Free Web NovelChapter 174: Chapter 174: Discovering the Trail
In the northern part of the county, there was an abandoned factory, remote and overgrown with weeds, long forsaken.
No one had visited the place for years, only occasionally did a scavenger pass by, hoping to find some scrap metal dropped behind, but over the years, nearly all had been scavenged.
So now, hardly anyone went there.
There was also a dilapidated wastewater treatment room, where several people in worn clothes were wolfing down the food that one of their companions had brought back from outside.
"Damn it, thinking about our past lives, we had delicacies from the mountains and the seas, and fine wines and dishes every day. Look at what we’re eating now, these were the scraps we’d feed to dogs."
As he spoke, a burly man with a face full of horizontal flesh spat out the mouthful of bread he was eating, saying angrily.
"Fatty, the situation is special now, shut up and eat. As soon as the boss finishes the business here, we can leave!"
Next to Fatty was an even fatter, ox-sized man patting Fatty’s shoulder, comforting him.
"But how long has it been? When exactly will the boss’s affairs be settled?"
Fatty was getting impatient and looked at the sturdy middle-aged man to ask.
Behind Fatty, there was another man who had been silent all along; hearing Fatty’s question, he, too, turned his gaze to the sturdy middle-aged man.
Ah Niu was also puzzled and looked over with the other two.
"Fatty, Ah Niu, Mute, I know these days of hiding and running make you feel stifled. If you really can’t stand it, you can leave first. I’ll join you after I wrap things up here!"
The middle-aged man took a deep drag on his cigarette and then said indifferently.
"Boss, what do you mean by that? Since we decided to follow you, we won’t leave you."
"We’re just worried about how your affairs are going, you’ve been keeping us from following you, and we’re worried about you!"
Fatty said with concern.
Ah Niu and Mute also nodded repeatedly after hearing this.
"The situation outside isn’t good right now, the more people go out, the easier it is to be exposed. It’s safer for you to stay here, and it’s for your safety that I tell you not to move around outside without good reason!"
The middle-aged man fretted as he spoke.
The other three felt the middle-aged man made a lot of sense, exchanged a glance, and nodded again.
They weren’t really prominent figures overseas, but they had lived a life of luxury.
Having offended a powerful local force, they were expelled from the country. To rapidly rise again and raise funds, they kidnapped many businessmen and killed quite a few people in the process.
Originally, they wanted to take the money and flee back overseas to rebuild, but their boss had brought them here instead, saying they would leave after finishing a very important task.
However, upon arrival, they were discovered and became wanted criminals, now pursued by police everywhere.
Their boss hadn’t revealed exactly what this task was, nor allowed them to partake, which made them very anxious.
"Boss, do you think that Zeng Qiang is reliable? He won’t betray us, will he?"
Fatty asked, troubled.
"Relax, for now, he won’t do anything to us. We’re still of use to him, and besides, he’s a coward, too afraid to risk his life by snitching on us, as it won’t let him off the hook either."
The middle-aged man’s eyes were resolute, his thoughts also on another, more important reason.
That was Zeng Qiang would help him find someone.
After saying that, the middle-aged man pulled out a photo, and the ferocity in his eyes dissolved, leaving only a profound helplessness and a deep sorrow.
The other three, seeing the middle-aged man’s expression, said nothing and heaved a silent sigh.
"Ugh—There’s—There’s... Someone!"
While the middle-aged man was lost in his thoughts, Mute suddenly stammered something urgently.
The middle-aged man quickly stowed the photo away, remaining vigilant, while the other two men also hurriedly picked up their weapons.
"It seems like someone is walking this way!"
The middle-aged man’s brows were tightly knitted.
The mute nodded repeatedly after hearing this and drew a dagger from his waist. He was about to go out and check when he was pulled back by the middle-aged man.
The middle-aged man, along with the other three, quickly gathered up the things on the ground and then jumped into an abandoned wastewater pool, using the discarded pipes to hide themselves.
Before long, someone indeed came in.
"Wang Hao, they could not possibly be here. The stuff in here is toxic, anyone who stays too long could be poisoned and die!"
Li Peng, along with Wang Hao, walked over slowly, instructing several of his underlings to split up and look for anything suspicious.
Upon arriving in the northern part of the county, Wang Hao had immediately sent people to investigate the white sedan, but found that nobody in the area had ever purchased that brand of white sedan.
However, someone had seen a similar white sedan driving towards this abandoned factory in the middle of the night, and Wang Hao’s intuition told him that they must be hiding somewhere close by.
So, Wang Hao called Li Peng and brought a dozen or so underlings to search this area.
"These desperados don’t care about the danger; the more hazardous the place, the safer it is. Haven’t you heard that saying?"
After saying this, Wang Hao jumped into the wastewater outflow pipes to check, but found nothing.
But soon, Wang Hao seemed to find something and immediately crouched down to have a closer look, discovering a leftover piece of mantou.
"Wang Hao, they really did come here!"
Li Peng said in disbelief.
"This mantou is still soft; they must still be nearby. Hurry up and remind the brothers to stay alert, search carefully, and don’t overlook any corner."
Wang Hao, more excited than if he had found treasure, quickly ordered his underlings to comb through the entire deserted factory.
He also called the portly police officer and told him all the information he had discovered.
Seeing this, Li Peng did not dare to relax and quickly went back to summon more underlings, leaving Wang Hao still guarding the site.
The mute was about to shift his feet, looking as if he wanted to go up and deal with Wang Hao, but the middle-aged man pulled him back.
Once Wang Hao moved away from the abandoned pipe, the four men slid along the wastewater pool’s direction of flow and slowly made their way out.
As dusk began to settle, the four had been soaking in the toxic wastewater for the whole day, waiting until there was no activity around before they quietly climbed out. freewebnoveℓ.com
"Boss, that kid just now didn’t seem to be on the same side as the cops. Why was he also searching for us?"
Once ashore, the heavy-set man asked in confusion.
"That guy is Wang Hao, he’s much harder to deal with than the police. Zeng Qiang had me go slash one of his men, and he’s definitely come to avenge his underling!"
After speaking, the middle-aged man furrowed his brow. He didn’t understand how Wang Hao had managed to find them.
The four quickly got themselves together. The middle-aged man felt they couldn’t stay here any longer, so he hurriedly led the other three away under cover of darkness.
In a house on the outskirts of the town, Zeng Qiang was sitting on the sofa, savoring his fine red wine.
He might look relaxed, but inside he was extremely frustrated. His turf had been dominated by Sun Lao San and his brothers, causing all of his businesses to halt operations, leaving him stuck at home.
"Wang Hao, just you wait!"
Thinking of how all his current troubles were caused by Wang Hao, Zeng Qiang ground his teeth in anger, but at that moment, he was powerless against Wang Hao.
Just then, the doorbell rang outside.
Zeng Qiang set down his glass and was about to go open the door when it was kicked open...
