"Alright, the three of us grew up together, you wouldn't betray me, you tell me what to do, and we'll do it!"
"Something is wrong here!"
"Brother Qiang told us to come here on patrol. The supplies collection team hasn't arrived yet. Why have these trees been dug up?"
The three looked around, trying to see if anyone was nearby, but they obviously wouldn't find anyone, because Xu Lin had already taken Zhou Pin and the dogs into the space.
Before going in, they placed a pinhole camera on the tree trunk, and waited until they left before coming out.
Xu Lin didn't want to confront them directly. After listening to their conversation, she learned that their new "leader" was no "good person" and was a mountain lord who indiscriminately cut down trees.
Because his phone contained a gun, the "Brother Gang" who had kindly taken him in unexpectedly turned into a real-life version of the fable of the farmer and the snake. He's probably regretting it terribly now.
The three searched for a long time but found nothing. Thinking that someone might have come to collect supplies before, they left.
After watching them leave, Xu Lin and Zhou Pin brought the dogs out of the space and continued their work, with the dogs still on guard duty.
Xu Lin had just fed them canned food in the space, and now they were full of energy. If Xu Lin hadn't told them not to make a sound, they would have wanted to roar to the sky.
The three patrolmen had just left, and the supplies collection team would probably arrive here in the afternoon, so the two of them had to hurry.
Xu Lin also found a false groundcherry tree in an inconspicuous place. Actually, she wasn't sure if it was, because false groundcherries usually grow in the south.
"Regardless of why it appeared here, since I've encountered it, it must be fate." Xu Lin was especially happy.
"Is there anything special about this tree?" Zhou Pin didn't understand why Xu Lin was so happy.
"Have you ever tried ice jelly?" Xu Lin asked.
"I ate it when I was a child, it looked like snot."
"Its seeds can be used to make ice jelly, but you've made it sound so disgusting. How am I supposed to eat it now?" Xu Lin said sadly, pointing at the false groundcherry tree.
"Then let's not accept this tree," Zhou Pin teased her.
"That won't do. Not only do we have to collect them, but we have to collect a lot more. Hurry up." Xu Lin ordered Zhou Pin without holding back.
The two collected the trees until dark, then went into the space to eat a meal and came out again.
This time, the purpose of the trip was not to continue collecting trees, but to explore the mountain king "Brother Qiang".
Dressed in black and wearing night-vision goggles, the two men made their way through the thick fog toward their base in the mountains.
With the aid of night vision goggles, the two quickly arrived at the gathering place, just in time to witness their "brainwashing session." Thirty or forty people stood densely packed together, facing the two standing on the rock.
"Over the past few months, under Brother Qiang's leadership, our lives have been getting better and better. We have earned our wages, the elderly have support, and the young are cared for. We are grateful for Brother Qiang's foresight..." one of them said enthusiastically.
Xu Lin glanced around and saw that there was only an elderly woman in her sixties standing in the first row, and no one else was over 50 years old. This "old age having support" seemed a bit far-fetched.
Moreover, there was only one woman holding a child of about one year old, and two pregnant women on the side. This "children being cared for" is barely acceptable.
The applause below was deafening. The man standing to the side, neither speaking nor clapping, but with an air of "old cadre" composure, must be their great leader—Brother Qiang.
The brainwashing session lasted an hour, with 45 minutes dedicated to recounting Brother Qiang's great achievements and the last 15 minutes for assigning tasks.
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