Chapter 587
Changing Cremation Time
Even though the rule of using jade buckles to extract weapons was established, Wang Ba still kept some things from Wang Dahu—such as this military factory.
To this day, Wang Dahu still doesn't know where Wang Ba's military factory is located.
All he knew was that the military factory was near the border town.
Jiang Nian understood.
Even if Wang Dahu and Wang Ba are brothers, Wang Dahu is still the captain of the criminal investigation team. When people are at different levels, their perspectives may change.
That's why Wang Ba deliberately kept some important things from Wang Dahu.
Take this incident for example. If it weren't for saving Wang Dahu, Wang Ba would never have returned to the border town and wouldn't have fallen into Jiang Nian's hands.
It can only be said that one thing leads to another; from the moment he set this rule, he had already dug a hole for himself.
Having learned everything he needed to know, Jiang Nian got up and poured two glasses of water, handing one to Wang Ba and drinking the other himself.
Wang Ba had nothing to worry about at this point—since he had already drunk the poison given to him by Jiang Nian, the other party would definitely not add any more drugs.
With this in mind, Wang Ba picked up his cup and drank it all in one gulp.
A few minutes later, Wang Ba's head lolled to the side, and he fell asleep on the sofa.
"System, your powerful sleeping pills are really effective."
Jiang Nian sighed in his mind.
Ever since he discovered that the medicine provided by the system was incredibly effective, he would ask the system for it whenever he needed it—it was so useful and practical, it was practically an essential item.
Hearing Jiang Nian's remark, the system felt quite helpless. This host has gotten a bit too cocky lately. Has he been too carefree since we haven't given him any missions?
The system was secretly wondering if it should assign him some new tasks after this mission was over.
Jiang Nian was naturally unaware of the system's intentions. After confirming that Wang Ba was in a deep sleep and would not wake up for the time being, he directly called Wei Zixuan.
Despite his inner grumbling, Wei Zixuan got out of bed and rushed to the place Jiang Nian had mentioned after receiving Jiang Nian's call in the middle of the night.
"You stay here and keep an eye on Wang Ba, make sure he can't contact the outside world. We're going out to take care of some business, we'll be right back."
After giving a brief explanation, Jiang Nian hurriedly left with He Chenguang.
“Wang Yanbing and his team have completely lost contact with us. Something must have happened when they followed Zhou Zhou to the military factory that night. Let’s get to the crematorium first, check out the surrounding area, and then decide what to do.”
On the bus, Jiang Nian gave He Chenguang some serious instructions.
The location of the military factory has been confirmed, but the specifics are still unclear. Wang Ba is still a ticking time bomb, and he could explode at any moment, so Jiang Nian doesn't plan to take him there for the time being.
Everything depends on them figuring out the situation first.
“When we go on a mission, we always leave a mark just in case. I’m here to find the traces left by these three.”
At the foot of the mountain, He Chenguang stopped the car and turned to Jiang Nian.
Jiang Nian nodded, indicating that he understood.
When the situation is unclear, the two people may have a better chance of success if they act separately.
The car was discreetly parked in the nearby woods, and He Chenguang and Jiang Nian split up.
After watching He Chenguang's figure disappear completely into the darkness, Jiang Nian turned his gaze to the mountain in front of him.
The mountains in the border town are different from those in the inland areas, which are majestic and imposing. Instead, they appear rather delicate, and the one in front of us is no exception.
The difference is that the soil and water here are not very good, and it is almost barren, which is why it was transformed into a crematorium.
Just now, the system popped up—not to issue a task, but to make a few jokes: The reason this mountain turned out this way is entirely because of the military factory underneath.
Sulfuric acid once leaked and corroded the entire mountain.
After hearing the system's reflections, Jiang Nian couldn't quite describe his feelings.
I'm afraid even Wang Ba himself doesn't know about this.
No, the military factory belongs to him. How could he not know? He just doesn't care.
Anyway, the mountain is barren, which is actually better for his military factory—fewer people will come here.
Jiang Nian didn't take the main road up the mountain, but instead went around to the back of the mountain.
The sea is just behind the mountain.
Jiang Nian had seen a map of the area before and when he discovered that the crematorium was right next to the sea, he thought to himself: "In this way, the ashes can be scattered directly into the sea, which fulfills the wishes of many people."
Now that he knows the military factory is right here, Jiang Nian has to admit that Wang Ba has a really good eye for talent.
Having chosen this location, and given that the entire mountain is barren and few people would come here, they could transport the weapons directly from the back of the mountain to the sea without being discovered.
Zhou Zhou delivered the weapons by fishing boat. Later, Jiang Nian remembered that Wang Yanbing sent back a message saying that the fishing boat had entered the port and Zhou Zhou and his group had left by car.
After Wang Yanbing and his group caught up with them, no further news came back.
At the time, the maritime transaction was also at a crucial stage, and Jiang Nian didn't have the energy to think about things here. Now, reflecting on it, Zhou Zhou's ability to single-handedly support the military factory naturally indicates he has exceptional skills. The discovery of Wang Yanbing and his group was probably within Zhou Zhou's expectations.
As I slowly walked to the seaside, the sea roared in and then quietly receded, washing away all traces on the shore.
Jiang Nian could vaguely see a path, seemingly worn out by people, on this desolate mountain.
Upon closer inspection, the path was incredibly slippery; anyone who tried to walk on it would definitely slide right down.
Standing in front of the path, Jiang Nian stroked his chin, pondering a very serious question: If this path is impossible for people to walk on, then how did it come about?
It couldn't have just appeared out of thin air, could it?
This mountain is so big, yet there's this incredibly slippery path right here, it just seems so eerie.
After pondering for a while, a sudden inspiration flashed in Jiang Nian's mind.
He remembered that the batch of weapons traded with Japan was loaded and unloaded in boxes.
Jiang Nian gestured with his hands and then fell into deep thought.
The width of this path is about the same as the width of the crates used to transport weapons.
So, could it be that the boxes slid down from above, making the path so smooth? That would explain why the path is so slippery.
Jiang Nian took a few steps back and looked down at his feet.
When the tide rose, the water overflowed the spot where he was standing, washing away all the footprints he had made.
After standing there for a while, Jiang Nian walked to a spot where no one had ever walked before and began to slowly climb up.
This smooth path isn't very long, maybe only six or seven hundred meters.
As Jiang Nian climbed up, he sneered inwardly.
No wonder no one noticed the problem for so long—this road is not used by people, only for transporting boxes. Even if it were discovered, no one would suspect anything, since people simply cannot walk up it.
Besides, most people are somewhat superstitious about the mountain where the crematorium is located. Unless absolutely necessary, who would want to go there?
The path ended. Here it was just an ordinary mountain wall, seemingly without any problems.
There are no arms deals taking place right now, so even people from the arms factories won't be coming here.
This gave Jiang Nian enough time to examine the situation carefully.
"System, what's behind this mountain wall?"
Although Jiang Nian has 360-degree X-ray vision, he can't see through the mountain wall in front of him, so he simply calls the system directly.
There was no other way; with such an omnipotent being by his side, Jiang Nian always felt that he, as the host, had been too good to the system and should let the system do some work.
"Behind the mountain wall is a large gate made of refined steel. Inside is the military factory you are looking for."
The system was woken up and was still a little dazed, but it still carefully probed Jiang Nian's request before answering the question.
Jiang Nian was not surprised by this answer.
He had already guessed that there was a military factory behind it.
It seems that Zhou Zhou always sent people to transport the weapons out from here, then slid them down the river and loaded them onto a ship to be transported away.
This is the method least likely to be discovered.
After confirming the location, Jiang Nian left quietly.
He can't open this thing from the outside right now; he'll have to go back and study it some more.
Just as Jiang Nian returned to where the car was parked, He Chenguang also rushed back.
His expression was very serious.
"What were you found?"
Jiang Nian asked carefully.
This is no time for jokes.
“All three of them left marks, but the marks all disappeared at the door of a room inside the crematorium. I checked that room from the outside and didn’t find anything wrong.”
He Chenguang clenched his fists tightly.
If he hadn't been trying so hard to control his emotions, he probably would have stormed into that room already.
The fact that no problem was found in that room only further proves that there must be something wrong with it.
You should know that Wang Yanbing and his team are not ordinary special forces soldiers; they are the elite among special forces.
The fact that all three people left marks near the room is enough to prove that there is indeed something wrong with the room.
He Chenguang hadn't forgotten that he and Jiang Nian were here to scout ahead today, and they couldn't alert the enemy, so he couldn't rush in.
Wang Yanbing and the other two were already in trouble; adding me to the mix would probably be of no use.
"That room should be the entrance to the underground military factory. I discovered in the back mountain that they transported the weapons by water. The large crates containing the weapons slid directly down the mountain, with people below to catch them, so they weren't worried about any accidents. Besides, the seawater washed away all traces. The door to the military factory in the back mountain is very well hidden. I haven't found the mechanism yet, but I can confirm that this mountain has been completely hollowed out and built entirely into a military factory. The door is made of high-quality steel and should be impossible to open from the outside under normal circumstances."
With the system's help, Jiang Nian is now certain that this military factory is enormous, having hollowed out the entire mountain—Wang Ba's move is truly massive.
He's really daring, and he's not worried at all about being discovered.
After organizing the clues they had obtained, Jiang Nian and He Chenguang drove away.
When I got back to my lodgings, it was still dark.
Wei Zixuan stayed by Wang Ba's side, not daring to close his eyes. He was terrified that if he accidentally fell asleep, Wang Ba would wake up and run away, which would be a huge sin for him. So Wei Zixuan just kept going, with only one thought in his mind: this was just too much for him.
Wei Zixuan's face was full of joy when he saw Jiang Nian and He Chenguang return.
"You're back? Did you find any clues? As for Wang Ba, he's been in a deep sleep ever since you left, and hasn't woken up."
While asking Jiang Nian and the others about their gains from their trip, Wei Zixuan also reported on the situation on Wang Ba's side.
He really wanted to ask: Did Jiang Nian already know that Wang Ba could sleep for so long without waking up? After all, the fact that Wang Ba could remain unconscious meant that Jiang Nian had definitely drugged him.
Wei Zixuan knew that Jiang Nian was ruthless and had some tricks up her sleeve. Jiang Nian had used the same method on him back then—but that time she had knocked him unconscious, while Wang Ba had no marks on his neck, so it could only be that she had drugged him.
Jiang Nian specifically instructed that if Wang Ba woke up, he should give him another glass of water.
Because of those words, Wei Zixuan sat there not daring to even drink a sip of water, fearing that he would faint completely like Wang Ba if he did.
"We've discovered some problems. What do you know about the crematorium?"
Jiang Nian sat down next to Wei Zixuan, poured himself some water, gulped it down in one go, and drank two more cups before he could recover and asked a question.
"crematorium?"
Wei Zixuan looked puzzled.
Jiang Nian would never ask about this place without a reason. Could it be that there's a problem with the crematorium?
No matter how hard Wei Zixuan tried to recall, he couldn't figure out what was so special about that place.
"I don't go to crematoriums much, so I don't know much about them. What's wrong? Is someone stealing organs from crematoriums to sell?"
Wei Zixuan scratched the back of his head, not understanding, so he just asked. But as soon as he finished speaking, he felt embarrassed.
He was clearly the captain of the anti-drug squad, so why did his IQ seem to be insufficient in front of Jiang Nian? The organs of the corpses at the crematorium had long since lost their vitality, so who would steal the organs from the corpses? They couldn't be used anyway!
"Below the crematorium, there is a large military factory."
Jiang Nian stared at Wei Zixuan in silence for a long while before speaking slowly and deliberately, with a serious expression.
Wei Zixuan's hand trembled, and the cup he had just picked up fell to the ground with a "crack," making a crisp sound.
He stared at Jiang Nian in horror, completely unable to believe what he had just heard.
Good heavens, if there really is a military factory under the crematorium, the whole border town will be shaken to its core.
Even if the sky were to fall, this wouldn't be any worse.
Jiang Nian wasn't surprised by Wei Zixuan's reaction. He didn't say anything, just sat there, waiting for Wei Zixuan to come to his senses.
After a long pause, Wei Zixuan finally spoke: "Comrade Jiang Nian, what you just said... were you joking?"
As he spoke, Wei Zixuan realized that his voice was extremely hoarse. He looked at Jiang Nian with hopeful eyes, hoping that the truth was not what he had said.
“I don’t have time to joke with you. You should know about Wang Ba’s identity. As an arms dealer, it’s normal for him to own a military factory. I’m telling you clearly now, there’s a huge military factory right below the crematorium. I’ll take Wang Ba to the crematorium after dawn. You’ll have people guarding the area at the foot of the mountain. Don’t let anyone who comes out of the crematorium escape.”
Jiang Nian didn't have time to wait for Wei Zixuan to slowly realize what was happening; all he wanted to do was tell Wei Zixuan his plans. As for what Wei Zixuan thought, he didn't care.
"But the crematorium will be open tomorrow! I can't possibly ask all the families of the deceased to change their cremation dates, can I?" (End of Chapter)