My Gold Rush Career Begins in 1984

Chapter 226 Overestimated Bottom Line

Hou Xiangdong had originally arranged to meet Liang Mazi the morning after the fight, and Liang Mazi was supposed to wait for him at Tie Maike's restaurant.

As a result, he rushed to Tiemaike overnight in fear and trepidation, and finally made it to morning, but he didn't see Liang Mazi anywhere.

In fact, before he even left the forest in Haxionggou, he saw Wu Yang rushing Zhou Jingming off the mountain on a motorcycle, knowing that he was being taken to the hospital.

He didn't know how badly Zhou Jingming had been bombed, or whether he was dead.

But after witnessing Wu Yang's skills, he had no desire to get closer to take a look. He was only busy hiding himself well in the woods whenever he heard the sound of a motorcycle.

Hou Xiangdong had always considered himself a ruthless person, but seeing Wu Yang dispose of people like tree branches in a few swift moves without even flinching, he was filled with terror.

It was only then that he realized what kind of person he had messed with.

Then, in Tiemaike, he saw Wu Yang carrying Zhou Jingming, whose head was bandaged, on a motorcycle to have breakfast and then leave, and his heart sank even further.

To survive such an explosion and leave the hospital so quickly, it seems the problem wasn't too serious.

It's obvious that Zhou Jingming won't let him go. He might search for him all over the mountains and fields. He absolutely can't stay in a place like the Gold Rush Valley where human life is worthless. It would be safer in towns with more people, at least it would be less convenient to make a move there.

Hou Xiangdong suddenly remembered that when they met at the restaurant that day, Liang Mazi had told Zhou Jingming about his position as a foreman at the Haiertes River mine, including his name.

Upon closer reflection, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. Hadn't Liang Mazi also betrayed him to Zhou Jingming?

Killing Zhou Jingming would be one thing, but now, Zhou Jingming has only suffered minor injuries. He's like a corn husk used to wipe someone's ass—he's still "shit" no matter what.

He couldn't help but curse under his breath: "Damn it, this guy's trying to drive me to my death. Looks like I can't rely too much on Liang Mazi; I have to be careful..."

He lit a cigarette and continued to squat in the corner of the wall on the street.

After finishing his cigarette, he finally saw Liang Mazi leading two other members of the Qingshan team down the street.

Unlike other members of the Qingshan team, Liang Mazi's hair, which could cover his ears, looked somewhat sloppy. Even when wearing a peaked cap and uniform, he still gave off a carefree and irresponsible vibe.

Because of his special status, the gold prospectors from the mountains would deliberately avoid him, fearing that they would be held accountable if they bumped into him.

Liang Mazi was also looking around when he soon spotted Hou Xiangdong waving at him.

He pulled on the reins, stopping the horse, and the two members of the Qingshan team who often followed him also stopped.

He dismounted, handed the reins to one of them, said a few words to them, and the two men also dismounted and led the three horses away.

Liang Mazi winked at Hou Xiangdong, and the two of them slipped into the alleyway between the flat-roofed mud-brick houses on the street.

Once they reached their hiding place, Hou Xiangdong looked at both ends of the alleyway. Seeing that no one could see him, he asked somewhat anxiously, "Captain Liang, why did it take you so long? I've been waiting for you here for two days."

Liang Mazi glanced at both sides of the alley, then slowly took out a cigarette and lit it: "I got a call from above, telling me to go back for a meeting. I went to the county town and was delayed... How did things go?"

Hou Xiangdong, with a long face, exclaimed, "I messed it up!"

Liang Mazi's brows furrowed immediately: "Say it again."

"Captain Liang, it's not that we're not trying, but look at the three of us, now I'm the only one left."

This time, we ambushed them in the forest over Haxionggou. The fuse for the explosives was very short; it detonated in less than two seconds after being thrown, but even though the blast sent everyone flying, they still didn't die..."

"Now that we've blown everyone up, shouldn't we rush in and finish them off?"

"Who said there wasn't a finishing blow? We charged in, and there was another guy with the guy surnamed Zhou. That guy was too strong. He rolled on the ground twice and got up again. He came straight at us. He was definitely a trained fighter. The second brother only had to face him once before he broke his arm and leg, and twisted his head halfway around... What's the use of having a knife in hand?"

"If he hadn't been busy rescuing that Zhou guy and hadn't been chasing after me, I wouldn't have been able to escape alive."

Upon hearing this, Liang Mazi's expression turned serious: "Is it really as powerful as you say?"

Hou Xiangdong nodded: "I've never seen such a capable person before. The guy surnamed Zhou was sent to the clinic to treat his injuries and went back yesterday. I saw them go to a restaurant and they were still eating and drinking... Captain Liang, I really can't handle this."

Liang Mazi squatted down in the alley and smoked a cigarette in silence until he finished it. Then he looked up at Hou Xiangdong and said, "When Zhou saw that I was with you, he will definitely guess something. Now, you and I are in the same boat. This matter will not end like this. We still have to get to the bottom of it."

Hou Xiangdong sighed: "Captain Liang, you are the captain of the Qingshan team. There is absolutely no need to go through all this trouble. Just lead your team to chase them down. No matter how powerful he is, what can he do to you? There is absolutely no need to go through all this trouble. If he dares to resist, just wipe them out."

Liang Mazi snorted: "They have over a hundred people at their mine. How can you just wipe them out like that? You're oversimplifying things."

Now, Hou Xiangdong no longer wanted to get involved in this matter. The only reason he stayed here to wait for Liang Mazi was for one thing: "Captain Liang, look, I've already lost two brothers because of this. Could you help me resolve the issue of my identity?"

He had considered using gold to bribe his way out, but being a wanted man meant that even with gold, few would dare take on the job. Liang Mazi, who knew his situation, was the perfect target for him. He had been in the mountains for quite some time, spending his days in the wilderness like a lost soul. Such a life could drive anyone mad.

He looked at Liang Mazi expectantly, waiting for his response.

Liang Mazi pondered for a moment: "Alright, I won't force you on this matter. Find a place to hide for a few days, and I'll go back to Altan to ask if this matter can be done for you."

Hou Xiangdong wasn't sure if Liang Mazi was telling the truth or just making excuses, so he decided to raise his stakes: "Captain Liang, if you help me get this done, you won't have worked for nothing. I'll also give you a generous gift."

In his opinion, it was more reliable to talk about Liang Mazi with gold. Considering that two brothers had already been lost, he felt that Liang Mazi should at least show some appreciation.

He had never been so humble before.

Actually, he was testing Liang Mazi to see if he would, as he had initially thought, also make him a part of Liang's success.

Sending Liang Mazi a generous gift was also a way for him to secure his own future; in the name of the gold, Liang Mazi wouldn't be in such a hurry to make a move.

Since it concerned his life, he was extremely cautious.

If things have come to this point and they still refuse to give you a chance to survive, then there's really nothing more to say.

Anyway, he's a wanted criminal with a murder charge. Northern Xinjiang is so big. There are other places besides Altay. He can just find another place to hide. No matter how far Liang Mazi's reach is, he can only control a small area in the end.

But this debt must be recorded.

He soon realized that he had overestimated Liang Mazi's bottom line.

Liang Mazi smiled and said, "No problem... You can go first."

Hou Xiangdong's lips twitched twice, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he said nothing and turned to leave the alley.

As soon as he turned around, he felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his back, a very dangerous sign, because he heard a clear metallic clanging sound behind him.

It's a gun...

He turned around abruptly and saw Liang Mazi raising his pistol at him.

At that moment, he was jolted awake and, without thinking, reacted with lightning speed to strike back at Liang Mazi.

Liang Mazi hadn't expected Hou Xiangdong to be so fast at that moment. His arm holding the pistol was deflected, and the shot he fired hit the mud wall instead.

Then, he saw Hou Xiangdong charging fiercely towards him. He couldn't dodge in time and was knocked back two steps. He inevitably fell to the ground, sprawling on his back. Before he could get up, he saw Hou Xiangdong stomping towards him again, and he was so frightened that he quickly rolled away.

When he got up, he only saw Hou Xiangdong rush into the corner of the alleyway and houses.

He hastily fired a shot, but missed. He quickly chased after Hou Xiangdong, but Hou was nowhere to be seen.

At that moment, his expression grew increasingly grim.

Liang Mazi could only dust himself off and return to the street. After walking for a while, he saw his two companions waiting for him in front of a restaurant.

When the two men saw him return, they leaned over and whispered, "Captain, how did things go?"

Liang Mazi was in a bad mood and said irritably, "We didn't kill the guy surnamed Zhou, and Hou Xiangdong has also escaped... Things are in trouble."

In his view, both of them posed a threat to him.

Zhou Jingming had already seen him appear with Hou Xiangdong and had been blasted by Hou Xiangdong twice, so he would definitely think that things were about him.

As for Hou Xiangdong, the desperate criminals he failed to kill after already drawing his gun are now in even greater danger.

What made him even more wary was that if the person following Zhou Jingming was really as powerful as Hou Xiangdong had described, he would have to be even more careful.

Things seemed to be getting worse and worse, and were getting out of his control.

"Captain, what should we do?"

One of his subordinates suggested, "Why don't we report this to our superiors and bring in the Qingshan team to wipe out those people in Haxionggou first?"

Liang Mazi shook his head: "What's the point of suppressing them? There are so many people. Do you think we'd just open fire? We can't push them too far... If you push these people too far, they'll do anything."

He began to worry about his safety.

(End of this chapter)