Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
As the SUV sped up, Li Du asked, “Is that guy very powerful?”
Liu Zi said, “He’s backed by the government, but the government’s goal is to seize the assets left behind by the King of Old Hpakant. If not for the fact that he was backed by the government, I would have had my way with him!”
Li Du was shocked. “No way. The King of Old Hpakant was in business for the better half of a century but he didn’t leave behind any capable people to work with his children?”
Zhong Dapao shook his head and laughed. “No, he didn’t. He left them a lot of money, gems, and mining areas, but not a single talented person. Back when he had been in Hpakant, the King of Old Hpakant relied entirely on himself to sustain his family, so his family was essentially doomed the moment he died.”
Da Mao piped in with his own question, “If that’s the case, what do we have to fear? They are people who will do anything in the heat of the moment. The year before, Hpakant was besieged by guerrilla troops because that idiot crippled the son of one of their generals.”
The road was relatively empty. The Longken area was about 30 kilometers away from the Chinese Village, and even if traffic were bad they would have reached their destination in about 20 minutes.
When they stepped out of the car, Zhong Dapao rang for the merchants to deliver basic necessities like grains, vegetables, meat, and alcohol. Liu Zi waved his hand and a crippled old man grabbed the trumpet strapped to his bag and blew into it. At the sound of the trumpet, everyone rushed out of their houses.
These people were relatively elderly, their ages ranging from forty to eighty. They stepped out with weapons in their hands — guns, knives, rods. They hurried to lower the rails at the village entrance and stacked a few sandbags. Some people grabbed guns and hid behind the sandbags.
Da Mao was shocked at the sight of this. “F*ck, Master Liu, are you preparing for a war?”
Liu Zi glanced at him from the corner of his eye. “Hmm, it’s a precautionary measure for now. Sonam’s grandson is a stupid person capable of stupid things.”
Da Mao said, “Seems about right. I heard someone say that many of the King’s descendants were beaten by government troops, guerilla forces, and the bosses of mining areas.”
Liu Zi patted his chest and said, “Now you know how much it’s costing us to protect you, then? You’re too high-profile and everyone wants a piece of you, but it’s not like you have a guardian angel protecting you!”
Da Mao picked up on what Liu Zi was trying to say. He hurriedly nodded and bowed. “Master Liu, I’ll work hard for you guys and help you pick good rocks.”
Liu Zi nodded in satisfaction and said, “Don’t worry, Master Pao won’t do you dirty. We’re all old, you won’t know when we’ll drop dead. Whatever we have is yours after we pass.”
Li Du chortled at their exchange. Liu Zi’s way of reassuring the boy was rather interesting; he was making empty promises that extended past their death. Da Mao was way too naive and trusting and brightened visibly at the man’s words.
Liu Zi continued, “You’ll definitely step on a few toes if you carry on with your investigation in Hpakant. Stick close to us so, at the very least, no one can touch you. Besides, we’re all Chinese. Blood is thicker than water, right?”
Da Mao nodded enthusiastically. “Yes, yes.”
Liu Zi went on, “We’re not controlling you, this is a partnership. We earn some money in the short term while you gain experience and connections. From here on out, the Chinese Village will have your back. You won’t have any trouble in Hpakant.”
Da Mao continued nodding fervently. “That would be great.”
Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi did not make preparations in vain. In the afternoon while they were sleeping, shots rang out in the village. Li Du rose from his sleep with a start and looked out of the window to see that several pick-up trucks were outside the village. The people in the trucks had their guns aimed at the village and opened fire.
The villagers were even tougher. There were muzzles peeking out from the windows and behind the sandbags they laid outside the village. The villagers fired relentlessly and forced the pick-up trucks to retreat.
Because of this, they could not step out for the time being. The timing was great — Zhong Dapao had earned some money and bought living necessities worth hundreds of thousands of RMB. They were trapped for the time being, but at least they would still be able to live rather comfortably in this haven.
Li Du took advantage of this break to contact some excavators and miners. He had them familiarize themselves with the Hpakant area before they had to move on to look for a mineral vein in Dena Mountain — this was the main goal.
After taking shelter in the village for two days, Zhong Dapao came looking for them. “It’s time. Should we go play at Huika or Tamakhan?”
Li Du looked at the map then said, “Let’s go to Tamakhan, then reroute to Huika.”
Zhong Dapao said, “Okay, I want to go to Tamakhan, too. The big places like Longken, Xiangdong and Old Hpakant have good stuff, but a small place like Tamakhan is where the treasure is, and I know of a good site.”
Tamakhan was an area below the Wulong river, 30 kilometers from Hpakant. Its operating hours were shorter than those of the old mining area; it had about a dozen big sites and hundreds of smaller ones. The sites in Tamakhan produced more suisekis, which were usually small, weighing no more than five kilograms. However, it was a popular area because there was a high likelihood of finding water-grade and emerald jade.
Because Tamakhan was located in the wilderness, the area forbade foreigners and outsiders from entering due to safety concerns.
Zhong Dapao fished out a map for Li Du to see. It was a map they drew themselves, and on it, they marked out where the government police and customs designated by the area were stationed. Judging from the map, the area was heavily guarded.
After they left the village, Liu Zi prepared a bunch of motorcycles. They had to be even more cautious now that they ruffled the feathers of the King of Hpakant, but also because there were too many people who had their eye on Da Mao. Liu Zi brought with him five tough, burly, silent men. They had messy, unruly hair and coarse skin — just one look and one would know better than to mess with them.
This time, they would have to ride their bikes to Tamakhan. Liu Zi explained, “It’d be easier to navigate on a bike if we run into trouble, and besides, the road conditions are just terrible. Cars won’t get us in. Lastly, bikes are not checked at customs.”
Two people shared a bike, and about fourteen or fifteen bikes drove out of the village. Li Du planted a kid in the village. There were plenty of children in the village who loved a ruckus, so Li Du let a few of them play with the local kids, along with some firecrackers.
The bikes that Liu Zi provided were dirt bikes. The Chinese Village could not afford to splurge, so there were some issues with the bikes that made riding difficult. Li Du’s experience with bikes was limited to the one time he found an abandoned Harley-Davidson. He had almost gotten into an accident back then, which made him stop riding bikes altogether. As such, he could not ride one too well.
Brother Wolf was insistent that Li Du should learn how to ride. If something went wrong later, he would shield Li Du and get him on a bike so he could escape first. Because of that, Liu Zi demonstrated everything for Li Du — gear, clutch, throttle. Learning was not difficult. The difficult part was having to deal with local traffic.
They drove north from the small town. At first, traffic conditions were still relatively decent so Li Du could afford to drive cautiously. After about ten kilometers, the road suddenly became uneven. There were small and large bumps protruding from the earth, and a small sandstorm was sent flying by the wheels of the bike in front.
Da Mao’s driving technique was even worse than Li Du’s. The boy accelerated too much when he drove over a bump, so when they suddenly went downslope he lost control of the bike and was sent flying.
