Era: I was a farmer at the foot of Yaoling Mountain

"Secretary Luo, does this mean someone suspects me?"

Fang Wei felt a headache coming on. He had previously thought that the county was going to investigate gun control, which was why he had a premonition.

As a result, a scoundrel of an old man died, and some people actually suspected him.

"As for the investigation, we won't let anyone with any connection to Old Man Qu go unpunished; it's not just targeting you. The county bureau reported this to me, and I said I'd come to talk to you; you have to give me that face, right?"

Fang Wei's identity is special, so the county bureau is extra cautious when handling matters related to him.

The bureau leaders reported the matter directly to Luo Zhimin. Luo Zhimin was terrified when he heard it. How come everything was related to Fang Wei?
But the investigation still needs to be conducted; he made the call simply to appease the other party.

"Okay, I'll go now."

Fang Wei had no idea who Old Man Qu had offended, that he had been shot dead.

Once a gun is used, it becomes a major case, and countless eyes will be watching, and you will be subject to investigation regardless of your identity.

Having realized this, he didn't hesitate and immediately got up and drove to the county.

"Secretary Fang, I have a few questions for you, please answer them truthfully."

Upon arriving at the county bureau, Fang Wei was personally received by the bureau leader. After a brief chat, he cooperated and followed the investigators into an office.

We are still in the investigation phase, so it's impossible to send him to the interrogation room.

After he sat down, the questioning officially began.

"Okay, go ahead and ask."

"Where were you on the 23rd, which was Monday this week? What did you do?"

The investigators handled the case strictly by the book and asked very detailed questions.

Fang Wei answered in detail, stating that his daily itinerary was documented, and that he would go home in the evening to eat, take a walk, rest, and then go to sleep.

Wujialing is quite far from the First Brigade; even by car, it's impossible to get there anytime.

Based on the questioning, his suspicion can be largely ruled out.

"Secretary Fang, as far as I know, you should have firearms, right? Could you tell me the specific types and models?"

Just when Fang Wei thought the questioning was over, the investigators suddenly said something.

“That was in the past. I have already handed them all over in response to the country’s call, and I have proof at home.”

Fang Wei answered immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

The other side's plan to launch a surprise attack was clearly a miscalculation; he did indeed hand over the guns through the Yao village, and all the paperwork was in order.

Upon hearing this, the other party immediately showed a look of disappointment. Investigating the murder weapon was also a crucial aspect of the case, but unfortunately, no progress had been made so far.

As for whether Fang Wei was lying, there's no need to doubt it, because they'll have to verify it later. Who would joke about something so obvious?

"Alright, then we won't bother Secretary Fang any longer. Please go back. We might need your help again in the future, please forgive us!"

"Of course! You guys go ahead with your work, I'm off."

Fang Wei calmly got up and left the county bureau.

This matter had nothing to do with him, so there was nothing to be nervous about. Especially the firearms, which were easily accessible, he had already handed them over to the relevant authorities in advance in response to the call, so he was not a suspect at all.

He was just a little puzzled. Although the old man was annoying, he was at most a scoundrel. Was he worth being hit with a peanut?
Can't figure it out.

night.

During the meal, Pan Lianhua brought up the case.

She heard many rumors, some of which were quite outlandish, as if the old man were a hidden big shot, with various interpretations.

Fang Wei smiled and shook his head after hearing this. He didn't think the old man was any formidable character; he guessed the old man had just messed with someone he shouldn't have.

"Third Brother, I know the rumors outside are unreliable. Tell me, how could anyone kill that old scoundrel?"

Humans are naturally curious, and lotus flowers are no exception.

However, Fang Wei didn't know the specific reason either. The case was still under investigation, and he still had no concrete information.

From the second day onwards, Fang Wei stopped caring about the matter.

The annual harvest season has arrived. Wild chestnuts, wild camellia seeds, and wild loquats in the mountains are ripe and ready to be picked.

The forestry brigade organized its members to go into the mountains to pick fruit. The number of people who signed up this time was a little less than last year, but overall it was still okay.

Fang Wei didn't go into the mountains, but Wang Songlin led some of his brothers and sisters to sign up, and they had a good harvest in the following days.

Pan Lianhua likes to eat loquats, so Wang Songlin specially sent some wild chestnuts and loquats to Fang Wei. As for camellia seeds, Fang Wei can just buy them from the oil press.

"The loquats that you and I pick ourselves taste the best."

Before dinner.

Pan Lianhua washed a basin of loquats and sat there eating them while complaining. Fang Wei couldn't help but roll his eyes. His wife wasn't the type to be fussy; she was just unhappy about handing over her weapons. Not having weapons didn't mean they couldn't go into the mountains to hunt, but the danger would increase and the harvest would decrease.

He immediately got up, packed some loquats for his sister, and took them into the kitchen.

"Sister, have some loquats first, there's no rush for dinner."

The older sister nodded, ate a few fruits, and continued cooking. Fang Wei then turned and walked out of the kitchen.

Just then, Zhao Yong suddenly burst in.

"Secretary Fang, something's happened!"

Zhao Yong hurriedly entered the house, then took the tea that Pan Lianhua handed him and drank it all in one gulp.

Then he told Fang Wei that the murder case in Wujialing had been solved, but the murderer had not yet been caught. The higher authorities had arranged for all townships to mobilize manpower to block the roads leading up and down the mountain.

"Guess why that old man was killed? It's ridiculous, he actually died by his own gun. Isn't there a nationwide movement to hand over guns? The old man had a gun at home, but he couldn't bear to hand it over, so he thought of secretly selling it."

As Zhao Yong recounted the events, Fang Wei's expression became increasingly complex; he never dreamed that the old man would be killed for this reason.

Based on clues gathered by the county police, the perpetrator pretended to buy a gun, then used the pretext of testing it to shoot and kill the old man when he wasn't looking. This perpetrator was a wanted criminal who had recently fled to Xinlin County.

The situation has been tense lately; the county must have received a notice to suddenly begin screening outsiders. At the same time, they've intensified screening of people leaving the city, and this guy panicked.

It was difficult to hide in the county, and he dared not leave, so he gritted his teeth and decided to get one or two weapons and escape from the mountains.

He had been to Xinlin County before and knew that as long as he crossed the Dayao Mountains, he could reach the neighboring province, where he would be much safer. However, the mountains were dangerous, and he couldn't go on without a weapon for self-defense.

He then wandered around the market, looking for a suitable weapon, when he encountered an old man who was acting suspiciously and trying to sell guns.

“We cannot confirm whether the perpetrator has entered the mountains yet, but the county bureau wants our cooperation to guard all roads leading into the mountains. The other party is armed, and for everyone's safety, each group will be equipped with one or two police officers.”

Zhao Yong hoped that Fang Wei could mobilize the company's security personnel to participate in this operation, since it was somewhat dangerous and not suitable for ordinary employees.

Fang Wei was stunned after hearing this.

Unexpectedly, the old man, who always loved to extort money and take advantage of others, ultimately died because of his own greed. He guessed that after so many days, the murderer must have already gone into the mountains and might even have reached the neighboring province by now.

However, it depends on the other party's experience in mountain activities. Having a gun alone won't get you out of the primeval forest. At this point, survival experience in the mountains is more important than anything else.

"Okay, I'll tell them right away. You haven't eaten yet, have you? Why don't you grab something to eat here?"

Fang Wei agreed to Zhao Yong's request, then took him to his home for dinner before going to the establishment.

He mobilized about 100 people to be handed over to Zhao Yong, and the township, police station, and various administrative villages took unified action to control the roads leading in and out of Yaoling Township.

By the time he got home, it was already midnight.

Pan Lianhua was still awake, waiting for him to come back.

"Is everything done?"

"Yes, there are guards at the entrances to the mountain now, and each group has at least one police officer. In short, it's unlikely that the murderer entered the mountain from our side; the perpetrator may have already left the Dayao Mountains."

Fang Wei was feeling a bit sleepy, so after chatting with Pan Lianhua for a few minutes, she washed up and went to sleep.

the next day.

The first thing he did when he got to the office was to ask about what happened last night.

It turned out that nothing happened during the night. Not only was Yaoling Township unaffected, but news also came from other townships that everyone was safe and sound.

The murderer did not appear, and the county police conducted a large-scale search in various villages in the city, but still found nothing.

three days later.

All the checkpoints in the towns and villages were removed, and everyone believed that the murderer must have escaped.

A nationwide arrest warrant has been issued for this murderer, a special task force has been established in the province, and the arrest team is continuing to track him down.

After all, the murderer had a rifle and at least a hundred bullets, which posed a great danger.

Fang Wei stopped paying attention to the matter and spent the next few days at the forestry brigade. The forestry brigade began harvesting the chestnuts, camellia seeds, fruits, medicinal herbs, and other crops they had planted.

The forestry brigade generates considerable revenue each year, and the company is paying increasing attention to this area.

"Hello, Party Secretary Fang."

Fang Wei was wandering in the woods when the forestry brigade workers were picking medicinal herbs in the area. Although the herbs were cultivated, their quality was quite good and they were highly praised by customers.

Zhang, the head of the sales department of Chenzhou Central Hospital, happened to be wandering around here when he saw Fang Wei and quickly went up to greet her.

"Section Chief Zhang, long time no see. You've come all this way but haven't even come over for a bit? You've forgotten your old friend, haven't you?"

"No, I was planning to visit you at noon, but I just happened to run into you. By the way, Secretary Fang, we still need a lot of wild herbs, and we're counting on you."

The two chatted and laughed as they slowly walked down the mountain.

Chenzhou Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital has been sourcing rare and precious wild herbs from Fang Wei for many years; the two have been cooperating for a long time. (End of Chapter)