r18novel Chapter 394 The List of Lambs
Chapter 394 The List of Lambs
On the outskirts of Milan, in a quiet alleyway piled high with discarded building materials.
Lin Yan's figure emerged from the void. With a slight thought, he followed the guidance of the divine consciousness imprint and his sword light sped towards the north.
The city lights below resembled a flowing galaxy. The gray truck sped through the city, heading straight for the port of Genoa.
Port of Genoa, Pier 7, Zone C.
Here, containers are piled up, ready to be transferred or left behind. The lights are sparse, with only the searchlights of distant tower cranes occasionally sweeping across the area.
A gray truck drove into a container yard numbered "CZ" and stopped in front of a regular 40-foot container.
The two men got out of the car, quickly unlocked the special lock on the trunk door, roughly dragged the two dazed children out of the car, and threw them inside.
They then locked the door, drove away, and the whole process took less than three minutes.
The air inside the container was stuffy.
When Lin Yan's divine sense completely penetrated in, even with his experience of two lifetimes and his shrewdness, he couldn't help but feel a surge of anger.
The box was divided into two layers by simple partitions and filled with girls.
There were about twenty people, aged between eight and twelve, dressed in various ways, some even wearing pajamas or school uniforms.
Most of them had their mouths taped shut, their hands and feet bound, and were curled up on dirty blankets.
Fear permeated the air; low sobs, suppressed whimpers, and vacant eyes glazed over with extreme terror created a hellish scene.
Half-eaten dry bread and several plastic water bottles were scattered in the corner.
Lin Yan hovered a hundred meters in the air, the night wind ruffling the hem of his clothes.
The initial anger and the impulse to save lives were quickly replaced by deeper calculations.
Saving this box is easy, but then what? Will the chain break? No, there will only be another box, transported away more discreetly.
He needs to see the whole snake clearly, then cut off its head and dig out its roots.
"Albert." He contacted the European head directly through his spiritual senses.
"Young Master," Albert's voice responded immediately.
"In the port of Genoa, Italy, I discovered a transit point for a child trafficking organization. There were more than twenty kidnapped girls in the boxes."
"Mobilize our personnel in Italy and Western Europe."
First, conduct comprehensive surveillance of the container and surrounding area, identifying all relevant personnel, from the porters to the masterminds. Second, investigate potential similar locations and transportation routes in Genoa and throughout Italy. Third, prepare a specialized action team skilled in covert operations and raids, ready to be deployed at any time.
"Understood, young master."
Albert had no further questions.
"The Italian team has twenty Nascent Soul cultivators available for direct deployment, and can also mobilize a reliable local intelligence network. The action team can be led by two Nascent Soul cultivators, and can be on standby in Nice, France within fifteen minutes, and can reach any coordinate in Genoa within thirty seconds via a teleportation array."
"Monitor them first, but don't alert them. I need to know where they'll ultimately be sent and to whom," Lin Yan said coldly.
"This is not like ordinary human trafficking."
"Yes."
For the next forty-eight hours, Lin Yan hovered above the port like a most patient ghost. His divine sense merged with the network of cultivators sent by Albert, weaving together an invisible giant net.
Information flowed into Lin Yan's mind like a trickle, gradually outlining a secret organization called "Golden Lamb".
Its intricate structure and strict hierarchy served an extremely vile purpose: to provide "fresh gifts" to members of a specific elite class in Europe who had a distorted "special collecting obsession."
The lower class ("shepherds" and "cargo drivers"): handled by a special group within the Camorra, a branch of the Italian mafia.
The mission is to acquire target girls (8-12 years old, with a pretty and healthy appearance) in Italy, the Balkans, and even parts of North Africa through abduction, theft, or even direct purchase from impoverished families.
The encrypted containers are transported within the country to the ports of Genoa or Trieste by "cargo drivers".
The person in charge is Salvatore "Skinny" Costa, a minor leader in the Camorra Campania region.
Mid-level ("Quarantine Officers" and "Beauticians"): The containers are not the final destination. The girls will be secretly transferred to an internal facility (code-named "Sheep Pen") near the port of Genoa, disguised as an abandoned cannery.
Here, doctors conduct preliminary health checks ("quarantine") to weed out sick or weak individuals.
Then there are the "beauticians"—who use drugs, mild coercion, and psychological manipulation to make the girls "docile" and "terrified but not daring to resist" in the short term, and then simply categorize and dress them up according to the "client's" preferences.
The facility manager is Dr. Luca Fabian, a former pediatrician whose license was revoked due to drug abuse.
Logistics layer ("Courier"): Responsible for a department with a legitimate shipping company shell ("Europa Express").
Using complex shipping documents and connections within customs, they mixed these special "goods" into ordinary containers and transported them by cargo ship to ports such as Marseille in France, Barcelona in Spain, and Rotterdam in the Netherlands.
The person in charge is Hendrik van der Weil, a Dutchman, who is ostensibly a shipping manager.
Senior management and clients (Patriarch and guests): This is the core and reason for the organization's existence.
All steps ultimately serve to create an encrypted "guest list".
The members on the list are all wealthy and influential, and they place orders through extremely secretive channels, with their preferences strictly recorded.
"Patriarch": The actual controller of the organization, whose identity is kept extremely secret. Currently, he is only traced to the code name "Enzo". He receives most of the profits and issues instructions through several offshore accounts and anonymous lawyers.
Albert initially judged that "Enzo" was likely already on the "guests" list, and held a distinguished position.
Guest list (partially verified):
1. Baron Gerhard von Eisenberg: A long-established German nobleman, member of the Rhineland-Palatinate state parliament, and honorary chairman of a prominent family foundation. He prefers "blonde hair, blue eyes, and an angel-like appearance."
2. Count Giacomo Rivorta: Heir to an Italian industrial family, a Milanese socialite, and closely associated with several political parties and organizations. He prefers a "lively, dark-haired, and 'wild' appearance."
3. Sir Hugh Cavendish: A backbencher in the British Conservative Party, a member of the Defence Committee, and has consulting contracts with several defense contractors. He prefers "younger, more reserved" individuals.
4. Alain Dubois: Vice President of the French luxury goods group Rhine-Dream, a regular at Paris Fashion Week. He prefers "exotic styles, such as those with North African or Eastern European characteristics."
5. "Cardinal" (codename): A high-ranking clergy member within the Vatican, contacted through an absolutely anonymous intermediary. Prefers "absolute quiet, obedience, and a sense of religious purity." This message originated from an intercepted encrypted telegram between "Enzo" and Dr. Fabian. His exact identity is still under investigation, but he is of extremely high rank.
When the complete chain of the "Golden Lamb," including the location of the "sheepfold," Van der Weir's next cargo ship voyage, and the shocking first draft of the "guest list," was all laid out before Lin Yan, he knew the wait was over.
"Albert, act. Now."
"First, rescue all the children in the 'sheepfold' and the containers at the port, and ensure their safety."
Second, arrest Salvatore Costa, Luca Fabian, Hendrik van der Wiel, and all core members.
Third, obtain all medical records, transaction ledgers, and communication records within the "sheepfold," especially the original or encrypted copy of the "guest list."
Fourth, conduct simultaneous monitoring and evidence collection on the verified powerful figures on the list.
During the operation, the use of necessary magical means to eliminate resistance and the extraction of information through soul searches are permitted, but innocent casualties must not be caused, and no supernatural traces must be left behind.
"Yes, young master."
The operation commenced simultaneously at midnight.
In the port of Genoa, two Nascent Soul cultivators appeared like ghosts in the container area, and the guards fell into a deep sleep before they could even notice them.
The container door was cut open by an invisible force, and a warm and gentle calming spell soothed the children's fear.
They were carefully led out and placed in vehicles disguised as Red Cross vehicles that had been prepared beforehand. Female nuns comforted and cared for them, awaiting their transfer to the real authorities or safe return to their places of origin.
The "Sheepfold" cannery encountered weak resistance, and several armed guards were quickly disarmed and subdued.
Dr. Luca Fabian was updating the "cargo status" in his "office" when the door was broken in. He tried to tear up the evidence, but the next second he found himself pinned to the table, unable to move.
He collapsed to the ground, his face ashen. Here, they found twenty-seven girls who had just been transported there, along with complete "training" records and ledgers.
Meanwhile, with Albert's coordination, Salvatore's hideout in Naples was reported by a local "partner," and the police "accidentally" arrested him and "by chance" discovered some transaction records on his computer.
Hendrick van der Weir's apartment in Rotterdam was broken into, all his information was copied, and he was subjected to strong "confession suggestions" while asleep. He surrendered to the police the following morning and gave up some shipping records.
The most crucial evidence came from the last-minute cracking of Enzo's communication chain.
A more complete "ultimate guest list," along with a vast account of financial transactions over the years, was forcibly extracted from an anonymous server in Lugano, Switzerland.
The list included Baron Gerhard's detailed requirements for "Angel," Sir Hugh's designated safe house address for "delivery," and even the code word for "meeting in the confessional" requested by the "Cardinal" through an intermediary.
Lin Yan obtained a copy of all of this.
The figures in the ledgers, the names on the lists, the cold descriptions in the girls' medical records, and the photos sent back by the operatives of the powerful and wealthy in private places, capturing their initial greed followed by a moment of horror.
Lin Yan stood on a sea cliff near Genoa overlooking the port.
"Albert!"
"Tomorrow, I want this story to appear on the front page of at least ten major European newspapers and during prime time on three television stations. Names, titles, photos, account summaries—nothing can be missing. Use the media we control to launch it first, muddy the waters, and then naturally, 'fellow righteous individuals' will follow suit."
He paused.
"Highlight that 'guest list.' Especially our Baron Gerhard, Sir Hugh Cavendish, and... to the 'Cardinal.'"
"Understood, young master."
Albert's voice carried a hint of menace.
"The drafting and editing are underway simultaneously, and our newspapers, including Eurowatch (France), Voice of Truth (Italy), NDR (Germany), and UTN, will be the first to publish it. The distribution channels are ready to ensure that it spreads like a virus before the authorities can react and block the news."
Lin Yan looked eastward, where a faint ray of light had already appeared on the horizon.
Tomorrow, the sun will not only illuminate the azure waters of the Mediterranean, but also the filthiest lice hidden deep beneath splendid garments.