Chapter 3: The Foreign Boss

  "Whose phone... now it's Tian Wang Lao Zi's phone, get out of the way!"

  The high commander started to regret running here to scold him, he pointed with his hand at Peng Sizhe, indicating it was his phone call, and seemed to be in a hurry.

  De Shu saw the gesture of Gao Commander and said: "Come in, Branch Commander. It's possible that Peng Si Zhe really has an urgent matter."

  "Even more urgent, drills can't afford to be sloppy... otherwise actual combat will suffer greatly..."

  De Shu waved his hand to stop Liu Dajin from continuing, Commander Gao slipped into the office, handed Peng Sizhe's mobile phone to him, saluted Liu Dajin and De Shu, and quickly left the scene.

  Peng Sizhe opened his mobile phone and found over a dozen missed calls from Liu Chao. Peng Sizhe suppressed the tension in his heart and called Liu Chao back.

  "I thought you'd gone missing too." Liu Chao complained as soon as he picked up Peng Siche's call.

  "Just now during training, about my brother's matter..." Peng Si Zhe asked, full of hope.

  "Ah... just now the Public Security Bureau in X City re-examined it, that's not your brother, his name is Peng Sicheng, there was a homophone error when recording."

  "How can this all go wrong?" Hoping to fall into the abyss in just one second, Peng Si Zhe was a bit anxious: "Liu Chao, help me check again carefully."

  "Brother... I've communicated with X city several times, and the ID information they sent over is right in my hands. This Peng Sicheng is a peasant, not even from Rongcheng..."

  "Alright, thank you, Liu Chao. I'll treat you to dinner when I'm free." Peng Sizhe could only put down the phone, and his irritable mood spread again.

  "Don't mention this, I'll let you know as soon as I have any news on my end."

  "Is it still your brother's business?" asked De Shu.

  "Hmm." Peng Sizhe smiled wryly.

  "Peng Sizhe, you go out first, I'll discuss the handling opinion with the branch captain again." Continuing to scold him would not make any sense, and Uncle De thought it was more important to come up with a suitable handling plan.

  Peng Sizhe walked out of the office, hoping to dissipate again, but a nameless fire in his heart was hard to suppress, making his chest seem about to explode. He wandered aimlessly to the playground and saw the punching bag, as if he had seen an old enemy he had been resentful for a long time. He rushed up and punched and kicked until his hands were too tired to lift...

  No matter how much Peng Sizhe disbelieves, reality cruelly reminds him again and again that Peng Sixian has indeed disappeared. However, the world did not change because of Peng Sixian's disappearance. The game of "cat catching mouse" will continue, with the police pursuing criminals relentlessly, while the criminals carefully evade the police, waiting for an opportunity to strike.

  Gangkon, 20 years ago was a small town in Southeast Asia that was impoverished due to war. 10 years ago, the government army and anti-government forces reached a ceasefire agreement, countless soldiers without any skills returned to Gangkon, taking advantage of its geographical location near the border, began to engage in "border trade". After 10 years of development, Gangkon has become a bustling town with many entertainment options, attracting many Chinese people.

  Peng Haoming was driving a Mitsubishi Pajero off-road vehicle from the mountainous area to Gangong. Peng Haoming did timber business in Country M, where the law was just a piece of toilet paper in the unmanageable northern region, and only the warlords who were kings within kings had the final say.

  In M country, where timber, gems, gold and fur are abundant, when you arrive with a large box of money, "border trade" touts will flock to you. Poverty has left a deep imprint on them, and Chinese bosses are seen as golden masters radiating brilliance. No one considers the severity of human destruction of mountains and forests. Strictly speaking, Peng Haoming profited from stealing timber from the mountains, this is a game for the rich, coming to this country with money, spreading the word that you want to find a project, touts will visit your doorstep, introducing you to some "travel leader", after bribing the "travel leader", you can take over a mountain forest and do as you please.

  Peng Haoming had just negotiated with a "traveler" for the contract rights to a mountain forest, and the energy of money was beyond imagination. He had just quoted an annual contract fee of 10 million yuan, expecting the other party to haggle, but the "traveler" agreed as readily as a chicken pecking at rice, fearing that the 10 million would fly away from him.

  Peng Haoming smiled wryly, this "traveler" seemed to be of no great help in getting what he wanted, but the enthusiastic driver, Weng Cai, was extremely excited.

  "How much longer?" Peng Haoming had been sitting in the bumpy off-road vehicle for over two hours.

  "Hurry up, hurry up!" Weng Cai said with his mouth, but his eyes didn't dare to leave the road surface for a moment. The road construction in Country M was very poor, and the roads between cities were all bumpy, not to mention the mountainous areas. If you're not careful, you might drive the car into a ditch.

  "This trip is so long..." Peng Haoming thought he should find something to talk about to dispel the dull atmosphere.

  "Don't worry! The person I'm introducing is absolutely reliable..." Weng Chai guessed Peng Haoming's concern: "I'll tell you, Guo A's travel leader is the youngest son of Nong Yu's travel leader. Originally, he wasn't in charge, but last year his older brother died unexpectedly while fighting against government troops..." As a middleman, he was familiar with everything that happened on this land.

  "Huh? Didn't both sides agree on a ceasefire?" Peng Haoming's interest was piqued.

  "Ah, those are just surface-level things, a big fight won't break out, but friction happens all the time... you know what I mean."

  "The more chaotic a place is, the easier it is to make money." Peng Haoming said.

  "Boss Peng, don't worry, I can get in touch with every warlord here, as long as there's money involved, hehe..." Weng Chai didn't want to miss any opportunity to make a profit: "I know that on the other side of Longtou Mountain, there's a place with gold, but that area is under the control of another brigade commander."

  "Huh? I think I'll stabilize the wood first, by the way, isn't the largest warlord around here Long Kun? Do you know him?" Peng Haoming asked casually.

  As soon as he heard the name Long Kun, Weng Cai subconsciously shrunk his head: "Boss Peng, your appetite is too big, who doesn't know Long Kun? It's just that nobody has seen him."

  "Has anyone ever seen it? Is it a celestial being?" Peng Haoming said with a half-joking tone.

  "It's almost that way. In Chinese, he is not a god but can be considered a legend." Weng Cai said: "In 30 years, from a battalion commander of a warlord to a big warlord."

  "How big is it?" Peng Haoming's interest was piqued.

  "So, Goa is long in front of him, that's it!" Weng Cai said with his thumb and index finger pinched together.

  "Is this Long Kun? Is this Guo A?" Peng Haoming raised his thumb and then his pinky finger to ask.

  "Boss Peng is really good at joking, Guo A's journey was long and relied on his father and brother to die before he could get to this point, with only 200 guns under him, how can that be considered a force?" Weng Cai raised her small finger and said disdainfully: "At most, it's just a fingernail cover."

  "Are 200 guns just a battalion? Then doesn't Long Kun have hundreds of thousands of guns?" Peng Haoming said with a half-joking tone.

  "It's not that exaggerated, Boss Peng. This place only needs a few dozen people and a few dozen guns to take over the mountain. Of course, as long as other warlords don't swallow you up, it's fine. As for wanting to be some kind of leader, just declare yourself one. The complex situation in Country M can't be explained clearly in a short time. As the two men spoke, they had already exited the mountainous area and reached a relatively flat road. In another two hours, they should arrive at Gangong. Thinking about the hot water and gentle girls at the hotel in Gangong, Weng Cai unconsciously pressed down on the accelerator."

  "It's interesting if you know Long Kun..." Peng Haoming leaned back in his chair, withdrawing his right hand that was grasping the armrest, making himself more comfortable.

  "Ah... Mr. Peng, if you get to know Long Kun, you'll be set for life. The business he's involved in is not something ordinary people can handle..." Weng Cai said.

  "Isn't there another business that makes more money?"

  "Boss Peng is just joking, you know, you know..." Weng Chai couldn't believe that someone who had traveled far from home to pan for gold here could be so naive.

  Peng Haoming also heard his suspicion and burst out laughing: "Weng Cai, money is not something that anyone would refuse. If there's a better deal, it doesn't hurt to make contact."

  "That's it, that's it. But Long Kun is really hard to get in touch with, you know, big business, not everyone can handle it." Chewing the words and observing the color is a necessary condition for being an intermediary, Weng Cai naturally heard Peng Haoming's meaning.

  It's not necessary to continue talking about it. Peng Haoming stretched his waist and asked, "When we arrive at Gangtong, do you want to organize some entertainment programs?"

  Upon hearing this, Weng Cai immediately became excited: "Boss Peng, do you like to play a couple of rounds or... hmm?" A sly smile floated onto his face.

  "Take another look......" Seeing Weng Cai's lewd smile, Peng Hao Ming couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted, thinking of his own girlfriend.

  I don't know what she's doing now? Peng Haoming didn't say anything else, and Weng Cai also wisely shut up. The muddy Pajero drove to the outskirts of Gangong Town, where several women stood in the middle of the road, desperately shouting in unskilled Mandarin: "Car wash... car wash... 10 yuan, 10 yuan!"

  "Boss Peng, want me to wash your car?" asked Weng Cai.

  "Alright then." Peng Haoming took out his wallet, pulled out 20 yuan and handed it to Weng Cai: "Use the rest to buy a pack of cigarettes, thanks for your trouble."

  "Thanks boss!" Not a bit polite, took the money.

  Money is indeed a good thing, Peng Haoming got off the car and stretched his limbs which were tortured by the bumpy road. He looked at his watch and it was already afternoon. After wandering in the mountains for several days, he felt great to be back in the civilized world. The construction of this small border town was not inferior to any city in China. Peng Haoming arrived in M country a few months ago and had been to several cities, but Gengzhuang looked like the best one so far.

  Peng Haoming was sizing up the small town he had just arrived in, and reached into his pocket to grab a cigarette, only to find that the pack was empty. A little girl took advantage of the opportunity to run up to him and hawk her wares in unpolished Mandarin: "Marlboro! 20 yuan!"

  "Is it that expensive?! 10 yuan is okay, right?" Peng Haoming looked at this 10-year-old thin and weak little girl, with a malnourished appearance. In the country, girls of her age should be sitting in a bright classroom learning at this time. He thought to joke with her.

  The little girl looked a bit dazed, her Chinese wasn't very good, but in Gungong, speaking good Chinese was an important means of making a living. She probably guessed that Peng Haoming was talking about the price and turned back to look at a man with a furious face on the side of the road.

  Peng Haoming roughly guessed what was going on and suddenly felt that his previous joke was somewhat cruel. He squatted down, took a pack of cigarettes from the little girl's cardboard box, and put in 20 yuan. The little girl said cutely: "Thank you."

  Peng Haoming held back the little girl who was about to leave, looking at the man with a furious face directing the car washers, secretly took out 10 yuan and stuffed it into her pocket, raised his index finger "hushed" once: "Take it to buy something delicious, don't let others find out."

  Although the little girl didn't know why he gave her money, she could feel Peng Haoming's kindness and smiled at him before happily leaving.

  Ten bucks bought a smile from the little girl, which made Peng Haoming very happy. He tore open a pack of cigarettes, lit one up, and several workers were spraying water jets to deal with the stubborn mud on the Pajero. Weng Cai was nowhere to be found, probably off somewhere making the most of his time to have some fun.

  After smoking a cigarette, Peng Haoming should make a phone call too. He picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number: "Boss, I've arrived in Gangong."

  "Hmm? Went smoothly?"

  "It went pretty smoothly, 1 million is settled."

  "Ah, since everything went smoothly, let's take a good rest at Genting Highlands tonight. There's a show at the Casino de Lisboa."

  "What's the show?"

  "You'll know when you get there."

  "Boss, at this rate, progress is a bit slow." Peng Haoming was somewhat anxious: "It's already been almost half a year."

  "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry, did you run over here while it was being served?" The boss seemed somewhat displeased.

  "Alright, I understand. I'll hang up first." Peng Haoming watched as Weng Cai walked out from behind the car wash with a woman in his arms, laughing and joking around. He hung up the phone and handed Weng Cai a cigarette: "So soon?"

  "Let's start with an appetizer." Weng Cai, who had just finished exercising, lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.

  "How much?" Peng Haoming asked casually.

  "Haha... this kind of place, 10 bucks!"

  Peng Haoming looked at Pajero and then at Weng Cai, unsure of how to respond.

  The benefits of being outside the law are that as long as you have money, everything can go smoothly. To enter Gangong, you need to pay a toll first. The people here try their best to make their lives better, and money is indispensable. The local military and police are actually the private armed forces of the warlords. After years of war, they learned how to kill and destroy efficiently, but once peace arrived, they quickly learned how to manage their "territory" in a civilized way, such as opening up trade, collecting taxes...

  The main source of income for Gang is casinos and "foreign trade". Of course, everyone knows that this so-called "foreign trade" is actually smuggling. Smuggling has been one of the most resilient forms of crime since the country was founded, but in M country, no one thinks that smuggling is a particularly sinful thing. People seem to only care about the outcome, without delving into the process - or rather, no one will delve into how their actions might harm others.

  The benefits of a poor place, apart from money being omnipotent, is that you can spend very little money to enjoy the comfort that others can only enjoy elsewhere. Peng Haoming spent only 150 RMB, which is the price of a fast hotel in a third-tier city in China, and stayed at the best hotel in Gangga. Not only was there hot water, air conditioning, Simmons mattresses, sofas, but also thick carpets that felt like five-star standards when stepped on. Peng Haoming was very satisfied with the room, and comfortably washed away his fatigue of many days in the bathroom, lying on the comfortable Simmons mattress thinking of taking a short nap.

  The jungle, dark and dense, was being pounded by the rain. Peng Haoming's eyes were wide open as he tried to find the person who had just attacked him from the chaotic background of the jungle. Although he perked up his ears, he couldn't distinguish any suspicious sounds from the noise of the raindrops hitting the leaves. The attacker seemed to have vanished into the rain and fog. Behind him were several indistinct corpses. Peng Haoming gave up searching for the attacker and turned around to look at the bodies, falling into confusion - how did I end up here? Who are they? Suddenly, there was a rustling sound in the jungle, and Peng Haoming raised his gun, taking aim. However, his vision was blurry, and he gritted his teeth, pulling the trigger hard, but it didn't budge...