Chapter 84: Searching for the Gun

After Xia Hongjun finished speaking, he immediately hung up the phone and casually removed the battery, putting it in his pocket for later use.

Xia Hongjun took a syringe from the bag given by Old Wu and injected Bidake. Du Long curiously asked, "What is that? Is it for stopping the bleeding?"

Xia Hongjun quickly tidied up his things and said to Du Long, "Some things, even if you see them, don't ask. It won't do you any good."

Du Long nodded in understanding. In fact, what Xia Hongjun injected into Bidake was a diluted dose of heroin. Bidake would soon become addicted, and his health would rapidly deteriorate. It wouldn't take long for him to become a useless person, or even die from an overdose. This could be considered a way to avenge the souls of those who died at his hands.

Du Long and Xia Hongjun quickly left the neighborhood and headed for the Tieling Coal Mine. On the way, Du Long received a call from Ma Guangming: "Du Long, where are you now? The forensic expert sent by the city is already in place."

Du Long replied, "The forensic expert is already here? Please hand the phone to Forensic Expert Geng Weidong, I'll talk to him."

Ma Guangming handed the phone to Geng Weidong with a puzzled look. Geng Weidong, being a seasoned expert, chuckled and said, "Little Du, you don't suspect I'm an impostor, do you?"

Du Long was indeed thinking that. Upon hearing the familiar voice, he felt relieved and chuckled, "Mr. Geng, you're so smart, you guessed it right. I'm really scared by the people in Wuxi County. The matter I'm about to tell you must be kept secret to avoid any trouble. Mr. Geng, I didn't actually take the body away; it's still in the municipal government building, in a storage room behind the garage. I hid it there when no one was paying attention. Since you're here to examine the gunshot wounds, it shouldn't be a problem. You can only tell this to the other forensic expert and Mayor Ma. Be careful, as there might be eavesdroppers everywhere."

"Ah..." Geng Weidong understood Du Long's meaning and said, "I got it. I'll wait for you to bring the body back. Give me a call when you're close."

Geng Weidong handed the phone back to Ma Guangming, who glanced around and whispered, "Mayor Ma, Du Long says he's on his way back. Let's get ready..."

Ma Guangming nodded and called Lu Shunyu to prepare a place for the forensic experts to examine the body. Then, Ma Guangming gathered the leaders of Wuxi County for a meeting. At the meeting, Ma Guangming conveyed the opinions from the provincial government. The leaders of Wuxi County breathed a sigh of relief, thinking the crisis had passed, and that Mayor Ma, who had arrived with a fierce attitude, had changed his mind.

However, Ma Guangming then shifted his tone, indicating that some issues could be temporarily ignored, but matters concerning human life could not be overlooked. The chaotic situation in the coal mines of Wuxi County could not continue. Ma Guangming required the county to hold another coordination meeting, gathering representatives from various departments and coal mine owners. He would personally preside over it to solve the problems that had plagued Wuxi County for years.

After Ma Guangming finished speaking, the Party Secretary of Wuxi County, Zhao Huian, raised his hand and said, "Mayor Ma, the problems in the coal mines of Wuxi County have a long history. It might be difficult to solve them all at once. The fight at the 906 Coal Mine was chaotic, and we have been investigating it, but we still have no leads. If we arrest people without solid evidence, it might lead to a repeat of past mistakes. Tieling Coal Mine would be dissatisfied, and Black Gold Company would be even more unhappy. Both are top coal producers in Wuxi County, and they can't afford such disruptions."

Ma Guangming's face showed a hint of sarcasm as he said, "I fear it's not that there are no leads, but that no one is investigating, or no one dares to. Over the years, Wuxi County has had many incidents. As leaders of Wuxi County, you should often reflect on whether you have truly done your jobs well."

Zhao Huian's face turned ashen as he lowered his head. Ma Guangming continued bluntly, "Why is the security in Wuxi County so poor? Why are gambling, prostitution, and drugs rampant? Why are there criminal organizations? Why is there a proliferation of firearms? These issues need to be thoroughly studied and their roots dug out. This is the only way to address both the symptoms and the root causes!"

Seeing the situation turning against them, the County Magistrate of Wuxi County, Wang Chunlai, quickly interjected, "Mayor Ma is right. There are many problems in Wuxi County, and we, as leaders, are responsible. We have failed the party's cultivation, the support of our superiors, and the expectations of the people. We must self-reflect and resolutely correct our mistakes, bringing all criminals who harm national interests and endanger the lives and property of the people to justice!"

Wang Chunlai's words won the support of most attendees, and applause broke out. The County Magistrate, Niu, humbly smiled and bowed to Ma Guangming, saying, "Mayor Ma, please assign us tasks now!"

Ma Guangming nodded in satisfaction and began assigning tasks, launching a comprehensive security rectification campaign.

Du Long and Xia Hongjun returned to the Tieling Coal Mine. Despite his short stature and youthful face, Xia Hongjun had considerable authority among the miners. The security guard at the gate, suspicious of their appearance, stopped them and asked questions. Xia Hongjun glared and said, "San Yazi, don't you recognize me?"

The guard, called San Yazi, was taken aback. He looked closely at Xia Hongjun and then smiled, "It's Captain! What's with the look?"

Xia Hongjun said, "Cut the chatter. Take us in and find us two sets of work clothes. They can be dirty, but don't let Chen Nengnai's people know I'm back."

San Yazi obediently led Xia Hongjun in, and another guard, amused, quickly fetched two old work clothes.

The clothes were dirty and smelly, but Xia Hongjun could tolerate it. As he changed, he told San Yazi to find the shift supervisor, Xue Weichang. When Xue Weichang arrived, Xia Hongjun asked, "Old Xue, have you heard any unusual explosions from the east in the past two days?"

Explosions are common in coal mining to break up obstructive rocks. Xue Weichang frowned and thought for a moment, then slapped his thigh and said, "Last night, there was a particularly loud explosion from the east. It shook our tunnels, and debris rained down. I thought it was going to be a disaster, but later I heard that Black Gold Company had blown up a tunnel that crossed the boundary."

Xia Hongjun asked, "Where was the explosion? Take me there and bring a few people with blasting equipment. I want to dig through the area they blew up and see what's there. Do it without delaying the work and without letting others know."

Xue Weichang immediately assigned a miner to lead Xia Hongjun and a few others. Since Xia Hongjun had been checking safety in the mine every day and had prevented several accidents, everyone trusted him. They knew he had a reason for his request, and since he didn't explain, they didn't ask.

The eastern side of the Tieling Coal Mine, near the Blue River Coal Mine of Black Gold Company, had been connected by a tunnel that Black Gold Company had blown up. When Xia Hongjun and Du Long arrived, the tunnel was blocked by layers of black coal.

Xia Hongjun took one look and ordered, "Dig!"

Xue Weichang and the others immediately started digging, setting up supports to prevent the tunnel from collapsing as they worked.

When they encountered large chunks of coal, they used electric blasting drills. Everyone worked efficiently, and Du Long's task was to push a two-wheeled cart to transport the coal. He loaded the cart with the coal dug out by the others and took it to where the mine cars were, then loaded the coal onto the mine cars for transport.

Most of the coal mines in Wuxi County were small, and Tieling Coal Mine had relatively good equipment. However, after a dozen trips, Du Long was already panting heavily.

"Take a break. Give me the cart," a large hand suddenly grabbed the handle. Du Long turned around and saw Xia Hongjun standing behind him, his eyes showing less coldness and more approval.

"I can... still... manage..." Du Long panted, the mine tunnel filled with dust, poor air circulation, and low oxygen levels, combined with the heavy mask, were the main reasons for his rapid exhaustion.

Xia Hongjun said bluntly, "You're not irreplaceable here. Take a break. Have you thought about it? If we find something, you'll have more work to do. That's the truly important part. Let me handle the physical labor."

Xia Hongjun took the cart without further ado and started transporting the coal. Despite his small size, he had considerable strength, and the cart moved smoothly under his control, much faster than Du Long.

With everyone working together, they quickly cleared a large area of the collapsed coal. Black Gold Company hadn't intended to completely destroy the tunnel, so the amount of coal that had fallen was not much. After less than two hours of digging, someone shouted, "I found some wood!"

"Wait, let me see," Xia Hongjun quickly ran over. Under the light of the miner's lamp, a corner of a wooden box was visible. Xia Hongjun pried open the box and shone a light inside, saying, "It's this. Be careful when you dig it out."

No one asked what it was. They carefully dug the wooden box out of the coal. Xia Hongjun, seeing no other boxes, ordered them to stop digging. After clearing the coal from the box, everyone gathered around, curious to see what Black Gold Company had buried there.

Xia Hongjun broke the lock on the box with a hammer and opened it. When the light shone inside, everyone gasped in shock. The box was filled with various guns—long and short, new and old, both domestic and foreign.