Chapter 1725: Hope

The sky gradually darkened, and the mountain patrol team, along with the people they had captured for skinning, began setting up tents to rest.

Duo Jie interrogated the leader of the poaching gang, whose hands had been smashed, but this leader only stated his name was Li Yongqiang; asked anything else, he claimed ignorance, stubbornly refusing to loosen his lips.

The other poachers captured alive were the same, all stubbornly refusing to speak. Even when Zha Cuo and others swarmed over, punching and kicking them, it did not help restore their memories.

Duo Jie shook his head, abandoning the idea of continuing the questioning. He walked around to check on everyone's condition, finally sitting inside a tent to watch Wang Yan busily working.

Bai Ji had voluntarily stepped forward to help, and now, seeing Duo Jie return, he glanced furtively at Li Yongqiang and the others in the distance before speaking in a low voice.

"Uncle Duo Jie, let me tell you, these people are terrible; they beat anyone who doesn't obey. When they were killing the sheep, they were all howling, having a grand time. Since they won't confess, you should just torture them—pluck out their fingernails, drive splinters under their nails; I bet they'll confess then."

Duo Jie laughed, but still spoke with great patience: "It's not that they won't speak; it's that they dare not. That Li Yongqiang is the boss; he has great capability and dares to act, so they are afraid. Once we return to the county seat, separate them for detention and interrogation, and they will all confess."

"Even so, they must be beaten severely, otherwise it's too cheap for them."

"I think the one who deserves a severe beating is you," Duo Jie said. "Tell me, how did you end up here skinning animals for a poaching gang?"

Bai Ji spoke dejectedly: "I'm just this age, staying at home all day with nothing proper to do, which makes me feel awful. So I wanted to find work. There's an auto repair shop in the county town, owned by a boss named Guo Shun. I wanted to be his apprentice and learn a trade."

"But he tricked me, saying he'd introduce me to a great job where I could earn a month's wages in a single day. At the time, I had no idea it meant entering the mountains to skin animals; by the time we reached the location, I couldn't leave even if I wanted to."

"How many times have you entered the mountains to skin animals?"

The indignation Bai Ji had shown moments ago, as if forced, vanished without a trace; after a few moments of silence, he said dispiritedly, "The second time."

Zha Cuo, who had come over to get a cigarette, laughed upon hearing this: "So, did anyone force you at gunpoint this time? Bai Ji, greedy people are not blessed by the Mountain God."

"Eight yuan per pelt. I followed them through the mountains for several days and skinned twenty sheep. The first time I entered the mountains, I earned 160 yuan, all in cash. Originally, I never wanted to come again, but the amount was just too much; I really couldn't resist!"

Bai Ji spoke with great difficulty: "That hundred-plus yuan, I spent it all within a few days, and then I thought about earning even more..."

Duo Jie asked, "Will you come again in the future?"

"No more! I wouldn't come even if beaten to death!" Bai Ji shook his head repeatedly.

Wang Yan, smoking a cigarette beside the pot of boiling meat soup, asked, "What's the situation with this Guo Shun?"

"I don't know either, Brother Yan. I only know he's a local, and that repair shop has been open for many years."

Bai Ji was now somewhat afraid of Wang Yan.

Previously, he only knew that Wang Yan had killed four people in one battle; this time, he had witnessed the fight with his own eyes, watching someone die in the driver's cabin and another get killed right beside him. In the end, he personally watched as gasoline was poured over the corpses and set ablaze.

What was Wang Yan doing? Smiling cheerfully, smoking his cigarette, educating him on the stages of change a corpse undergoes when burned, and how it differed from a normal funeral conducted by someone...

Although there were various burial forms here such as sky burial, water burial, fire burial, and earth burial, and Mazhi County itself had a tradition of sky burial, Bai Ji had never seen any of them. Just hearing about it frightened him; how would he dare to gain such experience?

Compared in this way, Wang Yan, who had eight lives on his hands yet could leisurely smoke and chat cheerfully, seemed rather terrifying...

"Look at you, being so careless in everything. Knowing nothing, you just followed along when someone said you could get rich, only realizing you were heading to Bolamula once you were in the vehicle, right? You should have investigated things beforehand."

"It's perfect; earlier I suggested you open a restaurant, and you seemed quite interested. Go back and deal with that Guo Shun, seal up the repair shop, and then you can use that place to open a restaurant."

"Why do you sound like a bandit?" Duo Jie was speechless. "You're a university student; why do you handle things without observing laws and regulations?"

"Duo Jie, you are the leader; you know best how things are handled and whether laws and regulations are observed. At this current stage, our country is developing in such a wild manner; it's the same everywhere you go."

How could Duo Jie not know? He just felt it wasn't very good for a university student like Wang Yan to be like this so soon after starting work. Yet, thinking again, the number of people Wang Yan had killed during two mountain patrols exceeded what Duo Jie had killed in ten or so patrols, so perhaps this small matter could be understood.

He waved his hand: "There are still other places in the county where shops can be opened; no need to fixate on that repair shop, as dealing with it is troublesome. Bai Ji, if you truly want to open a restaurant, I'll find a shop for you later."

"Forget it, Uncle Duo Jie. I would like to open one, but I have no money." Bai Ji sighed, then added, "When I return this time, I'll still have to pay a fine; my mother and my sister will have to help me pay it, and I'll probably be detained for a few days, right?"

Duo Jie said nothing, merely lighting a cigarette in silence.

"Hey, it's fine, Uncle Duo Jie. I said before that I definitely wouldn't cause trouble for you. What's a few days of detention? It's no big deal. After I get out, I can prepare meals at home, make them into boxed lunches, and then set up a stall outside to sell them..."

As Bai Ji spoke, he suddenly froze, then clapped his hands happily: "That's right! I can start by setting up a stall to sell boxed lunches and save money; once I've saved enough, I can open a restaurant."

With this thought in mind, Bai Ji was already preparing to work hard immediately upon returning.

But in reality, after returning, the first thing he received was a kick!

After three and a half days of trekking, the group finally drove out of Bolamula and returned to areas inhabited by people.

Just like last time, they first passed the outpost to pick up Bai Ju, and then proceeded all the way to the county town.

Upon reaching the county town, Bai Ju finally saw Bai Ji. After experiencing emotions ranging from disbelief to frustration that her brother couldn't become better, Bai Ju rushed up and delivered a whip kick, sending Bai Ji collapsing to the ground with a limp leg.

"I was wrong! Sister! I was wrong!"

Bai Ju was about to rush up and beat him again, but Zha Cuo and others joined forces to stop her; after making a scene for a while, she finally gave up the idea of beating Bai Ji half to death.

"He has probably already learned his lesson."

After hearing Wang Yan explain the previous situation and looking at her brother sitting on the ground pretending to be pitiful, Bai Ju gave him another kick, neither light nor heavy, before finally calming down. She then joined the others to escort these people over to the Gongan Bureau for handover. Bai Ji was also locked up along with them, with no backdoor used whatsoever.

After finishing this, Wang Yan and the others followed the public security officers to take the injured to the hospital.

No one from the mountain patrol team was injured; it was all the poachers and the skinners. One more died during the return journey, and the rest suffered non-fatal injuries. They were just somewhat weak and feverish, but eighty percent should be able to pull through.

"This Li Yongqiang is the ringleader; you must keep a close watch on him," He Qingyuan instructed the public security officers who had accompanied them.

"Don't worry; there's absolutely no chance he'll escape."

The public security officer patted his chest to guarantee it, his tone quite enthusiastic.

"University student, why are their attitudes so much better now?" He Qingyuan hadn't figured it out yet and asked as he left with Wang Yan.

"Didn't Duo Jie say earlier that by the time we returned, Boss Liu's money would likely have arrived? The public security participated and were the main force, so they must have received a share of the money too; this means the funds have all been distributed. Whether much or little, improving their meals is definitely no problem."

"Right, right, right, it must be like that. Having stayed in the mountains so long, I almost forgot about this matter. I was wondering why Duo Jie ran off to the county town immediately upon return; turns out he went to collect the money."

He Qingyuan patted his head, then turned to say, "I'll go to Wangmu's place first to deliver the photos to her, then buy groceries and head to Bai Ju's house; we're all waiting for you to show off your skills."

He had forgotten about Duo Jie collecting money, but he hadn't forgotten to get off the vehicle at the village outpost during the return journey to pick up the photos. Only after concluding that matter did he hurry off to find Wangmu.

"Wang Yan!"

A female voice rang out; Wang Yan turned his head to see Xiao Yan waving at him.

"Was this mountain patrol successful? I saw the people you delivered earlier were shot; the fighting was quite intense, right?"

Wang Yan smiled: "It was alright, just that there were too many of them. Moreover, these poachers had better weapons; we couldn't guarantee avoiding injuring people, so managing to protect ourselves was already good enough."

"Was anyone injured?"

"If anyone had been injured, wouldn't they have been sent over long ago?"

"It's me who's being foolish." Xiao Yan tucked back a strand of hair, then asked, "I heard you killed four more poachers this time?"

"That boss named Li Yongqiang was even captured alive by me," Wang Yan said. "You should also warn the others to be careful when dealing with Li Yongqiang. That man is full of cunning tricks, and he's wealthy too, making him especially difficult to handle. One moment of carelessness could cost us our lives."

"Mm, I'll definitely tell them."

Xiao Yan nodded, then let out an "Ai," and asked, "Did you take photos again this time?"

"I took quite a few. This time I even saw leopards and wild wolves..."

"Let me see them later. Although I hadn't seen such things before, I never thought they'd be particularly interesting. But now that I've seen them, I feel they're truly remarkable. I used to wonder why photographers from outside would travel all this way just to take pictures here. Now I understand—it's because it's so beautiful."

"Everything looks wonderful when you haven't seen it before. They find everything here fresh and new. If you went to the plains, you'd feel the same way about everything there."

"Someday, if I get the chance, I'd like to visit the capital too."

"That day will surely come."

Xiao Yan asked, "Didn't you say earlier you were going to write an article? Is it finished yet?"

"What I'm writing is an account of my experiences. I've only been here for a month now; I'll write it during this period of rest."

With a touch of longing in his voice, Wang Yan said, "If the article creates some impact, then probably many people will come to Mazhi County to see the scenery. When that happens, those wealthy visitors spending money here will allow the people of our Mazhi County to earn a good sum, and everyone can enjoy a couple of years of better living."

"Why only two years?"

"Better to be conservative. No one knows how many people will come or how long they'll stay. Often, the excitement lasts only for a short while, and once it passes, it's gone."

Xiao Yan laughed heartily. "Listening to you talk, it sounds as if you've already succeeded."

"I'm just imagining possibilities."

While Wang Yan was chatting casually with Xiao Yan, Duo Jie went to see Lin Peisheng.

"How did it go? Did Boss Liu settle everything?"

"Settled, yes, but a call also came from the city authorities, criticizing our leadership team. The city said..."

After listening to Lin Peisheng relay the superiors' words, Duo Jie burst into laughter. "They raised their hands high but let them down gently—the city authorities understand our difficulties too. What about the money?"

"Duo Jie, look at you! When will you ever fix this habit of yours? Every time you see me or Secretary Chen, you can't go three sentences without mentioning money." Lin Peisheng pointed a finger vaguely at Duo Jie. "Rest assured, it's already been transferred to your Economic Development Company's account. One hundred thousand yuan—should be enough for you to use for some time, right?"

"Isn't our Mazhi County just poor? If we had money, who would need to talk about all this?" Duo Jie sighed. "You know our situation clearly. These hundred thousand yuan will barely cover issuing wages to everyone and buying some supplies; there won't be much left after that."

"This mountain expedition of yours..." Lin Peisheng couldn't help but ask.

Last time, capturing just a small gang had yielded several hundred thousand yuan. Making money this fast was incredible. The Economic Development Company had finally generated some actual economic activity. Although it wasn't exactly according to the original plan, different paths had led to the same destination.

Duo Jie naturally understood this point as well and couldn't resist teasing Lin Peisheng again. It seemed as though all conflicts had vanished; Lin Peisheng no longer spoke ill of the mountain patrol team.

"The gang we caught this time is even larger than the last one—a group with far greater strength. We confiscated nearly three hundred pelts right at the scene. Who knows how many more they had before? If we follow this lead further, we might uncover over a million yuan. That's equivalent to half a year's work for our entire county!"

"Is it really that big?" Lin Peisheng widened his eyes in surprise.

"This is what Wang Yan and I speculated. Just their shooters numbered over a dozen, and they specifically hired more than ten skinners. All their weapons were rifles; we confiscated thirty jin of ammunition, plus over fifty thousand yuan in cash. They're definitely a big catch."

Lin Peisheng processed this information, then immediately urged, "Then what are you still doing here with me? The money has already been transferred to you. I'll call Shi Long right now; you two discuss it and take down this gang as well!"

Duo Jie stopped teasing Lin Peisheng. With light, brisk steps and great enthusiasm, he went to collaborate with Shi Long on investigating the case.

Not long afterward, the Economic Development Company swiftly imposed fines on those skinners, while the Public Security Bureau cooperated by detaining them. Simultaneously, the Public Security Bureau arrested Guo Shun and began interrogating the poaching gang.

Just as Duo Jie had predicted earlier, once they were interrogated separately, Li Yongqiang, his arm wrapped and face bruised and swollen, refused to admit anything no matter what. Yet this didn't stop his own subordinates from naming Li Yongqiang again and again.

But Duo Jie no longer concerned himself with those matters; this case was no longer under his jurisdiction. He instructed the accountant to withdraw the company's one hundred thousand yuan and happily prepared to return and distribute wages to everyone. He drove home to spend time with his wife and children.

His wife, Cairen, and his son, Zhaxi, both said he seemed different from before, though they couldn't quite put their finger on how.

Duo Jie knew it was because he had seen hope...

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