Detective: From the Police Academy

Chapter 519: Poor mountains and bad waters...

4:20 pm.

The silver-white light truck drove slowly on the country dirt road, passing through more than ten villages before reaching Yanshui Village next to the border.

At this time, the car had just left the town, but from the mountains on both sides and the vegetation on the cliffs, one could already see that the scenery was different from that of Haidong Province.

It has the ecological characteristics of three-dimensional climate and three-dimensional vegetation, covering the complete vegetation division from tropical to alpine frigid zones.

This place is not far from Xishuang City, and each level of altitude reflects different plant characteristics.

Zhangfeng Town has a subtropical rainforest climate, with dense banana groves growing along the roadside.

Even though it’s only the end of February, it’s still hot and stuffy sitting in the car.

Qian Baishan sat in the passenger seat and glanced at Fang Yonghui in the back seat.

Fang Yonghui nodded to Zhao the Butcher who was driving, meaning that he should not be so depressed and should talk if he could.

Qian Bashan is not the carefree type and has some difficulty in social relationships, so he could only frown and pretend not to understand what he meant.

Butcher Zhao was only focused on driving. If it were someone else, he would have started chatting and laughing with them, but he knew in his heart that the two people in the car were not ordinary people.

Before setting off, Director Yang was extremely respectful to the two men, asking them to bring the people there and ensure their safety and not let them get lost.

The other villages were easy to get to, as they were all located on both sides of the main road, so you could always find your way back to town.

However, the innermost Yanshui Village and Litian Village are surrounded by high mountains and dense forests. People from other villages generally do not easily go in unless they have relatives living there.

Seeing that Qian Bashan had some social anxiety, Fang Yonghui sighed helplessly and complained in his heart, "You are a higher official than me, but you insist on grabbing the co-pilot seat? Well, I asked you to talk, but you can't finish it."

So Fang Yonghui took out a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes from his pocket. He had taken these cigarettes from Luo Rui's desk.

He kept the box of cigarettes for one day without smoking them, then for three days, and then a week later, it became Fang Yonghui's pocket.

There is no way, Huazi’s temptation is irresistible.

Fang Yonghui took out a cigarette, leaned forward and handed it to Butcher Zhao who was driving.

"Come on, Brother Zhao, have a cigarette."

Butcher Zhao glanced at the rearview mirror and said with a smile, "You're welcome. What's your name?"

"Just call me Xiao Fang, and the guy sitting next to you can call him Lao Qian."

Seeing that he was able to introduce himself without hiding anything, Butcher Zhao took the cigarette.

Seeing that he was inconvenient, Fang Yonghui quickly took out a plastic lighter and lit it.

"Brother Zhao, the people in your Zhangfeng Town are quite tough. In the village I just came from, I saw two farmers fighting in a banana forest. You kicked me and I punched you. They were not gentle."

Butcher Zhao took a puff of the cigarette and found that the taste was not right. He took the cigarette in his hand and looked at the brand. Seeing that it was Zhonghua, he immediately became much more enthusiastic: "It's much better now. In the past, there were only car bandits and road bullies, and no one dared to come here.

Even people from the town who drive on this road will be stopped and asked for money. You have to pay, as they will not only use knives but also guns.

So, people in these villages like to have children, especially boys, and they favor boys over girls.

A man is a strong laborer, and when there are fights, fathers, sons and brothers always join in.

Whenever something big happens, the men with the same surname rush forward, or it turns into a war between one village and another!
Such incidents often happen in Yanshui Village and Litian Village where you visited. The most serious incident resulted in the death of more than ten people.

The town police station couldn't intervene, so they had to go to the city bureau to find people. They called in Officer W and the special police, and only then were they able to arrest these people.

Speaking of women here, life is really hard. We were poor before and could only make a living by farming. Later, the economy got better and better, and the laws became more and more perfect.

These men are either lazy and greedy, or they commit crimes and go to jail if caught, or they run away. Where do they run to?"

Butcher Zhao pointed to the mountains outside the windshield.

"They fled to Myanmar, leaving behind orphans and widows.

These mothers have a hard life. Not only do they have to farm, but they also have to raise children. During the slack season every year, they work for others and help them pick bananas and mangoes.

When we just left town, you saw that the group of tricycles and motorcycles waiting for passengers at the entrance of town were all women. "

Fang Yonghui nodded. He had indeed seen it before, but these women were sitting on motorcycles, with sleeves on their arms and straw hats on their heads with white gauze sewn on the brims.

So you can only see their clothes but not their faces.

Fang Yonghui asked: "What is the specific situation of Yanshui Village and Litian Village?"

Butcher Zhao finished his cigarette and threw the butt out of the window. Just as he was about to speak, another cigarette was handed to him.

He subconsciously held the mountain in his mouth: "Don't be so polite."

Fang Yonghui smiled and said, "This is my leader's cigarette. I just took it. I like chatting with people like you. The customs and people here are quite different from ours."

Butcher Zhao waited for him to light his cigarette, then nodded and said, "I've heard that you're not from Yunnan Province. Your accent sounds a bit like someone from Haixi Province."

"Yes, I am from Haixi Province. The people there were also very powerful in the past. Did you know Qi Jiguang? At the end of the Ming Dynasty, he went to our place to recruit soldiers and horses."

Hearing this, Qian Baishan's eyes narrowed and he looked at Fang Yonghui, who was lying without blushing or beating his heart, more calmly than telling the truth.

They are indeed Mr. Luo’s men, each one more shameless than the other!

Butcher Zhao shook his head and said, "I don't understand what you are talking about. I only know the soldiers of Bashu. They are really powerful. They die nine out of ten battles, but they still keep charging forward. Some of them are only ten years old.

A few years ago, I worked as a tour guide for a charity organization. I went to the other side of the border and found the remains of many soldiers, all packed in gasoline barrels and buried in a garbage dump.

What was the purpose of people at that time?

During the expedition, more than 30% of the Bashu soldiers suffered more than 60% casualties. I will always admire these people for the rest of my life."

"Yes!" Qian Baishan sniffed and nodded.

Fang Yonghui also agreed with this, but the topic could not go too far, so he continued with the previous topic and asked, "Brother Zhao, are you still talking about the situation in those two villages?"

Butcher Zhao curled his lips, and the cigarette butt fell from his mouth and landed on his thigh. He quickly picked it up and threw it out of the window.

"What else can I say, I'm poor.

If you look at the environment on both sides of the road, you will know that these two villages are very closed. It was not so bad ten years ago, when they still interacted with other villages.

Since the crackdown, these people have rarely come out.

To them, Zhangfeng Town was not the place that governed them at all. Muqian County on the other side of the mountain was the place they often went to.

So, most of the young and middle-aged people in these two villages went to Myanmar to engage in illegal activities, such as drug trafficking or kidnapping.

Anyway, it doesn’t harm us, and the police station in town won’t bother to intervene.”

Time passed slowly, and the pickup truck came to a fork in the road. On the side of the dirt road stood a statue of a policeman.

However, due to wind and sun, the color has faded and the surface is very ugly, just like the dilapidated Bodhisattva statue in a ruined temple.

Moreover, the surface of the statue was covered with graffiti, and obscene and insulting words were carved on the stone. It was unknown who did it. Butcher Zhao pointed to the fork in the road and said, "Three kilometers from here, it is Yanshui Village, and Litian Village is still at the innermost.

Do you see those two big mountains? Beyond the second mountain is Mumian County.

There had been a battle there before, and there were still sweet potato seeds buried in that large area.

A few years ago, I heard that there was an explosion that killed a farmer in Litian Village.

Those who were involved in smuggling in those years all left the country from there.”

Qian Baishan asked doubtfully, "Aren't you afraid of death?"

Butcher Zhao shrugged his shoulders and said, "I remember it was in the 1980s, when I was just an adult, a group of people went around town buying up goats, and they bought up all the goats in our town and several nearby villages.

We thought they were people from a slaughterhouse in another place, but later we found out that they dragged the sheep to the hill over there, tied carrots in front of the sheep's heads, and drove them to dig for melon seeds.

That night, the sound of claws exploding could be heard from far away, and it lasted all night long.

Later, the police station went to check, but there was no one there, and dozens of goats were dead and blown to pieces.”

Fang Yonghui exclaimed: "These people are amazing."

"That's not true." Zhao the Butcher sighed and said, "When I was young, I almost went astray, but my old man had been in the war and he kept a close eye on me, so my life is going smoothly now.

People of my generation either broke the law and were shot, are still in prison, or died in Myanmar. We couldn’t even get together with old friends for a drink during the New Year.”

Fang Yonghui and Qian Baishan listened to him chattering while paying attention to the surrounding environment.

This fork in the road has only one lane and there is no way for cars to pass each other.

But there is no need to miss the other car, because in this situation, there are no vehicles entering or exiting at all.

There were lush bushes growing on both sides, so you couldn't see what was happening outside. You could only see the mountains in the distance.

There were weeds and thorns growing in the middle of the dirt road. When the car drove over, it kept scraping against the bottom of the car, making a rattling sound.

Seeing their serious expressions, Butcher Zhao asked, "Where are we going first?"

Fang Yonghui replied: "Yanshui Village, Yanshui Village Group 1, No. 5, and No. 25."

Butcher Zhao frowned: "I know these two places, but the road is blocked. I can only park the car at the village office and then walk there..."

Qian Baishan shook his head: "No, let's go find the village chief first. Brother Zhao, you often go to collect live pigs, so you can ask the village chief about the situation in the name of collecting live pigs."

"That's fine." Butcher Zhao nodded: "But what you are doing..."

Qian Baishan waved his hand: "Don't worry about us, just treat us as your companions. By the way, is the head of Yanshui Village willing to talk?"

Butcher Zhao snorted coldly: "If this damned guy surnamed Lu was easy to talk to, would Yanshui Village be so secluded? In that village, his word is final, and he is the law."

"Okay, remember, don't let it slip when the time comes."

"I understand." Butcher Zhao nodded solemnly.

It took nearly half an hour to drive the three kilometers.

The road was not only bad, but also shook violently. Banana trees and large rocks that had slid down the hillside were occasionally seen lying across the road.

At this time, Fang Yonghui and Qian Bashan had to get out of the car and move the items away, and they also had to be vigilant in case a group of armed criminals appeared from nowhere.

Fortunately, everything went smoothly and they finally arrived at Yanshui Village.

The village is surrounded by mountains. There are several rural houses built around the village office. All of them are two-story buildings with ugly yellow tiles on the front and cement walls on both sides.

Butcher Zhao pointed toward the house with an awning in front of the door.

"That's the store run by Village Chief Lu. I'll go talk to him after we get off the bus."

"Row."

Qian Baishan agreed, and he and Fang Yonghui looked at each other. The two of them touched the place where the gun was hidden and made sure that the gun was still there. Only then did they feel relieved.

Three people got off the car, led by Butcher Zhao. He walked towards the store and said in a cheerful voice, "Village Chief Lu, are you home?"

"Village Chief Lu, I'm Lao Zhao from the town, the pig collector. Are you home?"

Qian Baishan and Fang Yonghui followed behind him, both looking around.

Apart from a few houses, the surrounding area is full of banana trees and plants such as broad-leaved forests. It is impossible to see what is happening within a mile around.

This made them feel very insecure. No wonder before leaving, Director Yang repeatedly told Zhao the butcher to take good care of them and not to lose their way.

If you encounter danger and run into the woods, you will be at the mercy of others. Even if you have a gun, it probably won't be of much use.

This is also why the Zhangfeng Town Police Station has repeatedly reminded that outsiders should not come here.

If something happens, no one will be able to help.

Fang Yonghui felt very dazed. The terrain and vegetation here were similar to those in Myanmar. He could not tell that he was in the country.

He and Qian Baishan looked at each other again, and saw uneasiness in each other's eyes.

At this time, Zhao the Butcher had already walked up the steps and arrived at the door.

The door was closed. There was a window on the right wall, with two rows of shelves inside, selling firewood, rice, oil, salt, daily necessities, cigarettes and alcohol.

Qian Baishan could tell at a glance that some of the cigarettes and alcohol were from Myanmar.

In addition, there is a Buddhist shrine on the front wall, which houses a golden Buddha. It is not known whether it is gold-plated or real.

Butcher Zhao came to the window and saw no one inside. He shouted, "Village Chief Lu, I'm Lao Zhao from the town. I'm here to collect the live pigs."

As soon as he finished speaking, a young man with tattoos on his arms stepped out from the innermost door on the left. He was wearing a sleeveless white vest and holding a cigarette in his mouth. He cursed, "What are you shouting about?"

Butcher Zhao didn't know this man, so he asked cautiously, "Brother, where is Village Chief Lu?"

The man with tattoos glared at him and ignored him. Instead, he walked behind the door, opened it, and without saying a word, went back to the room on the left.

At this time, Qian Baishan and Fang Yonghui heard the noisy sound.

They followed Zhao the butcher inside and walked to the door of the house on the left.

The three men saw at a glance that the room was filled with smoke and that more than a dozen people were sitting around a large round table, smoking and playing cards.

On the table made of two tables, there were hundreds of thousands of cash. Everyone had an excited expression, their hands and feet were waving, and they were shouting and yelling.

Qian Baishan's eyes fixed, he looked inside, and immediately poked Fang Yonghui's arm.

At the very back, under a dim light bulb, there was an old man with a beard, his beard and hair were already gray.

He was sitting on a recliner, wiping the rifle standing on the ground with a rag...

(End of this chapter)