Chapter 16 Ambush

As soon as I saw Jiang Yongguang staring at the mechanic across the street, I couldn't help but take a few extra glances myself. But Jiang Yongguang quickly whispered, "Don't look, get in the car, quick!"

None of us hesitated. We opened the car doors and jumped in. Uncle Mei sat in the passenger seat, and Xiao Liang and I sat on either side in the back.

Once Jiang Yongguang was back in the car and had closed the door, he pointed to the auto repair shop across the street and asked us, "Did you see that guy?"

I said I did, the one with the particularly long arms, like a gibbon.

Jiang Yongguang said, "That's right, that's him. Can you guess what he does?"

As soon as I heard that, I immediately guessed, "Damn, Dayong, could this guy also be a tomb robber, a *tufuzi* (grave robber)?"

This made Jiang Yongguang laugh. He nodded and said, "You're right. This guy is like the silver ring snake, a well-known *haozi* (rat) in the trade. He also comes from a family of tomb robbers. Generation after generation, they've been opening coffins and flipping *rouzong* (corpses), and it ended up lengthening his arms. Because his hands hang past his knees, just like Liu Bei, the Imperial Uncle Liu from Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and because his surname happens to be Liu, people in the trade call him Imperial Uncle Liu."

"You can even do that, stretch your arms out by robbing tombs..." I said in astonishment.

Xiao Liang said in shock, "How many tomb robbers have gathered in Qu Shang Ancient City this time? Ge Xueying, Silver Ring Snake, that group we met at the hotel, and this Imperial Uncle Liu. We've already run into four groups without even trying."

Uncle Mei asked, "Do you think these groups are working together to rob tombs? Could they have formed some kind of tomb-robbing alliance?"

Jiang Yongguang shook his head decisively and said, "I don't think it's likely. Based on my many years of handling cases, a tomb-robbing gang can only have one *zhiguo ren* (the one who sets up the pot, i.e., the leader). They won't have several *zhiguo ren* working together. After all, a mountain cannot have two tigers. There can only be one helmsman in a team. If there are too many helmsmen, how to divide the loot is a big problem. Even if the loot distribution problem can be solved, a group of people making decisions is prone to conflicts."

Uncle Mei nodded and said, "I understand that principle. It's like driving a car. If there are two experienced drivers sitting next to you, both wanting to tell you how to drive, you say one thing and I say another, the car won't be able to move."

"Right, right, right..." Jiang Yongguang said, "That's the idea. If there are too many people making decisions, you definitely won't be able to lead the team well."

As he said this, Imperial Uncle Liu across the street had just finished repairing the car. With the new tire on and the jack removed, Imperial Uncle Liu and the *haozi* (rats) he brought with him got back into the car, started the engine, and drove off.

Xiao Liang, with her sharp eyes, saw them and quickly asked, "Imperial Uncle Liu is moving. Should we follow them and see what happens?"

Jiang Yongguang glanced at the time. Old Wei and the others wouldn't arrive for another hour or so. So he made a decision, saying, "We have time anyway, let's follow them and see. Maybe they can't hold back and will act tonight!"

After speaking, he started the car and slowly followed.

In 2005, the national economy hadn't fully developed, and there weren't nearly as many cars on the road as there are now, especially in this godforsaken town. How few cars were there on the main street? Let's just say that children could directly use the road as a soccer field and play soccer on it.

So we didn't need to be in a hurry to follow Imperial Uncle Liu. There were only two cars on the entire main street. In order not to be discovered by them, Jiang Yongguang followed from a distance, with a distance of at least three hundred meters. As long as we could see a black shadow from afar.

After driving for a while outside the town, several consecutive forks appeared in the road ahead. At this time, Jiang Yongguang became a little anxious, because these forks twisted and turned, and it was very possible to lose the target.

He slightly increased his speed and followed a little closer. Looking back, it was probably during this time that we were discovered by Imperial Uncle Liu.

After following for another half an hour, when we passed a traffic light, the signal light on our side was originally green, but just as we passed through the intersection, a large dump truck on the other side ran a red light and rushed towards our car at full speed.

Dayong, who was driving, didn't react at all. After all, no one expected the dump truck to run a red light. The big truck slammed into the front of our car, throwing our entire car out.

I only remember Xiao Liang in the back row being thrown onto me. I subconsciously hugged her tightly. The two of us rolled around in the car, and then my head hit something, and I passed out.

When I woke up again, the first person I saw when I opened my eyes was Old Wei. Looking around, I saw that I was lying in a hospital.

"Old, Old Wei?" I said, but found that my throat was particularly hoarse, and my mouth was dry and bitter. I probably hadn't had water for a long time.

Old Wei nodded to me and said, "Don't get excited. You and Xiao Liang didn't suffer any serious injuries. Your conditions are stable. Don't worry."

When I heard this, my heart sank.

If Xiao Liang and I didn't suffer any serious injuries, then the implication was that Jiang Yongguang and Uncle Mei were in serious condition?

Thinking back, the dump truck did hit the front of our car. Generally, in a car accident, the driver's seat and the passenger seat are the most dangerous. From this point of view, Uncle Mei and Jiang Yongguang were really in dire straits.

"Uncle Mei, Dayong, they..."

I asked again in a hoarse voice.

Old Wei looked grave and said to me, "Don't worry, both of them are alive, but I estimate they won't be able to get out of bed for two or three weeks..."

Hearing this, I didn't know whether to breathe a sigh of relief or worry. At least their lives were saved, which was better than anything else.

At this time, I looked back to the side and saw Xiao Liang lying on the hospital bed next to me. She was receiving an IV drip. I didn't know if she was sleeping or unconscious.

Old Wei heard that my throat was hoarse and poured me a glass of water, helping me up to drink it slowly.

After that, he asked, "What exactly happened at the time? How did the accident happen?"

At that time, dash cams were not yet popular, and cars generally didn't have this high-tech gadget. And unlike now, when there are cameras at every intersection, so after an accident, we could only rely on the parties' statements to reconstruct the scene.

I rubbed my forehead and said, "At that time, we discovered a group of tomb robbers. The *zhiguo ren* (the one who sets up the pot, i.e., the leader) was called Imperial Uncle Liu..."

As soon as Old Wei heard this, he immediately asked, "Is that the Imperial Uncle Liu with the particularly long arms?"

"Yes, that's him." I nodded and said, "We decided to follow them and see what their plan was. As a result, when we were halfway through following them, I guess he discovered us. When we were passing an intersection, a dump truck on the side ran a red light and rushed over, hitting us..."

Hearing this, Old Wei immediately frowned and asked, "Xiao Chen, are you sure this dump truck is related to the tomb robbers?"

I said I couldn't guarantee it, but it was likely. The dump truck was coming straight for us, running a red light and hitting us directly. What is that if not intentional murder?