Chapter 130 Contact

Inside the ranch, cattle and horses, startled by the gunshots, stampeded wildly, breaking through many fences and charging towards the plains or into the mountains.

While running, Su Tianyu shouted, "Once the helicopter gets close, the thermal imager can see the shape of heat signatures. We don't have much time. You need to find a water source, a mud pit, quickly!"

"A phone, we need a phone now!" Li Mingsheng followed behind, also shouting anxiously, "They've made their move. I need to contact my supporters."

Su Tianyu and Li Mingsheng's phones had been confiscated at the start of the abduction. During the journey, Su Tianyu had served as a messenger, so neither side would equip him with communication devices. As a result, the two were currently unable to send out any messages.

Su Tianyu ran ahead, replying, "Give me the number, and I'll find a phone."

Li Mingsheng recited the number three times without hesitation, then asked, "Got it?!"

"Got it!"

"His name is Jin Maohui. If he doesn't believe you, mention the Party School incident in March of '52..." Li Mingsheng carefully instructed, "Be sure to contact him personally and explain my situation."

"Understood!" Su Tianyu replied.

"Come find me here after you've called."

"I'll get rid of the helicopter first!" Su Tianyu disappeared near the warehouse in a puff of smoke.

There were plenty of water sources on the ranch, and the pastureland was meant for livestock to graze, so the soil was naturally damp and loose. Li Mingsheng ran less than fifty meters before spotting a water source at the bottom of a hillside to his left. Without thinking, he rushed over and jumped into the mud pit by the water.

Mud can effectively block thermal imaging detection. After jumping in, Li Mingsheng, fearing that his body wasn't completely covered in mud, deliberately rolled around a couple of times, burrowing into the pit as much as possible.

Sure enough, the reconnaissance helicopter quickly passed by, not lingering near any of the nearby water sources.

Beside the warehouse, Su Tianyu, his back bent, surveyed the ranch's main building. The lights were already on, and several white men with guns rushed to the door.

This place was not far from the Kassarow war zone, and the local customs were extremely fierce. It wasn't unusual for a ranch of this size to have a dozen workers and a dozen guns.

Su Tianyu had important business to attend to and certainly didn't need to cause any trouble. So, instead of directly barging in to demand a phone, he observed the situation for a moment and detoured towards the other dormitories.

No one knew what these ranchers or farmers did before. If he ran into a group of retired veterans, Su Tianyu, armed with only a pistol, didn't need to risk his life for a phone.

After running another twenty meters, Su Tianyu spotted a burly man rushing out of another dormitory building, a gun in his left hand without the safety off, his steps unsteady. He looked around the ranch in a daze.

Su Tianyu quickened his pace, quickly closing the distance and slowly raising his arm. With a burst of strength, he smashed the automatic rifle's butt onto the man's head.

"Thud!"

The farm worker fell forward, his body pressing against the doorway, reeking of alcohol. The guy had clearly had a few drinks before going to bed.

After knocking him down, Su Tianyu pressed the muzzle of the gun against his head and shouted in English, "Give me your phone!"

The strong man shook his head, taking a second or two to recover before looking up, angrily attempting to resist.

"Phone!" Su Tianyu shouted again, pointing the gun at him.

The strong man, seeing the automatic rifle clearly, immediately became very obedient, pointed to the phone on the bedhead inside the room, and nodded stiffly.

Holding the gun on the strong man, Su Tianyu backed into the room, grabbed the phone, and shouted again, "Unlock code!"

"...The initials of 'Macho Man'." The man replied, raising his hands.

Su Tianyu unlocked the phone, kicked open the window, climbed outside, and left.

...

In the sky, the reconnaissance helicopter quickly swept across the farm, rapidly identifying heat signatures at a relatively low altitude.

"There are six people at the entrance of the ranch owner's building, three near the warehouse on the left, and one in the direction of the warehouse on the right. They can be observed carrying weapons and are standing relatively close together," the observer in the co-pilot's seat said quickly.

"The targets are only two people. They can't possibly know the people on the ranch. Those standing relatively close together are not the targets," the pilot immediately said. "I'm going to gain altitude and continue reconnaissance. You notify the ground team to dispatch a small team to search the farm."

"Understood!" The co-pilot nodded in response.

On the mountain leading to the cliffs of the Grand Canyon, Su Tianyu ran, panting heavily, while using the farm worker's phone to dial the number Li Mingsheng had given him.

Inside the Dragon City Anti-Terrorism Task Force office building, a middle-aged man was pacing anxiously in his office.

The Anti-Terrorism Task Force is independently commanded by the Dragon City Municipal Government. Although it is called the Anti-Terrorism Task Force, its responsibilities are very broad. Large-scale natural disasters, man-made disasters, and security for various top-level Dragon City conferences all fall under their purview.

Inside the office, the anxious middle-aged man had received countless phone calls that night, with many people looking for him, but he hadn't shown himself.

"Ring, ring, ring!"

Inside the dimly lit office, the urgent ringing of a telephone echoed.

The middle-aged man immediately walked to his desk, picked up his personal cell phone, glanced at the number, and pressed the answer button. "Hello, this is Jin Maohui!"

"Where were you in the New Era of '52?!" Su Tianyu, not knowing if the person answering the phone was Jin Maohui himself, asked directly.

Jin Maohui paused briefly. "I was at the Party School in District One."

"What happened there?"

"In March, I protested and marched with Lao Li."

"...!" Su Tianyu, realizing the code matched, immediately replied, "Mayor Li is with me. You need to do two things right now: First, you need to send people to the Su family, which belongs to the Sanitation Management Committee company in Zhanan District, and ensure their safety. Second, you need to send people to meet us. Someone is trying to assassinate Mayor Li!"

...

Somewhere in the Kassarow region, Secretary-General Lu, clutching his injured arm, got into an SUV.

"What happened?" The middle-aged man in the car asked, pointing to the wound on his arm.

"Damn it, before I could even make a move, he attacked first. He tried to kill me. Luckily, I was prepared," Secretary-General Lu said through gritted teeth.

"...He attacked first?" The middle-aged man was a little incredulous.

Secretary-General Lu glanced at the other man and immediately replied, "Notify the people in the city to take action! That Su Tianyu is protecting Lao Li. Get a hold of his family. He won't dare to refuse!"