Chapter 129: True Friends Don't Fear Fatigue; Finding the Shipping Container

Song Kai realized there was no hope left after hearing what Desna had to say. He remarked, "Fine, then we’ll take the item and leave tomorrow. Surely those idiots from the Holy Mountain Band don't have the power to stop us from boarding our flight."

Desna laughed, patting her chest as she replied, "Don't worry. Even though they have quite a bit of influence, they can't do anything to me. You can rest easy."

Xu Ling leaned against the sofa and soon fell asleep.

Song Kai turned to Desna and said, "You should go get some sleep too; I’ll keep watch here."

"No need to watch. My place is equipped with alarm systems; no one can break in. Don’t worry about it." With that, Desna stood up and stretched lazily.

"In that case, I’m going to take a shower. You should get to bed soon," Desna added before heading into the bathroom.

Not long after, Desna emerged wrapped in a bath towel, revealing a generous portion of her ample, fair-skinned chest. Song Kai stole a few glances. Desna didn’t seem to mind; she simply winked at Song Kai and retreated into the bedroom.

Song Kai left the sofa for Xu Ling and sat in a separate armchair, crossing his legs to practice the Nine Thunders Inner Qi. The spiritual energy from the black silkworm cocoon flowed into his body, refined by the Nine Thunders technique into lightning-based inner energy, rapidly replenishing the strength he had exhausted earlier. After practicing for two hours, Song Kai opened his eyes. Knowing there was work ahead, he simply leaned back against the sofa, closing his eyes to rest and recharge.

Before long, the doorbell rang. Song Kai opened his eyes and walked over to check. Danlina was standing outside. Song Kai opened the door. Danlina was wearing an outdoor tactical suit, and her eyes were slightly bloodshot. Song Kai knew she must be exhausted from driving for several hours to get there.

"Thank you, Danlina." Song Kai opened his arms and gave her a hug.

Danlina patted his back and said, "This is the United States; of course I have to help you. Come on, let’s go inside, and you can tell me exactly what’s going on."

By now, Xu Ling had woken up and greeted Danlina.

"So, you two lovebirds came here for a honeymoon," Danlina teased.

"Not exactly."

Once seated, Song Kai skipped the pleasantries and quickly recounted the entire situation. Danlina looked at the key and said, "This is a container key; it has an identification code on it. Since we can’t figure it out, why not just go and see for ourselves? Let’s go, we’re leaving right now."

"Now? Isn't it too late?" Song Kai asked, concerned about her exhaustion.

Danlina replied, "You don't understand. The docks are busiest at night. It’s a twenty-four-hour operation, but there are more staff on duty at night, making it easier to track information. I’ll go get Desna."

Danlina didn't stand on ceremony and knocked on Desna’s bedroom door. Desna walked out half-naked, rubbing her eyes. Upon seeing Danlina, she gave her a big hug.

Danlina laughed, saying, "Don't be so exposed. My two friends are from China; they’re young and not used to you being this bold."

Desna chuckled, "Wait for me, I’ll go change."

Soon, the four of them were ready and piled into Danlina’s car, heading rapidly toward the Cambridge docks. This was home to the largest container terminal in the entire state of Asa. Countless containers were stacked like small mountains. It was past two in the morning, yet the place was as bustling as a festival. Large trucks moved in and out, and workers and mechanical arms were constantly in motion.

Danlina was an Interpol agent, which sounded impressive, but when it came to local crimes, her credentials were often the least effective. Desna showed her own agent badge to the security guards and led the group to a nearby complex. Inside an office, Desna handed the key to a man and asked, "Sir, could you tell us which container this key belongs to?"

Seeing that Desna was an agent—and a buxom beauty at that—the man was happy to help. He looked at the key and said, "Please wait a moment, let me check." He placed the key under a laser scanner. Soon, a location popped up on the computer: Section C, Row 13, Column 4, 5th tier, facing south.

"Here it is," the worker said. "This is your container. Do you want me to schedule it for retrieval? You can give me an address and a truck will deliver it."

"No need, we’ll just go take a look," Desna said.

Geda, the worker, looked at them and said, "Fine, I’ll take you there. Hey, Deba, cover for me for a bit, I’ll be back shortly."

A young man stood up reluctantly, grumbling, "Why, Geda? Why is it always me covering for you while you get to take beauties out? That’s so unfair!"

Geda laughed, "Kid, once you’ve slogged away in this office for another three years, you’ll have your chance."

Geda led the four of them downstairs and drove an electric patrol cart toward the container yard. Song Kai asked, "Who would usually be given this key?"

As he drove, Geda explained, "The keys aren't handled by us. Actually, once a container is loaded onto a ship, the container and the key share a unique identification code. In other words, to retrieve a container, you must use this specific key. As you can see, there are too many containers here, packed tightly; it would be impossible to find one manually. The key and the container are a perfect match, and their barcodes record exactly where the container is placed."

Song Kai finally understood. The terminal was divided into several zones. After reaching Section C, it was further divided into countless rows and columns. Even after finding the specific coordinates, the containers were still stacked twenty levels high.

Geda stopped the cart and pointed to the fifth tier, saying, "That’s the one, the container facing south. It’s a bit high, you’ll need to climb up. Ladies, are you afraid?" Geda stared at Desna’s chest with a smirk.

Song Kai gave Danlina a look. Danlina nodded and said, "Mr. Geda, this gentleman and I will go up. You can stay here and chat with the two ladies."

Geda’s eyes lit up. Such a great opportunity—he couldn't say no. Xu Ling was beautiful but didn't talk much, while Desna was the best—gorgeous, cheerful, and with a figure that was absolutely explosive!

Song Kai and Danlina quickly climbed up the ladder handles on the containers. When they reached the fifth container, they stopped, pulled out a metal plate from beneath, and stood on it. Song Kai inserted the key and turned it; the lock clicked open. He pushed aside the locking bars and pulled the door. With a rumble, the container opened.

A wave of foul stench drifted out from the massive container. Song Kai frowned. Danlina pulled out a flashlight and clicked it on. The scene inside was revealed. The container was packed with dozens of people—dozens of women, or perhaps girls, wearing dirty white dresses and looking frail and exhausted. They seemed to have been transported from somewhere like Afghanistan, judging by their skin tone. They had clearly been trapped in the container for days, living amidst their own waste, which accounted for the nauseating stench.

Danlina frowned and said, "So it’s human trafficking. No wonder they were so desperate to steal your key."

Song Kai scratched his head, "They could have just said so, instead of trying to take it by force."

Danlina and the two of them moved inside. Danlina shouted in English, "Don't worry, I’m a police officer. You’re safe now." The women couldn't understand her; they huddled together in terror.

Song Kai took out his own flashlight and carefully navigated around the waste to move deeper into the container. There was a thin metal door inside, locked with a padlock. Song Kai didn't hesitate and kicked the door open. Behind it were boxes filled with red candles and a large quantity of candy.

"What is all this?" Song Kai picked up some of the candy, sniffed it, and suddenly froze. This... this was the smell of narcotics.

"Hey, Danlina, come here," Song Kai gestured. "Come look at this cargo. I think you'll be interested..."