Chapter Twenty-Four Leaving Thailand

  Looking at the police and the stunned crowd around me, I finally realized that I had gotten myself into big trouble this time.

  Three police cars escorted us to the police station, and when the police found out that I was a foreigner with no identification, they immediately put me under strict control. After being interrogated, the police chief took me out of the interrogation room with two police officers.

  As I walked into the corridor, an elderly man approached me. The police chief saw the elderly man and bowed politely, saying: "Hello, sir. What brings you here today?" The elderly man smiled and said: "Just dropping by to take a look around." He glanced at me and asked the police chief: "What's with this young man? Doesn't he look like a Thai person?" The police chief replied: "You're right, sir. He's not one of us Thais. He claims to be Chinese. This afternoon, he got into a fight with Kord and his gang at the pedestrian street entrance. This kid is ruthless and skilled in combat. After beating up Kord and his gang, he even tried to kill them with this dagger." The police chief handed the dagger to the elderly man, saying: "Sir, I think this dagger looks special. It resembles the 'Brave Warrior's Dagger' that was awarded by the Thai king to the 'Zero Line War Hero' many years ago. Can you take a look?"

  The elder took the dagger and examined it carefully, then looked at me again and said to the police chief: "That's right, it's 'Brave Warrior'. Then the elder asked me: "Young man, what is your relationship with Andre?"

  I thought for a moment before answering, "I don't know." The elder nodded thoughtfully and repeated my words to himself. "Alright..." He then turned to the police chief and said, "Take him away, I should be going too. By the way, those Guldans are not good people, this young man must have been bullied terribly by them before he fought back, young people can't help but act impulsively, don't make things too difficult for him!" The police chief replied, "Don't worry, elder, we'll treat him well. Besides, those Guldans were long overdue for a lesson, you take care on your way home!" The elder nodded and turned to leave.

  The next day, Aunt Vera came to the police station and after some bail procedures, she took me out of the police station.

  After returning to Aunt Vera's house, Aunt Vera anxiously asked me: "Child, are you okay? Wasn't anyone giving you a hard time at the police station?" I said to Aunt Vera: "Don't worry, Aunt Vera, I'm fine. It's just that I've caused you trouble." Aunt Vera smiled and said: "What trouble? Silly child, you did a great job this time. The Gurdan brothers have been up to no good for ages, it's about time they got taught a lesson like this."

  "Is the Gurdan you're talking about Gerden's brother?" I asked Aunt Vila. Aunt Vila said, "Yes, it's Gerden's brother. How do you know Gerden?" I said, "I don't really know him, but my conflict with them was caused by Gerden." Aunt Vila asked, "Child, what happened?"

  I told Aunt Vera about the right and wrong of the matter. After listening, Aunt Vera seemed to be displeased and said: "Child, you didn't do anything wrong in this matter, but it's better for you to have less contact with Manlin's family in the future."

  I understand what Aunt Vera means, someone like her with a good social status would certainly not want to have any dealings with people of Manlin's social class, and I never intended to have any deep interactions with them anyway. So I nodded my head and said to Aunt Vera: "I know, I won't interact with them again, please don't worry."

  Aunt Vera smiled and said, "You're really a sensible child." I asked Aunt Vera again, "Is Guldan a local tyrant? He seems to have a lot of power." Aunt Vera said, "They do have some power, but they can't be considered tyrants. They just do some bullying and exploitation." I asked Aunt Vera again, "Yesterday at the police station, I met an old man who asked me what my relationship was with Uncle Andre. To avoid causing trouble for your family, I told him that I didn't know Uncle Andre. Do you know him?" Aunt Vera smiled and said, "Silly child, of course, I know him! He's an old comrade-in-arms of my father's. We were able to bail you out so smoothly today thanks to his help." I said, "Oh, then I'll have a chance to thank him in person!" Aunt Vera said, "You don't have to wait for the opportunity. He's coming to our house for dinner tonight, and you can thank him then." I happily said, "That's great!"

  In the evening, the elder arrived as scheduled.

  Aunt Vera came forward with a smile. Aunt Vera joined her palms together and said to the elder, "Uncle Enyou has arrived..." The elder smiled and said, "Hello Vera, long time no see!" Vera said, "Yes, how's your health?" The elder said, "Good... good, is your father well?" Vera said, "Thank you for your concern, he's fine, just stubborn as ever." The elder chuckled and said, "This old fellow, after decades, still can't change." Aunt Vera introduced me to the elder again, "Uncle Enyou, this is Hai'er, you should have met before."

  The elder smiled and said, "Have you seen the brave warrior who beat up Guldan brothers on the street?" Aunt Vira turned her head to me again and said, "Hai'er, greet Enyou uncle." "Uncle Enyou, hello! Thank you for your help!" I said politely. The elder smiled and said, "No need to be too polite, by the way, I brought a gift for you today." As he spoke, the elder handed me a small box from his hand. I took the box from the elder while expressing my gratitude deeply, saying, "How can we trouble you on our first meeting?" The elder said, "Don't be polite, open it and take a look."

  I opened the box and took a look, it wasn't something else, but the "Brave Warrior's Dagger" that was taken away by the police station yesterday. I said with excitement: "Senior, thank you so much! I was worried about how to get this dagger back, if Uncle Andre finds out that I didn't protect it well, he will definitely blame me." The elder smiled and asked: "How come? You knew Andre again today, didn't you say you didn't know him yesterday?" I smiled and said: "Senior is laughing at me..." The elder and Aunt Vera looked at each other and burst out laughing.

  After dinner, while chatting, the elder asked me: "Young man, are you a soldier?" I replied: "Yes, sir!" The elder said: "If I'm not mistaken, you're also a scout who has received special training."

  I said, "Senior, you're right. Yes, I used to be a special forces soldier. How did you figure it out?" The elder said, "One look at your eyes and I knew you were a scout. Did Vera tell you that you saved Andre's life?" I said, "No, it wasn't that serious. Andre was injured while hunting and I just happened to run into him." The elder examined me carefully and said, "Kid, are you getting used to being in Thailand?" I replied, "I'm getting used to it... pretty much. Vera Auntie has arranged everything for me."

  The elder said with a deep meaning: "That's good. Ande once saved me on the battlefield, and you saved Ande, so you are also my benefactor. If you encounter any difficulties or need my help to solve them, just come to me. Also, remember to learn how to live in a peaceful society, and don't be too impulsive when doing things in the future." I said to the elder: "Thank you, sir. I will remember your words."

  Vera asked the elder, "Uncle Enyu, has there been any news from Tivisari recently?" As soon as Vera mentioned Tivisari, the elder suddenly burst into anger. The elder said with some indignation, "Vera, don't mention that useless thing again, just consider him dead." And when I heard the four words 'Tivisari', my whole body shook - thinking: wasn't the little bearded man who was killed in Zhaizel's military camp a few months ago named Tivisari?!

  Vera said, "Uncle Enyou, don't say that. After all, he is your adopted son!" The elder said, "The biggest mistake I've made in my life is taking in this adopted son. Alright, let's not mention him again." Seeing the elder getting angry, Vera quickly changed the subject and said, "Uncle Enyou, my father mentioned a few days ago that he misses you very much. He asked me to invite you to visit us in the countryside, have some drinks together, and go hunting." As soon as Vera mentioned Old Man Andre, the elder's anger turned into joy. He smiled and said, "That old fellow thinks I won't call him? Alright, tell that old thing that I'll come visit next month." Vera said, "Okay, I'll definitely pass it on to him."

  At this time, the elder stood up and said: "It's getting late, I'm going back too, Vera, thank you for your hospitality." Vera also stood up, put her hands together, and said to the elder: "Uncle Enyou, it's my blessing to be able to entertain you, I hope you have time to come again as a guest." The elder also put his hands together and said: "Okay, then I'll go back now." I accompanied Vera Aunt to send the elder out of the gate. The elder said to me: "Young man, we will meet again!" I looked at the elder with guilt and said: "We will meet again, senior, wishing you good health."

  After the elder left, I asked Aunt Vera: "Who was the Tivsari you mentioned earlier?" Aunt Vera said: "He was an orphan taken in by Uncle Enyu on the Indonesian battlefield. Unfortunately, he didn't turn out well. He didn't study hard when he was young and grew up to be a troublemaker. Later, he even joined an armed cult organization." Aunt Vera's answer further confirmed that the little mustache I killed was indeed the elder's adopted son.

  "I knew it, so I asked, 'How is Tivisari now?' Aunt Vera said, 'We haven't heard from him for a long time, maybe he's already been killed by the Allied forces.' I said, 'Oh! That's too bad for Uncle Enyuo!' Aunt Vera said, 'It doesn't matter, Uncle Enyuo is a broad-minded person, and Tivisari had already disappointed him. He won't care about it.' Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Hai'er, it's late at night, why don't you just stay here tonight? You can sleep in my son's room.' I said, 'No, I'd rather not disturb you.' Aunt Vera said, 'It doesn't matter, his room is empty anyway!' I asked Aunt Vera, 'Does your child rarely come back?' Aunt Vera said, 'They are busy with work and don't come back for several months! Just listen to me, stay here tonight.' I said, 'Okay! Goodnight, Aunt Vera!' Aunt Vera smiled and said, 'Goodnight, child!'"

  The next day when I returned to my residence, Manlin was playing with her two younger sisters at the entrance. As soon as she saw me return, Xiao Mi and Xiao Meng immediately ran up to me laughing. "Hai Gege is back!" Manlin asked concernedly: "Hai Gege, are you okay?" I said: "Don't worry, I'm fine, my relatives have already helped me take care of it." Manlin said: "That's good! By the way, Hai Gege, a courier company delivered a letter yesterday!" I hastily asked: "A letter? Who sent it?" Manlin said: "It seems to be from America." "Ah! Where is the letter now?" I anxiously asked. Manlin said: "You weren't here yesterday, so I helped you receive it and will go get it now."

  After finishing speaking, Manlin ran back home and took out the mail. I received the mail and thought Jason finally replied. But... after reading the letter, I was stunned and even more desperate.

  The letter was written by Jason's sister, stating that Jason had died on the battlefield and his body would be transported back to the United States soon. They knew I was a close friend of Jason's, so they invited me to attend Jason's funeral in the United States. Along with the letter came an official document, which stated that for matters related to coming to the United States, one could use the document to handle them at the US Embassy.

  After finishing the letter, I couldn't help but burst into tears. Jason is dead, and I've lost another trustworthy comrade. At the same time, I fell into an even more helpless abyss. Manlin saw me crying and comforted me in a flustered manner: "Hai'er brother, what's wrong? What happened? Don't cry!" I tried to calm my emotions and told Manlin: "I'm fine, it's just that one of my good friends passed away, and I'm feeling a bit sad. I'm a bit tired, so I'll go back and rest first." Manlin said: "Okay, you take care of yourself and don't be too sad."

  Back in the room, I dived onto the bed, staring at the Flying Eagle badge Jason had given me. I muttered to myself: "Jason, you little scamp, you've finally found your peace, throwing yourself forever into the battlefield... I really envy you! But... but what am I supposed to do now? My fight isn't over yet..."

  The next day at noon, my emotions stabilized a bit. I took out the letter and looked at it again - there were still five days until Jason's funeral. I knew that no matter what, I had to go to the United States for a trip. Firstly, to bid farewell to my good friend; secondly, because in Bangkok, I had already gotten into trouble. Although Gerdan and his gang didn't dare do anything to me now, they would eventually think of ways to deal with me. Although they were all rascals who did many evil things, they wouldn't be put to death for their crimes. The methods I used on the battlefield against enemies clearly weren't suitable for use on them. More importantly, continuing to stay in Bangkok wasn't easy for me to carry out my next battle. If it brought disaster to Aunt Vera's family, that would be even more unacceptable.

  I plan to attend Jason's funeral in the United States and then seek the support of the technical department of the authorities to decipher the encrypted code of Guri Tala that I have collected. If the decryption is successful, it may play a huge role in eliminating the cult organization. Afterwards, I will try to contact Rossbenda and ask him to help me sneak back into the country from Siberia and make a final desperate fight with Bantou Long. With my mind made up, I took the letter and walked out of the house, heading straight for the US embassy.

  I arrived at the U.S. Embassy and handed over my official letter to the staff, and identified myself with a flying eagle badge. After confirming my identity, the embassy staff quickly helped me complete the procedures for going to the United States and booked a ticket for me to go to Washington, D.C. in two days.

  After everything was settled, I went to Aunt Villa's house specifically to bid her farewell and told her that I was going to the United States. At the same time, I also called Uncle Andre to thank him for his help. Uncle Andre didn't say much on the phone, only telling me to live well and never give up my own beliefs. Later, I came to Senior Enyu's house, and when he learned that I was going to the United States, he patted my shoulder and said: "Mudfish, you are a brave warrior, good luck!" I didn't realize that Senior had already known my true identity, but seeing his eagle-like eyes, I seemed to understand something. I nodded vigorously to Senior and said: "Senior, rest assured, I will fight to the end and win, wish you health!"

  The next day, I reconverted "Black Lightning" into an ordinary all-band radio and asked Manlin to deliver it to Oudi.

  In the evening, Manlin brought her two sisters over to help me pack. I told them there was nothing much to pack, just a travel bag. Xiao Meng asked me, "Hai'er brother, will you come back and visit us in the future?" I smiled and replied, "Yes! I definitely will come back and visit you all." Manlin said, "Hai'er brother, Ou Di told me that your singing sounds really good. Since you're leaving tomorrow, can you sing a song for us to hear?" I didn't know when Ou Di had heard me sing, maybe it was when I was feeling extremely bored and played the guitar while singing, and he happened to overhear it, but these weren't important. "Okay!" I said, taking out my guitar from the house, tuning the strings, and telling them, "I'll sing an old song for you all to hear. This song was taught to me by my grandfather." Xiao Mi and the others excitedly clapped their hands and shouted, "Great! Hai'er brother, hurry up and sing!" I cleared my throat, thinking about my seven or eight years in the military, thinking about my fallen comrades and my unknown tomorrow, a feeling of unspeakable sadness arose.

  I gently plucked the strings of the instrument, and a melody sounded:

  Two small paths in the woods, both of which are endless.

  I came to the fork in the road and stood there for a long time

  One cannot take two paths at the same time.

  I chose this one but can't tell you why

  Maybe another small road is not bad either

  Also buried under fallen leaves without footprints

  Then let's leave it for others to walk later

  This path of mine I will walk all the way to the end of the sky

  In the future, quietly look back from the end of a small road

  I recall there were two different directions

  And I took the road less traveled by

  So this nameless path will not be forgotten

  In the future, quietly look back from the end of a small road

  Reminded of two different directions

  And I took the road less traveled by

  So this nameless path will not be forgotten

  It is precisely because of this that the small path will not be forgotten

  ...will never be forgotten...

  The next day, Bangkok welcomed a fine weather, with not a cloud in the sky and sunshine. The plane flew over Bangkok, I - left Thailand forever...