Being too clever for one's own good
It was pitch black. When the flashlight beam shone on it, countless bats hung upside down from the cave ceiling, a sight that sent chills down one's spine. Two more hovered overhead, looking down at the intruders.
The group discovered that this space was five times larger than the one next door, with caves connected to caves, revealing its most primitive appearance. Bats need to go out to forage, so there must be an exit leading to the outside world. Secretary Deng cursed inwardly, "Damn it!" No one would believe that such a large underground passage could exist without the involvement of inside opportunists.
A chilling wind blew, and everyone felt a strange sense of being watched. Their steps became smaller and smaller. Secretary Deng had a feeling that the murderer was not far away, that the bastard had a gun, that the enemy was in the dark while they were in the light, and that the situation was not good.
Suddenly, a dark shadow attacked, and the young soldier immediately dropped to the ground. It turned out to be a blind bat that was trying to attack.
Looking at the bats on the cave ceiling, Secretary Deng had a sudden inspiration. He twitched his nose and smelled a faint, salty, bloody odor wafting from the southeast.
There he was, raising his index finger to make a shushing gesture to everyone, then pointing southeast and turning off his flashlight first, with the others following suit.
For a moment, the only sound in the darkness was the flapping of bats.
The stench of blood grew stronger. Secretary Deng squinted and suddenly turned on his flashlight, illuminating Xiao Li's bewildered face. As soon as he raised his hand, the soldiers pounced on him like swift cheetahs and disarmed him.
Ah—Xiao Li's shrill scream echoed throughout the cave. The soldiers hurriedly covered his mouth, but it was too late. The sleeping bat, startled, screamed and flew down, transforming into a long black whip that lashed wildly at the crowd.
Panic engulfed everyone; they covered their ears and waved to scare away the bats from all directions. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Xiao Li kicked off his restraints and leaped into the darkness.
Bang!
ah!
The murderer screamed in agony. Secretary Deng, holding a still-smoking gun, delivered a stern ultimatum that echoed throughout the area: "You are surrounded. Surrender immediately!"
Xiao Li stuffed something into his mouth and then sped up his run. The two soldiers, braving the frenzied bats, hurriedly fired, but missed several shots in a row.
Just as he was about to escape the bat cave, Xiao Li stumbled and fell to the ground. Secretary Deng pulled back his leg, pressed down on him with the aura of a Mongolian strongman, and roared, "You son of a bitch, try running again!"
Xiao Li struggled incessantly, and the immense force he exerted caused Secretary Deng's arm to ache slightly. He could even hear his bones creaking, but when he thought of the way Red Little Devil died, his suppressed grief and indignation transformed into new strength, and he used all four limbs to tightly strangle the murderer.
Perhaps knowing that the harshest trial awaited him, Xiao Li's will to survive surged to its peak, and he suddenly attacked Secretary Deng with his elbow.
The two men were already quite different in size. With each blow from Xiao Li, Secretary Deng's breath would catch in his throat. He gritted his teeth and gripped the assailant's bleeding shoulder tightly, causing Xiao Li to wail in pain.
During the stalemate, Xiao Li suddenly became ruthless, dragging Secretary Deng along to slam them against the wall. His eyes were filled with madness, and Secretary Deng's head was ringing. He couldn't help but relax a little.
Another heavy impact separated the two completely. Xiao Li's eyes flashed with malice as he pulled a dagger from his waist and stabbed Secretary Deng in the abdomen.
*Thud*, the blade sliced through the fabric. Huh? It doesn't hurt. Secretary Deng looked up and saw Xiao Li wrestling with the arriving soldiers, a tangled mess. Another soldier, having broken free from the swarm of bats, kicked Xiao Li in the back of the knee, forcing him to kneel.
However, Xiao Li had gone mad for some reason and possessed extraordinary strength. Despite having his hands twisted behind his back and his face turning purple, he roared, causing the soldiers to fall to the ground. Xiao Li managed to break free and stumbled as he fled out of the cave.
Two well-trained soldiers couldn't handle Xiao Li alone; something was definitely amiss!
Secretary Deng staggered to his feet, but felt a burning pain on the back of his head. He touched it and found his hand covered in blood. Fortunately, the wound wasn't too deep and wouldn't be life-threatening. He immediately said, "Don't chase after them recklessly. Look for arrow marks first. Also, the murderer is injured. Watch out for bloodstains underfoot."
The soldiers immediately sprang into action. Little Li's blood was dripping everywhere. Secretary Deng's questions flooded in: how could he still move so freely? It was a medical miracle.
Suddenly, a bright light appeared before his eyes. Only after walking in did Secretary Deng realize that this was one of the holes that Ouyang had knocked out earlier. He could still see the curious gazes of the villagers through the hole, but they were being kept out by the guards and could not come in.
They were surprised to see Secretary Deng for a second, but quickly recovered and gave him a friendly salute: "Hello, Secretary Deng!"
"Good, all good. Has anyone come out yet?" Secretary Deng asked.
"No, but a madman with a knife just ran out of the cave and then back in, scaring the villagers. So Comrade Xia Lang led a group of villagers who are also Party members in, saying they were going to catch the madman," the officer in charge of the control replied honestly.
Ugh, this is so annoying! What can that idiot Xia Lang do inside? He's bringing ordinary people along, just causing trouble. Secretary Deng is in a real bind, and the wound on the back of his head is hurting even more.
At this moment, a soldier pointed to the forked mark on the ground and reported, "Secretary, look, this mark is separated from the bloodstains. The murderer did not go in the direction of the mark."
"This kid must be seeing things," Secretary Deng thought for a moment and said, "You follow the bloodstains. If you encounter Xia Lang and his men, tell them what I said: no firing. They must immediately retreat through the secret passage, or they will be treated as accomplices of enemy agents. The rest of you follow me along the marks."
Secretary Deng walked at the front, with the others following closely behind. Before long, they rediscovered the bloodstains. Secretary Deng sneered, "Hmph, trying to play counter-surveillance with him? The kid's still too green."
In the blink of an eye, a dark figure flashed past, clearly Xiao Li. A soldier shouted, "Don't run!"
Xiao Li continued to flee without looking back, while Secretary Deng said in a deep voice, "The rest of you, hurry up and follow!"
After running for over a thousand meters, Xiao Li jumped onto a platform in a panic. The soldiers followed and climbed up the platform using their hands and feet. Secretary Deng's legs were cramping, and he was barely able to get onto the platform by the soldiers.
"Confess and you'll be treated leniently; resist and you'll be punished severely! You should know the organization's policies," Secretary Deng warned, panting heavily. "If you run again, we'll open fire."
In a flash, the two figures collided. In the darkness, Secretary Deng only heard a burst of wild laughter. Little Li was no longer afraid; in fact, he couldn't help but shout excitedly, "Go ahead and drive if you dare!"
When the light ahead was restored, Secretary Deng gasped. Xiao Li's blade was pressed against someone's neck—it was Old Zhang!
Old Zhang's eyes widened, his expression equally incredulous, as he struggled to reach out his hand: "Help, help me."
What's going on? How did he get here? Are they putting on a show? Before Secretary Deng could even voice his question, Xiao Li burst into laughter and said in a sinister tone, "Come on, if you dare to fire, I'll take him down with me and we'll all go to the underworld together."
Secretary Deng said with a stern face, "Killing him won't do you any good. Do you think he can escape today?"
Little Li grinned maliciously: "Is that so? Then I'll trouble Old Zhang to clear the way for me in the underworld first."
Old Zhang's body trembled violently, and a thin line of blood slid down the corner of his neck. Secretary Deng understood the key point after a moment's thought: even if the King of Horses had three eyes, so what? Nobody had ever seen it.
Secretary Deng took a deep breath and forced himself to remain calm, saying, "Xiao Li, turn back before it's too late. Don't force me to take action. If you can explain yourself clearly and reveal the mastermind, you might be spared."
"I don't believe it! Xie Gaosheng was so powerful, such a high-ranking official, and you just killed him like that?" Little Li's head trembled uncontrollably. "You won't let me go. No, you won't..."
“Xiao Li, you should have learned all the policies. The organization has its own internal procedures and its own external procedures. Killing Xie Gaosheng is a matter of cleaning house. As for you, as long as you reveal your superior and tell us everything you know, then you are just following orders, and the organization can use its external policies.” Secretary Deng emphasized, putting his hands behind his back.
Secretary Deng noticed the flicker in the killer's eyes and pulled out a gleaming gold bar: "Or let me put it another way, is this gold bar a bribe from your superiors to cover your escape?"
Staring at the gold bars, Xiao Li's eyes turned red. He flipped his wrist, and a sharp knife was pressed against Lao Zhang's throat. He threatened, "What's it to you? Give me the gold bars, and we'll go our separate ways."
"The gold bars are evidence, don't even think about them. You should consider your situation more than the gold bars. Right now, five guns are pointed at you. Do you think your knife is faster or our guns are faster?" Secretary Deng advised. "I haven't given the order yet because I want to give you a chance. Even if you run away, if you don't complete the mission, will they recognize you? Without power, influence, or status, even shoe shiners won't want you."
Xiao Li's lips twitched, and beads of sweat appeared on his forehead: "Who said I didn't complete the mission? As long as I open that stone door and release the water, none of you will survive."
Naive, still stubborn even when facing death. Secretary Deng sighed: "Ah~ Your superiors may not have told you that our aircraft shelter has a water storage tank and drainage pipes. As long as the water level exceeds a certain warning line, even a large amount of water can be drained. No one will drown, but the floor will be wet, and you may not be able to sleep. The older people will suffer."
Having probably not expected the sewers to exist, Xiao Li was stunned, his face full of confusion.
Secretary Deng keenly noticed the fleeting resentment in Old Zhang's eyes and pressed on: "Oh ho, you wouldn't have acted on your own without telling your superior, would you? Well, that's ridiculous. You barely escaped a poisoning attempt without using the broken skin mask he gave you, and now you've recklessly ruined his plan. He might be hunting you down to the ends of the earth."
"I don't want to die! I don't want to die, I just want a way to live!" Little Li roared hysterically, the veins on his face bulging, which looked very strange.
"There's a way out, it depends on whether you cooperate. I heard you also come from a poor background, you should understand which system is in your favor." Secretary Deng's expression hardened. "I'll ask you one more time, who is your superior?"
Staring at the dark gun barrel, Xiao Li lowered his head for a long time before replying hesitantly, "His code name is Scorpion, and he seems to belong to a place called Chicken and Goose Alley in Nanjing."
"Heh, vipers and scorpions again. The Nationalist government is a den of snakes, insects, and rats, stinking to high heaven." Secretary Deng calmly replied, "Okay, thank you for your cooperation. But as far as I know, you have accomplices in the Soviet area, right? That person is your real operation leader. For example, he had you poison our heroes' commendation meal."
“It wasn’t me,” Xiao Li said excitedly. “I was only responsible for putting the poison given by the scorpion in the tiles next to the granary. That person would take it when he saw the special mark on the bottle. As for how he poisoned it, I really don’t know. You should check the cooks.”
"Not bad, that son of a bitch managed to vomit something," Secretary Deng earnestly guided. "You did very well. Now slowly let go of the knife in your hand. Old Zhang neither provoked nor harmed you. He's been tortured and his health isn't good. If he has a relapse later, he'll become a burden to you. Why don't we go to the conference room and talk slowly, just the two of us?"
Cough, cough, cough! Old Zhang coughed vigorously. Xiao Li grabbed Old Zhang and slashed from his neck to his lower back with the blade. He then hid behind Old Zhang and shouted, "Put down your guns first."
"Alright. Everyone, put your guns away." With Secretary Deng's order, the soldiers put their guns away, and Secretary Deng stepped forward to greet Xiao Li and Lao Zhang.
"Don't try anything funny." Xiao Li held off Lao Zhang and moved step by step toward Secretary Deng. Lao Zhang was pale and trembling, but he couldn't hide his joy.
Secretary Deng looked at Old Zhang, then at Little Li, and smiled as he reached out his hand, saying, "That's right. Slowly loosen your grip, give me the knife."
The distance between the two grew shorter and shorter. When they were about three people's width apart, Xiao Li stopped and hesitated. Secretary Deng was not in a hurry and waited patiently for him to figure it out.
Perhaps deciding to take a gamble, Xiao Li carefully released Lao Zhang's neck and slowly moved the blade away. Just as Lao Zhang was out of danger, Xiao Li's expression suddenly changed, and he unexpectedly dragged Lao Zhang back into the darkness.
"Xiao Li, you..." Secretary Deng didn't finish his sentence.
Deng Gangpao!
Bang!
Secretary Deng was tackled to the ground by a soldier beside him, a vortex of air rushing past his shoulder. Xia Lang laughed wildly: "Hahahaha, my marksmanship is pretty good, isn't it?"
"Xia Lang, are you trying to murder Secretary Deng?" a soldier shouted angrily, pointing his finger at him.
"Get out of the way. I'm cleaning house." Xia Lang shoved the soldier aside, not even glancing at Secretary Deng. "Xiao Li, you traitor, get out here."
Xia Lang pulled back the bolt, but before he could fire a second shot, his head was pressed against the gun barrel. Secretary Deng gave him a look, and the soldiers swarmed forward and tied him up like a dumpling. They were so tight that his flesh was twisted into strips.
"Deng Gangpao, what are you doing? Is this how you treat your comrades? Or are you a spy too?" Xia Lang staggered and almost fell to the ground. The crowd that followed and climbed onto the platform looked at each other, not daring to breathe.
"You pursue them first, make sure they are alive," Secretary Deng ordered.
All that could be heard was Xia snarling, "Deng Gangpao, you have no heart! Your bodyguard died, and his child was only twelve years old! How dare you let the murderer go?"
Secretary Deng narrowed his eyes and said in a voice that everyone could hear, "Comrade Xia Lang, we are Party members. Even if we are heartbroken, we must act in accordance with the law. Xiao Li's crime will be judged by the law. It is not your place to carry out vigilante justice. I would like to ask everyone to send Comrade Xia Lang to the court so that Minister He can educate him and prevent him from making mistakes. Otherwise, he will not even be able to keep his Party membership."
"Oh, Secretary Deng really thinks ahead." The villagers nodded in agreement.
"Deng Gangpao, you dog spy, wuwu..." Before Xia Lang could finish cursing, his mouth was stuffed with cloth.
Secretary Deng leaned close to his ear and whispered, "Comrade Xia Lang, I know you're not convinced, but I've already had someone remind you not to worry about it. You can't do anything about it anyway, because your security clearance level is too low."
Xia Lang struggled to get up with a venomous look in his eyes. Secretary Deng pretended to be sad and said to the villagers, "Comrade Xia Lang can't understand it for a moment and has resentment towards me. I accept that. For his future and for the rule of law in our Soviet society, let's send him to the court for education as soon as possible."
As soon as these words were spoken, the villagers dared not delay. Two people on each side lifted Xia Lang up and carried him down from the high platform.
There were rustling sounds inside the cave. Following the sound, Secretary Deng quickly caught up with the soldiers who had gone ahead, but it was not quite what he had expected.
Li, who was holding Lao Zhang hostage, stared blankly at the cave wall, as if there was something there. Lao Zhang, on the other hand, clung to Li's arm and resisted fiercely. The soldiers were hesitant to rush forward, and could only gently persuade Li to put down his knife.
In an instant, Xiao Li turned his head and stared straight at where he was, his eyes bloodshot and revealing an eerie depth. Secretary Deng was startled and stopped in his tracks; something was wrong with this kid.
"Hahahaha," Xiao Li burst into wild laughter without warning, his mouth agape as wide as a bottomless abyss: "You've come."
"Hmm, Xiao Li, don't be impulsive. I guarantee what we just said still stands." Secretary Deng swallowed, but Xiao Li didn't say anything, his eyes still unblinking, as if he wasn't talking to him, but waiting for someone else's answer.
Secretary Deng couldn't help but glance behind him. It was pitch black behind him, and there was nothing there. Maybe there was something, but he couldn't see it. Could it be that his accomplices had caught up with him?
Just as Secretary Deng was on the verge of suffocation with tension, Old Zhang struggled violently. With a series of clanging sounds, several pieces of metal fell to the ground. As if greatly stimulated, Xiao Li, before they could react, suddenly stabbed Old Zhang several times in a frenzy, each knife piercing his back.
"Help! Someone!" Secretary Deng felt dizzy and as if the sky was about to collapse.
The soldiers rushed forward, forming a three-layered human pyramid, and instantly subdued Xiao Li. Secretary Deng then caught Lao Zhang. Lao Zhang clutched his chest, turning his head in horror to look at Xiao Li. However, blood blocked his trachea, and he mumbled a few words before spitting out a pool of blood. The light in his eyes gradually dimmed.
"Old Zhang, Old Zhang." Secretary Deng hurriedly touched his carotid artery. Fortunately, he was still breathing.
The soldiers quickly tied Xiao Li up. Xiao Li looked down at his blood-stained front, as if waking from a dream, and murmured in a tearful voice, "It wasn't me, it wasn't me..."
“If it wasn’t you, then who was it? We all saw it with our own eyes,” the soldier retorted.
"Take the prisoner to the courthouse. You guys give me a hand and carry Old Zhang down quickly," Secretary Deng said, pointing at the limp Old Zhang.
“Secretary, look.” A soldier tugged at his sleeve, and in the beam of the flashlight, the ground shimmered with golden light.
One, two, three, four, five, six... thirteen, fourteen, a total of fourteen gold bars. Secretary Deng's throat rolled, and he glanced meaningfully at the unconscious Old Zhang, thinking to himself, "You mustn't die, we still have things to say."
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