"Luo Fei, there's nothing." Zhang Yu and Li Tian checked the bags, then shook their heads grimly at Luo Fei.
The tattooed girl started to shout again, "I told you, there's nothing, nothing, but you refuse to believe us. How could we have drugs on us? Some people must be blind."
Luo Fei frowned and then looked at the two girls again. Suddenly, he noticed a detail: the two girls' lips were noticeably chapped, clearly a symptom of dehydration. However, they each had a bottle of water in their hands that they hardly drank from.
Instantly, Luo Fei understood. The two girls had swallowed the drugs, likely out of fear that drinking water would dissolve the drug packets. Thus, even though they were very thirsty and their lips were chapped, they didn't dare drink water.
"They must have swallowed the drugs. Take them to the police station first," Luo Fei directly instructed Zhang Yu and Li Tian, as he had the authority to assign auxiliary police when facing such situations as an on-duty officer.
Although Zhang Yu and Li Tian were somewhat skeptical of Luo Fei's words, they had no choice but to obey. It was their duty to follow the orders of a supervisory officer.
At this, the tattooed girl's calm demeanor finally changed.
Soon, Luo Fei and the other two escorted the two girls to the police station.
At the entrance, Zhou Weimin, Zhang Haiyang, Wu Wei, and Jiang Xiaoxiao were already waiting.
Just earlier, Luo Fei had called the station chief Zhou Weimin and his mentor Zhang Haiyang, informing them that he had apprehended two girls suspected of carrying drugs and would arrive soon.
"Is it certainly them?" Zhou Weimin quickly pulled Luo Fei aside upon seeing them, a hint of doubt on his face.
Luo Fei nodded confidently, "Chief Zhou, there's a drug scent on them, and look at their chapped lips—they haven't taken a sip of water despite having it, so I'm basically certain they've swallowed the drugs."
"Alright, I trust your judgment. But, just to be sure, let's take the two girls to the hospital for an ultrasound. That way, we'll see if they have drugs in their stomachs," Zhou Weimin suggested after some thought.
Subsequently, Zhou Weimin, Zhang Haiyang, Luo Fei, and two auxiliary police escorted the two girls to the county hospital.
The ultrasound results were out quickly, and indeed, 38 date-sized drug pellets were found in the tattooed girl's stomach, while 45 were found in the short-haired girl's stomach.
The two girls then recounted the entire drug trafficking process, not leaving out a single detail.
Zhang Siyu and Zou Wen were both students at Jiangzhou City's Music and Media College, and both had modest family backgrounds.
After enrolling in college, Zhang Siyu's family gave her a monthly living allowance of 1500 yuan, but that amount wasn't nearly enough for her expenses.
Zhang Siyu liked to dress up, often buying cosmetics, clothes, and bags, leading to excessive spending. To fund these purchases, she took out loans on various apps, accumulating a debt of about 60,000 to 70,000 yuan over two years.
Shopping with borrowed money was enjoyable, but when it came time to repay, she initially managed by borrowing from one source to pay another. However, later, it became increasingly difficult to make ends meet. She didn't dare ask her family for money, knowing her father might beat her if he discovered she had borrowed so much online.
While distressed over her repayments, one day Zhang Siyu was online and stumbled across a post. The poster claimed to have a way to make easy money, 50,000 yuan in a few days, and invited those interested to contact him.
Zhang Siyu initially dismissed it as a scam—making money couldn't be that easy. But she sent a message out of curiosity, saying she wanted to get rich.
To her surprise, the person responded and asked for her QQ number. Thinking it must be a scam but knowing she couldn't be tricked as long as she didn't send money, she forwarded her QQ number.
The person quickly added her and asked about her identity. With nothing to hide, Zhang Siyu confirmed she was a student. The person then revealed the lucrative opportunity: drug trafficking.
Upon hearing the word "drugs," Zhang Siyu's immediate reaction was no—it's illegal, and getting caught would surely lead to imprisonment. Although a bit rebellious and prone to small mistakes, she wasn't bold enough for drug trafficking.
Consequently, Zhang Siyu ceased contact with the person over the following days.
About two weeks later, her father suddenly called her, starting off with a tirade, questioning her studies and what she had been doing at school.
As it turned out, her small app loans for that month were overdue due to non-payment, leading creditors to call her parents when she failed to answer their calls.
That day, Zhang Siyu had a huge argument with her father over the phone. Hearing she owed 60,000 to 70,000 yuan, he declared her unfilial, disowning her and refusing to pay a cent. Zhang Siyu assured him she would settle her debts herself without his concern.
Feeling hurt by her father's words, she contacted the person on QQ that very night, asking how much she could earn per drug run. The person estimated earnings based on her carrying capacity but mentioned at least 50,000 yuan. Zhang Siyu immediately agreed to traffic drugs.
The person instructed her to go to the Tanggou Stronghold in Yun Province in a few days, where someone would contact her.
Initially planning to go alone, Zhang Siyu's fear grew at the thought of traveling alone in an unfamiliar province with unknown risks.
She considered involving her close friend, Zou Wen, whose family was also struggling financially. When Zou Wen got into college, her parents found the expenses too high, contemplating marriage over further education.
Zhang Siyu approached Zou Wen, promising a path to riches. Initially repulsed by the drug trafficking suggestion, Zou Wen pleaded with her to reconsider, knowing getting caught would lead to jail.
But Zhang Siyu persisted, asserting they wouldn't get caught and enticing Zou Wen with how a single risky venture could relieve future educational and living expenses.
Gradually, Zhang Siyu convinced Zou Wen, who found the idea of a risky venture yielding high returns too compelling, removing her financial anxieties.
Having persuaded Zou Wen, Zhang Siyu informed the person on QQ, who was angry that she had shared this with someone but eventually conceded to letting her bring along an extra person.
Thus, Zhang Siyu and Zou Wen set off, arriving at Tanggou Stronghold. The person guided them to a specific spot, instructing them to blindfold themselves, which they did.
Later, someone collected their phones and led them to a dark room filled with drugs. They had to swallow the drugs—Zou Wen ingested 45 pellets for 60,000 yuan, while Zhang Siyu swallowed 38 and couldn't ingest more, securing a promise of 55,000 yuan.
They each received 10,000 yuan in cash on the spot, with the rest promised upon delivery.
Later, they were instructed to transport the drugs to Ningjiang County, where others would contact them, with their phones to be returned by post after delivery. They were again blindfolded on their return to Tanggou Stronghold.
Carrying drugs from Tanggou Stronghold, they dared not drink too much water for fear of damaging the drug parcels in their stomachs, taking only occasional sips when severely parched.
The journey went without a hitch, reaching Ningjiang County smoothly. Just as they thought success was near, Luo Fei exposed them upon their arrival.
Upon confirming drugs in the girls' stomachs, Zhou Weimin immediately contacted the narcotics team to take over the case.