Xiao Xian and Yezi hid inside the space, it was pretty secure, but there was one problem: they could only hear the noises outside, without seeing what was actually happening. Nearly a year of being exposed to Zhu Shijun’s simple conversational English had allowed Xiao Xian to understand a few English words.
"Bird... United States...," Xiao Xian half-understood what was heard; not soon after, the English-speaking voice disappeared, maybe they had gone inside.
Qian Duoduo parked his car at an abandoned warehouse located behind Bai Family Ancient Town. "Skinny Fox’s" gang’s base was right there. Last night they captured frogs and cooked a big pot of spicy frog stew. While they were eating, a big client came knocking.
They added lots of chili peppers to the dry pot, and seven or eight guys were eating shirtless. The big client’s guests furrowed their brows at the sight and whispered to the interpreter beside them.
"Miss Aisha, these people might be low-class, but the specimens they provide are very valuable, and the supply is stable," the interpreter gestured to the "Skinny Fox’s" gang. He wasn’t just any interpreter—sealing a deal meant he could take a five percent commission, not including his interpreter’s fee.
"Skinny Fox" was also a bit clever; just one look at Aisha’s outfit, her dress and makeup, plus the big Cherokee parked outside, a foreigner managing to drive a car not even in production in China, just after a few days in the country, must be someone big. He hurriedly put his clothes back on and, with nods and bows, led them inside.
Usually, it’s the rough and rugged types that come to buy specimens, who would have thought this time the buyer would be a sizzling hot blonde. "Skinny Fox’s" subordinates and Qian Duoduo were left dumbfounded.
"Who’s that? She’s holding a Prada, not even available for purchase in China," Qian Duoduo hurriedly wanted to follow them inside but was turned away with a disdainful glance from the interpreter, forcing him to retreat.
"Who knows? Heard it’s a big client from the United States, wanting to buy a few kinds of precious specimens, specifically requesting the lucky bird and Rainbow pheasant," seeing the guests go in, the gang resumed surrounding the dry pot and started eating again. One of them picking his teeth, passed a bowl and chopsticks to Qian Duoduo, out of the few hundred frogs they’d only eaten one meal and had more than a hundred left, locked up with the birds they caught.
"Geez, quite the appetite, those two are protected species, getting caught would mean bullets for sure," Qian Duoduo fished some chili peppers from the dry pot, and hearing this, got a shock as well.
"Protected? My wallet is protected too," joked the men, starting to drink the cheap and throat-burning local liquor.
The men got drunk, and no one noticed that the trunk of Qian Duoduo’s car had been pried open slightly.
The deserted warehouse was large, a good five hundred square meters, rented by "Skinny Fox" only last year. Speaking of "Skinny Fox," he’s a man who livelihood thrives on peril. He dropped out of middle school for Yun Gui, initially flipping jade and lost his capital. Then he followed others to Tibet, poaching antelopes, earning his first pot of gold. Later, with protected areas being established in Tibet, strictly guarded by Wu Jing, his gang finally gave up.
Having made some money, "Skinny Fox" like others, built a house, bought a car, took a mistress, and even hired a bunch of lackeys—all these cost money. Soon, he became interested in a new profitable trade: smuggling live specimens. As long as the price was right, he’d dare to sell anything: tigers from the northeast, monkeys from the Southwest, white dolphins from the rivers.
The interior of the warehouse was divided into three areas by a temporary wall. One area was for living quarters, another for holding caught prey.
"Skinny Fox" thought the big client came all the way from the United States to witness their processing hardware and couldn’t wait to lead Aisha into the specimen processing area.
Around Bai Family Ancient Town, the temperature could still reach above twenty-five degrees during autumn days, which wasn’t conducive to keeping live specimens, so this partitioned warehouse also had cooling installed. Upon opening the door, the strong smell of camphor and formalin was discernible. As for ordinary specimens, there was no explicit prohibition in China—some people see animal specimens as artworks, while others see them as corpses. "Skinny Fox" managed to prosper by catering to various customer demands.