Chapter 709 - 335: Mysterious Buyer! (Part 2)

Chapter 709: Chapter 335: Mysterious Buyer! (Part 2)

Finally, around four in the afternoon, a dull yet distinct engine roar shattered the dead silence of the forest.

"Here they come!" Xiaoli’s senses instantly sharpened, his fingers swiftly moving over the tablet screen, and the drone’s camera immediately locked onto the source of the sound.

In the distance on the worn-out dirt road connecting the mining area to the outside world, two rugged all-terrain vehicles kicked up clouds of dust as they approached.

Four men sat inside, all dressed in expensive professional mountaineering gear, wearing tactical baseball caps and sunglasses, looking like wealthy youths out for an outdoor adventure.

"Captain Yang, targets sighted, two all-terrain vehicles, four people, well-equipped, suspected buyers," Xiaoli swiftly reported.

"Received. Everyone remain hidden, await further instructions," Yang Zhen’s voice carried a hint of cold composure.

The all-terrain vehicles came to a screeching halt in front of the red brick house.

Almost simultaneously, the door of the red brick house was kicked open, and a dark-skinned man emerged cursing, followed by three skeletal mongrels.

"Woof! Woof woof!" The mongrels barked warily at the newcomers.

One of the poachers, with a face full of scars, stepped forward and delivered a vicious kick to the lead barking dog’s stomach.

The dog let out a heart-wrenching wail and immediately tucked its tail between its legs, retreating to the corner, while the other two fell silent in fear.

All of this was clearly recorded by the drone’s camera high above.

The leading poacher spat and said, "Damn it, Boss Wang, you’re finally here. If you hadn’t come, the mosquitoes in this mountain would have sucked us dry!"

The buyer, referred to as Boss Wang, a man who looked scholarly with gold-rimmed glasses, waved his hand disdainfully, as if to dispel some unpleasant odor.

"Stop wasting time, Fatty Sun. Where’s the goods? If it’s not top-notch this time, don’t blame us for making the trip for nothing."

"Heh heh, don’t worry!" The dark-skinned leader grinned, showing yellow teeth, and waved confidently.

The two young men behind him immediately turned back inside the house and soon carried out several heavy burlap sacks, dropping them heavily on the ground.

As the bags were opened, what lay inside made Xiaoli, perched at a vantage point, clench his fists tightly, even his breath halted.

It was a grisly exhibition.

A clouded leopard skin, perfectly skinned, with golden fur still stained with fresh blood.

Several pangolin corpses stripped of their scales, curled together, as if still feeling the agony of being boiled alive.

And five dark green bear gallbladders, neatly arranged on an oilcloth, emitting a foul odor.

But that wasn’t all.

One poacher also brought out a small cage woven from wire from inside the house.

Inside the cage, a young animal with cloud-like beautiful patterns on its body watched the outside world with clear, terrified eyes, uttering fearful "meow" sounds.

"Clouded leopard!" Lin Yu’an practically squeezed the words through clenched teeth, a cold fury surged from his chest straight to his head.

This is a more rare and endangered national first-class protected animal than the slow loris; these bastards even went after its cub!

"Boss Wang, check out this little thing, alive! How’s its quality?" The dark-skinned man proudly jabbed at the cage with his finger.

"We went through hell and high water to snatch it from its mother’s side. As for the mother... heh heh, her skin is right here too!" he said, pointing to the clouded leopard skin on the ground.

Boss Wang took off his sunglasses, carefully examined the trembling cub, eyes gleaming with greed.

"Good, good! This thing is a rare commodity now, many big bosses fancy this kind, keeping it in mansions is more prestigious than any Tibetan mastiff!"

"The evidence is all documented!" Xiaoli said through gritted teeth over the channel to Yang Zhen, "Captain Yang, we can make a move now!"

"Not yet." To Xiaoli’s surprise, Yang Zhen’s voice remained unexpectedly calm, "I sense the real big catch hasn’t arrived yet. These people are just the middlemen in the deal."

Yang Zhen’s judgment was precise.

Though Boss Wang and his crew showed great interest in the goods, they didn’t proceed with the transaction immediately after inspection.

Instead, they leaned against the wall smoking with the group of dark-skinned poachers, appearing quite idle, as if truly waiting for someone.

Another half hour passed, the sun began to dip westward, casting increasingly long shadows over the ridge.

Suddenly, Boss Wang’s phone rang.

He answered the call with a few simple "mmm" sounds, then hung up, saying to the group, "Sir will arrive shortly, stay sharp."

Upon hearing the term ’sir,’ the expressions of both Boss Wang’s men and the group of dark-skinned poachers instantly turned serious, even carrying a subtle tinge of reverence.

In less than ten minutes, a "putt putt putt" engine noise drew near.

A battered Zongshen Tricycle slowly cruised down the dirt road, with a few fertilizer bags placed in the cargo bed.

The vehicle stopped before the crowd, and a man wearing a faded blue Zhongshan suit, Liberation shoes on his feet, his face etched with lines, climbed down slowly from the driver’s seat.

Boss Wang immediately discarded his cigarette and quickly walked up, assisting the farmer-like old man, his attitude respectful to the point of fawning: "Uncle Ghost, you’re here."