The Red Era: Living in Seclusion in a Siheyuan as a Boss

Chapter 708 Hunting the Wolf!

Prior reconnaissance revealed that Lang San and the mysterious man were having a secret meeting in a room on the second floor.

Liu Xiaotao, Li Xiaoxue, and two other comrades disguised themselves as guests and entered the hotel ahead of time.

Liu Xiaotao originally wanted a private room on the second floor, but these people were so cunning that they booked the entire second floor and wouldn't allow any guests to go up.

To prevent the news from leaking out, Liu Xiaotao decided to immediately arrest Lang San and his accomplices.

The four of them pretended to be going upstairs to eat and forced their way up.

Unexpectedly, this group had arranged for two people to guard the stairwell on the second floor. As soon as they saw guests coming up, they would menacingly try to stop them.

With lightning speed, Liu Xiaotao stepped forward and grabbed one of the guards' wrists with his right hand like an iron clamp. He twisted the wrist, and the man immediately doubled over in pain.

At the same time, Li Xiaoxue struck with lightning speed, delivering a precise chop to the neck of another guard. The man groaned and collapsed limply to the ground.

"Hurry!" Liu Xiaotao whispered, and the four of them quickly dispersed and moved forward rapidly along the corridor wall.

The faint sound of low conversation could be heard from the end of the corridor; it was Lang San and the mysterious man having a private talk.

Liu Xiaotao made a gesture, signaling everyone to tread lightly.

Just as they were about to approach the target room, the door suddenly opened, and a burly man with a fierce face poked his head out.

Their eyes met, and the air seemed to freeze instantly.

The burly man's expression changed drastically, and he opened his mouth to call for help, but Liu Xiaotao lunged at him and knocked him back into the house. The other three followed closely behind and rushed in.

Inside the room, Lang San and the mysterious man suddenly stood up, their faces filled with astonishment.

Liu Xiaotao pulled out his QQ phone and shouted sternly, "Police! Don't move!"

Upon hearing this, Lang San was greatly alarmed. He panicked at first, then a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. Suddenly, he overturned the table and rushed towards the window.

Li Xiaoxue was prepared and stopped him with a side kick. She and a comrade quickly stepped forward and subdued him.

Seeing that things were not going well, the mysterious man turned around and tried to escape through the door, but was pinned to the ground by another soldier and unable to move.

The two bodyguards brought by Lang San tried to pull out their weapons and resist, but Liu Xiaotao, who was quick-witted and agile, shot them dead on the spot.

Liu Xiaotao said coldly, "Drop your weapons and surrender, you can't escape!"

Seeing their boss subdued, the other bodyguards obediently dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Liu Xiaotao and Li Xiaoxue breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing the others' expressions, and then put away their weapons. They hadn't expected the arrest operation to go so smoothly.

Just as the situation was about to be completely under control, the curtains in the room suddenly moved on their own without any wind.

Liu Xiaotao keenly sensed something was wrong and shouted, "Watch out!" Before he finished speaking, a dark figure jumped in through the window, a cold glint flashing in his hand.

Li Xiaoxue reacted extremely quickly, dodging the flying dagger to the side and then using a spinning kick to force the attacker back.

The person was agile and immediately assumed a fighting stance after landing; it turned out to be a masked woman.

"She's the 'Black Widow'!" a comrade exclaimed.

"Black Widow" is one of the top talents recruited by Lang San. She is a notorious female assassin in the underworld, known for her ruthlessness, and is also one of the key people to watch in this capture operation.

Unexpectedly, she didn't run away, but instead tried to resist, fantasizing about taking someone hostage to exchange for Lang San.

Unfortunately, this was wishful thinking on her part.

Before Liu Xiaotao and his men could draw their weapons, they immediately adjusted their positions, forming a pincer movement with Li Xiaoxue.

Black Widow sneered and suddenly pulled a thin steel wire from her waist.

Just at this critical moment, hurried footsteps came from outside the door again—the reinforcements had arrived, and several dark Q-type gun ports were pointed into the room from the doorway.

"Put down your weapons!" Liu Xiaotao shouted sternly.

The masked woman's eyes flickered, and she suddenly swung the wire at the chandelier, using the momentum to swing towards the window.

Li Xiaoxue had anticipated this, and with a swift step, she grabbed her ankle precisely and slammed her heavily to the ground.

With a click of the handcuffs, this thrilling arrest operation finally came to an end.

Liu Xiaotao's tense nerves finally relaxed. He took a deep breath and slowly walked towards Lang San, who had been pinned to the ground.

Under the lamplight, he looked down at the vicious "flour dealer," his voice steady and powerful: "Lang San, we've finally met!"

"How...how did you find this place?" Lang San struggled violently, his bloodshot eyes filled with madness. "Who betrayed me? I'll kill him! Kill him! You will all pay the price!" He roared hysterically, but it was all in vain.

Liu Xiaotao sneered, his eyes filled with contempt: "You're still thinking about revenge even now?" He deftly took out a black hood and skillfully put it on Lang San's head. "You should think about your future first!" After saying that, he gestured to the team members behind him: "Take him away!"

As soon as they left the hotel, Chief of Staff He Qiu greeted them, patting Liu Xiaotao on the shoulder and saying, "Comrade Liu Xiaotao, you did a great job this time. I'm going to report to the leadership and ask for your commendation!"

"Hehe, it's all thanks to the good leadership of the Commander-in-Chief and the Chief of Staff. We dare not take credit for it," Liu Xiaotao said with a smile.

"You brat! Alright, now that you've completed the mission, lead your team to retreat quickly, and be careful not to let word get out," He Qiu instructed.

"Yes!"

……

The operation went remarkably smoothly, with all targets apprehended within minutes.

No one expected that after arresting Lang San, an even more severe crisis would quietly arrive.

The day after Lang San was arrested by the police "over there", Lang Laoda learned the news.

Boss Lang knew the crimes his brother had committed; according to the laws "over there," even being shot ten thousand times wouldn't atone for them.

Lang San was doomed to die if he fell into the hands of the police "over there," but Boss Lang couldn't just stand by and watch his brother lose his life.

Lang Lao Da was frantic in his "old lair" and immediately called Lang Lao Er to discuss how to rescue him.

Lang Lao Er was the county magistrate of the old town. He usually did nothing but lead people to the mountains to collect raw materials for "flour". All the power was in the hands of the eldest brother.

Brothers fight together in war, and fathers and sons fight together in battle.

With such a big incident, they can only rely on their own brothers.

When Lang Lao Er heard that Lao San had gotten into trouble, he rushed to the lair in a great hurry.

Lang Laoda lost his usual composure and paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan.

After Lang Lao Er arrived, Lang Lao Da recounted how his third brother had gotten into trouble.

"Second brother, give me some advice, I really have no other ideas."

"Hey, I told you from the beginning not to smuggle over there, but the third brother wouldn't listen. Look what happened! Now look what's happened!"

"This is a high-voltage line; anyone who touches it will die!" Old Lang complained.

"Alright, what's the point of saying all this now?"

"Let's think of a way to get the third brother out. We can't just watch him die, can we?" the eldest brother said anxiously.

Lang Lao Er sighed and said, "The only way now is to send someone across the border to negotiate with them. We'll spend any amount of money as long as they're willing to release the people."

After thinking for a moment, Boss Lang said, "We can only try anything, even if it's a desperate situation. I don't think there's much hope. 'Over there' is different from other places; you can't buy it with money."

No matter what, we have to try first; Boss Lang is willing to do whatever it takes to save his brothers.

Boss Lang slammed his hand on the table, a ruthless glint in his eyes: "Second Brother, you go and contact the 'snakehead' immediately, take a few elite brothers and go over there to scout things out... The longer Third Brother is held there, the more dangerous it becomes, we must act as soon as possible!"

Lang Lao Er hesitated, "Brother, sending someone directly is too risky. How about we send 'the white glove' to sound him out first? He has some connections over there."

"It's too late!" Boss Lang interrupted rudely. "Third Brother has a lot on his plate. The longer we delay, the more dangerous it will be." He turned around, took a map from the safe, spread it on the table, pointed to the border line, and said, "Going from here, it will only take three hours at the fastest."

Just then, there was a rapid knocking at the door. A burly henchman rushed in, panicked: "Boss, something bad has happened! The border troops 'over there' have suddenly increased their patrols, and several of our sentries have been taken down!"

The eldest brother's expression changed drastically, his fingers unconsciously tapping the table. "It seems they anticipated our actions." He suddenly turned to the second brother, lowering his voice, "Second brother, you apply to go there in an official capacity, saying you want to negotiate..."

Lang Lao Er looked troubled: "This is too risky. What if we get caught?"

"There's no time!" The eldest brother grabbed his younger brother's collar, his eyes bloodshot. "If the third brother dies, our Lang family is finished! Do you think they'll let us off the hook?" Meanwhile, in a densely packed base on the other side of the border, He Qiu was standing in the monitoring room, staring intently at Lang San on the screen.

Liu Xiaotao pushed open the door and handed him a document: "I just received intelligence that the Lang brothers may be planning to take a dangerous risk."

He Qiu sneered, "They've come at the perfect time. We've laid a trap for them to fall into."

Lang Lao Er sent people across the border to negotiate, and the Lang family wanted to exchange Lang San for 200 million US dollars.

Old Master Lang guessed correctly; the "rabbit" couldn't be bought with money, and the response he received was that Lang San must be punished by law.

Boss Lang racked his brains and tried all sorts of methods, but repeatedly hit a wall.

In desperation, he resorted to his last trump card, sternly threatening: if "the other side" does not release the person within twenty-four hours, they will immediately take action.
The air in the command center froze instantly, and everyone's eyes were focused on Commander-in-Chief Liu Wu.

His brows were furrowed, his eyes were fixed intently on the red and blue markers on the battle map, his fingers tapped unconsciously on the table, and his brain was racing through various countermeasures.

Suddenly, the silence was shattered by the shrill ring of the dedicated telephone line.

Liu Wu took the microphone from Chief of Staff He Qiu, and on the other end of the line came the resolute order from General Liu Zhiye: There is absolutely no room for compromise with criminals, and the "flour dealer" must be brought to justice.
At the same time, we must spare no effort to ensure the safety of our personnel and property, and if necessary, we can take extreme measures to completely destroy the enemy.
After hanging up the phone, Liu Wu's gaze unconsciously drifted to the secret base marked with a red circle on the battle map.

Now, all hopes are pinned on Zhang Jincheng's three-person team.

Although there were only three of them, Liu Wu knew that these three elite special forces soldiers, whom he had personally trained, were like three tigers descending from the mountain at critical moments, enough to tear apart any defense line.

Thinking of this, Liu Wu's tense face relaxed slightly.

He had full confidence in the elite force he had personally built, believing they could accomplish this seemingly impossible task.

At this moment, the gears of fate have already turned, and Zhang Jincheng and his comrades are about to face the most severe test of their professional careers.

Thinking of this, Liu Wu instructed the duty officer, "Call 'Phoenix' immediately!"

After Zhang Jin and his two companions reported the intelligence to headquarters, they arrived at the jade mine.

Led by A-Gui, they arrived at a mountain village.

This mountain village is nestled against the mountains and beside the water, with beautiful scenery and a small river flowing through it.

Zhang Jin said he discovered that the people here are used to living near water, and most of the villages are built on the riverbank.

This also shows the importance of water resources to human survival.

A-Gui told Zhang Jin that their vehicle could only go this far; there was no road leading further into the mountains, and they could only rely on manpower and horses to get there.

There were still nearly 30 kilometers of rugged mountain roads between this village and the jade mine, so Zhang Jin decided to rest in the village for the night and then head into the mountains at dawn.

Agui was very familiar with this mountain village, and he led Zhang Jincheng and the other two to a villager's home to ask for lodging.

Because only the village head's family was relatively well-off, making it convenient for them to host outsiders.

The villager's house was located at the highest point in the village, consisting of several stilted buildings connected together.

The building is spacious and beautiful, with floors made of polished teak planks.

The leader was a middle-aged man in his forties who spoke fluent English, was very talkative, and was very hospitable.

Zhang Jin said that during his conversation with this leader, he learned that the leader had studied in England and was also a member of parliament.

The next day.

Zhang Jin said he left the car at the headman's house and borrowed two short-legged horses that were good at walking mountain roads, and took the radio and equipment with him.

Don't underestimate these two unassuming horses; they are quite famous in the Central and Southern regions.

This is the famous Yunnan horse (also known as the dwarf horse), the most important means of transportation on the Ancient Tea Horse Road. It is characterized by its sturdiness and endurance, and can carry heavy loads for a long time on treacherous mountain roads.

Adult Yunnan horses are short in stature, with strong limbs and a coat color that is mainly bay (about 65%). They are suitable for carrying 60-100 kg of goods for 30 km a day.

The horses in the "Jin San area" are mainly Yunnan horses, which are characterized by their small size, strong endurance, and are especially good at transporting goods on rugged mountain roads.

In addition, A-Gui also asked the chieftain to prepare some food and drink, which were all placed on the back of a horse.

Seeing this, Lei Jun asked with some surprise, "Brother Gui, it's only about 30 kilometers, why are you preparing so much food and drink?"

Ah Gui smiled but didn't answer. The four of them only found out why he had prepared so much after they set off.

The mountain they had to cross was so steep that they had only covered half the distance after a whole day's walk.

Looking at the other side, which is only a few hundred meters away, it will take several hours to get around it.

The four of them walked and stopped in the mountains, spent another night there, and finally arrived at the mine the next afternoon.

The jade mine is located at the foot of a mountain, where several wooden derricks stand with cables attached to them, used to extract ore from below.

There were some wooden sheds not far away, which looked like the living quarters of the miners.

Li Yuan had already arranged for two people to wait for them. After they met, she would take Zhang Jincheng and the other three to see the jadeite rough stone that was to be transported.

The raw stone was placed in a cave, and two people carrying "Aka" were guarding the entrance.

This cave was specifically used to store raw jade stones, and there is a wooden door here.

Their leader unlocked the door, removed the chains, and forcefully pried open the wooden door.

A dozen meters inside the cave, there is a huge boulder covered with a red cloth.

This raw stone is about half a person's height and is estimated to weigh several hundred kilograms.

It looks no different from other stones, but a window has been cut into the top of the stone, revealing a crystal clear, emerald green jade.

Even a layman like Zhang Jincheng would be attracted by this beautiful jade at first glance.

Ah Gui told them that if the inside of a mined raw ore cannot be seen, it is called a "mist stone," and buying mist stones is called "gambling on stones" in this industry.

Opening a small section of a jade stone to allow for assessment of its quality is called "opening a window," and jade stones with such "opened windows" command higher prices.

Zhang Jin couldn't help but reach out and touch the emerald green, feeling a cool sensation on his fingertips, as if he could feel the millennia-old spiritual energy contained within the jade.

Ah Gui lit a cigarette, the smoke swirling in the dim cave. He squinted and said, "This piece of material is no ordinary piece. Judging from its clarity and color, it's at least an icy, bright green."

Last year at the Yangon jade auction, a similar piece sold for tens of millions of US dollars, and it wasn't even this big.

The mine owner smiled and said to Zhang Jin and the others, "Such a large and high-quality jadeite rough is very rare."

Because the rainy season is coming soon, and the mine will have to close after the rainy season, the ore must be transported out before the rainy season arrives.

"Twenty million is too low a price; shipping it to Mandalay will cost at least several times more."

Zhang Jin remained silent, pondering how to transport this massive machine out of the country.

They had already experienced hiking on mountain trails, and even walking alone was difficult, let alone carrying this huge thing weighing several hundred kilograms.

“No wonder no one dares to take this job. How are they going to get something this big out? Not to mention the dangers on the road,” Lei Jun said to Zhuang Yan in a low voice.

Zhuang Yan pursed his lips and said, "You think making a few million is so easy? If it were as simple as blowing on a balloon, would it be our turn?"

"You're really good at arguing. Let me see you blow on it!" Lei Jun said defiantly.

Zhang Jin ignored their bickering and asked the mine owner, "How do you usually transport ore out?"

"We usually mine very few raw stones, weighing at most a few dozen kilograms. Once a jeweler takes a liking to one, they send someone to transport it away by horse. We only handle the mining and not the transportation."

This item was sold at such a low price because it couldn't be shipped out.

"Even if it ultimately fails to be shipped out, what will you do?" Zhuang Yan asked curiously.

The mine owner smiled and said, "Then we'll have to cut it open, which will greatly reduce its value."

Zhang Jincheng nodded and said, "Isn't this path you take to get out of the mountain unsafe?"

"Hahaha... Well, the situation is pretty much the same throughout the entire 'Kim San region.' Whether it's transporting 'flour' or ore, it all requires escort, and even so, robberies still happen frequently."

"Understood, let's go out first!" Zhang Jincheng nodded and took the lead.

(End of this chapter)