Chapter 104 Foster Parents Visit 3 Mr. Shen, I'll pick up the person you asked me to...

In the stillness of the night, Qiu Xiaoman felt a little sleepy and leaned against the window for a nap.

Suddenly, the bus lurched and braked sharply, stopping at the side of the road.

Qiu Xiaoman subconsciously opened her eyes, only to see a face reflected in the car window.

She turned around abruptly and saw Liu Xuezheng make a shushing gesture, turn around, put on his pistol, slung his rifle over his shoulder, wave at Ye Chenglin, and the two of them got out of the car one after the other.

What happened?

Qiu Xiaoman followed them in surprise, but soon the two of them disappeared into the night.

These days, you can't expect any streetlights on mountain roads. Luckily, Qiu Xiaoman had brought a flashlight. She quickly took it out of her bag and chased after them. Just as she reached the car door, Qu Hao stopped her: "Don't go. They might be poachers or fugitives. It's dangerous for you to go down."

"We can't just send the two of them." Qiu Xiaoman had to do something; she was also a member of the People's Police, not a hothouse flower that needed protection.

Qu Hao shook his head: "No, you're not familiar with the terrain here. Just sit still. I'll go."

He then whistled and got off the bus with Xiao Dezi and Mingming.

Qiu Xiaoman still wanted to follow, but this time it was Lu Zhiqiang's turn to block the way. He led Tanhua up and said, "No, you're a special talent, unlike us, who only know how to train dogs. Just sit still. If anything goes wrong, I'll help you."

Qiu Xiaoman was convinced. Looking at Tiger Brother again, he saw him staring intently at the night outside the car window with bright, piercing eyes.

He seemed to know what she was going to say and said softly, "Xiao Qiu, you have to listen to my advice. The best marksmen in our team have all gone out. What are you still worried about? What if they're fugitives? No matter how good your dog is, can it outrun a bullet?"

Qiu Xiaoman fell silent. She really didn't know how to use a gun yet and needed to learn.

She silently retreated to her seat, rolled down the car window, and stared intently at the mountain road.

Soon, gunshots rang out from the woods a few hundred meters away. Tiger said with certainty, "It's a hunting rifle, but whether it's poaching or not is hard to say."

Qiu Xiaoman still didn't understand: "How did you know there were people around here?"

Tiger Brother smiled and turned on the high beams, and Qiu Xiaoman then noticed that there was a van parked on the road.

The mountain road was already narrow, and with this car blocking the way, their bus couldn't get through.

Qiu Xiaoman suddenly realized: "No wonder it suddenly stopped."

As they were talking, another gunshot rang out. Tiger, like a commentator, said, "Did you hear that? That's the classic sound of a Type 54 pistol, a copy of the Soviet TT-33 pistol, using 7.62x25mm Tokarev cartridges. This thing has a lot of recoil and strong penetration, and the sound is really loud, a very special kind of blast. On the other hand, the barrel of a shotgun is longer, the gunpowder gas expands more fully than in a pistol, and it uses shotgun shells, so the sound when the bullet leaves the muzzle is deeper and more resonant."

Qiu Xiaoman was convinced. He could tell from Tiger Brother's words that he was an experienced expert, and he nodded, "The two gunshots were indeed different. So if I were to learn shooting, would I use the Type 54?"

Tiger shook his head: "Not necessarily. Recently, the domestically produced Type 64 pistol has started to be deployed. This is a small self-defense pistol that uses 7.62x17mm pistol ammunition. Female police officers will most likely be equipped with this pistol."

Qiu Xiaoman then asked, "Does this model sound the same as the Type 54?"

Tiger didn't turn around, still staring into the darkness, and said, "It's different. This one has less power, the gunshot is more muffled and shorter, and it's not as loud as the Type 54. You'll be able to tell the difference once you handle it more."

Qiu Xiaoman took notes carefully; it seems she still has a lot to learn.

Seeing that she had to take notes on even such a small thing, Chen Jianjun couldn't help but laugh: "You're not serious, are you? What's so special about this?"

"I'll look up more information about these two guns when I get back." Qiu Xiaoman didn't think there was anything shameful about taking notes; wasn't it okay for her to be diligent?

Chen Jianjun raised an eyebrow: "Then I can tell you about it. I also know about the Type 77, automatic rifles, and so on."

"No need, I'll check it myself when I get back." Qiu Xiaoman was still worried about her three colleagues who had gone out, and didn't want to chat anymore.

Chen Jianjun shrugged unhappily, then turned his head and saw that Wu Shirong was also serious.

While others were yawning or staring out the window, he was busy drawing with his head down.

"What are you drawing?" Chen Jianjun leaned over to take a look and was surprised to see that it was still a cat. He couldn't help but complain, "I saw you drawing this afternoon, why are you still drawing? It's just a cat, do you miss it that much?"

Wu Shirong pushed up his glasses, glanced at Chen Jianjun, and then lowered his head to continue painting.

Chen Jianjun was really bored, so he asked, "Brother Tiger, how about I go down with Lu Zhiqiang to take a look?"

"No need, I'm back." Tiger has excellent eyesight and hearing; he has already seen the approaching figure in the darkness and heard a whistle.

Only those familiar with Ye Chenglin could recognize it. When this guy was on a mission at night, he would use a special whistle with a different tone as a signal. A leisurely whistle meant it was safe, three short whistles meant there was trouble, and two slow whistles meant to keep watching and not to rush him.

Tiger heard the first version, so he naturally knew that Ye Chenglin had returned safely.

But the others didn't know, they were all staring wide-eyed out the window.

Soon, Ye Chenglin and his two companions, along with two police dogs, returned with five poachers. One of them had been shot in the left leg and, supported by his companions, hopped and skipped to a stop in front of the bus.

Tiger told Chen Jianjun to get out of the car, while the others waited for orders in the car.

He led Chen Jianjun and the five poachers into the van. Qu Hao, along with two dogs, stayed in the van with Liu Xuezheng in case the poachers behaved themselves.

In the end, only Ye Chenglin returned to the bus, carrying several hunting rifles on his shoulder, all genuine captured weapons.

Once in the car, he relayed Tiger's words: "Tiger said that they will drive the van ahead, and Lu Zhiqiang and I will be responsible for the safety of our vehicle."

Lu Zhiqiang understood that those five poachers were definitely not peaceful, and it was reasonable to leave a few skilled marksmen in the van.

But this meant that the four people on the police bus were...

Anyway, apart from him and Ye Chenglin who know how to use guns, the other two are weaklings.

Forget it, nothing should happen. Besides, Ye Chenglin is here. That kid is a great shot and his vigilance is second to none.

So he gave a signal, and he drove, while Ye Chenglin kept watch in the passenger seat.

The vehicle resumed its journey, and the folding bed at the back of the carriage seemed to be no longer needed.

After all, it wouldn't be appropriate for a man and a woman to be sitting next to each other if Qiu Xiaoman and Wu Shirong both went to sleep.

If one of them goes to sleep, it would seem like they are bullying the other, so they simply stay in their seats, leaning against the windows, some dozing off, some drawing.

The rest of the night passed peacefully. At dawn, the bus followed the van to the nearby county police station, where the five poachers and their hunting rifles were handed over to the deputy director in charge.

Tiger led the three men and two dogs onto the bus, all of them looking as sleepy as chickens.

Poor Lu Zhiqiang had also been driving for most of the night and was now so sleepy he was pecking at rice like a chicken, while Ye Chenglin, who was on guard duty, hadn't slept either.

Those who still have the energy to drive are only...

Everyone turned to look at the two highly skilled individuals.

Qiu Xiaoman immediately smiled apologetically: "I can't drive, I'm sorry."

Wu Shirong pushed up his glasses and said, "I'll do it."

"You can drive?" Chen Jianjun was a little surprised. Didn't this guy ride a bicycle to and from get off work? How could he drive?

Wu Shirong nodded: "Yes."

Chen Jianjun wanted to say something more, but Tiger patted him on the shoulder: "Don't be afraid, this kid can drive a trailer too. It's just a big bus, nothing to him."

Chen Jianjun was dumbfounded. Indeed, appearances can be deceiving.

But he still found it unbelievable. He only breathed a sigh of relief after Wu Shirong smoothly drove the bus away: "You should have said so earlier."

He patted the back of Qiu Xiaoman's seat in the front row and reminded her, "Hey, you're the only one in the whole eight-person team who can't drive. Go back and learn quickly."

"Yes, I know." Qiu Xiaoman was busy with the police dog assessment a while ago and did postpone her driving lessons. She will arrange it when she gets back.

Near the afternoon, the car finally arrived at the Yangquan Public Security Bureau in Shanxi.

While taking notes along the way, Qiu Xiaoman discovered that this place was indeed the perfect hiding place for robbers—Yangquan is a mountain city located on the western foothills of the central Taihang Mountains, serving as an important gateway from the North China Plain into Shanxi. Moreover, it is surrounded by mountains, with the train station at its foot, and countless mines of varying sizes nearby.

In this way, the robbers could either attack—go to the mine to continue robbing money, and then run away; or retreat—if there was any disturbance, they could hide in the mountains.

There are even abandoned mines and deserted mining villages nearby. Hiding in there is like a drop of water merging into a great river, leaving no trace.

She had to admit that this mission might not be so easy to complete.

But don't worry, anything can be accomplished with human effort.

She led Huihui and Nuomi Tuanzi by the hand and caught up with the main group, first having a meeting with the police officers from Yangquan County.

*

Shen Qinghuai was busy in a meeting when a salesperson from the company called him: "Mr. Shen, I've picked up the people you asked me to meet. Are they here to come to the company to get the keys from you?"

"It's almost lunchtime. Take them to the Peace Hotel and wait for me. I'll be right there." Shen Qinghuai checked the time; it was almost six in the afternoon. It was a good time to have a meal and show some affection.

There's no time to go to the courtyard house to make arrangements right now, so let's go to a restaurant instead.

After hanging up, he called Chen Baihui: "Hurry up and wait for me at the Peace Hotel, something's up."

Chen Baihui rolled her eyes: "What's wrong? You treat me like a kitten or a puppy all day long. Aren't you tired of it?"

"Stop arguing and get over here right now. If you don't come, you'll face the consequences." Shen Qinghuai knew his ex-wife well enough to know that if he told her the truth, she definitely wouldn't come.

The only thing I can do is scare her.

Chen Baihui was furious, not knowing what Shen Qinghuai was up to, so she had no choice but to call her three children along with Zheng Linmao.