Chapter 212: Too Arrogant
It was only then that Wang An realized this back room was actually a separate building in the backyard, though the two buildings were very close, connected by a corridor.
Walking out the back door of the front house led straight into a corridor, and past that corridor was the front door of the backyard house. That was the whole setup.
To put it bluntly, the design of this house was a complete freak show—it was like planting crops across a road!
However, when Wang An stepped into the backyard house, he suddenly discovered that he had clearly walked into an armory!
Mortars, Type 67 light/heavy dual-purpose machine guns, Type 56-1 light machine guns, Type 56 submachine guns, Type 56 semi-automatic rifles, as well as Type 54 pistols and grenades!
These weapons were visible because they were stored in open wooden crates. Beneath these open crates were many more identical wooden boxes with lids closed, which likely contained the same types of weapons.
Of course, there were also ammunition boxes and shell crates, stacked directly up to the ceiling in piles. There was a serious amount of gear here!
By a rough estimate, these weapons could equip at least a company—a force of over a hundred people!
Wang An couldn't figure it out. The county clearly had a garrison compound; why weren't the weapons and ammunition kept there instead of at Wu Dong's house?
Thus, Wang An asked Wang Shuai in confusion, "Brother Wang, is this the county's armory?"
Wang Shuai replied casually, "No, this stuff is just being kept here temporarily. It'll probably be moved soon. This house is mainly used for storing bullets, and these bullets aren't for war preparations; they're for the militia in the various villages."
Wang An nodded with a smile. "Haha, I was wondering what the four of you were planning to do with so much gear. Planning something big?"
Hearing this, Wang Shuai burst out laughing and said, "You can't talk like that carelessly; it's an easy way to get shot."
"Hahaha, just joking," Wang An laughed.
After the three of them each carried a box onto the sled, they prepared to take their leave.
Suddenly, Wu Dong slapped his forehead and said with annoyance, "Look at my head, I almost forgot!" As he spoke, Wu Dong ran back into the house and returned holding a bag.
Handing the bag to Wang An, Wu Dong teased, "I heard from Captain Liu that you helped him earn some merit a couple of days ago?"
Wang An was baffled by the question and asked in confusion, "Captain Liu earned merit? And I helped? How could I have helped?"
Wu Dong looked at Wang An with an expression that suggested he already knew the truth. "Stop playing dumb. Don't tell me you weren't the one who caught those three thugs from Ice City."
Wang An finally realized what was happening and said with a smile, "You mean those three idiots? Hahaha, there should have been a pretty large group of them, right?"
Wu Dong suddenly sounded very regretful. "Yeah, over thirty people. They got wiped out in one go before they could do a thing. That merit is seriously significant!"
Immediately after, Wu Dong added with a face full of grievances, "The thing is, I had nothing to do with this merit. Can you believe how fucked over that is?"
After speaking, Wu Dong looked at the three boxes of ammunition on the sled and smacked his lips, practically saying: *I'm such a reliable guy, you should have come to me directly. How could you let the merit go to someone else?*
Wang An looked at Wu Dong, not knowing what to say. Given the situation at the time, how could he have possibly found Wu Dong?
However, looking at the situation, it seemed Captain Liu had hidden part of the truth.
So, Wang An gave a brief recount of what happened that day. After listening, Wu Dong scratched his head sheepishly and began cursing Liu Meng, explaining the relationship between himself and Liu Meng as he cursed.
It turned out that while Liu Meng and Wu Dong were very close comrades in private, they were in a competitive relationship at work. They were currently at the same rank, but both wanted to earn as much merit as possible to be the first to be promoted to a leadership position.
And their goal in becoming leaders was actually so they could scold the other and make the other obey them!!
Wang An was instantly speechless, feeling a headache coming on. But he had to admit that while the thinking of these "second-generation" types was unique, it was, in any case, a positive and upwardly mobile ambition.
Wang An thought about it and decided not to tell Wu Dong about the Stone Mountain matter for the time being. He would wait a while before mentioning it; after all, this wasn't something to play around with.
Although the three of them hadn't left any traces, what if some clue was discovered?
If Wu Dong's influence wasn't enough to cover it, wouldn't the three of them be screwed?
Sometimes, it was better for a person to be a bit selfish!
After chatting for a few more minutes of useless nonsense, Wang An declined the invitation from Wang Shuai and the others, driving the sled away with Mu Xueli and Wang Li.
On the road, Wang An told Mu Xueli and Wang Li to keep holding their guns and shared the salesperson's implication and his own suspicions.
Hearing this, Mu Xueli and Wang Li immediately became nervous, clutching their guns and glancing around everywhere.
Once they passed the bend in the road, Wang An felt they were likely safe, so he took out some cigarettes to share with Mu Xueli and Wang Li. But before the three of them could light them, Mu Xueli suddenly said, "Brother-in-law, there's the sound of horses behind us, and it's more than one."
Hearing this, Wang An and Wang Li immediately stopped lighting their cigarettes and strained their ears to listen, but neither of them heard a thing!
Wang Li asked in confusion, "How come I don't hear anything?"
But who was Wang An? Wang An might have a slightly lower guard against prey in the mountains because animals are animals; no matter how smart they are, they don't have as many schemes and twists as humans!
But when facing humans—especially bandits, drifters, and thugs—Wang An understood them all too well. After all, in an era of gun control, what normal person would buy firearms and ammunition?
Therefore, when dealing with such people, Wang An would rather over-prepare than risk his own safety.
Of course, this was also a habit formed from his previous life selling guns. In the gun-running business, whether it was the authorities or competitors, everyone was a source of danger!
The authorities would arrest you to claim merit, and competitors would rob you blind!
One must realize that "black-eating-black" was the standard operation in the underworld. Aside from money being the only thing that mattered, where was there any room for morality?
So, although Wang An heard nothing, he immediately drove the Big Blue Horse toward the woods. It would be best if nothing happened, and then he could just drive the sled back out. But if there really were some scumbags, he'd just finish them!
"If a fight breaks out in a moment, neither of you is allowed to hold back. Aim specifically for the head. Do you understand?" Wang An said menacingly.
"Yes, Brother-in-law (Fourth Brother)!" the two replied simultaneously, their voices trembling.
It was clear they were very nervous and scared. After all, they had probably fought very few times in their lives; it was only natural to be afraid when asked to use guns to kill people.
Although it wasn't yet confirmed if there were people on horses, or if those people were actually chasing them, Wang An was currently very angry, and his entire aura was filled with hostility!
Just as eyesight varies, hearing varies as well. Therefore, Wang An was convinced that what Mu Xueli heard was correct.
The thugs of this era were truly something else, daring to chase people all the way to their homes. They were simply too arrogant!
After entering the woods, the three of them hurriedly tied the Big Blue Horse to a tree and hid separately in the bushes.
About half a minute later, the three of them heard the "clop-clop" of horses running outside the forest, the shouts of "Giddy-up!" from the riders, and the sound of whips striking horses.
But immediately following that came the sound of cursing: "The sled went into the woods! All of you get back here! Are you all blind?"
As soon as the man finished speaking, there was a "bang" of a gunshot, followed by the man grumbling, "Every single one of you is a fucking idiot."