Chapter 153

Ah Shui said with a smile, “It’s a casino supported by the local government. The prosperity of Mengla depends on it. Of course, drug trafficking is also an important industry here.”
“Hehe!” Xie Wendong smiled helplessly and sighed, “It’s a prosperous small town, but such abnormal prosperity is indeed astonishing.”
Mengla was temporarily occupied by the Shan Dong Alliance forces. They were constantly at war with the Wa United Forces over the control of poppy fields, and troops could often be seen running along the streets. Ah Shui had to be extremely careful while driving on the streets, as they belonged to the Wa United Forces, and even the slightest mistake could cost them their lives.
The situation in Myanmar was extremely chaotic, with local armed groups growing stronger while the government was powerless. Conflicts often broke out among these local forces over interests. The Golden Triangle was under the control of the Wa United Forces, but their rule was unstable, and they could be attacked by other forces at any time.
The jeep slowly drove through Mengla and stopped in the dense forest not far from the outskirts. Lao Gui had just spoken on the phone with headquarters and said to Xie Wendong, “We’ll wait here for a while. The plane will arrive soon.”
Before Xie Wendong could say anything, a small squad from the Shan Dong Alliance forces approached—about a dozen people, all fully armed. Ah Shui was shocked and asked urgently, “Lao Gui, could they be coming for us? We don’t have any weapons; we’d be at a disadvantage if things get physical.”
Lao Gui remained calm. “Not necessarily. Stay calm. Don’t look at them. If we really can’t avoid it, we’ll figure something out then.”
Ah Shui muttered, “What’s the point of figuring something out if we can’t avoid it? We’ll be shot before we can react.” Still, he pretended nothing had happened and sat by a tree on the grass, acting as if he was enjoying the cool breeze. Xie Wendong, on the other hand, seemed relaxed. He didn’t take these dozen short-statured Burmese people seriously at all. He also had a gun—a Browning that could hold sixteen bullets. If it came to a fight, he might not be at a disadvantage.
The squad slowly passed by them on the path. The leading sergeant suddenly stopped and walked toward where Xie Wendong and the others were. Ah Shui stiffened and quietly reached for a stone on the ground beside him. Lao Gui remained unperturbed, patted Ah Shui’s hand, and whispered, “Brother Xie, don’t speak. If he realizes you’re a foreigner, it’ll be troublesome.” Xie Wendong nodded with a smile.

The non-commissioned officer walked over with a smile, chirping in a language Xie Wendong couldn’t understand. Lao Gui laughed heartily and replied calmly. The non-commissioned officer nodded, touched his pocket, and said something with a troubled expression. Lao Gui smiled in agreement, reached into his pocket for cigarettes, opened the pack, and his face changed as there wasn’t a single cigarette left. He gave the non-commissioned officer an apologetic smile, then turned to Xie Wendong and muttered a few words. Although Xie Wendong didn’t understand what he said, he guessed most of it and responded with an “uh,” taking out a cigarette from his pocket and offering it to the non-commissioned officer. The officer took it with a smile, but looked surprised when he saw it was a Zhonghua cigarette. Xie Wendong was shocked and cursed himself for being careless—after all, the words on the cigarette clearly indicated he was from China. The non-commissioned officer lit the cigarette, took a deep drag, and exhaled the thin smoke slowly, clearly savoring it. His gaze kept drifting toward Xie Wendong’s cigarette pack. Lao Gui cleverly gave Xie Wendong a wink, who immediately understood and handed his cigarette to the officer. The officer shook his hand quickly, and after Lao Gui muttered a few words, he excitedly put the cigarette away, thanked Xie Wendong and Lao Gui, and walked away smiling. When the small group was out of sight, Xie Wendong said, smiling at the officer’s back, “It’s just a pack of cigarettes. Is there any need to be so happy?” Lao Gui shook his head. “You don’t know. He seems to be just a squad leader, with a monthly salary of about sixty yuan. For him, Zhonghua cigarettes are something unattainable.” Xie Wendong nodded and asked, “By the way, why didn’t he suspect I was Chinese when I gave him a Zhonghua cigarette?” Lao Gui replied, “Most Chinese cigarettes are available here, so there’s no need to make a big deal out of it.” Xie Wendong realized then. Just five minutes later, a deafening roar came from the sky. Lao Gui perked up excitedly. “The general has sent a plane to pick us up. Just by the sound, we can tell it’s our Wali Alliance plane.” His hearing was indeed excellent. The plane landed in an open area ahead of the dense forest. A middle-aged man in his fifties, full of energy, got out of the plane, waved at Xie Wendong and Lao Gui, then got back on board. Lao Gui took Xie Wendong’s arm and they stepped onto the plane. A Shui stayed behind, as he was responsible for external communications and couldn’t return to headquarters without permission from his superiors. Once the two were on board, the plane took off quickly without delay. It was Xie Wendong’s first time on a helicopter, and he felt a bit curious. The plane seemed to sway in the air, but inside it was extremely stable.

Lao Gui introduced Xie Wendong to the middle-aged man, saying, “This is General Sang’s top assistant, Colonel He Qiang.” Then he pointed at Xie Wendong and said, “This is Xie Wendong, the young gang leader from China whom I often mention. You two will meet frequently from now on, so get along well. Haha!”
Xie Wendong and He Qiang shook hands. He Qiang spoke some basic Chinese and smiled at Xie Wendong, saying, “I didn’t expect you to be so young. At first, when Lao Gui told me, I didn’t believe it. But now that I’ve met you, I have no choice but to believe it.”
Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Colonel He, you’re too kind. As a colonel in the Golden Triangle and a favorite of General Sang, I’m nothing compared to you.”
He Qiang laughed, shook his finger, and sighed, “You’re much younger than me. Your future prospects are far better than mine. Before long, I’ll probably be just a minor figure compared to you.”
The two talked and laughed amiably, with no sense of strangeness between them, as if they were old friends who hadn’t seen each other in years. Lao Gui sat nearby, very pleased. Perhaps, aside from the leaders of both sides, he was the happiest that Xie Wendong could succeed in cooperating with the Golden Triangle. He regarded Xie Wendong as his friend, and the Golden Triangle was his own home, so this cooperation was beneficial for him as well.
An hour passed quickly. When Xie Wendong looked down from the plane, he could clearly see the military vehicles on the road. Lao Gui exclaimed excitedly, “Those are the transport vehicles of our 125th Army. They’re loaded with ‘gold’—gold that hasn’t yet shone!”
“Oh?” Xie Wendong asked in confusion, “Gold that hasn’t shone?”
He Qiang explained with a smile, “Brother Xie, you’re one of us. To be honest, what’s in those vehicles are freshly harvested poppies. As Lao Gui said, for us, that’s gold, that’s money. Of course, it can also be turned into the weapons we need.” He then glanced at Xie Wendong. Xie Wendong kept smiling, as if he hadn’t heard anything.

The plane landed on a circular platform. After getting off, Xie Wendong looked around. It was more of a military camp built in the jungle than a village. Soldiers armed with rifles could be seen walking along the crisscrossing paths from time to time. Watchtowers stood all around the camp, their machine guns loaded with bullets and safety disengaged, with soldiers constantly patrolling beside them. The houses that made up the village were mostly wooden, hollow underneath, resembling floating palaces. The entire Golden Triangle was surrounded by mountains, with strange trees growing everywhere and clear streams flowing gently—its scenery was famously enchanting, but the danger here could not be ignored. Countless landmines lay hidden in the green grass, and a single misstep could send one flying into the air.

He Qiang and Lao Gui led Xie Wendong into a wooden room. Although the equipment inside was simple, it was very clean. He Qiang smiled and said, “Brother Xie, rest here for a day first. The general has some important matters to attend to in Bangkang and will return tomorrow. By then, you can have a detailed talk with him.”

Bangkang was the capital of the Wa United Army, where the main officials of the Wa gang gathered. Although General Sang was in charge of all affairs in the Golden Triangle, he still had to return to the capital regularly to report.

Xie Wendong nodded after hearing this. He had indeed been quite tired from the continuous travel these past few days. Smiling, he said, “Okay. But may I go out and take a look around?”

“Of course!” He Qiang replied. “But it’s best to see A Gui first before going out. Otherwise, some soldiers might notice your unfamiliar face and cause unnecessary misunderstandings.”

Xie Wendong laughed and said, “That goes without saying.” After He Qiang and Lao Gui left, Xie Wendong stretched and lay down on the bed. The blanket seemed to have been specially cleaned; it had no musty smell and instead emitted a faint scent of flowers and plants. Truly nice! Xie Wendong marveled at the pleasant aroma. There was no electrical appliance in the room—not even a light—just a bed and a set of table and chairs. Yet it didn’t feel uncomfortable; instead, it gave a sense of returning to simplicity. Without drugs, without local power groups, without armies, this place could definitely be called a paradise. But without those “ifs,” would the world still pay attention to it? Would anyone still look here?

Unconsciously, Xie Wendong fell asleep in bed. When he opened his eyes again, it was already dark. He checked his watch—it was past six. “What a great sleep! I didn’t realize I slept for so long!” he said to himself. At that moment, the door opened, and Lao Gui came in. Sniffing the pleasant aroma in the room, he laughed and said, “It’s no wonder one can’t sleep well in such a fragrant environment!”

Xie Wendong sat up from the bed and said, “It’s not a good habit to eavesdrop on others, and it’s even worse to eavesdrop on their own thoughts. By the way, what’s this fragrance?”
Lao Gui smiled helplessly and replied, “It’s the scent of poppies.” Seeing Xie Wendong staring at him, he hurriedly added, “It’s a very mild version after processing, harmless to the human body. Of course, inhaling it directly is indeed bad for health.”
Xie Wendong chuckled and patted his stomach, saying, “The hospitality in the Golden Triangle is really poor. I’m hungry, but no one takes care of me.”
Lao Gui rolled his eyes and said with a wry smile, “I actually wanted to take you for food earlier, but I saw you were sleeping soundly and didn’t want to disturb you. Yet in your mouth, it turns into poor hospitality.”
Xie Wendong patted his broad shoulder and laughed, “I was just joking. Why take it seriously?” “I know! Only you would say that. If it were someone else, I’d have beaten them up long ago.”
As they left the wooden house and walked along the dirt path, Xie Wendong got a chance to properly observe the legendary Golden Triangle. There was no fear or tension as he had imagined. At dusk, the soldiers also relaxed after a tense day, sitting in groups, laughing and chatting. If a beautiful girl passed by, they would make loud noises and whistle loudly, but they would never approach rudely. The girls would respond with smiles, unfazed. Women sat by a small stream to wash clothes, while half-grown children played in the water and fished. Xie Wendong sighed with a smile, “The Golden Triangle is much more peaceful than I thought.”
Lao Gui looked somewhat gloomy and said sadly, “I don’t know how long this peace can last. I heard the war situation ahead is unfavorable for our army. General Di Di’s troops have suffered repeated defeats. If this continues, it won’t be long before the forces of the Shan Dong Alliance arrive here. Maybe the troops stationed in the Golden Triangle will be moved forward—how many of these soldiers will be able to return alive?”
Xie Wendong knew nothing about the situation in Burma and didn’t understand what generals or alliances he was talking about, but from Lao Gui’s expression, he could tell that the fighting was not in their favor. He patted his shoulder and said, “There’s always a way when you get to the mountain. I believe nothing in the world is unsolvable—it depends on how you approach it.”