Chapter 341: Ambition Knows No Age
Sun Nian didn't actually know how to skin a wolf; mainly because she had never done it before.
However, at this moment, Sun Nian was doing it simply to soothe her anxious mood.
Besides, skinning was nothing more than separating the hide from the meat, so whether she knew how or not didn't really matter—as long as she knew how to use a knife.
It had to be said that the dagger was truly sharp. In a short amount of time, palm-sized pieces of wolf hide were perfectly sliced away by Sun Nian.
By the time Sun Nian had cleaned off all the furry parts of the wolf, she was surrounded by small scraps of wolf skin.
As for gutting the wolf, Sun Nian didn't dare. If she messed that up, she would end up in the embarrassing situation of "wolf droppings as far as the eye can see."
Just as Sun Nian was about to put the knife to the second wolf, the nearest five-person squad that had received her distress signal finally arrived, panting for breath.
Seeing the teammates who had come to support her, Sun Nian's eyes couldn't help but moisten. Facing such a situation alone had been far too helpless.
Truth be told, the scene was a bit awkward. The five who arrived were from the military, while Sun Nian was now with the police. Furthermore, they knew Sun Nian, but Sun Nian couldn't call a single one of them by name.
But regardless, they were brothers and sisters in the same trench. Moreover, at this stage, they still had to follow Sun Nian's command!
After a few brief pleasantries, the five of them nimbly fashioned a simple stretcher.
Working together, they tucked Che Yongping into a sleeping bag and moved him onto the stretcher, and Sun Nian's military overcoat finally returned to her shoulders.
After exchanging salutes, the five of them carried Che Yongping away.
As the general commander of these 100 people, Sun Nian could not descend the mountain under any circumstances until the mission was completed or a retreat order was received.
Thus, Sun Nian remained on the mountain alone. It was her duty, so there was no room for sentimentality!
However, after the five informed the other teammates that the "rescue was successful," they left behind the functioning radio and took the malfunctioning one with them.
Watching their departing figures, Sun Nian prayed silently that Che Yongping would recover safely.
After they left, the sky had completely darkened. With a working radio, command authority returned to Sun Nian's hands.
While checking in with the other teammates, Sun Nian learned that the three teammates without radios had already merged with other squads, allowing her to finally set her mind at ease.
Being alone, Sun Nian actually hoped they would come and join her, but her stubborn pride and desire to save face kept her from speaking up.
It had to be said that those who are overly strong-willed are inevitably the ones who suffer the most.
Finding another sheltered spot, Sun Nian started another fire. Since it was now dark, no matter how anxious she was for Zhang Shuya, Sun Nian had to stop the search.
The long night was about to begin, and Sun Nian didn't dare sleep.
So, Sun Nian chopped off four legs from the skinned wolf carcass and dragged over another unskinned wolf carcass, sitting down by the fire.
Then, Sun Nian began to guard the fire and roast wolf meat. Just as she was staring absently into the flames, she suddenly heard someone calling her.
"Captain Sun, are you there?"
"Captain Sun, is that you?"
Hearing the shouts, Sun Nian immediately stood up in joy. Looking at the three people running toward her, her pretty little face instantly beamed like a flower, and she shouted happily
"Yes, it's me! I'm over here!"
When the three reached her, Sun Nian hugged one of them—the only female colleague—and nearly burst into tears.
Sun Nian swore to herself that she would never fucking divide the groups blindly again.
Meanwhile, Wang An and the others were finally about to exit the mountains.
Before leaving the mountains, while passing through a wide area, Wang An called a halt to the big horse. He waited for Mu Xueli and Wang Li to catch up.
Wang An turned back and raised his voice to Mu Xueli and Wang Li
"You two bring the sleds over. Put these pigs on your sleds, and then take them straight to my house. I'll head directly to the commune in a bit."
The two were very confused upon hearing this, because Kaoshan Village was a necessary stop on the way to the Xing'an Commune. In other words, it would only take a tiny bit of extra time for Wang An to unload the meat at home and then proceed to the commune.
Though confused, they were very obedient and agreed simultaneously: "Alright, Fourth Brother (Brother-in-law)!"
Following that, Wang An added: "Right, when you unload the meat, each of you keep three or four pieces of the yellow-haired pig meat to take back and eat. Also, take plenty of the blast-ovary meat and offal; otherwise, you'll have to feed the dogs grain."
"Alright, Fourth Brother."
"Yup, Brother-in-law."
The two replied almost at the same time.
Together, the three of them moved all the meat from Wang An's sled to Mu Xueli's and Wang Li's sleds. Then, they parted ways, as Wang An told the two to go ahead while he drove his sled via a detour.
Zhang Shuya and Ninth Brother saw Wang An and the others making such a fuss, but they said nothing and asked nothing.
Because these two—one a criminal police officer and the other a bandit leader—were both "special" types of people.
Therefore, they both understood why Wang An was doing this.
In truth, Wang An did this simply to avoid a lot of trouble.
Wang An had seen too many people like Ninth Brother in his previous life; if they decided to seek revenge, it was something no one could endure.
Thus, Wang An did not want Ninth Brother, who was on the sled, to know where his home was.
Even though Ninth Brother was now crippled and no longer a threat, Wang An still wanted to be safe.
As long as Ninth Brother wasn't dead, he would always be a source of anxiety for Wang An. After all, Ninth Brother had become this pathetic state entirely because of Wang An's handiwork.
Even with the detour, the three of them soon arrived at the Xing'an Commune Police Station.
Calling it a police station was generous; it was actually just three brick-and-tile rooms. The east room was for office work, the west room for interrogation, and the outer room served as the reception and duty room.
When Wang An entered the door carrying Ninth Brother and Zhang Shuya, only one policeman was on duty. This policeman seemed to have not eaten yet; he was hovering by the stove, intently watching an aluminum lunch box.
Seeing the three enter, the young policeman looked up, stood up, and asked in confusion
"Are you three here to report a case?"
When the policeman's gaze shifted to the hands dangling from Wang An's chest—which belonged to Ninth Brother—his brow immediately furrowed.
When he looked down at where Wang An's arms were—which were Ninth Brother's legs—his eyes narrowed, and his face became solemn and serious.
Most policemen of this era had been soldiers who were resettled after discharge.
It was normal for soldiers of this era not to have been on a real battlefield, but whether executing missions or doing whatever else, it was absolutely impossible for them to have never handled a gun or not know what a gunshot wound looked like.
Thus, with just one glance, the policeman knew the severity of the situation.
At this moment, Zhang Shuya spoke: "Hello, I am Zhang Shuya, Captain of the Third Detachment of the Bingcheng Municipal Criminal Police Branch."
Hearing this, Wang An instantly felt that this woman's position was truly not low!
Because a municipal-level Captain was already a section-level cadre.
In Wang An's view, Zhang Shuya's age should be under 25, but a section-level official in her twenties? Who could believe that?
One must realize that the director of a county's Public Security Bureau was only at the section level.
It had to be said that while ambition knows no age, being impressive also has nothing to do with age.
(End of Chapter)