Chapter 49: Midnight Terror

It might be difficult for Weidong to orchestrate a major campaign by himself, but when it comes to working diligently, he excels. Overjoyed, he began delegating tasks. Erfeng was originally sent to Shangzhou to get familiar with the place, and this time, the truck carried nearly a thousand pounds of urgently smoked meat—no need for anyone to carry it to Jiangzhou by hand.

So she took a few of the weaker young men and girls to stay here, helping Sister Dong with headcounts, distributing funds, and ensuring the safety of the docks. In the future, Erfeng would surely travel frequently between Shangzhou and the countryside to manage the cured meat business, which would gradually become her own enterprise.

The other six or seven robust young men and three girls went with the truck to Jiangzhou. Lao Rang and his wife took the boat ahead, waiting for the three girls to join them and help with their cooking and spicy hot pot business. It was just a matter of saving a bit on boat tickets.

Lao Rang and his wife were eager to return and start their own business, so they didn’t insist on riding in the truck. Instead, Dong Xueqing sat happily in the driver’s cabin, heading back to school early.

Weidong repeatedly reminded Erfeng to listen to Sister Dong’s instructions in Shangzhou. When sending off his parents at the dock, he brought people along to familiarize themselves with the driver, the laborers, and the surroundings.

He left a pile of bamboo toys and bamboo carts made in the countryside for the child. Early the next morning, he nodded to Dong Xueying as she boarded the truck, “I’m leaving this to you. I’ll finish my business outside and then meet up again.”

The young woman holding the child deliberately stood on the step near her sister, “Please take care of Xiaoqing for me. Keep in touch with Reporter Yu about all progress, and if anything urgent comes up, you can call and leave a message at the street office. I’ll also call Uncle and Aunt’s shop every week to report. Be careful—we’re all counting on you for our livelihoods.”

The vocational student pressed herself against the seatback, making it easier for the sisters to talk over her. She wondered why, as thin as a paper doll, she needed to press herself so much.

Weidong agreed, “You be careful too. Erfeng is trying out rural-industrial cooperation—help her keep things proper, don’t cross any lines. It’s a transition period. Once everyone understands, there’ll be no trouble. Don’t let these young ones end up in jail.”

Dong Xueying looked deeply at them, finally lifting the child to signal farewell. She jumped off the step and joined Erfeng and the others to watch the big truck drive away.

The vocational student noticed, “Sister didn’t even say goodbye to me! She used to hug me and cry!”

She felt a bit lost and bewildered.

Weidong laughed, “That’s because her mind is full of work.”

He himself felt none of the emotion of parting, only the excitement of facing the unknown ahead.

Dong Xueqing was excited as well, “I used to travel back and forth to the provincial capital with others, never stayed in Jiangzhou before. I’ve got more than a week before school starts—I want to explore everywhere.”

For some reason, Weidong always acted the elder in front of her, “Telecommunications is a promising and vital industry for the future. Once you’re back at school, focus hard. Don’t neglect your Russian studies. The radio under your seat—bring it to school to help with your coursework. But also relax and listen to music. Is the money your sister gave you enough? Keep up your nutrition.”

He calculated that she would become a key player for the aviation transition—a rare technical talent, so he wanted to win her over early.

Without her parents, the young girl’s eyes quietly reddened, but she replied brightly and cheerfully, hands gripping the seat as she rocked with happiness, chattering away the whole time.

Dog Egg, who had been eager to sit in the driver’s cabin, saw the city girl occupying the seat and instead went to the rear compartment to chat with his buddies.

Half the truck was piled high with cured meat and quilts. Even the excitement slowly turned to drowsiness as the truck rocked along.

At noon, Weidong called them down for lunch—already in a small county town eighty kilometers away.

Mountain roads along the national highway were slow.

The young people, almost never having left the county, awoke from their stupor, brimming with curiosity and excitement. They ate the wheat buns and twice-cooked pork at the table with embarrassment, feeling guilty for eating so well before doing any real work. If they could, they’d have pushed the truck themselves.

Weidong opened the map for them, “Last time I returned via here—I probably took a longer route. I remember sleeping in this county, and then passing through here to get to Shangzhou—it was a bit late. Today, we’ll try this way, see if it’s closer, and aim to reach our destination before dusk.”

He had bought a national highway atlas in Shanghai, the most expensive kind, with detailed maps for each province.

The young men immediately gathered around, studying it intently. One even boasted that he was the best at finding place names from geography class, clutching the atlas and refusing to let go.

But Dong Xueqing still wouldn’t give up her seat, determined to stay in the driver’s cabin, either chatting in Russian or playing music. No one else was allowed to disturb her.

The country boys and girls didn’t dare provoke her, so when they set off again, she remained by Weidong’s side, chattering away.

In fact, she kept Weidong alert the entire journey.

Yet Weidong misjudged the remaining distance—though it seemed close, the winding mountain roads with their constant twists and turns meant the afternoon drive was unexpectedly slow.

By nightfall, they were still at least twenty kilometers from the planned stopover town.

This was only an estimate while descending the mountain road—no GPS navigation, so Weidong drove cautiously, eyes wide, prioritizing safety as he slowly rolled along the national highway.

No one expected what happened next. As they crested the mountain pass and slowed down even more on the winding descent, Dong Xueqing, still gesturing animatedly as she told Weidong gossip from her school, happened to turn her head and saw a face pressed against the glass on her right!

On this desolate stretch, around the first watch of the night, in winter with no moon or starlight, and certainly no street lamps or city glow, not even scattered farm lights from the countryside.

Outside, it was pitch black.

Suddenly, a human face pressed against the glass—certain to make the vocational student’s hair stand on end, and she exploded in a shrill, prolonged scream!

Weidong’s eardrums almost burst from the screech, and he slammed the brakes.

Almost simultaneously with his braking, a machete thrust in through the open window on his side!

The inertia from the sudden stop turned what could have been a chopping motion into a jab at his neck!

In the southwest, machetes often have a square tip—a steel plate sharpened along the edge, one end heated and curled to attach a wooden handle.

So the tip was a thick steel edge, half a finger wide, blunt and without killing power, but jabbed Weidong so hard he was dizzy and furious.

Damn it, real highway robbers!

Already frustrated by the tricky driving, now ambushed like this, Weidong reacted instinctively—quickly shifted into reverse, stalled the engine, let go of the steering wheel, went for the handbrake, and grabbed the hand wielding the machete, smashing it hard against the door!

There were clearly more people outside—someone screamed and cursed, rushing the window!

The Dongfeng 140 truck’s windshield consisted of two panes, no air conditioning, so in summer the glass could be tilted out for ventilation.

In winter, warmth came from the engine compartment, so the cabin wasn’t cold.

Dong Xueqing had tightly closed her side, but Weidong had opened his for ventilation and to peer outside at the night road.

So, after the slow descent for twenty kilometers, someone had run alongside and jumped onto the driver’s cabin step.

Country kids had learned this skill since childhood.

Now, with the truck stopped, several shadows crowded and scrambled up.

The passenger door was being pulled, pounded, and the window smashed!

This truck, originally military-grade sent to the southern front years ago, was tough and had internal door locks.

Weidong always reminded everyone to lock up. Now, he raised his voice and cursed, “You bastards! Robbery, huh? Want to kill? I’ll beat you to death!”

Dong Xueqing’s screams didn’t stop—who knew how such a slender girl could sustain such a scream.

Meanwhile, Weidong grabbed the machete-wielder’s hand, twisted fingers and wrist to seize the weapon, while desperately blocking other hands and metal objects thrusting in. He glimpsed shadows moving under the headlights, gathering around him!

Sinister, terrifying figures.

Any driver running night routes would feel despair at such a scene.

But for Weidong, it was a deliberate lure.

Suddenly, from the rear came Dog Egg’s furious roar, “Beat them to death!”

“Charge!”

And then, cries of agony as if slicing vegetables!

The arms Weidong had grabbed and blocked panicked, trying desperately to escape and see what was happening behind.

No escape.

Weidong, his ferocity ignited since the Butcher’s Night, held the hand fast and pressed it against the window, bending it with a sickening crack!

He snatched the machete, but didn’t rush outside. Instead, he shouted, “I’ve caught one here—give them hell!”

Those who had come from the countryside were all strong, and the weaker ones had been left at the dock; those with Dog Egg in the fight were all fierce.

Country kids, in such moments, felt no fear—only wild, savage shouts:

“Got it!”

“Leave it to us!”

“We got two! Ha ha ha!”

Even girls joined in, “How dare you try to rob us—you must not want to live!”

“Soldier kid, left! Left!”

“Beat you to death!”

These Sichuan-Chongqing dragon girls were fiercer than men when trouble arose!

Who could have guessed that behind the tightly sealed cargo compartment were ten vigorous fighters.

Maybe the robbers saw only a delicate girl in the passenger seat and thought they could seize both truck and people, but were ambushed by Dog Egg and his crew.

In the darkness, even with numbers on their side, the robbers were stunned.

No one knew how many people were hidden in the truck—nor how fierce they were!

And most crucially, the man Weidong held was still wailing for his parents.

This spread panic, and the robbers scattered in terror, their will to fight shattered.