Police officer Chen Shu

Clatter. Clatter.

A faint sound came from not far ahead on the road.

In this quiet, even somewhat oppressive forest, it's like throwing a huge rock into a calm lake.

Li Xia instantly became alert, switched off his flashlight, turned around and whispered to the person behind him, "Someone's there, crouch down."

In Xiao Zhao's eyes, the whole world suddenly fell into darkness, but he was not afraid. He was even a little curious, so he did not squat down.

"Who! Come out!"

A loud shout rang out in the woods, spoken with a Pu'er accent from Yunnan Province, followed by a short "crack".

Everyone present was a seasoned veteran in the industry, and they knew that this meant the bullets were loaded.

"Brother, don't get agitated! We're here to work! We're on the same side!"

Li Xia slowly rose from behind the bushes with his hands raised. After the other person shone his flashlight over him a few times, he continued to shout, "There are two more behind, they're all on our side."

Hmm, the bolt is cocked. Is it just to scare people? Is there a bullet in it? In this desolate forest, death is death, there's no need to frighten people.
Xiao Zhao tilted his head slightly, showing no sign of nervousness. After a brief moment of thought, he even stood on tiptoe and looked into the direction from which the sound came.

Under the moonlight, the field of vision became a bit wider.

The dense forest still surrounded the area, with distant mountains appearing and disappearing in the distance. The sound of water, which had long since vanished, reappeared. A river, about ten or twenty meters wide, meandered through the forest, carving out a sizable area.

A five- or six-meter-wide cement bridge serves as the access route, extending towards the central area surrounded by the river, where a seven- or eight-story building stands, alongside several rows of slightly lower high-rise buildings.

Along the river, there is a wall about three or four meters high, covered with wires and cameras with red lights. At several corners, there are even watchtowers.

This modern complex of buildings is placed in such a deserted forest, creating a startling contrast. If you didn't know better, you might think it was a prison deliberately built in a corner to prevent prisoners from escaping.

"Hehe, here we go again." On the contrary, deep down, Xiao Zhao didn't feel even the slightest bit surprised; he was even a little sentimental.

At this moment, four men in camouflage uniforms walked over. The man in the lead, who spoke with a Pu'er accent, shouted, "Hands up, everyone! We're going to search you!"

"Why are you searching me? Who are you people anyway?"

Thinking of Sister Yang, who was standing next to him, Xiao Zhao didn't raise his hand. Instead, he pointed to the opposite side and said something. As a result, one of the Southeast Asian men holding an AK rifle came up and smashed the butt of the rifle into Xiao Zhao's face.

Fortunately, Li Xia was standing nearby and managed to block it with a raised hand.

Seeing that someone was resisting, the other two immediately raised their guns and aimed at them, their eyes cold.

Unlike warnings or intimidation, it was a posture that suggested the other party would immediately open fire at the slightest provocation.

"Brother, we're on the same side, on the same side! We're really here to work!" Li Xia raised his hands high, winked at the man with the Pu'er accent, and then switched to his local dialect, "Brother, you're from Pu'er, right? Me too, we're on the same side. Fellow townsman!"

The Pu'er man paused for a moment, then turned around and mumbled something in his native tongue. The three Southeast Asians put down their guns. The Southeast Asian who had been stopped by Li Xia was probably still not satisfied, so he carried his gun and kicked Xiao Zhao several times.

Xiao Zhao staggered a bit after being kicked, groaned a few times, and then shut his mouth.

"Where are you from, Pu'er? Your accent sounds a bit strange." The Pu'er man slightly raised his hand, gently blocking the cigarette and a small ring of banknotes that Li Xia was secretly offering him, but his attitude was much better. "By the way, who introduced you?" "Brother, I was born in the city of PE. When I was old enough to understand things, I went to the provincial capital with my parents, so I know a little bit of the local dialect."

Li Xia switched back to Mandarin, shrugged with a grin, and then lit a cigarette for the Pu'er man: "Brother Scarface, the old Scarface from Ruili, Yunnan Province. He introduced me to the boatman who brought me here. Brother, I worked for Brother Scarface for a few years before, so I know the rules."

As he spoke, Li Xia exerted a little force on his hand, and the man from Pu'er readily accepted the "rules".

Upon hearing the words "Old Scar," the man from Pu'er squinted and sized Li Xia up and down: "Young man, you water carriers and us online gambling operators keep to your own business, so why did you come here?"

"I got into some trouble and can't stay in China anymore," Li Xia said calmly.

The man from Pu'er nodded in understanding; he was used to such things. He took out a walkie-talkie and communicated with the person inside in his hometown dialect.

"Young man, I've had the officer on duty send a car over. You can take it in. We're all on the same side, no need to be shy." The man from Pu'er put down the walkie-talkie and laughed, "But we'll have to search you before the car arrives, sorry."

After all, they came voluntarily, unlike those piglets who were captured or tricked, so their treatment was definitely different.

Moreover, they are from the same hometown, are skilled in water management, have a wealth of knowledge, and most importantly, are knowledgeable. Within their authority, Pu'er men are willing to lend a hand.

Li Xia pointed behind him: "Brother, I have female relatives with me, so it's not convenient to search them. Could you make an exception?" As he spoke, he pretended to reach into his pocket for money again.

The man from Pu'er raised his hand and put it on Li Xia's forearm, shaking his head and saying, "Little brother, it's not that I'm being disrespectful, but something big happened in the park last month. My goodness, it was a complete mess, so everything is being handled strictly now."

"Big news? What big news?" Li Xia raised an eyebrow, feigning curiosity.

He knew that in this kind of quasi-military organization in a no-man's-land, if he wanted to get things done and take the people away, he had to squeeze through every crack in the wall, take advantage of their chaos, and the more chaotic the better.

A hint of hesitation flashed in the Pu'er man's eyes, but he didn't speak.

Li Xia gently twisted his right hand and skillfully stuffed another small roll of banknotes that he had prepared in advance into Pu'er Brother's hand: "Brother, I'm new here and don't know anything, so I'll have to rely on you to take care of me from now on."

The man from Pu'er squeezed the thickness of the banknotes in his hand, and his expression relaxed.

That being said, those who come to this godforsaken place, whether they come willingly or unwillingly, all share one thing in common.

No money.

Completely broke, most likely even in the negative.

Even if they have high emotional intelligence and can say many nice things, it's all useless.

The man from Pu'er waved his hand with a smile: "It's no big deal, everyone in the park knows about this. Even though you haven't entered yet, you'll find out sooner or later. It's a big deal, but it's just like what's shown on TV."

“Brother, those things on TV are all big news. Tell me about them so I can broaden my horizons,” Li Xia said, playing the straight man.

“A while ago, four domestic police officers infiltrated the company, and we caught them.” The man from Pu’er lowered his voice, glanced at his three subordinates standing a little further back, then pointed his index finger at the ground in the shape of a “gun” and shook it twice.

He lowered his voice, slightly showing off.

"Bang! Bang! They're all dead." (End of Chapter)