Chapter 154
The old man said, “Your thoughts are quite similar to those of the general, but we don’t have advanced weapons. Of course, this is also the main reason why General Sang wants to see you.”
Xie Wendong sighed inwardly; he felt his visit this time was somewhat frivolous. He had no idea what kind of advanced weapons the Russian Black Belt might have, but one thing he had overlooked was that his concept of advanced weapons was still limited to pistols and rifles, mainly used for gang fights. Compared to the huge demand and high standards of the Golden Triangle, what he envisioned was far too inadequate. This was the difference between gangs and armies. After arriving in Myanmar and seeing and hearing things firsthand, Xie Wendong couldn’t help but worry whether the Black Belt had the capacity to afford such expenses as those of the Golden Triangle. But he wouldn’t show it on his face, maintaining his confident demeanor, because he knew well that in the Golden Triangle, showing even the slightest sign of unease would likely make it impossible for him to return to China. When you’re useful to them, you’re a god—they can worship you like a deity. But once you’re useless, you’re no different from trash; not only will you be cast aside, but you’ll also be trampled underfoot.
The Golden Triangle is like this here; isn’t it the same in China as well? Isn’t the world the same?
The old man took Xie Wendong to a larger wooden house. Inside the huge room, there were only a few women who seemed to be servants. The old man first asked Xie Wendong to sit down, then signaled the women to serve the meal. Xie Wendong asked, “Why isn’t Colonel He here?”
The old man replied, “Colonel He went to assist Kang right after bringing you back. He has to deal with those money-hungry vampires in the capital better than the general does.”
Xie Wendong asked, “From what you say, it seems the Golden Triangle has to pay money to the capital every month?” “Not every month—it’s once a year, but they must return every month to report on the so-called situation.” Xie Wendong asked, “What kind of situation?” The old man shook his head. “That’s confidential; we can’t say!”
While talking, the women had already served the meal. The old man pointed to the delicious food and said, “Try our food—it has a unique flavor!”
Xie Wendong took a bite of the white meat. It was tender and delicious, so he couldn’t help asking, “What kind of meat is this?”
The old man also took a large piece and put it in his mouth, savoring it before saying, “Snake meat! Cobra meat.” “Oh!” Xie Wendong replied, and never picked up his chopsticks from that plate again.
After dinner, Xie Wendong prepared to go back and rest. Lao Gui somehow summoned a group of girls at some point; they all had pretty faces, though their skin was a bit darker. Lao Gui pointed at them and said with a smile, “Brother, pick one?” Xie Wendong shook his head. Lao Gui sighed, “If you come to a new country and don’t enjoy the women here, then you’re not really enjoying life.”
Xie Wendong replied calmly, “Maybe I’m just not someone who knows how to enjoy things by nature.” Lao Gui said helplessly, “I really doubt if you’re even a man. Never mind, I’ll just enjoy the good life by myself. Haha!” With that, Lao Gui grabbed a few girls and walked out, shaking them along. Xie Wendong glanced at the empty wine bottles on the table and said loudly, “Don’t get too tired from drinking too much; it’s bad for your health.” Lao Gui might indeed be drunk, his mood exuberant; he didn’t even turn around, just sticking out his middle finger and saying, “Since when did you become a doctor?!”
Watching his figure disappear, surrounded by women, Xie Wendong shook his head and got up to head back to his small wooden hut. In his entire life, Xie Wendong had only been with Peng Ling. It wasn’t that he wasn’t interested in women; in his view, sex could only happen with love. Without love, it was merely an outlet for animal instincts.
Xie Wendong might not have been a proud person, but he was someone who adhered to habits and principles. “People are slaves to habits!” The crescent moon hung in the sky like a curved knife, unobscured by clouds, casting its faint light freely. The moon was fair—its light could shine anywhere in the world, covering both the righteous and the wicked. The Golden Triangle was a place of evil; countless drugs in the world originated there. Yet, it couldn’t be denied that its night sky was beautiful. Looking up at the crescent moon and stars, Xie Wendong murmured to himself, “Tomorrow will definitely be a good day.”
No one knew if tomorrow would be a good day, but for the Golden Triangle, that night was undoubtedly dark and stormy. Xie Wendong was just about to fall asleep in bed when a harsh howling wind shattered the silence, followed by a deafening explosion that made the ground tremble. Quick-witted, Xie Wendong rushed out of bed and fled the hut. The outside world was truly amazing—now he understood that phrase. A red-yellow light, accompanied by a screeching sound from friction with the air, rushed toward the heart of the Golden Triangle. When the light hit the ground, it turned into a call of death—five meters square of land vanished instantly, leaving behind a half-meter-deep crater. This was just the beginning; countless lights rose in the distant sky and flew toward various parts of the Golden Triangle.
The troops stationed in the Golden Triangle reacted fairly quickly, shouting “Enemy attack!” as they rushed out of their rooms, rifles in hand and uniforms in disarray. Without panicking, they followed their officers’ orders and swiftly headed to their positions to prepare for the incoming enemy. In an instant, gunshots, the roar of artillery shells, and people’s screams merged into one chaotic noise. An artillery shell landed not far from Xie Wendong; two young soldiers who had just gotten dressed and stepped out of their rooms were instantly torn to pieces. Looking at the flesh fragments scattered at his feet, Xie Wendong felt nauseous—not because of the gruesome scene, but for those two innocent young lives.
Lao Gui, wearing a coat and hunching over, rushed frantically toward Xie Wendong’s room. From a distance, he saw Xie standing at the door, his expression unreadable as he stared blankly at the ground. Lao Gui pulled him aside urgently and said, “The enemy has attacked us! Are you going to stand here waiting to die?”
Xie Wendong didn’t look up. Staring at the red-and-black flesh fragments at his feet, he said, “These are two lives.” Then he smiled and said helplessly, “Life is truly short. Give me a gun—one with plenty of bullets.” Lao Gui grabbed Xie Wendong and started running, saying, “I think you’re either crazy or scared silly! Why give you a gun? To fight the enemy? One more person here or there doesn’t make a difference, but if something happens to you, how am I supposed to explain it to the general?! How am I supposed to explain it to your parents?!”
Xie Wendong burst into laughter, though it certainly wasn’t the time for laughter. Lao Gui pulled Xie Wendong and hid them under a wooden house, pointing to the house above and saying reassuringly, “That’s the general’s house. It’s extremely sturdy. Even one or two artillery shells hitting it won’t hurt us.” Xie Wendong didn’t say anything, just gave Lao Gui a thumbs up.
It was the Shan Dong Alliance forces that launched this surprise attack. After firing no less than a hundred heavy shells at the Golden Triangle, around two thousand soldiers charged across the front line. The Golden Triangle had solid defenses and more than eight hundred troops stationed there; holding off an attack from two thousand soldiers should not have been difficult. However, the surprise attack, coupled with relentless bombardment by the Shan Dong Alliance forces, damaged their fortifications and caused heavy casualties, making resistance extremely difficult. Driven by high rewards promised by their commanders, the Shan Dong Alliance soldiers charged forward fearlessly. The Wa Union forces also fought bravely; the heavy machine guns on the watchtowers were like flaming demons, reducing rows of soldiers to ashes under their fierce fire. Red mist rose from time to time among the Shan Dong Alliance soldiers, and screams pierced everyone’s eardrums, straining their nerves until they broke. A soldier was shot and fell to the ground, rolling, crying, and shouting. Kind-hearted soldiers rushed forward to pull him back—step by step… But suddenly, a loud explosion sent him flying. The gunshots stopped, and the world fell silent. It seemed an eternity passed before he crashed heavily to the ground. By then, he was numb. He tried to get up but couldn’t, no matter how hard he tried. When he looked up, he saw that his legs were gone, with bare white bones exposed. Only then did intense pain overwhelm him, and he collapsed in agony. In just a short time, no fewer than a hundred Shan Dong Alliance soldiers had fallen victim to landmines. The ground was covered with shattered bodies, and the stench of burning flesh pierced deep into people’s stomachs. Some unlucky soldiers stepped on bouncing landmines; before they could even scream, their necks were severed, their heads flew far away, and their headless bodies continued to charge forward with their guns before collapsing, convulsing, and coming to rest. The Wa Union soldiers didn’t have time to gloat at their enemies’ suffering. Soon, the soldiers firing wildly from the watchtowers became targets for countless revenge shots. Ruthless stray bullets pierced their bodies, causing explosions. Instantly, red mist covered them like beautiful, dazzling flowers—blooming in an instant and vanishing just as quickly. Soldiers with blood-red holes all over their bodies fell from the watchtowers. But quickly, soldiers on the ground rushed up to the watchtowers to fill in their gaps. Then, they too became flaming demons, eventually turning into fleeting flowers that fell to the ground. Shells kept falling on the Wa Union forces’ positions, with shrapnel flying around like merciless knives, slashing people’s faces and bodies.
Some soldiers had their stomachs torn by shrapnel, causing their intestines to spill out. Their faces showed expressions of shock, disbelief, terror, and despair as they looked at their comrades. They saw their comrades’ tearful eyes and the dark barrels of guns. A gunshot was the last sound they heard in this world, while their comrades’ contorted faces were the last thing they saw. This is war—here, life holds no value. Even the greatest heroes in the world are just like a blade of grass here: fragile, easily broken.
War is cruel, whether against one’s own people or enemies. It’s a double-edged sword; no matter how you wield it, while killing the enemy, it also deeply hurts yourself.
The Shan Dong Alliance soldiers fought bravely. When one of them was shot and fell, several others stepped on his body to keep moving forward. Even the powerful Golden Triangle forces couldn’t hold back their attacks—within half an hour, several gaps had appeared in the Wa Union forces’ defenses, and soldiers from both sides began fighting hand-to-hand in the houses.
Xie Wendong and Lao Gui could no longer hide safely under the houses. The advancing Shan Dong Alliance soldiers, with bloodshot eyes, slaughtered anyone they saw like madmen, searching every corner where people might hide. Soon, more than a dozen wooden houses were in their control. Women were pulled out of their rooms, and those murderous eyes roamed over them without restraint—their fate was obvious. The battle continued.
“Can you still hide?” Xie Wendong leaned in close to Lao Gui’s ear, gestured toward the women in the open area, and asked softly, “There must be a wonderful life waiting for you there.”
Lao Gui’s face turned grim as he whispered, “Once women fall into their hands, it’s over!” Xie Wendong said sympathetically, “Thankfully, I didn’t plant any seeds of passion in them.” Lao Gui replied, “We should save them!” Xie Wendong said, “All too often, passion only brings regret.” Lao Gui added, “But we don’t have guns!” Xie Wendong replied, “When there are difficulties, we must step in; when there are none, we create difficulties just to step in.” Lao Gui gritted his teeth and said, “If you say anything more sarcastic, don’t blame me for turning on you!” Xie Wendong smiled and said, “Stay relaxed—your mind will be clearer, and your chances of winning will increase.” Lao Gui asked skeptically, “Really?” Xie Wendong smiled broadly, “If you believe that, you’re really stupid!”
“You…” Lao Gui’s eyes widened as he was about to explode in anger, but seeing Xie Wendong’s smiling face, his anger vanished instantly. He pleaded, “Okay, I admit I’m scared of you. You’re the most inventive—think of a good plan quickly.” Xie Wendong said seriously, “I’ve actually been thinking about it, but I haven’t figured it out yet.” “Damn it!”
Xie Wendong was right; war indeed can numb people. The continuous gunshots and explosions stimulate the deepest parts of the nervous system, like taut strings that can easily break if not relaxed. Lao Gui’s already tense nerves gradually eased after Xie Wendong’s teasing. At that moment, a soldier walked toward them. Lao Gui held his breath, not daring to even breathe, staring at the soldier’s approaching shoes as he pulled out the dagger from his waist. While Lao Gui was too nervous to breathe, Xie Wendong casually coughed. Lao Gui thought to himself, “Oh no,” as cold sweat instantly poured down his forehead.
Sure enough, the soldier looked around before approaching the wooden hut. He bent down to check if anyone was hiding below. What he saw was a young, smiling face. A smile, unlike words, knows no borders—anyone could tell it was a bright smile. The soldier looked puzzled and asked suspiciously, “Who are you…?” (Burmese)
Xie Wendong waved his hand, and a bright light flashed across the soldier’s throat. The soldier covered his neck with both hands, staring at Xie Wendong in disbelief. He opened his mouth to shout, but his throat was already severed, leaving him unable to utter a sound. Lao Gui pulled the soldier’s fallen body under the hut and scolded, “Why do you have to cough at such a time? How dangerous!” Xie Wendong replied calmly, “Put on his clothes, then use the dagger to cut off his head.” “Huh?” Lao Gui wondered if he had heard wrong.