We were at an impasse, unable to come up with a good idea.
The senior paced back and forth in the room, having walked who knows how many circles, when he suddenly stopped and said to me, "Why don't we do this? Let Miss Zhou go ahead for the rendezvous. We'll change our original plan. Instead of following her, we'll set up an ambush ahead of time. Let her come alone, and that way we can completely dispel their suspicions."
"That's not impossible, but the difficulty is not small. Even if we set up an ambush in advance, if too many people come, they'll discover the clue very quickly."
"Here's what I'm thinking. It's ten o'clock at night now. We've been researching here for half the night and haven't figured anything out. Why don't we go now, check out the situation there in person, and then adjust tomorrow's plan of action."
"That would be best. Then let's go."
We quietly slipped out. After a glance around to see that there was nothing unusual, we got up and walked out.
The rendezvous point that Brother Hui provided wasn't far, in a border village. It was about five or six li away, all along small sheep trails, so cars couldn't drive there.
Fortunately, I was still somewhat familiar with this area. Roads like this weren't a problem for us. It would take us about two hours for a round trip.
The senior had lived in the mountains for years, and he moved as fast as flying. I had to keep up closely to match his pace.
With the rapid economic development in recent years, the young and strong in the villages had gone to the towns to work. Most of the village consisted of elderly people who stayed behind. At night, the village was dead silent.
The elderly didn't have the habit of staying up late; they would turn off their lights and go to sleep as soon as it got dark. It was already close to midnight, and most people were probably fast asleep.
We walked out of the village and headed towards a grove of trees on a small hillside.
Climbing this slope would take us to the border river. Half of this river belonged to us, and half belonged to the other side.
It was called a river, but it was actually just a stream, about five to six meters wide. The water was knee-deep, and we could wade across.
The people here had no concept of borders. The villages on the other side were of the same origin as ours, and many relatives visited back and forth. They would often cross this small stream to visit relatives.
This convenient condition had also become an underground channel for smuggling drugs.
After the Xie Jiabao brothers had their incident, our people increased patrols here. There used to be a small bridge, but it was dismantled because of this matter.
When we came earlier, we were able to bypass the checkpoint. The location Brother Hui chose was precisely in the blind spot of the checkpoint, and he clearly knew about the checkpoint's existence.
We crept to the edge of the stream. Fearing an ambush on the other side, we dared not turn on our flashlights.
There were many large trees by the stream. Although the largest ones were as thick as a person's embrace, the weeds and branches had been cleared very cleanly. If someone hid behind a tree, they would still be easily discovered.
Using the large trees for cover was unlikely. Even if they made contact, it would be too conspicuous for us to wade across and follow the targets, which was unrealistic.
The senior whispered to me, "Let's go over and take a look."
I had the same thought. We could only set up an ambush on the other side.
We looked at the dark forest on the other side. It was in its original state, overgrown with weeds and covered with thorns. If they had already set up an ambush there, we would be walking right into a trap.
"Should we try to test the waters? What if there are people on the other side?"
The senior took a deep breath and said, "We can only try our best now. Even if there are people, we have to go. If we're discovered, we'll take them down first, and then we'll make further plans."
I nodded. We spread out about thirty meters apart and moved separately.
I glanced at the other side one more time, then darted out from under the big tree and waded through the knee-deep stream, moving quickly through the shallow water.
The senior, at about the same time as me, climbed onto the bank and disappeared into the forest.
The vegetation here was much denser than ours. The place where we came up was not a passage for border residents. After a few steps inside, branches and thorns blocked our way.
Suddenly, several dark figures darted out from between us. A voice came over, "I see you. Come out obediently. If you don't, I'll shoot!"
Indeed, there were people ambushing here. Fortunately, we came out to scout. If we had come rashly tomorrow, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Through the gaps in the branches, I could roughly see four or five figures, all of them hunched over, holding something that looked like a long rifle.
I let out a sigh of relief. It seemed they had only discovered me; there was no movement from the senior's side.
Since I had been discovered, I didn't want to be shot at randomly, so I walked out: "Don't shoot. I'm a hunter. I set snares in the woods during the day. I saw movement in the woods and came to check."
"Bullshit! There are guards here. Did you have the guts of a leopard to set snares under their noses?"
As he spoke, I clearly heard the sound of several dark figures pulling their rifle bolts.
"Brothers, listen to me. I set the snares away from them. If you don't believe me, I'll take you to see them. My snares are not far behind you."
There were wild boars and rabbits in the mountains, and setting snares to hunt was a common hunting method for villagers. This reason was also plausible.
I said that my snares were not far behind them, which startled them. They had been ambushing here earlier. What if they stepped on one? It would be bad, lightly injuring their skin, and severely injuring their bones.
I was stalling them to attract their full attention and to buy time and opportunities for the senior.
I had already seen the senior approaching them, skirting the edge of the forest.
Like us, they dared not turn on their flashlights, nor could they speak loudly. I was certain they were the people waiting for Zhou Yingying. If we alerted the guards now, although we wouldn't be wiped out, tomorrow's plan would be ruined.
Therefore, I was certain they wouldn't dare to shoot rashly. Gunshots could travel very far, and it would only attract people.
The same person said impatiently, "There are no prey caught in the snares here. Hurry back the way you came. Don't let us see you again, or I'll take your life!"
It seemed my gamble paid off. They didn't dare to shoot. Da Feng Novel Network.
I heard the senior clear his throat softly, a very subtle sound, which was our agreed-upon signal. I cupped my hands to the speaker and said, "Thank you, brother. I'll go back now. Thank you!"
As fast as lightning, I lunged at the person and delivered a punch to his chest. The man instantly hunched over, let out a pained groan, and squatted on the ground.
I then kicked him in the head. He fell down like a sack of rags, rolled into a ball, and was incapacitated.
Almost simultaneously, the senior decisively attacked and knocked down a dark figure, then leaped forward and tackled the person next to him who was holding a gun. The remaining one raised his rifle stock and swung it towards the senior's head.
I dropped the person I was dealing with and quickly ran over, holding my dagger to his waist and whispering, "Put down your weapons!"
The man, enduring the pain, obediently handed his gun to me.
My guess was correct. Although they had chambered rounds, they hadn't actually turned off the safety. With such a big commotion from us, it would have been strange if they hadn't fired.
After dealing with the four of them, the senior took out the thin hemp rope he carried and tied them all up, then dragged them into the woods.
"Don't say you're from the other side. If I'm not mistaken, you were sent by Brother Hui, right?" the senior said.