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墨書 Inktalez
Luo Yi woke up to bright daylight.
The glaring tropical sun shone through the car window, hitting his face like needles.
Outside the window, the jungle along the Border between China and Myanmar was dense, with coconut trees and banana trees blocking out the sun. A barbed wire fence stretched endlessly, marking the national boundary, with no end in sight.
Luo Yi and his group had done some basic preparations early in the morning and set off before dawn to scout the hometown of the Gambler—Wadaozhai, about half an hour's drive from the Border.
The journey from Jinghong to Wadaozhai takes an hour and a half. However, Luo Yi and his companions did not go directly to the Village for fear of attracting attention. The five men were all tall and strong, looking nothing like tourists. Moreover, this area was still undeveloped, with no tourists around.
After driving along the Border for a short while, they arrived at a patrol station. The Undercover agent parked the vehicle inside the station, intending for his colleagues from the Border Police to drive them to the outskirts of the Village in a small car.
However, Luo Yi suggested postponing their departure: "Let's rest well during the day and prepare before setting off at night."
The Undercover agent asked, "Afraid of being discovered?"
Luo Yi replied, "Yes."
After thinking for a moment, the Undercover agent communicated with his colleagues from the Border. Upon learning about their purpose, they also advised waiting until nightfall: "Everyone in the Village knows each other. As soon as you appear, it will be obvious that you are outsiders. Besides, Wadaozhai has only about two hundred residents; with such a sparse population, anyone walking outside or along the fields can be seen clearly from afar in Bamboo House."
Luo Yi said, "That's exactly what I was thinking. The Village is full of eyes that can distinguish friend from foe, making it much more troublesome than in the city."
"That's the idea."
Luo Yi pondered for a moment while biting on his cigarette, then asked, "What about the terrain?"
"The terrain? The village is full of narrow paths, with many trees and dense foliage. Every Bamboo House looks quite similar, and the trees all appear the same. Outsiders would easily get lost in there."
Luo Yi asked, "Can we get a map?"
"I'll look for one for you." The Border Police stood up to find some information.
After discussing among themselves, the three Undercover officers quickly reached a conclusion: "We were all exhausted last night and didn't get proper rest. Let's do as you suggested—conserve our energy during the day and set out at night. After all, if there's something suspicious in that village, we need to be ready to support Lu Xu and the others tonight. The mission is tough, and we can't afford to be worn out."
Luo Yi raised the cigarette he held between his fingers: "Agreed."
The Undercover officer stood up to leave, while Luo Yi lightly flicked his cigarette, lost in thought, and followed him out.
The Undercover officer noticed and turned back to ask, "Any suggestions?"
"No," Luo Yi shook his head, hesitating slightly.
"Speak your mind," the Undercover officer smiled, "this isn't like you."
"Have you been in contact with Lu Xu?"
"Yes."
"How is it over there?"
"The team is ready, just waiting for us to confirm the situation."
"What about that little girl?" Luo Yi suddenly asked.
"Ah?" Undercover was taken aback for a moment, but quickly reacted and smiled, "The one who kicked him? They took a flight and left." He glanced at his watch. "They should have landed in Beijing by now."
"Mm." Luo Yi nodded slightly, silently took a puff of his cigarette, and after a long while, looked up at the high blue sky above the border, remaining silent.
...
Zhou Yao woke up from her nap and it was already noon.
This morning, she and Jiang Peng had just left the hotel when Jiang Peng ordered to find a hotel first because—he was tired. Zhou Yao had no choice but to obediently sleep; besides, she was exhausted after a sleepless night and didn't expect to sleep until noon.
Zhou Yao ran to Jiang Peng's room and knocked on the door: "Brother Jiang!"
After calling twice, the door opened.
Jiang Peng had just woken up not long ago, dressed but still half-asleep, yawning widely. "Good morning, little sister."
"It's not morning anymore; it's afternoon. Let's hurry up and go."
Jiang Peng knew she was anxious and didn't delay any further. He tidied up a bit and then they set off.
Jiang Peng found out that the Gambler was renting a house in the urban village, and a group of them headed straight to the destination.
The roads in the urban village were narrow, and cars could not enter.
Jiang Peng instructed the Brothers to wait on the main street while he and Zhou Yao went to take a look.
Zhou Yao had even brought the veil from last night, carefully wrapping her face.
Inside the urban village, the alleys were narrow, filled with makeshift houses or old residences with ethnic characteristics, made of mud walls and tiles. Under the grayish small earth towers, shops lined up: hardware stores, tailor shops, small convenience stores...
Today seemed to be a special day; men and women dressed in Dai Ethnic Group clothing gathered in the middle of the road, chatting and laughing, some singing and dancing.
It was a beautiful scene that blocked the flow of people in the urban village, but Zhou Yao had no mood to appreciate it.
As Jiang Peng walked halfway, he saw a vendor selling unique grilled snacks by the roadside. A piece of dough was grilled until cooked, topped with shredded potatoes and kelp, brushed with spicy sauce, and rolled up.
Jiang Peng bought two pieces for breakfast, eating one himself and handing one to Zhou Yao.
Zhou Yao shook her head, lacking the appetite. Suddenly, she thought of the Yunnan Eighteen Oddities—rice cakes and grilled snacks. This reminded her of Luo Yi. She wondered where he was in exile now, if he had anything to eat, or if he was hungry.
Zhou Yao lowered her head and walked silently ahead, tightening her veil.
Jiang Peng noticed her worry and comforted her, saying, "As for Boss Luo, even if you throw him into hell, he will find a way to escape. Don't worry about it."
Zhou Yao believed him. After calming down for a moment, she analyzed, "Boss Luo must have been wronged; his first action would definitely be to investigate the deceased. I guess he has already found something out. We should hurry up and find clues so we can meet up with Boss Luo."
"Don't rush, we're already here. Look." Jiang Peng lifted his chin and pointed to a nearby rental house with a concrete wall. "The one on the second floor. Let's go ask."
Zhou Yao immediately grabbed him. "No!"
"What’s wrong?"
"Who are you going to ask?"
"Of course, I'll ask the neighbors. If we want to learn about this person, we need to inquire with the neighbors. It's direct, simple, and convenient."
"No way." Zhou Yao frowned.
"Why not?"
Zhou Yao countered, "If we just go and ask the neighbors like this, what if the police come to investigate and find out? What if Lu Xu that idiot suspects we have some improper motives? Wouldn't that add suspicion to Boss Luo?"
Jiang Peng thought for a moment and nodded. "You make a good point. But if we don't ask the neighbors, who should we ask?"
Zhou Yao shrugged, tilted her chin, and pointed at the house. "Ask it."
"…"
Jiang Peng glanced back at the house and then at Zhou Yao. "Little sister, you're getting worse and worse."
Zhou Yao threw up her hands and pouted.
The two of them quietly circled to the back of the house and looked up at the second floor, where a window was open. With little effort, Zhou Yao and Jiang Peng climbed up to the second-floor window and slipped inside.
The room was simply furnished, containing a bed, a table, and a plastic wardrobe.
A sour smell lingered in the air, and everywhere there were unwashed shoes, socks, and clothes. The sheets were so dirty they had hardened into clumps, even shining with grime.
Zhou Yao frowned and pinched her nose as she searched around. Besides the dirty clothes and trash, it seemed there was nothing else in the house.
After searching for more than ten minutes, Zhou Yao was overwhelmed by the stench and started to sweat.
Jiang Peng couldn't take it anymore either. "We can't find anything. Should we just ask the neighbors?" As he spoke, he picked up a cup from the table, looked at it from different angles but couldn't discern anything special about it, and casually tossed it back down.
"No way!" Zhou Yao insisted. She glanced at the cup he had handled, frowned, and picked it up again to place it back in its "original position." The cup had been sitting on the table for a long time, leaving a small ring of water stains. Jiang Peng hadn't noticed before, but now Zhou Yao carefully aligned the bottom of the cup with the water stain.
Jiang Peng: "..."
Zhou Yao didn't leave; she continued searching in the corner until she finally exclaimed, "What is that?"
Under one of the table legs was a white object that seemed to stabilize the wobbly table. Someone had folded paper several times and stuffed it under the leg.
Jiang Peng lifted one leg of the table while Zhou Yao pulled out the dirty paper and unfolded it. It was a temporary identity card application form with a clearly written registered address: Xishuangbanna Wadaozhai.
Zhou Yao looked up and grinned slyly.
Jiang Peng smiled back and set the table down. "Let's go."
Zhou Yao frowned and glanced at him sideways. "Lift the table!"
Jiang Peng replied impatiently, "So what?"
Zhou Yao pointed at the floor.
Jiang Peng looked and saw a clean white area the size of a piece of paper under one of the table legs, while the rest of the floor was dirty. It was obvious that something was missing from this spot.
Jiang Peng was left speechless.
After they cleaned up the handprints and footprints, they climbed down the stairs again.
Jiang Peng finally asked, "Little sister?"
"Yeah?"
"Have you always been like this, or did you learn it after meeting Luo?"
Zhou Yao remained silent.
The two walked out from behind the building and glanced around at the neighbors, noticing that no one was paying attention to them.
With a clear direction ahead, Zhou Yao walked quickly and lightly. Halfway through, her shoelace came undone, so she crouched down to tie it. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed two people behind her whom she seemed to have seen downstairs at the Gambler's house.
Zhou Yao slowly tied her shoelace and stood up, whispering to Jiang Peng, "Someone is following us."
"I've noticed," Jiang Peng said calmly.
"Who could it be?"
"I don't know. But it's definitely not the police."
"What should we do?"
"Are they following you?" Jiang Peng asked.
Zhou Yao rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'm wearing a veil. It's more likely they're following you."
Jiang Peng chuckled lightly. "Then it can only be related to that Gambler. Perhaps they're also looking for Gambler, and when they saw us coming out from behind, they decided to follow us just to be safe."
"Then let's not walk too fast, and don't deliberately shake them off," Zhou Yao suggested. "Let's pretend we're just passing by."
"Okay."
As Zhou Yao walked, she browsed the shops on one side and sampled snacks on the other.
After a while, the group was still following them. Zhou Yao couldn't hold back any longer and whispered, "We're about to hit the main street; we can't keep going like this."
Just then, they saw a group of men and women in vibrant traditional clothing dancing in the middle of the road, creating a lively scene.
Zhou Yao had a sudden idea and quickly scanned her surroundings until she spotted a tailor shop displaying Dai Ethnic Group clothing. She grabbed Jiang Peng and blended into the crowd, slipping into the tailor shop.
After a while, the two of them emerged again dressed in Dai Ethnic Group attire, blending into the joyful crowd like leaves falling into a forest. They could no longer be distinguished.
Soon after, when they looked back again, those few people had lost track of them.
Zhou Yao and Jiang Peng quickly got into the car.
Zhou Yao wore a midriff-baring top and a tight straight skirt from the Dai Ethnic Group, looking quite beautiful; Jiang Peng, however, looked like someone carrying a pole selling sesame candy.
One of the subordinates glanced back at Jiang Peng and remarked, "Bro, what happened to your outfit?"
Jiang Peng replied with a grim face, "Shut up. Drive."
"Where to?"
"Wadaozhai."
……
In the Gambler's room, more people entered, specifically those who had been following Zhou Yao earlier.
"Those two didn't look like police or related to this matter; they probably just passed by. However, be cautious. Make sure to check for any signs of someone having searched this room," the leader commanded while standing in the center of the room. "—Also, look for anything that might reveal clues. If you find anything, hand it over for destruction."
"Understood." Several subordinates began searching everywhere.
A few minutes later, they reported back: "Nothing. It seems no one has been here."
"Are there no clues?"
"No."
"Wait! There's something here!" One of the subordinates crouched by the table, pulled out a piece of paper from under it, unfolded it, and held it up.
The leader walked over, stared at the words on the paper for a moment, and then smiled triumphantly. "Good thing we came early; otherwise, if the police had found this, it would have been a big deal." He took the paper back and turned to the other two subordinates. "I asked you both to investigate earlier. What did you find out?"
"I asked the neighbors nearby. They said no one has come to investigate. No police, no one else."
"That's good."
……
Jinghong, suburban area.
The highway leading in and out of the city is pockmarked from the heavy trucks that pass over it. Occasionally, a large truck rumbles by, kicking up dust. The palm trees by the roadside are dull and gray, wilted under the scorching sun, lacking vitality.
At a roadside auto repair shop, several workers are fixing cars; next door stands a large sign: "Whispering Inn."
The windows on the third floor of the inn are dirty and grimy, with curtains drawn tightly shut.
Dao San Yanlin's group of more than ten people is crammed into a small room. Bed sheets have been torn into strips; several subordinates who were shot are using them to bandage their wounds, their faces pale.
Dao San is sitting against the wall on the floor, his face covered in dirt and grime, yet his expression remains calm and cruel, showing no signs of distress.
Yan Lin also took the time to clean her face, but there were no clean clothes to change into.
"Damn it, how much money did we have in that club! It's all been shut down!" one of her subordinates shouted angrily, slamming his fist on the coffee table.
Yan Lin took a drag from her cigarette and glanced at him. "What's the rush? It'll be back in a few years. Maybe it won't even take that long; as soon as we catch that girl, we'll have mountains of gold and silver in an instant."
"Catch her? Where are we supposed to find her? She's already back in Beijing! We can't even take a train anymore!" He was Dao San's right-hand man, having long followed Dao San to stabilize their base in Yunnan. He had always been dissatisfied with Yan Lin, and now that she had caused trouble and ruined their profitable club, his frustration grew. He slammed the table again. "Women are nothing but troublemakers. What good is being Dan Shan's wife? Dan Shan is dead! The current territory is all stabilized by Dao San; he looks up to you and treats you like a boss. The day he loses interest in you, you're worthless—"
With a sharp sound, Yan Lin plunged a dagger deep into the table, severing a third of the man's little finger. He opened his mouth to scream, but was quickly silenced by Yan Lin's men who covered his mouth with a towel.
Dao San sat slouched against the wall, coldly watching Yan Lin without saying a word.
Yan Lin pulled the dagger out of the table and raised her left hand; one of her men handed her a towel. She wiped the blood off the dagger and sheathed it.
"Your subordinate doesn't know how to behave; let me teach him."
The man curled up, clutching his injured hand, veins bulging on his forehead, cold sweat pouring down as he bit his lip to suppress any sound.
"At this point, we're still fighting among ourselves?! It was hard enough for Luo and that cop chasing us to break up; now we finally have a breather to regroup, and you're starting this?" another subordinate exclaimed anxiously. "We've grown up together since childhood; can we not fight?"
Everyone fell silent.
Another person tried to mediate: "Brother, sister, let's go back! There are still brothers waiting for us in the village; the money is there, the goods are there, and the people are there. Let's go back and regroup for a comeback."
Yan Lin did not respond; she pressed the dagger down on the table and said coldly, "It's my fault for not eliminating that person in Yading, allowing him to become a threat. Punish me as you see fit." With that, she pushed the dagger toward Dao San and kept her hand firmly on the table.
In the room, more than ten people were silent.
Dao San picked up the dagger, drew it from its sheath, aimed at Yan Lin's hand, and with a twitch of his mouth, plunged the dagger down fiercely.
A gasp was heard.
Yan Lin gritted her teeth tightly as the dagger barely grazed her hand and stabbed into her side.
Dao San glanced at her, released the dagger's handle, leaned back against the wall, and mocked, "Even if you are ruthless in Yading, you can't get rid of that man. Yan Lin, you don't have that ability. Oh no, I should say—you're no longer in the same position in his eyes as you once were, which is why you can't even touch his finger. You ended up falling into your own trap."
A flash of angry humiliation and hatred crossed Yan Lin's eyes.
At that moment, there was a gentle knock on the door.
"They're back!" One of the subordinates immediately went to open the door, and several people who had gone to gather information returned successfully.
Dao San asked, "Did that Luo and Lu really fall out?"
"They really did. We asked several people at the hospital; they said Lu's police shot at Luo Yi. That girl was crying and shouting, cursing and hitting Lu, but her mother found out and took her back to Beijing. The hotel staff also said they checked out at five-thirty this morning and went to the airport."
"Just like that, she got away." Yan Lin sneered and asked again, "What about Gambler?"
"We asked the neighbors; the police haven't gone to investigate yet. They're probably busy chasing after Luo. Haha, Officer Lu never believed in Luo before; otherwise, we would have been discovered long ago. Now that they’ve fallen out again, it’s really satisfying." After saying this, he noticed a small severed finger on the table and froze. "What happened here?"
Yan Lin frowned. "Continue reporting."
"We searched Gambler's house thoroughly, and I brought this back." He handed the registration form to Yan Lin.
Yan Lin took a look at it and smiled, "Well done, burn the paper." Then she asked, "Are you sure no one has been there?"
"Sister, do you still not trust me with my work? I keep an eye on every speck of dust."
"I trust you with your work," Yan Lin replied. "In Yading, I knew Luo Yi would eventually be killed by that foolish police officer. As I wished, this time, I will definitely kill him."
Dao San: "Back to Dai Village?"
"Back to Dai Village."
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