My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 222 is only suitable for staying in the wilderness.
With such a fierce Tibetan mastiff guarding this place and making it so dirty and messy, that's probably why Wu Fusheng chose to hide things here.

Firstly, there's this big dog in the area; it barks fiercely and makes a lot of noise when people approach. Plus, most people are afraid of being bitten, so they don't dare to get close easily.

Furthermore, the place is so dirty and messy that it will make people dislike it.

The idea may be good, but in Zhou Jingming's view, such a place to hide gold is still not up to standard, and Wu Fusheng is thinking too simply.

No matter how fierce that Tibetan Mastiff is, it's still just a dog, especially one that's kept in a cage.

Wu Yang was very direct. The Type 56 rifle was equipped with a folding triangular bayonet. He simply swung it forcefully, and the bayonet instantly flipped and locked firmly to the muzzle.

Without any hesitation.

He stabbed the Tibetan mastiff twice as it approached, daring to rush up, scratch at the iron cage, and bark wildly.

This kind of triangular round bayonet is a weapon for bleeding. After being hit twice, the Tibetan mastiff dared not approach again. It shrank into a corner and howled. In less than half a minute, it lay down.

The woman watched from the side, trembling all over, trying hard to control her fear.

After the Tibetan Mastiff stopped moving, Zhou Jingming glanced at her again and said, "I hope you're not lying to me. I believe you know very well the consequences of lying to me."

After he finished speaking, he called Wu Yang over and moved the iron cage aside. He shone a flashlight under the cage and saw an iron plate. After Wu Yang lifted the iron plate, a brick-lined pit was revealed, inside which was a rusty iron box with a lock on it. A matching key could be found on Wu Fusheng's key set, which could be used to open the box.

When opening it, Zhou Jingming was more cautious and stood at a distance, using a stick to pry open the lid.

There was nothing unusual this time. When Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang approached, they only saw neatly stacked gold bars below.

Zhou Jingming gestured to Wu Yang.

Wu Yang immediately put down his backpack and stuffed the gold bars into it one by one.

Only after it was completely packed into his backpack did Wu Yang stand up: "Twenty-three!"

Zhou Jingming nodded slightly and looked at the woman again: "Go change your clothes and come with us!"

"where to?"

The woman asked in a panic, "Didn't you say you'd let me go after you took the things?"

Zhou Jingming snorted coldly: "I did say I would let you go, but I didn't say now... You have no choice."

Upon hearing this, the woman could only follow Zhou Jingming back upstairs, find herself a set of ordinary clothes to change into, and change her slippers into yellow rubber shoes before going downstairs again.

Zhou Jingming and Wu Yang, one carrying the gold bars and the other carrying the sack of money, led the woman out of the courtyard and locked the gate behind them, tossing the key back into the yard.

The three of them walked together through the dark city and arrived at the place where motorcycles were parked outside the city.

Zhou Jingming tied the bag of money and the guns inside to the shelf. He rode the motorcycle, the woman sat in the middle, and Wu Yang squeezed in at the back. He started the motorcycle again and headed into the wilderness.

However, this time, he did not head towards Maqin County, but instead turned north and sped along the highway through Hami.

He didn't stop the motorcycle until it was almost dawn.

This is already a no-man's-land deep in the wilderness.

All around, the mountains were covered with wild grass.

After getting out of the car, Zhou Jingming stretched his arms and legs: "Let's get some firewood, make a fire, roast ourselves, and have something to eat."

He rode his bike all night and was so cold that his body felt numb. Once he got to this place, he was pretty sure he was safe.

The woman remained quiet, got off the motorcycle, and sat on the grass beside it, looking exhausted.

This was probably the first time in her life that she had been caught between two men on a train. At first, she felt very uncomfortable, but she gradually relaxed.

However, while motorcycles are fast, the ride is bumpy.

It's called a highway, but it's really just a few pasture trails and dirt roads, but it's passable by bicycle.

She was jostled around quite a bit.

"Brother Zhou, where are you planning to take her?"

While gathering firewood, Wu Yang glanced back at the woman sitting quietly on the grass and asked Zhou Jingming, "Why don't we take her back to our camp? Where do all those lonely men live? With her around, they won't have to keep thinking about running to Tiemaike all the time."

“We can’t let anything we’re doing slip by, but this woman knows everything. For us, keeping her alive is like having a bomb that could explode at any moment.”

Zhou Jingming took a deep breath: "Only those who are completely unable to speak are the safest. She is only suitable to stay in the wilderness, either to become food for wild beasts or to rot completely."

Wu Yang was puzzled: "Didn't you say you'd spare her life?"

"If I didn't say it this way, would she be so sensible as to confess?"

Zhou Jingming chuckled: "Brother, it's not like you have feelings for this woman, is it?"

Wu Yang shook his head: "How could that be... I've said it before, I don't look down on this kind of unclean woman. In my opinion, she's no different from those women who sell their bodies."

"Really? I don't believe you squeezed someone's butt on the motorcycle before and there was no reaction at all."

Zhou Jingming joked, "Didn't you hear what that gold prospector who worked under Wu Fusheng said on the bus last year? He said that this woman may look ordinary, but she has a good figure and knows how to serve people."

Wu Yang rolled his eyes: "Brother Zhou, can you... just stop talking?"

"Looks like I was right, she got the feeling!"

Zhou Jingming continued to tease him. Wu Yang was a bit clumsy with words, but pleaded with his face, "Please, Brother Zhou, stop talking. I really don't have that idea."

"If I don't have that thought, then there's nothing I'll miss."

Zhou Jingming said firmly, "We must get rid of her to avoid future trouble. You'll handle this."

"I'll do it, I'll do it!"

This answer was probably seen by Wu Yang as his most decisive response, and he answered with force and conviction.

He glanced back at the woman and then asked, "Brother Zhou, last year on the bus, I heard the gold prospector say that Wu Fusheng was doing quite well as a gold boss, otherwise he wouldn't have thought of going back to Wu Fusheng's mine in Altay. He even felt sorry for Wu Fusheng. But the other day, when I saw him arranging the work, it was clearly very shady. It felt like he wasn't talking about the same person."

"Perhaps he's a gold tycoon over in Maqin Snow Mountain, and he's really good to his subordinates. But his situation this year is different from previous years. His mine was robbed, and his tractors and cars were also stolen, leaving him with only one. He also lost manpower and his strength was depleted. Naturally, he wants to get back what he lost as soon as possible, which is why he's so harsh."

Zhou Jingming was quite open-minded about this kind of thing: "This time, we came at just the right time. If he were still doing well in Maqin Snow Mountain, we wouldn't have been able to take him down so easily."

Now, things have taken a turn for the worse. He's been driven out of the Maqin Snow Mountain and settled in the Altun Mountains, a remote area with few gold prospectors and little popular support. This is precisely the time when he's eager to find better mining sites and seek better development, so he doesn't have much suspicion of you or me.

Moreover, because of the enemies and conflicts, if Wu Fusheng were to die, even if someone felt something was wrong, they would first think of his enemies.

But the person who could defeat Wu Fusheng is probably someone that ordinary people can't touch.

This kind of thing can only be left unresolved.

The only regret is that Wu Fusheng was severely weakened, and less was seized from him.

However, to be fair, receiving over thirty kilograms of gold and about five hundred thousand in cash at once is something to be content with.

Wu Yang nodded slightly: "This way is still the fastest way to make money. If there's anything like this again, be sure to call me."

Zhou Jingming smiled, but urged them to hurry up and gather firewood.

In fact, on this desolate meadow with only a few scattered shrubs, large pieces of firewood were hard to find. All the two of them could collect were some dry grass and thin branches, none of which burned well. However, they could still manage to burn a pile of firewood and roast something.

The two men carried the collected burning materials back to the motorcycle, started a fire, and placed the steamed buns they had brought by the fire to bake.

Once it was baked, Zhou Jingming handed one to the woman: "Eat quickly, so you can get on your way!"

The woman seemed not to understand Zhou Jingming's implied meaning. She took the steamed bun and ate it slowly with her head down.

She has barely spoken since last night, and I have no idea what she is thinking.

Wu Yang seemed to understand, but he only glanced at Zhou Jingming before continuing to eat his steamed bun.

Zhou Jingming had just finished eating a steamed bun when he saw the woman place the half-eaten bun by the fire, stand up, and walk away. He couldn't help but ask, "Where are you going?"

The woman blushed and said, "I...I need to use the restroom!"

Zhou Jingming waved his hand: "Go!"

At the same time, he winked at Wu Yang.

Wu Yang immediately got up and followed.

Seeing this, the woman stopped in her tracks, turned to look at Wu Yang, then at Zhou Jingming, and bit her lip, refusing to move.

Wu Yang was getting impatient: "Are you going or not?"

"You...don't follow me!"

"Ha, you're embarrassed now? A woman like you can be embarrassed? What if you run away if I don't go with you? Are you going or not?"

"……go!"

After hesitating for a moment, the woman knew she couldn't avoid it, so she had no choice but to grit her teeth and continue walking up the barren slope.

Zhou Jingming watched as Wu Yang followed behind her, around the overgrown slope, and went to the other side.

After waiting for several minutes, Wu Yang jogged back alone. When he got to the car, he twirled a gold bracelet on his right index finger and said only one sentence: "It's solved!"

Zhou Jingming didn't ask any more questions. After Wu Yang got on the motorcycle, he immediately started the engine and sped away along the highway with Wu Yang on his back.

Over the next four days, the two traveled through Dunhuang, Hami, and then to Wucheng.

Zhou Jingming stayed overnight in the suburbs of Wucheng, intending to visit the geological team the next morning.

But after thinking it over, I realized that I had already done so much and was exhausted from the journey. Going to find Yue Qiyuan now would be too hasty.

Geological teams work in places that are not desolate wilderness, nor are they places where people can just do whatever they want.

Moreover, it's inconvenient to carry so much gold, money, and firearms on one's person.

He felt that it was better to postpone this matter for a while and look for an opportunity later.

So the next day, he simply filled the car and the tin can with gas and continued leading Wu Yang back, arriving back in Tiemaike the following evening.

Only now did Zhou Jingming finally breathe a sigh of relief.

A heavy weight that had been pressing on my heart for so long has finally crumbled and dissipated.

(End of this chapter)