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墨書 Inktalez
Liu Squad Leader's expression changed. He cursed, "Damn, they found us so quickly."
Fatty glanced at me, and I shook my head slightly.
"Brother Qiang, where are you planning to go?" Liu Squad Leader asked me anxiously, not noticing the exchange between Fatty and me.
"Let's head to Yunnan; I have friends there."
"Got it." Liu Squad Leader immediately turned around and shouted, "Tell Substation that those two have escaped, and we're chasing them along the coast towards Fangchenggang."
"Brother Qiang, let's go. I'll take you part of the way. We need to move quickly; we can't let them catch up."
With Liu Squad Leader and Fatty on either side of me, they helped lift me into the vehicle. Those few steps made me sweat again, and the pain was intense. As we walked, I felt something falling from my back. Gritting my teeth in pain, I reached back to touch it—damn, there was a thick layer of mud stuck to my back and the back of my head.
I cursed as I walked, "Could you two at least clean me up before chatting? If I go out like this, people will think I'm begging!"
They had no retort to my complaints. Once inside the vehicle, Liu Squad Leader found a piece of clothing for me to change into and laid me down on a long bench. The mud on the back of my head was thick enough to serve as a pillow; it had hardened, and peeling it off hurt my scalp. Unable to bear the discomfort any longer, I rested my head against the mud and dozed off. Another officer was sent by Liu Squad Leader to the driver's seat, leaving just the three of us in the cabin. I took one seat while Liu Squad Leader and Fatty sat across from me.
After a bumpy ride, we soon hit a smooth road, and I felt somewhat better. The cabin was dark; Liu Squad Leader fumbled around until he handed me a cigarette. Taking advantage of lighting it for me, he moved closer to my side.
"The Commander asked how Zhao Squad Leader died. I told him it was due to insect bites. But someone else claimed you shot Zhao Squad Leader. Brother Qiang, I swore on the spot that Zhao Squad Leader was already dead when you fired your gun. I suspect the Commander doesn't believe that Zhao Squad Leader met such an end—emptied out by insects without knowing whether he was alive or dead in the end. Honestly, if you hadn't seen it with your own eyes, would you believe it? Before asking me, someone provided testimony against you; I'm not the one who harmed you."
Liu Squad Leader's words were clear in the silent cabin. I didn't know whether to believe him; frankly, I didn't know whom to trust in this situation.
"You just retired directly?" Fatty asked suddenly.
"Yes."
"That's not right. How can a class leader's deputy directly become the director? I've been a soldier, don't try to fool me."
There was a long silence. Liu Squad Leader said, "I stopped Brother Qiang from shooting Zhao Squad Leader."
"Damn, you've turned traitor." I cursed. If it weren't for the injuries I had, I would have kicked him to death.
It was clear that at that time he saw I didn't have the courage to shoot and asked me to give him the gun so he could end Zhao Squad Leader's suffering. In the end, it was reported that he had stopped me from shooting and even received credit for it, becoming the director of the police station after retiring. I was infuriated by this black-hearted scoundrel.
"I really thought that way at the time," Liu Squad Leader added in the darkness.
"Go to hell." I had no mood to talk to him anymore. A lie repeated a hundred times may become the truth, but for him to numb himself into believing that lie is not something that can be achieved with just a hundred repetitions; each repetition is difficult.
After a moment of silence, Fatty spoke up. "Qiangzi, forget it. No matter whether Director Liu stopped you from shooting or not, it won't change the fact that you were isolated and dismissed from your position. The key point is that you shot. If Liu Squad Leader benefits from this, then it's just doing a good deed for a buddy; think positively."
Yeah, it's already like this. I felt that Liu Squad Leader was not simple either; it really proved that saying—friends are meant to be betrayed.
I gradually set aside my grievances and began asking Liu Squad Leader about how Xiao Guolin ended up here. On this matter, Liu Squad Leader answered in detail, and I believed he wouldn't lie to me.
Xiao Guolin had actively approached Lin Squad Leader and directly requested accommodation in a village along the China-Vietnam border, opting not to stay in a hotel. This village was somewhat far from Dongxing Town. Liu Squad Leader arranged for Xiao Guolin to stay with a border resident. Afterward, Liu Squad Leader visited him twice; during the second visit, he didn't see Xiao Guolin. According to the border resident, Xiao Guolin had left some time ago, and it was highly likely he crossed over into Vietnam. Just when Liu Squad Leader returned to Dongxing and was still worried about Xiao Guolin, Xiao Guolin suddenly called him, saying he had already left Guangxi.
During this time and afterward, Liu Squad Leader had doubts about Xiao Guolin's trip to Guangxi and even went to investigate at the border resident's home. However, he only received vague answers about Xiao Guolin's strange behavior; he knew nothing about where Xiao Guolin had been or who he had contacted. It seemed that while in that village, Xiao Guolin hadn't interacted with anyone at all and hardly went outside, locking himself up in the Bamboo House. The border resident only knew whether Xiao Guolin was there or missing when delivering meals.
After listening to Liu Squad Leader, I fell into deep thought. I never expected the situation to be like this; Xiao Guolin's behavior was indeed inexplicable. He was not here for a vacation or to show off, that much was certain. Judging by his cautious yet irrational actions, it was clear that Guangxi's trip was not for official business. If it was personal, what could it possibly be?
I decided to analyze his known behaviors. The most obvious point was crossing the border. Even the locals could see that he had no other reason to go to that village near the China-Vietnam Border. So why did he cross the border? If it were smuggling, the smuggling activities on the Dongxing side were already semi-public; he wouldn't need to take the risk of going to Vietnam himself. Was it possible that Dongxing didn't have what he wanted, and the items he was smuggling were more dangerous and strictly prohibited by both sides?
With this in mind, I asked Liu Squad Leader, "Are there restrictions on smuggled goods here in Dongxing? For example, are there some things you turn a blind eye to while others are strictly forbidden?"
Liu Squad Leader chuckled bitterly. "How could that be possible? As long as someone allows such things to happen, it's impossible to control what specific items are being smuggled. Cigarettes can be laced with drugs; if someone is covering for the cigarette smugglers, you can't check what's inside. Let me put it this way: anything you can think of is being smuggled here, even light weapons. AK-47s are most common in Vietnam and they're cheap."
I spat out a question, "What about antiques? Are there any smuggled antiques?"
"Who knows?" Liu Squad Leader took a deep drag from his cigarette, and I saw the tip glow briefly. "We don't dare approach that river; sometimes it's full of smuggling boats. If you see them, do you dare intervene? Without backing, who would be so bold? Out of sight, out of mind."
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