A small plot of land in a mountain village

Chapter 94 Arresting People

Beep beep—

In a small villa, a middle-aged man smoking a cigar walked to the table and answered the phone, "Hello, who is it?"

"It's me, Pangolin, remember me?" A playful voice came through the microphone.

The middle-aged man frowned slightly, then relaxed. "I remember now. I don't know why you're calling. If you have something to say, just say it." The middle-aged man didn't seem to enjoy listening to this phone call.

"No, don't listen to me. I have a business opportunity, but I don't know if you're interested." The person on the other end seemed a little anxious.

"A deal? You know I've retired from the business, why are you still coming to me?"

"I know, but you should be very interested in this. I just got some news from my subordinates that an ancient tomb has been unearthed somewhere. There's nothing of value inside, but there are two stone statues. The most important thing is the weapons in the statues' hands: a halberd and a mace, both made of pure iron."

Da Pao was taken aback when he heard the message on the microphone. He burned his hand with the cigar before he came to his senses and quickly asked, "Is this true?"

The pangolin here was quite satisfied with this attitude. "Well, that stone statue weighs over a thousand pounds and no one can move it. I just received the news and immediately thought of you, cannon. Everyone knows your hobby: collecting ancient weapons." He chuckled.

The cannon took a drag of his cigarette. "Name your price. How much do you want for me to give you the exact address?"

"One price, 100,000. I'll make sure my men keep their mouths shut and don't utter a single word."

Da Pao had plenty of money, but he still said, "I'll give you half first, and then the other half once it's confirmed. But you know my rules; if there's a problem, my 50,000 yuan won't be so easy to get."

"I know, everyone knows the rules of this industry, but I still have to remind you that it's basically impossible to buy it with money." He added a final reminder to Cannon.

"You don't need to worry about that. Just take the money and keep your mouth shut."

"That's right, everyone knows you, Big Cannon, you're influential in both the legal and illegal worlds of this provincial capital."

After hanging up the phone, Da Pao sat on the black sofa, legs crossed, deep in thought. He got up, went to the bedroom, moved a vase on the wall, revealing a front door.

After entering the numbers, a mechanical voice announced, "Password correct, please enter."

As soon as I stepped inside, the door slammed shut.

Before them were rows of wooden racks displaying weapons, including long-handled swords, bronze swords, and short daggers.

Zhang Niu was aware that someone had already set their sights on the two weapons in the stone statue's hand.

The tunnel yielded nothing for Zhang Niu, but his third uncle was still very happy to have witnessed the ancient carving techniques.

News soon spread throughout the village that an ancient tomb had been discovered at the edge of the mountain, and this quickly became the talk of the village.

Night fell. A figure flashed by and disappeared into the bushes.

A dark figure emerged from the woods. After glancing around, it stepped over the branches Zhang Niu had laid out on the path.

"My God! This is terrifying!" The dark figure, who had just quietly descended the stone steps, startled the stone statue in front of him.

If the villagers were here, they would recognize this man. The shifty-eyed fellow is called Zhang Wu, nicknamed "Rat." He's a good-for-nothing loafer in the village who usually stays in the county town. This time, he ran out of money to go home and overheard the villagers talking about him at the crossroads.

When I learned that an ancient tomb had been unearthed on the mountain, but there was nothing valuable inside except for two stone statues, I sneaked up there in the dark to take a look at them.

"Good heavens, this stone statue is really scary in the dark." He walked up to it, touched the black weapon, and tapped it a few times, making a clinking sound.

"We've struck it rich! We're going to make a fortune this time!" Although he can't take it with him, there are many people who want this kind of thing. If he sells this information, he'll make a lot of money.

It seems the villagers were right; they really didn't find anything inside. Otherwise, they would have been spreading the word long ago. It's a pity that I can't produce this weapon myself unless I break the statue, but who would do that?

As soon as I stepped onto the stone steps, I saw six green eyes in front of me. "Damn it, what bad luck, I've run into these blue wolves."

Before the mouse stood Zhang Niu's wolves. The mouse's calls were faint at night, but they were easily heard by the wolves roaming the orchard.

The mouse quietly retreated towards the edge of the forest. It had known for a long time that wolves roamed this area, and that's why it took a longer route into the mountains at night.

The wolf howled softly for a moment, then pounced.

"Oh my god!"

The sound pierced the dark night sky.

Zhang Niu vaguely heard something shouting.

The weather has been quite nice these past few days. Zhang Niu went into the orchard early in the morning to look at the fruit on the trees.

I walked until I arrived at the tomb passage. Standing in front of the stone steps, I looked at the two stone statues. Every time I see stone statues, I feel something different.

The fact that nothing was found in the tomb passage was a bit of a surprise to Zhang Niu. According to his third uncle, this place was probably a secret refuge chamber, which is why there was no treasure there.

Zhang Niu was at a loss as to what to do with the stone statue before him. Should he just leave it there, or...? That remained a question; many people had come to see it every day for the past few days.

If things continue like this, when will this place ever find peace?

I don't know if this stone statue can be placed in the space. If it is placed inside, no one will know and no one will suspect me. But the stone statue in front of me weighs at least a thousand.

The idea was good, but Zhang Niu quickly shook his head, realizing he didn't have the strength to bring it in.

Unconvinced, Zhang Niu still decided to give it a try, taking advantage of the fact that no one was coming up to watch.

I walked down the stone steps and stood in front of the statue. I tried to hug it with both hands, but the statue was too big; I could only hug it a little bit. I hoped I could pull it in.

To Zhang Niu's surprise, this space was truly mysterious. The thousand-pound stone statue he was carrying had been pulled into this space.

The stone statue now stands beside the pond, causing the ground to sag considerably. This statue is truly extraordinary in its weight.

Now Zhang Niu has a better understanding of the space.

The two stone statues were moved inside and placed by the water. From a distance, they looked like majestic gods.

They finally moved in. Although the sudden disappearance of the stone statue caused a lot of discussion, it was at most considered a supernatural phenomenon. However, Zhang Niu's little idea actually helped him a lot.

When I came out of Zhangniu, I noticed that two seats were missing, and it felt much more spacious.

It would be a shame to bury this place now that the stone statue is gone; let's leave it as is.

After breakfast, Zhang Niu went to his third uncle's house to see what was recorded in the bundle of bamboo clips.

Upon opening the tin box, I discovered a bundle of bamboo strips. I was surprised that they hadn't turned to ash after all this time.

"Boss, who are we going to catch this time?"

"What are you yelling for? You'll find out soon enough. Stop talking so much nonsense."

A police car drove towards Zhangjia Village.

In my third uncle's bedroom, wearing his reading glasses, he was copying the characters written on bamboo slips onto white paper. He poured his heart and soul into every stroke.

Zhang Niu came in with the village chief. Seeing his third uncle engrossed in writing, he didn't disturb him and just kept watching.

Only after Uncle San put down his pen did he see Zhang Niu and the others at the door.

"You're here, don't just stand there."

The village chief chuckled, "I was just engrossed in reading your writing and didn't want to disturb you."

"Third Uncle, did you figure out anything from this bamboo clip?" Zhang Niu was very curious to know what was written inside the bamboo clip.

"Look at you, so eager! You're interested in these ancient gadgets now," Uncle San joked.

"I just wanted to know what ancient history was like," Zhang Niu said casually.

A creaking sound came as a police car stopped under the big camphor tree at the village entrance.

"What's going on? Why are police cars here?" Several elderly people at the village entrance were talking about it.

"yes"

Everyone watched as six people got out of the police car.

Look, isn't that Zhang Wu over there? Did he get caught outside? Zhang Wu is a disgrace in the village; nobody likes him.

Upon seeing the police, everyone assumed that Zhang Wu had committed a crime in the county town.

Zhang Wu led the way, followed by the police. Yesterday, someone in the county town paid to take these policemen to Zhangjia Village to arrest Zhang Niu. Without much thought, Zhang Wu knew that someone must have their eye on that guy.

Zhang Wu had lived in the county town for a long time, so he naturally knew a thing or two about these things. These were all tricks they liked to use. For Zhang Wu, as long as there was money, that was all that mattered; the information he had sold this time was just to get several thousand yuan back for himself.

After asking the villagers, Zhang Wu learned that Zhang Niu was at his third uncle's house.

Push open the gate in front of the courtyard.

"Steelhead, this is it, that guy is inside." He turned to the tall man with a buzz cut behind him and said.

He nodded to indicate that he understood.

A number of villagers followed the police. At first, they thought they were heading to Zhang Wu's house, but they ended up heading to Uncle San's house. Moreover, Zhang Wu was talking to the police.

Steelhead casually said something to the person next to him.

Zhang Wu led the way and rushed into the house.

Zhang Wu, who barged into the room, immediately spotted Zhang Niu sitting in a chair.

"It's him, it's Zhang Niu."

The village chief and his colleagues were dumbfounded when the police barged into their home. They had no idea the police would come.

"What are you doing? And what are you up to, Zhang Wu?" the village chief shouted at Zhang Wu.

Zhang Wu chuckled, "That's none of my business. If you want to know anything, you should ask Zhang Niu what he did."

Upon hearing that the person in front of him was Zhang Niu, Jiang Cheng, who was standing to the side, stepped forward and said coldly, "I am from the county police station. We suspect that you have been excavating an ancient tomb without authorization. We would like to ask you to come back for investigation."

These words filled the three seated men with doubt. Especially Zhang Niu, who had been illegally excavating an ancient tomb. Looking at Zhang Wu beside him, he quickly realized that it was this young man who had reported him.

Zhang Niu hurriedly stood up and asked, "Where did I dig up an ancient tomb? And that's the wasteland I leased. How could you say I dug without permission?" Zhang Niu was very unhappy with the person in front of him.

Jiang Cheng was a little annoyed when he heard this. How dare an ordinary citizen speak like this? "I advise you not to try to argue. You should just go back and investigate."

Upon seeing this, the village chief quickly said, "Isn't there a misunderstanding here?"

"You guys talk too much nonsense. Do you think the police are wrong?" Zhang Wu said, standing there with a smile. He was secretly pleased that Zhang Niu had been humiliated. It would be best if he put up a fight; the tough guys outside weren't so easy to talk to.

Third Uncle, seeing Zhang Wu's appearance, knew he wasn't a good person. "Zhang Niu, you go back with him first to investigate. We're not afraid of this here."

Hearing his third uncle say that, Zhang Niu nodded. "Let's go. Anyway, so many people in the village saw it. If they didn't find any treasure inside, what's there to be afraid of?"

"Alright, I'll go with you then," he said to Jiang Cheng.

"That's more like it. No one does anything good when they go against you," Zhang Wu said gloatingly.

Zhang Niu really wanted to go up there and beat him up to vent his anger.

The man with the steel head outside could tell it was Zhang Niu just by looking at the person coming out from behind.

"Boss, this is Zhang Niu. We can go back now," Jiang Cheng said as he came out.

Steelhead nodded. "Well done. Leave two of you to follow Zhang Wu to search for evidence. I'll take the people back first."

The villagers behind were quite surprised. Why were they arresting Zhang Niu out of the blue? They even heard they were searching for evidence. But when they saw Zhang Wu bowing and scraping, they gradually understood what was going on.

By the time Zhang Niu's father arrived at the village entrance, the police car had already driven away.

"Honey, do you think our son is alright?" Just as I was cooking inside, a villager rushed into our house and said that Zhang Niu had been arrested.

"It's alright, our son just got into trouble. Don't worry." That was all I could say to comfort him.

Upon seeing the village chief at the village entrance, he asked, "Village chief, do you know why Zhang Niu was taken away?"

Watching the car disappear into the distance, he thought, "That bastard Zhang Wu reported Zhang Niu for digging up an ancient tomb. How could that guy be like that?"

"So it's this kid. What an ingrate. It's a wonder he was raised on the charity of many families." Upon hearing this, Zhang Niu's father became furious.

Zhang Wu's family doesn't have many relatives. His parents died early, and he was raised by the villagers, one by one. This guy is really not a good seed.

"Is digging up ancient tombs a very serious matter?" He looked very anxious.

"It's alright, we didn't dig up any valuable treasures there, and everyone in the village can testify to that." The village chief knew a thing or two about this.

"That's good, that's good." Zhang Niu's father felt a little relieved.

"Mouse, is the stone statue you mentioned right here?" Jiang Cheng asked as they walked along the mountain path.

"Yes, we're heading into the mountains. They keep wolves there, so it's safe to cross the mountains." He didn't forget to show them the scars on his hands.

"Wolf, you've come at the perfect time! Let's see how good my marksmanship is!" He laughed heartily.

Yeah, with them there and the pistols, what's there to be afraid of? Suddenly, they were full of courage.

After passing through the mountains and forests, "Look, that's right ahead, the stone statue is there."

When Jiang Cheng reached the depression, he looked at the open space in front of him. There was no human statue that the rat had mentioned. Could it not be here?

"Ah!" Zhang Wu exclaimed. The stone statue in front of him was gone. It weighed over a thousand pounds!

"Mouse, what's wrong?"

Zhang Wu pointed tremblingly at the two marks in front of him. "That place, where the stone statue was placed the night before last, but now the stone statue is gone."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Cheng grabbed the rat by the collar and said, "Say it again, what do you mean the stone statue is gone?"

"The stone statue was originally here. Look at the marks below; those are from the statue pressing down on it." I could only repeat this.

"How can we explain this when the stone statue is gone?" Jiang Cheng, having calmed down, released his grip and walked down the stone steps.

There were two marks on the ground. This clearly indicated that this was where the stone statue was placed, but now the statue might be gone.

"The rats, did someone from your village move them back?" he asked uncertainly.

Zhang Wu shook his head. "No way. It would be very difficult to lift a stone statue weighing over a thousand pounds back by manpower without a machine. Look, there are no tool marks left on the ground."

Yes, this stone statue could only be moved up by a crane, but how to explain the stone statue that had vanished into thin air was something Jiang Cheng couldn't figure out for a while.

Li Min, who was standing nearby, interjected, "Brother Jiang, don't worry, why don't we go ask around and see if the stone statue has been moved?"

I thought this was a good job, but I messed it up. I don't know how I'll explain it when I get back.

Led by Zhang Wu, they inquired with Zhang Liangshan of Happy House, but the information they received was that many people had seen it last night, and it had not been taken away.

Zhang Liangshan was also puzzled as to why the stone statue was gone, but without this evidence, he estimated that Zhang Niu would be released soon.

Updated! Please vote! I recommend a book by a friend, *Guan Sheng*, a time-travel novel by Zhan Chi. It's very imaginative and those who enjoy fantasy can check it out.