Chapter 732: I’ll Give You a Major Merit!

Li Yi knew exactly where Li Gang lived—it was near the Experimental Primary School in the county seat, just a few houses away from Wang An’s home.

The Jeep zipped through the streets and alleys of the county town, arriving at its destination in no time.

At that moment, the Li family’s gate was locked tight, and the courtyard was pitch black—clearly, everyone had already gone to bed.

Li Yi immediately called out twice through the gate. Just as he was hesitating whether to climb over the wall, a light suddenly came on inside the house.

Immediately afterward, a man in his fifties emerged, wrapped in a thick cotton coat, and stood at the doorway asking, “Who’s there?”

“Uncle, I’m a friend of Li Gang’s. I need to see him about an urgent matter!”

“Little Gang is already asleep. Can’t this wait until tomorrow?”

“Uncle, it’s urgent—I really can’t wait until tomorrow…”

Just as he was speaking, another figure emerged from the doorway—it was none other than Li Gang.

He was getting dressed as he asked, “Who’s at the door? What’s the matter?”

“It’s Li Yi. Come out right away—I need to talk to you urgently!”

Recognizing Li Yi’s voice, Li Gang immediately pulled on his shoes and ran out of the house at a brisk pace.

When he reached the front gate, he didn’t bother opening it; instead, he leaped over the courtyard wall and landed right beside Li Yi.

“Wow, why are you here in the middle of the night? I was just planning to look for you tomorrow morning!” Li Gang asked in surprise.

“I’ve got a big favor to ask of you. Interested?” Li Yi said.

“What kind of big favor?” Li Gang asked, his eyes lighting up.

He knew Li Yi’s capabilities well; if he called it a major achievement, it was bound to be something big.

Li Yi then briefly recounted what had happened that night to Li Gang.

After hearing Li Yi’s account, Li Gang immediately exclaimed excitedly, “Brother Li Yi, are you sure those guys have guns and are digging a tunnel?”

“Absolutely. We went up close to check—every single one of them has a gun. There’s no doubt about it,” Li Yi confirmed.

“Hahaha, Brother Li Yi, you really are my lucky charm!” Li Gang exclaimed excitedly.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Do you know who these people are?”

“Right. Let’s get in the car first—we’ll talk on the way!”

“Alright!”

The three then got back in the car. With Zhang Ziqiang behind the wheel, they headed straight for the county police headquarters.

Once in the car, Li Gang began, “Three months ago, we received a request for assistance from our sister agency in Jinxi Province, asking us to help investigate a major tomb-raiding case!”

“The ringleader of the case is named Xue Guangzhong, a native of Pingcheng. His family has been in the grave-robbing business for generations, but with stricter enforcement in recent years, the Xue family had stopped their activities, and people had largely forgotten about them.”

“However, starting two years ago, a series of ancient tomb robberies began occurring in the Jinzhong and northern parts of Jinan. In just two short years, more than thirty ancient tombs have been looted in the central and northern regions of Jinshi Province—roughly one every month. These tomb raiders are acting with extreme audacity.”

“Naturally, this matter attracted the close attention of the public security authorities in Jinxi Province, who immediately assembled a task force of elite investigators to look into this series of tomb-raiding cases. After conducting their investigation, they found that the Xue Guangzhong family was a prime suspect, and they promptly focused their efforts on them.”

“However, just as the task force was preparing to launch an in-depth investigation into the Xue family, they discovered that all the men in the household had vanished overnight, leaving behind only the elderly, the infirm, and the disabled. This brought the case to a standstill.”

“After analysis by the Jinxi Provincial Public Security Bureau, they concluded that the Xue family must have caught wind of the investigation and fled. Their likely escape route was the neighboring Saibei Province—after all, Saibei borders the frontier, and if necessary, they could even escape across the border. That’s why the Jinxi Provincial Public Security Bureau requested our assistance with the investigation. Unfortunately, despite three months of collaboration, we haven’t uncovered a single lead. I never imagined you’d actually run into this group.”

Li Yi frowned and asked, “How can you be so sure that the people we encountered were from the Xue family?”

“Our Qingshan County… no, I should say our Saibei Province has always been a wild frontier since ancient times, and it’s also been grazing land for nomadic tribes. That’s why there are hardly any ancient tombs in the entire province!”

Li Gang continued, “With so few tombs, there are even fewer tomb raiders. Our Yunshan County has produced murderers, robbers, and thieves, but we’ve never had a tomb raider. So if a tomb here gets robbed, it definitely wasn’t done by locals. And if they did it with such professional skill, it’s even less likely to be locals.”

“Is that all you’re basing this on?”

“Of course not. You mentioned earlier that there were six of them, and the men who went missing from the Xue family also happened to number six.”

Li Gang continued, “Digging up the ground in the dead of night, armed with guns, and the numbers match up—who else could it be besides the Xue family?”

After hearing Li Gang’s analysis, Li Yi couldn’t help but nod.

He looked at Li Gang and said, “Not bad. That’s a very sound analysis. It really is true that you should look at someone with fresh eyes after three days apart!”

“Hahaha, you’re right. After all, I’m the captain of the Criminal Investigation Division now—I’ve got to pick up some skills!” Li Gang said.

“That’s right…”

Just as they were speaking, the car returned to the county police headquarters.

By then, more than twenty police officers had already assembled in the courtyard of the county bureau. Everyone was fully armed, standing in neat formation, and exuding a powerful presence.

At the front of the formation, a middle-aged man who appeared to be a superior was giving a speech. However, the wind was a bit strong, and since Li Yi was standing some distance away, he couldn’t make out what the man was saying.

Li Gang had Zhang Ziqiang drive the car to the front of the formation, then stepped out and strode toward the middle-aged man.

Before Li Gang could speak, the official asked loudly, “Comrade Li Gang, what exactly is the situation with your friend? How could an outsider like him order the unit to assemble without authorization…”

Before he could finish, Li Gang hurriedly replied, “Deputy Director Wu, it was Comrade Li Yi who spotted Xue Guangzhong and his gang. I request immediate authorization to lead the team in apprehending these tomb raiders!”

“Who are you talking about? Xue Guangzhong?”

Deputy Director Wu was taken aback for a moment, then said, “Are you sure it’s Xue Guangzhong?”

“I’m certain. Besides, regardless of whether it’s Xue Guangzhong and his group or not, we can’t just ignore people moving through the mountains and forests armed with live ammunition. You agree with that, don’t you? Otherwise, if something really goes wrong, we’ll all be held responsible!” Li Gang said.

“You have a point. Let’s get moving then!” Deputy Director Wu said immediately.

“Director Wu, according to Comrade Li Yi’s report, the suspects appear to be looting graves in the woods behind Nianzi Mountain Village. Moreover, they’re all armed with high-caliber ammunition, including powerful weapons like submachine guns. If we rely solely on the standard pistols our men carry, we won’t have the upper hand in a firefight!”

Li Gang continued, “Therefore, I suggest that all comrades participating in the operation switch to Type 63 rifles, and that we order the Chengguan and Hongqi Police Stations, as well as the Hongqi Commune militia, to coordinate with us.”

“Agreed. You’re to switch out your weapons immediately, and notify other units to send reinforcements right away. I’m going to report the situation to Director Lin and the other county leaders now!”

“Yes, sir!”

After about ten minutes of preparation, once the eight police officers from the Chengguan Police Station arrived, Li Gang personally led a group of over thirty police officers out of the county bureau.

Next, they first arrived at Hongqi Commune. After joining forces with the local police station staff and over two hundred militia members who had been temporarily assembled there, the group—some riding in jeeps, others in large trucks—headed straight for Nianzishan Village!

Meanwhile, the people toiling away in the mountains, looting the General’s tomb, had no idea that their presence had been exposed and that a large contingent of police was already on its way…

……..