Chapter 147 Miracle Trainer 3 "Won't it bite you? And even protect you..."
Every group has its own cliques. Even people from the same social class or industry may be outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds.
The news that Wu Lili had become involved with a middle-aged leader was spread by those with ulterior motives.
Jiang Mingyuan's father was still working for Shen Qinghuai, so naturally, he passed on this matter to Shen Qinghuai's ears during the dinner party.
Shen Qinghuai held up his wine glass, the orange-yellow juice inside reflecting his solemn expression.
He didn't understand: "Is he crazy? Of all the people he could ask, why Wu Lili?"
Old Jiang sighed helplessly, clinked glasses with him, took a sip of wine, and said, "I have to admire him. He's really something. At over fifty years old, he still has young girls throwing themselves at him. He's quite the lucky guy."
Shen Qinghuai wasn't thinking about that; he was worried about his eldest daughter's safety.
With the booming development of the commodity economy, drugs have become increasingly rampant. At first, the relevant departments did not realize the seriousness of the problem, nor did they expect that drug traffickers would retaliate so ruthlessly. Therefore, the information of anti-drug police and drug-sniffing dogs is not completely confidential.
Even now that it's being taken seriously, and even with all the extra measures being taken, it's impossible for no one to know about it. There will always be circles that intersect, connections that can be made, and benefits that can be transferred.
All the protective measures are powerless against the attack of power-for-sex transactions.
Besides, that guy surnamed Xie had just targeted Xiaoman at the beginning of the year, and that's how Xiaoman lost her job.
It's a pity that this child wanted to do this job; otherwise, I really wanted to persuade her to go home and inherit the family business.
Shen Qinghuai put down his wine glass and asked worriedly, "Doesn't his wife care?"
"What does she care? Women her age have seen through it all. As long as the man has money, she can just give it to him. It's not like she hasn't kept college students as mistresses." Old Jiang curled his lip and complained, "Just like your first wife."
This meal is inedible. Shen Qinghuai slammed his chopsticks on the table: "Old Jiang, don't mention that woman!"
Old Jiang had no choice but to shut up, picked up his wine glass, and took an awkward sip: "I was just saying, why are you getting so worked up? If you ask me, you can go find someone else. Have you finished your divorce proceedings yet?"
"Don't even mention it." Shen Qinghuai was incredibly annoyed lately. The Liang family wasn't cooperating, complaining that he hadn't given enough, and kept dragging their feet on signing the papers. He had no choice but to file for divorce. If he filed, the first court hearing definitely wouldn't grant the divorce. And if Liang Yuting was absent, it would drag on for two or three more times. Even if he could have a default judgment, it would still be at least two years later.
It's infuriating to think about, but he really doesn't want to give that much. After all, Liang Yuting is too wasteful. If he has the money in his hands, at least he won't mistreat the children. They are his offspring, how can he watch them starve to death?
As soon as he said this, the Liang family provoked him by bringing up the matter of Qiu Xiaoman being abandoned in Yunnan. He had no choice but to change his excuse, saying that the children were still young and it was unknown whether they would be successful in the future. They were already sitting on a large fortune, and it would be terrible if they grew up to be spendthrifts. Even mountains of gold and silver would be thrown into the water.
The Liang family still wouldn't have it, saying that they had provided him with a lot of connections and information in the early stages of his business.
He said yes, that's why he gave 30% of his assets to his four children, and that's not enough.
However, the Liang family still felt it wasn't enough. They calculated it this way: Liang Yuting would get half in the divorce, which would be 50% of the total amount; his half would be divided among the five children, with Liang Yuting taking four, which would be 40% of the total amount.
Adding it all up, it's 90%. The remaining 10% is up to him to keep or give to Qiu Xiaoman.
I'm so angry at him. Is he dead? How are we dividing the inheritance? This isn't how you divide an inheritance!
They discussed it many times, but each time it ended in discord, even when Uncle Shen Wanming intervened.
The reason for this was that the second uncle acted too early. The Liang family found out about the property he transferred to Xiaoman. The Liang family hardened their hearts and said that Xiaoman was not short of money, so they would squeeze him dry.
Moreover, last month, the Liang family gave Liang Yuting some terrible idea, making her pretend to be insane and be admitted to a mental hospital. He suspected that the Liang family wanted to secretly send Liang Yuting abroad.
In the end, the mental illness trick was learned from him, and it's all his fault.
He is now filled with remorse, regretting that he didn't think things through sooner. If he had taken Xiaoman in and raised her earlier, everything he had would have been clearly reserved for Xiaoman, and the Liang family wouldn't have been so greedy.
It was precisely because of this incident that Second Uncle, who originally wanted to come back and transfer shares to Xiaoman, had to delay. Otherwise, the Liang family would have gone too far and wanted to take all of his assets before they would stop.
He needs to think of a way to end this farce as soon as possible, or he'll really break down.
He stood up: "I'm going back now, you can eat slowly."
Old Jiang was left sighing, drunk, and had no choice but to call Jiang Mingyuan to come pick him up. But Jiang Mingyuan was on a date and simply said he was too busy to come.
Look at this, is this what raising children to provide for old age? How ridiculous, how ridiculous. Old Jiang went out drunk, hailed a taxi, and went home all alone.
Shen Qinghuai called Qiu Xiaoman, but no one answered. He had no choice but to go to her place to check. However, the door to room 801 was locked. Room 802 was left unrented, but she didn't have the key, so she definitely wasn't inside.
I had no choice but to go down to the ninth floor to check, only to find out that my daughter had gone on a business trip. Where did she go? I don't know.
Shen Qinghuai wasn't stupid; he guessed it immediately and became anxious and angry: "Why did you go again? Couldn't you have stopped us?"
"She wants to go, what can we do?" The strange old man squatted calmly on the sofa, holding two newspapers in his hands, looking for some strange news.
Shen Qinghuai walked over and snatched the newspaper away: "You're too calm. I have a feeling something's not right about this."
"What's wrong?" The strange old man remained calm, snatched the newspaper, and began to read it by himself.
Shen Qinghuai couldn't communicate with him, so he went to find Fu Ze, who was hanging clothes on the balcony. He was dumbfounded when he saw that the boy was holding Xiaoman's underwear.
He stared blankly at Fu Ze, as if he had guessed something.
Fu Ze smiled and said frankly, "Hello, Uncle. I'm with my junior sister now. I didn't tell you because you were busy and hadn't come for a while. Today is the perfect day, so I hope you know."
Shen Qinghuai didn't say anything, just stared at him. Fu Ze raised an eyebrow and continued hanging up the clothes.
When he turned around and went back to the living room, Shen Qinghuai was still sulking.
It wasn't that the candidate was bad, but that the young man had given him a hard time on their first meeting, hurting his pride as the prospective father-in-law. He was unhappy.
Fu Ze didn't bother to coax him and went about his own business.
Shen Qinghuai stood on the balcony for a long time, then decided against it. Xiaoman's job was too dangerous, and most people wouldn't want to be in such a state of fear.
Besides, he was her senior brother whom she knew well, and they might have even grown up together in Yunnan, making him much more reliable than others.
He sighed, accepted the reality, went into the living room, and asked, "What did Xiaoman tell you?"
"What did you say?" Fu Ze was doing carpentry. His junior sister had said she wanted to have a baby, so he started preparing in advance.
Shen Qinghuai had a terrible headache and could only remind him, "Did she secretly give you any information about this business trip?"
"No, really." Fu Ze clipped the woodworking pen to his ear, picked up a small saw, and began to cut the wood.
Shen Qinghuai grew anxious: "Aren't you worried at all?"
Fu Ze stopped what he was doing and thought that this man was, after all, his junior sister's father, whom she cared about deeply. He could only comfort her, saying, "Uncle, there's no use worrying. We can only do our best to do what we should do. Master has already found her the most reliable shield. If anything happens, she will come back alive."
The strange old man standing nearby chimed in, "Instead of worrying about her safety, why don't you ask someone you know about her?"
Upon hearing that the strange old man had paid him any attention, Shen Qinghuai quickly sat down and humbly asked, "What do you want to know?"
The eccentric old man had just seen it too. It was a southern newspaper, not widely available locally, and many issues had been unpublished. He pointed to the legal section: "Look, something's not right here. This newspaper is from half a month ago. It says that a drug manufacturing den was just busted in Fangchenggang, and it also exposed a cross-border drug trafficking group in Yunnan. With such a strong crackdown, how could they possibly continue to commit crimes against the wind? Wouldn't a normal person stay quiet for a while?"
Shen Qinghuai realized something and jumped to his feet: "The informant has been bribed! Spreading false information?"
"It's pretty much a done deal." The eccentric old man stood up. "Alright, don't get excited. I've already cast a divination for my daughter, and she's fine. If you're still worried, I'll fly over and check on her later. You stay here and keep an eye on my restless apprentice. Don't let him run off and cause trouble. Remember, my daughter doesn't want him showing his face in public. She'll be counting on him to be a good wife and mother when we have children, understand?"
Shen Qinghuai was quick-witted and immediately understood that the strange old man had special abilities that allowed him to secretly protect Xiaoman.
The way they address him is "daughter," not "your daughter" or "my daughter." Does this mean they consider him a member of their united front?
He suddenly became a little hesitant: "Thank you, thank you. I still don't know how to address you? Shall I call you 'brother'?"
"Don't try to claim kinship with me, I don't have a brother like you. My daughter is a good girl, I picked her up, so she's mine, you get out of my way!" With that, the strange old man whistled, and the mirage that had been hanging from the living room chandelier flew down and disappeared into his collar.
Shen Qinghuai still remembered the giant python that came out of the brass bell that night. It accepted the little dragon well, but he was still worried and asked, "Do you have enough money? If not, take my card. The password is Xiaoman's birthday."
The eccentric old man didn't stand on ceremony and snatched the money from his hand: "Take it. Remember, don't let your son-in-law go out, or your daughter will turn on you if she finds out."
Shen Qinghuai repeatedly assured him before the strange old man left.
After closing the door, Shen Qinghuai didn't stop there. He called Shen Wanming to inquire about the recent activities of several well-known international drug trafficking groups.
Of course, the police can find all of this; what he needs is information that the police can't find. For example, a gang leader sends his gang to location A, but secretly takes a few trusted men to location B.
Only seasoned veterans familiar with the intricacies of international capital negotiations can truly understand such matters.
Shen Wanming happened to recognize a few of them. After making inquiries, he obtained several key pieces of information.
First, the gang that was taken down last year was called Black Hawk. Due to heavy losses, they could only seize other people's territories. In the second half of the year, they seized the wife and children of another gang leader; this gang was called White Eagle. Currently, the leader of White Eagle still operates independently on the surface, but in reality, his main force is cooperating with Black Hawk, making him a de facto vassal. To demonstrate its sincerity in cooperation, Black Hawk ceded a European market to White Eagle, while White Eagle dispatched a group of low-level henchmen to Vietnam last month, presumably for some kind of operation.
Secondly, before meeting Wu Lili, Xie had a clean record; his superiors' judgment in choosing people was sound. The problem was that he couldn't resist temptation. The remaining Wu family forces in North America were trying to revive their fortunes, so he used connections to send her a woman, getting involved with Liu Yuandou's relatives overseas, and received a sum of money, which he then transferred to Wu Lili. Wu Lili, having failed her internship assessment and dropped out of school, wasn't even eligible to take the oath of office as a police officer; she was essentially unemployed. To help her family members who were in prison, she used herself and her body as a sugar-coated bullet, overwhelming Xie.
The rest of the information was related to Hong Kong. Although Shen Qinghuai recorded it, it was estimated that it had no connection with the mainland for the time being. The only thing that might be involved was the batch of real estate that the Wu family and Hong Kong businessmen had invested in in Yunnan, which needed to be paid attention to.
Shen Qinghuai hung up the phone and then called all his acquaintances in the Beidu circle. He received an even more terrifying message: after the Wu family fell from power, the housing management office had changed several junior leaders, all of whom were transferred away before they even had a chance to settle in. The one who was transferred now was Lu Boheng's daughter, Lu Minjie, the woman he had met when he took Xiaoman to buy a car.
Lu Boheng was arrested for allegedly assaulting and illegally detaining a minor at a karaoke bar, so Lu Minjie naturally harbored resentment towards Qiu Xiaoman. She's currently deeply involved with Fang Jiadong. The two are likely using each other; Fang Jiadong can use her work connections to check Qiu Xiaoman's property holdings. And she, having lost her father's support, can temporarily rely on the Fang family—a not-so-strong but not particularly problematic family—to catch her breath.
The adult world is full of dirty schemes and power-for-sex transactions, which Shen Qinghuai has seen many times, so he wasn't too surprised.
He simply lamented that real estate is a blessing when you haven't offended anyone, but once you have, it becomes a curse.
Second Uncle's good intentions backfired; Xiaoman has been targeted.
He could only ask his father to put on a show of respect. He called Shen Wanjun and said, "Dad, Xiaoman is probably in trouble. The Liu family, the Wu family, the Lü family, and even that kid from the Fang family have probably formed a losers' alliance to get rid of her."
“I have indeed heard some rumors.” Shen Wanjun remained calm and thought for a moment before saying, “Come here, I’ll take you to see someone.”
"No, Dad, I can't leave." Shen Qinghuai still remembered the strange old man's instructions to keep an eye on his son-in-law.
Shen Wanjun could only say over the phone, "Have you ever heard the saying 'possessing a treasure is a crime'?"
"Yes, I know."
"Your daughter is young, beautiful, and capable, so she's made quite a few enemies. If that were all, it wouldn't be a big deal. Even if someone wanted to kill her, they wouldn't gain much, so it wouldn't be worth the effort. But now, she owns a lot of real estate. She's like a three-year-old carrying gold bricks on a dark street. Who wouldn't covet her?"
“I know all that, but my second uncle has no children and wants to acknowledge her. What can I do?”
“It’s easy. Register a company in her name, mortgage the property to get a bank loan, bankrupt the company, and the property will be in your name. Then others will only be able to target you. But if you do that, you’ll probably never get a divorce.”
“Xiaoman will suffer a great loss if we do this. No, I don’t agree. I also can’t explain it to my second uncle.”
"Then let your second uncle revoke the gift; it's just a matter of processing fees. Why not just sell the house and give her the money directly?"
“The house is still appreciating in value, wouldn’t we lose money if we sold it? Wait… I can buy it. That way, Xiaoman won’t lose out, and Uncle Er won’t have any objections.”
"You must have made a lot of money from that coal shipment last year, right?"
"Yeah, I've made quite a bit. I've done the math, and I have enough money on hand."
"Then buy it. We'll see if the price goes up later. Just get a divorce first, and then you can give the money from the house to whoever you want."
"Okay, I understand. But Dad, there's something else."
"I know. My suggestion is that you have a serious talk with Xiaoman and ask her to acknowledge her ancestry when you have the chance. Think about it, even though you're her biological father, others can pretend they don't know. Before they bully her, will they even bother to ask you? They'll just think this girl is all alone in the capital. If you get upset, they'll ask, 'Why are you in such a hurry? That child's surname is Qiu, what's your relationship with her?' You'll have no answer. Even I, when I tried to help her, didn't they say the same thing to me? Take my advice, just let her acknowledge her ancestry. No matter how bad your father is, he's still a senior figure from the compound, he can at least protect her from some trouble. This is the last time I'm advising you, think it over carefully."
"Just because she doesn't acknowledge her ancestors, you won't help her?"
"Who said I didn't help? To put it bluntly, if something happened to her, would I look good? I, Shen Wanjun, am a big shot. If someone bullies her, they can just slap me in the face. Do you think I can tolerate that?"
What did you do?
"I testified at the Discipline Inspection Commission. I know the gist of the Wu family's affairs. How could the information I provided be false? Otherwise, how do you think the Wu family could have fallen so easily?"
"Did your second uncle send you?"
"Don't underestimate your father! Your father's fists aren't as big as the Wu family's, but he's not heartless or cruel! You unfilial son, you're going to drive me crazy!"
"It's my fault, Dad, please calm down. This is all over now. I'll take Xiaoman back to call Grandpa."
"You should wait until she agrees first. She has a terrible temper, just like you and me when we were young. You'll suffer for it."
"I know."
"Good to know. Also, regarding the property the Wu family invested in in Yunnan, I asked a friend to sell it. If nothing unexpected happens, we'll hear news next month that the property will be handed over to the government for disposal. The Wu family has suffered a huge loss."
"How come I didn't know?"
"How many government officials do you know?"
"No way, Dad, you... Xiaoman isn't taking the blame for you, is she?"
"You're overthinking it. The organization has been investigating the Wu family for a while now, and their downfall is only a matter of time. Besides, it was my friend who put in the effort; I didn't get involved. The Wu family can't possibly hate me. In my opinion, they're more likely to hate you; they wanted to marry their daughter to you."
"Stop talking, it's clearly you who made this mess."
"Fine, fine, I won't argue with you anymore. All three of you have messed things up, okay? What's the point of saying this? If the sky is leaking, why don't you go and mend it? What's the use of arguing here?"
"knew."
Shen Qinghuai hung up the phone, went to the bathroom, washed his face with cold water, and forced himself to calm down.
Back in the living room, I opened my briefcase, took out paper and pen, and began to sort out these intricate relationships.
Fu Ze was intently sawing wood nearby. After he finished sawing, he leaned over to take a look and pointed to the Xie family's house above.
Shen Qinghuai understood immediately: "That's right, this is the target we need to focus on breaking through."
"And this one." Fu Ze pointed to another one, Fang Jiadong. He's a troublesome person, and we have to make him stop completely. Otherwise, he'll try every means to target my junior sister and play some dirty tricks, which will be impossible to guard against.
Shen Qinghuai circled the group as instructed, but a question arose: Wu Lili's motive for seeking out the Xie family was easy to understand, but why would the Xie family cooperate? Besides beauty and money, were there any other purposes?
The two exchanged a glance. Such a large-scale operation, even using drug dealers as bait? It's not worth it.
Fu Ze bluntly stated, "There might be enemies of the Wu family in the military as well."
"The Lu family."
What's the situation with the Lu family?
"The Lu family was the main force behind this operation."
"Openly displayed?"
"Yes, the people above."
"I see. It's possible that the military personnel will also get into trouble. But do the Xie family and the Lu family have a grudge?"
"The Xie family was transferred from another place, and as far as I know, they have a clean background."
"That's not right, there must be some oversight. By the way, Uncle, is it really true that my junior sister's colleague surnamed Wu has no connection with Wu Lili's Wu family?"
“I asked around about his hometown, and it has nothing to do with Wu Lili’s family.”
"That's hard to say. I've been looking at your history textbooks lately, and there's a lot of vague stuff in them. But one thing is for sure, this place has only been at peace for a short time. If it were during wartime, and families were separated, you wouldn't be able to tell from the current household registration records."
"I can't exactly do their genetic testing, can I? I'm not qualified."
“I’ve read the newspapers; it seems like it’s possible in Hong Kong.”
"You know quite a lot, huh?"
"Otherwise, my junior sister was born and raised here, so I have to do my homework to protect her."
"I take back my first impression of you." Shen Qinghuai finally realized his arrogance. He carefully examined the young man. Not bad, handsome and thoughtful. His daughter's judgment was impeccable.
Fu Ze smiled and said, "I also take back my first impression of you."
After all, although this father was not a good father in the past, at least he is trying his best now.
And since he was the person his junior sister longed for, and he wanted to spend his life with her, it was naturally inappropriate for him to keep targeting her father.
He sat down, reviewed the network of relationships again, and tapped Wu Shirong on the shoulder: "There's definitely a problem, but I can't quite put my finger on what it is. My junior sister went on three business trips with him alone, and she mentioned it to me twice after they came back, but not once."
Which time?
"That time I went to the plateau."
"Didn't that go smoothly? She even let me know she was safe."
“She also told me, but she didn’t mention at all how she cooperated with Wu Shirong. She did describe the last two times in detail.”
"This must be where the problem occurred!" Shen Qinghuai understood and quickly called Lao Jiang, asking him to ask Director Jiang if he knew what exactly happened during Xiaoman's business trip.
Half an hour later, the call came back. It was Director Jiang himself: "Old Shen, I went to great lengths to find out about this. When your daughter went on that business trip with Wu Shirong, they encountered human traffickers on the way. They bravely intervened, and Wu Shirong was stabbed in the heart and almost lost his life. Your daughter donated 600cc of blood. Wu Shirong rested after that trip until he fully recovered this year, and only then did he take on two more business trips."
That's not right. If Xiaoman saved his life, shouldn't he express his gratitude?
Wait, wait.
Shen Qinghuai suddenly realized something, said thank you, and after hanging up the phone, he asked someone to verify it.
Shen Qinghuai sat down and added an important piece of the puzzle: "That's right, Wu Shirong's hometown is in the same place as the Xie family."
"What do you mean?" Fu Ze didn't understand at first; after all, he was still young and hadn't seen much of the world.
Shen Qinghuai reminded him, "This Wu Shirong is in his mid-twenties. He's so young and promising, there must be matchmakers in the area. The Xie family has just been transferred to Beidu. Do you think they might get to know each other?"
"You mean... he's taken a liking to my junior sister? The Xie family wants to get rid of her as soon as possible because of this son-in-law?"
"That's right. Wu Lili just happened to be throwing herself at us with a sum of money, and the two families hit it off immediately. Moreover, the trouble that happened to the Lu family would be of great benefit to the Xie family."
Fu Ze was taken aback by this turn of events and immediately thought of Shen Qinghuai's personal issues, asking, "Did your second wife's family get involved? If something happens to your junior sister, her things will be yours."
Shen Qinghuai shook his head: "No, she hasn't confirmed our father-daughter relationship yet."
"So what? Find her adoptive parents, use a few tricks, it's easy to do, right?"
“Her adoptive parents are not like that.”
“Of course I know they are good people. I mean, can’t the Liang family deceive them? Since they are from the countryside, they certainly don’t know much. They are easy to fool.”
"Oh no, now that you mention it, I remember. Her adoptive mother found an old, renowned doctor to treat the Lu family's daughter-in-law."
"Then we're connected! By contacting the old doctor, we can find out information about my junior sister's adoptive parents."
"But I haven't received any word about it. Lately, the Liang family has been focusing all their attention on me..."
"A feint attack. Don't you even understand that? I'm ruining my first impression of you." Fu Ze curled his lip in annoyance, really wanting to go out and help.
Shen Qinghuai fell completely silent, pondering the possibility of such a thing happening.
Considering that the Liang family had tried to harm Xiaoman more than once or twice, he had no choice but to accept this possibility.
He picked up his mobile phone and dialed his mother-in-law's number: "Hello, Mom, where are you?"
"I'm on vacation. Yao Yao is with me. Aren't you worried about her?"
"Come to Beidu, the children miss their grandmother."
“I’m not going. If I go, we’ll just argue again.”
"Stop arguing. I've thought it through. I don't want a single penny. I'm leaving with nothing. Bring Yao Yao over here. We can go see Tingting together and sign the agreement."
"Really?" The old hag was so excited that her voice cracked.
Shen Qinghuai calmly said, "Really, I don't want anything. I just want you dead."
*
After Qiu Xiaoman landed, Yang Miaomiao was there to pick her up again.
The two hadn't seen each other for a long time, and they sat together and chatted amiably.
Yang Miaomiao paid special attention and saw that she looked radiant and had a gentle, spring-like complexion. She smiled and asked, "You have a boyfriend?"
"Mmm." Qiu Xiaoman smiled shyly.
Yang Miaomiao couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Wow, that's really something! This guy actually has a shy side." She asked curiously, "The one who pursued you last time?"
"No. The one who's always been by my side." Qiu Xiaoman didn't specify who it was.
Yang Miaomiao sincerely wished him a long and happy marriage, and asked when he would be getting married.
"Let nature take its course," Qiu Xiaoman replied, choosing a generic answer since she couldn't refuse.
Yang Miaomiao understood that Xiaoman was still young, so she started talking about other things. When they arrived at the campsite, Qiu Xiaoman received the information about the operation.
The map in my hand was only accurate to the county level, and the scale was still exaggerated, as low as 1:250,000. That is to say, an area of 250,000 square kilometers only appears as one square kilometer on the map. Therefore, those small hills and valleys that only locals can name are not visible on the map.
The location provided by the informant would only be a precise hill or valley.
A guide becomes essential.
Qiu Xiaoman glanced at the circled area on the map and asked curiously, "Is it the same place as last time?"
“It’s different, isn’t it?” Yang Miaomiao leaned closer. “Last time it was called Luo something, this time it’s called Nong something.”
"It's the same. Last time we used the Wa language transliteration, this time we used the Dai language transliteration. It's the same: Mengkaluokou Miaolang River No. 9 Bend, northwest of Xiangguntang, east of Naxia Pass, walk 800 meters, turn left, go up the hillside, it's at the big rock." Qiu Xiaoman translated it into Chinese. Something was wrong! She quickly came out of the tent and reported the situation to Captain Lu.
Captain Lu had just finished showering and was wearing a shirt that wasn't tucked into his pants, making him look a bit thin.
Upon seeing Qiu Xiaoman arrive, he warmly invited her to sit down.
Qiu Xiaoman quickly handed him the note with the location written on it: "Captain Lu, this location is exactly the same as last time, just transliterated in a different language. Don't you think there's a problem?"
"Oh? Same as before?" Captain Lu was very puzzled. "That shouldn't be the case. It's only been less than a year. These mules should have moved to a different place by now."
"Yeah, last time at that location, our ambush and encirclement went smoothly. The only obstacle was the area where the animal traps were set. If it's the same place again this time, I just don't feel right. Do you think they might be doing it on purpose, testing the safety of the route? Or... is the most dangerous place the safest? Are they deliberately provoking us?"
"Logically, areas that have been investigated and dealt with should subsequently increase patrols and repair loopholes in the border, such as reinforcing barbed wire and strengthening ground stakes. But..."
"But what?"
"What if other places are even stricter?"
"Then why is this place inferior to other places?"
"Many people have left, they are familiar with the area, making it easy for them to escape. Or there has just been a conflict in another place."
"I still feel something's not right, but I can't quite put my finger on it. Maybe I'm not professional enough."
"No, no, no, your intuition is very sharp. I'm not ruling out the possibility you mentioned; I'm just considering other possibilities."
"What if they did it on purpose?"
"That means they have ulterior motives."
"Luring us into underestimating our enemy? It can't be that simple, can it?"
"They might do this for revenge, tampering with the goods to lure us out, and then surrounding us from the outside when we inspect them."
"Then they need sufficient firepower support. Has there been any smuggling of that kind of weaponry around here lately?"
"There must be quite a few. Several have already been uncovered, and I don't even want to think about the ones that haven't been uncovered yet."
"You investigated all of this?"
"No, it was the border police who did the check. Their drug-sniffing dog training isn't quite there yet. Once they're more proficient, they'll take over that responsibility."
Do drug dealers know this?
"There are no secrets that stay hidden forever. If there are, it's because you haven't tried hard enough."
“Suppose, I mean suppose,” Qiu Xiaoman grabbed a small stool and sat down, “Suppose they know, say, starting next year, that the person investigating them will be replaced, and considering that we almost wiped out their people last time, wouldn’t they seize the opportunity to retaliate against us?”
"If your assumption is true, then it will definitely happen."
"And there must be support from foreign multinational capital."
"That's right, Xiao Qiu, you know a lot, you deserve praise."
"My colleagues at work talk about cross-border capital every day, and I've heard a little bit about it," Qiu Xiaoman said casually. Actually, her second great-uncle had talked to her about it on the phone.
Captain Lu nodded: "It's always good to learn as long as you live."
"Hmm. If that's the case, their people might have found a high vantage point nearby, which would allow them to observe us. Let me think about it." Qiu Xiaoman picked up a pen and paper and began to recall the mountains where she had lived for over a decade. "I've got it!" she asked, looking up. "What are the effective observation distance and effective firing range of a sniper rifle?"
"1,000 meters and 800 meters. These are the most advanced rifles currently in service, and only we have them."
“Yes, that’s right. Look, within a radius of 800 meters, here and here, there are two high slopes with trees on them. We can climb up to observe, one to the east and one to the west, to complete our field of vision.” Qiu Xiaoman picked up a ballpoint pen from the table, turned it upside down, and used the cap side to draw a slightly larger-scaled map on the ground.
When Captain Lu came over to take a look, he realized that the two locations were indeed very tricky. Last time, their men only went to one of them and didn't go to the other because there was a ditch in between.
Their men went to scout that area again, so the problem definitely wasn't there. He then asked, "What about a radius of one thousand meters?"
“There’s nothing within a 1,000-meter radius, but there are two high-voltage power towers, one to the east and one to the west, within a 1,200-meter radius!” Qiu Xiaoman marked them on the map. “They’re smugglers, so they definitely have access to more advanced weapons from abroad. Even if they don’t use weapons, they can certainly use high-powered binoculars, right? Once their people are observing from here, combined with electronic communications, they can counter-encircle us and then annihilate us.”
Lu fell silent. He had searched the area last time he came and hadn't seen any high-voltage power towers. This time, they had just set up camp and hadn't searched yet, so how did Xiao Qiu know?
He was curious and asked, "How did you know?"
“You forgot? My mother-in-law, Qiu, lives nearby.” Qiu Xiaoman smiled. “Although she moved to the county town, she sometimes calls me to talk about things here. Last month she mentioned it to me, and I calculated the location based on her directions, but there might be an error of ten meters or so. Shall we go check it out now?”
"Let's go!" Captain Lu quickly assembled a small team and told Yang Miaomiao to pack up and come along to protect Qiu Xiaoman closely.
Qiu Xiaoman grabbed her backpack and deliberately unzipped it to take a look. Caihua and Ping'an were curled up inside, sleeping. The two of them had been shrunk down by their master. They looked like two bundles of thicker electrical wires with different colors.
Just as I was about to pat them and comfort them, Yang Miaomiao came over.
Sensing the scent of a stranger, Caihua suddenly sprang out, startling Yang Miaomiao so much that she jumped up and almost screamed, but thankfully she was well-trained and managed to hold back in time.
When she looked closer, she realized it was a rat snake, and it immediately shrank behind Qiu Xiaoman: "You got a snake in your bag? Aren't you scared?"
Qiu Xiaoman remained calm: "I brought it."
"Huh?" Yang Miaomiao's eyes widened. "You brought it? How did it get on the plane?"
“Let them swim over the wall.”
"...What can they do?"
"It bites, it scares, it protects me."
"Won't it bite you? It'll even protect you."
"No, I know how to drive away snakes, it's Miao witchcraft." Qiu Xiaoman found a ready-made excuse, after all, there really were related legends.
Yang Miaomiao surrendered: "Make sure they hide well, so they don't scare the others in the group."
"No, I'll show it to everyone when we gather. If someone screams halfway through, it'll only make things worse." Qiu Xiaoman had her own plans. She wasn't afraid to make it public, since ordinary people couldn't control snakes anyway.
Unlike humans, who can be coerced or bribed and eventually turn against their masters, these creatures, once branded with the mark of the beast, will be absolutely loyal.
She simply let the two snakes wrap around her wrists, one on each side, and then went out.
The assembled group was small, consisting of twelve people, with one soldier surnamed Qin carrying a dimly lit electric lamp.
Qiu Xiaoman moved closer so everyone could see clearly: "These are my pets. They'll help me scout ahead and drive away the other snakes in the forest. Don't be afraid, they're very obedient and won't bite."
His comrades all stared wide-eyed at this unusual little comrade.
Qiu Xiaoman smiled sincerely: "Really, I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, I'll have them dance for you."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the two snakes actually wrapped around her wrists, raised their upper bodies, and began to writhe.
No wonder the phrase "snake-like waist" is often used to describe graceful beauties; my comrades were truly amazed.
Seeing that they had relaxed, Qiu Xiaoman let the two snakes return to their wrists and wrap them securely. She whispered, "There are a lot of snakes at night. I'll walk ahead and clear the way. Who wants to come with me?"
Lu glanced at Yang Miaomiao, but Yang Miaomiao was afraid of snakes. However, obeying orders was the rule, so she had no choice but to grimace and step forward.
Helpless, Qiu Xiaoman tugged at her comrade carrying the lantern: "Come with me."
After Lu gave his approval, the sniper was equipped with the team's only infrared thermal imaging night vision device, and the team set off.
The two snakes came off her wrist and disappeared into the grass in the blink of an eye.
Amidst the cacophony of insect chirping, a faint hissing sound seemed like two stealthy soldiers clearing a path, advancing relentlessly.
Soon, the first high-voltage power tower was identified. The Marines immediately marked it on the map and arranged for snipers equipped with infrared thermal imaging night vision devices to confirm its location. There was no one on the tower at the moment.
Lu instructed, "You, go up and keep watch from the high ground. Report any situation immediately."
The sniper took out his equipment and climbed up in the darkness, moving as fast as a shadow.
Qiu Xiaoman was filled with admiration. She glanced at Captain Lu and, after receiving a nod of approval, headed towards another high-voltage power tower.
After walking 400 meters eastward horizontally, the second high-voltage power tower came into view, right next to the path the troops had taken when they were encamped, but it was a dozen meters away from the roadside.
Because the surrounding area is full of woods, and the tower is entangled with wildly growing vines, and it's nighttime, you can't see it at all unless you get close.
Lu, marking the location, couldn't help but exclaim, "There's almost no deviation. Your math is pretty good, Qiu!"
Qiu Xiaoman smiled. The span between two 220V high-voltage power towers is between 300 and 550 meters. Given their distance from the high slope, the radius of their position can be estimated by using the geometric characteristics of a circle and the simple Pythagorean theorem.
She chose the 400-meter mark, and luckily, it matched perfectly.
Now the question is, is anyone up in the tower?
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