Chapter 68

Zhao Zhiqiang fled in a panic.

He was even more disheveled than when he was chased by the old squad leader and his team during training. By the time he reached the hot spring with his not-so-good physical condition, he was already out of breath.

He swore he would never visit Lan Baihe's house at night again; it was too terrifying.

The resort was still deserted. Zhao Zhiqiang took off his clothes and jumped into the hot spring, plunging his head in... forcing himself to calm down. He hadn't been this flustered for a long time. Sometimes he would see that white blur, then the puffed-up coarse sweater, and then the scent of her breath. He knew he wasn't inexperienced with women, but why did this woman affect him like a potion, infecting his very bones?

He held his breath for a long time, forgetting to come up for air.

The spiritual energy was circulating automatically.

It was like a train on a track, moving slowly along a certain route.

When Zhao Zhiqiang came to his senses, he realized that it had been over ten minutes—his Qi-Induction Technique was automatically breaking down the spiritual energy for use by his body's organs.

This is possible!

Zhao Zhiqiang was astonished.

He went back into the water to try again.

He came out and checked the time.

He went back into the water, absorbing essence to convert it into blood and then into spiritual energy. The energy from six and a half times the amount of money he had spent was converted into spiritual energy, which was stored in the Qihai acupoint in his abdomen through the necessary route of the Qi-Induction Technique!

A small bright spot was growing larger, now the size of a grain of millet. This time, Zhao Zhiqiang spent over an hour refining six strands of spiritual energy, and he still wasn't satisfied, but his energy was already depleted.

"It seems that spending money is now the key!"

Zhao Zhiqiang dressed and sat in the empty bathhouse, lost in thought.

He recalled the acupuncture techniques he had learned and the tasks he was about to undertake—treating his mother's illness, making a plan, controlling the spiritual spring, and gaining energy from spending money. The tasks seemed to be piling up. Now, he had a lead on Zhao Guangming, who was currently in custody of the police. He knew the situation at the resort best, but should he act or not?

Zhao Guangming had been missing for nine days. If he really was hiding behind the cliff, that would be quite strange. Thinking of Su Fengrong, she had actually helped his family before.

Zhao Guangming must be caught. Not for any other reason, but for the sake of justice and a clear resolution for the whole village. Additionally, catching Zhao Guangming would certainly be a blow to the Zhao family, and there might be some unclear transactions with Li De.

After much thought, Zhao Zhiqiang had a plan.

On-site investigation.

Having figured this out, the next morning, Zhao Zhiqiang called Wu Bing, Tang Gun, and Zhu Zhijun, who was the smallest and most agile of the group.

This kid had been volunteering at the nursing home for days, which even Teacher Liu couldn't believe. On the phone, he praised Zhu Zhijun highly, and when he heard that Zhao Zhiqiang needed him, he immediately gave him a day off.

At seven o'clock, the three of them arrived at the bathhouse with some breakfast.

They were no longer surprised by Zhao Zhiqiang's preference for staying here. Wu Bing looked around and smiled, "Zhiqiang, if this place is really developed into a resort, it would be a nice place to stay. It's backed by mountains and water, and the wind in this valley is much less. It's really a nice place."

Tang Gun, who was always a bit rough, was still half-asleep, "Zhiqiang, so early, is there something going on?"

Zhu Zhijun seemed to have gained some weight and was much paler, his eyes shining as he looked at Zhao Zhiqiang, "Brother Zhiqiang, I feel the nursing home is pretty good. Seeing those old people, it's really hard for them. Sigh, now when I look at my parents, they really are old..."

Zhao Zhiqiang patted his head and squatted on the stone bench, smiling, "You help out there first. When we build the village nursing home, we'll take care of those without children to look after them. This is a great act of kindness, Zhu Zhijun. Will you help Teacher Liu with this when the time comes?"

"Um—Brother Zhiqiang, I, I sometimes still want to gamble, always feeling I can't accept losing! But, I haven't gone in the past few days! Whenever I want to gamble, I work hard, and if you don't let me gamble, I won't!"

Hmm.

Zhao Zhiqiang was surprised that the two golden Qi he had used had such strange power, making a gambling addict hold out for over a week...

"Today, I've called you guys here to go to the beach below Longtou Mountain for an on-site inspection. I plan to turn it into a mini beach, and with the cliff, we can create a trendy rock climbing area. We're going to go down and check it out today."

The three looked at each other, completely unprepared.

Zhu Zhijun took out a camouflage bag that Zhao Zhiqiang had asked him to retrieve from under the Zhao family cabinet.

Zhao Zhiqiang checked it and found three rappelling tools and other auxiliary equipment. He hadn't checked these items when they were shipped back, nor had he thought he would use them again.

"Is your body up for it?"

Wu Bing, who was meticulous, was concerned about Zhao Zhiqiang's injuries.

"No problem. Let's go."

The four of them emerged from the mountain valley and climbed to the top of the southeastern slope of Longbei Mountain along a rocky path.

This place was five miles from Guomu Valley Village. On this side of the mountain, there were mountains and trees, but on the other side, there was a cliff as if cut by a knife. More strangely, the three sides of Longtou were cut off from the sea, forming a large funnel shape. The longest stretch of seawater was two kilometers, and beyond the foot of the mountain, it was territory of other fishing villages. This place was rarely visited by the villagers, except for some fishermen from other villages who came to catch crabs.

Seventy meters.

Zhao Zhiqiang roughly estimated the distance, but he was carefully looking for any signs that someone had been down there.

"Zhiqiang, you've been here before, haven't you? When we were kids, we borrowed boats from the south corner to come here to catch crabs. No one has ever come down from the top. What are you looking for?" Tang Gun looked down and felt dizzy. He hadn't been up here for seven or eight years, and the last time he came was with Zhao Zhiqiang.

Zhao Zhiqiang searched for several hundred meters but found no traces. He then found a crevice, inserted a fixed rod, and secured it. He pulled it and then arranged the rappelling rope.

"I'm going down to see if this area is suitable for building a rock climbing area similar to special training. If it's feasible, we'll build the rock climbing area on this cliff and clear the rocks below to create a beach!"

"Ah, Brother Zhiqiang, if you really want to do this, how much will it cost!" Zhu Zhijun exclaimed, looking at the large area of rocks. Just moving those rocks would cost a fortune.

Zhao Zhiqiang attached a safety harness to his waist, pulled it a few times, and then smiled, "Tang Gun and Wu Bing, you two stay up here and watch. I'll go down with Zhu Zhijun. He's small and agile, so he can see more details. Let's go!"

He then opened the rappelling switch and started to lower the rope.

"Ah!" Zhu Zhijun's heart was about to burst. He was terrified, "Brother Zhiqiang, I'm scared!"

"Haha, Zhu Zhijun, this is much more exciting than playing in the casino!"

"Um."

"Are you scared?"

"Not scared!"

The two of them, one after the other, kept sliding down. The cliff had many protrusions and footholds, making the descent not too difficult, but for Zhu Zhijun, it was a huge challenge!

After the initial discomfort, Zhu Zhijun's courage grew, and he followed Zhao Zhiqiang's example.

"Haha, this is really fun!"

"Exactly, this huge rock wall can be transformed into a rock climbing entertainment area, and the bottom can be turned into a beach. Don't you think this would be a perfect place for a romantic date?"

The two of them reached the bottom of the rocky area. It was winter, and the sea was frozen, leaving an empty expanse. They laughed and shouted, imagining what it would be like if it were really turned into a beach.

Zhao Zhiqiang, however, noticed a rock that resembled an eagle's head, about ten meters above the water, about 300 meters away.

He walked over, looking around.

Zhu Zhijun followed behind Zhao Zhiqiang, occasionally glancing up at the two figures 70 meters above, suddenly feeling useful!

Suddenly, Zhao Zhiqiang patted him, "Zhu Zhijun, look, there's a cave!"

"A cave?" Zhu Zhijun was surprised, "I've never seen it before?" He curiously approached.

"Hey, there are cigarette butts!" As they got closer to the cave, they saw a few cigarette butts.

Zhao Zhiqiang moved the large stone slab blocking the cave entrance, revealing the entire opening. The cave was indeed small, and he could barely fit, but Zhu Zhijun, who was two sizes smaller, could crawl in without any problem.

Zhu Zhijun nervously stared at the cave entrance, "Brother Zhiqiang, it seems someone is in there..."

Zhao Zhiqiang was also surprised. If someone was really in there, it seemed to be their secret meeting place?

Was Zhao Guangming that foolish? Would Lan Baihe betray him?

Thinking about it, he immediately understood. Zhao Guangming must not know that his secret had already been revealed to Lan Baihe!

There was someone inside.

The cave was small, like a teapot, with a small opening and a larger interior. Zhao Guangming had discovered it by chance six months ago and used it as a secret base. He had brought money and supplies, including food, coal, and bedding, because he had already sensed that something was about to happen. When he heard the news that he was going to be arrested, he took a large detour, crossed the frozen sea, and hid in this cave.

If it were spring, summer, or autumn, he would have escaped long ago, but it was the coldest days of winter, and the Bohai Sea was frozen, so no boats could come in. He hadn't even used the phone to contact his accomplices, spending his days in fear and anxiety. Nine days was already the limit of his endurance!

He was half-asleep when he suddenly heard someone talking!

"Person inside, come out!"

Zhao Zhiqiang shouted loudly!

He listened carefully and knew that the person inside was almost at the breaking point, the sound of his trembling legs was clearly audible!

Zhao Guangming, inside the cave, was immediately scared to death.

Boom!

His head felt like it was exploding.

It's over!

Everything is over!

Sneak into Korea? North Korea?

... Dream on.

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