69novels Chapter 14 Surveying Waterways
Chapter 14 Surveying Waterways
As soon as it was light, Li Ranmo put on his old clothes that were covered in mud.
The clothes smelled musty, and the sleeves were too short. Shen Qiushui stood beside them, her brows furrowed so deeply they could trap a fly.
"Are you really going to go out like this?"
"Otherwise what?" Li Ranmo pulled his top hat down over his head, the brim pulled low. "The truck carrying the corpses leaves at 6:30, and I have to sneak in before then."
Shen Qiushui sighed and took out an oil paper package from her bosom.
"Two steamed buns, to eat on the way."
Li Ranmo took the steamed bun and stuffed it into his pocket.
"Remember to put the flowerpots on the windowsill back in place."
"I know," Shen Qiushui said. "If white chrysanthemums are displayed, it means it's safe. If they're not, it means something has happened."
Li Ran nodded and went out the door.
The corridor was quiet; the early shift caregiver hadn't arrived yet.
He walked to the back door on the first floor, where the trolley for transporting corpses was already parked. Two elderly caregivers were quickly lifting a body wrapped in a white sheet onto the trolley.
Li Ranmo walked over and lowered his voice.
"Old Zhang sent me here to cover for Xiao Wang."
One of the caregivers looked up at him.
"You don't recognize me."
"He's new," Li Ranmo said. "He works odd jobs in the morgue."
The caregiver didn't ask any more questions and pointed to the back of the cart.
"Give me a hand, lift this."
Li Ranmo walked over and helped lift the last body into the car.
The cart started moving.
Two caregivers pushed the cart one in front of the other, while Li Ranmo walked beside them with his head down.
After exiting the hospital through the back door, I turned onto the main road.
The city of Nanjing was just waking up in the morning, and there weren't many people on the streets. Carts creaked and groaned as their wheels rolled over the stone pavement.
Li Ranmo kept his head down, with the brim of his hat covering most of his face.
After walking for about twenty minutes, we arrived at the old gate in the west of the city.
The river bends here, and the water is murky. Piles of broken boat planks and tattered fishing nets lie on the bank, and a few low brick houses can be seen in the distance—that's the patrol team's post.
The cart continued forward, heading towards the mass grave.
Li Ranmo slowed down.
"I need to use the restroom," he told the caregiver.
"Hurry up!" the caregiver waved her hand.
Li Ranmo darted into a patch of reeds by the roadside.
The reeds are tall enough to block out people.
He squatted down, took out the piece of paper that Ah Bing had given him from his pocket, and looked at it again.
Warehouse address: Fifty steps west of the old Zhakou brick kiln, facing the river, with red brick walls and a tin door.
He looked up and peered out through the gaps in the reeds.
The brick kiln is on the other side of the river. It's an abandoned earthen kiln, and half of its roof has collapsed.
Fifty paces to the west...
Li Ranmo's gaze swept over.
There were indeed rows of small red brick houses there, with rusty iron doors.
The house is right next to the river, with water right behind it.
But here is the problem.
In front of the house, across a dirt road, stands an old locust tree.
A person was sitting under the tree, wearing a gray short jacket, leaning against the tree as if taking a nap.
But Li Ranmo could tell at a glance that the person was not asleep.
His eyes were squinting, staring in the direction of the warehouse.
Hidden sentry.
Shen Qiushui was right; this place really does have eyes.
Li Ranmo squatted in the reeds, not moving.
He is waiting.
Wait for that sentry to change shifts or leave.
Time passed second by second.
The sun rose, and a layer of golden light shimmered on the river.
The person under the tree stirred, stood up, and stretched.
Then he turned around and walked towards the inspection team's location.
Li Ranmo immediately emerged from the reeds, crouched down, and ran quickly along the riverbank toward the warehouse.
He covered the distance of fifty paces in less than ten seconds.
We've arrived at the warehouse.
Red brick wall, iron door, with a large lock hanging on the door.
Li Ranmo didn't touch the lock.
He went around to the side of the warehouse, where some broken wooden crates were piled up against the wall.
Behind the box, there was a small window in the wall, which was nailed shut with a wooden board.
Li Ranmo squatted down and ran his fingers along the edge of the wooden board.
The nails are loose.
He pulled hard, and the wooden board opened up a crack.
There's enough room for one person to squeeze in.
Li Ranmo didn't rush in.
He first pressed himself against the crack and peered inside.
It was dark inside, with many boxes piled up, all covered with burlap.
Against the wall, there was a dozen or so wooden crates stacked up, with blurry foreign letters printed on them.
penicillin.
Li Ranmo's eyes narrowed.
Sure enough, there was stock in the warehouse.
And the quantity is not small.
Just as he was about to look again, his ears suddenly caught a sound.
Footsteps.
It came from behind the warehouse.
Li Ranmo immediately put down the wooden plank and slipped behind the broken wooden box.
The footsteps drew closer.
It belongs to two people.
"Damn it, this place is horrible, there are so many mosquitoes," a voice complained.
"Stop talking nonsense and keep a close watch," another voice said. "Section Chief Wang said that we need to keep a close watch on all the docks and warehouses these days, not even a fly can be missed."
"What's the point of keeping an eye on this run-down warehouse? Nobody comes here anyway."
"You don't know anything. Those 'righteous' gang are shrewd; they specialize in hiding their goods in godforsaken places like this."
The footsteps stopped near the back door of the warehouse.
Li Ranmo held her breath.
back door.
Shen Qiushui said she wanted to check for signs of use of the backdoor.
There are guards at the back door now, so we can't check.
He has to think of another way.
Just then, a sound came from the dirt road ahead.
It was the sound of the cart returning.
Two caregivers pushed the empty cart back, making a creaking sound.
The sentry under the tree is back, sitting in the same old spot.
There were sentries ahead and guards behind.
Li Ranmo is trapped on the side of the warehouse.
His mind raced.
Then, he grabbed a stone from beside him and threw it forcefully across the river.
With a thud.
The sound of the stone falling into the water was very loud.
"What's that sound?" The guard at the back door immediately became alert.
"Let's go take a look!"
The two guards ran towards the back door.
Li Ranmo seized the opportunity, lifted the wooden board, and ducked into the warehouse.
It looks bigger inside than it does from the outside.
The boxes were piled up everywhere, and the air smelled of a mixture of mold and medicine.
Li Ranmo walked quickly to the wooden boxes with foreign letters printed on them and lifted the burlap lining.
The lid wasn't nailed shut.
He pried open a crack and reached in to feel around.
I touched the cold glass bottle.
Sulfathiazole, that's right.
Moreover, it looks very new.
He closed the box and turned to walk deeper into the warehouse.
There is an inconspicuous little door at the very back against the wall.
The door is made of wood, and the paint has all peeled off.
Li Ranmo pushed, but couldn't push it away.
It's locked.
But the door was wide enough that he could see the light coming in from outside.
It's a waterway.
Behind this door, there should be a direct path to the riverbank, making it convenient for loading and unloading goods.
He noted the location down and turned to walk back.
Just as I reached the middle of the warehouse, I heard the footsteps of the guards returning outside.
"Damn it, a fish jumped into the water," one of the guards cursed.
"It was a false alarm," the other said. "Let's go back and have some tea."
The footsteps faded into the distance.
Li Ran breathed a sigh of relief.
He crawled out from the crack in the plank, pressed the plank back in, and then crouched down and ran back along the riverbank.
He ran to the reeds, crawled in, and squatted down.
After waiting a few minutes and making sure no one had noticed, he got up and quickly caught up with the cart that had already gone far away.
"It took you so long to relieve yourself?" The caregiver glanced at him.
"My stomach doesn't feel well," Li Ranmo said.
The caregiver didn't ask any more questions.
The cart creaked and groaned its way back to the hospital.
After closing the office door, Li Ranmo threw the old clothes covered in mud into the corner.
Shen Qiushui poured him a glass of water and handed it to him.
"I saw the warehouse, and the goods are there too." Li Ranmo took the cup and took a big gulp. "But Wang Qingnian's men have guarded both the front and back doors, and there's another person keeping watch under the tree."
Shen Qiushui sat down across the table.
"I have some news." She pulled a folded piece of paper from her bosom and pushed it over. "Old Zhao gave this to me on the way back. Over with Wang Qingnian, the inspection team has expanded its monitoring range, not only to the docks, but also to the river tributaries near the old sluice gate. They're also working on an encrypted communication network so that communication between the various outposts will be faster."
Li Ranmo unfolded the note and looked at it; it was covered in writing.
"Encrypted network?"
"Yes." Shen Qiushui nodded. "It's supposedly new equipment that can prevent eavesdropping. Wang Qingnian has gone all out this time to catch us red-handed."
Li Ranmo held the note up to the kerosene lamp and burned it.
The flames leaped up, casting flickering light and shadow on his face.
"We still need the warehouse," he said. "The front lines are waiting for medicine; we can't afford to wait."
"How do I use it?" Shen Qiushui asked. "There are people all around, how do I get in?"
"Have Han Xiuyun cooperate and put on a show." Li Ranmo stood up and walked to the window. "Have her people spread the word that a large shipment is about to leave Pier No. 3. Once Wang Qingnian hears this, he'll definitely move his main force there."
Shen Qiushui's eyes lit up.
Old gate.
Waterway warehouse.
He wanted to see whose net was tighter.