Chapter 49 Who Leaked Their Whereabouts

  He continued: "That mission, the last withdrawal team was us. Because I had just entered the mountain and got a relapse of fever, I stayed in the town for over ten days. When I recovered and returned to the team, the task was already completed. But the last withdrawal team, all fell down the mountain stream, all ten people in the car, including the driver, all died! All dead!" He sighed heavily, "I couldn't believe it, those brothers who trained with me every day were all dead. Even if the car fell into the mountain stream, it shouldn't have been that everyone died at once. At least there should be one or two seriously injured, taken to the hospital and then died. But no, all dead, all died on the spot. I don't believe it, I really don't believe it."

  He spoke faster and faster, looking very tense. "I rushed to the scene of the incident, wanting to take a last look at my comrades, but received news that they had been cremated. They were cremated right there in the mountain stream! How is this possible? I know that our superiors are hiding the truth, but I'm just a small soldier, I have no way to investigate. After I retired from the army, I found a woman who was more or less suitable for me here in Yayi Village and got married. I want to help my comrades find out the real cause of their deaths. I want to know what it is that made the troops give up on the lives of those nine comrades of mine!"

  He cried again: "Nine years, nine years, the village on the other side is all dead again, and the army has come again, and the whole village is burned down. When they set fire, I was watching them from the mountain on the other side. The fire was so strange that it also ignited the gasoline in the car next to it, and everyone died. Haha, this place is really haunted!"

  Su Haicheng pulled me over and pushed me to Atian's side, then crouched down and looked at him: "You've been here for nine years, what have you found out?"

  "I've found out... I've found out... damn it, these things are just like a ghost story! There's a legend in this village, the dead will come back, and that burned-down village last time had a key that could bring all the dead people from the lake back. And that huge snake was guarding that lock. But you guys killed the snake, so I guess you must have gotten the key too."

  This man can lie in wait for nine years to investigate this matter, and it's quite clever. He can guess that we've already obtained the key.

  Su Haicheng's face suddenly changed, and he hastily said: "So to speak, it wasn't you who informed the troops?" With this man's feelings towards his comrades and his suspicions towards his superiors, when he saw us entering the mountain, he should have guessed what we were going to do. If he wanted to investigate this matter, he shouldn't have notified others.

  "No! I haven't been in touch with them since I left the army. If they really wanted to investigate, they wouldn't have rushed to cremate our brother's body!"

  Su Haicheng quickly got up and walked towards the camp, I dared to speak: "Hey, what's your name, big brother." He has become like this, and only then did he tell us the truth, it should be believable. Looking at Su Haicheng and A Tian's expression, they seemed to have believed him.

  He looked at me: "Zhong Fang, just call me Heilian."

  His face is indeed quite dark. I reckon it's from sunbathing on the mountain, got tanned that way.

  Atian stretched out his hand towards Heilian: "Heilian, are you interested in joining us?"

  Hei Lian looked at Ah Tian's outstretched hand and my smiling face, asking again: "Have you really gotten the key?"

  "Right!" Ah Tian replied.

  Hei Lian hesitated for a moment, then stretched out his hand and grasped Ah Tian's. Ah Tian pulled him up with a jerk and said, "We really are going to take a dip, you now have a wife and kids, it's best if you think again. Once we leave this forest, let's just say we were beaten by them earlier and didn't say anything."

  Hei Lian lowered his head again and remained silent for a while before saying, "Do you have any cigarettes?"

  Atian lit one for him, then took us out together. As we walked out, he said: "You still have a night to think about it. If you want to go home tomorrow morning, just consider being beaten by us tonight, haha, I'll give you more medical expenses."

  Hei Lian still didn't speak, probably hesitating too. He's different from us, he has a wife and kids. I suddenly thought of my parents, it's been a long time since I last called them, don't know if they're doing well now. Last time I went home, I left a note for them, did they see it?

  I don't know when these things will pass, and when I can go home and see my parents.

  I walked out of the bush, and the scene outside stunned me. Kakashi and the boss and those two men were all holding instant noodles and eating, while a person was already lying in front of Su Haicheng. The man's hands and feet were tied up, and he was face down on the ground. The only light source was the very weak flashlight in front of Kakashi. If I hadn't been close by, I probably wouldn't have seen this light at all.

  It's just this little bit of light that allows me to see a few people, but they're still very vague silhouettes. If I wasn't familiar with them, I wouldn't be able to tell who was who. The one tied up and lying on the ground, I really have no idea who it is.

  We walked closer and Kakaxi handed me instant noodles: "If you don't eat it now, it'll go bad."

  I sat down beside him, pulled out the blanket from the luggage and covered myself with it before starting to eat. I asked in a low voice, "Who is he?"

  "That one down the mountain, the one who wants to flirt with you."

  I was puzzled for a while, and it wasn't until several seconds later that I remembered he was talking about the four people that teacher had found at the beginning. One of them, who kept talking and offering cigarettes, had been invited away by Su Haicheng. I didn't expect him to have followed us. "Followed us all the way?"

  "No, he came straight here. Just to the lake. But that kid on the street saw we had guns and figured us for poachers, so he went to report it."

  At this time, the man who was lying on the ground raised his head and scolded: "You spicy neighbors, you want to make money, but don't you see whose territory this is?"

  "Bang!" Ah Tian seemed to be more daring than Su Haicheng. After all, Su Haicheng had always been in the army, where discipline was strict, whereas Ah Tian ran a bar and knew many people from all walks of life. He directly kicked him with one foot. "Less nonsense!"

  Atian didn't waste any time, picked up the noodles and started eating. Su Haicheng moved closer to Atian: "How to deal with him, he doesn't know our business, just simply thinks we are poachers."

  In this city, many people don't understand poaching. In fact, in rural areas, especially in these deep mountain villages, it's really not a big deal at all.

  Haven't several private hunting organizations been exposed on the news? They are well-equipped, some even better than what Ah Tian and his group are using now. Some government officials have even participated in these private hunts, and they've killed people.

  He nodded and said in a low voice: "That's the kind of person who recognizes money. How much cash do you have on you? Use money to get rid of him."

  I said in a low voice: "You sound like a nouveau riche. I only have 307 yuan left in cash."

  Kakaxi patted his pocket: "I... don't have any, I still need to save some for food expenses when I go back. Men, especially men who read books, are rarely rich. Even if they are rich, their girlfriends will take it all away."

  The boss looked at us and said in a low voice, "When I went out, I took 9,000 yuan in cash. After buying things, there's not much left now, only more than 7,000 yuan. This money I can pay first."

  The boss was unwilling to make an effort, fearing that the negative effects of this matter would affect him afterwards, but he was willing to spend money. After all, without Su Haicheng and A Tian, he wouldn't have found any clues about Sakura either.

  "What about the hush money then?" Ah Tian asked again.

  Kakaxi grumbled, slurping noodles as he spoke: "Give me back my tablet and I'll check for you. Around here, private hunting trips usually cost how much per trip."

  "Can we try another way?"

  At this time, Hei Lian's voice also chimed in quietly: "Private hunting, if it's just a white trip, you'll have to give three thousand. If there's goods, then agree on the commission beforehand."

  It seems there's a local acquaintance who is quite important. Su Haicheng made the decision: "Offer 3,500, Ah Tian, you go negotiate."

  "Alright, I'll take care of the bad guys myself. If anything goes wrong, I can take the fall and get sentenced to death alone. Haicheng, you'd better remember to bail me out."