In the name of supernatural powers

Chapter 16 Back Mountain
Ant Ridge.

As always, Lu Zhao walked along the mountain path with his little follower and laborer, Liu Qiang.

"I plan to go to the back mountain."

What are we going to do in the back mountain?

Liu Qiang was stunned for a moment, somewhat puzzled by Lu Zhao's decision.

“Our station hasn’t cleaned the back of Ant Ridge for two years. Going in will definitely lead to encountering monsters, and there might even be large monsters.”

As is customary, the border station uses helicopters every year to conduct low-altitude reconnaissance and clear the area behind Ant Ridge.

But starting two years ago, it became a simple process involving a helicopter trip followed by a return trip.

Lu Zhao said, "I'm a little short on cash lately."

His reason for going into the back mountain was simple: to kill a monster to solve his immediate problem.

Border posts offer extra rewards for defeating monsters, with rewards differentiated by size and species.

Monster flesh and blood can be used to make life-sustaining potions, and the government supports hunting monsters.

Especially in areas like Ant Ridge, where the population is small but management is necessary. Lu Zhao is not usually short of money, so there is no need for him to take risks.

Now he is penniless.

Lu Zhao drinks 2.5 bottles of low-grade life supplements a day, each bottle of Langpai Tequ costs 500 yuan.

In addition, my mother is frail and often ill, and even after deducting government subsidies, she still has to spend tens of thousands of yuan on hospitalization every year.

Lu Zhao also needs to cover his niece's tuition fees, which include the costs of life development. Even with the martyr's subsidy, it will still cost him about 100,000 yuan more each year.

These are all necessary expenses for Lu Zhao. His education and supernatural abilities were all obtained through his father and elder brother's efforts.

It's impossible to borrow all of these expenses from Zhang Like, and compounding interest on loans is also not advisable.

"You don't need to come with me. Just don't report to the station. I find it troublesome to write a report and explain when I get back."

Lu Zhao could see Liu Qiang's fear, which was only natural.

Liu Qiang hesitated upon hearing this: "Brother Lu, it's too dangerous for you to go in alone. What if you encounter danger while carrying the body by yourself?"

"If you dare to come with me, all I have to do is move the corpses, and I'll give you 30%."

Lu Zhao promised him benefits, and Liu Qiang gritted his teeth and finally agreed.

It's not all about personal gain; it also depends on relationships. For example, what if Lu Zhao is attacked while moving a corpse?
Hunting monsters is the duty of border guards, but unless ordered by their superiors, no one is willing to risk their lives for a few thousand yuan.

Lu Zhao was the only one in the entire border station who was highly skilled and daring; the others practically never went on duty.

The two reached the summit at noon and then followed a path into the dense forest behind the mountain.

The towering trees with their canopies blocked out the sun, while the ground was covered with decaying leaves and rotten wood, and countless streams and hidden channels flowed through it.

Countless eyes were secretly watching the two of them.

Lu Zhao extended his mental energy. Although it could not replace his eyes, he could immediately detect any major movement within a kilometer, hear the sound of grass brushing within a hundred meters, and know the sound of breathing within fifty meters.

boom!
Gunshots echoed through the mountains and forests as a mountain leopard with horns pounced on the bushes.

Liu Qiang exclaimed in amazement, "Brother Lu, your marksmanship is getting more and more unpredictable!"

Lu Zhao asked in surprise, "You could tell?"

Liu Qiang nodded: "In the past, Brother Lu, you rarely shot at targets 800 meters away, but today you just raised your gun and fired as soon as you saw them."

Lu Zhao has many quirks, such as only sleeping on a hard bed, having virtually no extra items in his room, frequently suffering from insomnia, and having severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

He had a formulaic approach to targets at different distances, and Liu Qiang, having followed him for a year, naturally noticed the subtle differences.

"Your observation skills are good enough to work as a security officer in the city."

Lu Zhao used a telescope to observe the distance and confirmed that the monster was dead before leading Liu Qiang closer.

He fired a follow-up shot from ten paces away to ensure he was absolutely certain of success. Although his marksmanship was generally good enough to shatter vital organs with a single shot, there was no guarantee that his opponent wouldn't possess any special abilities.

Lu Zhao likes to hit the head because the head is extremely difficult to modify with supernatural powers. At most, it can be like the escaped convict from a few days ago, with a layer of rock attached to his head.

Liu Qiang dragged the black panther's carcass to flat ground and estimated that it met the criteria of a medium-sized monster.

"Brother Lu, here's ten thousand yuan."

"That's enough for today, we're retreating."

One of the perks of border police is the right to hunt monsters, but they are not in a hurry.

The two returned the way they came, but the smell of blood attracted another monster, which Lu Zhao killed with a single shot.

This time, the small cat-like monster is only worth a few thousand dollars.

Suddenly, Lu Zhao saw a soda can half-hidden in a bush. He picked it up and saw that the production date was six months ago.

Lu Zhao and Liu Qiang exchanged a glance, their expressions both becoming serious.
-
The back mountain is a restricted area, and it is explicitly forbidden for anyone to approach it.

Unauthorized entry will be treated as attempted smuggling if caught, and will be handled as smuggling if actual smuggling is found.

Given the current state of the federal economy, there's basically no need to rely on local resources for sustenance.

The East Namhae region has a large pool of free labor to export cheap industrial products to them, so no one would bother to go deep into the mountains and forests, especially in a border region.

That leaves only one answer: smuggling.

Liu Qiang guessed, "Has someone been smuggling or illegally crossing the border through here in the last six months?"

“Smuggling won’t happen here; Cangwu City has more mature and safer industries.”

Lu Zhao parted the bushes and walked for a hundred meters before finally finding a path, one side leading out of the mountain and the other leading deeper into the mountains.

Judging from the marks on the ground and the degree of compaction of the soil, it can be determined that the road has been traversed many times over a long period of time.

It could be six months, a year, or even started three years ago.

Smuggling has always been rampant, and even with the intervention of supernatural forces, conventional patrols are ineffective. Places like Ant Ridge lack the Great Wall and are filled with dense forests and hidden channels, making it easy for people to enter.

During the Great Cataclysm, tens of millions of refugees poured in from all directions, and the Federation couldn't stop them at all.

Lu Zhao had read some information and knew that there had been smugglers with the ability to burrow underground who transported more than ten tons of drugs to the border in a year.

But extraordinary individuals aren't like cabbages; most smuggling involves taking advantage of the dangers of mountains and rivers, sneaking over under the cover of night.

The road in front of them didn't look like one that extraordinary people had walked, nor did it seem like someone had only walked it once or twice.

It could have been an oversight, and if it were reported, the consequences would be severe.

A major smuggling case occurred at Ant Ridge. The border station bears primary responsibility, and Zhang Like is the person primarily responsible.

Lu Zhao immediately instructed, "Liu Qiang, don't tell anyone after you get out of this road."

"Huh? That's not a good idea. Smuggling routes are already a serious case. If we conceal it, we'll be punished, and in severe cases, we could be sentenced to prison."

Liu Qiang shook his head repeatedly; he still had basic common sense.

Lu Zhao warned, "If it comes out directly, your uncle will be the one primarily responsible. He might end up in jail, or at the very least, he'll be dismissed from his post."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qiang slowly came to his senses, his face gradually turning pale. After weighing the pros and cons, he gritted his teeth and said, "Brother Lu, I'll listen to you."

He lacked his own opinions and, after graduation, entered the border station under Zhang Like's arrangement, and then followed Lu Zhao.

Even if it involves risky cover-ups, Liu Qiang would still do it no matter how timid he was, because one's backside and one's head cannot be separated.

Lu Zhao comforted him, "Don't be nervous, this is just the worst-case scenario. I will definitely report this, but I need to talk to Lao Zhang first and come up with a plan before reporting."

He knew Zhang Like's character; it was absolutely impossible for the other party to collude with or condone smuggling. Secondly, the border station's long-standing lack of monitoring of the back mountain was not on Zhang Like's orders, but rather a matter of routine.

However, some aspects of it are quite intriguing.

Is it because of established practices that smuggling routes have emerged, or is it because smuggling has become a established practice?
(End of this chapter)