[Rural] Wildfire Burns Spring (Complete) - 14

Chapter 123 Secret Excitement

"Actually, I..."

Luo Erbao stammered, trying to buy himself more time to think and give the relevant personnel a proper answer...

"You must think it through and answer truthfully. This is no child's play. You're almost an adult; you should be able to judge the consequences of lying..."

The personnel continued to pressure Luo Erbao.

"Actually, I originally..."

Luo Erbao was still looking down, trying to find the best answer...

"Your parents have told us that they saw you find a black travel bag of this size, and for three consecutive days, you went to the place where you found it to wait for the owner. On the last day, the fourth day, you found the owner and returned the black bag to him. Is that true?"

The personnel directly guided Luo Erbao on how to answer.

"Yes... I found a black handbag..."

Luo Erbao finally admitted—he couldn't deny it; his parents had told them so many details, and if he didn't admit it, it would prove his parents were lying, which was unacceptable...

"So what did you do with the black handbag?"

Some of the personnel were taking notes, some were recording, and some were already eyeing the things in the Luo family's house...

"Didn't I tell you he waited for the owner and returned it to them..."

Luo Erbao's father, seeing that Luo Erbao was being pressured into not being able to speak properly, answered for him.

"I'm not asking you now, let him speak for himself!"

The personnel looked stern.

"Given... to the owner..."

Luo Erbao's voice was very low, clearly lacking confidence.

"Given it to whom? Say it again!"

The personnel pressed on.

"Given it to the owner..."

Luo Erbao's voice was slightly louder, but his eyes were still very evasive.

"Who is the owner? What does he look like? How old is he? What does he do?"

The personnel asked a series of questions.

"I... I don't remember anything!"

Since there was no owner, Luo Erbao naturally couldn't describe anything.

"Then take a look, is it one of these people..."

The relevant personnel immediately took out some photos from the file folder and showed them to Luo Erbao...

Luo Erbao took them and looked at them. Apart from the three sisters of the Feng family, he didn't recognize the other men and women, but he could tell from the relationships between the people in the photos that they suspected he had given the black handbag to a relative or friend of Feng Daxiu's husband...

"Is it one of them?"

The relevant personnel continued to press.

"No, none of them..."

Luo Erbao didn't want to implicate anyone in the photos, especially the three sisters of the Feng family.

"What kind of person is the owner? How old are they? What is their gender? What is their name? What are their physical characteristics..."

The relevant personnel wanted to take this opportunity to break through Luo Erbao's psychological defenses, press their advantage, and leave him no time or ability to think or fight back.

"Actually, I..."

Luo Erbao really didn't want to lie anymore. If they kept pressing him like this, he'd eventually be exposed... However, if he told the truth and they got the money and valuables from the black bag, Feng Daxiu's husband and her father-in-law would probably spend the rest of their lives in prison—and his grand plan for the Feng sisters' lives, especially their upbringing, would be ruined, like a Marshall Plan—but if he didn't tell the truth, would these guys let him off the hook?!

"Luo Erbao, our policy is leniency for confession, severity for resistance. If you can truthfully confess what you've experienced and cooperate with us in recovering the stolen money and valuables transferred by the suspects, we will, depending on the severity of the circumstances and according to the law, give you lenient treatment, or even exempt you from criminal liability..."

The relevant personnel were afraid that Luo Erbao would be afraid of being arrested and thus wouldn't tell the truth, so they quickly said some nice things to appease him.

"Actually, I—didn't find the owner..."

Luo Erbao's words stunned everyone present! Especially Luo Erbao's parents, who were utterly shocked and speechless.

"What did you do with the black bag? Where is it now?"

The officials, as if they had found a breakthrough, immediately seized the opportunity.

"I gave it to..."

Luo Erbao deliberately only uttered half a sentence, wanting to see their reaction.

"Where did you put that black bag? That's the key to the problem. You must tell us immediately to avoid criminal liability..."

The officials began to intimidate Luo Erbao.

"I hid it in Wild Bee Valley..."

Luo Erbao's words were even more shocking. The most unbearable, of course, were Luo Erbao's parents—this was equivalent to them lying, and they were honest people who had never lied in their lives!

On the faces of those officials, however, were sly smiles, as if their efforts had not been in vain, that they had finally made a breakthrough, and that their superiors were waiting for their good news—once the black bag was found, the evidence of the suspects transferring assets would be irrefutable, and the case would become airtight—they wouldn't be able to get a mere ten or eight years in prison! This time, he'll just have to spend the rest of his life behind bars... So, how could they not be secretly excited...?

Chapter 124 Naked

"Alright, then take us to Wild Bee Valley immediately and retrieve that suitcase..."

Two people immediately pounced on him, one on each side, grabbing Luo Erbao's arms. It seemed like he couldn't escape now...

Soon, the people rushed out of the Luo family's courtyard and put Luo Erbao into a "Land Cruiser Prado" SUV. Following Luo Erbao's directions, they drove around to the upper reaches of the Wild Bee River and then turned back. However, when the car reached the foot of the mountain ridge, they realized that even the most powerful off-road vehicle couldn't climb that ridge...

To be on the safe side, the people handcuffed one of Luo Erbao's wrists, and the other handcuffed one of their wrists. In this way, Luo Erbao had no way to escape.

However, climbing that ridge immediately revealed the poor off-road skills of the personnel involved, especially the one handcuffed to Luo Erbao, who was exhausted, panting heavily, covered in sweat, and complaining

incessantly… After finally reaching the ridge, the personnel asked Luo Erbao where the bag was hidden. Luo Erbao pointed ahead with his unhandled hand: “Look, down that rocky cliff, that’s the bottom of Wild Bee Valley…”

“How much further…”

“We’ve seen it all, how much further can it be…”

Luo Erbao didn’t feel tired at all, he was even a little energetic—at this moment, what he hoped for most was that the wild bear they encountered when they came here with Brother Dabao and Song Jiayin would appear. If that happened, these guys would be scared out of their wits and run away with their tails between their legs… Or the pack of wolves would appear, let them see the wild world of Wild Bee Valley, let them show their ugliest side… Or, a few flower snakes would appear, just to scare these guys who specialize in playing pranks…

However, that day was truly strange. Forget about wild bears, wolves, and venomous snakes; there wasn't even an ant on the mountain path. Occasionally, one or two dragonflies would fly by, only to vanish in an instant—or perhaps a torrential downpour would be welcome, preventing these creatures from reaching the bottom of Wild Bee Valley so easily! (Advertisement break: Still relying on your hands? How can that be enjoyable? Forum reputation guaranteed! Healthy anti-premature ejaculation masturbation exerciser, real oral sex pleasure experience, hot recommendation! Maintain ejaculation sensation for 30 minutes, so pleasurable you'll faint! Fully automated masturbation with 12 different sexual positions and vibration frequencies. Click to enter.)

But looking up, the sky was a completely naked blue, with an eagle circling high, seemingly aiming at a wild rabbit below, ready to swoop down at any moment and hunt it down, making it and its eaglet its meal…

Luo Erbao was truly disappointed. He happened to see a wild bee fly by, and Luo Erbao thought, "How about I step on a whole nest of 'landmines' like Da Bao did back then, angering countless…" Tens of thousands of wasps swarmed and attacked the group, stinging them until they were knocked over, howling and screaming, fleeing in panic... Thinking of this, Luo Erbao actually chuckled, prompting one of the people involved to ask suspiciously, "Don't play tricks on us. If we don't find the black bag you mentioned when we get there, you'll be in big trouble!"

Luo Erbao realized that his wild thoughts were harming himself and others, so he decided to stop thinking about it. Since things had come to this point, he would obediently listen to them and find it. He'd deal with the black bag he'd switched with another one later…

After descending the mountain ridge and reaching the bottom of Wild Bee Valley, approaching Wild Bee Pool, Luo Erbao suddenly remembered everything he'd experienced here with his brother Da Bao and future sister-in-law Song Jiayin. His mood instantly improved. As he walked towards the rocky bank where he'd hidden the black bag, he felt a sense of resignation—Luo Erbao thought, even if they caught him now, or something happened to him, his life wouldn't have been in vain; at least he'd had his share of love and relationships. His romantic experiences, especially his unforgettable ambiguous relationship with his future sister-in-law Song Jiayin, were truly unforgettable...

However, just as they approached the rocky bank of Wild Bee Pool, the people involved suddenly stopped, and one or two even started shouting. Luo Erbao looked closely and realized, damn it, it was that huge toad! Why did it have to suddenly appear now of all times? Hey, what are you doing here? There aren't even any swans today, just a bunch of toads even more grotesque than you!

Seeing how terrified they were by a single huge toad, Luo Erbao imagined what would happen if a wild bear appeared—they'd probably wet their pants! He found it amusing, grabbed a stick, and shoved the huge toad onto the rocky bank of Wild Bee Pool. This allowed the people involved to regroup and escort Luo Erbao to the rocky bank of Wild Bee Pool. Luo Erbao pointed: "Look, it's hidden over there..."

"Then, take out your bag yourself..."

"Then you should at least unlock my handcuffs..."

"Okay, we'll unlock them for you, but you promise not to try to escape, otherwise, you'll bear the consequences..."

"Why would I run?"

Luo Erbao retorted.

"I'm just reminding you, there are armed police officers among us. If you try to escape, it's routine for them to shoot, but killing or injuring you is another matter..."

The personnel wanted to scare Luo Erbao with these words.

"Don't worry, I won't run away. As the saying goes, you can run away but you can't hide. I still have my parents at home. If I run away, who will take care of them in their old age..."

At this moment, Luo Erbao was actually quite relaxed, as if the closer he got to the mystery being revealed, the more excited he became.

Chapter 125 Instantly Falling into

... However, when the relevant personnel unlocked Luo Erbao's handcuffs and let him climb up the stone bank of Wild Bee Pool alone, and removed the outer stone from the crevice to take out the black bag inside, Luo Erbao's heart skipped a beat—what's wrong? Why is it so light? Looking again at the markings he had made when he put it down, he immediately understood—it had already been tampered with and emptied out…

When Luo Erbao finally pulled the black bag out of the crack in the rocks on the bank and was about to throw it down to the relevant personnel, he caught a glimpse of them below, excitedly clapping and celebrating—they probably thought they had finally found the black bag they had been dreaming of, and that it might contain the money and valuables they were looking for, evidence to convict the deputy county head and his son, and leverage to curry favor and gain rewards…

However, when they took the black bag in their hands, their expressions changed drastically. They immediately opened it and found it completely empty. They grabbed Luo Erbao by the collar, their faces contorted with rage, and demanded, “Where did the things inside go!”

“It was quite heavy when I hid it, who knew who would steal it!”

Luo Erbao replied innocently.

"Who would come to such a remote place to steal? You're clearly lying! Tell me, where did you hide the things in your bag?"

"I really didn't touch anything inside! Someone must have seen me hiding the bag, and when I left, they stole everything..."

Luo Erbao tried to argue.

"Who saw you? Provide clues..."

the other person pressed.

"How would I know..."

But just as Luo Erbao finished speaking, he suddenly saw someone move in the woods not far away, then disappear in the blink of an eye. He immediately recognized him as the forest ranger, Uncle Niu. It was Uncle Niu who had checked his bag, and when he left, he had looked back and seen a figure moving. It must have been Uncle Niu who touched the things in the bag—he might as well report Uncle Niu. Anyway, catching him wouldn't be a big deal; at most, he'd just stolen those tattered notebooks from the black bag, and that wouldn't constitute a crime...

Thinking this, Luo Erbao... Pointing, he exclaimed, "Look, it might be that forest ranger—he's the one who saw me hide this bag..."

Upon hearing Luo Erbao's shout, one of the people involved immediately drew a pistol from his waist and yelled at the person in the woods, "Stop! Put your hands on your head and get out of the woods right now, or I'll shoot!"

The person in the woods was indeed the forest ranger, Uncle Niu. Seeing a group of people escorting Luo Erbao into Wild Bee Valley, he found it strange and wanted to stop them for inspection, but hesitated—were they escorting Luo Erbao into the mountains so aggressively that he must have committed some crime and they were here to verify it? So they followed him at a distance, but when they saw Luo Erbao take the black bag out of a crevice on the rocky bank of Wild Bee Pool, they suddenly felt something was wrong... and tried to escape, but the sharp-eyed Luo Erbao saw them...

When the forest ranger Uncle Niu heard that the person was going to shoot—he thought, it can't be that serious, at most he just stole some old books and notebooks from that black bag and sold them to the scrap collector, making about ten yuan, what a big crime, he should just go out and turn himself in, what can they do to me?—he immediately obediently raised his hands and walked out of the woods...

"You've seen this black bag

before, haven't you..." When the relevant personnel saw the forest ranger Uncle Niu coming over, two people immediately stepped forward, each taking one arm, subdued the forest ranger Uncle Niu, and immediately escorted him to the open black bag, which was empty inside, and asked him this question.

“I’ve seen it before…”

“When did you see it…”

“Well, when Luo Erbao came here to hide…”

“Then you admit that you stole the things inside?”

the relevant personnel immediately pressed.

"Yes, I stole it..."

Forest ranger Uncle Niu immediately admitted...

"Then confess, where did you put the things inside?"

"I sold them..."

"Sold them? Where did you sell them, and to whom?"

"I sold them to the junk collectors who came to the village..." "

Junk collectors? What was inside that you sold as junk?"

"Just some old books and notebooks..."

"You're lying! There were definitely not old books and notebooks inside!"

The relevant personnel were furious when they heard "old books and notebooks," because when they were chasing the deputy county head's son, they caught up with a black bag, excitedly opened it, and found it full of old books and notebooks. Now, hearing that this petty forest ranger Uncle Niu had stolen old books and notebooks from this black bag for a few scraps, they were instantly plunged into a new despair.

"I swear to God, if it's not filled with old, rotten books, may I suffer from boils on my head, pus oozing from my feet, choke to death on cold water when I go inside, be run over by an oxcart when I go outside, be baked to death by the sun during the day, be scared to death by will-o'-the-wisps at night, freeze to death in the dead of winter, and die from the heat of summer..."

"Alright, alright, no need for your solemn oath. Whether you're lying or not, we'll use a lie detector and it'll be clear in no time..."

"That's great! I'm not afraid of the lie detector test because I haven't told a single lie..."

Realizing they couldn't get anything more out of Uncle Niu, the officials turned their attention back to Luo Erbao. One of them suggested, "Did Luo Erbao replace the contents of this bag before delivering it?"

Hearing this, Luo Erbao broke out in a cold sweat...

Chapter 126 Wild and Powerful.

What Luo Erbao feared most was that these officials would suspect him of replacing the contents of the black bag and hiding it somewhere in his house, which would be discovered during a house search—that would be an even bigger crime. Therefore, upon hearing their suspicions, he immediately shuddered, cold sweat breaking out on his back...

"Tell me, where did you hide the things inside? If you confess now, it will be considered that you surrendered yourself—do you know what surrendering yourself means?—or that you voluntarily admitted it, and we didn't find it in your house—these two things are completely different: if you surrender, you might not be guilty of anything, and we'll release you without charge; but if you don't surrender, and we find it, then you'll be considered an accomplice of that person with the black bag, and your conviction and sentencing will be based on him—I've explained everything to you, so you can decide for yourself..."

One of the people involved was really good at psychological warfare, saying so many threatening things to Luo Erbao, hoping that he would be scared and tell the truth. But at that moment, Luo Erbao thought to himself, whether he was guilty or not was secondary. If he handed over the contents of that black bag to these people now, it would mean that Feng Daxiu's father-in-law and the man would basically spend their lives in prison. He absolutely couldn't let them suffer for life just because he couldn't hold back for a moment. He should grit his teeth and bear it. Since things had come to this point, perhaps keeping silent, like Feng Erxiu, was the best option...

So, no matter how the relevant personnel threatened, coerced, or pressured Luo Erbao, he always shook his head and denied it. After a stalemate of more than an hour, one of the leaders ordered his men to split up—a few people took the forest ranger Uncle Niu to find the ragpicker and verify whether he had accepted the old books and scraps he was selling; the rest took Luo Erbao back to his house for a thorough search, digging three feet into the ground, to find him. Find the original contents of the black bag...

So, everyone split up. Before heading up the ridge, the forest ranger, Uncle Niu, was taken away by authorities via another route. Luo Erbao, on the other hand, had to return the way he came, cross the ridge, and then take the Land Cruiser back to Wild Bee Village...

While climbing the ridge, Luo Erbao couldn't help but recall the time when he was carrying Da Bao Ge and almost reached the top, when he suddenly heard his future sister-in-law, Song Jiayin, scream. He put Da Bao Ge down and ran down to find that the original route was blocked by a pack of wolves. If he hadn't had the fire he was carrying, he really wouldn't have escaped that day—sigh, these wolves, they always bully the weak, especially a delicate woman like his future sister-in-law—why aren't they out today? Why don't you come out and show your wild might today, fight with these guys, and maybe you can escape!

But after climbing up the ridge and looking back several times, Luo Erbao couldn't see any trace of the wolves, and he was quite disappointed... However, while they were walking on the ridge, suddenly, one of the people in front of him shouted, "There's a snake!"

Upon hearing this, Luo Erbao's heart skipped a beat—good, finally a cold-blooded animal with a sense of justice has appeared, it'll be good to scare these guys!

Unexpectedly, the armed man immediately pulled out his gun, and without a word, stepped forward and fired at the snake. He fired three shots in quick succession before laughing loudly and announcing his victory: "Killed it! Shot its head off!"

Luo Erbao, already terrified by the gunshots, realized that they were carrying real guns with bullets. The gunshots were terrifyingly piercing, and he couldn't help but tremble. He thought that fighting these guys might not end well...

Luo Erbao was filled with anxiety, but he couldn't figure out what the right choice was... By this time, everyone had descended the mountain ridge. After walking a few hundred meters, they would reach the Wild Bee River and get into the Land Cruiser, returning to Wild Bee Village without any trouble.

Just as Luo Erbao was feeling extremely conflicted, really wanting to confess now and claim it as a surrender, perhaps he could escape future criminal punishment—but, just as he was about to say, "Does my confession now count as a surrender…"

he only managed to say "Now…"

when suddenly one of the relevant personnel in front shouted, "Bear—the bear is right in front of our car!"

Everyone immediately and instinctively crouched down in different positions and looked towards the SUV. Sure enough, a huge wild bear was circling the Land Cruiser—upon seeing the bear, for some reason, Luo Erbao immediately felt excited—Brother Bear, you've finally shown up! If you hadn't shown up, it would have been really unfair!

Luo Erbao wasn't trying to use the bear's paw to harm those involved. His excitement stemmed from the bear's appearance, which jolted him back to reality—he absolutely couldn't fall for their trick, he absolutely couldn't confess the truth, and it wouldn't be as they claimed. They thought that confessing and revealing the location of those things would easily get him released. What they said was definitely poisoned bait—he had hidden so much money and valuables; if he didn't tell, nothing might happen, but once he did, wouldn't he be in cahoots with Feng Daxiu's father-in-law and her husband? Therefore, he had to hold on, accept whatever consequences came his way, and absolutely couldn't listen to them or run away with them!

The bear's appearance instantly brought Luo Erbao to his senses, and he resolved to fight to the death—at worst, he'd go to jail with Feng Daxiu's husband and the others, but he couldn't surrender now, compromise, betray them, and betray himself!

The personnel involved, facing the enormous wild bear, immediately tensed up. They paid no attention to what Luo Erbao had said, instead crouching down to discuss how to repel the bear so they could get on their way quickly…

“I’ll rush over and shoot the bear…”

one of the personnel with the gun wanted to solve the problem by force again…

Chapter 127 Danger Level

“Are you crazy? Do you think a bear is a snake? I’ve heard that bears have thick skin, even machine gun bullets can’t penetrate it. Your pistol bullets will just bounce off like beans…”

the foreman among the personnel immediately stopped him.

“Then what should we do…”

The gunman seemed to have run out of battery.

"Yeah, we can't just wait like this..."

The others stared at each other, at a loss.

"I have a plan..."

Seeing their worried expressions, Luo Erbao suddenly spoke up...

"You have a plan? What plan do you have?"

The personnel looked at Luo Erbao suspiciously.

"Let me go, I'll lure the bear away..."

Luo Erbao immediately stated his idea.

"Let you go? You're trying to escape!"

The personnel immediately expressed their doubt.

"In this situation, where can I escape to? If there's any movement, that bear will definitely chase after me relentlessly, and I'll be dead..."

Luo Erbao quickly explained.

"So, you're going to lure the bear away? Aren't you afraid it will chase you? Aren't you afraid of dying in its paws?"

"That's why you have to let me go and cooperate with me so everyone can escape the bear..."

After listening to Luo Erbao's words, the relevant personnel exchanged glances for a moment before finally saying, "Then tell us your specific plan. If we think it's feasible, we'll let you go..."

"You let me go, but the handcuffs will remain on my wrists—bears are particularly sensitive to the sound of metal. If I ring the handcuffs, I can attract the bear to where I am—once the bear leaves the SUV, you can run over, start the car, and then go to the direction I've lured the bear away to pick me up—while you're in the car, the bear can't hurt you, and as long as you drive the car next to me, I can grab the side of the car and get in. That way, everyone can escape..."

"But, how dangerous is this for you..."

“It’s alright. At worst, if the bear catches me, I’ll climb a tree, then you drive the car to the tree, I’ll jump onto the roof, and you drive away. The bear won’t be able to do anything to you then…”

Luo Erbao actually came up with a concrete and feasible plan…

The relevant personnel whispered among themselves for a while and finally agreed to Luo Erbao’s plan. They decided to release him and leave handcuffs on one of his wrists so that he could make a metallic sound to attract the bear. However, just to be on the safe side, the foreman also drew a detailed map of the operation on the ground for Luo Erbao, including the direction to lure the bear away and the approximate location to turn back and meet Luo Erbao—with everything ready, Luo Erbao began his operation…

“Remember, don’t even think about escaping. No matter how fast you run, you can’t outrun our bullets…”

The foreman reminded Luo Erbao of this just before the operation began.

"I won't run away, that's something only a fool would do..."

Luo Erbao really had no intention of running away. Although his familiarity with the terrain and his survival skills in the wild were enough to dodge their bullets and pursuit and escape their control, Luo Erbao felt that running away now would be tantamount to admitting guilt. He might have been fine before, but if he ran away, he would probably be considered guilty. Otherwise, why would he try to run away?

Luo Erbao had no desire to escape, and moved with remarkable ease. He stood up from the jungle and walked towards the SUV "surrounded" by the bear. When he was about ten or twenty meters away, he picked up a stone and began tapping the handcuffs on his wrists. Upon hearing the sound of metal, the bear immediately shielded its eyes with its hand, trying to discern the direction of the sound. Once it spotted Luo Erbao, it roared with extraordinary excitement—Luo Erbao understood the roar: "You little rascal, you've finally shown up again! Last time, that little bit of honey you gave me left me unable to see clearly for half a month. This time, I won't let you off the hook. Watch how I catch you, one on the left cheek, one on the right, first turning you into a bloody skeleton, and then slowly tormenting you..."

Anyone else who heard this roar would have been paralyzed with fear, unable to move. However, Luo Erbao seemed to understand the bear's temperament well, having dealt with it before, so he wasn't intimidated. He deliberately let the bear discover his location and the direction he was fleeing... Moreover, when the bear chased after him, Luo Erbao even had to control the distance—if he ran too fast and the distance was too great, the bear might stop chasing, but if the distance was too close and the bear caught up in a few steps and grabbed him, it would truly be a matter of life and death...

When the relevant personnel saw that Luo Erbao had actually lured the bear away, they immediately got up and went straight to the Land Cruiser. Reaching the car, they quickly jumped in, closed the doors, started the engine, but didn't drive in the direction Luo Erbao had fled...

"What are you doing..."

a junior leader among the personnel asked the driver why he wasn't going to meet Luo Erbao.

"That would be suicide..."

the driver actually said.

"But we can't just abandon him..."

the junior leader insisted.

"A relative of mine encountered a similar situation. He tried to drive to pick someone up, but the whole car was attacked by a bear..."

The driver had apparently had a similar experience.

"Why didn't you object when you were making the plan?"

"I object? Then who's going to distract that bear?!"

The driver floored the accelerator, sending the SUV speeding down the road beside the Wild Bee River... leaving Luo Erbao and the bear far behind...

Chapter 128 *The Power of Milk*

According to the original plan, the SUV was supposed to drive in the direction Luo Erbao was using to lure the bear away. Even if the bear spotted them, it seemed unlikely to attack the people inside such a large vehicle. This way, they could reach Luo Erbao before the bear caught up, get him into the car, and then everyone could continue on their way back...

But to everyone's surprise, the bear's roar terrified the driver. Having witnessed his relatives and friends being killed by bears in similar situations, he was still shaken. Once he had the steering wheel, he certainly wouldn't drive in the direction of death! Without thinking, he betrayed Luo Erbao and ran off in the escape route...

As Luo Erbao ran, he heard the sound of a car starting. He thought the engine would get closer soon, so he kept looking back to see when the car would catch up, and he even ran towards a more spacious, open area suitable for cars to drive on...

But to Luo Erbao's utter surprise, the car engine sound grew farther and farther away. He wondered—what's going on? Did they just let me go? Or did they just let this mad bear execute me? To save them the trouble of going through legal procedures?

Surely not, they look so respectable, they can't be that heartless! Moreover, they were on official business; how could they just let the suspect go? This distraction gave the pursuing bear an opportunity. It chased after them desperately for a few steps, and Luo Erbao could even hear its panting. Oh no! If this continued, he would definitely be caught by this huge bear, eager for revenge. He had to find a large tree to climb quickly to temporarily escape its deadly pursuit…

Fortunately, a dozen meters ahead, there was a tree as thick as a man's waist, with branches large enough for a human to climb and rest. Luo Erbao decided to run towards that tree…

However, as Luo Erbao reached the tree, the wild bear also arrived. When Luo Erbao started climbing, he had only climbed a little over a meter when the bear's paw came slamming down. Luckily, Luo Erbao mustered all his strength and leaped more than half a meter high, causing the bear's paw to miss and strike the tree trunk instead. A large chunk of bark was instantly smashed and torn off, revealing the tender white trunk and sap splattering everywhere...

What a close call!

Just as Luo Erbao was congratulating himself on escaping the bear's first paw, the bear's second paw lashed out. Luo Erbao no longer had the strength to leap even half a meter. Using his last bit of strength, he managed to jump about a foot up, and then, with a tearing sound, his pants were ripped open by the bear's claws. Although his buttocks and groin were instantly exposed, thankfully his skin wasn't seriously injured. Luo Erbao used all his strength to climb another foot or two, finally escaping the height the bear's paws could reach…

After a long while, his heartbeat gradually calmed, and he finally had the strength to continue climbing the tree. However, the bear below seemed enraged by Luo Erbao's escape, raising its massive paws and striking the tree trunk, causing the entire tree to tremble! Insects and leaves were shaken off the tree, and Luo Erbao, clinging to the trunk, was almost numb from the shock. If it weren't for a small twig catching him between his legs, he probably would have been knocked off the tree by the force of the bear's slaps and grabbed in a dozen blows…

Today was likely a grim day. Last time he went into the mountains with his brother Da Bao and future sister-in-law Song Jiayin, he was well-prepared, bringing plenty of fire starters. In situations like this, lighting branches as torches would scare away the bear. But now, he had neither fire starters nor a sickle, not even honey to blind the bear! If they keep filming like this, sooner or later they'll be completely stunned, numb to the point of losing all feeling in their limbs, like frozen insects, easily blown down by a gentle breeze...

At this moment, Luo Erbao didn't blame the people who had fled. Instead, he silently prayed and wished for his safety—that they wouldn't succeed, that everything would go as he envisioned, that the three Feng sisters could live happy lives, that their three future children could grow up healthy and lively, and that he would have the opportunity to present that exquisite ruby to his most beautiful, most charming, and dearest future sister-in-law, Song Jiayin!

Meanwhile, the bear under the tree had been filming for so long, practically every leaf, insect, and even the smallest twig had been knocked down, yet that kid hadn't been shaken off yet! He became even more frantic, previously alternating between slapping the tree trunk, but now he was slapping it with both hands simultaneously, seemingly multiplying the impact—oh my god, this is bad, I can't hold on any longer… Luo Erbao's body and mind seemed to be shattered… His hands loosened, and he began freefall…

Chapter 129 Coercion and Enticement

Just as Luo Erbao could no longer hold on, his hands involuntarily lost feeling, he released the tree trunk, and irrevocably fell to the ground, about to become the meal of the bear that had successfully exacted its revenge, when he heard a huge roar of an engine. At the very moment Luo Erbao hit the ground, the bear's gaze was drawn to the SUV that had finally returned, and… As the bear lunged forward in a frenzy to stop it, the vehicle began to grapple with the SUV. Being a massive steel structure, no matter how furious the bear became, it couldn't stop the SUV from hurtling towards the tree…

The door opened, and two hands reached out to quickly pull the nearly unconscious Luo Erbao into the car. The door slammed shut, and the roar of the engine scared the bear back a few steps. Then, the SUV sped out of the bear's territory, reaching the Wild Bee River, and soon drove onto the road back…

It turned out that the driver, provoked by the bear's roar, was acting on his own—if they had actually escaped, the consequences would have been widely publicized and ridiculed! Therefore, the foreman tried to stop the driver's erratic behavior shortly after the SUV started moving.

But the driver had entered a certain state, unstoppable by discipline or orders. In desperation, the foreman drew his pistol, pointed it at the driver's thigh, and ordered him to stop immediately or he would shoot! Under such coercion, the driver actually drove for a kilometer or two before stopping the car, sobbing uncontrollably, and burying his face in the steering wheel.

"Cuff him, put him in the trunk, and take him back to deal with him! Quick, drive and pick up Luo Erbao immediately!"

The foreman acted decisively, rescuing Luo Erbao from the clutches of the enraged bear at the critical moment…

Once in the SUV, the foreman even gave Luo Erbao some mineral water, which helped him regain consciousness.

"Thank you for saving everyone's lives…"

the foreman actually said.

"You… saved my life too…"

Luo Erbao seemed equally grateful for their return to rescue him.

"Now, we're even, nobody owes anyone anything..."

The foreman said, and seeing that Luo Erbao didn't seem to understand, he quickly added, "Even though we're now sworn brothers, I'm on official duty and have to do my job. When we get to your house, I'll still conduct a thorough search—but before that, I'll give you one more chance to confess. If you don't tell the truth now, once the car gets to your door and you get out, it'll be too late for anything you say—do you understand what I mean?"

Hearing the foreman's words, Luo Erbao felt they had reverted to their true colors as officers. He thought, "I've risked my life for this situation; if I confess now according to their wishes, wouldn't all my efforts be wasted?" "I'll stick to my guns . Whether I live or die is up to fate. What I need to do now is learn from Feng Erxiu. No matter what you say, I'll remain silent..."

Seeing that Luo Erbao didn't say a word, the little boss seemed to have no other choice but to sigh and say, "When we get to your house and find what's in the black bag, don't blame me for formally arresting you on the spot. I've given you enough chances. If you don't seize them, don't blame me for being unjust..."

The little boss was still waging a final psychological battle.

Luo Erbao was determined to resist to the end. He had even fought fearlessly against the vicious bears in Wild Bee Valley, so these humans in human skin shouldn't be as scary as bears, right?

Soon, the car arrived at Luo Erbao's house. Before getting out of the car, the leader asked Luo Erbao again, "Before getting out of the car, your confession counts as surrendering yourself—do you want to talk...?"

"I have nothing to say, so I won't say anything..."

"Then, we'll proceed with the routine and conduct a thorough search of your house..."

"That's your business, I can't stop you..."

Luo Erbao gritted his teeth and continued to insist.

Seeing that neither threats nor bribes worked, the foreman sighed and said as he opened the car door, "Sigh, no one can save you now..."

After getting out of the car, he ordered his men to escort Luo Erbao out and into the Luo family's courtyard. Upon seeing his parents, Luo Erbao almost burst into tears, as if they were reunited after a long separation. They had endured so many hardships and tribulations, and now they could see each other again, but he was powerless to resist being led to search every corner of the house...

The first place they searched was the vegetable cellar in the courtyard. It was a permanent cellar. The men went down inside, shone flashlights into every corner, and finding nothing, they came back up and spread their hands to the foreman, indicating they hadn't found anything... Then they searched the granary, the lower-level storerooms, even the pigsty, donkey stable, and chicken coop, but still found nothing. Suddenly, one of the relevant personnel discovered Luo Erbao's biogas digester and asked the foreman if he wanted to inspect it. Seeing the foreman nod, they stepped forward to lift the lid, but Luo Erbao's parents stopped them, saying it was too dangerous and that they should open it themselves and the foreman could inspect it himself…

So, the relevant personnel stepped back two steps, and the parents worked together to open the cover of the biogas digester. A pungent fumes immediately choked everyone. The foreman came over, looked inside, and saw it was just a sealed latrine. He quickly glanced inside, found nothing unusual, and signaled that the cover could be closed—probably thinking, "Who would hide good stuff here?" He waved his hand and said, "Go search the house!"

Upon hearing the words "search the house," Luo Erbao's legs suddenly cramped for some reason—what if they really found bundles of banknotes and jewelry in the cabinet at the end of the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room! Feeling dizzy, he instinctively closed his eyes and squatted down...

Chapter 130 Open immediately.

"Get up, you have to come with us to search the house..."

The foreman, seeing Luo Erbao's expression, seemed to think he was about to give up, so he decided to take him into the house to search, hoping to deduce where the items were hidden from his expression and eyes—so, seeing Luo Erbao squatting on the ground, he immediately lifted him up, held his arms, and went into the house...

First, they went to the west room where his parents lived, searching the kang (heated brick bed), the beams, the floor, basically everything that could be searched, even the kang mat. They opened everything, checking for hidden mechanisms or passages. Boxes and cabinets were thoroughly inspected; even shoe boxes had to be opened and the shoe shells searched inside. They wouldn't let anyone pass until they found nothing. They

turned their parents' west room upside down, but found nothing. However, in a drawer, they found a bag of Chairman Mao badges, which caught the attention of the foreman: "Did you already have these?"

he asked, seemingly thinking that Chairman Mao badges were "red collectibles" and perhaps worth a lot of money, or maybe they were what was hidden in that black bag.

"They were collected during the Cultural Revolution. We loved Chairman Mao, so we asked someone to arrange a location for them... If you like them, we can give them to you as souvenirs..."

The parents didn't seem to care much about the badges' value, casually offering to give them away.

"They're not for us as souvenirs. We need to take them back for verification. If they don't belong to the suspects, we'll return them to you..."

the foreman said, handing the badges to a relevant person and having him take notes.

Just then, the foreman spotted two hat stands on the dressing table in Luo Erbao's parents' room. These hat stands were from the Qing Dynasty, used by officials to display their official hat ornaments and plumes. Due to their exquisite designs and fine craftsmanship, they were considered antiques now. The foreman, probably thinking they were valuable, asked, "Are these hat stands a family heirloom?"

"Yes, they were part of my dowry when I got married."

"Who can prove it?"

"My parents can prove it!"

"Where are they now?"

"They—they've all gone to heaven..."

"Then we can't prove it's part of your family's dowry. We'll have to take it back and return it to your family once we've verified it has nothing to do with the suspect..."

Seeing the foreman instructing his men to put his parents' beloved keepsakes into an aluminum box, Luo Erbao felt a pang of sadness. Should he confess immediately? That way, if they saw the money and jewelry, they wouldn't touch anything else in the house, especially the keepsakes his parents had treasured for years, the love tokens passed down from their ancestors. How could he ever get them back?

Luo Erbao was really at his breaking point, on the verge of collapse. Even when he was clinging to the tree, his bones and muscles were numb from being pounded by the bear, and he could barely bear it, he still kept reminding himself that he absolutely couldn't give up before falling. But facing these people's search, Luo Erbao's mental defenses were about to crumble...

Just when Luo Erbao was on the verge of collapse, he suddenly heard the leader ask, "Is the jade bracelet on your wrist also part of your dowry?"

Good heavens, they really would stop at nothing, they were driving him crazy! But Luo Erbao's mother, upon hearing this, still answered slowly and deliberately, "Of course! These jade bracelets are said to be genuine goods that came from the palace. To be honest, my family is Manchu. If we're talking about things from the past, I'd be considered a princess. When I got married, my family's dowry included quite a few treasures..."

"Besides the hat stand and these bracelets, what else is there?"

The foreman seemed determined to unearth all the valuables from the Luo family and take them back to report to his superiors, making the trip worthwhile!

"There's also a gold ring, a silver hairpin, an agate necklace, a bronze basin..."

It was unclear what was wrong with Luo Erbao's mother today; she rattled off everything without being asked, as if under a spell.

"Alright, show me all these things. If no one can prove they originally belonged to your family, I must take them all back. After verifying with the suspect, if there are no problems, I'll return them to your family..."

The foreman was truly insatiable; upon hearing about so many antique-level items, he immediately said excitedly.

Luo Erbao's mother didn't resist at all, obediently taking off the rings, hairpins, and other jewelry from her hands and placing them in the personnel's box...

Luo Erbao could hardly bear it anymore; he was almost suffocating. However, before he could explode or break down, he heard the foreman say, "Alright, that's enough searching this room. Now go search the east room..."

and led the way to the east room...

Upon entering the east room, he found it much simpler than the west room. Lifting the mat on the kang (heated brick bed), there were no unusual signs, and the beams and floor showed no signs of recent repairs. He immediately spotted the locked cabinet at the end of the kang...

"Whose cabinet is this? Open it immediately..."

Upon hearing the foreman's words, Luo Erbao completely collapsed. He mustered all his strength to shout "No!", but his lips trembled, and no sound came out... His vision went black, and he fainted...

Chapter 131

After two days and three nights, Luo Erbao woke up to find only his parents beside him. He was puzzled: "Where are they?"

"They're all gone..."

his father replied .

"My cabinet... was it open?"

Luo Erbao suddenly remembered this detail.

"Yes..."

his mother replied.

"Then why didn't they take me away..."

Luo Erbao meant that once the cabinet was opened and they found what was inside, wouldn't they take him?

"It's full of your childhood toys and clothes, like marbles, slingshots, bottle caps, cigarette boxes..."

his parents argued.

"How could it be those things?"

Luo Erbao stared in disbelief, about to ask his parents this question, when a thought suddenly struck him. He sensed something was amiss and decided to check his own room first... So, he jumped up from the kang (a heated brick bed) and ran to his east room.

Once there, he jumped back onto the kang and went straight to the cabinet. He took out his key, opened the seemingly untouched cabinet, and lifted it open—wow! Everything inside was still there! Good heavens, what happened?! He quickly locked the cabinet, jumped off the kang, and ran back to his parents in the west room to ask, "What on earth happened?!"

"And you know what? When your dad heard that you hadn't returned the black bag to its owner but had instead hidden it in Wild Bee Valley, he was trembling with anger. But when they took you to Wild Bee Valley to retrieve the black bag, your dad suddenly realized something. He rushed to your room to search, but found nothing. Finally, he wanted to open your closet to see what was inside, but then he remembered that there was only one key to the house, and you were still wearing it. But when your dad lifted a corner of the closet, he found it incredibly heavy, and knew that something was hidden inside. After thinking for a long time, he silently asked me to help him get the closet out of your room, to the downstairs room, and then hid it in the tunnel under the woodpile..."

Luo Erbao's mother recounted this unbelievable story.

"Our house has a tunnel?"

Luo Erbao could hardly believe it.

“Yes, back then, to prevent the Japanese from burning, killing, and looting, the older generation dug a tunnel in the lower room. It hadn’t been used for many years, and nobody remembered it. It was almost abandoned. If it weren’t for this emergency, your father wouldn’t have remembered it either…”

“Then why didn’t they find the tunnel when they were searching the lower room?”

“The tunnel was under the stove pit in the afternoon. Ordinary people wouldn’t be able to find it. Weren’t the Japanese devils more cunning than these people back then? They didn’t find it either. If your father hadn’t suddenly remembered, your mother wouldn’t have known where the tunnel was…”

“Then, when they brought me back, how come I saw the cabinet was still in my room…”

Luo Erbao was really puzzled.

"There was originally a pair of cabinets at the end of the kang (heated brick bed) in your room. One was for you, and the other was on the north kang in the east room. It was used to store your toys and such when you were little, and no one touched it. Your father moved the cabinet at the end of your kang to the tunnel, and then moved the exact same cabinet from the north kang in the west room to the end of your kang. He cleaned it and made it exactly the same as yours—except that the key was with your father. When he saw that you had fainted, he opened the cabinet to show them..."

"What did they say after they saw it?"

"The man in charge grabbed the glass marbles and slingshots inside, stared blankly for a long time, and kept saying to his colleagues—'These are the things inside, why did I faint?'—looking completely incredulous. But, no matter how much they searched our house, they couldn't find what they were looking for. They were angry, tired, and annoyed. Meanwhile, your father told your mother to quickly start a fire and cook for them, bringing out whatever good food and drink they had to treat them. After they were full and didn't want to leave, your father had your mother bring out all the new bedding in the house and spread it out on the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room for them to rest.

The next morning, we treated them to the same good food and drink, until another group of people returned and said that the forest ranger, Uncle Niu, had found the person who collected his junk and insisted that he only collected old books and tattered notebooks—the man in charge, upon hearing this, slumped down to his pants, smoked for a long time, waved his hand, and they all left our house, got into their car, and drove off..."

"Did they take your mother's treasures with them?" "

Luo Erbao actually remembered such details.

" "Of course, but they all made a record and gave us a receipt. Before leaving, they even gave us money for our meal. Your father refused to take it no matter what, but the manager's eyes turned red, and he just threw down the money and left..."

Luo Erbao's mother told him the whole story.

"When did they leave?"

"The morning before yesterday..."

"Oh my god, so I slept until now?"

"Yes, you slept for two days and three nights. We could only give you some milk and stuff... It scared your mother so much. I was afraid you would become a vegetable like Luo Dabao!"

Luo Erbao's mother said, tears welling up in her eyes...

"Then tell your father now, what exactly is in the cabinet at the end of your kang (heated brick bed)?"

Luo Erbao's father, who had been silent all along, just puffing on his cigarette, suddenly asked this question.

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