An Moxue and Xu Qingfeng went down the mountain overnight to find Wu Sicheng. The five of them met and held a brief meeting.
Finally, An Moxue said, "I still want to start a few fires to lure people out."
Wu Sicheng said, "I disagree. Although it's possible, we have too few people and too many uncertainties. I don't think it's worth the risk at the moment."
Xu Qingfeng said, "Commander Wu and I share the same opinion. We also think the risk is too great, mainly because we have too few people. Even if we find it, if we get entangled by a few people, they can still transport the gunpowder away."
Wang Wei and Li Deren also nodded in agreement with Xu Qingfeng's statement, disagreeing with An Moxue's decision to proceed as it was.
She knew the risks involved, so she had no choice but to give up, as the minority had to submit to the majority.
After discussing it, Xu Qingfeng said, "We'll do this operation after the main force arrives. If we still haven't found the gunpowder, then we'll proceed as planned. What do you think? Now we have an additional clue about gunpowder to use in the search."
Wu Sicheng said, "It has been verified that all the cadres in this town are descendants of Japanese war criminals. Interestingly, the three of them (the mayor, the party secretary, and the chairman of the committee) each have their own network of contacts. On the surface, the mayor is in charge, but they all have their own ulterior motives. This is the latest finding."
Upon hearing this, several people's eyes lit up. This was a clear case of internal discord, something they could use to their advantage!
“After a thorough investigation, if possible, we should create some conflict for them. That way, more things will be exposed. After all, it's easier for dogs to fight than to lock the door and beat them, isn't it?” An Moxue smiled slyly.
"Yes, I'll handle this." Wu Sicheng said, a smile flashing across his eyes. This was the only thing that made him happy during this period.
The investigation is becoming increasingly alarming, with the findings snowballing and growing larger, and they still don't know how many more people will be implicated.
"Is there still no clue about Duan Qing?" Wu Sicheng asked.
An Moxue shook her head and said, "No." Xu Qingfeng also shook his head.
The group felt even heavier as they thought of Duan Qing.
An Moxue said, "I'll go to the cave behind Maple Leaf Temple; maybe I can find it there. You guys take care of the rest; I'll be going now."
An Moxue said this and left first. Wu Sicheng said, "I'll go arrange for the dogs to fight each other."
Xu Qingfeng said, "Then the three of us will investigate the gunpowder matter."
The group dispersed and went about their own business.
When An Moxue came out, it was already dawn, and she quickened her pace.
As they climbed the mountain, they encountered many people dressed as villagers from the surrounding area, who were looking for food or chopping firewood. An Moxue spotted several of them from afar; they all had solid lower bodies and were clearly skilled in martial arts.
Eager to find Duan Qing, she avoided these people and walked away. In fact, she had another guess in her heart. Since ancient times, there have always been rich monks and poor Taoist priests. However, after searching so many secret rooms, there was not a single piece of gold, silver, or antiques. She did not believe it. She believed that there must be a batch of gold, silver, and antiques somewhere. Otherwise, where would they get the cultural relics they smuggled? With so many secret rooms and passages, the monks here were not simple from the beginning, let alone now.
Once inside the cave, she carefully studied the map she had drawn earlier and moved quickly through it, examining the surroundings as she went. Given the size of the cave, it would be easy to hide several thousand people there.
This idea startled An Moxue again.
Yes! It's not a problem to hide thousands of people. But if some people hide here, it will make it much harder to find them. It's easy to hide something, but it's even harder to find if they hide it underwater. She stared at the water flow beside her, thinking, especially since gold and silver are not afraid of water.
Finally, at a corner, just as she was about to pass by, a beam of light shone obliquely, hitting the gap and catching her attention.
She turned around and examined the area carefully, but still found nothing unusual. Her intuition told her something was wrong, so she took out a powerful flashlight and shone it into the crevice. She found that the crevice was very deep. Suddenly, she heard a soft, whimpering sound. Thinking she had misheard, she shone the flashlight again. This time the sound was clearer. She was sure she hadn't misheard and began searching the area.
She found nothing, but slowly went around the gap and saw a person lying on their side on the ground, motionless.
This side was hidden in the shadows, and she would have missed it if she hadn't searched carefully. Moreover, the water here was swift and noisy, which could easily mask some sounds, causing the person she called to overlook them. If she didn't have good lightness skills, even if she saw it, she wouldn't be able to get over.
Even An Moxue couldn't help but exclaim – What a wonderful place!
She circulated her inner energy, lightly touched the ground with her toes, and easily landed on the small stone surface with a few quick steps.
She approached the person and looked at him; it was Duan Qing, who had disappeared for several days.
She called softly, "Duan Qing, Duan Qing," and took one of Duan Qing's hands to take his pulse.
This confirmed that Duan Qing had been brutally beaten and suffered fatal internal injuries. If it weren't for his ancient martial arts training and the internal energy protecting him, he would have been dead long ago.
"Mmm." The soft response came from his mouth with extraordinary difficulty.
An Moxue comforted him, "Duan Qing, I am Hummingbird. I have found you. Don't worry, everything will be alright. I'll give you a pill to treat your internal injuries."
As she spoke, she produced a brown pill and gently brought it to Duan Qing's lips. It dissolved upon contact with saliva, and Duan Qing swallowed it instinctively.
An Moxue took the water bottle over again and fed him some malted milk water, which he drank instinctively.
He hadn't eaten or drunk anything for days and had suffered severe internal injuries, so he couldn't move at all. He thought that in such a secluded place, it would be difficult for his companions to find him and that he would eventually die. But unexpectedly, the hummingbird found him.
Although he drank the half-pot of malted milk powder very slowly, he finished it all, and An Moxue smiled happily.
"Duan Qing, take a break. Once you feel better, I'll take you out. If you're tired, take a nap!"
"The hummingbird has an expert watching"—it was only a few words, but Duan Qing spoke them with unusual difficulty.
An Moxue comforted her, "Yes, we know. Don't worry, all our comrades have been found and sent out. The five of us are safe, and reinforcements are on their way. We've done a great service this time. Just for this, you'll be promoted when you get back to your unit. Aren't you happy?"
An Moxue didn't receive a response. When she looked again, he had already fallen into a deep sleep. It seemed that his strong willpower had been supporting him all along.
With a smile in her eyes, she picked him up and jogged off in one direction.
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