Chapter 92
During their confinement, Wakako took the opportunity to catch a quick nap, while Lin Lin pressed her ear against the door, listening intently to gauge the number of people in the gambling den.
To avoid seeming suspiciously quiet, Lin Lin pretended to panic inside the room. She alternated between shouting, wailing, whimpering, and lamenting, perfectly embodying the image of a trapped, helpless young woman.
Even with Wakako’s ability to sleep through anything, she couldn’t ignore the commotion. She sat up, eyeing her junior sister. “How did I not realize before how much you love acting?”
Lin Lin flashed a grin. “It’s just a basic skill for mercenaries to disguise themselves, senior sister. You’re just too weak.”
Feeling a bit competitive, Wakako considered joining in, curious to see who was truly better at deception. But as soon as she opened her mouth, she realized she wasn’t cut out for it.
Time ticked by slowly. The whole night passed like this until the night faded and dawn approached, and the gambling guests finally dispersed.
The portly man called Old Six followed behind his big brother, speaking in hushed tones. “I found those two girls on the street. They said they’re desperate and want to sell their family heirlooms for money. Their accent isn’t local, and they seem to have no one left, which is why they’ve wandered here. With no backing, they won’t cause any trouble.”
The Big Brother nodded approvingly. “Not bad, you’ve got some skills. You managed to lure in two at once.”
“They’re just a couple of naive girls. A few sweet words and they took the bait.”
The Big Brother seemed to recall something. “The older one’s an Alpha? And the younger one hasn’t presented yet?”
“It doesn’t matter if she hasn’t. We can force it with some drugs. If she’s an Alpha, we’ll sell her to Old Chen at the docks. If she’s an Omega, well… there’s no shortage of interested buyers.” He chuckled suggestively. “With the recent crackdowns, we’re short on workers. Old Chen needs people at the docks and can offer a good price.”
“Good.”
“Big Brother, let’s be clear about one thing. I brought them in, so shouldn’t I get the bigger share of the money?”
“You greedy bastard. Don’t worry, you’ll get your cut.”
The two men stood outside the courtyard, casually discussing how to split the money, completely unguarded.
Inside, Wakako and Lin Lin heard everything clearly. “Docks,” “work”… If it were honest labor, surely there’d be plenty of willing workers. Why would they need to buy people?
It was obvious they knew a lot about the smuggling operation.
Old Six pulled out a key and opened the door. The room was dark and silent; he assumed the girls had cried themselves to sleep.
Lin Lin was about to make her move when she saw Wakako shake her head in the darkness, signaling her to wait.
“Sorry to keep you waiting, girls,” Old Six grinned, revealing his teeth. “I’ve brought my Big Brother to meet you.”
He lit a lamp, and the candlelight illuminated their faces—both looking innocent and harmless.
Lin Lin let out a terrified shriek. “What are you doing? Let us out!”
She made a desperate dash for the exit but was easily pushed back by the man’s hand, falling hard to the ground. Her realistic performance left Wakako deeply impressed.
The portly man smiled at them. “Now, now, don’t be scared. You want money, right? I have a great opportunity for you. You’ll earn money just by working for us.”
“Where?!” Lin Lin continued to shout. “Where are you selling us?!”
Old Six pulled out some dried plant leaves from his pocket, sharing them with his big brother. They both began to chew on them.
“This is Jinxin Port, so naturally, you’ll be working at the docks,” he said. “It’s hard to find work on your own, but if you come with us, you won’t have to worry about food or shelter.”
Wakako asked, “What kind of work at the docks?”
“Moving goods.”
“What kind of goods?”
For some reason, their eyes began to look unfocused and distant, as if savoring a delicious taste. “We’re not sure about that. Just know it’s good stuff.”
Suddenly, Old Six grabbed Lin Lin by the collar. “Big Brother, what do you think?”
His big brother looked her up and down, shaking his head disapprovingly.
“Too weak. Doesn’t look like she could handle the work. What about the other one?”
Old Six reached for Wakako but failed to lift her. He tried again, with the same result.
…She looked quite slim. Why was she so heavy?
On the third attempt, Wakako decided she should cooperate a bit, so she subtly supported her own weight.
The big brother’s expression softened slightly. “This one looks alright. Would be better if she were a bit stronger, but she’ll do as an average Alpha. Old Chen should be interested.”
Lin Lin sensed it was time to act. Wakako, also feeling there was no need to delay further, slowly reached out her hand.
The fat man barely registered that he was the one suddenly airborne.
For the first time in his life, he learned that a person could be flung around like a pancake. After a thorough beating that broke everything breakable in the room, he finally collapsed on the floor like a mud doll.
“Stop! Please stop!” he cried out.
Every part of his body ached, his internal organs feeling like finely minced meat filling. No matter how he begged, his attacker didn’t stop.
His big brother met the same fate, his face swollen like a pig’s head.
The “average” Alpha girl stood over them, one foot pinning down their hands. She calmly asked, “Who is Old Chen?”
“Spare us—Ah!”
“One more word of nonsense, and I’ll break one of your fingers. I’ll ask again: Who is Old Chen? What exactly is he moving at the docks?”
Lin Lin stood by, clicking her tongue. This was typical when working with her senior sister—she could just stand back and reap the benefits.
“Hurry up and talk,” she helpfully urged, adding a threat, “or my senior sister will crush every bone in your body.”
The two men wanted to cry but couldn’t—their eyes were so swollen they couldn’t shed tears.
“Mercy, please! We’ll talk! Ah—stop stepping on us!”
“Get to the point.”
“Old Chen has a ship! He’s been out to sea many times. He started dealing in this stuff two years ago. He has contacts in the Eagle Kingdom who help him smuggle goods here to sell for profit.”
“How does he dispose of the smuggled goods? Jinxin Port isn’t loosely managed. How does he evade the inspectors?”
“We don’t know about that. Old Chen keeps those details to himself… Sometimes when there’s a large shipment, he needs to hire workers. Our gambling den has many people in debt, and those who can’t pay are sold to Old Chen to work off their debts. That’s all! We really don’t know anything else! We’re innocent! Please have mercy!”
They assumed the girls were law enforcers from Jinxin Port and desperately tried to distance themselves.
“Innocent? Ha, I just saw over a hundred people in your gambling den…”
At the mention of the gambling den, they regained a bit of confidence. “If you two are here to investigate smuggling, why waste time on us? Surely you know we have protection?”
Old Six mentioned a name, which sounded vaguely familiar to Wakako. Probably a low-level city official.
It wasn’t hard to guess – they wouldn’t dare run a gambling den here without some powerful backing.
Like a visibly rotten plant, the roots must be equally corrupt.
Such officials couldn’t be tolerated, but this wasn’t the focus of their current investigation. Wakako silently committed the name to memory, then applied more pressure with her foot.
“I have a favor to ask,” she requested politely. “Inform Old Chen that there are two people—no, many people—to sell to him for work. Arrange a time to inspect the goods as soon as possible—preferably tomorrow.”
With their fingers connected to their hearts, Old Six and his Big Brother trembled like leaves, not daring to protest, nodding fervently.
“We… we usually contact him by messenger. Could you let us up to write a message?”
Wakako lifted her foot. “Write it now.”
Under their supervision, the two men sent the message to “Old Chen” as instructed. To prevent any warning signals, Lin Lin knocked them out and tied them up for temporary detention.
Their final angry shouts still echoed: “You tricked us—”
“Tricked you how?” Lin Lin shrugged. “We never promised to let you go.”
She thought to herself that Captain Jing’s presence had been unnecessary – he hadn’t even needed to lift a finger. Luckily, he mingled in the gamblers den and found some clues from the gamblers; otherwise, it would’ve been a waste of time.
After daybreak, the three returned to the inn to share their findings with the others. Hua Yumu had gone out alone, while Muna guarded the Saint and chatted with other guests, gathering quite a bit of new information.
As everyone exchanged updates, Wakako pulled something out of her pocket and examined it carefully for a long time.
After some consideration, she said, “I think there’s something off about this.”
It was the dried plant leaves they had confiscated from Old Six and his big brother, brittle enough to crumble at a touch.
Wakako had traveled throughout Mios but had never encountered this plant before, suggesting it didn’t grow on their soil.
“Earlier, they were chewing on this, and their expressions became somewhat dazed,” she recalled. “We were focused on getting information about the docks at the time, but thinking back, something seems strange.”
Lin Lin exclaimed, “Could this be what they’re smuggling? It makes sense that these two would have some product, given their partnership with Old Chen.”
With this suggestion, everyone’s attention turned to the leaves.
Wakako and Lin Lin went back to interrogate Old Six and his Big Brother again. Despite their previous willingness to sell out Old Chen completely, this time they remained stubbornly silent no matter how they were questioned, even with all ten fingers broken.
“What should we do?” Lin Lin worried. “If they won’t talk, what if Old Chen refuse to talk when we catch him?”
“There’s one way to find out,” Wakako said, staring at the leaves intently.
“What’s that?”
“Let’s find out by tasting it ourselves.”
Ignoring Lin Lin’s shocked gaze, she pinched off a piece and put it in her mouth, chewing the leaf thoroughly. A pungent taste filled her throat, identical to the smell they had encountered in the gambling den.
Wakako swallowed, fighting back nausea, and waited. However, the expected mental haze didn’t materialize.
Was she chewing it incorrectly? Or perhaps, as a mercenary with a stronger constitution than most, she needed a larger dose?
Hesitantly, she ate another piece.
This time, Wakako understood what the substance was for.
