AWB Chapter 35 The Japanese Invaded the Village
Chapter 35 The Japanese Invaded the Village
Lin Yue and Gong Yong were on their way back, while the ancestors who had been rushing to the park from all directions were practically kicking sparks as they hurried towards them. The government had also dispatched troops and doctors, who were quickly heading to the park, along with ambulances and fire trucks.
In just five minutes, Lin Yue and her group had harvested spiritual flowers and herbs within a radius of about 500 meters. Beyond that 500 meters, all the spiritual flowers and herbs sprouted, and some fruit trees that had previously been planted in the park also transformed into spiritual fruits thanks to the spiritual rain during this tribulation. Although most of the park consisted of flowers and grasses that didn't bear fruit, a small portion was planted for ornamental purposes, such as peach trees, a few bayberry trees, a few pomegranate trees, a few plum trees, a persimmon tree, and a loquat tree. Good heavens! In this entire park, so large, only these few trees were within a 1-kilometer radius of the willow stump. And, coincidentally, only these few varieties were nourished by the spiritual rain; there were only a handful of such trees in the entire park.
After the national troops surrounded the area, nurses, ambulances, and fire trucks were all nearby. Look, there was only thick smoke, no open flames. Some special personnel from the military cordoned off the park, and a young officer quickly organized a review of the park's surveillance footage. They found no images on the monitors; everything was destroyed. This lightning strike had destroyed all the power systems.
It was just dawn, and the people inside the residential buildings hadn't gotten up yet, but the area downstairs was already packed with people. One after another, the patriarchs arrived at this place quickly from the air, their eyes gleaming with golden light. They all rushed to grab the spiritual flowers and herbs below, some hugging a tree, others picking a few spiritual flowers and stuffing them into their pockets.
Chaos reigned as people scrambled for the precious spiritual flowers and herbs, completely disregarding order. The young officer shouted orders to maintain order, but to no avail. The elders, with their profound skills, moved freely through the crowd, sweeping away all the spiritual flowers and herbs in their wake.
The sirens of fire trucks and ambulances blared incessantly, but they couldn't drown out the noise and chaos at the scene. Ordinary citizens could only watch helplessly from the sidelines, filled with both envy and resignation.
As dawn broke, the people nearby could see clearly. One of the officers, a very tall one, stood on a fire truck with a high platform. From his vantage point, he could see far and wide, and he could see that where the bridge had been bombed, there used to be a large tree stump, now completely gone, surrounded by charred blackness, with many tree roots still emitting wisps of smoke. The land within a 500-meter radius looked as if it had been turned upside down.
The remaining 500 meters of the kilometer mark were a battleground for cultivators from various factions. Although the area was a mess, it was clear that the outer edges had fewer spiritual flowers and herbs. The spiritual trees, in particular, were being dug up by elders and their disciples, who had brought cranes and excavators. Some were even fighting and arguing in mid-air, with no one trying to stop them. Whoever won the fight would get the tree. One persimmon tree, in particular, was being contested by three groups. Disciples and their followers quickly arrived.
The scene was a mess, filled with shouts, arguments, and the sounds of fighting. The persimmon tree swayed precariously in the struggle between the three parties, its branches torn off and leaves scattered on the ground. The other spirit trees were in no better shape; some trunks were deeply marked by the crane's cables, while others had their roots largely severed by excavators. The spirit flowers and herbs on the ground were trampled beyond recognition; the once vibrant blossoms were now broken and tattered, exuding a chaotic aura.
The officer standing on the gantry crane frowned, feeling extremely troubled by the chaotic scene before him, yet helpless.
Various forces arrived one after another. A black Hongqi sedan slowly drove up to the vicinity of the fire truck in the park. After getting out, the driver took a loudspeaker and said directly into the open space of the park: "Everyone has ten minutes. Take what you can, and what you can't take will belong to the state. Evacuate the site immediately within ten minutes. We will use all available firearms to solve everyone's problems."
When the various factions heard the new leader's announcement over the loudspeaker, the troops immediately pointed all their guns at the people in the park and began the timer. Ten minutes seemed short to many, but also long to others. Those with more disciples naturally took more of the spiritual flowers and herbs that could be taken. Those patriarchs from other provinces or cities outside of Rongcheng certainly took far less. Everyone was taken aback by this sudden move from the government; it seemed the government was about to intervene.
Ten minutes later, the countdown began: "10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, fire!" At the very last second, as the order to fire was given, all the ancestors vanished into thin air. A loquat tree, two peach trees, a bayberry tree, and a plum tree, still hanging on the excavator, remained at the scene. Even some inconspicuous wildflowers and herbs scattered in the corners were left behind in this chaotic scene. High-ranking national leaders dispatched many botanists to the area to oversee these remaining plants.
The park was surrounded by high walls, and electric fences were installed on the walls. A group of troops were assigned to guard the remaining flowers and plants.
The botanists carefully collected the overlooked rare flowers and herbs, meticulously recording and classifying them. Meanwhile, the soldiers stationed there stood solemnly, vigilantly watching all movements around them to ensure the safety of the area.
A light drizzle fell on the ground in the afternoon, turning into a torrential downpour in the evening. The spiritual flowers and herbs within a one-kilometer radius of the willow stump in the park had been almost completely dug up, but because of this rain, some spiritual flowers and herbs began to grow again within a 500-meter radius closest to the willow stump.
Nourished by the rain, these newly sprouted spiritual flowers and herbs appeared vibrant and fresh. Some were peeking out tender green shoots from the soil, while others were blooming with delicate flowers, emitting a captivating fragrance. However, because the park was now under strict surveillance, no one could easily approach this area, allowing these nascent spiritual flowers and herbs to grow in a relatively quiet environment.
The resurgence of these spiritual flowers and herbs prompted the top leaders of Rongcheng to immediately contact the central government, explaining the situation. The central government quickly dispatched a special department to take over the area. The Public Security Bureau also reported on the bridge-bombing incident at the park.
After taking over, they retrieved the main unit from the monitoring room and repaired it, allowing them to see various perplexing events that occurred before and after the bridge was blown up. They discovered that the biggest problem was the people living a quiet life sitting on the willow stump.
This discovery put the special task force on high alert, and they immediately launched an in-depth investigation and analysis around this clue, attempting to figure out the identity of this person, his purpose, and his connection to this series of strange events.
Through this small incident, they discovered where the willow stump came from, how much it cost, and why it was planted in this park. After it arrived in the park, it was always guarded. Why did the guards notice Lin Yue and Gong Yong? They had been tracking them for a year and a half.
As the investigation deepens, more details gradually surface. It turns out that a complex chain of interests and a dark secret lie hidden behind this. Lin Yue and Gong Yong are unwittingly drawn into this turmoil, and their lives are drastically changed. The special agency is determined to uncover the truth and bring the masterminds to justice.
The first to be caught was Xiao Chen, one of Wang's underlings, who was originally one of the officers in the "hat" unit. The investigation revealed a mole within the unit. Xiao Chen gave himself away when he called Wang, but no one alerted him; instead, they meticulously planned to arrest Wang.
When Xiao Chen called Wang Ge again to report on the investigation, revealing information and leaking secrets, Wang Ge asked Xiao Chen when they could meet. Through three elaborate schemes, they finally caught Wang Ge; the fish that had slipped through their fingers was now in the net.
After Wang was arrested, his master was implicated, and this thread gradually unraveled. As the clues became clearer, the hidden forces behind it gradually surfaced. The police followed the trail, leaving no detail overlooked, determined to completely dismantle this criminal network and restore order to society. From Wang's master, Master Zhang, who was also a spiritual practitioner, they discovered that Master Zhang's master was a feng shui master within the "Little Life" organization. This long chain of clues led back to "Little Life," and from Master Zhang, they learned that the willow tree was dug from deep within the Qinling Mountains.
During the excavation process, many people were injured. The local authorities couldn't heal them, and knowing that willow leaves could heal the injuries of cultivators, they transplanted the willow tree and planted it in this park. Why didn't they leave the country? Because they couldn't leave. They had tried several times to open customs channels to escape, but were unsuccessful due to customs smuggling. Finally, for safety, the willow stump was planted in this park for monitoring, thus also setting up a feng shui arrangement.
The findings of this series of investigations were shocking; it turned out that such a seemingly ordinary willow stump concealed a complex and dangerous conspiracy. Relevant departments are continuing their in-depth investigation, determined to uncover all the details of this conspiracy and identify all those involved, in order to safeguard national security and interests.
From Brother Wang, it was also discovered that the real estate company that approved the land for this residential area near the park had secretly arranged for three groups of people to submit bids. They had given many gifts to the government officials in charge of the bidding process, as well as to the people who approved the land and the highest-ranking official in charge of the approval.
The revelation of this shocking inside story caused a huge uproar. Relevant departments immediately launched a thorough investigation into the government personnel involved, resolutely cracking down on such illegal and disorderly conduct that harmed the interests of the country and the people. At the same time, they intensified their investigation and crackdown on the conspiracy secretly orchestrated by the "little devils," determined not to allow their scheme to succeed.
They also interrogated another of Wang's underlings and learned that there was an ancient tomb underground on the land next to the park. When they built this residential complex, they didn't build parking lots in part of the basement level, but instead created a space with stairs leading down. During the construction process, they opened the tomb passage and took out many cultural relics from the ancient tomb, which were then auctioned off in overseas markets, earning them a large amount of money.
From the moment the land was approved for construction, it was known that there were abundant treasures beneath the surface. Construction was divided into two phases, and the site is now halfway complete. The sales office has almost sold out all the apartments. The development is essentially in its final stages. As for the items inside the underground bunker accessible through a secret door in the parking garage on level -2, those items have also been nearly sold off.
This astonishing discovery has made the entire incident more complex and serious, involving the theft and illegal sale of cultural relics. Measures must be taken as soon as possible to recover the stolen cultural relics and bring the criminals to justice in order to protect the country's historical and cultural heritage.
As they apprehended Wang Ge's henchmen and interrogated them one by one, uncovering all sorts of bizarre stories, the scope of the matter expanded. Ironically, the fact that one of his henchmen, Chen Ge, had been monitoring Lin Yue and Gong Yong for a year and a half became less important.
Because special personnel also learned during Xiao Chen's interrogation that Xiao Chen had been having people monitor Lin Yue and Gong Yong. Lin Yue and Gong Yong appeared to be ordinary citizens with no problems, and this went undetected, raising suspicions. Officer Xiao Xue, wearing a hat, said they were following them. After the state took over the case, due to numerous other matters, they neglected the issue of Gong Yong and Lin Yue.
This does not mean that Gong Yong and Lin Yue have completely escaped the sight of the relevant departments. As the investigation deepens and other clues continue to emerge, they may once again become the focus of attention at some point in the future. But at present, it is more urgent and important to deal with the serious illegal and criminal activities that have already surfaced.