Back in the 1980s, hiking in the mountains was also a way of life

Wang An simply didn't want to cause trouble, not that he was afraid to. In this desolate wilderness, if Wang An and his two companions fired their guns and drove away, who could catch them?

With the technology of this era, trying to find Wang An and the other two is nothing short of a pipe dream.

Wang An looked to both sides of the road and, finding no one else nearby, rolled down the car window and shouted loudly:
"What do you guys think you're doing? Get out of my way! Can't you hear the gunshots? Do you all want to die?"

After Wang An finished cursing, Wang Li also rolled down his car window, craned his neck, and shouted back:
"Fuck you, are you deaf and blind? Can't you see the car coming? Get the hell out of the way, you hear me?"

Wang An and Wang Li's shouts probably confused the men, mainly because they were the ones who were robbing the road, but the people they were robbing were even more aggressive than them.

The group exchanged glances, and one of them stammered:
"This road, this road, is, is opened by me; this, this, this tree, is, is, planted by me; if you want to pass through, pass through, pass through this road, leave, leave, leave behind, pay the toll."

Upon hearing the man's shout, Wang An immediately frowned, sensing that something was very wrong.

Wang An suddenly felt that these people were all idiots, or at least the kind who were missing a screw in their heads.

Otherwise, if they hear gunshots but are neither afraid nor run away, and instead stutter and shout slogans, what kind of behavior is that?

The key point is that the people's clothing and appearance are also very strange.

These people were wearing tattered hats of indistinguishable color, and all of them had very long hair. They were dressed in clothes that were extremely dirty and tattered. If anyone didn't understand what the phrase "ragged clothes" meant, just one look at them would make it clear.

To sum it up, it's as if all these people crawled out of the kang (heated brick bed) hole.

For some reason, the two men with guns were gripping the barrels of the guns instead of the handles, and they were holding them like they were carrying a fire poker.

The other people who weren't carrying guns had rather bizarre "weapons," as some were carrying pickaxes, some were carrying hammers, and some were carrying only iron chisels.

While these "weapons" are quite lethal, isn't it a bit too overconfident to use them for robbery?

After thinking for a while, Wang An finally remembered four words: "foolish miner".

Wang An clearly remembered that there was a coal mine not too far from here, and that the coal mine had been mined for a very long time.

It is said that this coal mine is not very deep, and the quality of the coal is average. However, although the coal mine is not deep, it is still necessary to dig a mine shaft and then send workers down to dig the coal.

So, if Wang An wasn't mistaken, the "robbers" in front of him were miners who had been sold into that coal mine, the so-called "foolish miners".

The reason for using the word "sell" here is that this coal mine is an illegal one, and most of the workers are outsiders or vagrants who have been swindled and deceived.

The reason they are called "foolish miners" is because it is said that most of the workers inside are fools. However, these fools were not originally fools. They were drugged by those inhumane people and made to be fools, like livestock who only know how to dig coal and work all day long.

It's unclear whether it was a landslide, a gas explosion, or some other reason that led them to become "robbers."

As Wang An was recalling the things he had heard in his previous life, Mu Xueli, who was driving, suddenly asked Wang An with a gloomy expression: "Brother-in-law, should I just drive over them? I don't think I can kill them."

Upon hearing this, Wang An subconsciously shook his head and said:

"No, don't bump into them! Look at them, do they look like robbers? That's not how you hold a gun."

In order to leave themselves and others with a safe distance to escape or attack, Wang An told Wang Li and Mu Xueli that no matter what situation they encountered while driving, they should slow down or even stop in advance. Don't be stupid and just keep driving forward. If something happens, it will be too late to turn around and run away.

Therefore, at this moment, Mu Xueli was more than 10 meters away from the "robbers" when she braked. It is normal that Mu Xueli did not notice these details.

Upon hearing Wang An's words, Mu Xueli and Wang Li looked forward almost simultaneously. Then, Mu Xueli said, quite puzzled:
"Brother-in-law, what kind of trash are these? You're telling me, with their looks, they're even out robbing people? If you ask me, they might as well be beggars. They'd probably be better off begging than robbing people."

Wang Li also frowned and said:
"Hey, Fourth Brother, what kind of weirdos are these? They're all causing such chaos, making people look neither human nor ghost."

Wang An frowned and casually said:

"Do you remember those workers who were panning for gold in the valley before we started panning for gold?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Li and Mu Xueli nodded in unison and said:
"Of course I remember it, I'll never forget it in my life."

Wang An gestured with his chin in the direction of the robbers, and said with a sigh and helplessness:
"These men are coal miners, just like the gold miners. They've all been drugged and made stupid by those inhuman bastards. Sigh, they're all pitiful people!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Li and Mu Xueli were immediately startled. Mu Xueli said with an incredulous expression:
"Why would they drug someone who's just mining coal? These bastards are really fucking idiots."

Wang Li said angrily:
"I really want to run up to their lair and mow down all those bastards. What the hell is that like? Is that something a human being would do?"

After a few more words of discussion, Wang An stopped the conversation and said:

"Alright, what's the use of saying all that? Just take care of yourselves. Fifth brother, go and get him some of our dry rations, and also some of the biscuits and pastries we bought this time."

Wang Li nodded and said:

"Okay, I'll go right now. I'll also give them money, but they might not be able to spend it."

As he spoke, Wang Li got out of the car and walked towards the trunk.

Sure enough, when Wang Li brought the food to these people, they all ate like starving ghosts reincarnated, completely ignoring the fact that Wang Li was standing right next to them, and stuffed the food into their mouths as if this was what they meant by "leaving money to pay the toll".

After Wang Li returned to the car, Wang An glanced at the miners again, immediately suppressing his pity, and turned to Mu Xueli, instructing her:
"Xue Li, drive."

Mu Xueli shifted gears and pressed the accelerator, and the GAZ truck started moving again. (End of Chapter)