A speedboat zipped through the night.
In the cover of darkness, no one noticed this little gadget.
Xiao Rui curiously asked as she looked at the scattered stars in the distance, "What place is that?"
"The financial center of Central America, Panama City," Wang Fugui explained at the bow of the boat, "It meets all your fantasies of a big city, and the cost of living is very cheap. I've been there once, a five-star hotel is only a hundred US dollars."
"So are we going to..."
"Forget it," Wang Fugui said as he held a can of beer, and after taking a sip, he added, "They are very strict with illegal immigrants there. If you get caught, all the trouble you've been through on this trip will have been for nothing."
As his words fell, the speedboat had silently passed under a large bridge.
Wang Fugui glanced at everyone, "Do you know where that is?"
Xiao Rui and the others shook their heads.
"Century Bridge," Wang Fugui said, and suddenly he raised his beer and shouted, "Let's celebrate, ladies and gentlemen, welcome to North America. Once we pass through the Panama Canal, we will be able to reach Costa Rica, where you can, remember, briefly experience the meaning of safety."
Many faces were smiling.
However, Xiu Nuo's expression hadn't changed; in fact, he was sitting alone in a spot, resting with his eyes closed, silently refining the Essence Blood Divine Soul.
Another person who wasn't smiling was Zhang Wenxuan.
Because to get to this place, he didn't just pay his own share of the money.
Wang Fugui had told him that he only had group tickets, no tickets for individuals.
And what he needed to pay for was the fare for four people.
Including Xiu Nuo's.
When he asked why, Wang Fugui simply told him that he never did business through coercion, he had no intention of forcing a sale, and Zhang Wenxuan was in no position to force a purchase.
Ultimately, Zhang Wenxuan still agreed.
He had no choice, in a place like this, the law was useless paper, and morality was a joke. He had indeed guessed—the missing drug traffickers, the unharmed Xiu Nuo and the two women returning, and the guide who was obviously in a huge hurry, with a process that was faster than his internal information indicated—all of it pointed to one reason.
This guide... was running for his life!
The only thing he could not understand now was the kind-hearted Xiu Nuo.
Just who was this guy? What had he done?
............
The rainforest.
A team surrounded a temporary campsite.
Leading them was a scarred man named Scarred Old Mo, who was currently squatting in front of the dry corpse of a fellow gang member, his expression indescribably grim.
Next to him stood a Westerner, wearing slacks and a shirt, utterly out of place in this rainforest setting.
Moreover, the Westerner was covering his mouth with his hand, his face bearing an undisguised look of disgust, but in such a group, this open display of repulsion meant he was not the least bit afraid of the drug traffickers in front of him.
An old Mexican came over and said in a low voice, "Boss, the guns and money are gone. They've been out for a week, and the trees around are riddled with bullet holes. They... must have been attacked, and they've been dead for a long time."
Scarred Old Mo stood up, his eyes fiercely fixed on the crowd, "Tell those people! Either hand over the murderer to atone for my brother's life, or prove it wasn't them. Otherwise, I won't let any of them go! Not a single one!"
The white man next to him chuckled upon hearing this.
Scarred Old Mo turned sharply to the white man, gritting his teeth, "Jonas, you'd better give me an explanation, one that won't make me lose my cool and kill you on the spot!"
"Hey, cool it, Mr. Diego," Jonas hastily waved his hand, "I just came to do business with you, right? Besides, you don't actually believe this stupid story your underling told you, do you?"
Seeing Diego's displeased expression, a trace of surprise appeared on Jonas's face, "Do you really think your brother, who went out scavenging, got whacked by someone in the same line of work, and that's how he lost his life and... ended up looking like this?"
Diego's face flickered with pain and regret, "He always wanted to prove himself! It was my fault for not noticing my family member's emotions and leading him to this."
"Oh, damn Mexican lumber excess," Jonas finished and quickly explained, "I'm not mocking your beliefs, Diego; I'm just telling you not to let grief cloud your judgment. Take a look at them, will you? Look!"
Diego glared at Jonas, "I don't like beating around the bush, Joe. I'll give you ten seconds. Ten seconds to tell me how I can not kill you, you bastard who mocks my family!"
"OK, how many seconds are left now? Seven? Then hurry up and look at their current condition — they are mummified! Mummies, you understand? This is a rainforest! If they died here, their bodies should be rotting, stinking, not like the corpses in the desert turning into mummies! The closest desert to Dalien is Mexico's Chihuahua Desert, thousands of kilometers away! Do you understand what this means?"
Diego hesitated for a second, "They didn't die here?"
"Obvious, isn't it? Damn, didn't your elementary and high school teach you that the human body is composed of 70% water?" Jonas shook his head, "And haven't you noticed?"
"What?"
"Blood!" Jonas sighed, "There are bullet holes in their bodies, but where are the blood stains around them? Damn, those bullet holes are enough to turn this place red, and this is a rainforest; the blood wouldn't disappear that quickly."
"Someone killed them and then transported them here, staging it to look like an ambush," Jonas looked at Diego, "So, has your dear brother been home recently?"
Diego shook his head, "We've been conducting business here all this time."
"That's strange," Jonas crouched down, his gaze puzzled as he looked at the corpses, "This is clearly the condition you would see if they died in an extremely dry place. There are no such conditions for the formation of these kinds of corpses for thousands of kilometers around. Could they have been thrown into an oven? But even then it shouldn't be like this."
Jonas looked at Diego, "What is this place used for? Damn it, I just came to talk about the distribution of goods with you, not to help you solve a case. So you'd better tell me."
"Toll collection," Diego replied, "This is where we collect tolls from those who want to sneak into the United States. Joe, if you can help me find the killer of my brother, I'll give you an extra share of the profits!"
"Wow, gotta love Mexican families, and also a moment of silence for those poor immigrants," Jonas said, ending the moment quickly, "Alright, let's talk about solving this case."
Jonas stood up, "I must admit, finding the murderer might be beyond me, but trust me, I really want you to give up that share of the profits, but these people are just too weird."
"Can you be more specific, Jonas?" Diego said, reading Jonas's expression and instantly understanding, "I get it. If you can provide useful information, I might let you have half a percent."
"Of course." Jonas pointed at the bodies on the ground, "They're intact, aren't they? Oh, Diego, drop the impatient look. You're a well-known supplier on this route; tell me, how long can a body last intact in the rainforest? I mean completely intact!"
"Not very long, the smell of blood will attract..." Diego stopped mid-sentence, turning to Jonas, "Are you saying they were just dropped here recently?"
"Clearly that's the case, or rather, the mummified condition has kept the animals from finding them for now, but trust me, it definitely hasn't been more than 24 hours. So... can you track down that group of immigrants?"
Diego's face immediately turned sour, "They're a bunch of cowards, too soft to be any softer. If it wasn't for the steady income, I'd drain every last drop of their blood and these people wouldn't dare resist. They couldn't be the killers."
"But they must know something," Jonas spread his hands, "Like... noise or who might have come this way. When I came, I saw traces of people moving not far from here. That close, they definitely know something."
"So Diego, use your connections, find that damn group of immigrants! After getting the information you want, honor your commitment!"