Once the drivers were secured, the soldiers went on to check the cargo on the wagon.
The captured drivers, now firmly restrained, looked at the soldiers with despair.
Under the pale glow of the moon, soldiers meticulously inspected each crate and sack on the captured wagon.
The air was thick with tension as they methodically went through the cargo, their lanterns casting dancing shadows on the crates' wooden surfaces.
The first crate was pried open with the creaking protest of nails against wood.
Inside, a myriad of items awaited inspection— fabrics, stationeries, and seemingly innocuous commodities.
The drivers weren't lying when they told about the cargo they transported.
However, the soldiers had no reason to take drivers' words at face value.
Their eyes keenly scanned for anything that might betray the hidden presence of contraband or, in this case, a concealed individual.
