Qi Tongwei: Can I be young again?

And so, braving the wind and snow, Qi Tongwei carried Wei Tao and the others westward.

Midway through, he made a phone call to Hou Liangping.

The gist of the message was that he should go to the municipal bureau to seek assistance.

This is considered buying insurance.

After all, wolves are not to be underestimated; the more support we provide, the better.

Qi Tongwei was still uneasy even after notifying the Municipal Bureau.

Then he called Zhong Xiaoai again.

Compared to those people in the Municipal Bureau, Qi Tongwei felt that Zhong Xiaoai was more reliable and reassuring.

He felt at ease entrusting his back to her.

With no worries about the road ahead, Qi Tongwei drove faster and faster before it became icy.

The windshield wipers are also shaking more frequently.

Until the wheels start to slip.

"Secretary Qi, the area ahead is no man's land, and there is no cell phone signal there."

Is there absolutely no one in the no-man's-land?

"No, there are several supply stations, all of which are run by locals."

What do they sell inside?

"They have everything: gasoline, food, drinks, everything is readily available, but the prices are a bit high."

"Notify me when you reach the supply depot."

As soon as he finished speaking, the phone lost signal.

Now Qi Tongwei felt even more uncertain.

Looking out the window, all I could see was swirling snow and desolation.

Even the hills were bare.

"Captain Wei, have you ever dealt with Wolf?"

“Yes.” Wei Tao pulled off his left glove, revealing four fingers. “Secretary Qi, I lost my little finger when we were capturing Wolf.”

"So cruel?"

“I was lucky.” Wei Tao took out a cigarette and offered it to everyone. “There were three of us on the mission. I lost my little finger. Of the other two colleagues, one was shot in the thigh and the other was killed.”

"When did this happen?"

"For several years, those wolves were rampant, but things have been much more peaceful in the last two years."

"What about you guys? Have you all encountered wolves?" Qi Tongwei then looked at the other three veteran detectives.

“I’ve encountered this before.” One of the gray-haired veteran detectives recalled, “Those who trade with wolves are ruthless. Most of their clients come from abroad, especially clouded leopard cubs, which many foreigners like. If I remember correctly, one of the wolves said that if he sold two clouded leopard cubs, he would never have to worry about food or drink for the rest of his life.”

"So valuable?"

"Of course, otherwise those wolves wouldn't risk their lives to poach."

"..."

The snow continued to fall outside the car window.

The wheels were slipping more and more, and Qi Tongwei had no choice but to slow down.

Another ten minutes or so later, Wei Tao pointed to a cave dwelling and said, "Secretary Qi, there's a supply station over there. We can go and ask about it."

"Okay, I'll buy some food while I'm at it."

After getting out of the car, Qi Tongwei habitually remained vigilant, looking around.

This is a very dilapidated cave dwelling.

In front of the cave dwelling, there is a shed filled with various odds and ends, as well as a bicycle.

Hearing the noise, the cave door opened.

Then an elderly woman, around fifty years old, came out.

He was tall with high cheekbones and buck teeth.

If you encountered this in the middle of nowhere at night, it would probably scare you to death.

"Officer, are you buying something?"

"Hmm." Wei Tao nodded and went into the cave dwelling first. "Is there anything to eat?"

"Yes, steamed buns, one yuan each."

"One yuan?" Wei Tao frowned. "Wasn't it fifty cents a month ago?"

"Comrade, this isn't a supply and marketing cooperative." The old woman put on a shrewd merchant's face. "With such a heavy snowstorm, it's good enough to have something to eat. Why do you complain about the price? Besides, I'm the only supply station within a 20-mile radius. One yuan a steamed bun is really not expensive."

"You are taking advantage of the situation!"

"Officer, please don't talk nonsense. I'm an honest person, and I didn't force anyone to buy or sell anything. How can you call it taking advantage of someone's misfortune?"

Wei Tao wanted to say a few more words, but Qi Tongwei stopped him.

"There are still several steamed buns left."

"twenty."

"I'll take them all." Qi Tongwei took out a fifty-yuan note. "Do you have any water?"

"Yes, two yuan a bottle."

Wei Tao was stunned when he heard the price.

Keep in mind, this was only 97, what kind of water could sell for two dollars?

Is it the nectar and dew from the Jade Pool?

"Twenty steamed buns and fifteen bottles of water," Qi Tongwei said with surprising calm. "Here's fifty, just right."

"That's right." The old woman smiled broadly as she took the money.

Next, put all the steamed buns and water into a bag.

"Ma'am, may I ask you another question? Did you see any police officers a couple of days ago?"

"Ten dollars."

"What, ten yuan?"

"Information fee," the old woman said greedily. "This is a no-man's land; information here costs money."

Qi Tongwei understood.

I ran into a shady merchant today.

Of course, this also reflects the current state of the no-man's-land, which is full of traps and darkness.

Here, the law has absolutely no reach.

Qi Tongwei took out his wallet again, pulled out a ten-yuan note, and said, "Ten yuan, just say it."

The old woman took the money and sniffed it carefully; it smelled good.

Really fragrant.

“The night before last, six policemen passed by here and bought steamed buns. One of them was even injured.”

"What injury?"

"Ten dollars!"

"Here you go, ten yuan." Qi Tongwei readily took out the money again. "A gunshot wound, the bullet grazed my shoulder, it seems to have happened during the shootout with the wolves."

Where did they go?

"Ten dollars!"

(P.S.: Thank you to everyone for the gifts, and a special thank you to Vivian Dawson for summoning the character!)