1006 New Urban Farmers Chapter 112 Someone Ventures into the Mountain!
"That's the case!" Wei Yuncai said grimly. "Other goods are only worth a pittance, but if this cauldron falls into the hands of the police, not only will we not be able to get it back, but we will also all bear responsibility!"
The other four customers nodded silently. The Hundred Herbs Cauldron was made by a tomb raider; it took the tomb raiders seven lives to successfully excavate it.
When this cauldron left the tomb, the tomb immediately collapsed and lay there forever, a thousand meters underground.
After changing hands several times, it ended up in the hands of Wei Yunwang and his group of five. The price of 110 million was the result of their connections; Wei Yunwang invested his network, holding a 30% stake as a "phantom stock." Li Hongbo recently joined in, investing a substantial 30 million. The remaining three shared 80 million equally.
For them, tens of millions is no small sum, and the risks involved are enormous.
But if they successfully resell it, their profits could easily reach hundreds of millions! That's a huge return.
But all this beauty was destroyed by that despicable Lin Baolong! An unexpected situation arose.
As Zhang Guodong listened from the stairwell, his interest grew stronger. This Hundred Herbs Cauldron was actually a medicine cauldron?! Over 1800 years old? Wasn't he exactly in need of a furnace for refining pills?
If the Hundred Herbs Cauldron meets his requirements, then he must obtain it!
These people spent over 100 million to buy a single cauldron, which shows how precious the Hundred Herbs Cauldron is. They are willing to pay any price to get it back!
When the five customers, Wei Yunwang, Li Hongbo, and Zhu Er, left the hotel, Zhang Guodong followed them!
"This is going to be good!" Zhang Guodong sneered.
The ancient medicine cauldron, buried for a thousand years, held a greater attraction for Zhang Guodong than anyone else. After witnessing Master Yi's alchemy skills, he had begun to believe some of the legends.
When these people left and regrouped, apart from the five bosses, the five sons and their other subordinates were actually equipped with weapons!
Zhang Guodong had truly witnessed the arrogance of these people. Where did they get their pistols? There were more than ten of them, one for each of them!
"Leave the matter to us, five bosses. We hope the remaining five million will be deposited into your account promptly after it's done!" One of the men, a burly and ruthless figure, spoke from among the thirty men who had split into two groups. He was Wu Zi!
These two groups consisted of five men's subordinates. Among them were bodyguards and errand runners; none of them were combat-capable, but even those without combat skills could still be useful.
For example, communication!
Wei Yunwang said grimly, "If you can do it, we can do it too. I hope this cooperation will be successful!"
Wu Zi laughed and said, "As long as you pay, there's nothing we can't do. But the starting price is usually two million. You have to be able to afford it. Your deal starts at ten million, so things will be much easier!"
He led fifteen men away, leaving Wei Yunwang and his five men and his subordinates behind.
As the car sped towards the suburbs, police vehicles and cordoned-off lines came into view, preventing anyone from crossing the boundary. They actually came here!
"Young Master Wei, what are we doing? Are we just going to stay here?" one of his henchmen, a wealthy young man, asked, puzzled. He was considered one of Young Master Wei's confidants. Two other men, also from well-off families, were now wholeheartedly devoted to Young Master Wei.
Wei Yun glanced at the police cordon he could vaguely see. The other person also saw them and said, "Let's go too!"
"Huh? Go there? That's dangerous!" This person clearly misunderstood and followed them into the mountains; if bullets were flying everywhere, their life would be in danger.
"Go past the police!" Young Master Wei said, frowning.
Pig Ear and the other two bosses hesitated for a moment, but then remembered that Young Master Wei's father was a big shot, so they emboldened themselves and agreed to go.
"Young Master Wei, it's a bit inconvenient for me to go. Why don't the four of you go?" At this point, Li Hongbo hesitated. He was still the vice president of the Provincial Wildlife Conservation Association, a full-fledged department-level cadre. If he were to be dragged into this major case in the business world, his political future would be ruined!
"Whatever!" Young Master Wei snorted coldly and walked over. He didn't take a vice president of a provincial association seriously at all. If it weren't for Li Hongbo's wealth and status as a businessman, he wouldn't have bothered working with someone at the level of a minor official in a remote, insignificant department!
Li Hongbo blushed with shame, but dared not refute Young Master Wei's words.
The other three were businessmen who, although they didn't know much about Li Hongbo, guessed that the sunglasses-wearing boss with a bruised face might have a government identity.
But they didn't care.
Only Li Hongbo and a few of his men remained. Li Hongbo's face instantly turned grim.
"Damn it, he's just arrogant because his dad's a vice mayor! Humph!" Li Hongbo muttered.
road.
He said this, but in his heart he held Wei in great awe, for Wei held a government position and was also a businessman—this was his greatest weakness. For those who knew him, this weakness could be fatal. Moreover, Vice Mayor Wei was a member of the Municipal Party Committee Standing Committee!
"Let's go back!" Li Hongbo turned around and left with his men as soon as he saw Wei Dashao and the others had gone.
On the other side, Young Master Wei arrived with a dozen or so men. Yang Shikun, the deputy captain of the criminal investigation team in charge of guarding the area, hurriedly came to greet them.
He had naturally met Young Master Wei before, and he clearly remembered that the customer whose jewelry and jade were robbed had vaguely mentioned that Young Master Wei was among them.
Of course, to outsiders, Young Master Wei appeared as a friend, and there were no agreements or agreements left that could serve as evidence, such as those concerning shares without actual ownership.
"Young Master Wei, this is Yang Shikun, Deputy Captain of the Criminal Investigation Brigade of the High-tech Branch. What brings you here?" Deputy Captain Yang jogged over and said, very respectfully and excitedly. For a nobody like him, getting to know Young Master Wei was an immense blessing.
Young Master Wei nodded slightly as a greeting, but he didn't know any of the deputy captains. He said, "My friend's jewelry and jade were stolen, and he's very anxious. I heard the suspect went into the mountains?"
Yang Shikun was surprised, but then he realized that how could he not find out about the other party's identity?
He stated truthfully, "Yes, that's the current speculation. The bureau chief, along with special police and military personnel, have already gone into the mountains to search for the suspect!"
"Oh? Very good, we'd like to go in and take a look too. Let's see if Lin Baolong has three heads and six arms!" Young Master Wei said after offering a brief compliment.
"Ah?" Yang Shikun immediately became anxious. "Director Wei and Director Jiang have ordered that no one is allowed to enter the mountain, you see?"
"Hmph!" Young Master Wei put on his arrogant demeanor and said coldly, "How come my face can't even compare to a word from Director Jiang? Even if your Director Jiang were here, he'd have to treat me with utmost respect!"
Yang Shikun broke out in a cold sweat. He'd made a mistake in his haste, but letting Young Master Wei into the mountains could lead to his immediate dismissal and a life sentence.
"Young Master Wei, please don't make things difficult for a nobody like me. Even if I let you into the mountains, it's too dangerous there. If Mayor Wei finds out, he'll definitely skin me alive," Yang Shikun hurriedly said.
In his haste, he actually came up with a solution. Young Master Wei was certainly a playboy, but he was most afraid of Deputy Mayor Wei—this excuse might work, right?
Young Master Wei's expression changed, and he threatened in shame and anger, "I'll skin you alive right now! You want me to pay for it?"
Yang Shikun deflated as soon as he pulled out his phone.
He dared not disobey Director Jiang's orders or Captain Lin's commands, but he couldn't afford to offend the young master in front of him!
Young Master Wei triumphantly crossed the cordon and ran into the mountains. Pig Ear and the other two merchants beside him praised and admired him greatly. Although their words were a bit disgusting, Young Master Wei still liked to hear them.
Human vanity!
He disliked politics but loved money. However, he wasn't particularly talented in business; he merely used his father's position to skirt the law. Over the years, his net worth had reached twenty million, but compared to the thirty percent of shares given to him by everyone this time, his twenty million was practically nothing.
This Hundred Herbs Cauldron, buried underground for 1,800 years like a legend, could be worth hundreds of millions of US dollars if it were to change hands! That's US dollars! That's 600 million Chinese yuan! A 30% stake would be 180 million!
It's nine times more than what I earned in five years of hard work!
Young Master Wei led everyone across the police line. Yang Shikun groaned in pain, "What am I going to do?"
"Captain Yang, should we report to Director Jiang? Otherwise..." One of his subordinates, Liu Kai, felt sorry for Yang Shikun; if this matter wasn't handled well, Deputy Captain Yang would be in serious trouble. Director Jiang didn't tolerate anyone who disobeyed orders.
At this moment, Yang Shikun was filled with regret.
"Report the situation here to the bureau chief immediately!" Yang Shikun said, his face turning ashen. He hoped the bureau chief would let him off the hook. He couldn't afford to offend Wei Shao, and he couldn't afford to offend the bureau chief either.
Upon hearing the report, Jiang Lihan, who was directing operations from the mountain, nearly slammed down the phone. He even roared, "Who told you to let him in? Are you a pig-brain? You're immediately suspended! Hand the walkie-talkie to Liu Kai! You obey his orders!"
"It's the director!"
"The director wants to see you!" Yang Shikun, pale-faced, handed the walkie-talkie to Liu Kai, who had just reminded him.
"Chief, this is Liu Kai!"
"From now on, you're in charge of guarding that place. No one is allowed to get in. If even one person slips in, you can pack your bags and get out!" Jiang Lihan said angrily.
"Did you understand?"
Liu Kai immediately said, "Director, don't worry, we won't let a single person in!"
"very good!"
With a snap, Jiang Lihan hung up the walkie-talkie. His face was so dark it seemed like water could drip from it; his anger vanished instantly.
"Damn it, a bunch of spoiled brats who only know how to cause me trouble!" Jiang Lihan cursed.
"What happened to Director Jiang?" Deputy Chief Zhao asked.
"Vice Mayor Wei's son led about ten people into the mountains!" Jiang Lihan said grimly. "They're those merchants who lost their jewelry and jade!"
Both of them frowned at this.
Coming in now would only make things worse, wouldn't it? What if it causes a misunderstanding or these people get hurt? Who would be responsible? Remember, bullets don't have eyes!
"Intercept! We must intercept! If not, detain them!" Captain Luo said in a deep voice. He didn't care at all about Vice Mayor Wei's status; in the military region, a vice mayor couldn't even get close to him.
Jiang Lihan and Deputy Detachment Leader Zhao exchanged a glance and nodded, saying, "Then we'll have to trouble Captain Luo. It's not appropriate for us to step in, so we'll have you take command. I'll accept this favor!"
Captain Luo nodded and immediately ordered his men, along with Jiang Lihan and Deputy Chief Zhao's men, to intercept them. They were also helpless.
The military is an independent entity, and the government has very little say in it. Captain Luo can ignore a standing committee member and deputy mayor, but he and Deputy Chief Zhao can't; they're trapped within the administrative system and feel helpless!
"By the way, we also need to thoroughly investigate whether anyone else has entered the mountains. I have a feeling something's not right about this. Are these businessmen willing to risk their lives for money?" Deputy Captain Zhao suddenly said, remembering something. "Director Jiang, Captain Luo, what do you think?"
While 120 million yuan worth of jewelry is indeed a huge fortune, is it really worth risking one's life? Even if the police arrest Lin Baolong, the jewelry will still be given to these businessmen.
Upon hearing this, Jiang Lihan was slightly taken aback. His expression turned serious as he said, "The safe has been searched. It's estimated to contain less than twenty million, meaning Lin Baolong's belongings are worth over a hundred million?!"
What could be worth hundreds of millions? And the quantity must be extremely small, otherwise it would be difficult to carry away and escape.
"An antiquities!" the three exclaimed in unison.
"Yes, that's exactly it! Great! I was wondering what these bastards were in such a hurry for. Turns out it's an extremely valuable antique. That explains it!" Jiang Lihan clapped his hands and said in realization.
Once I thought about it, my mind went straight!
If the value of an antique is comparable to a national treasure, the government does not allow its sale, so it must be reclaimed. Furthermore, those responsible must be held accountable!
The three men unanimously identified a suspect and intensified their interception efforts on the mountain. Zhang Guodong felt that the ascent had become significantly more difficult. Although the mountain was large, the view from its summit was expansive, and in daylight, he had to evade the sight of these people to reach the top—the difficulty was unimaginable!
Even though he's several times faster than the average person, he can't be so fast that others would think it's an illusion; he still has to climb the mountain quietly.
This means taking a longer, more circuitous route, which consumes a lot of physical energy.
It took about ten minutes to climb the mountain, and Zhang Guodong had to be extremely cautious, avoiding getting too close. Along the way, he encountered several search team members armed with submachine guns!
At this moment, Zhang Guodong lay motionless in a low, crouching position, his breathing barely a minute, only once a minute. A few dozen meters away, a special police officer cautiously surveyed their surroundings. The primary concern was preventing Lin Baolong's appearance; the elevated position offered a significant advantage. Daytime pursuits of fugitives in the mountains were highly advantageous for the police.
But things get a bit troublesome at night.
Even if infrared scanning is used for preparation, its effectiveness will be greatly reduced. Why? Are there still animals in these mountains? The heat they emit can confuse people's judgment.
There's a grove of trees on the left; once you go inside, the world opens up before you!
As the SWAT officer turned around, Zhang Guodong seized the opportunity. He leaped into the air, launching himself five meters into the forest and disappearing behind a tree.
The SWAT officer heard a sound. Though faint, he immediately turned and looked warily into the woods. An illusion? Or perhaps a wild rabbit?
After searching the woods for a while without finding any movement, he frowned. However, carrying out a mission here required utmost caution; he kept his eyes and ears open.
Zhang Guodong took a quick, even breath and moved again, advancing stealthily. This was the only way to avoid being detected!
But where is Lin Baolong? It's probably unrealistic to search for him alone in the mountains.
Update Notice: 4,000 words! First update! A second update of 3,000 words will follow shortly! Bonus update: 1,000! A total of 10,000 words today. That author's 12,000-word update vote is something I can only dream of. I have no drafts saved up. I've been releasing over 10,000 words a day for so many days, I'm about to faint.
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