Chapter 12: Dangers in Yadong
1. Director Liu
The sky over Yadong is perpetually gray, as if perpetually shrouded in fine dust from the coal mines. The rolling hills in the distance bear the scars of mining, a sickly gray-black and brown-red. The air is filled with an indescribable, complex odor—the choking smell of coal dust, the exhaust of heavy diesel trucks, and a cold, earthy odor from deep beneath the earth.
Qin Chuan, Ouyang Lanlan, and their local guide, Zhao Meng, stood in front of the Fuyuan Coal Mine's office building. The three-story structure looked quite old, its walls peeling and mottled, its windows dusty, and the sign hanging on the doorway also coated in a thick layer of dust. Compared to the low, dilapidated sheds surrounding it, it was quite impressive, yet it exuded a lingering sense of desolation and oppression.
"This way, this way. Be careful of the steps." Director Liu smiled warmly, appearing unusually enthusiastic, a stark contrast to the gloomy and depressing surroundings. As he led the way, he casually waved to the previously indolent administrator at the front desk, "Go and do your thing." The administrator immediately calmed down, bowed, and sat back down, not daring to glance at him.
Pushing open the creaking glass door, Director Liu personally led them to an office further down the hall. "The archives are a mess here, and nobody usually tidies them up. Don't mind it," he said, and asked someone beside him to pull out the key and open the door. Sure enough, there were piles of dusty cabinets and cardboard boxes inside.
Director Liu signaled with his eyes, and someone immediately pulled several thick, worn, curled registers from an iron cabinet and placed them on the table with a thud, kicking up a cloud of dust. "Here, that's all! All the personnel changes from recent years are in here. Names, places of origin, dates of joining and leaving the mine—it's all recorded. Take your time looking through them, and check them. Don't rush." He rubbed his hands together, a smile on his face.
"Thank you so much, Director Liu. I'm really sorry to trouble you." Qin Chuan thanked him repeatedly, with just the right amount of gratitude and embarrassment on his face.
"Hey, what's the big deal? Who wouldn't be anxious if they couldn't find their relatives? It's only natural." Director Liu smiled and waved his hand. He walked to the tea table on the other side of the office and expertly brewed tea. "Take your time to check. I have some good tea here. It's perfect for you to try."
For a moment, the only sounds in the office were the rustling of papers and the subtle sounds of Director Liu making tea and pouring water.
Qin Chuan picked up the top volume and began flipping through it. The paper was rough and yellowed, and the handwriting was mostly illegible. The entries were also quite brief, often with only a name and a rough date. Ouyang Lanlan and Zhao Meng also each picked up a volume and carefully flipped through it.
Ouyang Lanlan read with exceptional care, searching almost line by line, her fingers unconsciously straining, her nails pinching the edges until they turned white. Hope, like a faint flame, flickered ever so slightly as she leafed through the pages. Zhao Meng, too, stared wide-eyed, carefully deciphering the scribbled handwriting page by page.
After about ten minutes, Qin Chuan closed the booklet in his hand and quickly glanced at Ouyang Lanlan and Zhao Meng - they hadn't finished reading yet.
"Okay, it seems that there is no such person." Qin Chuan suddenly spoke, his voice was not loud but clear enough, "Maybe he really has never worked here, or the information was not recorded. Sorry to bother the leader, let's go ask somewhere else."
Ouyang Lanlan looked up in surprise, her lips slightly parted, subconsciously wanting to say something: "But I haven't..."
Qin Chuan's eyes quickly swept over, his gaze filled with unquestionable restraint, and he shook his head slightly. His gaze was sharp and steady, instantly suppressing the words on Ouyang Lanlan's lips. Although she was puzzled, she subconsciously closed the book.
Although Zhao Meng also felt that it was a bit fast, he was a smart man. Seeing Qin Chuan like this, he immediately put down the booklet and agreed: "Ah, yes, it seems that it was a wasted trip."
Director Liu then put down his teacup and stood up, still with a warm smile on his face: "Oh, are you leaving now? You won't come to see me again? It's a pity I can't help you. But it's true, there are so many people coming and going in the mine, and it's common for records to be incomplete. You can go ask around in the surrounding areas, maybe you can get some clues. If you have any problems in the future, just come to the factory to find me!" He spoke politely all the way, personally sent the three of them to the office door, and waved enthusiastically.
The three of them walked out of the mining company's office building. The afternoon sun barely penetrated the coal dust, but it didn't bring much warmth.
"Brother Chuan, how come the book came out so quickly? It seems that Sister Ouyang hasn't finished reading it yet?" Zhao Meng couldn't help but ask, taking out a cigarette and lighting it.
Qin Chuan glanced back at the gray office building, his eyes cold. "It's useless. That's the 'Yang' booklet in the 'Yin Yang Booklet,' used to deal with inspections and inquiring outsiders like us. They can't show us the real thing."
He took a deep breath of the coal-dust air and turned to Zhao Meng. "Mengzi, I have to trouble you again. Didn't your cousin say that some of the old miners who can no longer work or have had minor accidents and have returned home live in the nearby village? Take us to their homes. Those who are still working in the mine are probably afraid of their superiors and dare not speak carelessly."
Zhao Meng nodded vigorously: "Okay! I know a few, let's go check it out!"
For the next few hours, they traveled through the narrow, muddy roads of the villages surrounding the mining area. The houses were low and crowded, many of their walls patched up with discarded building materials. They visited several families of former miners who were now recovering from injuries or working as farmers.
The process wasn't smooth. Most people, upon hearing someone inquire about the mine, especially about specific individuals, immediately became wary and silent. They would wave their hands, saying "I don't know," "I've never heard of it," or simply answer through the crack of the door, refusing to even open it. Even Zhao Meng's attempts to be friendly in the local dialect had little effect. Only one elderly miner, sitting by the door in the sun and unable to walk, after Zhao Meng offered him a good cigarette and engaged in a long, casual chat, glanced around with cloudy eyes before lowering his voice and mumbling, "So many people are dead... I can't even remember anyone's name... A little compensation is good enough, what else can I do... Don't ask, it's just getting you into trouble..." He then refused to speak again.
At dusk, the three of them dragged their exhausted bodies back, the frustration of having achieved nothing weighing heavily on their hearts. Ouyang Lanlan was pale and silent. Qin Chuan, on the other hand, scanned the surroundings with sharp eyes—the dilapidated houses, the scattered pedestrians, the slow-moving vehicles on the distant mine.
He paused slightly, his eyes seeming to catch something strange. A few dozen meters behind him, a man leaning against the wall smoking, turned his head away unnaturally the moment he turned around to look.
Qin Chuan's face remained expressionless as he continued walking forward, as if he hadn't noticed anything, but his muscles were already slightly tense. He whispered to Zhao Meng and Ouyang Lanlan, "Don't stop. Walk naturally. Listen to me. We might be being followed."
Ouyang Lanlan's heart suddenly tightened, and she subconsciously wanted to look back, but Qin Chuan stopped her with a look.
"Mengzi, go to the small shop at the intersection ahead and buy a pack of cigarettes. And see if that guy is following you."
"I understand, Brother Chuan." Zhao Meng responded in a low voice. A hint of nervousness flashed across his face, but more of it was an excitement of being entrusted with an important task.
All the arrangements seemed casual. Qin Chuan didn't explain his overall plan in detail, only giving the most necessary instructions. He was like a slowly drawn bow, silently waiting for the moment the arrow would leave the string.
2. Hotel
As the night deepened, the town fell silent, broken only by the occasional roar of machinery and barking of dogs from the distant mines.
The lights in the hotel corridor had long been broken, leaving it completely dark. Three dark figures, like ghosts, crept up to the second floor silently. Their movements were skillful, their footsteps making almost no sound, clearly demonstrating their familiarity with the area. One of them held a short staff, while another seemed to be holding something backwards, a cold gleam in the dim light.
They stopped outside Room 203—the room Ouyang Lanlan had checked in. One person pressed their ear to the door and listened for a moment; there was no sound from inside. The other person, with extremely light force, gave the door a tentative push—it was actually latched from the inside, but it didn't seem very secure.
The three exchanged glances. The man holding the dagger took a half step back, inserted the thin dagger into the crack of the door, and slowly pushed open the latch. Then, the three of them crept in one after another. The faint moonlight illuminated the hazy sleeping figure on the bed. Two of them leaned over, one covering their mouth while the other pressed their hands, in perfect tacit understanding.
Then, to their surprise, they felt nothing but soft and fluffy when they touched the tentacles. When they lifted the quilt, there were only a few pillows. They were completely confused.
At this moment——
The door was suddenly opened from the inside, and a beam of light from a strong flashlight suddenly shot out like a sharp sword, accurately hitting the eyes of the three people!
"Don't move! Police!" A loud shout exploded in the silent corridor, carrying unquestionable majesty.
The three masked men were instantly blinded by the bright light, their movements suddenly stopped, and they fell into a state of brief panic and blindness!
At this split second, two figures rushed in like cheetahs! They were Qin Chuan and Zhao Meng!
Qin Chuan's goal was clear, and he lunged straight at the dark figure holding the weapon in his hand! His movements were as fast as lightning. With a standard grappling and fighting technique, he precisely grabbed the opponent's wrist and twisted it hard! The opponent groaned in pain, and the weapon in his hand fell to the ground with a clang, which sounded like a dagger.
At the same time, Zhao Meng was unequivocal. He roared and charged like a bull at another man holding a short stick! The man had barely adjusted to the bright light, and before he could see who was coming, Zhao Meng struck him hard in the chest. He stumbled backward, his back hitting the corridor wall with a dull thud, and the short stick flew out of his hand.
The third masked man reacted the fastest. Seeing that the situation was not good, he didn't care about his accomplices at all, turned around and ran towards the stairs!
"Mengzi, hold this down!" Qin Chuan growled, and pushed the guy whose wrist he had restrained and who was still struggling towards Zhao Meng, and he chased after the fleeing man without hesitation!
Zhao Meng also took the risk and used the brute force he had used in farm work to hold tightly to the guy who was stunned by him. The two of them wrestled with each other, making the broken chair in the room clang.
The fleeing man was quite agile, dashing down the stairs in a few steps. Qin Chuan pursued him relentlessly, his footsteps echoing fiercely in the empty stairwell. When he reached the first floor door, the man was about to burst out of the hotel door, but Qin Chuan suddenly pounced and grabbed the man's ankle with his right hand!
The two men lost their balance at the same time, tumbling onto the cold cement floor at the hotel entrance. The man struggled desperately, while Qin Chuan locked his legs tightly, and with his other hand, he tried to clamp his upper body.
Amidst the chaos, the lights in the hotel finally came on, and the landlady's terrified screams mixed with the noise of other guests being startled.
The masked man, who was being held by Zhao Meng, took advantage of the moment when Zhao Meng was distracted looking at Qin Chuan and suddenly slammed his head back, hitting Zhao Meng in the face! Zhao Meng cried out in pain and let go. The man broke free and scrambled down the stairs. Together with his accomplice who had just broken free from Qin Chuan's restraints, they rushed open the hotel door in a panic and disappeared into the dark night.
The only one left was the guy whose wrist was initially twisted by Qin Chuan and who was then pushed to Zhao Meng. Zhao Meng, who had reacted, and the hotel owner, a skinny middle-aged man who came running over after hearing the noise, pressed him to the ground with a pair of tongs nervously in his hand, struggling and gasping in vain.
"Fuck! Two of them ran away!" Zhao Meng panted, wiped the blood from his nose, and cursed angrily. But when he looked at the one who was held down, he couldn't help but look at Qin Chuan excitedly, "Brother Chuan! You are amazing! You really guessed it! How dare these bastards come here!"
Qin Chuan got up from the ground, brushed off the dust on his body, glanced coldly at the boundless darkness outside the door, then walked up to the restrained gangster and pulled off his mask - it was a completely unfamiliar face of a young man distorted by pain and fear.
"See if he has anything on him that can prove his identity." Qin Chuan said to Zhao Meng, then took out his cell phone and said, "Call the police."
As it turned out, Qin Chuan had realized he was being followed that afternoon that trouble might be brewing. Upon entering the hotel, he quickly inspected the surroundings and privately devised a plan with Zhao Meng. He had Ouyang Lanlan quietly move to the relatively secluded first-floor room occupied by the proprietress, while he and Zhao Meng took up residence across from Ouyang Lanlan's original room, leaving the door ajar and taking turns keeping watch, waiting for the "guest" to arrive. He even had Zhao Meng find a sturdy wooden stick to hide behind the door.
Qin Chuan had originally advised Zhao Meng to stay away, fearing that he would be implicated. But Zhao Meng patted his chest loudly: "Brother Chuan, what are you talking about! Do you look down on me, Mengzi? You are outsiders, and I am a local. How can I let you be bullied? Besides, this matter is so frustrating! I must go with you, let's see which bastard dares to come!"
Soon, officers from the town police station arrived and took the masked man away. By the time they finished taking the statement, it was already early morning. Qin Chuan walked to a quiet spot outside the hotel and called Wang Yang.
The phone rang for a long time before it was picked up. Wang Yang's sleepy yet alert voice came: "Hello? Chuanzi? It's so late at night."
"Lao Wang, I, Qin Chuan. Something happened in Yadong." Qin Chuan briefly recounted the attack tonight.
Wang Yang, who was on the other end of the line, woke up completely from sleepiness and raised his voice. "Oh my god! They really did it?! Is he okay? Where's Ouyang? You're making such a big fuss! You're even using knives! Isn't it obvious there's something fishy going on in that mine?! Listen to me, get out now! Don't investigate! It's too damn dangerous! You can't handle this alone! I'll try to figure out a way to get it coordinated through the provincial department, or send a formal letter of cooperation."
Qin Chuan interrupted him, his tone calm but firm: "Come on, Lao Wang. If this mine was really that easy to move, it would have been moved long ago. Why wait until today? The emperor is far away, and the waters here are deep. After you go through the procedures, the opportunity will be gone. They dare to do this because they have something to rely on. I will be doubly careful, but I must get to the bottom of this matter."
Wang Yang was silent for a few seconds on the other end, then heaved a long sigh. "Damn it! Then you... you must come back alive! Call me right away if you need anything! There's only so much I can do, but I'll do my best!"
"Got it. Thanks, brother." Qin Chuan hung up the phone and looked at the dark night in Yadong Town with a deeper gaze.
The next afternoon, the police station received news. The arrested man insisted he had planned to rob the men, believing them to be from out of town and wealthy, without any instructions or acquaintances with anyone at the mine. As for the dagger, he claimed it was for self-defense. Since no significant injuries were caused, and the other two were at large, lacking further evidence, it was difficult to charge them with a more serious crime.
This result was within Qin Chuan's expectations.
3. Being tracked
Coming out of the police station, the three of them were feeling rather downcast. The sky over Yadong was still as gloomy and oppressive as ever.
As they walked, Qin Chuan suddenly slowed down, his eyes seemingly casually glancing at the dirty, reflective glass of a nearby grocery stall. The glass reflected a huddled figure in a worn cotton-padded jacket not far behind them. Shortly after they left the police station, the figure had followed them again.
Qin Chuan's lips curled up into a barely perceptible sneer. He whispered to Zhao Meng and Ouyang Lanlan, "Follow me, don't look back, and act naturally."
He deliberately led the two of them toward the more crowded town center, then suddenly turned into a narrow, cluttered alley. Sure enough, the pursuer hurriedly followed.
The alley twisted and turned, with numerous forking paths. Taking advantage of a blind spot around a corner, Qin Chuan quickly gestured to Zhao Meng. Zhao Meng understood and immediately pulled Ouyang Lanlan along, pretending to continue walking forward, making noises. Qin Chuan, like a raccoon cat, quietly slid against the wall and hid in the shadows behind the corner.
The stalker turned the corner in a hurry, stretched his neck to look forward, and didn't notice Qin Chuan in the shadow behind him.
Qin Chuan then walked out slowly from behind him, stretched out his hand and patted his shoulder gently.
"Dude, you've been with me all the way. Are you tired? Do you have something to talk to us about?"
The man was so frightened that he trembled all over, turned around suddenly, his face turned pale, and when he saw that it was Qin Chuan, his eyes were full of fear and panic, and he subconsciously wanted to run away.
Qin Chuan grabbed his arm, not with much force, but still holding him in place. "Don't be in such a hurry to leave. Let's talk? Who asked you to come? To the mine?"
"No... no... I..." The man spoke incoherently, his eyes darting around.
"So you have something to tell us?" Qin Chuan stared into his eyes. "I don't think you're in the same group as them. If you were, you wouldn't be so sneaky. You would have attacked them directly like those guys did last night."
The man froze for a moment, his struggles fading as he stared at Qin Chuan's calm, yet penetrating gaze. A look of struggle and fear crossed his face. He swallowed, his voice hoarse, "Are you looking for someone at the mine? Huang Chao?"
Qin Chuan's eyes fixed: "You know?"
The man looked around nervously, lowered his voice, and said hurriedly: "If you really want to know, just follow me!" After that, he broke free from Qin Chuan's hand, lowered his head and walked quickly deeper into the alley.
Ouyang Lanlan worriedly grabbed Qin Chuan's sleeve and whispered, "Qin Chuan, is this dangerous?"
Zhao Meng also frowned: "Brother Chuan, be careful, don't let it be a trap."
Qin Chuan looked at the man's hurried yet resolute back, pondered for a moment, and whispered, "It doesn't look like it. He's not on the same side as those guys from yesterday. Let's follow him and see what happens. Mengzi, be smart."
The three of them kept their distance, following the man through the maze of alleys. The further they went, the more dilapidated the houses became, and there were almost no pedestrians to be seen. Ouyang Lanlan's heart was in her throat, and her palms were covered in sweat.
Finally, the man stopped in front of the gate of an extremely remote and dilapidated courtyard with half of its wall almost collapsed. He looked back nervously again, then took out the key to open the rusty lock, pushed open the door, and motioned them to go in quickly.
The yard was overgrown with weeds, with only one low adobe house. The man quickly closed the door and bolted it, then leaned against it and let out a long sigh, as if he had collapsed.
He looked at Qin Chuan and the other two with a complicated expression, and said breathlessly, "Sorry, everyone. It's not that I want to be mysterious, but we have to be on guard! You don't know how powerful they are!"
He took a breath and continued, "I've been observing you for two days. You're really here to inquire about something, unlike some people who came before who were simply browbeaten or given some money and then dismissed."
Qin Chuan asked: "Did people often come to look for me before?"
The man sighed, "There are a lot of them, but none as domineering as you. Those people were either scared away from the mines, or stayed in hotels and ran away overnight after someone threw a threatening letter, a razor blade, or hung a dead cat or dog on the door. They didn't dare to look for them anymore!"
He shook his head and continued, "Last night...last night you actually managed to arrest someone and send him to the police station, and the police station actually took care of it. I knew you were definitely not ordinary people. You either have connections or you are really capable and tough guys. That's why I dare to tell you."
"Do you know Huang Chao?" Qin Chuan went straight to the point.
The man nodded, a look of grief, anger, and fear on his face. "I know. He and my brother went down the well together. He and my brother are both gone."
"Gone?!" Ouyang Lanlan screamed in shock.
"Dead." The man's voice deepened with bitterness. "Several people died in the mine accident. It's all a scam! They don't care about the lives of us miners! The safety measures are a scam!"
"When did it happen?" Qin Chuan asked, his voice tense.
"It must have been several years; I can't remember exactly. Not long after that, I didn't dare go down the mines anymore. I'd rather come back and farm and die in poverty." The man's face twitched. "If I'm dead, I'm dead. The mine will pay me some money, and with threats and inducements, they'll make my family sign some bullshit agreement. They put their fingerprints on it, and they say there's no further recourse. Who would dare not sign? If you don't, you might not even get that little money, and you'll be in big trouble! From Huang Chao's family, it seems only his younger brother came to collect the money. He cried so hard, and then he fell silent."
"Any evidence?" Qin Chuan's voice was as cold as ice. "Those agreements?"
The man licked his chapped lips, a desperate glint in his eyes. "Yes! In their office building, the place you went to today, there's a small room at the back with an iron door that's always locked. That's their 'archive room'! I went in there once before to deliver something and saw it! There's a safe inside. Those shameful things must be locked up in there! Those signed agreements must be there!"
4. Stealing the Agreement
The night was as dark as ink, painting Yadong Town with a heavy veil. In the distance, only the vague and hideous outline of the mine remained, like a dormant giant beast.
At the home of a relative of Zhao Meng's, Ouyang Lanlan was restless. Qin Chuan and Zhao Meng had been gone for a long time. She knew what they were doing—a nighttime exploration of the mining company's office building, searching for the safe containing the death agreement.
Qin Chuan insisted she not go. "It's safest for you to stay here, and you'll also be there to help us out. If we're not back by dawn, call Wang Yang immediately and find a way to leave Yadong." His tone was unquestionable, even carrying a hint of farewell. Ultimately, for her absolute safety, Zhao Meng contacted a close relative who lived a little further away and temporarily placed Ouyang Lanlan there.
At this moment, Qin Chuan and Zhao Meng, like two shadows blending into the night, quietly approached the office building they had visited during the day. The mining area was eerily silent at night, with only the sound of the wind and the occasional barking of stray dogs.
The office building's door was locked. But that didn't bother Qin Chuan. Using professional tools and techniques, he easily opened the humble padlock. The two of them slipped inside. It was pitch black, with only the green emergency exit sign emitting a faint glow.
Relying on their memories from the day and the man's description, they quickly found the black iron door at the end of the corridor. The door lock was obviously more advanced, but it still failed in front of Qin Chuan.
There was a soft "click" sound, which was particularly clear in the silent building.
The iron door was pushed open, and the smell of stale paper and dust hit me. There were some miscellaneous items piled in the room, and an old-fashioned dark green safe stood against the wall.
Qin Chuan held his breath, squatting in front of the safe. He took out his stethoscope and placed it against the cold metal surface, his fingers extremely slowly turning the combination dial. Zhao Meng nervously stood guard at the door, tightly gripping the wooden stick he had brought from the hotel, his ears perked up, listening for any movement outside.
Time passed minute by minute. Fine beads of sweat oozed out of Qin Chuan's forehead. Finally, there was another slight "click"!
The safe door is open!
Sure enough, there were neatly stacked piles of documents inside. Qin Chuan quickly flipped through them, his fingers skimming over the yellowed agreements. Suddenly, he stopped. He pulled out one agreement and, using the flashlight, made out the signature and red handprint at the end. Party A was Yadong Mining, and Party B was signed by Huang Qiang. The agreement was cold and cruel: a lump sum compensation, and the family voluntarily waived all rights to pursue legal action...
That’s it!
He quickly took out a stack of about a dozen similar death compensation agreements and stuffed them into a thick canvas bag he had brought with him.
"Got it! Let's go!" Qin Chuan whispered.
The two of them quickly left the room with the iron door, and Qin Chuan carefully restored the iron door to its original state. However, just as they were about to leave the office building along the original route.
"Bang!!!"
Suddenly, a loud bang came from the door of the building! Then came the sound of chaotic footsteps and angry curses!
"Fuck! Someone's actually coming in!"
"Block the door! Don't let that bastard get away!"
The flashlight beam flickered, instantly illuminating the corridor! At least seven or eight men armed with iron rods and wooden clubs rushed in, led by Director Huang, who had appeared gentle and even a little lazy during the day!
But at this moment, his demeanor was completely different. The bureaucratic air of formality vanished, replaced by a ruthless and violent expression! A murderous gleam gleamed in his eyes, he cursed profanely, and in his hand, he surprisingly clutched a black pistol! While his stance wasn't quite standard, the cold gleam of the metal was incredibly intimidating in the darkness!
"Damn it! You're so bold! How dare you come here and steal things!" Director Huang roared, pointing his gun in the direction of Qin Chuan and Zhao Meng, "Put your things down! Hold your heads and squat! Or I'll kill you!"
Qin Chuan's heart sank! He'd been ambushed! The other party had clearly been prepared, or rather, had been waiting for him!
"Run!" Qin Chuan roared, and suddenly smashed the canvas bag in his hand into the face of a thug who was chasing him, and at the same time pulled Zhao Meng to the stairs on the other side of the corridor!
"Bang!!!" A deafening gunshot rang out! The bullet hit the wall next to it, splashing a string of sparks and debris!
Zhao Meng shuddered with fear, but his instinct for survival made him run very fast!
"How dare you shoot!" Qin Chuan cursed in his heart.
"Chase! Don't let them run away! Get their things back!" Director Huang roared angrily and led his men to chase after them.
A thrilling chase instantly unfolded in the office building! Qin Chuan used corridor turns and office doors as cover, dodging the pursuers and the occasional incoming bullets. Director Huang seemed hesitant to fire his weapon, more as a deterrent than a threat, which gave Qin Chuan and the others a moment to breathe. Zhao Meng, relying on his brute strength and a vague memory of the terrain, followed Qin Chuan closely.
At the corner of a staircase, two thugs came around, swinging iron bars at him! Qin Chuan dodged sideways, grabbed his opponent's wrist, twisted it hard, and simultaneously drove his knee into his abdomen! The man screamed and collapsed. Zhao Meng's eyes were also red, and he roared, using the wooden stick to block the other man's attack. Although his movements were clumsy, his momentum was terrifying, and for a moment, he forced the other man to retreat.
The two men didn't dare to fight, fought off the interception, and ran downstairs desperately. When they rushed to the first floor, they found that the back door was also blocked. Qin Chuan was quick-witted and saw a window next to him. He suddenly smashed the glass with a fire axe he had temporarily removed from the wall!
"Jump!"
They both jumped out of the window one after another and landed in the weeds outside. Behind them was Director Huang's furious curse and the sound of dense footsteps.
"Run separately! Meet up at the old place!" Qin Chuan shouted, and he and Zhao Meng headed in two different directions, instantly disappearing in the dark night of the mining area and the complex tunnels.
Behind me, the sound of gunfire and shouting gradually faded away...
After running for an unknown amount of time, Qin Chuan finally stopped beside an abandoned mine, leaning against the cold rocks and breathing heavily. His clothes were soaked with sweat. A moment later, Zhao Meng also came running over, panting. His face had a few scratches, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.
"Chuan...Brother Chuan...things...things are not lost, right?" Zhao Meng asked breathlessly.
Qin Chuan patted the canvas bag he was holding tightly in his arms and nodded.
The two dared not stay for long, and took advantage of the dark to sneak back to Zhao Meng's relative's house. When Ouyang Lanlan saw that they had returned safely, especially when she saw the bloody mark on Qin Chuan's arm caused by the glass, tears instantly welled up in her eyes.
Qin Chuan immediately told Wang Yang about the situation. Wang Yang was horrified and cursed "fuck" more than a dozen times on the other end of the phone.
"Keep your stuff safe! I'm going to contact my friends at the provincial government right now! This isn't just a simple investigation anymore. It involves gun possession, attempted murder, concealing the mining disaster, and organized crime! The evidence is irrefutable! I wonder who can keep this under wraps!" Wang Yang's voice trembled with anger. "Stay where you are, protect yourselves, and wait for news! I'll have someone take over immediately!"
For the next half day, the wind was calm, but the air seemed frozen. In the afternoon, several black cars with no markings drove silently into Yadong.
That night, news arrived: Fuyuan Mining Company had been sealed off overnight, and several key executives, including Hu Laifu and Director Huang, had been taken into custody. Seized from the safe were not only the death settlement agreements Qin Chuan had brought with him, but also extensive evidence of illegal activities.
Qin Chuan stood at the gate of the farmer's house where he was staying, gazing at the still-flickering lights of the distant mine, but he felt no sense of relief. He had received the information he sought—Huang Chao had died in a mining accident years before, and the mine had paid Huang Qiang off to silence. This compensation, tinged with blood and fear, was perhaps the starting point for Huang Qiang's departure from Longdu and his journey south to Linzhou to begin a "new life." It was also another source of the unhealed trauma and distortion within him.
"Tomorrow, we will go back to Linzhou." Qin Chuan said to Ouyang Lanlan and Zhao Meng beside him.
Ouyang Lanlan nodded silently, a complicated expression on her face. Zhao Meng grinned, "Alright! These bastards finally got their comeuppance!"
They thought that Yadong's adventure had come to an end. They had obtained key information and exposed the crimes of the black mines. They could breathe a sigh of relief temporarily and turn their focus back to Huang Qiang in Linzhou.
However, they didn't know.
On the same day, a dilapidated long-distance bus staggered into the dilapidated long-distance bus station in Yadong.
A man, carrying a simple backpack, disembarked. He wore an ordinary jacket, his head bowed, his hat pulled low, covering most of his face. He stood at the station entrance, his head slightly raised, his eyes narrowed, surveying this gloomy, unfamiliar place, yet one with a fatal connection to his past. His gaze was calm, yet tinged with an icy chill.
It was Huang Qiang.
(End of Chapter 12)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
