love on the turquoise land

Chapter 80

At nearly midnight, a grey-white SUV slowly drove into the reed marshes of Dali Village in Shihe County.

The headlights were bright as a person, tall with white-topped wheat, swayed in the beam.

In the back seat, Ah Peng, smelling of alcohol, leaned sideways: He had received a notification from Xiong Hei yesterday, along with photos of the person and the car, and was instructed to conduct a meticulous search of the rural roads in the area, "meter by meter, carpet-style."

Ah Peng enjoyed this kind of work because it meant he could apply for overtime pay, with one rate for official records and another for himself, pocketing the difference.

So he put extra effort into it, urging everyone to be diligent. He even promised double rewards for those who found effective clues, setting everything up meticulously. While his men busied themselves all around, he played cards when it was time to play, and drank when it was time to drink—this was his consistent belief in leadership wisdom.

Tonight, having had a bit too much to drink, he missed the first few calls that came in, intoxicated like mud. Upon waking up and calling back, he found out there was a situation and quickly gathered people to come over.

In the reed marshes, someone had already come to meet them, waving a flashlight to guide the car.

After a bumpy ride, the car stopped in front of several half-collapsed adobe houses.

As soon as Ah Peng got out of the car, he asked Lao Si, who is in charge of this area, "Have we found anyone?"

Their target was two people and a car. It didn't seem possible to hide a car here—unless someone had been buried?

Lao Si pointed to the adobe houses: "Brother Peng, we've checked. These adobe houses were dilapidated before but didn't collapse like this. This house was knocked down by a car."

So what happened next? Ah Peng didn't quite understand.

Lao Si guided him forward, saying, "Brother Peng, over here, take a look at this brick house."

Ah Peng, who grew up in the countryside, recognized it immediately as a wellhouse.

Lao Si turned his flashlight to the brightest setting and handed it to Ah Peng, saying, "Brother Peng, take a look at the wall yourself."

Ah Peng lifted the flashlight as instructed.

On the wall...

It was just an ordinary wall, with the words water conservation painted in red, although the paint was faded and peeling due to its age.

After a while, Ah Peng began to see what was going on.

Bullet holes.

There were bullet holes in the brick wall, some pierced through, others not.

Ah Peng was quite surprised: "Damn... Was there a shootout here?"

Lao Si said, "Those adobe houses must have also been shot at. We suspect someone cleaned up the scene by driving a car directly into the mud walls, collapsing them completely, making it hard to tell."