After tightening the saddle, securing the stirrups, and finally fitting the bit into the horse's mouth, Wang An thought for a moment and slung his Type 56 Semi-automatic rifle across his back.
While the Type 54 was convenient to carry and possessed decent power, the Type 56 Semi was far more useful for long-distance engagements.
With everything prepared, Wang An vaulted onto the horse and galloped off in the direction of Yangshu Village.
A horse-drawn carriage, if driven at a full sprint, wasn't as fast as a riding horse, but it was certainly not slow.
Furthermore, Niu Daming had sensed something was wrong early on and had been driving the carriage like a madman. Wang An, on the other hand, had gone home first before starting his pursuit. Because one was fleeing and the other was chasing, the distance between them had widened.
By the time Wang An reached Yangshu Village, he found that he still hadn't caught up with Niu Daming and his companion. At this point, Wang An was basically certain that there was something wrong with these two.
Normally, one wouldn't drive a carriage at a frantic gallop. The reason was that when a horse is pulling a carriage without a heavy load, the horse naturally maintains a brisk walking pace.
The locals referred to this state as the "coward's step."
In reality, the speed of a carriage in this "coward's step" was actually slightly faster than a horse at a trot.
Yet, Niu Daming and the other man had abandoned this already efficient speed in favor of a frantic gallop. If Niu Daming wasn't an idiot, there was only one explanation that made sense.
It was that Niu Daming and his companion had felt guilty the moment they saw Wang An!
But why would they feel guilty? Wang An pondered this for a long time, unable to figure it out.
Thus, as he urged his horse forward, he filtered through everything that had happened recently in his mind.
It had to be said that overthinking everything was a risk, but once you reached a critical point, it often took only one other related detail—a gentle nudge—to suddenly clear the fog, as if a hidden path had finally revealed itself.
So, just as Wang An reached a bend in the road, his nerves instinctively tightening as he finally caught up to Niu Daming and the other man...
Wang An finally remembered that map drawn on cigarette paper.
Without a doubt, the person who drew the map knew Kaoshan Village very well. Otherwise, an outsider would never have known about the small paths that even Wang An's family rarely used.
Therefore, there was only one conclusion: the person who drew the map was a villager from Kaoshan Village.
When thinking about who held a grudge against him, Wang An could only think of Niu Daming.
Mainly because of that incident at the grinding road; Niu Daming had been beaten quite miserably by Wang An, and the blame had been pinned on him. Not only had he been beaten, but he had to take the fall for it.
Thinking about it, he actually felt a bit of sympathy for Niu Daming's frustration and cowardice.
As for Niu Dali, although he had been somewhat tricked by Wang An, to be fair, Wang An hadn't been the one to tell him to raid Xiong Cangzi's warehouse. He could only blame Niu Dali for overestimating his own abilities—wanting to get rich without having the strength to do so.
Then there was the matter of Wang An and Lu Yueyue. Although they had indeed played the "quack quack quack" game stark naked right in front of Niu Dali...
Niu Dali had been fast asleep at the time, completely unconscious.
Moreover, at this moment, Niu Dali's fate—whether he was dead or alive—was unknown.
As for Li Biao, Wang An felt that while their relationship had become extremely strained, it hadn't reached the level of a blood feud.
Because although Li Biao had lost an "egg," the shattering of that "egg" couldn't possibly be blamed on Wang An!
Therefore, Wang An concluded that the person who drew the map was undoubtedly that lazy dog, Niu Daming.
As for that familiar stranger, Wang An was basically certain that the kid had played a dishonorable role in the middle of it all.
At this thought, Wang An's rage erupted, and a murderous intent surged to the top of his head.
As a member of the village, this bastard actually dared to lead bandits from the outside into the village. Most importantly, the targets were his own family.
This was truly a case of an old lady drinking arsenic—he was tired of living!
Although the bandits from LQ County had already been eliminated by Wang An and Zhang Shuya, and even the ringleader Xing Liwen had been taken down, a man like Wang An would never let Niu Daming and that malicious kid off the hook.
Wang An slowed his horse, his mind calculating how to kill these two quietly and without leaving a trace.
Many people might find it puzzling: why was Wang An so unscrupulous when killing people before, yet now, when it came to Niu Daming and this kid, he became so cautious and had to deliberate over the method?
This was because when Wang An had ridden out just now, he had been seen by the people of both Kaoshan Village and Yangshu Village.
Therefore, he couldn't rule out the possibility that they had also seen Niu Daming and his companion driving the carriage frantically.
Most importantly, locals like Niu Daming had homes, property, and official identities.
If such a person were killed without reason, it would be fine if they disappeared completely without a trace, but if even a shred of evidence were found, it would be incredibly troublesome.
One must never underestimate anyone, especially the capabilities of the "hat uncles" (police). If they actually got serious, they were absolutely formidable.
One must always remember the phrase: "Pick the soft persimmon to squeeze."
The people Wang An had killed previously were all drifters or outsiders.
To some extent, some of them were habitual criminals who had committed crimes elsewhere and were on the run.
For such people to disappear in the deep mountains was extremely normal. Regardless of the reason for their disappearance, there was simply nowhere to look for them.
The key was that no one knew and no one cared!
Would anyone waste a massive amount of manpower and resources to track down a person with no identity?
This wasn't the future; in this era, people needed letters of introduction to travel, otherwise, they had nothing to prove their identity!
Therefore, before killing someone, you had to be clear about what kind of person you were killing!
Most importantly, it had to be someone whose death wouldn't be relentlessly pursued.
Killing indiscriminately without regard for the consequences was something only madmen and fools would do. As long as one's brain wasn't filled with shit, they wouldn't act even if they wanted the other person dead.
Although Wang An slowed down, he knew that Niu Daming and the other man had already seen him, because the two of them were frequently looking back, as if they knew Wang An would chase them.
After a moment of thought, Wang An decided to emulate Xing Liwen: spend some money and find two people to handle the job.
Regardless, Wang An was determined to ensure these two went to seek the teachings of the Buddha safely and smoothly.
With this in mind, Wang An urged his horse into a gallop once more. Since they had already spotted him, there was no need to hide.
As he passed Niu Daming's carriage, the two men were visibly uncomfortable upon seeing him.
The kid next to Niu Daming was not only uncomfortable but also wore a face full of terror.
Niu Daming took the initiative to speak again: "Heading to the county town, Xiao An?"
(End of Chapter)