Chapter 61: The Trustworthy Uncle Dashan
Shen Zhenzhu heard the sound of a mother and daughter crying beside her. The woman was holding her fifteen or sixteen-year-old daughter, and the two of them were huddled together.
The mother was wearing a patched gray plaid shirt, while her daughter was wearing a brand new white shirt.
Scattered on their feet were broken, solidified egg yolks and handmade ginger candy. Chen Zhenzhu guessed that they were probably visiting relatives, perhaps someone's daughter had given birth, or they were having a baby's one-month celebration.
What should have been a joyous occasion turned into a nightmare. Spanning eleven provinces from Qianhu Province, a distance of nearly two thousand kilometers, this "long journey" will likely be unforgettable for the young girl. If she even manages to get off the train alive...
Uncle Dashan sat between Shen Zhenzhu and the others, covering his face with his hands as if unwilling to face everything.
"Ah—let me go, I'm going crazy! Ahhh, I'm going crazy!" The middle-aged man sitting a row in front of Chen Zhenzhu was pounding his heart in despair, his howling making everyone in the oppressive and quiet carriage restless.
Shen Zhenzhu whispered through the crack in the window behind him, "Uncle, don't get agitated, don't shout!"
Unfortunately, the middle-aged man suffered an emotional breakdown and was in a hysterical state.
The old man next to him reached out and desperately tried to cover his mouth: "Stop yelling, or it'll sound like a funeral!"
Hearing footsteps ahead, Shen Zhenzhu looked up and peeked at Li Hu approaching with a gun in his hand, his eyes filled with bloodlust, the dark muzzle of the gun pointed at the middle-aged man's forehead.
The middle-aged man suddenly woke up, froze on the spot, his lips trembling violently, unable to utter a single word.
Suddenly, lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the car window, and at the same time, a few screams rang out inside the carriage.
Lu Kuishan grabbed the middle-aged man's hair from behind Li Hu, and with a swift, sharp, white sickle, he slit the man's throat, spitting out hot blood everywhere.
The elderly man, dazed by the splash, seemed to be on the verge of joining the middle-aged man in death. Blood soaked the hostages in the front row; they huddled together, feeling the burning sensation on their backs, yet dared not move from their seats.
"We just got 20, and now we're one short. We agreed on five pounds each." Li Hu lifted his foot and saw bloodstains on it. He gestured to the person next to him to wipe the shoe for him.
Lu Kuishan said dismissively, "We have the initiative. I can kill as many as I want. If you push me too far, everyone will die."
He strode back to the front, pulled a food box from under his seat, which contained liquor. He drank half a bottle in one go, leaned back in his seat, and quickly fell asleep.
Shen Zhenzhu closed her eyes to suppress her surging murderous intent. As a police officer, she watched helplessly as the robbers committed murder, which made her breathless, and a firm belief arose spontaneously.
The raindrops outside the car window grew larger, allowing the hostages, who had been crying silently, to finally release their emotions.
Lu Kuishan was snoring loudly, while Li Hu sat sideways in the passenger seat, smoking and chatting with Zhao Guoqiang. The radio came on twice, but unfortunately, Chen Zhenzhu couldn't hear what they were saying.
Shen Zhenzhu leaned against the window, the blood of the middle-aged man spreading to her feet. She watched his arm gradually stiffen, swaying with the movement of the car, and silently closed her eyes.
Knowing that they were killing people on the road was far less terrifying than witnessing it firsthand.
Raindrops pounded against the window and seeped into the carriage. Chen Zhenzhu and the hostage in front of her had half their shoulders soaked through. They dared not move the window and had to wipe their faces frequently.
The road signs were unclear from the outside, so I could only estimate that the meeting point was between half an hour and forty minutes away. Since the car had slowed down, it might be even later.
The rain continued to seep in, and the older female hostage in front used trembling fingers to draw the number "999" on the fogged-up car window. The stuffy, hot air in the car mixed sweat, urine, and rainwater into a man-eating swamp.
After Lu Kuishan awoke, he used a sickle to pry open the metal window of the carriage, and a torrential downpour immediately poured in, soaking and disheveling the hair of the hostages in the back. He laughed as he looked at the hostages in the back carriage, now in a sorry state because of his handiwork.
Lightning flashed past the car window; the national highway, flooded by rain, was riddled with potholes, and the bus's reflection was distorted and warped. The road behind was cut off by rain and fog, and the road ahead was also nowhere to be seen.
Lu Kuishan pushed open the moving car door, finished urinating, pulled up his belt, and locked the door again with the iron chain. Then, grinning maliciously, he swaggered from the front seat to the back.
Chen Zhenzhu had a bad feeling.
Lu Kuishan walked halfway, grabbed one of the women by the chin, examined her closely, then let go and continued walking. Reaching the front of Chen Zhenzhu, he glanced at the hostage in front of her, seemingly hesitant.
But when he shifted his gaze to Chen Zhenzhu, his smile widened, and he pointed at Uncle Dashan and the mother and daughter, saying, "You two sit in front, and don't turn around if you make a sound, or I'll kill you all one by one!"
Shen Zhenzhu sensed the intoxicated look in his eyes. She smoothed her hair, her face contorted with grief, and remained motionless.
Lu Kuishan shouted, "What the hell are you all still sitting there for? Are you waiting for me to kill you all?!"
Just as Uncle Dashan was about to get up, Shen Zhenzhu, pale-faced, grabbed Uncle Dashan's arm and trembled as she said, "I...I can't, I just wet my pants, I'm not clean."
Uncle Dashan glanced towards Lu Kuishan and saw that she was indeed wet. They hadn't urinated for over ten hours, and the old man in front of them had also wet his pants.
Lu Kuishan looked at the trembling, miserable toll collector with annoyance. His timid appearance was extremely boring, and there really was a smell of urine nearby.
Uncle Dashan stopped Chen Zhenzhu, shielding her in front of him, and said tremblingly, "We'll be at our destination soon, good man, let her go."
Lu Kuishan grabbed Uncle Dashan by the head and slammed his head against the back of the seat with a thud: "This is fucking frustrating! If you try to bargain with me again, I'll kill you."
"No, no..." Uncle Dashan breathed heavily, enduring the pain. Although he was in a sorry state, it made the hostages around him respect and trust him even more.
Suddenly, Li Hu called out to Lu Kuishan, and Lu Kuishan walked away cursing.
Chen Zhenzhu hid behind the chair and said gratefully, "Uncle Dashan, thank you... thank you so much."
Uncle Dashan was in pain from the impact, but he closed his eyes and waved his hand, saying, "There won't be a next time. You're lucky he let you go."
The woman to Uncle Dashan's right said, "You saved her; you are our pillar of strength."
Her daughter is only ten years old; this must be prevented from happening. It's unimaginable how terrible the consequences would be if Lu Kuishan took a liking to her. On the bus, none of the women wanted to engage in violent sexual activity.
Shen Zhenzhu also understood that such behavior would usually escalate when lust was out of control, from rape to sexual abuse or even death.
While I was thinking, the bus jolted violently, and then thick black smoke billowed from the rear of the vehicle.
Zhao Guoqiang cursed, grabbed a wrench, opened the driver's seat, and went down to check. After waiting in the pouring rain for more than ten minutes, he came back up and tried to start the bus.
The vehicle lurched forward a few times and then came to a stop.
Everyone craned their necks to look outside. Taking advantage of the gap, Chen Zhenzhu quickly shoved the small silver knife back into her hair and tidied it up.
"Insufficient power, get out and push the cart," Zhao Guoqiang shouted from the front.
Li Hu picked up his gun, pointed it at the five people tied up in front and the other four or five people in the back, and ordered them to get down and push the cart.
The torrential rain stirred up a muddy mess, and even with all their might, the bus could only move slowly for a short distance before stopping again.
Li Hulin, soaked to the bone, climbed into the carriage and said irritably to Lu Kuishan, "Throw out all the things you don't need to reduce the weight."
Lu Kuishan yawned and ordered the other hostages to clear away the unwanted luggage and miscellaneous items from the top of the vehicle.
"Take this one down too." Lu Kuishan pointed at the middle-aged man whose throat he had slit, his eyes flashing with malice as he looked at Chen Zhenzhu: "You go with her."
"She" refers to the rural woman in the front row.
Shen Zhenzhu had no choice but to pretend to be afraid and, together with the older woman, dragged the middle-aged man's corpse from one end to the other, down to the car.
The rain was so heavy that Chen Zhenzhu was soaked to the bone as soon as she got out of the car. Li Hu pointed his gun at them and said, "Throw it on the side of the road and clean up the trash in your suitcase."
The luggage compartment on the bus was located between the front and rear doors. The woman from the countryside was trembling so badly that she couldn't open the door no matter what she tried. Chen Zhenzhu, with a gun pointed at her by Li Hu, fumbled around for a long time before finally finding the zipper and opening the luggage compartment door.
The older woman from the village was about to come over to carry the luggage, but she was afraid that if she was too slow, Li Hu would smash her.
Shen Zhenzhu and she threw the outer snakeskin bags, baskets and luggage bags to the roadside. Just as they were about to move the inner burlap sacks, the rural woman suddenly cried out, took two steps back and fell to the ground.
Shen Zhenzhu quickly helped her up and dragged her to the suitcase to continue carrying the items, but the rural woman refused to go over no matter what.
Out of curiosity, Shen Zhenzhu turned her head and met two pairs of terrified, unfocused eyes—two corpses. They had been stuffed into a suitcase at some point, and the wind and rain carried a stench of decay that wafted towards her.
The woman from the countryside was so frightened that she vomited to the side, while Chen Zhenzhu stood there dumbfounded, seemingly quite frightened as well.
Li Hu pounded on the car window, cursing, "Why did you bring two women out? Hurry up and get two useful ones instead!"
Looking out the car window, Lu Kuishan saw Shen Zhenzhu's pale face and laughed heartily, saying, "Even if you can't touch a little wench, she still needs to be used for something else."
Frustrated, Li Hu went to the back door and called over two cowardly male hostages: "You two get out, they can go up."
He made an agreement with the police: he could have 100 jin of gold, but each hostage in the car would be exchanged for 5 jin of gold; if he lost even one hostage, he wouldn't be able to gather 100 jin of gold.
Lu Kuishan has always killed people whenever he wants. He has already killed one, and he needs to find a way to replace the remaining hostages.
He warned Lu Kuishan, "You better behave yourself and don't cause trouble! If you get caught like last time, I'll send you a bullet before you go in."
Lu Kuishan glanced at the back of the car, grunted twice, and said nothing.
He told Shen Zhenzhu that he hadn't gotten his way, and that he had asked her to go down and carry the corpse to scare her. When Shen Zhenzhu came up, her face was pale and she was soaking wet, he felt a little better.
So he picked up the bottle again, wanting to drink, but Zhao Guoqiang stopped him: "Don't drink anymore. You better be alert when we get to the transaction location!"
"Damn it, who thinks they can tell me what to do!" Lu Kuishan angrily smashed the bottle on the ground. The flying glass shards cut the arm of the old woman next to him. She only dared to cover it with her hand and dared not move at all.
Shen Zhenzhu returned to her previous spot, where the perceived temperature dropped rapidly. Shivering, she huddled by the window. An arm reached out to her, and Uncle Dashan handed her a dry towel, pointing to the worried mother and daughter beside her and whispering, "They gave this to you. We all have to look after each other."
Shen Zhenzhu looked at the mother and daughter gratefully. Her lips trembled, and she could not speak, but she nodded.
Seeing that she was quite frightened, Uncle Dashan asked in confusion, "What happened down there? Was someone killed again?"
Shen Zhenzhu concealed the turmoil in her heart. The scene in her Heavenly Eye was bloody and violent; she "saw" a terrible murderer.
She said in a fearful tone, "There are two corpses, they're both rotten, they died horribly."
Uncle Dashan gasped, "Oh dear, what a pitiful person."
Shen Zhenzhu stared at him, and after two or three seconds nodded: "Yes, the murderer who killed them should be torn to pieces."
Uncle Dashan nodded and didn't say anything more.
*** ***
Guanshankou checkpoint.
Gu Yanzheng didn't sleep all night, studying the personal information of Li Hu, Lu Kuishan, and Zhao Guoqiang in the command center.
I had a question that hadn't been confirmed, so I contacted the Qianhu Provincial Labor Reform Farm in the middle of the night. They said they would investigate and give me the results as soon as possible, but I haven't received a reply yet.
When Zhou Chuanxi received the call, according to the intelligence on the road, the bus took the eastern fork in the road following the "code." A hint of joy flashed across his face, but he calmed himself down and returned to the temporary command center to tell Gu Yanzheng.
“Sister Pearl must have heard the radio broadcast, which is why she told the robbers to change their route from the fixed route to the eastern side road. This at least proves that she is currently safe.”
Zhou Chuanxi's emotions were not usually outwardly expressed like Lu Ye's, but at this moment his tone betrayed his excitement.
Lu Ye excitedly clenched his fist in mid-air and said to Gu Yanzheng, "The second and third teams are all lying in ambush at the designated location. If there's a chance, we must catch them." He then patted the ammunition strapped to his waist and said, "If they dare to touch my Sister Pearl, I'll turn them into a swarm of bees."
Gu Yanzheng rubbed his temples: "Aye, go and invite Director Liu over."
Lu Ye stood up and said, "Okay."
Zhou Chuanxi walked up to Gu Yanzheng and asked, "Boss, what's the problem?"
Gu Yanzheng said, "Three robbers escaped from a labor reform farm with provincial-level security and defenses overnight. How did they manage to get away? There were armed police guarding the scene. How could someone kill an armed policeman with their bare hands?"
Zhou Chuanxi said, "After the major robbery, everyone's attention was focused on the hostages on the hijacked bus. We haven't had time to investigate why yet."
Director Liu was invited over by Lu Ye. He looked weathered and had lost a lot of weight. Several other leaders from the Municipal Bureau followed behind him, who were planning to come over for a meeting after a short rest.
Gu Yanzheng was about to stand up and greet them, but Director Liu waved his hand, telling him not to worry about such a small matter: "Is there a problem?"
Gu Yanzheng said, "I found their criminal records from thirteen years ago. There was a witness's statement that she personally witnessed four people killing five employees of the Agricultural Credit Cooperative. When they were arrested, only Li Hu, Lu Kuishan, and Zhao Guoqiang were found. Moreover, in their statements, they insisted that there were only three people in the criminal gang, and the fourth person was nowhere to be found. So the case was closed as a three-person gang, and Li Hu became the leader of the criminal gang."
Director Liu knew that Gu Yanzheng hadn't suddenly brought up their past crimes; he must have sensed something.
"So, according to you, the fourth person was their accomplice during their prison break?" Director Liu's chubby hand rested on the table, tapping it thoughtfully. "This was just a statement in a confession. The court didn't accept it at the time, and no evidence was found to prove the existence of the fourth person."
Gu Yanzheng stood up and handed the materials in his hand to Director Liu and several other leaders, saying, "Look here, they committed more than 23 crimes across 11 provinces, passing through 30 cities, and then killed four security guards while robbing an armored truck."
Deputy Director Chen pointed to the numbers above and said, "We have already looked into these matters. Is there a problem?"
Gu Yanzheng said, "This is a big problem."
He walked to the blackboard and drew four squares, writing "sickle", "fruit knife", "stolen gun" and "unidentified gun" inside.
“They used four types of weapons during the operation, three of which had clearly identified the location of injury or death.” He pointed to the “unidentified firearm” and said, “But a gunshot wound on the left leg of one of the guards was of a different caliber than the Black Star pistol lost from the labor camp. It used a bullet similar to the 7.62x17mm bullet used in the □□ pistol—”
Lu Ye, standing to the side, said, "So that's the Type 77? It can use the same bullets as the □7. We plainclothes officers often use this type. It can be cocked with one hand."
Director Liu also joined the discussion: "Since they say they're similar, then they must have been modified, or even homemade guns. If they were homemade guns, given that the three of them were serving time on a farm, they certainly couldn't have made guns. The only explanation is that someone outside was providing backup with homemade guns. Does that make sense?"
Gu Yanzheng said solemnly, "There is another reason why I have a fourth person supporting me: the cultural background of the three of them is not enough to manufacture high-quality guns."
Lu Ye's mind clicked, and he paced anxiously behind them: "If there's a fourth person, where would that person go?"
The answer is already in the hearts of everyone present.
Gu Yanzheng had been analyzing the situation when, during a special task force meeting held amidst a torrential downpour outside, he received a call from the Qianhu Provincial Labor Reform Farm.
“An old man saw four figures running past in the field, but he was drunk that day and it was night, so we didn’t report it. Those three were already bad apples on the farm; they often ganged up to bully others. When Lu Kuishan escaped, he even told other inmates that the three of them were capable and could escape on their own—”
Director Liu slammed his fist on the table in anger, his chubby face instantly turning red, probably from a spike in blood pressure: "Nonsense! You don't believe the eyewitnesses, but you believe the prisoners! It's no wonder they escaped from you!"
Gu Yanzheng closed his eyes; he had to calm himself down. If his guess was true, what would happen to Chen Zhenzhu on the bus? She didn't know there was a fourth person!
The situation was perilous and urgent, and extremely unfavorable to her.
"Do you have any physical characteristics of that person?" Gu Yanzheng asked into the speakerphone.
The people at the labor camp immediately sent someone to inquire, which infuriated Director Liu even more.
Deputy Director Chen and the others were in no better shape. Director Liu took out his blood pressure medication from his pocket and swallowed it with the cold tea, regardless of the fact that the cup contained tea.
Before he could even screw the medicine bottle on, Deputy Director Chen next to him took the bottle, poured out two pills, and swallowed them. Even though they usually didn't get along, when it came to a critical moment, they were united in their hope that the people of Liancheng and their police officers would be safe and sound.
Just then, the farm called: "We're sorry, we only know it's a man... We've already inquired in nearby villages, and we'll let you know as soon as we have any news."
Everyone present felt a sense of unease. Gu Yanzheng hung up the phone expressionlessly, and immediately another call came in: "They found three bodies abandoned by the national highway!"
The atmosphere in the command center froze instantly, and no one dared to think too deeply about it.
Lu Ye scratched his head, muttering, "Please don't let there be Sister Pearl, please don't let there be Sister Pearl."
Zhou Chuanxi clasped his hands together, and although he didn't say anything, he was worried about Shen Zhenzhu.
The task force officer on the other end of the phone said, "One of the bodies is the middle-aged male hostage we observed, and the other two middle-aged male bodies have been identified as the hijacked bus driver and ticket seller. Because of the heavy rain, we cannot ascertain whether Comrade Shen Zhenzhu is safe, but based on the current situation, she should be safe."
No news is good news. The feelings of Lu Ye, Zhou Chuanxi, and the others at this moment perfectly illustrate this saying.
“During my negotiations with Li Hu, I discovered that he was not as strategic as I had imagined as a leader. This fourth person was definitely the one who manufactured and improved the guns, so it can be said that he was smarter than the other three.”
Gu Yanzheng spoke in a low voice, amidst the thunder and lightning outside, uttering words that sent chills down the spines of everyone present: "Perhaps before hijacking the bus, a fourth person designated a detailed escape route and a method for dealing with the police... He is the true leader of the criminal gang."
A hush fell over the scene, broken only by the sound of a lighter lighting a cigarette. Outside, the torrential rain poured down on the eaves, its rapid patter like a death knell.
“Sister Pearl is lurking in the shadows, she’ll definitely find help,” Zhou Chuanxi said with difficulty. “He’s disguised as a hostage, hiding in the shadows to monitor and control everyone. If he discovers Sister Pearl’s actions…”
Lu Ye's scalp tingled, and he scratched it so hard it made a cracking sound: "I should have known better than to let Sister Pearl go, damn it!"
Zhou Chuanxi couldn't help but retort, "You won't go if you don't let her?"
Deputy Director Chen took a deep breath and said to Gu Yanzheng, "In the process of handling the case, we can indeed think of the worst-case scenario, but... this is just too unbelievable. Could it be that this fourth person decided to go undercover from the very beginning of hijacking the bus? What was his purpose?"
Gu Yanzheng said not only to Deputy Director Chen, but also to the leaders and colleagues present: "Thirteen years ago, they almost managed to escape. They have hidden five bodies until now without being discovered, which is why they cannot be sentenced to death. If it weren't for the three armed police officers who shielded them with their bodies and blocked their escape route in time, they would definitely have fled like the fourth person."
He said in a deep and suppressed voice, "His last fatal blow failed. This time he is hiding among the hostages, perhaps waiting for a fatal attack that can turn the tide. If successful, they will not only be able to retaliate against the police who arrested them, but they will also be able to completely escape from under the police's noses."
"We can't let the civilians who died tragically die in vain," Captain Park said in a low voice. "We also can't let our people sacrifice themselves in vain."
"How can we let Sister Pearl know?" Zhou Chuanxi clasped his hands tightly together and rubbed them together. He said anxiously, "We must inform her as soon as possible!"
Gu Yanzheng said, "Arrange a secret signal immediately, hoping she can see it."
Lu Ye said in a hoarse voice, "I hope we can make it in time."
An anxious and gloomy atmosphere permeated the command center; everyone shared a common worry. They all hoped that the person bearing the same name, "Chen Zhenzhu," would return safely.
***
“Don’t worry, they said they’ll exchange us for gold, so we’ll be fine.” While Li Hu and Zhao Guoqiang were talking in front and Lu Kuishan was sharpening his knife, Uncle Dashan said in a low voice, “We must trust the government and the Party, and we must not lose heart.”
The woman in front of me was terrified by the corpse. She cautiously turned around, her tears already dried up: "Uncle Dashan... I'll give the bread back to you. I don't want to live anymore, I really can't take it anymore."
Uncle Dashan sighed sadly, his heavy voice making it hard to breathe: "If you're not afraid of death, what are you afraid of? If you ask me, we need to unite. There are only three of them, and they might try to escape during the transaction."
The woman next to him said, "There's no way we could escape. Besides, even if one or two of us ran, we couldn't outrun the bullets in their hands."
Her daughter started running a high fever and delirious. The woman, like a cat on a hot tin roof, said helplessly, "I don't know what to do anymore."
Uncle Dashan looked ahead for a few seconds, then turned to look at the silent Chen Zhenzhu and said in a low voice, "Little girl, what are you thinking?"
Shen Zhenzhu's eyes were red from crying. She looked weak and vulnerable, a perfect lamb. She said timidly, "I...I don't know what to do...I haven't found a boyfriend yet."
“If you don’t know what to do, you’re all going to die anyway, so you might as well listen to me.” Uncle Dashan’s eyes were righteous and firm. Feeling the trusting gazes fixed on him, he solemnly said, “If you follow my orders, you might still have a chance to survive. Do you want to listen to me?”
Upon hearing this, the hostages in the first few rows expressed their support, and the eldest woman in front of Chen Zhenzhu nodded, "Uncle Dashan, I'll listen to you."
Uncle Dashan looked at the mother and daughter on his right. The woman was holding her sick daughter and looked at Uncle Dashan as if she had seen the last straw. After more than half a month of his care, she naturally trusted him and said firmly, "I'll listen to you and give it my all."
"And what about you?" Uncle Dashan finally turned to look at Chen Zhenzhu.
Chen Zhenzhu grabbed Uncle Dashan's sleeve, tears streaming down her face, and said, "Uncle, I'll listen to you too, don't forget about me."
Uncle Dashan's lips were pursed into a thin line, and he looked very satisfied: "Don't be afraid, everyone."
-----------------------
Author's note: Zhuzhu, the toll collector, spread her hands and said: "Uncle, I'm not afraid. Are you afraid?"
***
See you tomorrow, there's a red envelope coming up!
I received so much nutrient solution yesterday, I'm so happy! Just one more time, my darlings, it's almost the end of the month, so feel free to throw away any leftover nutrient solution! [Let me see][Let me see]
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