chsdbacks Chapter 264 Planning and Goals
Chapter 264 Planning and Goals
Fei Long… Nie Lingfeng memorized the name. It seemed that the waters of Jinghong were even more murky than he had imagined. Not only were there outside “flies” (corrupt officials), but the local “local bullies” were also acting as accomplices.
After finishing his questioning, Nie Lingfeng didn't look at "Viper" again, stood up, and nodded to Old Master Xu. Old Master Xu understood and gave a wink to one of the shop assistants beside him. The assistant, expressionless, stepped forward and cleanly and decisively pressed down on "Viper's" neck, ending his suffering and torment with a soft "crack." Then, together with another shop assistant, they dragged "Viper's" corpse to the backyard.
Inside the teahouse, all was quiet. Only the night wind whistled softly through the broken bamboo door.
Chen Duo sat quietly at the table, watching Nie Lingfeng interrogate and deal with "Viper." Her emerald eyes remained calm, as if she were already used to this scene. Only when "Viper" was dragged away did she let out a soft sigh of relief and whisper to Nie Lingfeng, who was returning, "That bad guy... he smelled awful. Even worse than the 'stinky things' in the mountains."
Nie Lingfeng knew she was referring to the "scum's" aura emanating from "Viper," a mixture of blood, violence, and depravity. He ruffled her hair and said softly, "Yeah, it did smell pretty bad. But it's quiet now."
Just then, a rustling sound came from outside the broken bamboo door. Wang Ye, hands in his pockets, sauntered back, a blade of grass he'd picked from somewhere dangling from his mouth. He glanced at the now-cleaned ground, then at Nie Lingfeng and Old Master Xu, and lazily asked, "Finished asking? Where's the 'Rotten Flesh Snake'?"
"It's been dealt with," Nie Lingfeng said succinctly.
"Oh." Wang Ye didn't mind. He walked to the table, dragged a good chair over, and sat down again, resuming his "boneless" slumped posture. "Did you get anything useful out of them? If not, I need to catch up on my sleep. This fight has cost me at least... ten minutes of sleep."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Xu shook his head, both amused and exasperated, sat down again, and began boiling water to brew another pot of tea to calm his nerves.
Nie Lingfeng briefly recounted the information provided by "Viper," including "Blood Buddha," "Kachin New Dawn Army," Hpakant mines, the Kandy region, and the local broker "Fat Dragon."
Wang Ye listened while idly playing with the blade of grass in his hand. Only after Nie Lingfeng finished speaking did he lazily reply, "'Blood Buddha'...never heard of it. Probably some new nobody. 'Kachin New Dawn Army' I do have a vague impression of; I saw a briefing from my master before. They're a force that's been causing quite a stir in northern Myanmar these past two years, and they seem to have some 'outside' financial backers and support. As for that run-down mine in Hpakant..."
He paused, a barely perceptible glint of sharpness flashing in his half-closed eyes: "If I remember correctly, several of the Yaoxing Society's smuggling routes and transit points for 'biological samples' in Southeast Asia ultimately point to Kachin State, especially the Hpakant area. It seems that this 'Blood Buddha' and the 'Council' behind him are using that area as an important distribution center for supplies and an experimental field. As for 'welcoming important figures' or 'important goods'..."
Wang Ye looked at Nie Lingfeng, a playful smile curving his lips: "Old Nie, do you think it's possible that what they're 'welcoming' is the so-called 'key' fragment that you couldn't find in the Savage Mountain, or... some other 'good stuff' transported from the 'Council' headquarters or other laboratories?"
Nie Lingfeng's eyes narrowed. Wang Ye's speculation coincided with his judgment! The "Parliament's" frequent activities in northern Myanmar, even going so far as to issue a high reward and mobilize local thugs like "Blood Buddha" to capture Chen Duo, indicated that they must have an extremely important scheme in this region. That "Hpakant mine" was very likely the key node!
"Then we must go to Hpakant next and take a look at that mine," Nie Lingfeng said in a deep voice.
"We're definitely going," Wang Ye stretched. "But what's the difference between barging in like this, completely clueless, and delivering vegetables? Doesn't that 'Fat Dragon' know quite a lot? Also, Grandpa Xu, you've been in Jinghong for so many years, you have a wide network of connections, you should know something about the situation in northern Myanmar, especially in Hpakant and Kandy, right? Why don't we discuss this properly before dawn?"
Old Master Xu had already brewed another pot of hot tea and poured it for everyone. Hearing this, he put down the teapot, stroked his gray beard, and nodded solemnly: "Brother Wang is right. Northern Myanmar, especially Kachin State, is different from the Savage Mountain. It's a true lawless place, with warlords vying for power, armed groups everywhere, and a web of crimes including drugs, jade, arms, and human trafficking. The fact that 'Blood Buddha's' 'Kachin New Dawn Army' could gain a foothold there and even expand rapidly shows its ferocity and the power behind it. The Hpakant region is even more chaotic, with local warlords and 'Blood Buddha's' people, as well as jade merchants, adventurers, outlaws from all over the world with complex backgrounds, and even... there might be intelligence agents from other countries. If you're going, you must be fully prepared."
He paused, then continued, "As for that 'Fat Dragon,' I do know him. His real name is Long Biao. He's a local tyrant in Jinghong who has connections in both the legal and illegal worlds. He specializes in shady business along the border and is indeed well-informed, but he's greedy, cunning, and has absolutely no credibility. You can try to get information out of him, but you absolutely cannot trust him, and you must be careful not to be betrayed by him."
"That's easy." Wang Ye yawned, seemingly uninterested in a minor character like "Fat Dragon." "Before dawn, I'll 'visit' this Boss Dragon and have a 'good chat' with him. Old Nie, you and Xiao Chenduo go back to the teahouse with Grandpa Xu and get some rest. While you're at it, think about what you need to prepare. Going into northern Myanmar is not like hiking in the Savage Mountain. There are a lot of troubles involved: permits, routes, disguises, equipment, contact persons..."
Nie Lingfeng knew that Wang Ye was telling the truth and believed that he was capable of obtaining the necessary information from "Fat Dragon," so he nodded in agreement: "Alright, then I'll trouble you. We'll go back to the teahouse and wait for your news. But be careful, that 'Fat Dragon' can get by in a place like this, so his men probably have some tough ones too."
"A tough one?" Wang Ye seemed amused by this. He stood up, yawned widely, and waved his hand. "These chickens and dogs on the border, how tough can they be? Alright, I'm leaving. You guys should get out of here too. Someone just died here, it's bad luck."
After saying that, without waiting for Nie Lingfeng's response, he put his hands in his pockets, swayed and walked out through the broken doorway again, and quickly disappeared into the bamboo forest path shrouded in night. His lazy and casual manner made it seem as if he was really going to visit a neighbor, rather than going to "visit" a notorious local thug.
Nie Lingfeng and Grandpa Xu exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of helplessness and...relief in each other's eyes. Having a teammate like Wang Ye (although he seemed extremely unreliable) certainly saved them a lot of trouble.
"Let's go too." Old Master Xu stood up. "Ah Long should have already driven the car to the back mountain path. Let's go that way and avoid any spies who might still be around."
The three (Nie Lingfeng, Chen Duo, and Grandpa Xu) quickly left the "Zen Tea Garden" and followed a more secluded path to a quiet parking lot in the back mountains. An inconspicuous black SUV was already waiting there, driven by the clever young waiter from the tea shop named A Long.
They drove back to the "Ancient Tree Tea House" silently in the night. Entering through the back door, they found Boss Yan Wen already waiting in the courtyard. Seeing them return safely, he visibly relaxed. Old Master Xu briefly explained the situation to Yan Wen (omitting the bloody details). Yan Wen nodded gravely, asking no further questions. He simply instructed A Long to take Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo to the prepared rooms to rest, while he and Old Master Xu went to the front hall, clearly having other matters to discuss.
The rooms prepared for Nie Lingfeng and Chen Duo were adjacent. Although simple, they were clean and tidy, and the bedding was newly changed, smelling of sunshine. Chen Duo was clearly exhausted. Returning to a relatively safe and familiar environment, her tense nerves relaxed, and sleepiness immediately overwhelmed her. Nie Lingfeng stayed with her, watching her wash up, crawl into bed, and fall asleep almost as soon as her head hit the pillow. Her little face looked exceptionally peaceful in her sleep, but she was still hugging her panda plush toy, as if it were the source of her sense of security.
Nie Lingfeng gently closed the door and returned to his room. He didn't rest immediately, but instead sat cross-legged on the bed and began to regulate his breathing. Too much had happened today, and the amount of information was enormous; he needed time to digest it. The power fused within him, after the brief battle during the day (mainly Wang Ye was the one who attacked, and he barely moved) and the mental tension of the night, had become even more refined and active. The "Suppressing Mountain" scepter and the "Heart of the Earth Vein" crystal on his chest resonated more clearly with the power within him in the quiet environment. He tried to guide a wisp of the pure and gentle life force contained within the "Heart of the Earth Vein" into Chen Duo's body in the next room, helping her recover and consolidate.
Around four in the morning, the sky outside the window was still pitch black, but the eastern horizon was beginning to show a faint hint of dawn.
There was a gentle knock on the door, and then Wang Ye's lazy voice came through the door: "Old Nie, are you asleep? If not, open the door, there's something interesting."
Nie Lingfeng got up and opened the door. Wang Ye stood outside, still looking like he hadn't woken up yet, his clothes spotless, except he was carrying a bulging brown paper file bag. He slipped into the room, closed the door behind him, tossed the file bag onto the table, and plopped down in a chair, yawning again.
"Got it. That 'Fat Dragon' is even more cowardly than I thought. After a little 'intimidation,' he told me everything, and even threw in a lot of 'friendly information.'" Wang Ye emptied a bunch of things out of the file bag—several hand-drawn but quite detailed maps of the Hpakant region and its surroundings (marking the location of the "Blood Buddha" mine, visible and hidden outposts, and patrol routes), several forged border passes and identification documents for northern Myanmar that were almost indistinguishable from the real thing (using photos of Nie Lingfeng, Chen Duo, and himself, but with different names and backgrounds), a stack of US dollars and Myanmar kyats in cash, two satellite phones with encrypted modifications and extremely strong signals, and a note with several names and contact information written on it.
"The map and intelligence were a gift from 'Fat Dragon.' The documents and money were 'borrowed' by me; that guy's got plenty of money, so he won't miss out on this. The satellite phone is the company's latest product; Chairman Zhao specifically asked me to bring it. It's highly encrypted and should have signal in most parts of northern Myanmar. The names on the note are Old Master Xu and Boss Yan Wen's truly reliable informants and friends in northern Myanmar. If we encounter any problems we can't solve, we can try to contact them, but try not to use them to avoid causing them trouble."
Wang Ye spoke slowly but clearly, explaining the purpose and origin of each item. "Fat Dragon" also revealed that a mysterious, heavily guarded convoy had recently entered the Hpakant region from the direction of Kandi, heading directly into the abandoned mine controlled by "Blood Buddha." The convoy seemed to be transporting very important "goods," and the level of security was extremely high. "Blood Buddha" himself had also personally come from his lair to oversee the mine, and the number of guards around the mine had more than tripled compared to usual, with heavy firepower also deployed. The timing was within the next two days.
All clues pointed to the abandoned mine in Hpakant.
"It seems we must set off as soon as possible." Nie Lingfeng looked at the map and intelligence on the table, his eyes sharp.
"Yes, the sooner the better." Wang Ye nodded seriously, a rare occurrence. "We'll set off at dawn. I've already planned the route: we'll cross the border at Daluo Port, take back roads to avoid the main checkpoints and checkpoints, and head directly to Hpakant. If all goes well, we should reach the outskirts of the mine in two days. However..."
He paused, then looked at Nie Lingfeng with a questioning look in his eyes: "Are you really planning to take Xiao Chenduo with you? The situation there is more than ten times more complicated and dangerous than in Jinghong. Although she has recovered well and is capable of protecting herself, she is still a child, and... she is a target that the other side has clearly identified. Taking her there is too risky."