Chapter 1736: Do Your Best

A freezing rain had just fallen, leaving the ground a muddy mess; three vehicles trundled over the mire, carving long tire tracks that stretched back beyond sight.

"Tire tracks!" shouted Samba, the driver, as a warning.

Dorje grunted in acknowledgment: "Stop the cars; let's see which direction they went."

Samba halted his vehicle, and the two following suit stopped as well; everyone gathered beside the ruts, smoking and talking as they debated the two possible directions.

Everyone knew Bai Ju had been learning how to deduce a vehicle's direction from its tracks, so Samba asked with a smile: "Bai Ju, take a look—which way did they go?"

Bai Ju curled his lip: "With tracks this deep, they certainly went both ways. Actually, we don't even need to look; those three tourists said that group was in the west, so we'll just head west."

Shao Yunfei spoke up: "That's not necessarily true. The three tourists said 'west,' but now that we've arrived here, east, south, west, and north are hard to pin down. Besides, this gang knew enough to release their hostages, effectively begging our Mountain Patrol for mercy; they're not brainless. They might have deliberately led the tourists in circles to confuse them."

"No matter how they tried to confuse them, they're still somewhere nearby. Look at the sky; these tracks won't vanish in a day. Let's go west first; if there's nothing there, we can always come back," Bai Ju said dismissively. "I think either direction is a fifty-fifty chance."

After stopping and starting several times to inspect the ground, Samba and the others concluded: "We'll go west."

"How did you determine that?"

Samba and the others gave an impromptu lesson; though not systematic, their considerations were comprehensive. For instance, how many vehicles, how heavy they were, whether the westbound tracks showed more weight or the eastbound ones, which side likely carried ample supplies... all were matters of experience, yet highly accurate.

It was like shepherds following sheep tracks to find strays, or hunters tracking various signs through the mountains—all knowledge forged through practice.

After a few jokes, some water, and a simple meal of dried rations, the three vehicles set off again, heading west.

Half a day later, as the Mountain Patrol team rounded a mountain, the view suddenly opened onto a small plain beside a lake. The lake was pristine, reflecting the blue sky and white clouds.

The lakeshore, however, was far from clean: a row of tents formed a camp, a generator chugged noisily, several dozen people panned for gold in the icy lake water, while more than ten others stood guard with guns on the perimeter; some supervised at close range, and others kept watch from high ground.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Gunshots suddenly rang out; someone among these illegal miners had spotted the Mountain Patrol approaching from afar and fired in panicked warning.

Their vigilance wasn't unwarranted; they knew the current Mountain Patrol included a great god of death, and since they had only just released foreign tourists a few days ago, the Patrol would surely have taken action by now.

Thus, upon spotting unfamiliar vehicles, they assumed it must be the Mountain Patrol and immediately fired warning shots.

As the gunfire erupted, the workers froze mid-task and turned to look in panic; the armed men scurried about like ants on a hot pan, while the leader burst out of a tent, shouting curses and orders at his subordinates, organizing a defense and preparing to flee.

The Mountain Patrol's three vehicles drove close, angling themselves as cover as usual; Dorje stepped out with a megaphone to call for surrender, while the rest took aim with their weapons, ready to attack at any moment.

Shao Yunfei, meanwhile, was busy snapping photos with his camera and recording video with a handheld DV; he filmed Dorje speaking, captured everyone's focused aiming, and documented the lawlessness opposite them, momentarily becoming the busiest person of all.

"That's enough; stop jumping around. Once the firefight starts, bullets won't have eyes," Wang Yan said, grabbing Shao Yunfei, who was leaning out. "A few shots will do; this is a gunfight, not playing house."

"Sorry, sorry, I'm just too excited," Shao Yunfei asked. "Were you really not nervous at all the first time?"

"I never said I wasn't nervous during my earlier interviews."

"You said you were 'a little nervous,' which basically means you weren't nervous."

Wang Yan replied: "It was still nervousness; I just shifted my focus while aiming, and only afterward did the nerves fade. I didn't hit anyone with my first shot, and I spent several more minutes aiming before my second."

"You're in the wrong place; you really should have joined the army as a sniper."

Wang Yan smiled faintly and said nothing more.

By then, Dorje had finished his surrender appeal; the opposite side first hurled a string of curses, accusing the Mountain Patrol of being unreasonable, relentlessly targeting them, and insisting on arresting them even after they had released their hostages—calling it utterly excessive.

Yet although they cursed and grumbled, they did not fire; but if they weren't going to shoot, they should have surrendered, which they also refused to do.

This was precisely the effect of the Mountain Patrol's current deterrent power. After all, they previously had a record of nine men defeating thirty-nine in a gunfight, plus Wang Yan, already infamous as the Killing King of Bolamula, making this illegal mining gang hesitate to act. They dared not fight, yet found it difficult to flee, so they remained stuck in a stalemate.

"Dorje, stop wasting words with them; just open fire," Samba said from the side, unable to wait any longer.

Bai Ju, equally impatient, added: "Right; they're a bunch of criminals—neither surrendering nor shooting. What are they dawdling for?"

Wang Yan took Dorje's megaphone and shouted: "I am Wang Yan. You have ten counts to consider: if you don't lay down your weapons and surrender, we will open fire. Ten, nine..."

"Fuck your mother; who the hell is Wang Yan?"

The ten counts were never finished; amid an angry roar, a bullet came flying their way. They still intended to struggle a bit, to test whether the Mountain Patrol was truly as formidable as rumored.

Wang Yan cheerfully handed the megaphone back to Dorje, picked up his rifle, and with a click chambered a round, then said to Shao Yunfei: "See? These criminals are beyond hope; given any chance, they won't simply surrender."

As he spoke, he crouched behind a vehicle, setting up his aim; Shao Yunfei leaned in to watch, but the moment he approached, Wang Yan pulled the trigger and fired.

Before Shao Yunfei could recover from the deafening roar of the gunshot, he saw a figure collapse over a hundred meters away.

"You hit him! You hit him! Wang Yan! Are you really that accurate!" Shao Yunfei exclaimed, so excited he nearly jumped up.

Wang Yan shoved him flat to the ground: "Why are you excited just because I hit someone? Bullets are whizzing everywhere; if you jump up like that, with good luck you might get your head blown off. Do you want to see your brains explode in midair?"

Dorje, standing nearby, pulled Shao Yunfei back up: "Always stay behind the vehicle and protect yourself. These criminals are vicious and ruthless; if they get a chance, they won't show mercy. Look, is your camera broken?"

"It's fine, it's fine; it's drop-resistant. Even if it were broken, it wouldn't matter; it's the agency's equipment, so we don't have to pay for it," Shao Yunfei said, turning to gaze at Wang Yan, who had already resumed aiming, clicking his tongue in admiration before raising his camera to photograph Wang Yan.

Few people possess strong fighting will, and it is even harder for an entire team to maintain such resolve.

Among the fewer than twenty gunmen, when the first man fell, their blood still boiled; after the second dropped, doubts began creeping into their hearts; by the third, they felt fear; when the fourth fell, their fervor could no longer surge; and by the fifth, their eyes had turned clear.

Most crucially, some had merely poked their bodies out before being immediately struck down; such precision was deadly, imposing even greater psychological pressure on them.

After Wang Yan picked them off one by one until seven or eight lay fallen, their desire to resist with guns faded; they hid behind cover, refusing to expose themselves. No matter what the leader of this illegal mining gang said, they no longer wished to fight; the urge to surrender could no longer be suppressed.

Once the illegal mining gang ceased firing in resistance, the Mountain Patrol gradually lowered their weapons as well.

Dorje again used the megaphone to urge surrender, adding that capturing their leader would count as a meritorious deed, thereby sowing division within their ranks.

This tactic proved highly effective; with capture imminent, the subordinates naturally had no desire to die, while the leader did not wish to surrender, since his crimes were the gravest. In such a situation, even if the underlings dared not seize their boss, Dorje's words ensured they would not diligently execute his orders.

Thus, after another round of coordinated vehicle-and-foot advancement, the Mountain Patrol successfully captured the leader of this gold-panning gang alive, while none of the others escaped. Those who had been working the gold pans had long since crouched aside.

"Five more killed..."

Gazing at the corpses on the ground, Dorje's words carried a touch of melancholy.

Shao Yunfei photographed the bodies, saying indignantly: "If you ask me, they deserved to die; truly, their deaths were not unjust in the least. They were already engaged in illegal crimes; we came to deal with them, yet they fired back. The moment they took up guns, they should have been prepared to be shot dead.

I'll photograph them all, especially the living ones; I'll make them famous! Let their friends and families see what good deeds they've been doing here in Bolamula."

Wang Yan laughed aloud: "Then you're mistaken; others will only fear them, because they truly dare to shoot people. With your publicity boost, once they finish their prison terms and return, they'll be hardened veterans who've 'studied abroad.' Their status in the underworld could rise considerably."

Shao Yunfei paused, then realized: most of those daring enough to carry guns were hooligans, experts in petty theft and brawling outside as well. Illegal criminal activities were their profession, and serving time in prison was merely government-certified training...

With the situation under control and all the criminals bound, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as Dorje was about to question the captured leader, Wang Yan, who had been smoking a cigarette while inventorying supplies and preparing to cook, glanced over, then immediately stopped what he was doing and walked over.

"What's wrong, Wang Yan?" Dorje asked, confused.

"Something's up, college student?" Samba had already raised his rifle and even racked the bolt to chamber a round.

It was precisely because of Samba's movement that everyone else grew tense.

"Calm down, calm down. If there were real trouble, I would have shouted long ago. The people are under control, the perimeter is secure; what trouble could there possibly be?" Wang Yan pressed his hands downward, then walked closer to the captured ringleader.

"Dorje, just now over there, I saw them all looking toward those people; they glanced over several times."

This ringleader was a Han man with long hair. So, while speaking, Wang Yan grabbed the man by his hair, hauled him up, and forced his head to face the crowd of gold panners.

"Tell us, who were you looking at?"

"No... no one..."

Dragging the man toward the gold panners, Wang Yan said, "You'd better think this through. You won't be able to hide it during interrogation later; by then, you'll be charged with shielding criminals, which adds another degree to your offense. If you want to take the fall for someone, you'd better have shoulders thick enough for it. You need to consider whether this boss of yours is truly loyal, whether he keeps his word.

If he were really so principled, why didn't anyone protect him and help him escape? There were still more than ten of them, weren't there? Last time our mountain patrol team was ambushed, three of them still managed to flee, and those people even helped cover their retreat. See, that's the difference.

Is it him? No. Is it him?"

The man squeezed his eyes shut tightly, stiffened his neck, and bit his lip, as if determined never to confess.

The next moment, he let out a sudden cry of pain, his eyes snapping wide open.

"Does it hurt quite a bit?" Wang Yan asked with a smile, bending the man's fingers back. "That's about enough; you've already done all you can. Your boss won't blame you for this. Even if I break just one of his fingers, he wouldn't be able to bear it either."

Actually, there was no longer any need for this man to point anyone out, because the moment Wang Yan suddenly snapped his finger, the gold panners here had already scattered in a panic. Only one, who reacted half a beat slower, remained behind.

Just as this person also tried to flee, Wang Yan grabbed him by the hair, then immediately snapped one of his fingers, before turning to comfort the one who had been about to take the blame.

"See, your boss isn't so tough; he screamed even louder than you did."

Afterward, Wang Yan kicked the man over in front of Dorje and began the interrogation.

"Hey, Wang Yan, how did you figure it out?" Bai Ju leaned in. "You couldn't have been sure just because they glanced a few times, could you?"

"They looked too often, their eyes were too shifty, acting all sneaky—eighty percent chance something was up, so I just bluffed a little."

"Bluffed a little? Then why did you break his finger?"

Wang Yan smiled. "By then I was already certain. Look at how he was trembling, clearly guilty; where was the bearing of a boss? Besides, even if he wasn't, among these people and those gold panners, breaking one finger each wouldn't be any problem whatsoever."

Shao Yunfei, busy scribbling furiously in his notebook nearby, asked, "Wang Yan, I just saw the look in that boss's eyes; he definitely holds a grudge against you..."

"It's fine. Plenty of people hold grudges against me; who does he think he is? Is there anything one does that doesn't invite resentment? Any action without risk of retaliation? Even officials sabotage others; it's all the same."

"Still, you should be a bit careful. I'm afraid that after they investigate your situation, they might retaliate against Xiaoyan..." Shao Yunfei reminded him in a low voice.

"Should we stop working just because we fear retaliation?" Wang Yan asked, shaking his head with a smile. "Dorje has a two-million bounty on his head; mine was one million before, and now it's about the same. If they mess with our families, we won't let them feel happy; instead, they'll die even more miserably. Otherwise, how would Dorje's wife and children survive? As long as I don't die, the problem isn't solved.

But you did remind me of something. Once Xiaoyan and I get married in the future, things will be different; these matters do need to be considered."

Shao Yunfei pressed further: "How will you consider them?"

"We've discussed this issue before: just cripple the ringleaders."

"But couldn't that make them hold an even deeper grudge?"

"Oh, you're so long-winded," Bai Ju said impatiently. "Just answer this: if you discovered major news and someone tried to block you from reporting it, would you report it or not?"

"I'll try my best to report it!"

"Then we'll just do our best!"

Bai Ju's words truly carried weight...

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