Jiang Ci chatted with Secretary Zhao for half an hour, and sure enough, she received another call from Beijing.
However, this wasn't a call from the minister, but from a leader of the National Security Bureau.
"Your minister called me and said you've found Huang Zhiyuan's remains?"
Jiang Ci replied, "Yes."
“Very good. The location where Huang Zhiyuan’s two comrades were killed is not on the same mountain as where Huang Zhiyuan was killed. According to the confessions of Guo Zhen’s men, the place they went to was not far from the deep mountains.”
Jiang Ci pondered for a moment and asked, "Sir, if we take the archaeological site in the mountains as an anchor point and extend outwards, how far is the place where they were killed from the archaeological site?"
The leaders had never been to the Shanding Brigade, and they didn't even know where the archaeological site was.
"Wait a minute."
After waiting a few more moments, a strange, flustered voice rang out, "We're...we're not far from the archaeological site. Just go south and cross another mountain..."
"I don't remember where they died. There's a lot of rain in these mountains, and there are wild beasts. Who knows if their bodies will be dragged back to their territory and devoured by those beasts..."
Wild beasts can only be found near deep mountains.
Jiang Ci visited the archaeological site once. If you go south and cross another mountain, isn't that the deep mountains?
Jiang Ci frowned deeply.
The leader from the National Security Bureau took the phone again, "Comrade Xiao Jiang, do you have any leads?"
Jiang Ci said, "It's not easy to find; the place he mentioned is already considered to be deep in the mountains."
The leader pondered for a moment and said, "Comrade Xiao Jiang, finding people is indeed important, but relatively speaking, the survivors are even more important. I hope that when you are looking for people, you must take your own safety into consideration and remember to act cautiously."
"I see."
Jiang Ci hung up the phone.
Secretary Zhao also learned some information from Jiang Ci's phone call; he knew the mountains near Zhongmo Town very well.
Jiang Ci turned to look at him and asked, "Secretary Zhao, do you have any good suggestions?"
“I sent a message to several production teams near that mountain area, asking the team leader to find some people who used to be hunters and often went up the mountain to lead the way.”
"Although our militiamen do go up the mountain to hunt wild boars and such, they don't go deep into the mountains often. Only those who have been hunters and have real skills have been to the deep mountains. We need to find them and bring them here to guide us."
Jiang Ci thought Secretary Zhao's words made sense, and she nodded and said, "Okay, you make the arrangements first. Once everyone is found, we'll head to the mountains."
...
Huang Zheyue didn't sleep well that night. He had a bizarre dream all night long. He dreamt that one summer, he was walking home alone from school. On the way, he saw popsicles for sale at a convenience store. He was so tempted that he secretly took his father's money and bought one to eat.
Before he could finish eating, his father discovered it. His father asked him where the money came from, and he stammered and dared not say. His father was very angry, grabbed him and was about to hit his bottom with a broom when he finally cried and said that he had stolen his father's money.
In the end, his father still pulled down his pants and beat him, making him swear that he would never steal again.
In the next dream, Huang Zhiyuan had been away from Beijing for almost two years. He had become a thief again. His father suddenly returned and saw him stealing again. He grabbed a bamboo stick and was about to teach him a lesson.
"You still stole! Zheyue! What did you promise your father? You weren't allowed to steal! Why are you so disobedient!"
Huang Zheyue didn't dodge; he continued to cry, saying between sobs, "But you promised you'd be back after a few months on business! You didn't listen! You broke your promise!!"
The ever-changing dreams are like a flowing river. Every scene related to the father that appears in the dream becomes a fish swimming in the river, drifting further and further away from him.
Huang Zheyue kept chasing and running, but those fish were like stars in the sky, too far away to reach no matter how hard he chased.
Huang Zheyue woke up with a start. His body felt heavy, as if a huge stone was pressing on his chest, and his pillow was already half wet.
He placed his hand on his heart, looked at the upper bunk in the darkness, and tears streamed down his face.
In her dream, Huang Zheyue cried and screamed, but in reality, her tears fell silently.
...
After Secretary Zhao recruited more than 30 people, including militiamen and police officers, they set off into the mountains in a grand procession, armed with their weapons.
During this time, Jiang Ci discussed possible destinations with everyone.
Some of the older hunters, who used to make a living by hunting, knew where Jiang Ci was talking about as soon as they heard her words.
"There are wolves further in. It's okay to wander around during the day, but at night, it's easy to get into trouble."
"It's still autumn now. Winter comes early in the mountains, and those wolves are probably fattening up."
“I know a way to avoid those wolves.”
The old hunters whispered amongst themselves, plotting what would happen if they went into the mountains.
Some militiamen carried guns, while others carried sickles; they were quite wary of this trip into the mountains.
Jiang Ci also got a sickle, just in case, even if she doesn't need it, it's not a bad deal.
While wiping his sweat, Secretary Zhao said, "The body will most likely have been eaten by the wolves in the mountains, and probably only bones will remain. We can't keep hiding, we have to find a way to search where they have been."
Upon hearing this, some people felt nervous, while others felt excited.
"Wouldn't that allow us to deal with that pack of wolves?"
“If these wolves were to come down the mountain and harm the villagers, it would definitely cause deaths.”
"Yes, yes, if we really run into them, we can't let these beasts get away."
The militiamen chatted amongst themselves.
Secretary Zhao is also considering the possibility of this.
He looked at Jiang Ci, who pondered for a moment and said, "Let's deal with it when we encounter it. There aren't any large prey outside the deep mountains. Even if those wolves want to hunt, they'll go deep into the mountains. If we encounter it, to ensure our safety, we should retreat if necessary and eliminate the danger if necessary."
"Okay, I'll listen to you."
Despite this, the militiamen fired several shots as soon as they entered the mountains, not at wolves, but at wild boars.
Wild boars have no natural predators in the mountains and grow quickly. The militia often receive news of wild boars injuring people, and they go into the mountains in groups to hunt them. Killing wild boars has now become a habit for them.
It's unclear whether the sound of the gunshot deterred some wild animals in the deep mountains, but as Jiang Ci and her group headed south from the archaeological site, they encountered no ferocious beasts or wolf packs along the way.
They did encounter two or three snakes, but the group of over thirty people weren't afraid. They chopped off the snakes' heads with sickles, curled up their bodies, and tossed them into the baskets on their backs.
The hunter carefully examined the path and pointed out, "There are signs of wolf activity over here."
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