#58 - Chapter 58: Encounter in the Forest
"Yinghua, I've reviewed the results, and there's really nothing to worry about. Let everyone focus on their work," Mayor Gong said to Cao Yinghua after coming out.
"Thank you, Mayor Gong," Cao Yinghua replied again.
"Alright, go get busy!"
Cao Yinghua gave a military salute and then returned to the Huatong Chamber of Commerce.
Not long after, Secretary Liu arrived.
"Secretary Liu, welcome, welcome!" Niu Xingwang said with a smile.
"Boss Niu, I'm here to deliver a document to you. Honestly, I've been a secretary for so many years, and this is the first time I've seen something like this. Boss Niu, you're impressive!" As he spoke, Secretary Liu took out a document from his briefcase.
"Hey! Look at what you're saying. This is all thanks to our wise and unconventional Mayor Gong! Wouldn't you agree?" Niu Xingwang flattered him.
Secretary Liu didn't respond but instead asked:
"So, about the grain..."
Niu Xingwang carefully examined the firearm permit in his hand, along with the bright red seal in the lower right corner. After confirming it was correct, he was overjoyed.
"Secretary Liu, I'll have someone take it to the headquarters immediately. Look, the people are waiting for rice to cook, and these people are still dragging their feet. Cao Yinghua! Cao Yinghua! Where are you? Come over here quickly!" Niu Xingwang immediately got to work, arranging for the moving of supplies.
"Alright! Boss Niu, I won't disturb you any further," Secretary Liu said before turning to leave.
"Life is unpredictable! Not long ago, Boss Niu was a rat everyone wanted to beat, but in just half a month, he turned things around. He even has his own armed force with guns," Secretary Liu thought with emotion.
Ten thousand catties of grain is just a drop in the bucket for the hundreds of thousands of people in Meilin Town. But it represents more than just a full meal; it represents hope. When they saw the grain, they saw something to look forward to.
Shuchuan Province, Yundu City, Anning County.
In a寨子 (zhai zi, mountain village).
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Everyone, be quick about it!" A scarred man shouted.
Thirty to forty people ran back and forth, searching for things in various houses and among the bodies on the ground.
"Chirp~!"
A subtle sound rang out, and a beam of blue light flashed by.
A man suddenly froze and fell straight down.
Immediately following, there was another "Chirp~" sound, and another man fell.
The scarred man realized something was wrong and shouted:
"Take cover! Take cover! Someone's in the woods!"
Everyone began to run around, seeking cover and hiding.
"Chirp~!"
A man who had just poked his head out was instantly shot in the head.
"Damn it! Who is it, sneaking around? Show yourself!" the scarred man shouted from behind a rock.
There was no response.
"Everyone, hide well and don't show your faces," the scarred man continued to shout.
For a moment, the two sides were at a standstill.
The scarred man was very afraid. It was clear that the other side was using guns. Then, it was very likely that they were people from the army.
"Ah!" a man suddenly shouted.
"Chirp~!" Immediately following the sound, the man who had just shouted was killed.
"Ah!" Again, a shout.
"Chirp~!" Another man fell.
The scarred man was depressed. What was going on? Why were these people shouting like idiots? Did they have a death wish?
It was the mechanical dog going around, secretly attacking the hidden people.
The man and the dog cooperated perfectly, quickly eliminating more than a dozen people.
"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh~" The roar of a car came from afar.
Dozens of soldiers with live ammunition quickly got out of the car and ran inside.
"Everyone freeze! Drop your weapons and raise your hands!" the soldiers ordered.
Those hiding behind cover felt as though they were seeing saviors and hurriedly ran out, raising their hands and lying on the ground.
They didn't have guns, and facing so many soldiers, they had no choice but to surrender.
All the soldiers were wearing masks, or rather, they were all wearing combat uniforms.
It was Rong Po leading the Zhanfeng Assault Team.
"My dear! You can't go! How will I and the children live?!" a woman ran in, climbed onto a corpse, and began to cry loudly. A three-year-old boy was standing next to her.
"Madam, please accept our condolences!" a female officer wearing a hood stepped forward to comfort her. This person was Yan Fangfang.
The woman ignored her and continued to cry loudly on the corpse.
The soldiers gathered all the people together, forming a circle.
Yan Fangfang turned her head to look at the mountains in the forest.
A person stood out from the forest, also wearing a hood, and it was unknown who it was.
The soldiers hurriedly raised their guns upon seeing this, but Yan Fangfang stopped them.
She faced the person on the mountain, took two steps forward: her right hand formed a fist, the fist facing inward, pressed against her chest.
Upon seeing this, the man on the mountain also formed a fist with his right hand, the fist facing inward, pressed against his chest.
The two looked at each other for five seconds, silently.
Then the man turned and entered the forest, disappearing.
"Instructor Yan, who was that?" a soldier walked over and asked.
"A friend," Yan Fangfang replied simply, without explanation.
The soldier nodded and didn't ask further.
"Damn it! You sons of bitches! Are you even human? Huh? Killing people! I'll let you kill people!" A soldier angrily cursed while kicking the scarred man squatting on the ground.
This person was Rong Po.
"Alright, stop hitting him! Look at you, do you even look like a soldier? You look like a bandit," Yan Fangfang stepped forward to stop him.
"Instructor Yan, we can't let them off so easily! Damn it, killing people! I... I really want to kill them!" Rong Po was about to curse but realized it was inappropriate and quickly changed his words.
"Take them back first. The decision on how to deal with them will be made by the higher-ups," Yan Fangfang said.
The dozen or so survivors were put on the car, and then they turned around and left. The woman who had been crying was also taken away.
