Even if someone believed Liu Chuan's words, there was no way to verify the matter, so Zhuang Rui was too lazy to explain it to him anymore. Let him go; it would give them an extra manpower to move the gold.
After a quick wash, Zhuang Rui went to the front yard to see Zhou Rui, who was chatting with Peng Fei. They were from the same unit, and Zhou Rui was Peng Fei's former squad leader. Their friendship was much deeper than that of "Buddha" at the Ruili border station.
"Brother Hao, why don't you come along too..."
After meeting Zhou Rui in the front yard, Zhuang Rui thought for a moment and decided to bring Hao Long along. Firstly, Hao Long was introduced by Ouyang Lei, so his loyalty should be guaranteed. Secondly, Hao Long, like Peng Fei, was a security guard he had hired.
If this matter is kept from Hao Long, it will definitely create a rift between them in the future. It's better to bring them all along. After the matter is over, he will give each of them a sum of money, and let them choose whether to stay or leave. However, Zhuang Rui believes that they will all stay.
Two hours later, Zhuang Rui and his group of five boarded a flight to Yunnan. However, Zhuang Rui looked a bit disheveled because he had been severely scolded by his mother when he left home.
Although Ouyang Wan doesn't usually concern herself with her son's affairs, today is the Little New Year, and even Zhuang Min and Zhao Guodong have come to Beijing. The family could have gathered together for a meal, but her son is going out again, which makes Ouyang Wan very unhappy. Although she eventually lets him go, she still reminisces about the time when she was a teacher disciplining her students.
After getting off the plane, it was already afternoon. Zhuang Rui and the others did not go to Ruili, but instead found a hotel in Mangshi and registered several rooms. Only then did Zhuang Rui tell Liu Chuan and the others the purpose of their trip.
When Zhou Rui and the others heard this, it was like hearing a fairy tale. However, since they were already in Yunnan, they figured Zhuang Rui wouldn't lie to them.
Since it wasn't something that had been smuggled out of China, there was no psychological burden in taking it. So, after their initial shock, Zhou Rui and Hao Long quickly adjusted their mindset. Going abroad to carry out missions wasn't a first for them.
As for Liu Chuan, he was even more excited. After hearing Zhuang Rui say that he had killed a leopard, he kept shouting that he wanted to go to Myanmar to kill a tiger. Zhuang Rui naturally chose to ignore what he said.
"Alright, let's divide the tasks now. We need a car to get to the helicopter location, so Peng Fei will handle that. Hao Ge and Zhou Ge, let's go to the mall together and buy four backpacks, as large as possible but inconspicuous, and also some foldable suitcases..."
After explaining the whole story to the group, Zhuang Rui began assigning tasks.
Because the boxes inside the cave had Japanese writing on them, the gold in the tin boxes had to be taken out and put back into the box he brought with him. Zhuang Rui knew of a foldable canvas box with wheels that was perfect for storing gold.
Chapter 514 Unveiling the Treasure (Part 2)
As for buying a backpack, Zhuang Rui had considered the batch of jewelry.
Zhuang Rui didn't look closely that day, but the so-called thirty boxes of jewelry was probably a translation error by Peng Fei. It would be more accurate to call it thirty boxes. Each box was not large, similar to the lacquer boxes used by ordinary people in Pingyao, Shanxi.
Zhuang Rui didn't want to hand over those jewels to Hu Rong because some of them had Burmese characteristics, and Hu Rong would definitely be able to recognize them.
Fortunately, there weren't many things, and they were all small items, so Zhuang Rui prepared several backpacks, one for each person. ...
Arriving at the largest shopping mall in Mangshi, Zhuang Rui took a fancy to a box that folded up to be only a thin layer, made of green canvas, with a soft leather lining. It was quite suitable for temporarily storing gold.
According to the salesperson, many people who come to Yunnan to gamble on stones use this kind of box to store their raw stones. Zhuang Rui asked and found that they still had fifty in stock, which he ordered.
These boxes are quite large. Zhuang Rui measured them and estimated that they could easily hold one or two hundred gold bars. The gold bars were quite large; although he didn't lift them, Zhuang Rui estimated that each one weighed two or three pounds. They were probably made by the Japanese using molds after being melted down for easier transport.
However, even when folded up, these boxes still took up a considerable amount of space. Helpless, Zhuang Rui called Peng Fei and asked him to find a passenger and cargo vehicle.
As the mall was about to close in the evening, Peng Fei drove up in a small truck that could seat four people in the front and had a container in the back, and that's how he managed to put all the dozens of boxes inside.
Nothing happened that night. The next morning around four o'clock, the group drove to the China-Myanmar border. Zhuang Rui had already obtained the coordinates from Ouyang Lei. Peng Fei knew the terrain like the back of his hand. After looking at the coordinates, he didn't even need a map and drove straight there.
However, when they were still more than ten kilometers away from the coordinates, they were stopped and checked several times because a small-scale military exercise was taking place in the area, and soldiers were guarding several main passages.
After learning that Zhuang Rui planned to directly use the other seven tons of gold in Myanmar, Ouyang Lei openly submitted a written document to several senior officials of the Central Military Commission for approval. The subject was naturally that a certain patriotic person had donated a batch of gold to the country, and the military needed to provide certain cooperation.
This matter was initiated by Ouyang Lei, so naturally he was put in charge. Thus, the XXX Special Forces Division came to be conducting this exercise.
After Zhuang Rui relayed the password given to him by Ouyang Lei, he proceeded without hindrance and arrived at the coordinates.
"Holy crap, that's a huge helicopter!"
Before even getting out of the car, Liu Chuan excitedly shouted as he spotted a helicopter in the distance. In front of them was an open space covering several hundred square meters, surrounded by weeds, where a helicopter was quietly parked.
This helicopter is quite large, at least twice the size of the beat-up helicopter Zhuang Rui rode in Myanmar, and it's entirely military green.
However, the areas on both sides of the cabin that should have had five stars and the August 1st mark were painted with a layer of black paint, which looked a little out of place.
There's nothing we can do about it, since this isn't exactly aboveboard. If the helicopter were discovered by the Myanmar military within Myanmar's borders and had no markings, there would be some room for maneuver.
Of course, the chances of being discovered are quite small, because there are hardly any troops stationed on the China-Myanmar border. Even the Burmese military government, which couldn't defeat the defeated Kuomintang troops back then, knows that it would be useless to station more troops on the China-Myanmar border, so they simply transferred most of their troops to the area where northern Myanmar borders India.
"There aren't many of these helicopters in the country. Sergeant, who do you want to fly, or should I?"
Peng Fei parked the car next to the helicopter and turned to ask Zhou Rui. Since the car could only seat four people, Zhou Rui, Hao Long, and Peng Fei were squeezed into the back row.
"You drive it, I haven't touched this in years, I'm out of practice..."
Zhou Rui knew that in terms of military skills and the use of these equipment, he was still inferior to Peng Fei. When Zhou Rui retired from the military, Peng Fei was already a recognized king of soldiers.
Zhuang Rui got out of the car and exchanged passwords with a captain who was guarding the helicopter. The passwords were complicated; of course, they weren't something like "Heavenly King covers the Earth Tiger Pagoda suppresses the River Demon," but rather a combination of numbers and English letters.
Upon hearing that Zhuang Rui's password was correct, the officer handed over the helicopter to Zhuang Rui without even checking his identification, and told him about the helicopter's configuration, fuel capacity, and flight time.
Some friends may think this is too hasty, but that's how it is in the military. Orders must be obeyed without question. This is the discipline of the military, unlike the fussing of local police. Anyone who has served in the military knows that in the military, an order is an order, and there is no room for negotiation.
There were also some plastic explosives on the plane, which Zhuang Rui specifically requested. Due to the short time and the strict control over these things in China, even if Peng Fei was very capable, he couldn't get these things. So Zhuang Rui asked Ouyang Lei for some. We couldn't very well use shovels to dig open the collapsed hole later, could we?
After the captain finished the handover, he drove away. His orders were to return in 24 hours. As for what the helicopter was doing or who would be piloting it, that was none of his business.
After the group moved all the boxes and backpacks onto the huge helicopter, Peng Fei sat in the pilot's seat, started the engine, and slowly took off.
The helicopter's cabin door is sealed. Once the door is closed, the noise from the wind and the rotors immediately decreases, unlike the crappy helicopter I rode in in Myanmar, where my mouth was immediately filled with air.
"Awesome, awesome! Damn, you've got a life this exciting! I can't believe it, I'm moving to Beijing too, I'll move into your courtyard house, and I'll follow you wherever you go..."
This was Liu Chuan's first time in a helicopter, and he was gesturing wildly in the cabin. He regretted not bringing a camera; otherwise, he could have taken a picture, which would have been so impressive.
"What a load of rubbish! You'd follow me into bed with my wife?"
Zhuang Rui glared at Liu Chuan in annoyance. He should have asked Ouyang Lei to get a beat-up plane so that Liu Chuan could experience the turbulence.
Peng Fei piloted the helicopter along the edge of the Savage Mountain Range, flying into Myanmar. The dense jungle came into view again for Zhuang Rui. Looking at the familiar scenery below, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but touch his left shoulder; it was still throbbing slightly. ...
"Old squad leader, could you help me estimate the landing site?"
After a two-hour flight, the helicopter arrived at the hillside where the cave containing the gold was located. Fortunately, there were no tall trees there, so the helicopter could barely land.
The strong wind generated by the propellers caused the withered yellow weeds on the ground to stick tightly to the ground, and even the smaller rocks rolled around. After several corrections, the helicopter slowly landed.
At this moment, Peng Fei's forehead was also covered with beads of sweat the size of soybeans. You must know that flying an aircraft in mountainous terrain is an absolute test for any pilot.
Zhuang Rui glanced at his watch; it was 10:20. He couldn't contact Hu Rong from here, so he could only move the gold and head straight to the mine, trusting that Hu Rong would have someone waiting there.
After getting off the helicopter, the group took entrenching tools and, following Zhuang Rui's directions, cleared away the weeds around the collapsed cave entrance. Peng Fei measured the height of the cave and set up a bombing point at each of the four corners.
"boom!"
A loud explosion rang out, and rubble shot out from the cave entrance, hitting the helicopter with a crackling sound and leaving white spots on its outer shell.
After the dust settled, a dark, meter-high opening appeared before them. Liu Chuan, being recklessly bold, immediately threw down his shovel and ran towards the opening. Peng Fei tried to stop him but couldn't, shouting from behind, "Wait a bit before going in! The cave has been sealed for too long; let it ventilate a bit..."
"My goodness, what a huge snake..."
Before Peng Fei could finish speaking, Liu Chuan came running back in a panic, pointing at the cave entrance with one hand, clearly terrified.
The Burmese python that Zhuang Rui had seen last time swayed as it crawled out of the cave. It seemed that the explosion had left it somewhat disoriented. It circled the cave entrance for a while before slowly disappearing into the grass.
The cave wasn't very big, only about 20 meters long. After waiting for more than half an hour and clearing away the rubble at the entrance, Peng Fei took a flashlight and went first, followed by the others. Zhou Rui stayed outside to keep watch.
"Cough cough... This... this is all gold?"
After entering the cave, the group shook off the dust on the cave walls, causing Liu Chuan to cough as soon as he opened his mouth.
The cave had clearly been modified by Japanese soldiers. Although it was not long, it was very wide, and three or four people could stand inside side by side. At the end of the cave, more than a dozen boxes stacked together were presented in front of the group.
Each box is the same size, about two meters long, and about one meter high and wide. These boxes are not entirely made of sheet metal; some wood can be seen at the joints. When two boxes are stacked together, the height exceeds two meters.
Each box was sealed with a seal, but by now it had long since turned to dust, and only a few traces could be seen.
On the box facing Zhuang Rui and the others, there was an iron lock, which was also covered in rust.
"Liu Chuan, no! Be careful!"
Liu Chuan took a shovel and shoveled at the iron lock. Suddenly, the two boxes stacked together fell apart.
The broken box and the palm-sized gold brick, gleaming brightly under the lights, crashed down on Liu Chuan.
Chapter 515 Share Transactions
While a house full of gold and jade is everyone's dream, being hit by a gold brick that is only the size of a baby's palm, extremely thin and extremely heavy, is not a pleasant thing.
Although Peng Fei warned Liu Chuan before the box broke and pulled him back, Liu Chuan still couldn't completely dodge it. A gold brick that slid down from the box above grazed his head, and blood immediately gushed out.
"Holy crap, this isn't gold, it's a bomb..."
Blood dripped from his forehead into his mouth, and Liu Chuan screamed. He wiped his hand with it and looked at it under the light; his hand was covered in blood.
"Get out of here, get out of here first. Peng Fei, bandage up Da Chuan..."
Seeing the chaotic scene inside the cave, Zhuang Rui couldn't help but regret bringing Liu Chuan along. He was good at causing trouble, but not at getting things done.
Fortunately, Liu Chuan only had a cut on his forehead and didn't need bandaging. Peng Fei took a bottle of mineral water from the helicopter, cleaned it for him, and then applied a Band-Aid. There was nothing seriously wrong with him.
While Liu Chuan was treating his wounds, Zhuang Rui examined the gold brick in his hand, which he had casually picked up when he came out of the cave.
This gold brick is only four or five centimeters long, about two centimeters wide, and less than one centimeter thick. It's more like a gold bar. Although it's very small, it feels heavy in your hand and shines with a dazzling golden light in the sunlight.
Zhuang Rui estimated that this tiny bit should weigh about 1,000 grams, or about one kilogram. Although Zhuang Rui knew that the specific gravity of gold was 19.32, he did not expect that such a small amount would be so heavy.
"It seems different from what I saw that day?"
Zhuang Rui was somewhat puzzled. What he had seen that day were large gold bricks. Thinking of this, Zhuang Rui turned his head and used his spiritual energy to look directly into the cave.
"So that's how it is..."
After careful observation, Zhuang Rui realized that the large gold bricks were actually formed by arranging these smaller gold bricks together, and at first glance, they looked like a single, complete large gold brick.
Moreover, these boxes didn't contain only gold bars. In one box, which was about half a person tall, most of the space was filled with wooden frames, on which the gold was neatly arranged.
"Damn, oh my, how come there's still so much wood?"
As Zhuang Rui was looking at the gold, Liu Chuan's shout came from inside the cave again. Then, the guy ran out, a wooden splinter stuck in his palm, which he was pointing at the sunlight and trying to poke out.
"Don't go in, kid. Those pieces of wood are for load-bearing. Gold is denser than most metals, so it needs to be separated to move it. If you put it all in one box, there won't be any cranes available..."
Zhuang Rui also figured out the crux of the matter. He got up, took a few boxes from the helicopter, and went back inside with Peng Fei and Hao Long.
Once inside the cave, Peng Fei attached two powerful spotlights to the rock wall, instantly illuminating the cave.
"No, each box can only hold a maximum of 100 yuan. Any heavier and it won't hold up..."
When Zhuang Rui was sorting through the gold bricks, he checked the quantity. When he had about 100 bricks, he zipped up the box and tried to lift it. He couldn't lift it with one hand at all.