Chapter 28: Stop at Nothing
In the dining hall.
Zha Xi asked, "Captain, this afternoon, Tibetans in the southwestern region found an injured White-lipped Deer. It has been sent to the veterinarian for treatment, but its condition isn't good. Should we—?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the previously lively atmosphere at the dining table instantly became quiet.
Everyone waited for their Captain's response.
Lu Xiao looked at them with a serious and solemn expression, "Since you asked first, put down what you're holding. What I'm about to discuss with you is exactly this matter."
As he spoke, he paused:
"The injury of the White-lipped Deer is not that simple. We initially judge that it was perpetrated by a group targeting national protected animals.
They had cut off the deer's antlers, and now our informants on the internet have spotted their people trafficking peregrine falcons and golden eagles. Early tomorrow, we'll start operation as planned!"
At this point, Lu Xiao began to assign tasks.
"Sang Nian, tomorrow you'll pose as a seller online alongside Ga Zhuo. There will be intermediaries smoothing the transaction, negotiating the selling price and setting up the transaction time. When you meet them, we'll apprehend them."
Sang Nian is not Tibetan but Han Chinese, and most of these poachers tend to sell to outsiders.
Therefore, Sang Nian, being unfamiliar to those men, has a better chance of a successful transaction.
Ga Zhuo, on the other hand, is a local man with rich experience, over thirty years old, and very knowledgeable about all their local precious protected animals, able to support and advise secretly.
"Roger that! Boss!"
Upon receiving his assignment, Sang Nian immediately responded decisively.
Damn it, poachers were what he hated most in his life!
For money, they would commit all evils.
Take that White-lipped Deer for instance, a national first-class protected species.
It is a unique and rare species found on the Tibetan Plateau.
But because of their value, these poachers, upon capturing them, ruthlessly sever their antlers to sell!
The climate of the Tibetan Plateau is so harsh it feels like a different season each day.
When blizzards strike, those deer with bleeding heads often freeze to death in the barren land—!
Not to mention those precious birds that soar through the vast skies!
Whether hunted for delicacies or confined in cages, these actions prevent them from ever soaring freely again.
What's the difference between that and a person with legs who can never walk again!
These people have been blinded by their selfish desires!
Whether human or animal, every life is precious.
Until nowadays, under strict controls, massive poaching has receded, but that doesn't mean it has stopped altogether.
There are four uninhabited areas in the west, where poaching elements might emerge at any time.
This is a long, enduring struggle.
...
After dinner, everyone dispersed.
It was windy at night, and it was very cold outside.
When Wen Xian stepped outside, a gust of cold air slipped into her oversized clothes, instantly sending a chill from her feet up to her spine.
She shivered and wrapped his jacket tighter around herself.
Fumbling in his jacket, she indeed pulled out a pack of cigarettes and, also, a gear-operated lighter—!
Wen Xian, holding the lighter, suddenly fell into thought: "..."
Huh?
He has, a lighter...?
Suddenly.
The door covered with cotton cloth was opened—
A figure appeared.