Chapter 004: The Basement

I found Cao Shi's actions very strange. After listening to his words, I involuntarily squatted by the pit and glanced at the corpse in the direction he was pointing.

The gloomy weather was a great help to us, as it was hardly any brighter outside than inside the house. The area around the small cabin was in disarray, with shadowy figures moving about in a daze. As soon as I stepped out of the house, I crouched down first, and then I heard gunshots ringing out nearby, followed by a grim voice shouting: "Don't shoot!"

The window of the cabin was covered entirely with newspapers. I gauged the direction based on my instincts, then held my breath and dashed out. Fortunately, my body barely grazed the edge of the window as I exited. If I had been off by just a little, I would have likely crashed headfirst into the wall.

We searched for four consecutive hours, but found nothing. Cao Shi saw that I could no longer hold on and suggested that we take a break after crossing a small hill in front of us

The structure of this basement is quite simple; behind the door are stairs that slope downward. At the end of the stairs, a turn to the left leads to the main area of the basement, where light cannot penetrate at all, rendering it pitch black, relying entirely on flashlight illumination. The two individuals who had come down earlier shone their flashlights on the base of the east wall and turned back to Cao Shi, saying: "Brother Shi, the body is right there"

Cao Shi seemed a bit unusual; after calling someone to stop, he didn't know what to say. After a pause of two minutes, he waved his hand and said, "It's nothing, you may go."

However, the stone factory before us appeared to be abandoned, with not a single figure in sight, and the wild grass both inside and outside the yard was growing very lushly. Cao Shi sent two people down to take a look, while the rest remained resting in place. At this moment, I was completely in a state of severe physical exhaustion; as soon as I sat down, I felt as if the entire skeletal structure of my body was about to fall apart.

Cao Shi's expression was not good; he let out a soft sigh and said, "I hope so"

Cao Shi understands my temperament, so as soon as we met, he said: "Everyone split up to find the twins, we will discuss other matters slowly along the way"

Cao Shi's brows furrowed tighter and tighter. Suddenly, he threw away the cigarette butt in his hand and ran towards the place where the body was buried. I was unclear about what had happened, but I hurriedly followed after him.

This is not a game of hide and seek, but a genuine fight for survival. I try to keep my body low while observing the movements around me. In the distance, the enemy is searching aimlessly. I run out of breath, but I dare not stop for a moment, using both my hands and feet to make my way deeper along the mountain path

Brother, what happened?

After that, nothing unexpected occurred. When I finally saw the old man, I truly felt as if I had been reborn. What was surprising was that, despite such a significant incident, the old man unusually did not lose his temper. He merely stated, with a slightly urgent tone, that Cao Shi had returned two hours ago and had already taken people back to Wonsan.

In a situation like last night, if Cao Shuang had successfully escaped from the small room, it is highly likely that he would have, like me, abandoned the open area outside the mountain and fled through the complex terrain within. Cao Shi left only a small group of people outside the mountain, while the rest were divided into several teams to enter the mountain. The two of us set out from the foot of the mountain with a dozen people, following the route I took to escape last night, while Cao Shi explained the general situation to me as we walked. He mentioned that the group with the sullen faces was ruthless in their actions, leaving almost no survivors. Nearly all the people we brought yesterday were killed, and there were corpses everywhere at the foot of the mountain, yet we did not find Cao Shuang.

"It's nothing." Cao Shi took out a cigarette and handed me one. After we lit them, we smoked while looking towards the burial site. The old man's subordinates had all been in the pit before; they were quite bold and showed no fear of the dead. At this moment, three or four people were gathered at the edge of the pit in the distance, collectively filling it with soil.

Everyone was momentarily taken aback by the question. Seizing this fleeting moment of less than a second, Cao Shichao threw something from above his head and, almost at a speed that the naked eye could hardly follow, crouched down and shouted a single word: Run

Suddenly, a chilling sensation surged from the soles of my feet, and the goosebumps that had long since disappeared rapidly reappeared all over my body. This corpse!

I am almost at the car, but I have no choice but to reluctantly give it up and flee in another direction. Our current location is approximately at the foot of Mount Won. If we escape outward, we will encounter vast open spaces, which are not conducive to hiding. We can only run deeper into Mount Won, using the darkness and the terrain to extricate ourselves from this predicament

After a long time, the four of them finally returned. They reported that there was no one in the factory, but they found several water bottles and cigarette butts, which appeared to have been discarded not long ago.

Old Cao, what exactly is wrong with you

Cao was highly valued and trusted by the old man, so everyone under the old man's command listened to him. Immediately, someone ran off to find a place to dig a pit to bury the body. Cao and I took a brief look around the basement before returning to the surface, exchanging a few words. In fact, I really wanted to ask Cao about the transaction, but there were others around, and he would never disclose anything in front of them.

Why did she suddenly show kindness at this moment? I dared not think too much, and I crawled almost on my hands and knees for over ten meters to escape. In the chaos, I could no longer see Cao Shi and the others; I could only rely on myself to find a way out. Our car was parked nearby, and I had originally planned to sneak over to the car and start it to escape, but unfortunately, the car keys were not on me.

After the pit was dug, the two men lifted the corpse from the basement, preparing to bury it. Just as they reached the steps, Cao Shi suddenly shouted, "Wait!"

When we struggled to climb to the highest point of the mountain, a building caught everyone's attention. After a few glances, I knew for certain that this must be a stone processing factory. There are at least two or three stone processing factories in Yuanshan, and usually, the people coming in and out here are primarily from the stone factories.

I nodded and quickly gathered everyone who had been drawn out from the stall to take them to Wonsan. By the time I arrived, the people led by Cao Shi had already cleaned up the scene of last night's incident.

Stop talking nonsense, dig it out! Cao Shi emphasized his tone. A few people did not dare to be negligent and hurriedly began to dig outwards again. Soon, the pale corpse reappeared before us

If this stone factory is indeed abandoned, then the fresh tire tracks are somewhat suspicious. Wonsan is simply too vast; trying to find a person here is undoubtedly as difficult as searching for a needle in a haystack. Therefore, not a single clue can be overlooked. Cao Shi immediately instructed everyone to head towards the stone factory.

The factory is indeed abandoned, and it has likely been so for a considerable time. From the outside, everything appears normal. We huddled in the grass and observed for a long time, but there was no activity. Cao Shi then sent four people inside to assess the situation

As soon as I heard it, I understood the old man's meaning. What happened yesterday occurred at the end of the transaction, with both the goods and the copies in Cao Shuang's possession. The event has already taken place and cannot be reversed, but regardless, we must find Cao Shuang to retrieve the goods and the copies

Cao Shilue pondered for a moment, then left a few people outside to keep watch, before personally leading a team into the courtyard to conduct a thorough search of the entire factory. Someone discovered a basement hidden behind an iron door; however, due to the darkness below and the uncertain situation, they did not dare to act rashly. After everyone had finished searching the other areas, Cao Shilue gathered everyone together, briefly assigned tasks, and arranged for two individuals to enter the basement first to take a look. Someone discovered a basement hidden behind an iron door; however, due to the darkness below and the uncertain situation, they did not dare to act rashly. After everyone had finished searching the other areas, Cao Shilue gathered everyone together, briefly assigned tasks, and arranged for two individuals to enter the basement first to take a look.

Cao Shi jumped into the pit and examined the corpse carefully for a while. Suddenly, he reached out to lift the upper lip of the corpse, then turned to me and said: "Young Master Tian, did you see that?"

"Brother, this..." a person asked in confusion: "The pit is almost filled..."

I have many petty flaws, and my curiosity is the most troublesome of them all. I have suffered many losses, both big and small, yet I never learn my lesson. Upon hearing that there was a dead person below, my heart began to itch again. As soon as Cao Shigang moved, I couldn't help but follow suit.

Cao Shidun immediately became tense and asked, "Is it Gemini?"

I had no time to ask anything when the old man continued to say that I should immediately gather all the personnel I could mobilize, and then go to meet Cao Shi, searching for the whereabouts of Cao Shuang near Yuanshan.

My reaction was relatively quick; the lights in the room were extinguished by Cao Shi, and it was suddenly pitch black. This situation should be the most advantageous for us, as the opponent cannot distinguish targets in the darkness and is hesitant to fire recklessly. We have the opportunity to rush out into the open area and escape in all directions. As for whether we would be shot down by those outside the house, that is no longer a consideration. At least rushing out provides a chance for survival, while staying inside the house is certainly death.

"Dig out the corpse," Cao Shi said to the person who was filling in the soil

I am currently unaware of the uses of bronze vessels, but their significance is evidently clear in the old man's heart. Therefore, without a second thought, I turned to prepare to gather personnel. The old man stopped me and uttered eight words through clenched teeth: "When alive, one must see the living; when dead, one must see the corpse"

Under normal speculation, there are only two possible outcomes for Cao Shuang: either he is dead or he has escaped. However, given the current situation, the likelihood of his survival seems somewhat greater. Therefore, I said to Cao Shi: "Old Cao, could it be that Shuangzi was injured and escaped into the mountains, only to find himself unable to move?"

Everyone knows that something significant happened last night, and no one dared to speak much along the way. After running for such a long time, now diving into the mountains, my physical strength was clearly insufficient; my legs felt as heavy as if they were filled with lead. Cao Shi was in the same situation as me, but he was strong and was also worried about his younger brother, so he hurried along the path. I didn't want to hold everyone back, so I could only grit my teeth and endure.

It is not very clear, but it should not be Gemini

How is that possible

Although the body discovered in the basement is somewhat suspicious, it is definitely not Cao Shuang. We have important matters to attend to at the moment and no time or energy to discuss this issue. Cao Shi let out a slight sigh of relief, furrowing his brow as he stood still, staring at the body, until someone asked him what to do. Only then did he come to his senses, gently sighed again, and said: "Let's carry it out and bury it. If the body is truly discovered by someone else, it will likely lead to trouble."

If this search for Cao Shuang yields no results, it would certainly be unacceptable in front of the old man. Therefore, we have considered this thoroughly and prepared for overtime, bringing ample food, water, and necessary tools, with lighting equipment being particularly well-prepared. Two individuals took a flashlight and pushed open the iron door to take a look. A few minutes later, they came back with news: there is a corpse in the basement

The sky was indeed too dark, and I could not see the surroundings just a few steps away. I gritted my teeth and fled into the mountains, cursing that gloomy-faced fellow in my heart. Fortunately, as I ventured deeper into the mountains, the sounds and figures of people gradually disappeared, indicating that I was moving further away from danger

Even so, I still dared not be careless. I took a detour in the mountains and then ran northeast along the slope. Although the journey was long, as long as I was certain of the direction, I could approach the suburban road and flag down a car to return to Jiangbei

Alright, first find someone

Cao Shisong let out a sigh of relief, then left someone at the door to stand guard while he himself entered the basement with the messenger.

The corpse lay face down against the wall, completely devoid of any attachments. Although livor mortis had already set in, there were no signs of decomposition, indicating that death had occurred not long ago. When someone turned the body over, it was revealed that the deceased was an elderly man, appearing even older than the old man. Aside from the corpse, the entire basement was empty, which left me puzzled as to how such an aged person could have died in the remote Yuanshan area.

Indeed, as soon as they stepped onto the relatively flat terrain at the foot of the mountain, everyone noticed several rows of tire tracks extending from the nearby mountain road to the entrance of the stone factory. Cao Shi divided the group into three batches, approaching the stone factory in an orderly manner, fearing that any unexpected incidents might lead to a complete disaster.

The two individuals descending the mountain hurriedly ran back before entering the stone factory, stating that there were several fresh tire tracks in the grass.