Chapter 1983

Chapter 1983

County.

At the foot of Mount Qingluan.

By the time Dong Xuebing rushed back, the sky was already darkening. Only some remnants of the sunset remained. The base of the mountain was swarming with police uniforms and patrol cars. There were officers from Jiaolin County and even more from Baohong City. Police lights flashed constantly—reinforcements from the city had arrived swiftly.

“Move faster!”

“Send another team to the back of the mountain!”

“Lock it down completely—don’t let a single tomb raider escape!”

“Has the blockade from Yanbei County been secured? Form a full encirclement!”

“Don’t rush up the mountain yet! They have hunting rifles—surround and contain them first!”

Mount Qingluan was vast. Sealing off a mountain was no easy task—at least not during ordinary times. In normal circumstances, preventive lockdowns could not mobilize too many personnel. Just like in recent days, when Dong Xuebing and his team attempted to seal the area, they could only put up token barricades or assign a few people to patrol. The actual effect was minimal.

But now things were different.

Over twenty to thirty heavily armed and organized tomb raiders hid in the mountain. They were carrying weapons and had already exchanged fire with the police, resulting in injured officers. The severity of the crime meant that as soon as the news broke, Jiaolin County mobilized nearly all its police force to the scene. Baohong City’s public security also sent the bulk of its officers to carry out the encirclement.

Just on the side of the mountain where Dong Xuebing arrived, he could see thirty to forty officers at a glance. Police cars were parked every hundred meters in the distance, their searchlights beaming into the woods. Tomb raiders would be spotted if they tried to escape down the mountain. On the west side stood cliffs, and to the north, police from Yanbei County had also established a blockade. Mount Qingluan had been turned into a veritable iron fortress.

No one was getting out.

Dong Xuebing got out of the car and ran forward. “Old Zhang!”

Zhang Dongfang spoke breathlessly to Jiaolin County’s Public Security Bureau chief, Chang Lin. When he turned and saw Dong, he said, “Secretary Dong, thank goodness you’re back!”

“How’s the situation?” Dong asked urgently.

“The mountain’s sealed off. The tomb raiders are still up there,” Zhang reported.

Chang Lin added anxiously, “Three of our officers have been injured—gunshot wounds. Two are lightly injured and have already been taken to the hospital. One seriously injured officer is still on the mountain. The terrain’s rough, and the others are carrying him down. It’s been over ten minutes, and they’re not down yet.”

“Hey, they’re coming!” someone shouted.

Looking up, three police officers from Jiaolin County were hurrying out of the forest carrying a makeshift stretcher. “Quick! We need help here!”

Medical personnel who had been waiting rushed over immediately.

Dong Xuebing and Chang Lin also ran over. “Xiao Lü! Xiao Lü! Say something!”

The officer on the stretcher was already unconscious. His abdomen was soaked with blood, dripping continuously from the edge of the stretcher.

Chang Lin’s eyes turned red. “Hang in there, Xiao Lü!” He turned to the medics. “Get him to the hospital—fast!”

The medics began administering emergency treatment as they carried him into the ambulance, which sped away toward the hospital.

Seeing Xiao Lü’s condition, the expressions of all the officers from Jiaolin County and Baohong City turned grim.

“Chief Chang,” one officer said bravely, “let us storm the mountain!”

“Yeah, Chief!” several others chimed in. “Let’s take them down!”

At this point, the deputy director of Baohong City’s Public Security Bureau, Li Zong, spoke up. “Everyone, calm down! Now is not the time to act recklessly. They’re heavily armed—over a dozen hunting rifles and even a few homemade pistols. Charging in blindly will only cause more casualties.”

His reasoning wasn’t wrong. The enemy had the advantage of concealment in the dense and vast forest of Mount Qingluan. Their exact locations were unknown. A large-scale assault could create gaps in the perimeter, offering escape opportunities. But a small team wouldn’t be enough either—not against such firepower. The only viable strategy now was to trap them and wait for reinforcements from the Armed Police.

Over by the side, Professor Chu and several archaeological team members arrived. “What about the tomb? What about the relics?”

Li Zong replied, “We don’t have time for that right now.”

Professor Chu insisted, “You don’t understand the historical value of that tomb. It must not be damaged!”

Li Zong snapped, “Nothing is more valuable than human life. I won’t risk our people!”

“I’m not saying to put them in danger,” Chu argued, pointing up the mountain. “Just send a team to guard the tomb. That alone will stop the raiders from doing whatever they want. They won’t dare attack the police without provocation.”

Li Zong retorted, “Do you know how big this mountain is? We’ve used all our manpower to block it off. Where would we find more people to guard the tomb?”

Chu was fuming. He looked around and shouted, “Secretary Dong!”

Dong Xuebing asked, “Professor Chu, has your archaeological team fully evacuated?”

“Yes, we’ve pulled out—but we can’t leave the tomb unguarded!”

“I understand,” Dong Xuebingnodded. Of course, he wouldn’t let the tomb be damaged.

“If the police don’t have the manpower,” Professor Chu said firmly, “then we archaeologists will go up and guard it ourselves. We can’t let the tomb be destroyed!”

Zhang Dongfang tried to calm him down. “Please, stay calm, Professor Chu.”

“How can I stay calm?” Professor Chu shouted emotionally. “I said we shouldn’t come down, but you dragged us off the mountain! My life’s not worth much—I’m half in the grave already! But that tomb—if lost on our watch, we’ll be condemned for a thousand years!”

Old Zhong from the archaeological team stepped forward, too. “Professor Chu is right. It’s not about us losing our tempers—you don’t understand what that tomb means to us archaeologists. Secretary Dong, County Chief Zhang—please, if there’s any other way, we’re running out of time!”

Zhang Dongfang thought for a moment and turned to Chang Lin. “Should we assign some of our county officers to go up?”

“It’s too risky, County Chief Zhang.” Chang Lin disagreed. Like Li Zong, he didn’t want more of his men getting hurt. Three were already down.

Dong Xuebing asked, “How soon can the Armed Police arrive?”

“They’re getting ready now—two or three hours at the earliest,” Chang Lin replied.

Dong Xuebing shook his head hard. This is what small-town inefficiency looks like. In Beijing, when major emergencies occurred, reinforcements from the Armed Police would never take more than an hour. But here? Two or three hours? By then, it would be too late.

The tomb must be protected.

The officers must not be put in further danger.

Dong Xuebing made up his mind. He slowly rolled up the sleeves of both arms and said, “I’ll go up the mountain and take a look.”

Professor Chu froze. “What?”

Chang Lin cried out, “Why would you do that?”

“I’ll go check if the tomb’s been damaged,” Dong said calmly. “And see if I can do anything about the criminals. You all hold the line here. That’s all.”

Zhang Dongfang’s face hardened. “Absolutely not.”

Chang Lin echoed, “It’s too dangerous.”

“No need to say more,” Dong Xuebing cut them off. “That’s an order.”

Li Zong had overheard and stormed over. His face turned dark. “What are you thinking, Secretary Dong? Going up there will only cause chaos! No way!”

“We can’t wait for the Armed Police,” Dong replied. “No time to argue.”

“You’re unarmed!” Li Zong shouted. “If you go, we must assign officers to protect you! That’s not helping—it’s causing more trouble!”

“I don’t need protection,” Dong said. “Just do your jobs. This is Jiaolin County—I’m in charge.”

“You—!” Li Zong was furious.

Dong Xuebing didn’t wait for more objections. He turned and stepped over the police line, heading up the mountain alone.

“Chief Chang!”

“Let us go with him!”

“Yeah! It’s too dangerous for Secretary Dong to go alone!”

Many Jiaolin County officers volunteered. Their comrades were injured, one critically. Their blood was boiling—they were desperate to get their hands on the criminals.

“County Chief Zhang,” Chang Lin hesitated.

Zhang Dongfang was panicked, too. But Dong Xuebing’s silhouette had already vanished into the trees. “That Secretary Dong—seriously! We can’t let him go like this. Old Chang, send a team after him. Protect him at all costs. Be extremely careful.”

Chang Lin immediately started organizing a team.

Soon, a 30-person squad headed up the mountain. But they had lost Dong Xuebing’s trail and were searching blind, all while staying alert for any hidden raiders.

This reallocation of manpower caused significant problems with the perimeter. The remaining officers from the city and county scrambled to patch the gaps. Only after some effort did they manage to reestablish a loose encirclement.

Li Zong was livid. The blockade had become full of holes. If the raiders launched a coordinated breakout, they might be unable to stop them. One slow reaction could cost lives. And it was all because of that county party secretary from Jiaolin!

He couldn’t understand what Dong Xuebing was thinking. You’re the top official—stay and command! Why are you rushing to the frontlines? Do you want to die? How much are they paying you in that county? Is it worth your life?!

But what he didn’t know—

It was how vital that tomb was to Dong Xuebing.

And how fiercely loyal Dong could be to his people.

The tomb was under threat.

Three of his officers were hurt.

Dong Xuebing staying safely behind would’ve been unthinkable.

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