Xianrou. Love this, love that—all he did was show off their love.

After some time probing, Song Yi still didn’t pull anything out. Maybe his fingers were too short to reach further inside. What did come out, though, was a stench that made people want to gag.

Ning Shu looked at Song Yi with barely concealed schadenfreude.

“Forget it, we’re done here. Notify border patrol to come and clear this mess.” Song Yi stripped off the soiled gloves.

He fixed his gaze on the two surviving drivers, and the malicious look in his eyes made the men clench their buttocks in fear.

First the dead were violated—now the living were next?

The two drivers, terrified, started jabbering away in a foreign language.

Song Yi ordered his men to change the punctured tire, then tossed the four corpses onto the back of the truck.

They were going to get the goods out no matter what.

“Sir, the new tire’s on,” a squad member reported to Song Yi.

Song Yi adjusted his waistband and said, “Drive.”

Ning Shu moved all the packages into the back compartment and climbed into the truck.

Song Yi got in and sat beside her. He rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. His joints popped audibly.

Other than the one who drove up front, the rest of the squad gathered in the back to rest.

The road was uneven, and the truck bumped along roughly, making everyone sway with the motion.

After several days of lying in wait, the whole squad was visibly tired.

That was just how missions worked. No matter how harsh the environment, they had to endure it. It was all for the sake of the mission.

“Sir, something’s off. There’s too little contraband this time,” one squad member said to Song Yi.

Song Yi rubbed his face. “We must’ve tipped them off.”

No one had expected it to turn out like this.

Ning Shu said, “We might not be able to answer for this. This was supposed to be a major operation, and now it’s ending like this?”

Song Yi kicked the criminal drivers and said, “We still have two left. Let’s not alert anyone just yet. We’ll assume the identities of these six and meet with the domestic dealers.”

“Even if we can’t catch a big fish, we need to flush out some of the domestic crime organizations.”

Ning Shu paused at his words, then said, “It’s risky. But we’ll have to report to higher-ups first. This will need multi-department cooperation.”

They’d be meeting with people to make a handoff—then what?

During the trip, no one was idle. They used various interrogation techniques on the two drivers. The men kept shouting in a foreign language, pretending not to understand a single word.

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