Old Wang inspected the area and patted his oil-stained gloves.

"We don't have any spares of this on our construction site."

Su Jianguo frowned and walked over to the excavator to take a look.

Hydraulic oil was leaking all over the ground, and a thick metal pipe was clearly cracked.

"Do we have to go to the county town to buy it?"

He asked.

"Yes, and it has to be quick."

Old Wang nodded.

"The agricultural machinery station in the city should have this type of pipe, but you have to go before they close."

Su Jianjun walked over from the side and patted the dirt off his hands.

"Brother, I'll go. You keep watch here. I'm fast on my bike, I can be back before dark."

Su Jianguo glanced at his watch and then looked at the sky.

Although it was already afternoon, there were still more than three hours until dark, which should have been enough time, but he was a little worried because the rain was about to start.

"Why don't you go back to the village and drive a tractor?"

Su Jianguo said worriedly.

"Don't bother, it'll just waste more than half an hour going back!"

Su Jianjun had already walked towards the bicycle parked not far away.

"I can ride a bicycle fast; it only takes a little over an hour to get to the county town by taking back roads."

Su Jianguo took out his wallet from his pocket and counted out a few bills.

"Okay, be careful on the road. Come straight back after you're done shopping, don't delay."

Don't worry, bro!

Su Jianjun took the money, quickly stuffed it into his inner pocket, and then rode directly onto the bicycle.

"I'll be right back!"

Watching his younger brother ride away on his bicycle, Su Jianguo's unease still lingered.

He shook his head, chuckled to himself for worrying unnecessarily, and turned to continue directing the workers to perform other tasks that did not require the excavator.

Su Jianjun rode very fast. It was early spring, and there was a unique earthy smell in the fields.

He knew the road well and knew which sections offered shortcuts and which required detours.

To save time, he chose a dirt road that went through the woods. Although it was a bit bumpy, it would save him nearly twenty minutes of travel time.

After successfully purchasing the goods at the Sijiucheng Agricultural Machinery Station, Su Jianjun immediately began his return journey.

To save time, we took the shortcut again this time.

The light in the woods had dimmed, and Su Jianjun hummed a little tune, clearly in a good mood.

Suddenly, he felt the rear wheel sink, and then he fell forward with the bicycle.

"Hold!"

Su Jianjun only managed to utter a curse before he fell heavily to the ground.

He quickly got up and checked the bicycle.

They then discovered that the rear wheel was tangled in a wire, with both ends firmly tied to two trees, clearly a man-made trap.

Before he could react, a sharp pain suddenly shot through the back of his head.

Su Jianjun's vision went black, and he vaguely heard someone say "We succeeded," before losing consciousness.

As dusk fell, at the reservoir construction site.

The rain that was supposed to fall never came; the clouds seemed to have been blown away by the wind.

This was the third time Su Jianguo had checked his watch.

It's 6:30 now.

Logically speaking, Su Jianjun should have returned long ago.

He walked to a high place and looked towards the county town, but there was no one on the dirt road.

"Strange, they should have been back by now."

Su Jianguo muttered to himself.

Old Wang came over and handed him a cup of hot tea.

"Mr. Su, don't worry, there might have been a delay on the way."

"Um."

Su Jianguo took the teacup, but his brows remained furrowed.

He took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag, trying to suppress the growing unease in his heart.

By seven o'clock, it was completely dark, and the workers gradually finished their work.

Su Jianguo stood at the entrance of the construction site, but still could not see Su Jianjun.

Finally, he made up his mind and went to the village committee.

There was the only telephone in the whole village.

After the call was connected, Su Jianguo first called Sujiatun.

Have someone contact Grandpa Su.

Soon, Grandpa Su answered the phone.

"Hello, Dad? Has Jianjun gone back?"

Su Jianguo's voice was somewhat strained.

"No."

Grandpa Su on the other end of the phone was clearly taken aback.

"Isn't he with you?"

Su Jianguo's heart sank.

"He went to the county town to buy parts, and said he'd be back before dark, but we still haven't seen him."

"Could they have settled down in the county town?"

The old man asked.

"Impossible, he promised to come back after he bought it."

Su Jianguo said firmly.

"Dad, I'll go ask around in the county town. Don't worry."

After hanging up, Su Jianguo dialed the number of the Sijiucheng Agricultural Machinery Station.

The staff on duty told him that someone had indeed come to buy excavator parts in the afternoon and left around 4 p.m.

I left around 4 PM, and it's almost 8 PM now. I should have arrived by bicycle long ago.

Su Jianguo's hands began to tremble slightly. He forced himself to calm down and dialed a phone number near his home in Beijing, asking someone to call Wang Xiulan.

"Xiulan, it's me."

Su Jianguo's voice was unusually serious.

"Jianjun might be in trouble."

Wang Xiulan gasped for breath on the other end of the phone.

"What happened?"

"He went to the city to buy parts and hasn't come back yet. The agricultural machinery station said he left a long time ago."

Su Jianguo briefly explained the situation.

"Have Mingfu and Yufen go into the city and look for him. Ask the people on the street if anyone has seen him."

"Okay, I'll go right away." Wang

Xiulan's voice also became tense.

"You should also be careful."

After hanging up the phone, Su Jianguo stood in the dimly lit village committee office, feeling a chill rise from the soles of his feet.

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