Chapter 39: Organ Trade

“Can you stop speaking in riddles?” Lü Chunqiu tapped the table lightly. “I’ve just been through a scare and now you’re trying to frighten me with ghost stories?”

“It’s not a ghost story,” Mo Fei replied solemnly. “There are no ghosts in this world.”

Lü Chunqiu was impressed by his knack for getting straight to the point and surrendered with a raised hand. “Alright, alright, so what’s the reason?”

“The value adults possess—women for their fertility and beauty, men for their ability to work. Of course, we can’t exclude the beauty of handsome men as well.” As Mo Fei finished speaking, he couldn’t help but touch his own face.

Lü Chunqiu: …

Sometimes, managing someone like him truly left her feeling helpless.

“But—” Mo Fei raised his voice slightly, leaning in closer to Lü Chunqiu in a secretive manner, “do you know what value both men and women share?”

Lü Chunqiu replied dryly, “Beauty?”

Mo Fei shook his head, the corners of his mouth quirking up as he whispered in a way that seemed almost hypnotic, “Organs.”

Lü Chunqiu instinctively swallowed, her heart skipping a beat.

A chill climbed up her spine.

“You mean people are being kidnapped to sell their organs?” Lü Chunqiu lowered her voice in disbelief. “But this is a society governed by law!”

“Listen to yourself,” Mo Fei shook his head. “No matter how lawful society is, there are always those who stray.”

“That’s true.” Lü Chunqiu nodded, but anxiety crept in. “But isn’t anyone dealing with their audacity?”

Mo Fei remained calm. “Of course there’s oversight, but how long it takes to eradicate it completely is another matter.”

“Generally, cases involving organs and trafficking aren’t just limited to one area—they’re often cross-country, even cross-continent.”

He tilted his head, pondering. “At such a scale, if things don’t go well, it’s usually a matter of fighting and investigating at the same time—it could take a whole generation to wear them out.”

Lü Chunqiu’s lips twitched.

Though she’d rather not admit it, she had to concede that things would likely unfold just as Mo Fei described.

It was the poor souls who caught their attention that suffered most.

Once taken, there was no hope for a better life.

“So I’d better stay vigilant from now on,” Lü Chunqiu muttered to herself. “It’s outrageous how rampant they are.”

There was little Mo Fei could do about this situation.

He was just an ordinary citizen—maybe a bit better looking, a bit more unlucky.

Yet he always trusted the law and the public servants.

His duty was to stay alert and keep his spirits high.

After this ordeal, Mo Fei’s name became well-known in both the eastern and western police stations of the city.

Each precinct had its own little group chat for work coordination, and capturing five people at once in the west was a rare and significant event.

Officer Xiao Xu watched his phone as messages popped up, joking with Officer Tang, “Master, look, does the person they’re describing sound like Mo Fei?”

“What do you mean, ‘sound like’?” Officer Tang leaned back, squinting at the messages. “A man and a woman subdued five armed assailants?”

His eyes widened in astonishment. “That’s impressive.”

“And that’s not all.” Officer Xiao Xu scrolled down and opened a picture. “Colleagues over there said when they arrived on scene, all five were already knocked out. The site was quite shocking. Look, this is the lock the hero used.”

“One person, one lock, one miracle.”

Officer Tang glanced a few times, took Xiao Xu’s phone and enlarged the image. “This lock looks familiar.”

Officer Xiao Xu took the phone back, unfazed. “All U-shaped locks look like this worldwide.”

“No, no, I’m sure I’ve seen this exact lock before.” Officer Tang frowned, recalling, “Remember last time I went to the film crew with Senior Cangyu? The highway alarm incident?”

Officer Xiao Xu thought for a moment. “That one—I remember. It was Mo Fei’s crew, right?”

Officer Tang nodded. “I saw Mo Fei with a U-shaped lock like this back then.”

Xiao Xu’s mind clicked, understanding his master’s implication. “Are you suggesting those two heroes who took on five in the west were Mo Fei?”

“Wouldn’t a phone call clear it up?” Officer Tang pointed at the phone.

“No need,” Officer Xiao Xu shrugged it off. “Even if it’s him, so what? He’s allowed to roam the city, isn’t he?”

“And with his knack for bad luck, I’d expect him to stumble into something like this.”

He spoke, noticing his master’s sour expression, and tried to reassure him. “Master, I know you’re an old detective and it’s normal to be suspicious. But we’ve checked Mo Fei several times—there really isn’t anything wrong.”

As he spoke, he glanced at the group’s new messages and exclaimed, “My god!”

“Five people: two with testicles removed, one with severe concussion, another with a crushed hand and multiple crush injuries. The least injured was the woman—both arms dislocated, a large chunk of her face bitten off.”

Officer Xiao Xu and Officer Tang exchanged looks, both feeling a chill between their legs.

After a moment, Officer Xiao Xu forced a laugh. “But the colleagues said the group they caught were all human traffickers, so it’s fine.”

Officer Tang’s brows furrowed. “Traffickers?”

The two locked eyes, seeing mutual shock, and spoke in unison, “Traffickers caught a week ago?!”

…

“Failed again, and five got arrested. Are you all useless?” The middle-aged woman still wore her harmless, rustic smile, but her words cut deep.

The burly man standing before her lowered his head, enduring the scolding, and explained in a low voice, “Aunt Mei, this time we ran into tough ones.”

Aunt Mei’s smile widened. “All five got caught—how tough could they be? Hmm?”

She slammed the table, her face fierce. “Did you try to nab someone right under the nose of undercover cops?!”

The burly man kept his head down, not daring to argue.

If she hadn’t been so desperate for people—if their efficiency in snatching victims matched her demands—they wouldn’t have risked such a bold move.

“I told you, when picking targets, choose those who are introverted and inconspicuous, preferably migrant workers. If they disappear for months, no one will notice.” Aunt Mei took a breath, regaining composure. “Now look, you’ve caused such a stir. We can’t stay here anymore.”

The burly man glanced up, gauging Aunt Mei’s mood, and tentatively asked, “What about the goods?”

“How about I give them all to you?” Aunt Mei stared at him, expressionless.

The burly man shivered, waving his hands. “No, I couldn’t handle that—”

“Dispose of everything you can. Anything you can’t take, leave behind.” Aunt Mei’s eyes flashed with ruthless intent. “Not a single one can be left alive.”

The burly man quickly replied, “Yes!”