It proved that as long as the profits were large enough, plenty of people would risk everything.
At three in the morning, Song He was immersed in mathematical research, deliriously absorbed, when the phone on his desk suddenly rang. It was Wei Liqun calling.
"What is it?" Song He answered at once.
"Boss, our shipment was hijacked!" Wei Liqun said.
Song He was stunned. Why did that tone sound like something out of a Hong Kong gangster movie?
"On the highway out of Jinghai City, one of our trucks carrying Mosquito Repellent Ointment was hijacked. There were four of them, armed with the kind of machetes used to chop sugarcane. They stood in the middle of the highway as if they didn't care whether they lived or died, forced the truck to stop, and started hacking at the windows, making the driver open the rear compartment. As soon as it opened, they climbed in and carried out the boxes. They stole more than twenty boxes of Mosquito Repellent Ointment, stuffed them into their own van, and fled," Wei Liqun said.
"Wait, Mosquito Repellent Ointment?" Song He was puzzled. "The kind that earns less than toilet paper? Does that stuff even sell at a premium? I remember we had enough production capacity!"
"I'm baffled too. I suspect they hijacked the wrong truck, but logically, they should have opened the boxes to check when they took them," Wei Liqun said. "It happened rather suddenly. The impact isn't significant, but it is still a case, so I thought I should report it to you."
"Fine. Call me again when there's any new information. I've been awake for ages anyway." Song He hung up.
He pondered for a while but couldn't figure out what was going on. There were all kinds of birds in