Chapter 1

Chapter 1

The boss who came looking for me was surnamed Liang. He was the third son in his family, so people in the trade usually called him Liang San.

I had transported goods for him before. His family had made their fortune by dealing in secondhand goods and antiques.

Liang San was a decent enough man, and he didn’t try to hide anything from me.

“I’ve already found a buyer for this batch of liquor. They’re paying top price, and we’ve signed a contract.”

“Most importantly, my daughter needs surgery soon, and I’m short on money. Otherwise, for a job that’s already cost someone their life, I’d rather take the loss than do it.”

I knew Liang San had an adopted daughter.

He and his wife had never been able to have a child because of health issues. While they were going to the hospital for treatment, they found an abandoned baby beside a flowerbed.

The couple felt the child was a gift from heaven, so they named her Liang Enci.

Unfortunately, Little Enci was later diagnosed with a rare genetic disease. Every so often, she had to be rushed to the hospital for emergency treatment, and every day she faced the risk of organ failure.

Everyone in the family told the couple to give up, but the two of them couldn’t bear to. They spent more than half their fortune and stubbornly kept Little Enci alive for thirteen years.

“We had surveillance at the site. From the footage, it looked like the worker got greedy for a drink, got drunk, and plunged headfirst into the liquor jar.”

“But even with video evidence, we couldn’t stop the locals from letting their imaginations run wild.”

“That deserted village was wiped out under pretty suspicious circumstances back then, too. A lot of people say the liquor brewed in that village isn’t clean.”

“The truck driver I originally hired heard about it and refused to haul it for me no matter what.”

I could see how sincere Liang San was. Once that liquor was out of the cellar, there was no telling how long it would keep.

The trip would take three days. If anything else happened on the road, the whole deal would be ruined.

“All right. I’ll take the job.”

I had a daughter of my own, and my wife had died young from illness. I understood Liang San’s situation all too well.

Liang San thanked me over and over, and the price he offered was generous.

Time was tight, so we drove to the deserted village where the liquor was stored that very same day.

The village was indeed badly abandoned, but it wasn’t remote. There was even a road leading up to it that was wide enough for a heavy truck.

By the time we arrived, it was already dusk.

Liang San planned to take advantage of the remaining light, load the liquor jars onto the truck, and set off first thing the next morning.

But the workers he had gone to so much trouble to gather were now clustered in the village, arguing and shouting.

We got out of the vehicle and saw a man in a suit squatting beside a liquor jar half as tall as a person, sweeping and brushing at it with a small brush.

As soon as Liang San’s assistant saw him return, he hurried over and said, “Brother San, this man says he was sent by the client. The moment he arrived, he started examining the liquor jars every which way.”

Liang San went up to him. Only then did the man stand, shake Liang San’s hand, and say, “Boss Cheng sent me. My humble name is Wei Liang. I have a bit of a hobby for studying old things. Please don’t take offense.”

“Boss Cheng was worried you might run into trouble during transport, so he specially had me bring a driver to assist you.”

The heavy truck driver Wei Liang brought was named Zhu Tie, and he was a big, burly fellow too.

Though standing in front of me, that wasn’t particularly obvious.

I was born with an unusual appearance. My face was frightening, and my build was more like a small mountain, giving off a crushing sense of pressure.

Wei Liang clearly hadn’t expected Liang San to have someone like me at his side. When he saw me, he froze for a moment.

Liang San introduced me to him. “This is the driver I hired-Brother Long, Long Changdong.”

“We’re old friends. With him behind the wheel, you can tell Boss Cheng not to worry.”

Wei Liang looked me up and down for a moment, but he didn’t insist. Instead, he smiled and said, “No problem. You can settle your side however you like. Zhu Tie and I can just ride along and keep watch over the cargo.”