Chapter 1737: The Big Boss?

Snow-capped peaks towered high, their starlit brilliance illuminating Bolamula, while the towering mountains cast immense shadows. Within those shadows, a single point of red light flickered on and off.

The captured gold panners huddled together, thirsty and hungry, tossing and turning unable to sleep; the members of the illegal mining gang fared even worse, bound and uncomfortable no matter how they shifted, especially two whose fingers had been snapped, lacking any fixation, simply enduring the pain yet daring not to cry out.

The members of the Mountain Patrol Team, meanwhile, were sound asleep inside their tents...

Dorje took a deep drag of his cigarette, the firelight reddening his face as he grew worried once more.

"It's only been a little over a month since we cracked down on poaching, yet this illegal mining group has already reached such a scale; surely there are more groups like this in Bolamula now, and who knows how much worse they will ravage this place."

Poaching and illegal mining do not actually conflict; when poachers find gold, they mine it illegally, and when illegal miners encounter wild animals, they simply shoot them dead with a few bursts.

Even if they neither eat nor sell the animals, just for the fun of practicing their marksmanship, they will not spare any wild creature that appears before them.

It seems some people feel compelled to drive over clean lawns, kick objects resting peacefully on the ground, destroy well-built snowmen, or topple stacked mani piles; some individuals simply enjoy this sensation of destruction and ruin.

Whenever blamed, they claim, "I didn't know, I don't understand..."

"We'll just continue expanding our patrol range; they cannot hide forever."

Wang Yan sat side by side with Dorje smoking, adding, "Moreover, there are benefits; at least I had never been here before and did not know there were gold deposits; today I walked around the vicinity and took a look, and the content is actually decent, worth digging."

"Later I will report to County Head Lin and ask him to send trucks to haul back several loads to see how much gold we can pan out; if it covers the costs, the county can support a few more people."

"Opening a mine in Bolamula is too difficult; just think about how many times our vehicles got stuck on the way here, how many times the engines stalled; getting fully loaded trucks out will be even harder, who knows how difficult that will be."

Dorje also had a heap of complaints; he could understand Lin Peisheng's desire for development, but attempting to achieve anything within Bolamula was truly fraught with countless difficulties and dangers.

"It would be better to take advantage of the current influx of outside tourists, provide excellent service, let these visitors eat well, drink well, and have fun to make money; these outsiders can drive our county's economy."

Dorje was certainly not solely focused on the mountains; after more than a month, he knew that all the county's rough statistical data were growing in a straight line, entirely benefiting from the boost provided by outside tourists.

The county leaders naturally recognized the benefits of tourism revenue and were already actively serving outside tourists, striving to provide good experiences under existing conditions; building upon the 'Wang Yan Travel Route,' they fully exercised their subjective initiative to develop other locations, forcibly assigning value even where none existed...

Actually, Dorje knew all this too, yet he still complained; perhaps it was because a huge sense of loss now filled his heart.

After all, such a vigorous campaign to crack down on poaching had arrested so many people and smashed so many criminal gangs, yet once the operation ended and controls relaxed, these criminals surged back, roaming freely within Bolamula.

Without the previous major operation, Dorje might not have been so depressed; it was simply that the Mountain Patrol Team's strength was too minuscule while the criminals were too greedy, impossible to kill or eliminate completely.

Regarding how Bolamula should develop, higher authorities had issued no clear instructions nor invested substantial resources; being immersed in the situation yet caring deeply about it, Dorje felt he could not see the road ahead, inevitably becoming disheartened and distraught.

Wang Yan said, "We must walk on two legs; Reporter Shao is right, this wave of excitement will eventually pass; if no one comes anymore, won't our county revert to its former state? I cannot have every article I write published, and even when published, not every piece will have such a huge impact."

"Mining in Bolamula is indeed difficult, which means these illegal gold panners are earning hard-earned money; however, no matter how many difficulties and dangers exist, none are harder than poverty; as long as there is a way, people are willing to endure hardship to live better lives; Dorje, this is not a matter of whether it can be done, but whether it is cost-effective."

"County Head Lin previously told me that he also knows mining operations in plateau regions are difficult, but as long as costs are covered, or even if there is a small loss, it still counts as profit for our Mazhi County; spending by outside tourists can drive county development, and spending by the people of our Mazhi County can similarly drive development."

"Don't overthink it, Dorje; let's just take things step by step; as I said before, since things were so lively previously, higher authorities have definitely noticed us, but formulating specific policies and allocating concrete resources still requires some time; we are currently in the darkness before dawn, and with a little persistence, we will welcome the first light."

Dorje laughed: "I've been doing this work for so many years; how could I give up at this time? But still, thank you for comforting me."

"I wasn't comforting you; I was stating facts; the current situation of our Mountain Patrol Team can be described as extremely promising, far better than when I came last year."

"That's true; our funding is so abundant now; I haven't worried about expenses for a long time." Dorje thought of the past when funds were always insufficient, even considering selling his family's grasslands, and couldn't help but smile brightly...

After four days, the group finally left Bolamula and headed straight to the county Public Security Bureau.

Shi Long came running over eagerly: "Are these the ones who kidnapped and robbed the tourists?"

"Yes, them." Dorje nodded, "Not a single one escaped; they were all captured; the leader tried to hide among the gold panners to escape this calamity; his mind is very wicked, so be careful when handling the case; don't let him deceive you."

"Technically, we have cooperated several times already, so you should understand our side; rest assured, we definitely won't drag our feet." Shi Long pounded his chest, making a loud clanging sound.

Ever since the previous crackdown on poaching, Mazhi County had received no unexpected gains; after all, the main effort came from the city and provincial levels, leaving Mazhi County with little.

Now that they had finally cracked down on gold panning, there was finally another chance to earn extra money, so naturally he was happy; not only was he, the bureau chief, happy, but the staff working below were also happy, as everyone benefited.

While Dorje communicated with Shi Long here, Wang Yan did not linger, going directly to find Lin Peisheng to report on his work.

Lin Peisheng was busy processing documents in his office; seeing Wang Yan knock and enter, he paused for a moment, then quickly asked, "Have you captured that gang who kidnapped the tourists?"

"Captured and handed over to Public Security; Dorje is currently handing them over to Director Shi; five died, and not a single one of the remaining escaped."

"Good!" Lin Peisheng slapped the table with a bang, "Simply lawless, too audacious, well killed! Isn't there also a reporter? Convey my message to have him conduct an interview; once the article is written, show it to me."

"Alright, I will tell him as soon as I return."

Lin Peisheng paused briefly, then asked again, "Did you capture this group at their gold panning site?"

"Yes." Wang Yan nodded, "I looked around the area and conducted a rough survey; the estimated reserves are decent; although it won't last for very long, a year or half is completely feasible; I have already drawn the map, so later you can arrange for people to go there, haul back several loads of raw material to the county to try panning for gold, and see if the yield is high."

"Excellent; you've finally made progress here; not easy, truly not easy."

"Leader, what about the work I did previously? Did we find nothing at all?"

Lin Peisheng said, "The reserves were not large, and the transportation difficulty was too great; it was not worth mining."

Wang Yan looked at him and smiled, "Dorje is preparing to increase patrol intensity to severely crack down on illegal mining; perhaps we will encounter other illegal mining gangs, in which case we can both arrest people to earn extra money and find a ready-made gold mine."

"How could it be that easy to catch them? From what I hear, this group has been there for quite some time; if not for their audacious kidnapping of tourists this time, you probably wouldn't have known about them until they finished panning all the gold."

"There is no other way; the Mountain Patrol Team simply has too little manpower to deploy, and Bolamula is so vast; we can only say we will do our best."

"Work hard and stay safe." Lin Peisheng waved his hand, "Alright, looking at your ragged appearance, hurry up and have a big meal, get a good night's sleep, and tidy yourself up."

After exchanging a few jokes with Lin Peisheng, Wang Yan left the three-story government building and went straight to Dean Zhang's home opposite the hospital.

It was noon; Bai Ji was once again guarding the entrance selling boxed meals, while outside tourists gathered at the courtyard gate, taking photos of the tree inside the yard or using the tree as a backdrop for group pictures.

"Brother Yan, I see you're back." Bai Ji greeted with a simple smile, picking up a lunch box and pressing it into Wang Yan's hand, "Eat something first to tide you over, so you'll have strength to cook later."

"Brother Yan? Wang Yan? Are you Wang Yan? Yes, exactly like the photo in the newspaper." A tourist taking photos nearby overheard their conversation and came forward to chat.

His words were overheard by others, so other tourists also gathered around.

Wang Yan thus stood holding a boxed meal at Dean Zhang's doorway, eating while patiently answering everyone's questions, ensuring no one came in vain.

By this time, news of tourists being kidnapped in Bolamula had already spread everywhere; Wang Yan once again reiterated the prohibition against illegally crossing Bolamula and shared the arrest process, recounting it to everyone like a storytelling session.

Seeing him eat with such relish, many tourists who originally had no intention of buying boxed meals spontaneously decided to purchase some, resulting in Bai Ji selling out all his boxed meals in one go.

"Today I really benefited from your presence, Brother Yan; otherwise, I would have been selling these boxed meals until evening."

Bai Ji stood aside, a cigarette dangling from his mouth, watching Wang Yan knead dough nearby, while beef stewed in the pressure cooker beside them.

"Hasn't your business always been quite good? Why worry about sales; are you getting too greedy?"

"No." Bai Ji sighed, "You haven't come to the county much recently so you don't know; during this period, several new hotels and restaurants have opened in the county, operating in clusters, so my boxed meals aren't selling well; if not for taking advantage of this tree in the yard, allowing me to sell right at my doorstep, I estimate no one would buy from me."

But if you say I should open a restaurant too, I still can't compete with theirs. I've been to those few places to try them, and they're tastier than what I make. Especially since their restaurant is really generous — let me tell you, Brother Yan, there's a boss from out of town who's especially capable. The restaurant is big, the decor is nice too, so of course people are willing to go eat there.

If I open a restaurant, leave this courtyard, lose this tree, then no one would come anymore…"

Bai Ji was very dejected. He had been dead set on saving up to open a restaurant, but now he got a taste of what it meant to be outclassed. Seeing Mazhi County develop, people had come to invest here. Bai Ji got a very clear sense of what the relationship between the big environment and the individual was.

"Is the big restaurant good? Tomorrow I'll take Little Yan to try it."

"Not as good as yours." Bai Ji looked resentfully at his good brother who couldn't empathize with him. "Oh right, Brother Yan, I heard that restaurant boss is really capable. Not only did he open a restaurant, he also opened an inn. He just bought a few herders' houses in the county and renovated them — way better than our county's guesthouse.

And I heard he even knows County Head Lin — it was County Head Lin who brought in the investment. The guy originally wanted to come here to open a mine, but seeing how well we're developing and other things couldn't keep up, he just opened a restaurant and an inn on the side. That's solving problems for our county too."

Wang Yan was still kneading dough: "Hearing you put it that way, I really need to meet him."

"He's a big boss, seems like he's never even here. I asked the servers at his shop, and from start to finish they've barely seen him a few times. But Brother Yan, you've got face — if the boss were here, he'd definitely meet you."

Bai Ji sighed again. "Brother Yan, what do you think I should do?"

"Aren't you doing fine? Living such a cozy little life. Making a few dozen yuan a day, earning more in a month than I do, and still not satisfied?"

"Making money — when is it ever enough? Brother Yan, if everyone were satisfied, Bolamula would've been peaceful long ago. Why would you guys need to go into the mountains for ten days, half a month at a time? Bro, dear bro, you've got plenty of ideas — give me some advice."

Wang Yan thought for a moment, then nodded: "Alright, I'll think it over and tell you later."

The exhausted mountain patrol members ate their noodles and then fell fast asleep, not caring that it wasn't bedtime yet. Their sleep would carry them straight through to tomorrow.

Wang Yan, on the other hand, waited until Little Yan got off work, then went with Little Yan to her place.

Passing by Wangmu's Supermarket, the two of them walked in.

"College student, long time no see!" Wangmu smiled as brightly as ever.

The old lady behind her also greeted Wang Yan, reminding him that he'd killed people again and should offer incense to the Buddha and such.

"He's a cadre, ma'am." Wangmu changed the subject. "When are you and Little Yan planning to get married?"

"The house hasn't been arranged for me yet. Once it's sorted out and the weather warms up a bit, we'll get married. What about you and Old He?"

"We'll get married when he's not busy." Wangmu was still smiling, but clearly not happy about it.

After the last time the mountain patrol team was surrounded and attacked and survived, He Qingyuan came back to recover, then made his feelings clear to Wangmu, and the two of them naturally got together. Then right after came the tourism boom in Mazhi County, and the mountain patrol team's workload increased. As deputy captain, He Qingyuan had to take on more.

Including right now — He Qingyuan was still leading a group inside Bolamula. Because of the previous tourist kidnapping incident, and with Samba and the others out on patrol with no reliable rotation personnel, He Qingyuan didn't feel at ease, so he always led the trips out himself…

"By that logic, it's my fault then." Wang Yan laughed. "Next time I see him, I'll talk to him about it. It's been so long already — let's get married soon."

"Mazhi County has what it has today all thanks to you. My shop's business is great, I've made plenty of money — how could it be your fault? This pack of cigarettes is my treat, he listens to you…"

"Then I'll be smoking the wedding cigarettes early."

Wang Yan waved the pack of cigarettes in his hand, bought another carton, and only then left chatting and laughing with Little Yan…

?? Daily thanks to the big brothers who tip, vote monthly tickets, vote recommendation tickets, and quietly read the book for their strong support!