Chapter 32

  Don't put us in the same league as dogs, at least dogs have loyalty to their masters, while we are only loyal to money.

  Mercenary Records

  In a chaotic world, people are not as good as dogs in peace. Every time Shao Hui saw the tattered civilians and limbless war victims on the street, he couldn't help but think of this ancient Chinese saying. During this period, team members went out several times, and each time they returned with different feelings. If they hadn't personally experienced this country, most people would have thought: here, what makes people nervous should be the hidden attackers. This superficial image was also the team's previous imagination. However, although they had only been out a few times, the team members understood that what they should really worry about was not just suicidal attacks.

  Years of war have been gradually eroding the pure spirit of this ancient nation...

  February 15, 2006, morning, streets of DeKalb Township.

  Shao Hui wore local traditional clothing, with his face wrapped tightly, which could better disguise himself. Additionally, the weather was still bitterly cold at this time, so it could also serve as a warmer.

  Shao Hui put his hand in his sleeve and asked, "Are you guys hungry?" Liu Junhao nodded enthusiastically, while Zuo Ming looked up at the gloomy sky and said, "It's really cold today, let's go buy something hot to eat and warm ourselves up." Shao Hui nodded in agreement, "I was thinking the same thing, eating more now means we won't need to have dinner when we get back, and it'll also warm us up."

  In this country, the most prosperous cities will have several restaurants, but in this mountainous border area, there are no shops where you can sit down to eat. The three of them strolled along the street, preparing to buy some freshly baked bread at the corner to eat. After walking a few steps, a police-like person blocked their way. Without doing anything wrong, Shao Hui asked casually: "What do you want to do?" This person had a natural expression: "I'm moving house now and need you to help lift some things."

  "Ah." Shao Hui nodded, "We're not hired workers, you've got the wrong people." After finishing speaking, he beckoned to the other two to leave. Unexpectedly, the opponent calmly raised his gun, the black muzzle pointing at the three of them: "Then give me some money, I'll hire others." When saying these words, his face was extremely calm, without a hint of shame or abnormality. In chaotic times, there are no good officials, Shao Hui and the others all understood this point. However, they had never heard of three special police officers being extorted while strolling on the street, but this wasn't just extortion, in a war-torn environment, if you provoke certain armed "state personnel", after killing you, they can fabricate a crime at will, and your body would inexplicably become that of a terrorist, thrown into the deep mountains without a trace.

  "How much do you want?" Shao Hui was willing to compromise and consider losing some money to avoid trouble.

  "Ten dollars each." The other party set the condition.

  "Are you out of your mind?" Liu Junhao cursed loudly, but he used Chinese and the other party did not understand.

  "We've decided to help you move things, because we came out in a hurry and didn't bring any money. If you really need money, you can follow us to get some, but the journey is very far." Shao Hui compromised, saying softly.

  "How much money did you bring on you?" The other party raised his gun slightly.

  Shao Hui took the lead in taking out some money, but it was not enough to buy a pancake when they put it together. Zuo Ming and Liu Junhao tactfully took out a few coins, and Liu Junhao also rubbed the money vigorously in his pocket before taking it out with a trembling hand, revealing several tattered and worn-out banknotes that trembled along with their owner, moving people to tears.

  Obviously, the money was an insult to the policeman, who impatiently shook his gun: "Is that all? This is not enough!" Xiaohui decided to humiliate him to the end, grabbed all the change and suddenly stretched out his arm in front of the opponent's eyes. The opponent subconsciously took a few steps back, aiming the muzzle at Xiaohui's body. Passersby around seemed to be blind, numbly coming and going, as if no one existed here, as if this was the most normal thing.

  "We really only have this much money, who would go out with a lot of cash?" Shao Hui began to reason and persuade: "How about this, we'll help you move house, and consider it as offsetting the money you need, okay?"

  He sized them up with a glance, estimating that even if he threw the three of them into an oil press today, he wouldn't get half a drop of oil. He pointed to a road beside him with his gun and said, "Follow me." Shao Hui and the other two exchanged a look, slowly walking over, while the opponent followed closely behind, making them want to escape but not dare to.

  "My goodness, I've paid back the debt with my own flesh!" Liu Junhao said indignantly.

  "It's better this way, it's not easy to solve things in crowded places." Zuo Ming's pace slowed down and his momentum became heavier, Shao Hui could see him gathering all his strength, preparing to strike at any moment. The four of them walked to the end of the road, where there were few people around. Zuo Ming indicated that they should settle the matter here, but Shao Hui shook his head slightly, after all, there were still other people around. These people shared a common faith and their hearts were aligned, so if they were discovered, unless Kong Huatian and Yin Mo came to pick them up in an airplane, it would be big trouble.

  Four people turned a corner, and in front of them appeared a tribe. Shao Hui's heart tightened, if the person behind him really wanted to harm himself, entering this tribe would be like a dragon entering a creek or a tiger entering a cage, he couldn't take that risk. He looked around and found a tree in front of him, so his foot "accidentally" twisted and got injured.

  "Ah!" Shao Hui's ankle suddenly twisted violently, and he sat down on the ground with a painful thud. This was indeed heartfelt, as under the snow were hidden uneven rocks of various sizes. Shao Hui had landed squarely on a sharp stone. Li Ming and Liu Junhao rushed over to help him up, and Liu Junhao couldn't help but secretly give him a thumbs-up: "Big brother, I'm so impressed, your acting is so real!" "Shut up!" Shao Hui cursed through gritted teeth.

  "What's wrong with you?" The policeman behind him asked, holding a gun.

  "My foot twisted..." Shao Hui replied, inhaling cold air.

  "Why cover your butt when you sprain your ankle?"

  Shao Hui was taken aback, and then said the only true sentence: "My butt hurts more than my foot!" After finishing speaking, he didn't care about the other person anymore, and limped to the tree to rest. According to his plan, he should sit down here to dispel the other's vigilance, but now he could only lean against the tree to take off his shoes and massage his ankle. Liu Junhao approached him and said: "Brother, did you really fall just now? You're not acting?"

  "Get out!" was another two-word maxim from Shao Hui.

  A long time had passed, and the police were getting impatient. Standing far away, they asked, "Are you done yet?" Shao Hui was still rubbing his ankle and said, "No, it's injured to the bone, it won't be okay for a while." Liu Junhao cooperated by grabbing a handful of snow and putting it on Shao Hui's foot, which made him shiver for a long time. The police started to become suspicious, holding their guns and slowly walking over to take a closer look. That ankle had been rubbed red by Shao Hui, and from afar, it really looked like a sprain. The police looked at Shao Hui, who was gritting his teeth, and gradually walked closer.

  "What's wrong with you?" the policeman asked impatiently.

  "Look at this, with your foot twisted like that, how can you still walk?"