HPDBC Chapter 1666: Not a Beast Plague, but a Man-Made Catastrophe
Chapter 1666: Not a Beast Plague, but a Man-Made Catastrophe
Chapter 1666: Not a Beast Plague, but a Man-Made Catastrophe
In the small shack, the kang (a heated brick bed) took up two-thirds of the space.
At this moment, an old man was lying on the kang (a heated brick bed). His head was hanging off the edge of the kang, his face was covered in blood, and he had been dead for a long time.
When Zhang Jimin and his companion entered, they were met with the old man's unseeing, lifeless eyes.
"Holy crap!" Zhang Jimin turned and ran outside, but he was in a daze and his legs were weak. He collapsed to the ground as soon as he stepped out the door.
Zhang Jimin struggled to his feet, bracing himself with his hands and feet, and staggered forward. Behind him, the young forest ranger, holding onto the door frame, chased after Zhang Jimin.
The two ran for half a mile in one breath, until their clothes and pockets were soaked, before they finally stopped and leaned against a tree.
"Ah! Ah!" Zhang Jimin gasped for breath, just then the young forest ranger caught up and said, "Brother Zhang, someone's dead! What do we do?"
Zhang Jimin didn't say anything, but shakily took out the cigarettes Zhao Jun had given him from his pocket and haphazardly stuffed one into his mouth.
But then, Zhang Jimin couldn't light a match no matter what he tried.
The young forest ranger struck a match, gently shielding the small flame with his hand, and helped Zhang Jimin light his cigarette.
After lighting a cigarette, the young forest ranger took a puff and said to Zhang Jimin, "Brother Zhang, you're no good either. You're such a coward, you can't even keep up with your brother's crotch."
The young forest ranger's surname was Li, and his given name was Li Qingdong. He was from Yong'an Village, so he was very familiar with Zhang Yuanmin.
"Go to hell!" Zhang Jimin cursed, then said irritably, "What do you know? That guy's dead and still won't rest in peace; he might come looking for us at night."
A mountain breeze blew by, and Li Qingdong shivered. Then he heard birds chirping in the woods: "Awooo... Awooo..."
In an instant, Li Qingdong felt a chill run down his spine.
He was startled, suddenly frightened by the dead body, and then Zhang Jimin ran away, leaving him alone, which also startled Li Qingdong.
Now that Zhang Jimin is saying that dead people will come looking for him at night, Li Qingdong can no longer hold back.
"Brother Zhang, what should we do, Brother Zhang?" Li Qingdong didn't even bother to smoke his cigarette. He grabbed Zhang Jimin's arm and said, "How about we both take leave and go home?"
"Are you taking leave again?" Zhang Jimin waved his hand and said, "Let's just go back."
"Will that work?" Li Qingdong was startled by Zhang Jimin's words. Their job as forest rangers was quite leisurely; they just strolled around the forest when they had nothing to do. But that was fine when they had nothing to do. If something happened and the person wasn't there, then it would be troublesome.
“Alright!” Zhang Jimin said decisively, “Let’s go back and report to Team Leader Zhao in your village.”
"What message should we report to Team Leader Zhao?" Li Qingdong frowned, puzzled. "Shouldn't we report to the forest farm? To the security team?"
"What do you know?" Zhang Jimin tugged at Li Qingdong impatiently, then whispered to him, "Do you remember that bear who raided several shacks before the New Year?"
"Remember that." Li Qingdong didn't know why Zhang Jimin brought this up, but he nodded and said, "Qin Qiang's father from our village was kicked by that bear."
After saying that, Li Qingdong changed the subject and said, "But that bear was killed by Team Leader Zhao."
"You saw it?" Zhang Jimin suddenly asked, catching Li Qingdong off guard. Li Qingdong replied, "What did I see?"
"Did you see Team Leader Zhao kowtow to death at the hands of that bear?" Zhang Jimin asked again. Li Qingdong was slightly taken aback, but said, "Our whole village knows. I wasn't home that day, but my mother and the others saw it. Team Leader Zhao put the truck on and took that big bear back."
"How many bears does Team Leader Zhao hunt in a year?" Zhang Jimin asked Li Qingdong, adding, "Besides, how many bears are there in these mountains? What if he gets attacked by another bear while chasing after them?"
"This..." Li Qingdong was speechless. He felt that what Zhang Jimin said was not without reason.
Seeing that Li Qingdong remained silent, Zhang Jimin said, "I took a special look the other day and saw that the footprint on the ground had no heel. Isn't that a bear?"
"Oh dear." Upon hearing this, Li Qingdong blinked twice and said, "So it really was Team Leader Zhao who made a mistake?"
“That’s right,” Zhang Jimin said. “That’s why I said we can’t report this to the forest farm. We should hurry up to Yong’an and tell Team Leader Zhao about it.”
“Yes!” Even though Li Qingdong was young, he knew what Zhang Jimin meant, and he nodded emphatically in agreement.
After they finished their cigarettes, they headed to Yong'an together.
When Zhang Jimin and Li Qingdong arrived at Yong'an Village, it was already past five o'clock.
At the end of March, the days were much longer than usual, and it was still not dark yet.
Zhang Jimin and Li Qingdong went to the Zhao family compound first, knocked on the door for a long time, only to hear dogs barking, but no one came out.
At this moment, Ma Yang, carrying a soy sauce bottle, walked towards them, drinking as he went.
These days, soy sauce is made with just water, soybeans, and salt. It's slightly salty, but the flavor is quite good.
This year alone, the children in Yong'an Forest Area have finally seen soda. These kids don't have many snacks all year round. So when they help their families buy soy sauce or go to the tofu shop to collect tofu, they eat whatever they can, whether it's soy sauce or tofu, on their way home.
Seeing someone knocking on his sister's door, Ma Yang hurried over. He didn't know Zhang Jimin, but he knew Li Qingdong from the same village.
"Dong-ge, what are you doing?" Ma Yang asked. Li Qingdong replied, "Xiao Yang, we're looking for your brother-in-law. It's urgent."
"Go look for him at his old house." Ma Yang raised his hand and pointed the bottle in the direction of the Zhao family's old house. Then he took a swig of soy sauce, just like he was drinking cola.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Jimin and Li Qingdong hurriedly headed back to the Zhao family's old residence.
When the two arrived, they ran into Zhao Jun, who was coming out of the outhouse in the corridor.
"Oh!" Zhao Jun was also taken aback when he saw them, and subconsciously asked Zhang Jimin, "Why are you here again?"
"Team Leader Zhao, something big has happened." Zhang Jimin came up to Zhao Jun, wanting to whisper a few words in his ear, but he was too short to reach Zhao Jun's ear, and he couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed.
"What's wrong? Tell me." Although Zhao Jun looked down on Zhang Jimin, he wouldn't deliberately embarrass him. He stepped forward and lowered his head, subtly placing his ear in front of Zhang Jimin.
“Team Leader Zhao,” Zhang Jimin said, “This afternoon, we were patrolling the forest in the 52nd block when we thought we’d stop by Old Wang’s shack to see how many yellow leaves he could harvest after the New Year so we could sell them to you. But when we got to the shack, we found that Old Wang was dead inside.”
"Hmm?" Zhao Jun frowned upon hearing this and said, "Then what do you want from me? You want me to notify his family? No? Which Old Wang? Do I know him?"
"No, Team Leader Zhao." Zhang Jimin glanced around before whispering to Zhao Jun, "I was wondering if it was a bear that did it for him?"
"Huh?" Zhao Jun was taken aback, then heard Zhang Jimin continue, "That bear who raided several shacks the year before last..."
"No way!" Zhao Jun interrupted Zhang Jimin directly, saying, "It has nothing to do with that. I killed that bear."
“Team leader, I know.” Zhang Jimin quickly changed his words and said, “I mean, is it possible that there are still bears like that? Because I saw that the footprints in that house didn’t have heels.”
Upon hearing Zhang Jimin's words, Zhao Jun subconsciously glanced in the direction of the mountain area.
"Come on in." Zhao Jun invited the two inside. When the three entered the Zhao family home, Wang Meilan was preparing dinner with her people.
Although they weren't short of oil and fat, these people couldn't live without meat. Today, Xie Sunshi insisted that she hadn't had stewed goose in a long time, so she insisted on chopping up two geese.
When the goose was being gutted, Ma Ling watched from the side and saw that there was an egg inside the goose's belly, which made Ma Ling feel very sorry for it.
Since the guests were welcome, Wang Meilan quickly greeted them as soon as she saw Zhao Jun leading people into the house.
"You two go sit in that room for a while." Zhao Jun gestured for Zhang Jimin and Li Qingdong to enter the east room, saying, "I'll leave right away after I change my clothes."
Hearing Zhao Jun's words, Ma Ling hurriedly followed him into the west room and asked in a low voice, "It's getting dark, and we'll be eating soon. Where are you going?"
"They said someone died in the shack up there." Zhao Jun said with a serious expression, "Two forest rangers came looking for me, and I can't refuse."
He works in security; he can go to work when he wants and not when he doesn't. But now that something's happened, he can't just hide anymore.
"Then I'll go with you?" Ma Ling's words amused Zhao Jun and Wang Meilan, who had just entered the room.
"No need, Ling'er," Zhao Jun said with a smile, reassuring Ma Ling. "You should go home. What would you do with me?"
“Then you go by yourself, I’m worried about you,” Ma Ling said, which made Wang Meilan very relieved.
“My dear daughter, don’t worry.” Wang Meilan went over and pulled Ma Ling over, then said to Zhao Jun, “Son, let your father go with you.”
"Forget it," Zhao Jun waved his hand and said, "His back injury hasn't healed yet, I'm not letting him come with me."
As fate would have it, Zhao Youcai was injured, and the main force of the Zhao family gang was not present, leaving Zhao Jun as the commander-in-chief alone.
As soon as Zhao Jun finished speaking, Xing San and Xie Zhong walked into the room.
"Kid," Xing San said to Zhao Jun as soon as he came in, "I heard from Big Pants' uncles that, what happened? Old Wang from Yongli is dead?"
"I think so," Zhao Jun replied. Xing San quickly added, "Kid, don't rush off. Jie Xiao and I will go with you."
Upon hearing this, Zhao Jun paused in his hand as he picked up the clothes. At this moment, he didn't know what had happened on the mountain, but anything that could kill someone could be either a ferocious beast or a thug.
Zhao Jun didn't trust Zhang Jimin or Li Qingdong, and he knew he couldn't go without reliable people by his side. That's why Xing San and Xie Zhong arrived at just the right time.
“Alright, Uncle San, Brother Jie Zhong, you two come with me.” Just as Zhao Jun finished speaking, Li Ruhai burst into the room and said, “Brother, I’m going with you too.”
Hearing Li Ruhai's words, Zhao Jun tossed his hand toward the west wall and said, "Ruhai, go to your house and get me that long-barreled gun!"
"Alright, brother!" Li Ruhai turned and ran outside. Seeing this, Wang Meilan hurriedly asked, "Son, why are you taking him with you?"
“Who said I was taking him?” Zhao Jun laughed. “I just had him fetch my gun.”
Ten minutes later, Zhao Jun, Xing San, Xie Zhong, Zhang Jimin, and Li Qingdong emerged from the Zhao family courtyard. Among them, Zhao Jun, Xing San, and Xie Zhong were carrying guns.
"Son!" Wang Meilan said to Zhao Jun through the car window, "Be extra careful!"
Beside and behind Wang Meilan, Ma Ling, Zhao Chun, and others all looked worried.
"It's alright, Mom," Zhao Jun comforted Wang Meilan. "We'll be back in a bit. Dinner will be ready soon, so you can eat first, Mom. Don't wait for us."
After saying that, Zhao Jun started the car and drove out of Yong'an Village.
The car entered the mountain area and headed straight for the 52nd forest section. As the car entered the forest section, the sound of a train whistle could be heard in the distance.
Xing San had been running mountain trails for many years and knew these veteran trail runners. Without Zhang Jimin or Li Qingdong pointing the way, the Jiefang truck arrived in front of Old Wang's shack.
It was already dark in the woods by then. When Zhao Jun parked the car, he turned on the headlights. When he got out of the car, Zhao Jun told Zhang Jimin and Li Qingdong to each take a flashlight and walk in front, while he followed behind them with his gun. Xing San and Xie Zhong brought up the rear with their guns.
Zhang Jimin and Li Qingdong walked to the door of the shack, and the two of them shone their flashlights into the house from the left and right. Zhao Jun, who had come over, looked inside and was instantly startled.
The scene of two flashlight beams shining on the face of the dead man in the dark shack was even more eerie and terrifying.
Zhao Jun composed himself and scanned the room with the flashlight. The shack was completely exposed; there wasn't even a kang (heated brick bed) or cabinet. There was just a kang, a person lying on it, and a filthy quilt.
There was a stove next to the kang (heated brick bed), and a jar for sealing food was placed on the ground next to the stove. That was all.
"Come on, shine the flashlight on the ground." Zhao Jun gave the order, and the flashlight beam fell on the ground of the shack. When Zhao Jun saw the bloody footprints on the ground, his face changed immediately. He said, "Damn, this isn't a bear, it's a person!"
"Huh?" Zhang Jimin looked closely and saw that the footprints on the ground had no heel, but it was clear that they were half a shoe print!
"Oh dear, Team Leader Zhao, I'm seeing things," Zhang Jimin said, making an excuse. "Shall we go in and take a look?"
“Don’t do anything else.” Zhao Jun grabbed Zhang Jimin, then took out two plastic bags from his pocket, put them on his feet, and then shone a flashlight on his feet and walked in along the edge.
Having lived two lives, especially after his rebirth, Zhao Jun had witnessed many violent deaths, which had honed his courage.
Zhao Jun walked to the kang (a heated brick bed), glanced at the injured old man, and saw that his head was dented two fingers above his left temple, with dried bloodstains. He figured that this must be the fatal wound.
Zhao Jun looked up, surveyed the room, and then carefully withdrew.
"How's it going, kid?" Xing San was quite bold. He asked Zhao Jun while peering into the room.
“He was beaten to death.” Zhao Jun replied to Xing San, then pointed to the stack of firewood not far away and said to Zhang Jimin and Li Qingdong, “Grab a few sticks to prop up this door.”
After saying this, Zhao Jun realized something was wrong and quickly stopped Zhang and Li. This wasn't a ferocious beast harming people; someone was committing murder. The TV dramas he'd watched in his past life taught Zhao Jun what it meant to preserve a crime scene.
"Third Uncle," Zhao Jun turned around and said to Xing San, "I've run out of bullets in your semi-automatic rifle."
Zhang Yuanmin and his three companions went on an "expedition" to the Xuri Forest Area, taking away four semi-automatic trees. Two trees remained; Zhao Jun took one, and Xing San took the other.
"Shoot it into the air?" Xing San asked. After receiving a response from Zhao Jun, Xing San raised his gun and fired all ten bullets into the air.
Gunshots echoed through the mountains, scaring away wild boars and roe deer on several nearby hilltops.
"Let's go!" Zhao Jun called the four people to get in the car, and drove straight out of the mountain area to Yongli Village.
Upon arriving at Yonglitun, Zhao Jun drove directly to the home of Yan Shugang, the head of the security team.
Brothers, the extra chapter will be a little late. You guys go to sleep first, and read it tomorrow morning.
(End of this chapter)