Chai Jiting's words were powerful and resonant, as if they had been driven into the deep, dewy forest at night.

Du Jianshan glanced at him sideways and smiled: "You kid, aren't you afraid of getting taken advantage of?"

“I’m used to it.” Chai Jiting chuckled. “Have you forgotten the days when I worked with you in the transport business? Back then, Old Sun docked our pay for thirty catties of firewood, and we climbed over the wall in the middle of the night to settle the score with him?”

Du Jianshan chuckled and flicked off his cigarette ash: "You were really bold back then. Things are different now. The people across from us aren't just peddlers, they're town leaders, people who can transfer you away or even send you to a re-education camp with a single word."

Chai Jiting pursed his lips: "Are you scared?"

“I’m afraid of them?” Du Jianshan’s gaze suddenly turned cold. “If I were really afraid, I wouldn’t have taken this case to the police station.”

He stubbed out his cigarette, stood up, and dusted himself off. "But you're right, I should take a break. I need to go to town tomorrow morning to keep a close eye on the testimonies and those transfer documents from Director Liang. We can't let him shirk responsibility."

“Then I’ll go with you.” Chai Jiting also stood up and stretched his shoulders. “Otherwise, if your temper flares up, you might flip a table and I’ll have to pull you back.”

"Why are you pulling me? Let's flip it over together."

The two smiled at each other. Outside the forest station, a gust of wind blew through the pine forest, bringing a rustling sound of leaves shaking, as if the forest itself was speaking softly.

The next morning, Du Jianshan, dressed in a gray jacket and wearing liberation shoes, arrived early at the town government office building. Chai Jiting followed behind, watching him enter and look for someone.

Inside the office, several cadres were still eating porridge and cornbread, and they weren't surprised to see Du Jianshan come up.

"Hey, isn't this Station Chief Du? What brings you here so early in the morning to interrogate me?"

The speaker was Investigator Zhang, in his thirties. He was quite shrewd, but his words were barbed.

Du Jianshan remained composed and assertive: "I've come to collect the physical evidence and copies of the transcripts confiscated last night."

"You really think you're some kind of commune official?" Investigator Zhang sneered. "Didn't we already hand you over to the police station last night?"

“But that happened within my forestry station’s jurisdiction, and the documents were transferred through our forestry station’s lines. I need to investigate this thoroughly.” Du Jianshan lowered his voice and pulled out a copy of the forestry station’s official seal. “This was signed by the town secretary after I asked him to. Please cooperate.”

Investigator Zhang frowned, about to say something, when a voice suddenly came from the inner room: "Let him in."

The voice was loud and clear; it belonged to Ma Zhenguo, deputy secretary of the town's Party committee.

Du Jianshan looked up, his eyes flashing: "Secretary Ma."

"Alright, come inside with me." Ma Zhenguo waved his hand, his face revealing no emotion.

There was no one else in the room. Du Jianshan went straight to the point as soon as he entered, spreading out a copy of the prepared transcript and a list of illegal transfers within the forest farm on the table.

“Secretary Ma, I’m not here to cause trouble today, but to ask for instructions regarding the future of the forest farm.”

"You want to get to the bottom of this?" Ma Zhenguo asked, looking at him.

"I want to," Du Jianshan nodded. "Otherwise, I'd be just a figurehead as station chief. Director Liang's smuggling didn't happen overnight, nor could he have done it alone. I don't want to alert him, but I won't turn a blind eye either."

Ma Zhenguo tapped the table but didn't speak immediately.

After a moment, he spoke: "You know who promoted Director Liang, right?"

"I heard it's Deputy Mayor Sang Shihe."

“You really dare to say that.” Ma Zhenguo looked at him. “If you follow up on this matter, it’s probably not just Director Liang’s problem; Deputy Town Chief Sang will also be implicated.”

“Then I can’t stop.” Du Jianshan said calmly, “The forest farm can’t keep being taken advantage of.”

A complex look flashed in Ma Zhenguo's eyes: "Do you have any evidence?"

“There is a clue, but it’s not enough. If you really want to help me, then issue another transfer order—let me legitimately enter the town government and be seconded to review the forest farm’s material allocation line.”

Ma Zhenguo narrowed his eyes, stared at him for a few seconds, and suddenly laughed: "You're a ruthless person."

"Ruthlessness is ruthlessness towards greed."

“Okay.” Ma Zhenguo took a form out of the drawer. “You fill out the application yourself, and I’ll stamp it.”

Around noon, Du Jianshan returned to the forest farm, where Chai Jiting was chopping firewood with an axe in the backyard.

"So? Are those scoundrels in town willing to help us?"

While washing his face, Du Jianshan replied, "Secretary Ma approved it and gave me a transfer order, asking me to temporarily work in the town government as a full-time investigator."

"That's right!" Chai Jiting clapped his hands. "This time, we're not just going to take down Director Liang, we're going to take them all down!"

Du Jianshan didn't laugh. Instead, his tone turned serious: "Remember, Director Liang is just the beginning. But if we investigate to the end, many people will probably be implicated. We'll have to bear the risks then too."

"We can afford it!" Chai Jiting rubbed his hands together. "We're the ones protecting the forest. If we don't take responsibility, who will?"

These words were spoken with conviction. Just then, footsteps sounded from the back door; it was Su Jianchang.

"Brother Jianshan, Brother Chai!" he shouted, "Someone in the woods reported that a new forest has been cut down recently, but the trucks transporting the timber don't have our commune's license plate!"

Upon hearing this, Du Jianshan suddenly stood up: "Who saw it?"

“It’s our old carpenter’s son. He saw it last night. He said it was a big truck with a license plate from northern Jiangsu, carrying a whole load of pine wood.”

Chai Jiting's face darkened: "Stealing again? What time is it? These bastards still won't shut up!"

Du Jianshan remained calm: "No need to rush. Fortunately, we now have the right. Jianchang, go and bring that child here so he can point out the location. This afternoon, Chai Jiting and I will go there to see if there are any traces left."

"Alright!" Su Jianchang dashed off in a flash.