I was a rookie reporter in the 00s

Chapter 216: Dog Dealer’s Trading Point

"Li Wei, where do you think this 'old place' is?" Fu Siyuan asked.

Li Wei pondered for a moment and said, "This 'old place' is probably where they frequently trade. Dog dealers usually choose remote, less visible places to trade, and they must be very familiar with this place."

"Then what should we do?" Zhang Wanqing asked.

"We need to place spies near the 'old place' to observe their movements," Li Wei said. "However, this mission is very dangerous, so you must be prepared."

Just then, a faint sound of footsteps was heard outside the warehouse. The three of them immediately became alert. Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan quickly hid in the corner of the warehouse, while Li Wei slowly walked towards the door.

"Who?" Li Wei's voice sounded in the darkness with a hint of majesty.

"It's me," a deep voice replied, trembling slightly. "I'm here to give you some clues."

Li Wei was slightly startled, then he opened the door to the warehouse. Standing at the door was a middle-aged man wearing a worn cotton-padded jacket, with a look of fear on his face.

"Who are you?" Li Wei asked.

The man took a deep breath and said, "My name is Zhao Dahai, and I'm a villager here. I...I saw the dog dealer's transaction."

"What did you say?" Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan walked out from the corner with a hint of surprise in their eyes.

Zhao Dahai nodded and said, "That night, when I got up to go to the bathroom, I saw a light in the woods at the entrance of the village. I went over to take a look out of curiosity, and unexpectedly, I saw a dog dealer making a deal."

"What did you see?" Li Wei asked.

"There were five or six of them, driving a van. The van was filled with cages full of dogs from the village," Zhao Dahai recalled. "They took the dogs out of the van and handed them over to another man. He gave them a wad of money and left."

"Do you know where the transaction takes place?" Fu Siyuan asked anxiously.

Zhao Dahai nodded and said, "I know. That place is in the valley behind the village. There is an abandoned factory. They always trade there."

"Abandoned factory?" Li Wei's eyes flashed with a gleam of light, "Let's go and take a look."

The three followed Zhao Dahai along the village road toward the back of the village. As the night deepened, the surroundings were completely silent, with only the sound of their footsteps echoing in the darkness. Zhao Dahai walked ahead, leading them through fields and fields until they finally reached a valley.

"It's here." Zhao Dahai said, pointing to the ruins in front.

Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan followed his finger and saw an abandoned factory building in front of them. The walls were dilapidated and the windows were only a few pieces of broken glass. The factory building was surrounded by weeds, making it look particularly desolate.

"This place is very remote and is indeed suitable for trading." Fu Siyuan said.

Li Wei nodded and said, "Let's go in and take a look."

The three of them walked cautiously into the factory. It was pitch black inside, with only a few faint rays of moonlight shining through the dilapidated windows. They carefully observed their surroundings, hoping to find some clues.

"Look, there are wheel marks here." Zhang Wanqing said, pointing to a row of marks on the ground.

Fu Siyuan squatted down, gently touched the wheel marks with his hand, and said, "These wheel marks are very new, they must have been left recently."

"Wanqing, go over there and see if there are any other clues." Li Wei said.

Zhang Wanqing nodded and walked to the other side of the factory. She carefully made her way through the ruins when her foot suddenly slipped and she lost her balance. She instinctively reached for the wall but instead touched a cold metal object.

"Siyuan, Li Wei, come here quickly!" Zhang Wanqing shouted.

Fu Siyuan and Li Wei ran over immediately and saw Zhang Wanqing holding a tattered iron cage with some dog hair still inside, obviously used to hold dogs.

"This is a dog cage." Fu Siyuan said, "It seems that what Zhao Dahai said is right. This is indeed the trading place of dog dealers."

"We have to notify the police immediately," Li Wei said. "These dog cages are evidence."

"Wait." Zhang Wanqing suddenly said, her eyes falling on the corner of the factory. "Look, there seems to be a camera there."

Fu Siyuan and Li Wei followed her gaze and saw a small camera in the corner. The camera was old and worn, but traces of its past were still visible.

"The dog dealers installed a camera here. It seems they take this place very seriously," Li Wei said. "They might be using this camera to monitor transactions."

"We have to take down the camera quickly, maybe we can find some useful clues." Fu Siyuan said.

The three of them carefully walked to the camera, and Li Wei reached out and took it off. He carefully examined it and found a small memory card inside the camera.

"There's a memory card here," Li Wei said. "Maybe it records their transaction process."

"Great!" Zhang Wanqing said excitedly, "This is crucial evidence."

"We have to go back quickly and copy the contents of the memory card." Li Wei said, "Maybe we can catch them."

The three of them quickly left the factory with the dog cage and memory card.

The night deepened, and the village was immersed in a tranquility, broken only by the occasional chirping of insects. Zhang Wanqing and Fu Siyuan sat in front of their computers, staring intently at the screens. Li Wei stood behind them, his gaze fixed on the contents of the memory card.

"Wanqing, take a look at this." Fu Siyuan suddenly said, with a trembling voice.

Zhang Wanqing leaned over and saw a video on the screen. The video was a bit blurry, but she could clearly see a van parked outside the factory. Several people got out, opened the door, and unloaded dog cages one by one. These cages were filled with various dogs, wailing in their cages, looking extremely pitiful.

"These people are dog traffickers." Zhang Wanqing said in a low voice, with a hint of anger in her eyes.

"Look, that contact person." Fu Siyuan pointed at the screen and said, "He seems to be very familiar with this place."

In the video, a man in a black coat walked out of the factory, exchanged a few words with the dog dealers, then took a stack of money and turned to leave. His figure looked particularly mysterious in the night.

"Who is this person?" Li Wei frowned and asked.

"We don't know, but we can deduce some information from his figure and movements," Zhang Wanqing said. "He's not tall, and his gait is a little strange, like he's injured."

"Look at his clothes," Fu Siyuan said, pointing at the screen. "He's wearing a black coat, which is not common in the village."

"Yes, we can start with the clothes." Li Wei nodded and said, "Wanqing, go ask around in the village to see if anyone has seen such a person."