Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Da Mao was very familiar with the workings of the jade trade. Of course, that meant he knew about the King of Old Hpakant and his family affairs. When he heard what Zhong Dapao said, he shook his head fervently. “No, no, no! I’m not going to work for them, or there’s no telling when I’ll die!”
Zhong Dapao kept silent. The men from the other side had already marched up to them and were standing outside their car. For better or for worse, they had to go deal with them or risk being thought of as arrogant and unreliable.
The man in the white suit smiled at the sight of Zhong Dapao. “It’s been a while, Mr. Zhong.”
Zhong Dapao clenched his fists. “Hey, Mr. Tun Khin, it’s been a long time indeed. You’re in my way. Is there something I can help you with?”
The man responded, “I know you’re the kind to cut to the chase instead of beating around the bush, so I’ll get straight to it. Is there a Mr. Mao in your car? Mr. Suo Mo wishes to meet him.”
Zhong Dapao said, “Now? I’m afraid that’s not possible. Mr. Mao is here with me, but he owes all of us at the Chinese Village a huge sum of money. I’ve got to bring him back or I’d be in trouble with the villagers.”
Da Mao muttered from inside the car, “I owe whom money?!”
Liu Zi stared at the boy. “Well, get out of the car, then, if this excuse isn’t good enough for you.”
Da Mao laughed in embarrassment. “Forget what I said before. The Suos are a bunch of fools who resort to violence to get their way, and I’m not getting involved with them. I’d very much like to stay alive, thank you.”
The two men started arguing. Zhong Dapao was refusing to hand over Da Mao, so there was not much Tun Khin could do.
Zhong Dapao knew why Tun Khin was so insistent. He was a shrewd man and someone who was in the business of gambling on rocks, no less. He knew of Da Mao’s capabilities and was just as adamant about keeping the boy on his side. However, he was different from the outsiders. Outsiders to the trade overestimated the boy’s capabilities. Da Mao’s sudden rise to fame from the incident of last night drew all the attention to himself and away from the low-profile Li Du. Da Mao had only picked a minority of the rocks the team had; Li Du picked the bulk of them, and Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi knew just how incredible a man he was.
They knew Li Du was much more powerful than Da Mao, but they also knew that man was not someone they could keep under their thumb, a fact that became even more apparent when they found out Li Du was a major shareholder in the Harry Winston Group. They knew full well that controlling Li Du would be a pipe dream, and settled for maintaining an amicable relationship with him.
At this moment, Da Mao and his big mouth became a decent option for the pair. Though Da Mao’s abilities were definitely not on par with Li Du’s, he was still an impressive professional in his own right, especially since he was still young. With enough experience and training under his belt, he was sure to become even better. As such, they hoped to keep Da Mao on their side so he could be of help to them, instead of having to hand him off to someone else.
Da Mao, too, had a vague feeling that this was how they felt, and acknowledged as much. He also knew that Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi were all bark and no bite. They might have cursed and even hit him the first time they met but they never bore any ill intentions – it had all been in good fun.
It had already been some time since he arrived at Longken and Kokang, so he had some sort of grasp on the situation there. It would be difficult to get by without coming from a good background or having the right connections, let alone deal with shady business.
Tun Khin and Zhong Dapao continued to argue: one was adamant about bringing Da Mao with him and the other insisted on keeping the boy. Both sides refused to back down and could not be convinced to do so.
After some time, the back door of the first car in the convoy of Pajeros opened, and out stepped a tall, middle-aged man who said something in Burmese with a solemn face.
Liu Zi pointed out as he gritted his teeth, “Here comes the King of Hpakant.”
Li Du looked on curiously. “That’s him?”
Liu Zi nodded with a sneer, disdainful and not the least bit respectful. Zhong Dapao had his fists clenched at the sight of the King of Hpakant, who gave him the cold shoulder. He said a few more words in Burmese, then swung his arm down in an imposing manner.
At this, Zhong Dapao’s smile vanished and he shouted angrily, “How dare he?!”
Liu Zi took off his jacket and stepped out of the car wearing nothing but his singlet. He looked like a leopard getting ready to pounce, sparks shooting from his eyes. Liu Zi made for a terrifying sight that had the bodyguards stopping in their tracks. They hesitated and looked towards the King.
The King’s temper flared up instantly and he started shouting in Burmese again. Zhong Dapao pointed at the man and said, “Don’t push your luck. Young man, I’ve never feared your grandfather, so what makes you think I’ll fear you? Come at me if you dare!”
His words angered the King even further. He switched to Chinese to rebut, “Alright, let’s do this. Bring that man down for me.”
It was obvious neither side would be willing to settle this with negotiation. Li Du rolled down the window and stretched out his arm. He snapped his fingers and people stepped out from all eight cars. As swiftly as they could, Brother Wolf and the gang appeared.
Tun Khin furrowed his brows and held back the raging King of Hpakant. He said to Zhong Dapao, “Mr. Zhong, I think you should calm down. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your village–”
“The one who needs to calm down is your King!” Zhong Dapao hollered. “Never mind that he doesn’t know better, Tun Khin, but shouldn’t you? You come up to me and demand I hand a person over. This young master must really think he’s king of the hills, huh?”
The King glared at him viciously. “Zhong Dapao, I tried to reason with you. That boy in the car is mine and if you don’t hand him over, you will bear the consequences.”
Zhong Dapao reached past his jacket and drew the gun holstered to his waist. He slammed the weapon down on the roof of the car with a loud “bang” and slid it over to the King. “What consequences? You gonna send someone to bash me up? I’ll save you the trouble. Here’s a gun, you don’t have to wait, just do what you want right now.”
The King was an impulsive man. He stretched out his arm to grab the gun, but Tun Khin hurriedly stopped him. He said, “Young Master Suo Mo, calm down, you have to calm down! Mr. Zhong, we have to maintain harmony, why would you bring out your weapon? Take it back, hurry up and take it!”
Zhong Dapao glared balefully at the pair and said, “I won’t take the gun, I’ve got loads of those. Take this as a gift for Young Master Suo Mo, and there’s no need to thank me!”
He wanted to get into the car right after that but the King held him back. “Zhong Dapao, you’re quite the force. Are you sure this is how you want to do this? You want to go against me because of a brat you don’t even know well?”
Zhong Dapao said coldly, “You’re the one pitting himself against me, Young Master Suo Mo. I’m not one to stir up trouble, but if someone comes for me, I won’t take it lying down.”
Liu Zi backed him up, pride evident in his voice. “That’s right. We Chinese would rather die on our feet than live on our knees.”
Li Du chuckled from where he was in the car. “Ha, Master Liu, you have so many tricks up your sleeve.”
Da Mao was a little spooked. He looked at the scene nervously and murmured, “Things are such a mess, even more so than at Ruili. If I had known better I’d have brought a few of my brothers with me.”
Li Du asked curiously, “You’ve got people who have your back?”
Da Mao froze up, then became dejected. “F*ck, I don’t!”
Because of Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi’s aggression and the overwhelming force of Godzilla and gang, the King of Hpakant eventually left angrily with empty hands.
Once he was back in the car, Zhong Dapao’s face became solemn. “We need to hurry back. It has become really unsafe out there, at least for the time being.”
