America 1881: They Call Me Legend

Chapter 536 Live to see people, die to see corpses

According to the information Asuka got from Turtledove and Armadillo, Chen Jianqiu and his party came to the cliff where Geronimo was said to have slipped and fell.

They walked to the edge of the cliff and began to explore the traces of the scene.

It has been about two weeks since the incident happened, but due to the dry climate here, some clues can still be found.

"The rocks at the mouth of the cliff are broken. Geronimo should have gone down with a safety rope." Asuka returned to Chen Jianqiu's side.

He opened his palm, and the palm was some gravel.

Chen Jianqiu walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down.

This is a cliff, the bottom is bottomless, and the cliff is rugged. The structure is a bit like the gold cave they had in Carlsbad before.

In some places on the wall, there are different plants growing from one to the other.

Chen Jianqiu couldn't get his name, but he guessed that there should be high-quality medicinal materials or materials in it, otherwise Geronimo would not have taken the risk to go down the cliff.

From top to bottom, there is really nothing famous.

Chen Jianqiu stood up, looked down again, and patted the dust on his hands.

"Let's go down and have a look."

Several people made a long circle before finding a way to the valley below the cliff.

The river valley has long since dried up, leaving only a bare riverbed with jagged rocks.

The sun was setting and the light was so dim that it was almost impossible to see the road.

Chen Jianqiu asked others to light up the lanterns, and walked along the river for a long time before reaching the bottom of the cliff.

Everyone dismounted.

Asuka squatted down with the lantern and began to check the traces on the ground, while the others carried the lantern to search nearby.

There are indeed bloodstains under the cliff, and there are traces of dragging.

But two weeks later, the blood had long since dried up and was covered with sand.

Asuka gently pushed the sand away, and began to observe with the lantern.

"It's not the man who fell and stayed, but the smaller animal."

Not long after, Asuka stood up and shook his head.

"You can see that too?" Chen Jianqiu glanced at Asuka.

He said so on the lips, but in his heart he had already approved the conclusion of his little brother.

In terms of tracking and on-the-spot judgment, Asuka is the most professional, even White, the most experienced detective with a pockmarked face from the Border Detective Agency, can't compare to him.

Chen Jianqiu raised his head again.

The edge of the cliff was silhouetted against the dark sky.

Suddenly, he found a bulge in the middle of the outline.

Chen Jianqiu activated the shooter mode and looked over there.

That is a tree.

Below the tree is a platform where you can rest your feet.

Because of the angle and the relationship between the surrounding vegetation, the platform and the tree cannot be seen from above.

It can only be seen by looking carefully from the bottom of the valley.

Those who searched around also returned, but none of them found any valuable information, let alone Geronimo's body.

"Our turtledove's observation skills are not very good." Chen Jianqiu said with his arms crossed, looking at the tree, "Or, he lied."

He turned back and walked towards the black radish.

"We should go back and talk to him."

A group of people got on the horse and started the return journey.

It was completely dark.

At night in the valley, the road conditions are complicated and not easy to walk.

There is no way for the moonlight to reach the bottom of the valley, and the visibility is very low only by the light of the horse lantern.

If you are not careful and the horse stumbles, it will be very troublesome.

So, they go very slowly.

After about three or four hours, a little light appeared ahead.

"Boss, there seems to be something wrong. Logically speaking, the town shouldn't be so bright at night."

Asuka chewed the jerky, and at the same time passed the water bag in his hand to Chen Jianqiu who was riding beside him.

Chen Jianqiu took a sip from the water bag.

Something is really not quite right.

Logically speaking, at this point, the Indians in the town should all stay in their houses, even if they lighted a bonfire, it shouldn't be so bright.

"Let's go and see what's going on."

The group speeded up and entered the town.

Chen Jianqiu soon understood why the town was so bright.

A group of Indians held torches in their hands and surrounded a mud house.

The leader has white beard and hair, and the torchlight shines on his face, with a serious expression, and the wrinkles on his sallow face are like ravines.

Chen Jianqiu had seen this person before, and it was the Indian tribe leader named Old Marley in the morning.

And standing in front of the mud house facing him was Luo Zen.

She was followed by people from her own tribe.

There were not many people, because many of them went to work in Ciudad Juárez, but the rest of them had weapons in their hands.

"Let that kid Turtledove speak!" Old Marley said in a hoarse voice.

"He's not in town. He went out this morning and hasn't come back yet." Luo Cen replied coldly.

"Sure enough." Old Marley snorted coldly, "I knew that kid was a ghost, so I sent someone to keep an eye on him."

"What about the turtledove? That's our tribe's own business. What does it have to do with you?" Luo Cen folded his hands on his chest, as if he didn't want to communicate with old Marley.

"Ridiculous!" Old Marley's wooden crutch hit the ground heavily, "When the three tribes merged together and came to this town, they were no longer separated from each other. Whoever said anything about the great chief was just you. About the tribe?"

He turned around, raised the crutch in his hand, and said loudly to the people behind him: "Turtledove took advantage of the opportunity to go out with the chief, pushed the chief off the cliff, and now fled in fear of crime, only from today, I Members of the clan, if they see it, everyone will get it and kill it!"

"You don't care, we will take care of it!" Old Marley turned his head to look at Luo Cen, and said in a deep voice.

Luo Cen's lips trembled, and just as he was about to attack, a voice came over.

"Yo, what's so lively?"

Everyone looked towards the source of the sound, and found Chen Jianqiu and Asuka walking out of the shadows.

"Let's think about it, your name is Old Ma Lai, right?" Chen Jianqiu walked up to the old Indian man, looked him up and down, "Didn't you send someone to keep an eye on Turtle Dove? Where are you?"

Old Marley glanced at another middle-aged Indian beside him.

The man looked a little embarrassed, and he stammered and replied: "Yes, that kid ran away."

"Oh, that's right, you didn't catch anyone, what are you doing here looking for Luo Cen and the others?" Chen Jianqiu looked at the middle-aged man, but he was talking to old Marley, "Besides, you are so trapped. Look, you run too."

Old Marley's expression darkened again.

"I respect you very much, Mr. Chen, but you told me during the day that you planned to take a break, but why did you break your promise and act alone?"

"In addition, this is our Apache people's own business. As I said in the morning, I hope Mr. Chen will not get involved."

Chen Jianqiu smiled.

"What if I want to take care of it?"

He took another step closer to the old man: "Who do you think you are talking to?"

Old Marley felt a suffocating pressure hit his face.

He braced himself, but his mouth was still firm:

"Mr. Chen, I know that your army is stationed at Taniguchi. If you are capable, you will kill me and my people!"

Chen Jianqiu snorted:
"Kill you? You old bones that are about to sink into the ground will die, but why are you dragging the young people behind you?"

His eyes flicked to the Apaches carrying torches.

The Apaches have always been known for their bravery, but when Chen Jianqiu glanced at them, they still felt shuddering.

"Geronimo is my good brother, and I will not promise him to die so vaguely, so you don't need to worry about these things." Chen Jianqiu waved at the Apaches with some weariness, "Hurry up and leave Alright."

Old Marley was silent for a few seconds.

He knew Chen Jianqiu's thunder method.

After the former chief of his tribe was caught by Chen Jianqiu in the last rebellion, he lost his head without even saying a word.

The old man finally decided to leave with his clansmen.

"Have you found the chief?"

After the people from the old Marley tribe left, Lozen asked eagerly.

"Come in and talk."

Chen Jianqiu and the others walked into the room.

Lotzen lit a kerosene lamp.

She let the others go first.

Only Chen Jianqiu, Asuka, Luo Cen and the armadillo were left in the room.

"Geronimo has a high probability of not dying."

Chen Jianqiu sat on the chair, he turned to the armadillo on the side: "Did you see the chief fall with your own eyes?"

Armadillo nodded: "The chief went down with a rope around his waist, but"

"But what?" Chen Jianqiu asked warily.

"But the rope broke." The armadillo looked distressed. "The turtledove rushed up first, and then I went up to help, but when I looked down, I couldn't find the chief."

"Turtledove asked me to report back to the town. He stayed at the scene to think of a way. I was out of my mind at the time, so Turtledove did what he said."

Chen Jianqiu thought for a while:
"Are you sure the rope is broken, and it wasn't given by the turtledove?" he asked.

"Well, it was broken, and the half of the rope was brought back later." Luo Cen suddenly remembered something.

He bent down and dragged out a straw basket from the bottom of the bed, and then took out a cut rope from the basket.

Chen Jianqiu took the rope and handed it to Asuka.

By the light of the kerosene lamp, Asuka began to carefully observe the break of the rope.

After a while, Asuka put down the rope with a stern expression:
"The rope was tampered with, and there were traces of man-made cuts."

The room fell silent.

The flame of the kerosene lamp swayed slightly with the breeze blowing in from the window, and the shadows of several people in the room also swayed on the wall.

Chen Jianqiu tapped the wooden table lightly with his knuckles.

Others exchanged glances.

There were people who wanted Geronimo dead, and the people who wanted him dead were in town.

"Can you find out who provided this rope?" Chen Jianqiu asked Armadillo.

The armadillo shook his head: "It can't be done. This rope is too common. It's everywhere in the town. We don't even know when and where the chief got it."

"Is it made by Turtledove?" Luo Cen said slowly, she really didn't want to face this possibility.

After all, Turtledove has followed himself and Geronimo since the mine ten years ago.

She really couldn't imagine that a reliable person like Turtle Dove would choose to betray.

This situation is the worst, because if Turtledove is really the one who wants Geronimo to die, I am afraid that Geronimo will really be in danger.

Even if the chief didn't really fall to his death, the turtledove would try to make him die.

"I hope not." Chen Jianqiu watched the flames of the kerosene lamp.

"But if it wasn't him, why did he run away?" Asuka frowned, "Just tell us clearly?"

Everyone's worries deepened.

It seems that all derivations are pointing to the worst possible outcome.

"Don't think about it, the top priority now is to find the turtledove." After thinking for a moment, Chen Jianqiu stood up, "We may not be the only ones looking for him now."

"If Turtle Dove is the traitor, the people behind the scenes will definitely look for him everywhere to silence him. In that case, there will be no evidence of death, and the death of the great chief will be regarded as unclear."

"If Turtledove wasn't the traitor, then the real murderer must have been looking for him and the chief here too. There is no dead body. Even you and I can see things, and those murderers will definitely not believe it easily."

"I think it's Old Marley's gang!" Armadillo said bitterly, "They have been following Turtledove under the guise of upholding justice for the great chief, hoping to confirm the death of the great chief or find the great chief."

"This possibility cannot be ruled out." Chen Jianqiu said.

"These damn bastards, the last time they rebelled was from their tribe. It seems that they are not willing to give up. They changed the leader and continued." Luo Cen slammed the table, "I'm going to Juarez to call everyone in the tribe Come back and fight these guys hard."

The female Indian warrior who is over forty years old is still as hot as fire, and she can't rub the sand in her eyes.

Chen Jianqiu coughed.

"Our troops are fully armed and stopped at Taniguchi. If you really want to deal with those people, you don't need to take action." Asuka added from the side.

"Well, don't worry, let's figure out the situation first, and it's not difficult to deal with them." Chen Jianqiu waved his hand.

He starts to schedule tasks:
"Asuka, you get up early tomorrow and take someone out to look for it, search it with a net, and bring armadillo, he is more familiar with this place."

"Lozen, I'll write you a note later. Take it to the city hall in Juarez to find Abiot and ask him to help count the Apaches in Juarez. See if there are any other people in Juarez recently. People are missing too."

"If the great chief is injured, it is impossible for Turtledove to choose to leave him alone."

Everyone took orders, and Chen Jianqiu reiterated to them:
"Remember, our task now is to find the turtledove and the great chief. We need to see people alive and corpses in death."

That night, Chen Jianqiu took Asuka back to Taniguchi's camp.

Asuka had prepared a separate tent for him a long time ago. The inside was a bit crude, but the space was acceptable. Lamps, tables, beds, maps, and folding chairs were all available.

The night is already deep.

But Chen Jianqiu still didn't feel sleepy.

By the light of the kerosene lamp, he stared at the map spread out on the table, with a pen in his hand, and wondered where Turtledove and Geronimo might be.

However, there was a sudden noise outside the tent.

He heard the yelling of his own soldiers, and the sound of footsteps.

Chen Jianqiu put down the pen in his hand and walked out of the tent.

Under the light of the campfire, a group of soldiers escorted a man and walked towards him.

"Boss, we found this man outside the camp. He is sneaky and his purpose is unknown." The officer on duty stood up straight and reported to Chen Jianqiuhui.

He waved his hand, and the soldiers behind pushed the man up.

Chen Jianqiu took a lantern from a soldier, lifted it up, and brought it to the man's face.

He saw clearly the face of the man who had been caught.

Klickitat, one of the two Indian tribal chiefs who appeared at the place of worship during the day.

The man looked at Chen Jianqiu with some hesitation in his eyes:

"I'm here to visit you, Mr. Chen, without any malice."

Chen Jianqiu returned the lantern to the soldier:
"Let him in, you go on with your business."

The officer hesitated: "Boss, let's search him first, what if he is an assassin?"

"Look for yourselves," Chen Jianqiu said.

"I really don't have any malicious intentions!"

As a prisoner, Klickitat was very professional. He directly raised his hands and signaled the officer to search him.

The officer leaned up and touched him all over.

Not really any weapons, not even a needle.

Chen Jianqiu had already turned around and entered the tent.

The soldiers pushed Klickitat forward and left, led by the officer.

The Indian went into the tent.

Chen Jianqiu sat sideways on his chair.

His right arm rested on the back of the chair, holding a gleaming golden revolver in his hand.

The body of the revolver gently patted the back of the chair, while the owner of the gun watched him quietly.

Klickitat suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

He swallowed a mouthful of saliva, and then said slowly:
"Mr. Chen, I'm here to tell you something about Geronimo."

(End of this chapter)