"Which direction?"

"Beside the old third ditch."

"Walk!"

The three immediately led their men around the ditch, and after a short while, they found two sets of footprints near the mouth of the ditch, one deep and one shallow, clearly indicating that the men were carrying heavy loads.

Du Jianshan bent down to examine it closely, touching the flattened moss and fallen leaves on the ground: "These footprints are about 35 or 45 minutes old. It seems that they were testing the waters just now."

"Are they here to pick up that poacher?" Chen Jianshan frowned.

"Go back and change the guards for the night, add more sentries. We must hold the line tonight." Du Jianshan stood up, his face grave. "Since they've tested us, they can't just give up now."

As dawn broke, mist rose from the mountains and forests.

In front of the shack, several people were already prepared to go. The poachers were tied up with hemp rope, their mouths stuffed with rags, and their ankles wrapped with rope. They were held by two people standing in the middle.

"Is everything ready?" Chen Jianshan asked.

"Alright!" Wang Tieniu patted the basket on his back. "I've sealed all the things in bags and put them in this basket, lined with chaff, so they're well hidden."

Du Jianshan nodded. "Let's go into the company headquarters."

"Hey—Brother Shan!" Just then, a figure rushed down the hillside path. It was Li Changgen. "Someone's blocking the road!"

"Who?" Chen Jianshan shouted sharply.

"They were dressed in plain clothes, claiming to be 'cadres transferred from the county,' and insisted on taking this person away, even showing a temporary transfer order." Li Changgen's face darkened. "But when I looked closely, the transfer order didn't have an official seal."

“It’s fake.” Du Jianshan made a quick decision. “Trying to intercept someone? They really have a lot of nerve.”

"Let's go, don't rush down the mountain, take a detour to the east ridge, and have someone fire a signal flare!" Chen Jianshan drew his pistol. "I want to see which bastard dares to try and steal people from the Corps!"

Du Jianshan sneered: "Stop us? Fine, if they stop us once, I'll make a note of it. This mountain isn't a place they can come and go as they please."

Du Jianshan looked around, staring at the still-smoking bushes, and said in a low voice, "The traps and bloodstains over there can't be left either. Tie Niu, carefully remove the traps and put them in the sack. Take them with you tomorrow."

“Okay!” Wang Tieniu agreed and squatted down to carefully remove the cover.

Chen Jianshan stood aside, his gaze towards Du Jianshan becoming more solemn: "You're a ruthless guy, methodical and courageous. This man was so well hidden, even the old militiamen in our company couldn't find him after three patrols, but you caught him red-handed."

Du Jianshan smiled and said, "There's no secret to it. I just have a keen sense of smell, and Tie Niu's loud noise scared me into hearing it."

"Hey!" Wang Tieniu picked up a pair of clips and grinned as he approached. "You've really done something right this time, haven't you? Company Commander Chen, could you give me a commendation?"

“Alright!” Chen Jianshan readily agreed. “You two have done a great job this time. After the case is reported, I will recommend you for commendation.”

"I've got it all figured out!" Wang Tieniu grinned from ear to ear.

The night was deep, and the mountain wind blew through the treetops, making people shiver.

Chen Jianshan glanced at the sky: "Let's not freeze here. Let's go back to the camp first, make sure the people are secure, and then arrange the escort for tomorrow morning."

"Brother Shan, do you want to take a look at the contents of the sack?" Wang Tieniu pointed to the sack, which contained several animal traps, a kerosene bottle, gold earrings, two grain coupons, and a pre-liberation-era dagger carried by poachers.

Du Jianshan nodded, took out the gold earrings and grain coupons, and examined them carefully.

“This material isn’t from here,” he said, holding the pair of earrings. “The workmanship is exquisite, and the texture is delicate. I’d guess it’s from the western border trade zone.”

Chen Jianshan also came over for a look, his expression turning serious: "If it really is smuggled goods through border trade, then this person is not just a simple poacher; there may be deeper involvement."

"Does your company have a communication channel with higher command?" Du Jianshan asked in a low voice. "Should we send an encrypted signal tonight?"

Chen Jianshan nodded: "Yes, I'll go back and have the radio operator send a telegram."