The street punk recognized Liu Zhengxing that night.
Liu Zhengxing had hired them to do a job and gave each person ten yuan, which was extremely generous.
Having been poor for so many years, the punk had never seen such a generous person. So, subconsciously, he followed Liu Zhengxing for a distance and then saw him digging a hole here to bury something.
It was late at night, the cold wind was howling, the roasted sweet potato stalls had closed, and there were no pedestrians around.
Liu Zhengxing squatted on the ground and specifically opened the box to count the gold bars inside.
He had brought two boxes at the time, but only opened one to count.
Even in the pitch-black winter night, the punk was still blinded by the gold inside.
He absolutely did not see it wrong!
At that time, the punk thought to himself that he would find a chance to steal this stuff.
But Liu Zhengxing stayed guard until very late, and was suddenly arrested by the people from the Revolutionary Committee.
The punk was frightened and hid as well.
But he couldn't resist the itch in his heart, always thinking about that box of gold bars, so he came over again today.
He just couldn't help wanting to dig it up.
The punk paced back and forth at the base of the wall, searching for a while, but he wasn't sure of the exact location either.
Wang Xue nervously whispered to Qiao Lanshu, "Xiao Qiao, do you think what he said is true?"
Qiao Lanshu shook her head, "Sister, why don't we call the police?"
Wang Xue nodded hurriedly, "Right, right, right, let's call the police first."
Saying that, she pointed at the punk and asked, "Then what about him?"
Qiao Lanshu was silent for a moment, then said, "How about we tie him up right now, in case he runs away. If nothing is dug up later, they might blame us for making a false report."
Of course, if something was really dug up, whether it counted as making amends for his crimes would be the police bureau's business.
So, while the punk was still looking for things at the base of the wall, he suddenly found himself surrounded by several female comrades from the food factory.
Four or five female comrades surrounded him, punching and kicking him, directly beating him senseless.
He stared at Qiao Lanshu in shock, his eyes full of disbelief.
Hadn't they agreed on making amends for his crimes? Why did they start beating him again...
Qiao Lanshu coughed and looked away, feeling a bit guilty.
Wang Xue pinned the punk to the ground, then took a handkerchief and gagged his mouth, saying fiercely, "If you committed a crime, go to a labor camp! Making amends? In your dreams!"
The several female comrades scolded him there, telling him to undergo labor reform properly in the future and strive for a chance to turn over a new leaf.
Their constant chattering scolded the punk until he shut down completely.
Soon, the police comrades who received the report also rushed over.
Li Jianlin and Guan Wenjuan both came.
Because Guan Wenjuan had been trying to catch this last punk.
In the end, he couldn't find the person, but Qiao Lanshu found him.
He circled the punk, kicked him twice in a row, and said angrily, "You bastard, you're pretty good at hiding! Speak, where have you been hiding these past two days?"
The punk's legs were tied, his mouth was gagged, and he lay on the ground like a dead fish.
No matter how much Guan Wenjuan kicked him, he didn't make a sound.
Qiao Lanshu and Wang Xue had already relayed what the punk had said.
Li Jianlin stood next to Guan Wenjuan and asked, "Director Guan, do you think what he said is credible?"
Guan Wenjuan immediately said, "I don't know if it's credible, but if Liu Zhengxing really has that much wealth, his identity is far from simple."
The cadres in this era were all poorer than the next, how could they possibly have these things.
Even if they did, they would have handed them over to the state long ago. How could they keep them in their own homes, and a whole box of them at that?
Right now, there are only two possibilities. Either this punk is lying.
Or Liu Zhengxing is corrupt.
Guan Wenjuan led Li Jianlin and said, "He said he isn't sure of the location, let's have people start searching from here."
Li Jianlin said, "This area isn't small, and it's the foundation of the state-run restaurant. Who knows if digging up the ground will affect their walls. How about we ask Regiment Commander Qin for help? Aren't the people in their unit really good at finding things? It would save us from having to search place by place."
Coincidentally, Wang Xue and Qiao Lanshu were still waiting here as the informants.
With her here, Li Jianlin felt that Qin Yuanzheng would come over even if he was busy.
Hearing this, Guan Wenjuan wanted to refuse:
"What Qin Yuanzheng can do, I, Guan Wenjuan, can do too! Deputy Director Li, it's not that I want to criticize you, but this case is our business. If it's done well, the credit goes to us two. Why are you always thinking about Qin Yuanzheng? If he does it well, the credit is his. If he messes it up, doesn't the responsibility fall on us?"
Li Jianlin: "..."
Although Guan Wenjuan's words made a lot of sense.
But Li Jianlin still said, "But relying just on the two of us, we can't really dig up this entire area, right?"
Guan Wenjuan started rolling up his sleeves, "You wait, I'll go look."
Guan Wenjuan searched while having people dig, but after digging in three or four places in a row, none were right.
Hearing the commotion, the people from the state-run restaurant hurriedly ran out, found Li Jianlin, and said, "Police comrades, what are you doing? Why are you digging up the ground of our restaurant?"
Li Jianlin couldn't say it explicitly, only explaining, "Comrade, we are doing this out of the necessity of the case. We can't disclose it right now, I hope you can understand."
The staff of the state-run restaurant said somewhat awkwardly:
"Police comrades, it's really not that I don't understand you, but today is a special day. The investigator from above is currently sitting and eating in the innermost private room of the restaurant.
You guys digging around here, they can hear it clearly in the private room. I was afraid the investigator would get angry, so I hurried out to see what was going on... How about you wait another half an hour, wait for the investigator to leave, and then dig, is that okay?"
Li Jianlin: "..."
Guan Wenjuan: "..."
The two looked at each other, both somewhat speechless.
Because both of them had forgotten about the investigator.
Originally, both of them were avoiding the investigator, just afraid of getting scolded.
But now, the investigator was eating in the state-run restaurant, and neither of them had gone in to say hello.
Guan Wenjuan quickly stopped the digging action.
He whispered to Li Jianlin, "Deputy Director Li, then how about we dig a bit later?"
Li Jianlin also wiped the sweat from his forehead and nodded, "I think that works."
The two tacitly turned around and walked away, still not going to the state-run restaurant.
Qiao Lanshu and Wang Xue were sitting on a stone pier not far away, eating sunflower seeds while watching their digging work get paused.
Qiao Lanshu asked Guan Wenjuan, "Director Guan, why did you stop digging?"
Guan Wenjuan cared about his face, so of course he couldn't say that he wanted to pause the digging because he was afraid of the investigator.
He especially couldn't say that he didn't want Qin Yuanzheng to take the credit, so he refused to go to the military unit to borrow professional talents.
Otherwise, once the professionals arrived at the scene with their professional equipment, they could probably find the stuff in less than ten minutes.
He wiped the dirt off his hands, walked over to Qiao Lanshu, leaned against the wall, crossed his arms, and said with a deep expression, "According to my professional investigation, there is nothing in this area."
He pointed to the place they had just dug.
Wang Xue did not dare to make a sound, but Qiao Lanshu spoke the truth, You have already dug around, so there is definitely nothing there.
What professional investigation? Does a professional investigation just rely on digging up the ground to search?
Guan Wenjun, ...
Guan Wenjun added, We are pausing the digging right now because I feel that Liu Zhengxing's motive for burying something here is not right.
Li Jianlin looked at Guan Wenjun in confusion, Director Guan, how is the motive not right?
Guan Wenjun coughed, making up an excuse on the fly, Look, if Liu Zhengxing really wanted to hide something, there is no need to hide it at the base of the state-run restaurant's wall. Inside are all top leaders. If he really buried something here, it is definitely not money. It would be easily discovered and secretly dug away.
Qiao Lanshu nodded, thinking Guan Wenjun's analysis made sense. Director Guan is right. Then what would he bury?
She pondered, He could not have buried explosives, right? If explosives are buried, can they still detonate?
Guan Wenjun, ...
Li Jianlin, ...
The two suddenly looked at each other, both seeing horror in the other's eyes.
Qiao Lanshu was still eating melon seeds on the side, asking curiously, I remember last time, was it West Street or somewhere, did an explosion not happen one night?
It was because of that explosion that the investigators came over.
Qiao Lanshu lowered her voice, How did that explosive detonate? Was it lit by a fuse? Or how was it done? Could Liu Zhengxing be a suspect...
Before Qiao Lanshu could finish, Guan Wenjun had already bolted.
Li Jianlin remained where he was with a serious expression, quickly running to the base of the wall. He shouted to the Revolutionary Committee personnel holding hoes and pickaxes, Stop, everyone stop!
His expression was grave, his face a bit pale. Pointing at everyone, he said, Now, everyone, step back. Step back slowly, slowly, do not rush.
Qiao Lanshu, ...
Wang Xue and Qiao Lanshu exchanged a glance, lowering their voices. Xiao Qiao, could it be that what is buried here is really explosives?
Qiao Lanshu swallowed hard, saying nervously, I do not know, I was just saying that casually...
Without another word, Wang Xue grabbed Qiao Lanshu's arm and dragged her toward the intersection. Let us go, let us go, we need to leave right now.
Who cares if it is gold or silver buried there, it had nothing to do with them.
Life was the most important thing; running away was the priority.
Thinking about how they actually believed two boxes of gold were buried underneath just moments ago, and how they had happily talked about seeing the boxes dug up.
After all, neither of them had ever seen gold bars.
Now look at this.
What gold bars? That thing was very likely a bomb.
The two ran all the way to the direct opposite side of the state-run restaurant, leaving Qiao Lanshu panting heavily.
The more she thought about it, the more terrified she felt. No way? Really...
She had merely followed Guan Wenjun's words and made a casual remark.
Because Guan Wenjun said this place was not suitable for burying gold and valuables, it was definitely suitable for burying explosives.
After all, if it blew up, the victims would not just be passersby, but also the cadres eating inside the state-run restaurant.
Separated by a wall, if they were lucky, the cadres would not die.
Then they would arrest people, hold them accountable, and replace a batch of leading cadres in Longcheng.
If they were unlucky and the cadres were blown up, it would be even worse.
The entirety of Longcheng would become a major focus, and by then, even the provincial cadres might have to be replaced.
How insidious.
Wang Xue broke into a cold sweat thinking about how she had sat all morning in a place where a bomb might be buried.
Her arms were trembling a little now. Xiao Qiao, thank goodness you are smart. Director Guan dug for a long time without finding anything; we are lucky to be alive.
Qiao Lanshu whispered, Sister, it could also really be gold and valuables. It might not necessarily be explosives. I was just talking casually.
Although now, the more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.
Wang Xue swallowed hard, saying nervously, Hard to say. I saw Director Guan got scared off, and Deputy Director Li's face changed completely. They definitely have more experience than us.
Guan Wenjun was not exactly scared off.
He sprinted to drive his car, heading straight for the mining area troops.
In less than twenty minutes, he was back.
Followed by Qin Yuanzheng's car.
Qin Yuanzheng got out of the car, bringing a company-level military officer behind him.
This company commander was carrying a Type 69 electromagnetic induction mine detector on his back.
Seeing Qiao Lanshu across from the state-run restaurant, Qin Yuanzheng merely nodded at her from a distance, then hurriedly led his subordinate into the alley behind the restaurant.
When Qiao Lanshu saw Qin Yuanzheng arrive, she stood up abruptly. Frowning with a worried face, she said, Why is Brother Zheng here?
Could it really be a bomb buried there?
Then would Qin Yuanzheng not be injured by the explosion?
The incident from her past life where Qin Yuanzheng was injured by an explosion during a mission had not happened yet.
Qiao Lanshu never knew which mission caused the injury, so she had been on edge ever since she married him.
Now seeing him here, she began to worry again.
Could it be this time?
But this time, Qin Yuanzheng already suspected Liu Zhengxing had buried explosives and even brought a mine detector. Did that mean he would not get hurt?
But what if?
Qiao Lanshu paced in circles anxiously, wanting to go over and look, but afraid of distracting Qin Yuanzheng and making it more dangerous for him.
Wang Xue comforted her, Oh, Xiao Qiao, do not worry. Your Regiment Commander Qin is a professional, he should be very good at this. Do not scare yourself.
Qiao Lanshu nodded, saying worriedly, I know...
Knowing was one thing, but she still felt nervous in her heart.
By the time Qin Yuanzheng brought his men over, Li Jianlin had already cleared the area, having people set up ropes at the intersection to keep ordinary citizens out.
At the same time, he did not let anyone near the dug-up spots at the scene, fearing an accident.
The little thug was still tied up lying on the ground, unable to understand why these people suddenly stopped digging.
Wiping the cold sweat from his forehead, Li Jianlin ran up to Qin Yuanzheng and Guan Wenjun, telling them, Regiment Commander Qin, Director Guan, I have cordoned off the surroundings, but I have not gone inside the state-run restaurant to tell them yet. Should we go inform them?
He could not make up his mind, mainly because he did not know if this suspected buried explosive incident could be reported to the investigators.
What if the investigators found out and fired them in return?
Before Guan Wenjun could speak, Qin Yuanzheng immediately said, Tell them. Go right now and evacuate everyone from the state-run restaurant, just in case.
Saying that, he turned to his subordinate carrying the mine detector. Begin the scan.
