Trade
After the others walked far away, Song Yuhang climbed out from the container, continuing along the wall.
It was deep into the night, and the park was still operational. Not far off, the roaring sound of machinery from the workshops filled the air, with the smoke being expelled into the sky, spreading a pungent odor throughout.
Patrolling personnel moved back and forth in an orderly manner, while several forklifts shuttled materials through the cargo area stacked with containers.
Song Yuhang could hardly move a step and hid in the shadows where the searchlights didn’t reach.
A forklift glided past her, with the driver yawning just as a searchlight slid over his face, the light blinding.
He instinctively closed his eyes, shielding them with his hand.
The vehicle shuddered, and Song Yuhang quickly slid underneath it.
The driver lowered his hand, yawned again, and continued driving forward.
Clutching the bottom of the vehicle, Song Yuhang covered her face with grease. After approximately five to six minutes, the vehicle came to a stop.
The workshop doors opened, and several workers wearing white masks ran out to unload the cargo.
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From Song Yuhang’s perspective, all she could see were the uniformly blue protective trousers they wore, quite similar to the ones Lin Yan would don while conducting experiments.
She slightly furrowed her brow. Wasn’t this a logistics park?
Could it be a case of hanging a sheep’s head but selling dog meat, conducting some secret experiments inside?
As far as she knew, Jingtai was a diverse multinational conglomerate with numerous subsidiaries, operating in various sectors including real estate, finance, education, technology, and of course, healthcare.
If it were a Jingtai experimental facility, they could have operated openly and aboveboard. Why the need for such secrecy and stringent security in the dead of night?
While she mused over this, the driver finished unloading and prepared to reverse back. Seizing the moment as he drove to the side of the road, Song Yuhang rolled out and hid in the darkness behind the guardhouse.
Employees walked by, whispering complaints to each other.
“I can’t take this nearly half a month of daily overtime anymore.”
“No kidding, someone new has taken charge upstairs, and it’s like the new official has lit three fires, huh. We’ve taken on a big order, so of course, we have to work overtime.”
“I haven’t been home for a week now, spending every night sleeping in the lab.”
The speaker then poked his colleague’s arm again.
“Hey, I accidentally caught a glimpse of the formula the other day. Guess what I saw?”
Curiously, his colleague asked, “What?”
Looking around and seeing no one, the speaker whispered secretively, “γ-Hydroxybutyric acid.”
Before he could finish, his colleague grabbed his sleeve: “Shh, are you out of your mind? That’s a controlled substance!”
Song Yuhang was shocked and peeked out. The two had already reached the entrance of the workshop. After being frisked, having their IDs checked, and their fingerprints verified by the staff at the door, they were let in.
Damn, fingerprint verification too? Are they that cautious?
She came in a rush, unprepared for anything, guessing she wouldn’t be able to get in.
However…
Song Yuhang slightly closed her eyes, remembering the words Lin Yan had once said.
“γ-Hydroxybutyric acid, a natural substance found in the central nervous system, has been used in medicine to treat insomnia, depression, and other mental disorders.”
“This drug is easily fatal in overdose, and… it can cause withdrawal symptoms.”
Suddenly, she clenched her fist tightly, knowing it was related to several cases; she had to get in and take a look no matter what.
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Song Yuhang turned and searched the ground for something usable, picking up a stone and holding it in her hand. She tiptoed and forcefully threw it towards a nearby container.
“Bang—” The stone hit the container, bouncing a few times and making a medium-sized noise, immediately drawing the attention of the staff at the door.
Song Yuhang watched as they pulled out electric batons from behind their waists.
“Who? Who’s there?!”
A group of people hurried past in front of her.
Once they were far enough away, she quickly slipped to the door, pried open a crack in the workshop’s iron door with her fingers, and pressed her eye to it.
Then, her pupils narrowed, witnessing one of the most shocking scenes in her life.
The workshop was brightly lit, as bright as daylight.
Dozens of workers dressed in blue protective suits were standing in front of machines, operating them. The liquid flowing out of the reactors, after being filtered, distilled, and separated by centrifuges, turned into rows of neatly arranged blue test tubes on the conveyor belt.
The whole atmosphere was silent, tense, and solemn.
On the largest iron barrel in the center, there was written with red paint “γ-Butyrolactone.”
Song Yuhang had once heard Lin Yan say that this was one of the essential raw materials for synthesizing γ-Hydroxybutyric acid, also a highly flammable and explosive first-class hazardous material, and moreover, listed in the national Class III carcinogens list.
Song Yuhang was so shocked she couldn’t speak. Her Adam’s apple bobbed up and down, and it took her a long time to come back to her senses. She fumbled her phone out of her pocket, turned on the camera, and aimed it inside.
The lens had recorded for no more than three seconds when a beam of light enveloped her, and a sharp shout: “Who?!”
A electric baton smashed down towards her head!
Song Yuhang instinctively lifted her sleeve to block her face and stepped back; the baton hit the door, and she turned and ran.
“Chase!”
Pursued relentlessly, Song Yuhang deftly climbed over the wall, her palm cut by the glass shards embedded on top, and quickly disappeared into the night.
The pursuers, panting heavily and hands on their knees, stopped: “Damn it, we have to report back to the young master that this place has been discovered.”
When the servant reported to him, Lin Ge was toying with his precious crystal ball, wiping it over and over with a velvet cloth.
He raised his eyebrows as if he had anticipated this, “Oh? So soon, I thought it would take a bit longer.”
“What about the deal tomorrow…” The servant hesitated.
“Continue.” Lin Ge placed the crystal ball back on its stand on the table.
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“Yes.” The servant, unsure of his meaning and seeing his inscrutable expression, bowed hurriedly and left.
Lin Ge stood up, his gaze landing directly on a watercolor painting on the wall. It depicted two children, one big and one small, sitting and lying side by side on a hillside, looking at the stars.
That was the work of the young Lin Yan.
In the deep blue night sky, the stars shone brightly, the grass by her side swayed gently, and the girl’s silhouette was slender and fragile, her soft hair draped over her shoulders.
The youth lay next to her, resting his arm under his head, the green grass framing his brows and eyes.
Although her painting skills were crude at that time, the whole scene undeniably looked very harmonious and pleasing to the eye.
When she gave him this painting, she called him “brother” for the first time. That year, she was ten, and he was about to go abroad for his studies.
At their parting, Lin Yan gave this painting to him as a gift, and just like that, so many years have passed.
Lin Ge took down the frame, wiped off the dust with a velvet cloth, gently touching her silhouette.
“Yanyan ah, brother won’t let you die in vain.”
Song Yuhang didn’t return home but drove straight to another location, where she knocked on the door.
After a while, an elderly voice came from inside.
“Who is it?”
“It’s me.”
Song Yuhang knocked a few times with a pattern of two long and one short knocks as a secret signal.
Feng Jianguo opened the door, still in his pajamas and slippers, and looked into the corridor: “Come in quickly.”
Song Yuhang took off her hoodie and walked in, her face smeared with engine oil, and she was also bruised.
“What happened to you…”
“Long story short, I have a significant discovery to report to you. Sending an email or making a phone call both run the risk of being intercepted, so I took the liberty of coming here late at night. Sorry for the disturbance.”
As Song Yuhang spoke, she looked around the room.
Feng Jianguo pushed open the study door: “It’s fine, come in and talk; everyone’s asleep.”
He pulled some tissue paper from the table and gestured for her to wipe herself off. Song Yuhang took it and hastily dabbed at herself, then dug out her phone, opened the photo gallery, and handed it to him.
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The screen flashed by, only showing a few blue shadows, very blurred.
Feng Jianguo was taken aback: “This is…”
Song Yuhang had a hint of regret in her eyes: “In the suburban area, Jingtai established a logistics park. By chance, I sneaked in and discovered that there was a large drug manufacturing factory inside.”
“I inadvertently showed myself leaving. They should soon realize, Director Feng, I request that you order an immediate raid on that factory now. We will surely catch them red-handed.”
After she finished speaking, the room fell into silence.
Feng Jianguo looked at her skeptically: “How can you be sure it was Jingtai? And how did you find that factory?”
Song Yuhang knew she had to clarify these doubts to dispel his suspicions.
She licked her lips, still tasting the metallic tang of blood in her throat from the intense running.
“I’ve seen it; the logo on their work uniforms is exactly the same as Jingtai’s trademark.”
As she spoke, she relied on her memory to draw it out and handed the piece of paper to him.
Feng Jianguo examined the paper, thinking to himself: Song Yuhang said she followed the logistics truck delivering goods to the Huange Nightclub to an industrial park, discovering a large, highly organized drug manufacturing facility. This confirms the undercover reports are accurate.
Most likely, that batch of goods is scheduled to leave the warehouse tomorrow. Sending people to surround the place now would be like startling the snake by hitting the grass. Although this could result in the arrest of numerous drug makers, it’s unlikely that the mastermind behind the scenes would be completely captured.
If the root is not removed when cutting the grass, the spring breeze would bring it back to life.
In the brief moment of eye contact, countless thoughts flashed through Feng Jianguo’s mind. He calmly met her gaze.
“I understand. You can go back now.”
Song Yuhang was stunned: “What do you mean? We’re not sending anyone?”
Seeing Feng Jianguo unmoved, she suddenly stood up, lowered her voice, and exclaimed: “So many people have died because of this f*cking thing! The innocent children in the ‘White Whale Case’, the manipulated Li Yang, the ill-fated Yu Jing, the heroic sacrifice of Captain Zhang…”
She suddenly bit her lower lip tightly: “And… my Lin Yan.”
“Are the lives of so many people really worth nothing?!” Song Yuhang’s eyes reddened slightly as she said this.
She thought of the deceased Lin Yan, thought of the countless families that could be destroyed once this batch of drugs was released, and felt a surge of emotion, chewing on her full of bitterness.
A shade of agony flickered in Feng Jianguo’s eyes.
He too wanted to bring the criminals to justice, but now was indeed not the best time to act.
Song Yuhang was blinded by hatred; he was not. Therefore, he simply repeated himself, in a commanding tone.
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“Go back, we’ll plan this thoroughly.”
Song Yuhang raised her voice: “Why?! If you won’t go, I will!”
Feng Jianguo stood up, the chair making a light sound: “You stay right there! You’re just a patrol officer now, what right do you have to go?!”
Song Yuhang froze, her eyes red, biting her lip hard, fists clenched.
“What’s wrong with being a patrol officer, a patrol officer can also…”
Feng Jianguo paced back and forth in the room, his tone decisive.
“Without advanced equipment, without firearms and ammunition, without strong backup, going there is equivalent to seeking death!”
“Could it be, the drug traffickers will put down their guns and let you catch them with bare hands?”
“Look at how radical you are now; you’re exactly like Lin Yan!”
His frustration boiled over, and the words just slipped out.
After a moment, he realized something was off and awkwardly touched his nose.
Song Yuhang had already calmed down, the tears in her eyes not falling but instead swallowed back down.
This content is taken from (f)reewe(b)novel.𝗰𝗼𝐦