Chapter 431: with translation of chapter title

I was just taken into the car by Liu Shiru.

I thought, Liu Shiru is pretty sharp; he's worried that the three of us will join forces and cause trouble later.

That would be troublesome.

After I got into the off-road vehicle,

Liu Shiru sat in the passenger seat.

I was being guarded by Liu Shiru's bodyguards in the back seat.

I looked at those two bald-headed guys and saw prominent veins on their foreheads, showing that they both have real skill.

At this moment the driver asked Liu Shiru, "Mr. Liu, which road should we take, the Three Junction Pass or the provincial road?"

"The provincial road, although it's a detour, is safe. The Three Harmony River easily traps vehicles." Liu Shiru said.

"All right, Mr. Liu." The driver said and then started the car.

I thought to myself, "If they take the provincial road, then Kong Shi's ambush would be for nothing."

But I didn't know what to say.

I nervously looked out the window.

Suddenly Liu Shiru's phone rang,

Liu Shiru glanced at it and answered,

"What's up, Ruan Wei?"

"Mr. Liu, don't take the provincial road. Just now Kong Shi told me that there was an accident on the provincial road and it's blocked."

"What do you mean blocked? Our vehicle can just pass through. Tell Kong Shi."

"Mr. Liu, Kong Shi's accident is very serious. The cause is that a passing vehicle ran over a passing villager, and now they're looking for the non‑at‑fault driver. The villagers have taken out their anger on passing vehicles, smashing more than ten of them."

Kong Shi has sent people to maintain order, but the villagers are causing even more trouble.

They have already blocked the road, not allowing any vehicles to pass.

"We'd better not go to the provincial capital; take the Three Junction Pass road. After passing through the Three Junction Pass, we can quickly get onto the highway." Ruan Wei said over the phone.

After hearing Ruan Wei finish, Liu Shiru cursed,

"Damn it, poor mountains and evil waters produce troublesome folk; the people here are dirt‑poor crazy. Well then, we'll take the Three Junction Pass road."

"Ruan Wei, we've been to Qi He Kuang before and traveled this road; it's a collapsed road, prone to trapping vehicles, so be careful—don't let the vehicle get stuck."

"I know, Mr. Liu. I'll arrange the driver properly." Ruan Wei said.

Liu Shiru hung up after speaking,

then told the driver, "Turn around, take the Three Junction Pass—there's an accident ahead on the provincial road."

The driver hurriedly turned around and drove back.

Seeing them turn around, I let out a long sigh of relief in my heart.

But I don't know whether the accident on the provincial road is real or fake.

Those don't matter; what matters is that Liu Shiru has already taken the Three Junction Pass road.

At this moment I looked out the window; suddenly it was pitch black—this is a countryside area with no streetlights.

Only the car's headlights guided the way.

The car hadn't been going long before I could clearly feel its jolting.

To repair this Three Junction Pass road, we could only use local materials; all the unused coal gangue from the mine was used to pave the road.

Such a road surface really kicks up dust in dry weather and mud in rain.

The road surface is very uneven.

Moreover, the constant crushing by heavy coal‑laden trucks has formed two deep ruts.

Ordinary cars can barely get through; they easily scrape their undercarriage.

Fortunately, Liu Shiru's vehicle is an off‑roader, which can travel smoothly over such terrain.

This collapsed stretch isn't long—just over two kilometers. Once we get through it, the road is all asphalt, very good.

Our time there is only a few short minutes.

I sat in the car, nervously looking outside.

On both sides of the collapsed road are sunken water pits covering more than ten mu.

They have now become fish farms.

The fish farms have lights that sway in the wind, and many anglers sit by the pits.

I didn't see any of Kong Shi's ambush personnel,

Could Kong Shi have deceived me? That would be deadly. After all, Kong Shi is also a master of acting.

My mind began to fog; although the car's air‑conditioner was on, I was still sweating on my forehead.

I suddenly recalled that Kong Shi had told me he had tampered with our handcuffs so that we could break free with a little effort; I had already told Shi Yong and Ding Li.

My hands were behind my back; I first fixed my gaze on the two bodyguards beside me, who were both looking out the window, apparently not noticing me.

Great. I silently shouted in my heart.

I strained against the handcuffs; if I could break free, it would mean Kong Shi really is helping us—he has prepared to arrest Liu Shiru,

if I can't break them, it would mean Kong Shi is just acting.

I can only struggle hard inside the vehicle, trying to find a way to escape.

My hands were secretly exerting force, straining downward to slip out of the handcuffs.

I hadn't expected these handcuffs to come off so easily.

I was delighted inside; my hands could now move.

But I couldn't immediately extend my arms to deal with Liu Shiru.

Because there are two burly men beside me, if I'm a little careless, I'll be caught between them.

I will wait for the right moment, then suddenly grab Liu Shiru's neck from behind and choke him hard to make him stop the car.

Just as I was about to act, Liu Shiru's phone rang again.

The phone's ring startled me.

Liu Shiru glanced at the phone, then slowly answered the call.

"Ruan Wei, what's up?"

"Mr. Liu, our car won't move—the road has scraped its underside. You need to use your off‑road vehicle to tow us out."

"A bunch of useless idiots, you can't even handle this little stretch of road—you really eat shit for a living." Liu Shiru yelled into the phone.

After cursing, he had the driver stop the car.

After the driver stopped, Liu Shiru glanced in the rearview mirror and saw the business car truly stuck on the road, motionless.

This must be true, given that Liu Shiru's off‑road vehicle has higher clearance than the business car, so his can pass over that rut while the business car cannot.

It's like a boat run aground in water—neither forward nor backward works.

Liu Shiru flew into a rage and cursed loudly.

Then he had the driver back the car up.

Soon it was positioned in front of the business car.

Liu Shiru had one of the bodyguards get out to help tie the tow rope.

Only one bodyguard remained inside the vehicle.

Great.

One of my hands moved stealthily,

in my rear pocket I had concealed an important weapon,

it was rosemary.

I scooped out a few grains from the pocket; because I was nervous, my hand was sweaty, and the substance quickly melted in my palm.

I had to act fast,

I suddenly flung my hand upward,

and happened to cover the nose and mouth of the bodyguard beside me.

At that moment the bodyguard was watching the tow scene outside.

He never dreamed my hand could move, or that I held something in it.

That bodyguard tried to utter an "ah," but no sound came out,

his body went limp,

and he slumped onto the car seat.

Seeing him faint,

I poured a few more grains of rosemary into my hand.

I intended to knock Liu Shiru out.

Liu Shiru was directing the driver to drive, trying to find a way to tow the business car out.

I had just risen from the back seat.

Unexpectedly the tow rope snapped, our car lurched forward, and I was thrown backward onto the seat by the impact.

Damn, the tow rope broke at the worst possible moment.

The driver hastily hit the brakes.

Liu Shiru cursed: "Damn, you're all useless. You can't even handle this small task, yet I have to get out and direct personally—that Ruan Wei really grew up eating shit."

After cursing, he opened the car door and got out.

I had just stood up again, but Liu Shiru had already gotten out.

Goddamn, this is messed up.

But the driver saw me.

He looked at me with terrified eyes and shouted, "Mr. Liu!"