042 Shooting Liu Zuizi

Liu Zuizi's thigh was grazed by a bullet, blood trickling out. Fortunately, the blanket cushioned the blow, and the wound wasn't too deep. He grabbed the blanket, pressing it tightly against the wound to staunch the bleeding.

"Du Guangting, I'll give you credit for having guts."

"Hmph, your death anniversary will be next year on this day. Prepare to meet your end."

With a flick of my wrist, the gun was aimed at his forehead. Seeing my intent to kill, Liu Zuizi immediately uncovered himself, kneeling before me in nothing but his skin, his hands clasped together incessantly begging for mercy.

"Don't, please, don't shoot."

Glancing over, I noticed he had exposed the woman, her naked flesh blinding my eyes.

"Cover her up, please. It's too dazzling."

Liu Zuizi pulled the blanket over the woman, then put on a pair of briefs himself.

"It wasn't me; it was Miss Er. She did it, she killed Ding Laotou."

Hearing this, I was shocked beyond words. Bai Ruoxue was different from ordinary girls; I knew that. She was ruthless, but I never imagined she would dare to take a life.

"Go on."

"I suggest you be cautious in your actions and avoid any accidental discharge of the gun."

Next, like spilling beans, Liu Zuizi divulged some information unknown to me.

The night we emerged from Yongling, we went our separate ways, each fleeing for our lives. Initially, there were no troubles, but not long after, the authorities made significant progress, suspecting Bai Lao Tai's involvement.

In self-preservation, Bai Lao Tai instructed Liu Zuizi to leak some information, claiming there were two corpses in the illicit tunnels. As expected, the authorities found the bodies of Ding Laotou and Yang Laohan. Following the thread, they soon expanded the investigation to include the gang.

Later on, Chen Laoda was apprehended.

Bai Lao Tai killed two birds with one stone, clearing the White Gang's suspicion and implicating the gang.

That old witch was truly cunning.

Once inside, Chen Laoda took all the blame upon himself, enduring interrogation without uttering a word or implicating anyone else.

Hearing this, I felt uneasy. Each of the Chen brothers was remarkable, as they say in the local dialect, "zhi leng de duan zhi." (straight as a pine tree).

By the pillow lay a Shanghai-brand mechanical watch. Whenever Liu Zuizi recounted the events, he would inadvertently glance at the watch, seemingly concerned about the time. Clearly, he had something on his mind, keeping it from me.

Suddenly, I remembered the woman's words earlier, about not forgetting her once Liu Zuizi completed his task and earned money the next day.

Liu Zuizi paused, looking at me with a hint of urgency.

"That's all I know."

"You old cucumber, you're like a woodpecker pecking until June, all bruised and battered, yet still stubborn. If I don't show you some severity, you won't realize how many eyes Lord Ma has."

With that, I aimed the gun at his other leg.

"Don't shoot, I'll talk, I'll talk."

Liu Zuizi continued speaking.

Tomorrow, they're going to conduct a transaction at a dilapidated brick kiln in Fuping County, selling those burial goods. The agreed price between the two parties is 300 Da Bu Liu.

"What? The burial goods are still in Fuping County, you didn't transport them?"

"We were supposed to transport them along with the terracotta warriors and the Princess of Pingyang's remains, but the situation was dire at the time. The transport vehicle was too conspicuous; it would definitely be intercepted. Miss Er said the most dangerous place is the safest place, so she came up with a diversionary tactic."

Indeed, Bai Ruoxue's decision proved to be correct. From the news, I learned that all the terracotta warriors were intercepted, except for Yu Wentai, one of the Eight Pillars of the State, and Princess Yuan Mingyue.

"Speak, where are the goods?"

"I, I truly don't know. Even if you kill me, I still wouldn't know."

Under the barrel of my gun, Liu Zuizi claimed he didn't know, and he seemed genuine.

But then, a thought struck me. It didn't seem right. The likelihood of a transaction at this moment was slim. Chen Laoda had been arrested but not yet sentenced, so this matter was far from over. The dragnet cast by the authorities hadn't been lifted. Engaging in a transaction now would entail too much risk.

Liu Zuizi mentioned that the White Gang had spent a lot of money over the years, maintaining many people. Through insider sources, they learned that the Yongling excavation case was classified as a major case in the crackdown on organized crime. The authorities were eager to handle it swiftly and severely, setting an example to deter criminals nationwide. The die had been cast long ago.

Chen Laoda would likely be sentenced to death soon. He wouldn't taste this year's new wheat harvest.

This was no falsehood. It was 2001, coinciding with the third crackdown. Targets were set from village to township units, all the way up to public security, procuratorate, and court agencies. People were arrested, cases were cracked. There were annual quotas, and assessments at year's end. Even death penalty reviews were delegated to the provincial high court. If things went smoothly, cases could be concluded in less than three months.

Just then, a few distant chimes sounded. Liu Zuizi glanced at his watch again, the second hand ticking steadily. It was exactly midnight.

"What time was the agreed-upon meeting? Where is this abandoned brick kiln factory?"

"Four o'clock tomorrow morning, East of Xishuigou Village."

Calculating the time, there were only four hours left. If it were daytime, there would still be time. Taking the 202 bus for half an hour, transferring at the North City Bus Station to a long-distance bus, and if taking the express route, it would take 40 minutes to reach Fuping County Station Street. Then, taking a motorcycle taxi would be quite convenient.

But now, it was nighttime, and all public transportation had ceased operations. We could only take a taxi.

With Liu Zuizi's injured thigh hindering movement, I tore open a blanket, extracted the cotton inside, and twisted it into strips, then into makeshift bandages.

Liu Zuizi seemed to sense something dreadful, staring at me in horror, swallowing hard.

"What, what are you going to do?"

"In times of war, this is how we stop bleeding. Today, we'll follow this procedure."

"Don't, don't. It's better to die than suffer this. You might as well shoot me dead."

"Let me advise you, biting on something will alleviate the pain."

The gauze was forcibly stuffed into his thigh. Liu Zuizi gritted his teeth against the pillow, veins bulging on his neck, cold sweat pouring, emitting low groans.

The street was eerily deserted. Without ride-hailing apps back then, we waited on the roadside for a long time until finally, a taxi approached, its vacant sign illuminated.

Waving it down, the taxi stopped, and the window rolled down slowly.

"Where to?"

"Fuping."

"Can't go there."

The driver's shoulder twitched up and down, emitting a few creaking sounds, then the window rolled back up.

I held up two fingers. "Two hundred."

This price was high. Normally, it would be around a hundred or a hundred and fifty. On rainy days or holidays, it might go up to one hundred and fifty at most. Offering two hundred was definitely generous.

"I'm about to finish my shift. If it's on the way, I'll take you part of the way. If not, forget it."

"Three hundred!"

"It's not about the money, mainly..."

"Five hundred!"

With a toss of his head, the driver said, "Get in."