The Butcher of Hogsmeade

When a political organization is still functioning effectively and is prepared to target a particular family or industry under its rule, the energy it can unleash is astonishing. The Ministry of Magic's recent targeted crackdown on the smuggling alliance led by the Malfoy family proved this to Shen Hou.

Less than two days after Fabian returned with Scrimgeour's mission, the Pwitt brothers, along with Shen Hou, headed straight for Cornwall and intercepted a shipment of smuggled goods from North Africa in a secluded bay, which included a large number of live magical creatures.

Only two Aurors and one newly recruited striker arrived at the scene. Logically speaking, it would be impossible for just three people to catch a group of six or seven smugglers at the same time, and some would inevitably escape; but the problem was that these three law enforcement officers had several unpaid "volunteer police" helping them.

James Potter, Sirius Black, Marlene McKinnon, and Stoddill Podmore; the seven men approached from different directions, completed the encirclement, and then launched a sudden attack. Each of them was knocked unconscious by a single shot, and seven beams of red light were released simultaneously, completely eliminating the smugglers on the other side.

The most unlucky one was the big male wizard who was assigned a target by Shen Hou. A newly learned, dazed shot was fired at him, and the wizard was lifted off the ground by the frenzied magic. He was thrown four or five meters into the air and flew sideways for six or seven meters before crashing face down on the beach, creating a huge crater.

In Sirius's words, even without fainting, the sound of him falling would have knocked him out.

Marlene McKinnon had only heard of Shen Hou's volatile and powerful aura before, but today was the first time she had witnessed it firsthand. She was stunned and speechless. After regaining her composure, she kept teasing him, "You were saying 'Stupefy' just now, but you must have been thinking of Avada Kedavra, right?"

Shen Hou quietly pulled the bone spike wand behind him: "It's all the wand's fault. It's rather volatile, you know. It can cause things like the Mantis Willow and the Fire Dragon... I still can't fully control it."

"Ah, I feel sorry for your wand. It has been around for many years, but it still hasn't learned to speak, otherwise it could have defended itself." Sirius Black floated past Shen Hou like a ghost, his sarcastic tone as if he were performing a Shakespearean tragedy.

Marlene McKinnon was laughing so hard at the corny jokes that she was practically swaying with delight.

"So, Mr. Black, does your wand talk?" Marlene asked.

"Ah, I'm trying to teach it, but with little success. After all, it's still too young compared to Shen's bone spike wand," Sirius said, shaking his head seriously. "I have a suggestion. Next time you go to Lily's to tell Harry a story, how about letting my wand listen in? I think that way it'll pick it up faster. Maybe when it comes back, it'll be able to tell me stories too."

Marin smiled even more broadly upon hearing this.

Shen Hou looked left and right, then covered his face and walked away silently. For a moment, he felt as if he had become part of the ambiguous play between the two, without even the chance to refuse to participate.

The others went about their own business, collecting the smugglers' wands, searching their bodies for all sorts of magical items, and then binding them tightly with binding charms before separating them and waking them up one by one for questioning. Each step was done with professionalism, eliminating any chance for the enemies to resist or escape, and preventing them from colluding with each other.

By comparing the testimonies of several smugglers, the identity of the gang leader was immediately revealed. He was the tall male wizard who had been knocked to the ground by Shen Hou's stun spell, and his accomplices called him "Big Hawk"—which was obviously not his real name.

This guy was really unlucky. Because Shen Hou was a beginner and worried about his accuracy, he chose the biggest guy to be his target. As a result, the highest-ranking member of the gang got the hardest hit.

The Pewter brothers singled out the unfortunate ringleader for a separate interrogation, and with their methods, the smugglers' temporary stockpile on the beach was also exposed.

The cliffs along the coast, eroded by the sea breeze and seawater, have numerous caves of varying sizes. Some of these caves have been magically hidden by smugglers, who have also set up many traps. Furthermore, a Muggle expulsion spell has been cast over an entire stretch of coastline, spanning a full half-mile.

"How did you find your way here?" Big Hawk asked, still full of suspicion after confessing. "My intelligence clearly stated that the Aurors weren't planning any large-scale operations today..."

"Who gave you the message?" Gideon asked.

Big Hawk lowered his head and did not answer.

Gideon didn't press further, but asked another question: "Besides you, are there other people who walk this path, your fellow travelers?"

Big Hawk said, "This is my territory. In the old days, Muggle smugglers often frequented the nearby coast. The Muggle Exorcism Curse was cast to keep them away. After the curse was cast, they were driven north and never came near here again."

Just then, Stoddill Podmore, who was exploring the cave, suddenly shouted, "Hey, look at this! This looks like Muggle stuff. How did it end up in these dark wizards' cave?"

When Shen Hou went over to take a look, he saw two standard-sized shipping containers stacked one on top of the other in the center of the cave. Large patches of paint had peeled off, and the containers were covered in rust. The doors were not locked, and the inside was empty, with many food packaging bags and empty drinking water bottles scattered around.

Shen Hou frowned more and more as he looked at the plastic bags and bottles that had been left behind for who knows how long.

Having lived in the wizarding world for over a month, Shen Hou has discovered that wizards rarely see plastic in their daily lives. Even when purchasing daily necessities and raw materials in large quantities from Muggle society, all plastic packaging is disposed of in advance during the resale process.

Firstly, it's unnecessary; secondly, there's a risk of breaking the law; and thirdly, it doesn't fit the aesthetic preferences of wizards.

So, where did this container come from, and where did the plastic bags and bottles inside come from?

Vicious memories from news reports began to flood Shen Hou's mind. He strode out of the cave and confronted Big Hawk, demanding, "Did you put those containers in the cave?"

"Is that thing called a shipping container? I didn't know..."

"Answer the question, don't force me to do it again—do you want to do it again?" Gideon poked Big Hawk's neck with his wand. As a seasoned Auror, he was more experienced and more intimidating in dealing with these criminals.

Big Hawk quickly backed down, shouting, "Yes, I put those big boxes there, so what?"

Shen Hou pressed further, "What did you use them to transport?"

"Transporting people".

"Who is it?"

"A person is a person, a man, a woman, a Muggle!" Big Hawk said impatiently.

Shen Hou was astonished: "They're all Muggles? You're even a human smuggler, helping Muggles cross the border?"

"There might be Squibs too, who knows, but they're definitely not wizards. You just mentioned snakeheads? That's right, those Muggles who sell people do call themselves that."

Gideon's voice suddenly turned stern: "Selling people? You bought those people, what did you buy them for?"

"How would I know what those pureblood men want with Muggles? If you want to know, go ask them. But they won't admit it, and they certainly won't let you catch them red-handed," Big Hawk said with a mocking expression.

Gideon's expression grew increasingly serious: "When did you buy it? How many times have you bought it? How much did you buy?"

"There were a few times, maybe two or three years ago, I can't remember exactly, but there were probably a few hundred. I didn't count them. Those gentlemen didn't care, they just paid up as long as the number was roughly the same."

"You rotten maggot, you'd better remember, or you'll be in big trouble!"