Chapter 75: The Contents of the Treasure

After descending to the ground, Xiao Weiguo first opened the box next to the machine gun. Inside, he found it filled with firearms and ammunition—dozens of crates, all brimming with weapons and bullets. Judging by the shape, they appeared to be Type 38 rifles and their corresponding rounds. Besides the Type 38s, there were also Mauser pistols, machine gun rounds, artillery shells, and more.

How many soldiers could be equipped with this arsenal?

Xiao Weiguo suddenly noticed about a dozen other crates set apart on the other side and moved forward to take a look. When he opened one, sunlight streaming down from the cave’s entrance illuminated its contents so brightly that his eyes blurred. Inside, he discovered a whole crate of large gold bullion bars.

His heart pounded furiously, his mouth suddenly parched. Hastily, he opened the other crates to check. In total, there were two crates of large gold bars, three crates of smaller ones, two crates of antique porcelain and calligraphy he didn’t recognize, and one crate filled with various jade items—pendants, bangles, rings, jade bracelets, and necklaces of all kinds. Finally, there were six crates filled with stones, so carefully preserved that Xiao Weiguo guessed they might be raw jadeite or uncut jade stones.

Having inspected everything, Xiao Weiguo’s excitement soared; he felt himself boiling over with exhilaration. Forcing himself to calm down, he took a cucumber out from his storage space and gnawed on it slowly, calculating how to deal with the contents of this stone cave.

The firearms and ammunition were useless to him—best to turn them in. As for the gold bars, antiques, and jades, he decided to keep those for himself, hidden away in his storage space where no one would ever know—a perfect secret. Besides, he needed jade right now; such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity must not be missed.

Without hesitation, he began storing the dozen or so crates into his space, not caring if they pressed down on his stored grains. After collecting them all, he suddenly discovered a black envelope lying at the bottom of one crate. A chill ran down his spine; could it be laced with poison or something sinister? He quickly stored the envelope away and entered his storage space himself, avoiding physical contact and opening it with his mind. Inside, he found a letter written entirely in Japanese.

Xiao Weiguo couldn’t read Japanese, so he decided to leave it in the space for now. When he had time, he would translate it word by word to see what secrets it revealed—perhaps then the origins of this warehouse would become clear.

Next, he had to consider how to clean up the mess. The traces left behind by the dozen or so crates were all too obvious. If the authorities came, they’d surely ask where the boxes had gone.

Just as he was fretting over this, an idea struck. Xiao Weiguo walked to the farthest spot where traces remained. Using his mind, he smoothed out the dust on the ground until it looked as though the earth had never been disturbed. Step by step, retreating, he erased every sign of his presence, all the way back to where he’d dropped the rope.

He checked the entire cave again, especially the spot where the gold and jade had been, ensuring there was nothing amiss before carefully climbing back up.

After squeezing through the narrow opening, Xiao Weiguo saw that the tree to which the rope was tied, the vegetation beneath, and the cave’s entrance all bore obvious marks from the rope. In that case, he could only claim to have gone down, opened a few nearby crates, discovered only guns and ammunition, and then hurriedly climbed out.

He couldn’t erase the wild boar’s tracks, either; the boar would have to be left in plain sight. Otherwise, there’d be no explanation for how he’d found the place.

Pondering whom to inform, Xiao Weiguo realized he knew very few officials. After some thought, he decided to first notify his direct superior, Shi Guanglin. According to Brother Lin, his family wielded considerable influence; his childhood friends were all department heads at the department store.

Besides Shi Guanglin, Xiao Weiguo couldn’t think of anyone else to tell. And this was a significant achievement; he had to make sure the credit went to the right person. If he reported to Shi Guanglin, both of them would benefit—Shi would gain official recognition, and as the one who made the discovery, Xiao Weiguo would receive the greatest merit.

Reporting to his brigade, who would then inform the commune and so on up the chain, was possible too. Xiao Gonglin was close to him, but they weren’t part of the same system. In that scenario, Xiao Weiguo probably wouldn’t gain much.

Having made up his mind, he put the rope away, gathered some branches to conceal the cave entrance, and dragged the wild boar back to its original spot. He tied up the boar with rope and covered it with a thick layer of green branches he’d cut. The rope around the boar served as proof that it was his, in case anyone found it and tried to claim it. He also placed the large stone next to the boar’s head.

Reviewing the whole affair and finding no loopholes, Xiao Weiguo set off toward the Xiao family brigade to make a call and summon Shi Guanglin.

Unexpectedly, when he arrived at the brigade office, he was told they had no phone; he’d have to go to the commune to make a call.

Left with no choice, Xiao Weiguo pedaled his bicycle at full speed to the commune committee, presented his credentials, and was finally allowed to make the call.

"This is the Forty-Nine First Textile Factory. Who are you looking for?" a voice answered on the line.

"I’d like to speak with Shi Guanglin, leader of Group Three in the purchasing department. This is Xiao Weiguo, buyer for Group Three. I have something important for the leader," Xiao Weiguo replied.

"Alright, don’t go anywhere. I’ll have him call you back," the voice said.

At the time, all calls were made through landlines, and had to be transferred multiple times to reach the desired unit. Then, you’d tell them who you wanted; after they found the person, they’d call you back, and only then could you speak—an extremely inconvenient process.

Moreover, you basically had to shout into the receiver, as the signal was poor and anyone speaking softly couldn’t be heard at all.

After waiting about ten minutes, the phone in front of Xiao Weiguo rang. He picked up immediately.

Shi Guanglin shouted into the receiver, "Weiguo, is that you? What’s going on?"

Fortunately, Shi Guanglin was at the factory today.

Xiao Weiguo glanced around to make sure no one else was in the room, then dropped his voice. "Brother Lin, you’re alone, right? I have a major discovery and need your support."

"There’s no one here—go ahead and speak," Shi Guanglin replied.

"I found an armory on the mountain near my hometown—countless guns and ammunition. Brother Lin, how do you think we should handle this?" Xiao Weiguo said.

"You’re not pulling my leg, are you, Weiguo? An armory? Countless guns and ammunition?" Shi Guanglin grew more and more excited as he spoke.