Chapter 181 Clean Meals
Captain Liu frowned, staring at the wind vane: "The wind direction is a bit erratic. We don't want the smoke to blow into the village."
Gangzi was also nervous: "Have all the villagers been notified?"
"They've been notified. They're all working in the fields, so they've been told to avoid this area. The antidote has also been prepared, and Aunt Zhang is keeping watch in the village; she can help if anyone gets accidentally injured."
Captain Liu took a deep breath: "Now we just wait for the signal. As soon as those two old geezers bring the food in, we'll start the fire."
Meanwhile, the Liu siblings quietly made their way to the vicinity of the cave.
Faint conversations could be heard coming from inside the cave.
"Why are you so late today?!"
Old Man Shen shuddered in fright: "My son-in-law came today! He insisted that we had hidden his younger brother and made a huge scene!"
"What?!"
The people inside the cave instantly became alert: "They didn't do anything wrong, did they? Is the food clean?"
Grandma Shen quickly assured her, "Don't worry! I've been watching closely, without blinking! Those damned bastards from the Liu family harmed my son last time, so I'm on guard this time! There's absolutely no problem!"
At this moment, a calm voice rang out: "Third brother, don't panic. Let the two hostages eat first. If they're alright, then we'll eat."
The third brother was still worried: "Second brother, today is the deadline. Instead of raising money, Liu Xiangyang came to cause trouble. I have a bad feeling about this. Maybe he has already discovered us."
As he spoke, he cautiously peeked out of the hole, looked around, and lowered his voice: "Those two old geezers, did no one follow you when you came over?"
The elderly Shen family members broke out in a cold sweat. They were so focused on delivering the food that they hadn't noticed if anyone was tailing them.
But how could they admit it at this point? They could only bite the bullet and shake their heads.
"Don't worry, my two heroes! We're being careful! Since it's the last day, we, the old folks, will keep watch at the crossroads and make sure not even a fly can get in!"
Before he finished speaking, a thick plume of smoke drifted over with the wind.
Liu Zhixia and Liu Xiangyang quickly put on their masks.
Liu Xiangyang lowered his voice: "Damn it! The cigarettes were put out too early! They haven't eaten yet!"
"It's alright, the sleeping powder will work just the same. I'll go rescue Xu Zhiqing later, you go rescue Lao Si."
Liu Xiangyang's voice trembled: "Are they... really alright?"
"Don't worry, didn't they just say to let the hostages eat first? He Shijie already has the recipe, which means Xu Zhiqing is still alive."
Liu Xiangyang swallowed hard: "I hope so..."
Inside the cave, coughs could be heard everywhere.
The third brother cursed, "Damn it! Why are they burning firewood again? Did they get caught and are deliberately trying to smoke us out?"
Grandma Shen covered her mouth and coughed, tears streaming down her face: "Cough cough... Third Boss, don't panic. It was burning yesterday. I guess the wind was blowing in the wrong direction today."
"Damn it, why did they have to burn it today of all times! Liu Xuejun, have you finished eating? Did I tell you to give it to that woman?"
Upon hearing this, Liu Zhixia and Liu Xiangyang exchanged a smile.
It seems that Liu Laosi is still alive.
Not long after, the two elders of the Shen family came out carrying an empty basket.
The two supported each other, their steps unsteady, as if they were walking on cotton.
Grandma Shen's eyes were glazed over: "Old man, why do I feel so lightheaded?"
Old Shen was also dizzy: "Me too... why is the ground still shaking?"
Before they could finish speaking, the two of them collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Captain Liu led several militiamen over, all wearing masks and carrying hunting rifles.
"How is it?"
Liu Zhixia stared at the cave entrance: "Everyone is inside, but the specific situation is unclear. Gangzi said the effects of the drug take time to take hold, so let's wait and see."
Captain Liu nodded: "Judging from the smoke, Gangzi is still burning. Even God is on our side, the wind is just right."
Liu Xiangyang nervously swallowed hard, staring intently at the cave entrance, and whispered, "I'll sneak in and take a look!"
Just as Liu Xiangyang took two steps, a deafening gunshot suddenly rang out from inside the cave!
"Bang!"
The echo reverberated through the cave, sending shivers down one's spine.
"not good!"
Captain Liu shouted and led the militiamen in.
Liu Zhixia followed closely behind.
The cave was filled with smoke, and several kidnappers lay sprawled on the ground, clearly unconscious.
Liu Xiangyang rushed to the corner and let out a heart-wrenching roar: "Help! Fourth brother has been shot!"
Liu Zhixia's heart tightened, and she rushed over to check.
Liu Xuejun was seen tightly protecting Xu Zhihong in his arms. His left arm was pierced by a bullet, and blood was gushing out, staining his clothes red.
She quickly took out a bottle of specially made spiritual spring water from her spatial storage and poured it onto her wound under the cover of her backpack.
"This is a highly effective hemostatic drug!"
As she explained, she skillfully applied pressure to stop the bleeding.
The spiritual spring water was indeed miraculously effective; the blood flow quickly slowed down.
Captain Liu led his men forward, quickly performed basic first aid, and then the group worked together to carry Liu Xuejun out.
Liu Zhixia checked on Xu Zhihong again and confirmed that she had only been knocked unconscious by the sleeping gas and had no external injuries. Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, carry her on her back, and rush outside.
The group took the wounded back to the village, where Zhang Xiuying and her team were already anxiously waiting.
"How is it?"
Liu Zhixia nodded: "Mother, don't be afraid, no one is in any danger."
"Why is there so much blood on the fourth brother? Was he shot?"
"Yes, the kidnapper fired a shot before he passed out. Fourth Brother was wounded in the arm, but it's not fatal. What about the other side up the mountain?"
Zhang Xiuying looked up at the deep mountains: "My son-in-law has taken his men up there. Your father and his men have also taken care of the three from the Lu family; they can't cause any trouble."
"That's good! With the internal troubles resolved, they can now focus on dealing with He Shijie."
Aunt Zhou shouted to the villagers who were already waiting, "Quick! Set off firecrackers to let them know! The hostages have been rescued!"
Firecrackers exploded at the foot of the mountain.
Soon, dense and muffled gunfire echoed from deep in the mountains, sending chills down one's spine.
When Liu Zhixia saw Gangzi return from the neighboring brigade, she grabbed him and said, "Brother Gangzi, do you have any medicine for injuries? Or the prescription? We need to be prepared with logistics so we can be ready to rescue people at any time!"
Without hesitation, Gangzi replied, "Yes! I'll find it right away!"
He pulled out a small booklet from his pocket and began flipping through it quickly, his eyes focused and eager.
"Found it! This is it!"
Gangzi excitedly pointed to a prescription: "This is a family secret recipe, it has miraculous effects on stopping bleeding and promoting tissue regeneration!"
Liu Zhixia prepared the medicine according to the prescription, and took the opportunity to mix in the spiritual spring water. After applying it to Liu Xuejun, the bleeding stopped quickly, and the wound was no longer so red and swollen.
Not long after, a soldier covered in mud rushed down the mountain: "We've got him! He Shijie is captured! But someone is seriously injured and urgently needs hemostatic medicine!"
Liu Zhixia's heart tightened: "Who's injured?"
The soldier scratched his head: "I'm not sure, but I was at the very front."
Aunt Zhou turned pale with fright: "Could it be our Xiao Kai? Quick! Take the medicine upstairs right away!"
Liu Zhixia stuffed the medicine powder into her bag: "Holy crap! Where are they?"
"They're still cleaning up the battlefield at the cabin."
"OK!"
Without saying a word, Liu Zhixia took off running up the mountain, even faster than the messenger soldier.
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