Chapter 826: The Island Nation’s Conspiracy! Living Black Liquid!
Accompanied by a crisp clicking sound, a large amount of white mist instantly drifted out from the gaps in the box, and a bone-chilling cold rushed toward his face.
Xiao He's hand, which had been opening the box, was stung by this chill. He couldn't help but lean back slightly, then narrowed his eyes to continue looking inside.
After the first wave of white mist dissipated, two glass bottles were quietly placed in the center of the box.
They weren't the kind of test tubes used in chemical experiments, but small glass bottles only the size of a thumb. However, they were filled with a flowing black liquid, making it impossible to tell what kind of substance it was.
Besides that, a constant stream of cold air kept emitting from the sides of the glass bottles, turning into white mist upon contact with the outside air, only to dissipate quickly.
It was clear that these two glass bottles were being kept in cold storage.
"No wonder this box felt ice-cold to the touch; it turns out there was so much refrigerant inside."
Xiao He sniffed his nose and forcibly suppressed the urge to sneeze.
"So, what on earth is this?"
After confirming that the box didn't have any other traps or hidden weapons, Xiao He reached out boldly and picked up the small glass bottle to examine it.
But the very next moment, the liquid inside the glass bottle suddenly "came to life"!
The originally murky, dull, and seemingly lifeless black water suddenly rippled the moment Xiao He picked it up!
Subtle movements transmitted through the glass. The calm black water suddenly extended countless fine tentacles, tightly clinging to the inner walls of the glass. The dense, living creatures seemed to have suddenly gained life, beginning to squirm and surge within the bottle. A dark, black mass twisted and coiled incessantly, restless within the limited space, like a lump of living, filthy flesh, or perhaps a Cthulhu-esque monster lying in wait for a long time—cold, sticky, bizarre, and terrifying—
Even someone as bold as Xiao He never expected the "liquid" in the glass bottle to be alive. He was startled and immediately pulled his hand back, taking a step away.
It was no wonder they used cold storage from the start. Seeing this scene before him, he felt a wave of nausea and his scalp tingled.
If not for the last shred of sanity remaining, Xiao He had a momentary urge to slap the thing in front of him away, as far as possible.
But clearly, the glass bottle severely hindered their ability to act. No matter how much they struggled or how terrifying they appeared, they were ultimately confined within this small glass bottle and posed no threat. Eventually, following the movement of the liquid inside, they slowly settled down, re-gathering into a mass of calm black liquid.
After the initial shock, his reason returned. Xiao He then brought the object close to his eyes to observe it carefully, suddenly realizing what it was—
Mosquito larvae. Simply put, they are the larvae of mosquitoes, the stage between egg and pupa. They hatch from mosquito eggs in water and are commonly found in rice paddies, streams, stagnant puddles, and containers of standing water. They squirm, grow, and develop in the water, eventually turning into mosquitoes.
And their existence, it is no exaggeration to say, is the most unnecessary biological existence in the world.
Xiao He could guarantee that if a button appeared in this world that, when pressed, would completely eradicate all mosquitoes, most people would press it without a moment's hesitation.
Hmm, perhaps they would even press it a few more times, just to be sure they were all wiped out.
Because apart from sucking blood and leaving behind itchy, swollen welts, no one has found a single advantage to them to this day.
PS: This point is not open for debate! Especially in the summer.
Furthermore, the existence of mosquitoes is one of the major culprits in spreading various diseases. Many diseases that threaten human life and health, such as Japanese encephalitis, dengue fever, yellow fever, malaria, and so on, are associated with them.
And inside the thumb-sized glass bottle in Xiao He's hand, there were at least ten thousand artificially bred mosquito larvae. The low-temperature refrigeration temporarily suppressed their activity, preventing them from hatching and growing quickly in the water. But once the temperature rose, these incredibly resilient creatures would instantly revive and hatch, turning back into that mass of moving, murky black liquid before him.
Almost without thinking, Xiao He immediately thought of the various viral outbreaks that had occurred globally in recent years.
Although people eventually sensed the taste of a conspiracy regarding that disaster years ago, who can really know the truth of these matters now?
However, in recent years, similar incidents have indeed occurred, and they are not isolated cases.
In the coastal regions of China and other Hong Kong areas, customs have repeatedly seized foreign mosquitoes and larvae carrying virulent viruses from abroad. This has become a major new type of biosecurity crime that the Police and customs have been focusing on preventing in recent years.
Such organisms are extremely easy to spread through cross-border smuggling for targeted release. Carrying highly lethal pathogens, they serve as biological weapons for certain people and are one of the undercurrent threats in the current international situation.
Xiao He lifted the glass bottle in his hand, turned on his phone's flashlight, and observed the bottle repeatedly. Then, he switched to the other bottle to continue his observation, ultimately confirming that both glass bottles were filled with mosquito larvae.
At this moment, he didn't need to think to know that this must be the content of the criminal transaction the Police had received intelligence on.
Don't let the fact that there are only two small bottles fool you. These artificially infected mosquito larvae have an extremely high survival rate after special cultivation, and their own vitality is very strong. With water and temperature, they can revive, hatch, and multiply almost immediately. Once they are actually released into Hong Kong or inland, even if only a few survive, they can multiply and spread in large numbers, sweeping across the entire region with lightning speed.
Furthermore, Xiao He now seriously suspected that the two bottles in his hand were not just simple infected mosquito larvae. These creatures might carry a very rare type of new virus that, once released, would trigger a new round of large-scale, virulent epidemics.
Because the high-level figures who truly hold these resources and orchestrate these conspiracies never personally touch such dangerous goods. They mostly use low-level pawns, deceived by profit, to smuggle them and complete this cross-border delivery.
But this time, they didn't.
The person carrying this item was the CEO of Zirong Group, An He Muyie, a high-level capitalist beyond any doubt.
For him to personally bring the items himself, this matter was not so simple.
Xiao He stopped in his tracks, carefully organizing his thoughts, and finally stopped at the collaboration between Zirong Group and the Dong Family.
—Building a wetland park!
Wouldn't that be a natural petri dish?
Once these things were taken to the subsequently built wetland park and released, a large number of virus-carrying mosquitoes could hatch.
And once they matured, what would be brewing would be yet another man-made disaster.
Sure enough, the most difficult thing in this world is that one can never prevent the hearts of bad people who want to do evil.
Take now, for example.
Xiao He had only just sorted through the existing situation when he vaguely smelled such a shocking conspiracy, but he felt no joy in uncovering it; instead, his heart felt somewhat heavy.
Zirong Group in recent years has not only engaged in deep cooperation within China but also in many other countries. Most of these projects operate under the guise of being green, environmentally friendly, and healthy, giving their projects a high-end veneer. Because they happen to align with the environmental policies of many countries, Zirong Group has even frequently been able to obtain environmental subsidies.
Yet, coincidentally, the past few years have not been peaceful in many countries. Various new viruses have been emerging more and more frequently. Slightly more developed countries can still manage to protect themselves, but some countries with weaker capabilities can only watch helplessly as their citizens wait for death.
Behind these events, which are accidents, and which are man-made disasters?
Xiao He did not know, but that did not stop him from raising his vigilance against these people and these matters.
The two bottles right now were likely just testing the waters.
Once the wetland park was actually constructed and put into use, their conspiracy would officially begin.
By then, who knows how much manpower and resources would be spent to stop this disaster.
It was no wonder Officer Cheng would take such a risk to steal such an important box.
But to be honest, Xiao He was still a bit curious: where exactly did Officer Cheng steal it from? And how did he steal it?
Logically speaking, for something so important and dangerous, those islanders shouldn't have placed it carelessly.
...One can only say, as expected of someone who could go undercover for so long and, in one go, infiltrate two different criminal organizations consecutively.
This Officer Cheng really had some genuine skill.
Then he could not be lax; he could not let down Officer Cheng's trust—
Xiao He gently shook the glass bottle in his hand, his eyes flickering with a faint chill.