Chapter 79: Roar

Du Long looked at him and laughed, saying, "Stop pretending, there are no bullets in that gun!"

Xia Hongjun was taken aback and replied with a cold laugh, "You've never even touched a gun, how do you know there are no bullets?"

Du Long said, "Because I am Du Long, I know. Alright, I dared to point a gun at your head and even let you go in that situation. Don't you trust me now?"

Xia Hongjun was stunned for a moment, finally putting the gun back into his holster. He asked blankly, "Why do you trust me so much?"

Du Long glanced down the mountain and said, "We don't have much time. Let's cut to the chase. Now we should trust each other. I am a principled person and won't easily give up on what I believe in. I still hope you will go back with me. Of course, if you don't want to go back, I can understand. But at least let me take the gun back. I want to help you, I want to catch Li Wuwei, and I want to catch those corrupt officials. Even if you think I'm just trying to get credit or something else, helping me is also helping you."

Xia Hongjun nodded and said, "I believe you. Tell me, how can I help you?"

Du Long extended his hand and said, "Give me the gun and the bullets first."

Xia Hongjun hesitated not at all, throwing the gun in his hand to Du Long. He then took out another gun wrapped around his calf and threw it along with two magazines to Du Long.

Du Long weighed the two guns and smiled, "Seems like something is missing, doesn't it?"

Xia Hongjun snorted and fished out two hammers from his pocket, tossing them to Du Long, "Didn't expect you to know so much about guns..."

Most people wouldn't notice the difference of a few grams when they got a gun. Du Long smiled slightly, not explaining, and skillfully disassembled the pistol, putting the hammer back in. Xia Hongjun watched him with furrowed brows, seemingly a bit nervous but not stopping him.

Du Long tucked the gun into his belt at the back and said, "Xia Hongjun, you should be very clear about the causes and processes of the two major fights. Now, from a soldier's perspective, who exactly robbed whose mine?"

Xia Hongjun said, "Of course, it was Black Gold Company that robbed Tieling Coal Mine. However, Tieling Coal Mine also had its own issues, and the Land and Resources Bureau had problems too. So, after Black Gold Company filed a complaint first, Tieling Coal Mine ended up receiving a notice of overstepping boundaries."

Du Long asked, "Do you know who specifically did it? Do you have any evidence to prove it?"

Xia Hongjun took out a pack of cigarettes, opened it, and lit one, taking a puff. He then asked, "Do you want one?"

Du Long frowned slightly, shook his head, and protested, "The lighter and cigarettes are mine, you're taking them without asking!"

Xia Hongjun ignored him and said, "Tieling Coal Mine has a deputy mine manager named Chen Yun'ai, whom everyone calls Chen Neng'ai. This guy is good at nothing but flattering people and is quite well-connected both in the mine and in the county..."

When the armed police of Wuxi County, led by Ding Menghong, first found Du Long, he was sitting on a hillside smoking. The fire in front of him helped Ding Menghong find him easily.

Ding Menghong didn't have time to scold Du Long. He looked around vigilantly and asked, "Where's Xia Hongjun?"

Du Long threw the half-smoked cigarette into the fire and said, "He ran away. I just woke up. This guy is a special forces soldier, I almost caught him..."

No one believed Du Long's words because there were two cut-off plastic handcuffs on the ground. After confirming that no one was around, Ding Menghong asked again, "Are you hurt? Did Xia Hongjun say anything to you?"

Du Long handed the two guns from his belt to Ding Menghong and said, "He said he was innocent, knocked me out, and left the guns and a knife. Now my head is a bit sore."

Ding Menghong's task was to find Du Long and take him back. It was best that Du Long was unharmed. The two guns were an unexpected bonus. Ding Menghong immediately had the fire extinguished and led everyone down the mountain.

An hour and a half later, Du Long returned to the Wuxi County government building. In an office on the fifth floor, he met Ma Guangming, who looked somewhat grim.

"Uncle Ma, I'm back," Du Long said with a smile, as if he had just attended a party rather than played hide and seek with a suspected murderer and a special forces soldier... Ma Guangming snorted heavily, showing his extreme displeasure. The person who accompanied Du Long in quickly said, "Mayor Ma, we... will leave first. You and Officer Du can talk slowly..."

"Close the door," Ma Guangming said calmly.

When only Ma Guangming and Du Long were left in the office, the expected volcanic eruption did not occur. Ma Guangming lit a cigarette and asked calmly, "What did you find?"

Du Long said, "A lot. First, Tieling Coal Mine did not overstep its boundaries. It was Black Gold Company's Lanhé Coal Mine that overstepped and filed a complaint first. Tieling Coal Mine has an insider, and the Tieling County Land and Resources Bureau has acted improperly. Tieling Coal Mine's retaliatory attack on Lanhé Coal Mine was incited by someone. Therefore, Black Gold Company had set up an ambush. Xia Hongjun did not kill anyone. The death of the person from Black Gold Company is suspicious and needs further investigation. The two people from Tieling Coal Mine were shot in the back of the head. I suspect this was not an accident but a murder! The murderer must be found and punished!"

Ma Guangming asked calmly, "What evidence do you have? You've said so much, but do you have any evidence?"

Du Long took out the ledger left by Xia Hongjun and said, "This is the ledger Xia Hongjun found at Lanhé Coal Mine. He said it might be useful and could help catch a few small fry, so I brought it back. The rest of the evidence we need to find ourselves. Xia Hongjun also wants us to clear his name of the murder charges."

Ma Guangming suddenly threw the glass ashtray against the wall, shattering it into countless pieces. He roared, "What a mess! You spent half the night and made such a big fuss, and all you got was this? And you're actually proud of it?!"

Du Long remained unmoved, calmly looking at Ma Guangming. Ma Guangming, losing his composure, cursed a few times, then quickly calmed down. He took a sip of tea and said to Du Long, "I received a call from the province before I called you... I should have reported to higher-ups earlier. Sigh... The provincial government's opinion is to maintain stability, to minimize the impact of major incidents. Therefore, the investigation must stop. What we need to do is to calm the crowd, console the families of the deceased, and visit the injured workers..."

Du Long said calmly, "The waters of Wuxi County are indeed deep. Uncle Ma, you might choke on some dirty water if you're not careful. But... are you really going to let it go like this?"

Ma Guangming countered, "The province has given instructions. What else can I do?"

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