I Became the Devil Queen's Heart Demon-Chapter 1003 - 373: Eavesdropping with the Empress! Sword Pointed at Yu Youhan! (Part 2)

A group of crew members dressed in black uniforms pulled the ropes, tied them to the stone pillars, and used a winch to pull the ship into the berth.

After setting up the wooden ladder, they began to unload the cargo in an orderly manner, one box after another, quickly emptying the entire hold.

"Look, that's the private ship of the Li Family." The laborer raised his chin to indicate, then sighed, "It's a pity they only use their own people and never hire workers, otherwise I'd also like to follow Lady Hua to make a living."

"Something's not right."

Xu You examined the cargo ship and transmitted his voice, "The cargo is clearly unloaded, yet the draft line is still deep, and there are always people patrolling the deck. It seems they might be Transcendent Warriors..."

"The strict vigilance indicates that there's still something on this ship, something that can't be exposed." Chen Mo's eyes flickered, "Let's go and take a look."

"What else do you two wish to ask..."

Before the laborer could finish speaking, the two had suddenly disappeared from his view.

"Hey, where did they go?"

He looked around, scratching his head in confusion.

...

...

On the deck.

Several burly Martial Artists stood, their eyes like torches, scanning all around.

However, they failed to notice two shadows passing quietly behind them, silently drifting toward the hatch.

Chen Mo led Xu You to the door of the cabin, opened the wooden cover, and descended the stairs into the hold.

The merchant ship was quite large, divided into three levels. Besides the top deck level, the lower sections consisted of the cargo hold and the rooms for the crew.

Earlier, during the unloading, Chen Mo used Divine Sense to probe. Most of the boxes contained medicinal herbs, tea leaves, and some furs of Alien Beasts, likely collected from mountain farmers.

These items are considered specialties of the Southern Border, with some directly consumed in Bailu City, while others are sold to traders heading north.

The two of them navigated the passage, seeing the cargo hold empty, with nothing left.

Chen Mo activated his Soul Power to cover the entire ship but didn't find anything unusual.

"Strange..."

Step, step, step—

At this time, footsteps sounded, and two figures left the wheelhouse, walking towards them.

Chen Mo pulled Xu You and hid in a cabin.

"This batch of goods is too hot to handle; it must be unloaded quickly. What does the boss say?"

"The latest news says the city might be unstable recently. Let's act low-key and wait until the storm passes."

"How long will that be?"

"Who knows, maybe three to five days?"

"That long? What if something goes wrong..."

"Don't worry, it's not the first time. With the lady backing us up, nothing will happen."

"I hope so."

The voices of the conversation grew distant.

Chen Mo leaned against the door, his brow furrowed in thought.

To avoid alarming them, he didn't act rashly, yet from their conversation, he discerned that the ship must be hiding contraband.

But where exactly is it hidden?

"The ship is only so big. If not in the cargo hold, it must be below the waterline."

Chen Mo mused to himself. Large ships have water tanks on either side to balance the hull. Usually, they are sealed and can only be opened when the ship is hauled ashore and dismantled. Normally, people don't pay attention to them.

"Let's go down and take a look."

Chen Mo and Xu You made their way, avoiding the crew, reaching the bottom of the ship, and carefully sensing without finding anything amiss.

At this moment, Xu You placed his hand on the wall, seemingly triggering a mechanism. A clicking sound echoed below, followed by the noise of gears meshing, and the floor opened along the seam, revealing a hole just big enough for a person to pass through.

Chen Mo looked at Xu You in surprise, "How did you find it?"

Xu You shrugged, saying, "Just lucky."

"I'll go in first, in case there's an ambush."

Chen Mo bent and slipped into the hole.

What he saw left him stunned.

No wonder the empty ship had such a deep draft; the whole water tank was lined with Demon-breaking Stones, turned into a secret chamber. This not only blocks detection but also seals it, preventing river water from seeping through the planks.

At the same time, air holes were left in the cabin panels to ensure ventilation.

In the cramped space, a dozen figures were crammed together, all lost in sleep.

They were draped in gray robes, hands, and feet shackled with iron chains, their beautiful faces bearing exotic features, and the wheat-colored skin and pointed ears were enough to reveal their identity...

"Barbarian Tribe?"

Chen Mo snapped out of it, his expression turning serious.

Unexpectedly, the contraband Lady Hua secretly transported was Barbarian Slaves?!

Recalling the Barbarian Slave Case that erupted in the Capital City previously, evidence suggested the Barbarian Slaves were smuggled in through Cao Yun, but the trail went cold when pursued.

"No wonder there were no traces; it was re-routed via merchant ships and then directly transferred underwater, perfectly evading inspection*..."

"But the problem is, even though Chu Heng is already dead, where are these Barbarian Slaves being sent?"

"Could there be others conducting this business?"

Chen Mo pondered to himself.

Xu You followed behind, seemingly unfazed by the scene, asking, "What should we do now? Should we inform the State Mansion?"

"Hmph, I fear the State Mansion might not be clean either." Chen Mo said coldly, "No need to act in haste; there must be others directing Lady Hua. These Barbarian Slaves can't stay here forever; sooner or later, they'll have to be dealt with, and by then, they'll expose themselves."

He first used the Image Stone to record the scene, then approached the wall. Using sheer physical strength, he forcibly broke off a corner of the hard Demon-breaking Stone and placed a paperman into the crevice.