pjbooks Chapter 82: The Daring Thief
Chapter 82: The Daring Thief
"Bang bang bang!"
"Bang! Bang!"
A series of gunshots echoed through the mine.
Hearing the continuous gunfire, Jason picked up the walkie-talkie and said to Brent with a grim expression, "Brent, have everyone stop work and get back to the living quarters as soon as possible."
"Jason, what happened?!" Albert frowned, holding a rifle in his hand. Seeing that Jason was unharmed, he immediately breathed a sigh of relief.
One by one, the lights in the rooms came on, and the continuous gunfire instantly woke them up.
Jason picked up the walkie-talkie and ordered everyone, "Everyone, stay inside and don't come out."
Hart Jr., Hart Sr., Ada, Swell, and Albert gathered in the workshop, their brows furrowed as they listened to the distant gunshots.
"Swell, how long will it take for the police to get here?"
Although he called the police immediately, Jason was still unsure.
This isn't a city, it's the middle of nowhere, who knows what will happen when the police arrive.
"Boss, it will take about an hour."
This answer instantly made everyone's faces turn ugly. An hour was far too long.
"Dolino, how's the situation on the ground? Do we need backup?" Albert asked into the walkie-talkie.
"Boss, I need Nojess to deliver ammunition; we're running out."
Dolino's words made everyone present gasp in their throats.
After the roar of the machines stopped, the people working at the mine also heard gunshots coming from the darkness.
"Where did the gunshot come from?!"
"This is Australia, not Africa!!!"
"Get down, get down, everyone hide!"
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Everyone present started cursing. Although they knew that gold mining was a high-risk industry, they didn't mean that they had to actually use guns and ammunition.
Andy, hiding behind the car with a grim expression, shouted, "Everyone, turn off the lights! In a second, bend over, keep your heads down, and speed up towards the residential area!"
Brent, who was standing nearby, picked up the walkie-talkie and said to Jason, "Jason, we'll be in the living quarters soon. Be careful not to hit the wrong person."
"Understood, please be careful!"
Brent and Andy exchanged a glance, nodded, and Brent shouted, "Everyone, bend over and heads down! Let's go!"
On the other side, Dolino and Lica were hiding behind the car, with automatic rifles mounted on it, firing continuously.
"Reload!"
Dolino shouted, ducked back into the car, and quickly changed the magazine.
Seeing the gunfire in the darkness, Lica fired several shots in quick succession, then said to Dolino beside him, "Dolino, the gunfire is getting weaker; they're probably running low on ammunition."
"Don't be careless," Dolino said calmly as he peered out and scanned the area.
"Damn it, they actually tried to escape!"
Upon hearing the roar of the car engine, Dolino aimed at the car and fired another burst of fire.
"Dolly, do you have any more magazines? I'm out of ammo." As soon as he finished speaking, Dolly threw him a magazine.
In the darkness, gunshots rang out repeatedly, the sounds of bullets whizzing through the air and impacts echoing continuously.
"Dolino, we're almost out of bullets!"
As soon as the new magazine was installed, Lika's expression turned grim.
"Nojes, how much longer?"
"Give me two minutes, I'll be right there!"
Soon, a pickup truck emerged from the night, and the lights instantly put Dolino and Lica at ease.
"Cover!" Nojes ducked down, clinging tightly to the driver's seat, gripping the steering wheel with only one hand.
The tires rolled over the gravel, executing a beautiful drift. As soon as the car stopped, Noges jumped out of the driver's seat and dragged a backpack full of magazines to Dolino and the other man.
The gunfire continued for over forty minutes before gradually subsiding.
When there were no more gunshots in the darkness, after waiting for twenty minutes, the three men put on their body armor and formed a three-man tactical team, quickly advancing towards their target.
"Safety!"
"Safety!"
"Safety!"
The three men lowered their guns but did not engage the safety; who knows if there were other people in the darkness.
Under the protection of the two men, Dolino also had a quick check-up.
A rudimentary pickup truck loaded with some gold mining equipment.
Four people lay in the blood-red amber surrounding them, each carrying a gun. Seeing the damaged engine, it became clear why these people hadn't run away.
Judging from the marks on the car, there were only four people in it. However, considering that none of them could speak, it was obviously impossible to get any specific information out of them.
"Dolino, how's the situation?" Jason, who hadn't heard a gunshot for over twenty minutes, took a deep breath and asked into the walkie-talkie.
"Boss, the danger has passed, but we don't know if there are any others left."
Hearing the reply, Jason breathed a sigh of relief; the worst hadn't happened, but he was still a little worried.
"Dolino, forget about that for now, go back. The police will be here soon." After instructing Dolino, he said to the people present, "Before the police arrive, the mine must remain vigilant. Gold mining is suspended until it is completely safe."
When everyone gathered and saw that no one was injured, Jason could only keep everyone together and wait for the police to arrive.
Honestly, Jason had never realized time had passed so slowly.
It's unclear how much time passed, but when the roar of the helicopter began and people heard the announcements from above, everyone's tense nerves finally relaxed completely.
"Damn, that scared me to death!"
"If you're stealing, why did you shoot?"
It looks like I won't be able to sleep tonight.
Everyone chimed in, releasing their pent-up emotions.
Having just arrived from China, Xing Ronghua's heart was pounding wildly. She looked at Li Guoming and asked, "Is Australia all this wild? They resort to guns so easily?"
A forced, awkward smile spread across Li Guoming's face, his legs trembling slightly. "What do you think? Aren't people abroad all armed with guns?"
The helicopter landed, and two fully armed police officers approached Jason. After a brief inquiry, Dolino, as the person involved, boarded the helicopter as his representative.
The remaining police officers reassured the crowd, "Let's maintain the status quo for now. You'll be free to move around once the danger is over."
"Swell, as a local, do you see this kind of thing happening often here?" Jason's legs were also a little weak, and he plopped down in a chair.
He lit a cigarette and took a deep drag. "Quite a few, especially when I was young. That kind of thing happened all the time. I haven't heard of any of those hotheads around these days."
In Swail's opinion, this guy who steals and then shoots is just a hothead. It's not like decades ago; no one would act so recklessly now.
"Let's wait for the results. There shouldn't be any major problems," Swell said casually, smoking and looking out the window.
Apart from Swail, the rest of the older people all looked calm.
Even Albert was the same; he showed little concern, smoking a cigar, holding a gun, and glancing out the window.
"They're all ruthless people." Jason couldn't help but gasp as he looked at the calm group.
Knowing that the gold rush industry is not easy, especially when the system is not well-regulated, it is clear that everyone has had their share of such experiences.
"Boss, the danger is over."
Dolino's voice came through the walkie-talkie, which put everyone at ease.
The police officer standing nearby smiled warmly, "Everyone, the danger is over now, you can get some rest."
Jason stepped forward and asked, "Is there anything else that needs to be addressed?"
"It's very simple; you just need to sign something and answer some questions in a bit."
Lillian suddenly interrupted Jason, smiling, "Officer, how about tomorrow? We were all quite frightened today. Can we go to the police station with a lawyer tomorrow?"
"Of course," the police officer frowned slightly, stared for a moment, and nodded, "It's a right granted to everyone."
Lillian then took over the conversation, discussing the attendees and other matters for tomorrow.
Once the police were away in helicopters, the mine returned to silence.
"Jason, are we still panning for gold tonight?" Brent's voice drew everyone's attention.
Jason clicked his tongue and said speechlessly, "That's it for now. Everyone go back and rest. If you can't sleep, have the cook make something to eat later. We'll stop gold panning tonight and talk about it again tomorrow."