Chapter 5: A Chance Encounter in the Deep Mountains

  After wandering for several days, Wang Licheng now doesn't know where he is either. The only thing he can confirm is that he is still on the land of M country. At dawn, Lin Chaokun woke him up: "Wang Licheng, we can set off."

  "Huh? Ah?" Wang Licheng sat up from the simple bed, rubbing his face with his hands. This place was really backward, not even having running water, and he had to run hundreds of meters to the well to fetch water, so he didn't even bother washing his face or taking a bath. After rubbing his face several times, Wang Licheng woke up a bit more and pushed Cong Zai, who was still sleeping: "Hey! Hey! Get up! It's time to get up!"

  When Wang Licheng walked out of the hut made of wooden boards and straw, he found that several cars had appeared outside at some point, along with dozens of fully armed mercenaries. Several people were moving bags from a truck to a pickup truck.

  "What's going on?" Wang Licheng's mind hadn't fully woken up yet, and Cong Zai was still drowsy, looking at his watch to find it was only 3 am.

  "Delivering goods." Lin Chaokun replied simply.

  "Do you still need so many troops to transport goods?"

  Lin Chaokun looked at Wang Licheng with disdain: "Do you think it's easy to be a warlord? How many people are jealous of Zhu Jie's business! Waiting for an opportunity to make trouble."

  "Oh..."

  "Bring the man over." Lin Chaokun said to the two mercenaries, and the two mercenaries climbed up a truck and brought a man down.

  "Brother Cheng!" The man's eyes welled up with tears as soon as he saw Wang Licheng.

  "Six... Sixzi?! How are you here?" Wang Licheng was also surprised.

  Lin Chaokun watched from the side with a cold eye, judging whether Wang Licheng and Liu Zi would be as they said, and whether they had any secrets hidden from him.

  "Brother Cheng! I've finally found you!" Liu Zi's legs were still a bit weak, and he hobbled over: "Brother Cheng, I almost got caught by the cops!"

  Liu Zi wanted to say a few more words with Wang Licheng, but Lin Chaokun interrupted them. Now it seems they didn't hide anything: "Later the three of you will follow my car in one vehicle."

  "Cheng Ge, what's going on?" Liu Zi asked in surprise.

  "We'll talk on the road, we'll talk on the road." Wang Licheng couldn't explain what had happened recently in a few words. The goods were moved, Lin Chaokun waved at him and he could only get into the driver's cab to wait for Lin Chaokun's orders.

  In the back seat of Pikach's car, there was another person wearing casual clothes. It seemed that Lin Chaokun still didn't trust Wang Licheng, and there was also an escort in the car.

  Lin Chaokun got into the passenger seat of the pickup truck, waved to the convoy, and the leading military truck started and drove away, followed by another military truck and two pickup trucks mounted with 12.7 heavy machine guns, sandwiching the two cargo-carrying pickup trucks in between.

  Liu Zi had never seen such a formation before and asked in a low voice: "Cheng Ge, what's going on?"

  Wang Licheng drove the car, glanced at the porter in the back seat through the rearview mirror, and confirmed that he was not interested in this topic. He lowered his voice and said, "We're helping Zhu Jie transport goods now."

  "Has...has it all been arranged with Sister Zhu?" Liu Zi asked again.

  "It's almost done..."

  "Cheng Ge, you lost so much cargo, how did you find the money to make up for it?" Liu Zi was still a bit worried.

  "Uh...... I found a backer, named Peng Haoming, from now on you can call him Brother Ming......" Wang Licheng roughly explained, but Liu Zi became more and more confused, and couldn't help asking: "Brother Cheng, what about the current channel......"

  Wang Licheng was getting anxious, he was originally deceiving Peng Haoming and Lin Chaokun, first priority was to save his own life, if the truth came out wouldn't all his previous efforts be in vain? He hastily interrupted Liu Zi's words: "Liu Zi, how did you manage to escape from Tiaozi's hands?"

  "Ugh, don't even mention it, I had just finished talking to you and the cops were chasing me like dogs. I dodged them for several hours, but they came back with dozens of people surrounding me. Luckily, I was quick-witted and ran fast, getting a scrape on my foot. I swam across the river and wandered in the mountains for days, running into a group of soldiers and police. Originally, I wanted to run away, but my leg injury made it impossible, so I got caught. I told them you and Zhu sister are good friends, or else they would have shot me dead..." Liu Zi added flavor to his tale of escaping...

  "Ah... Liu Zi, following me for so many years, it's really been hard on you." Wang Licheng didn't know whether he was being sincere or not, and let out a sigh. His eyes glanced at the rearview mirror, taking in the sight of the man tailing them.

  The porter seemed completely uninterested in this small talk, his eyes gazing out at the night outside the window.

  "Cheng Ge, where are you from? These years you have treated me well. If it weren't for you, how could our old house be built?"

  "How's your parents' health back home?"

  "It's all right, it's all good." Liu Zi and Wang Licheng said some bland words to pass the boring time on the road. Cong Zai in the back seat was not interested in joining their conversation, leaning against the seat and dozing off, soon drooling and resting his head on the shoulder of the driver.

  The sky was getting light, and the convoy stopped. The leader of the mercenary troops escorting them and Lin Chaokun said a few words, and then the escort convoy turned back.

  "Follow me and remember the way." Lin Chaokun still gave a lukewarm command to Wang Licheng.

  "What? How did they get back?" With dozens of guns guarding him, Wang Licheng felt somewhat reassured.

  "Further back is the border." Lin Chaokun glanced at him and didn't want to explain too much.

  It's better not to ask what shouldn't be asked, and for now, Wang Licheng can only take things one step at a time.

  ……

  Two pickup trucks were bumping along the mountain road, the old diesel engine of the pickup truck roaring, and when climbing, Wang Licheng suspected that the engine would explode in the next second with such a shake!

  The pickup truck, which had been tortured on the mountain road for several hours, finally couldn't bear it anymore. Wang Licheng felt that the vehicle was getting more and more powerless, so he stopped. Lin Chaokun, who was in the front car, got out of the car and scolded him: "What's going on?"

  "The water tank is open, we have to stop for a while," said Wang Licheng.

  Listening to the diesel engine of that pickup truck, it was like an asthma patient, gasping for air in a stuttering manner. Lin Chaokun had no choice but to let Wang Licheng turn off the engine and open the hood to dissipate heat.

  A pickup truck, loaded with over 700 kilograms of goods, had traveled so far on the rugged mountain road. Looking at the half-new and half-old pickup, Wang Licheng felt that it wouldn't be long before it could find its final resting place in a scrapyard.

  The driver was still able to sit calmly in the car with his eyes closed, cultivating his spirit. Wang Licheng thought that his butt must be made of iron, as he didn't feel anything after being jolted around on the mountain road for so long? After getting a nod from Lin Chaokun, Wang Licheng and others got out of the car to stretch their bodies. Wang Licheng stretched his waist and said to Lin Chaokun, "There shouldn't be anyone coming here, right?"

  Lin Chaokun glanced at him, handed him a cigarette and lit another one for himself: "Wang Licheng, I'm very clear about what's going on between you and Peng Haoming. Don't think that just because you've found a backer, you can turn things around."

  "Where, where... I'm also trying to minimize Zhu Jie's losses." Wang Licheng hastily smiled and tried to please her.

  "Hmph, just how capable are you? I know, but Zhu Jie doesn't. You can deceive her for a while, so it's best if you think of a way to deceive her for a lifetime. If there's anything that makes me suspicious, consider whether you have multiple heads."

  "Don't worry, don't worry, even if I had ten times the courage, I wouldn't dare!" Wang Licheng thought to himself that this cigarette was really suffocating, but with the little tail in someone's hand, he was also helpless. This Zhu Meier looked like she wasn't as easy to deal with as Lin Chaokun!

  Lin Chaokun ignored him, smoking and gazing at the distant mountains. Wang Licheng also didn't bother to make a fool of himself, standing aside and smoking listlessly, thinking about how to navigate between Zhu Meier, Peng Haoming, and Lin Chaokun in his mind. He looked at the two pickup trucks full of goods, this batch of goods was worth at least hundreds of millions, if he navigated it well, wouldn't it be far more than those small-time dealings before?

  People die for wealth, birds perish for food; this eternal truth is understood by all. However, when interests are at stake, few can resist temptation. To them, nothing is more intoxicating than the scent of money. If drugs are addictive and impossible to quit, then people like Wang Licheng's craving for wealth surpasses an addict's longing for narcotics! As for moral boundaries and the law's deterrents, they become worthless in their eyes at this moment! Only stacks of cash can stimulate their numb nerves!

  Wang Licheng and Lin Chaokun were both lost in their own thoughts, neither of them paying attention to the other. After finishing his cigarette, Lin Chaokun crushed the butt underfoot and suddenly said to Wang Licheng: "Tell Peng Haoming that if he wants to do business with Zhu Jie, that's fine, but if he has any other ulterior motives, don't blame me for being ruthless!"

  Lin Chao-kun's words made Wang Li-cheng somewhat puzzled. Zhu Mei-er's stunning beauty was indeed captivating, but when you accidentally glanced into her eyes, you would feel that she was a woman who was hard to grasp. Men liked beautiful women, but they liked even more those whom they could grasp. Zhu Mei-er was clearly not such a person. Any man who got close to her was like dancing with a venomous snake, never knowing when he would be bitten and meet his demise! Based on his understanding of Peng Hao-ming, he wouldn't take such a huge risk. If Lin Chao-kun wasn't referring to this, then what could it be? Could it be that Peng Hao-ming had thoughts of replacing Zhu Mei-er that were seen through by Lin Chao-kun? But given Peng Hao-ming's status as a newcomer, it was almost impossible for him to replace Zhu Mei-er!

  Wang Licheng closed the hood, got in, started the engine, and after a brief rest, the engine was finally running normally. Lin Chaokun waved at him from the front car, signaling him to follow up.

  Wang Licheng was still thinking about what Lin Chaokun had said earlier, which was clearly a veiled message, but he just couldn't figure it out. Zhu Meier had Peng Haoming as a shield in front of her, but Wang Licheng would have to deal with Lin Chaokun frequently from now on, and if he couldn't grasp Lin's thoughts, things wouldn't go well for him. However, Lin Chaokun obviously disliked him, so how could he get close to Lin?

  As he was thinking, Wang Licheng's car got a bit too close to the one in front, and suddenly two red brake lights lit up before his eyes. Wang Licheng instinctively pressed down on the brakes, but the bumper still lightly bumped against the fender of the car in front. The porter and Cong Zai, who were sitting in the back seat, both hit their heads against the backrest of the front seats.

  "Brother Sheng? What's wrong?" This sudden brake made Cong Zai wake up completely from his drowsy state.

  "I don't know." Wang Licheng raised his eyes and saw that a off-road vehicle had blocked the way ahead at some unknown time.

  On the narrow mountain road, there was no room to pass each other. The sudden appearance of an off-road vehicle made Lin Chaokun vigilant. He gave a signal with his eyes to the escort in the back seat and got out of the car to walk towards the off-road vehicle.

  The old man on the passenger seat of the off-road vehicle also raised his hand in a strange way. How could two pickup trucks appear here? The pickup truck was covered with canvas, and the old man whispered to Xiao Bin: "Wait for the opportunity to act." He took out a pistol from his bag, stuffed it into the waistband behind him, and covered it with clothes.

  Xiao Bin watched as Lao Wei negotiated with the other party, feeling that something was off. He asked the villagers in the back seat, "How can there be cars on this road?"

  The villagers found his question strange: "How would I know?"

  Lao Wei and Lin Chaokun chatted for a few sentences, then came back to lie on the driver's room window and whispered to Xiao Bin: "I'll take out the gun from the trunk."

  There was a 79-type micro-submachine gun and several magazines in the car, which were all placed in a gun case for emergency use. Lao Wei's words made Xiao Bin feel very nervous, what kind of person would need to use a submachine gun?

  Lao Wei didn't have time to explain further, pretending to get something from the back seat, he handed the gun case to Xiao Bin from behind. Xiao Bin placed the gun case on the passenger seat, and Lao Wei whispered again: "Watch my gestures, if I raise one finger it means nothing's wrong, two fingers mean there's a problem."

  Lao Wei walked over and negotiated with the other party, Xiao Bin watched Lao Wei's figure nervously. Lao Wei walked over, tore open a pack of cigarettes, handed one to the other party, who looked very vigilant, hesitated for a moment before accepting it. Lao Wei seemed to be discussing something with him, trying to get some information out of him. Then, pretending to be unintentional, he put his left hand behind his back and clenched his fist. The villagers were also confused, asking repeatedly: "What's going on? What's going on?"

  "Shh, don't make a sound!" Xiao Bin's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, seemed to drop into his stomach with a "thud", only to be pulled back up to his throat by an invisible hand. He felt as if drums were beating in his chest, his eyes fixed intently on Lao Wei, while his hands moved mechanically to open the gun case.

  A rifle suddenly appeared before the villager's eyes! Scared, he stuttered: "Y-you... what kind of people are you? How can you have a gun?"

  "We are the police, if there's a situation later, you find a safe place to hide, don't dare to show your head!" Xiaobin said with his mouth, while his hands had already inserted the magazine and pulled back the bolt.