Chapter 3 Section 5 Exploration

  "I guess so." Peng Haoming smiled slightly.

  The bald scar stared at Peng Haoming for a while, waved his hand, and the bodyguards lifted their alert. The bald scar pointed to the chips, and one of the bodyguards came forward to take them away. As the bald scar walked out the door, he said: "See you again if there's a chance!"

  Peng Haoming smiled, he had a premonition that they would meet again, and the 200,000 yuan was not spent in vain... In a sense, spending his money and getting close to him was an unexpected good thing.

  The alarm was lifted and the box returned to normal. Peng Haoming felt that there was no need to stay any longer, so he left and said goodbye to Weng Cai before returning to his hotel.

  The boss's phone was like having eyes everywhere. Peng Hao had just returned to his hotel room when the phone followed him: "How is the situation?"

  "He left early, indicating he had something to do tomorrow."

  "Oh? It seems they're going to make a move."

  "I don't know specifically, I don't know where they loaded the goods and I also don't know where their destination is," said Peng Haoming.

  "Hmm... how much did you win?"

  "Besides giving him 200,000 for road expenses, there are still several hundred thousand left."

  "You're not good at doing business, you can go be a god of gamblers." The boss joked.

  It's rare to hear a boss make such a joke. Peng Haoming retorted: "Is it because luck is with me?"

  "Earning money is not just about luck, but also strength. Next, you handle the wood business, don't show any weakness, I'll take care of things over here."

  "I understand." Peng Haoming was just the boss's agent on this side. Many things that shouldn't be asked weren't asked.

  There are several important channels for transporting timber from Country M to the domestic market, with two near Gangong. One is the international highway, which played a huge role during the Anti-Japanese War and is now a major artery connecting the two countries. However, it is inevitable that some impurities will be mixed in with the blood. The other is an extension of National Highway 338, which, although not as famous as the international highway, is favored by cross-border traders due to its shorter distance. Another option is using waterways, but despite having a price advantage, the transportation period for timber via waterways can be as long as half a month, making it prone to accidents and not a preferred choice for smugglers.

  Peng Haoming took Ongkhae to Huaiyin, an important hub for timber transportation. The logs were cut in the mountains and transported to various processing plants where they were sawn into lengths suitable for loading onto trucks. From there, they were hauled by long-distance drivers who traversed rugged terrain to Huaiyin, where they were transshipped onto tractors. From there, the timber was transported into China through various channels - whether legitimate or smuggled, the long-haul truckers didn't care; all that mattered to them was how much money they could make per load...

  Peng Haoming arrived at the toll station, on the vast flat ground, the highway side was filled with all kinds of trucks, and pickups, off-road vehicles shuttling back and forth. Peng Haoming's car had just stabilized when several impatient drivers surrounded him, using not very fluent Mandarin to peddle: "Boss! Want a truck? Super long trailer, can haul a lot at once!"

  "Boss! Boss, my car is a new one... runs fast, pulls many!"

  "Boss, I used to be a soldier! With my car, you don't even need to hire bodyguards..."

  Weng guessed at the situation and stepped forward, scolding in M country language, asking the drivers to give way. The drivers couldn't let go of their master so easily and surrounded Peng Haoming, trying to prove that their strength was worthy of the boss's price!

  "No, no... I'm just taking a walk around..." Peng Haoming finally broke through the encirclement of truck drivers, who realized that Peng Haoming was not there to find a car to transport goods and dispersed in disappointment.

  "These are all private jobs...... Hehe......" Weng Cai said: "The big bosses all ask their drivers themselves."

  Peng Haoming had also heard about this, when an industry develops rapidly, investors will naturally flock to it. In M country, truck drivers absolutely belong to the high-income class, but compared with those who have fixed customers, the scattered soldiers are undoubtedly pitiful, they can only wait passively and hope to grab some leftovers from others.

  Peng Haoming actually came here to inspect and had no clear purpose. He walked while absent-mindedly listening to Weng Cai's introduction of the situation here.

  Peng Haoming saw a familiar truck, unlike ordinary trucks that use single-color spray paint, this truck used camouflage spray paint. Two days ago, it had appeared in Gangong. Peng Haoming walked around the car and looked at it again and again, trying to find some clues.

  "Hey! What are you doing?" A man in military uniform, holding an AK-47, suddenly emerged from the slanting stab, glaring menacingly at Peng Haoming.

  "I'll just take a look..." Peng Haoming saw that the newcomer was not friendly.

  "What are you looking at?" The soldier in uniform pointed his gun at Peng Haoming and waved it, telling him to leave quickly.

  "Brother, let's talk it over...". Peng Haoming took out a cigarette and handed it over: "This car... will you rent it? I want to pull some wood..."

  "Get out...get out..." The military uniformed man shouted impatiently, taking a step forward with his gun raised. Peng Haoming had no choice but to stop in his tracks, and the two men stood there awkwardly facing each other.

  After a standoff for half a minute, the soldier turned around and shouted loudly in M language. Weng Cai stepped forward and pulled Peng Haoming: "Boss, this is not good to mess with, let's go."

  "What's wrong with renting a car?" Peng Haoming didn't move his feet, he felt that soon he would see familiar faces.

  Upon hearing someone report a crime, more than ten people rushed out from the depths of the parking lot, holding various weapons, with Bald Scar leading the way.

  Baldy scanned Peng Haoming up and down with a scar on his face, smiling: "Boss Peng, what a coincidence that you're also here in Congming?"

  "Uh......I'm here for a ride......" Peng Haoming suddenly remembered that he had never told him his name.

  The bald scar waved his hand, and the others dispersed, leaving only two bodyguards following him. The bald scar said again: "Boss Peng and that little guy from Guo A are doing so well in business? They want to transport wood before the machine arrives?"

  Peng Haoming only then remembered that he had told him about the logging machine in Gangong, and secretly thought that this was indeed not an ordinary opponent, able to quickly grasp the opponent's weakness, but also replied with a straight face: "Cooperating with Guo A is still very pleasant, but make some preparations in advance, now it's all about making quick money."

  "Boss Peng is really insightful... indeed a man of the way." Bald Scar said: "My name is Xinyi, others call me Crocodile, if you look for a car around here, mention my name and you'll get a discount."

  Since it was the other party who took the initiative to introduce himself, then they could be considered acquainted. Peng Haoming nodded: "Thank you."

  "By the way, don't go wandering around for no reason, this isn't China. If you see something you shouldn't... " Xinyi made a gun shape with her right hand and pointed it at Peng Haoming's head, making a "bang" sound, then blew on her index finger in a pretended casual manner.

  "Thanks for reminding me..." Peng Haoming felt he should leave now.

  "I'm going... boss... you're really something..." After leaving the scene, Weng Cai couldn't help but exclaim: "Just now I almost lost my life..."

  "Is it that serious?" Peng Haoming thought Weng Cai was making a big deal out of nothing.

  "I'm telling you, boss, they're definitely up to something..." Weng guessed, pretending to be mysterious, looking around left and right, making sure no one could hear, then whispered: "You know what I mean..."

  "The kind with very high profits?" Peng Haoming understood what he was referring to and showed a strong interest.

  "Boss, are you really going to take advantage of her?" Weng guessed it wasn't stupid and saw through the situation.

  "What? You don't dare?"

  "Haha... boss, this is going to be a big trouble... it's okay here, of course... but once we cross into China, the military police over there are very fierce..."

  "If you have the chance, will you dare to do it?" Peng Haoming asked directly.

  "Well, it depends... Hehe... on the price..." As long as you have money, everything can be bought in this place, and Wong Chai is no exception.

  Peng Haoming didn't respond and looked around casually. Weng Cai was puzzled for a moment, unable to understand what Peng Haoming meant, so he simply followed him.

  Greed is a human gene, in the face of huge benefits, few people can resist temptation. Peng Haoming thought of the human ring spirit in the movie "The Lord of the Rings", who would sell their soul for profit and put on an ugly appearance to help evil...

  But who would care about others' suffering? Xinyi wouldn't, Wengcai wouldn't, and the merchants coming and going in the bustling streets of Congliang wouldn't either. Mutual benefit is just a fancy phrase. Peng Haoming looked at the sun slowly setting in the west, perhaps as long as his own interests were sufficient, he wouldn't either...

  Wandered around all day, made a friend... or rather got to know someone more accurately. Weng Cai also saw that it was getting late and reminded: "Boss, are you going back to Gangneung today?"

  "Let's stay here for a night..." Peng Haoming felt that something would happen tonight.

  "Boss... the conditions here are really poor..." Wong Gai heard that he didn't want to stay in this cramped little inn with a sweaty driver.

  "It's better than living in the mountains, right?" Since Peng Haoming had made up his mind, Weng Cai reluctantly followed him to find an inn.

  ……

  Two days have passed, and the timber transport truck of Xinyi has been stationary in the parking lot of Ao Mian without moving. There are armed soldiers guarding around the truck, vigilant and on high alert. If this were to happen elsewhere, it would have already aroused suspicion from law enforcement agencies. But here, there is no law enforcement agency. Whoever can see the armed soldiers knows that the boss behind them must be quite powerful.

  Xin Yi was waiting for an opportunity, and the border scouts reported that the Chinese military police still showed no signs of relaxation. Xin Yi cursed Old Jiuxu in his heart. Old Jiuxu was originally Xin Yi's agent in China, but Xin Yi was extremely dissatisfied with Old Jiuxu's greed and impulsiveness. The two had been at odds for a long time. Later, Old Jiuxu went to find Long Kun's son to plead his case, wanting to monopolize the mainland market alone. Unexpectedly, Long Kun agreed to give Old Jiuxu an opportunity. If Old Jiuxu succeeded, Xin Yi would have to hand over the mainland market, which was something Xin Yi could not tolerate. That's why there was the scene of Old Jiuxu's miserable death in Wudeng Mountain!

  But everything has its pros and cons, after the Wudeng Mountain incident, the Chinese military police strengthened their defenses along the border, making it increasingly difficult for drugs to cross the border. The traditional smuggling routes were strictly controlled, and several small-scale probes were caught by the Chinese military police, resulting in significant losses of shrimp soldiers and crab generals. Xinyi had been patiently waiting for the moment when the Chinese military police would relax their vigilance, and now it seemed that the opportunity was finally here. He heard that the Chinese border defense troops were about to change shifts, which was a rare and excellent chance!

  However, the Chinese side did not give him too many opportunities. The rotation and handover of the Chinese army were very fast, and the border still checked any suspicious vehicles in an orderly manner. Xinyi thought that he should take advantage of this opportunity, but his plan to sell drugs was slowly falling through.

  "Lao Bian, there's a call for you from up front..." A bodyguard handed Xinyi the phone.

  "Give me some good news for once." Xinyi said anxiously as she saw that it was Tan Zong's call.

  "Boss... there's no opportunity here, the military and police are blocking very tightly..." The scout said hesitantly.

  Xin Yi hung up the phone and wondered if someone had leaked the news.

  But in any case, the goods must be transported into China somehow. Xinyi waved his hand and a bodyguard walked over. He whispered a few words in the bodyguard's ear, and the bodyguard went out.

  Peng Haoming, who had been "inspecting" in the cave for several days, was about to leave and pick up his machine. Weng Cai could finally leave this haunted place and return to his cozy nest in Gangong to relax for a few days.