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墨書 Inktalez
This issue is completely unrelated to the letter in front of me. How would I know what Xiao Guolin went to Guangxi for? However, no matter how I explain it, I won't dispel Xiao Ting's doubts. After thinking for a moment, I realized that there was nothing confidential in that letter.
I stood up, retrieved the letter, and handed it to Xiao Ting. "I inferred that he had been to Guangxi based on a letter he sent me from there. As for what he went to Guangxi for, I have no idea."
Perhaps because the USB drive did not contain the information she wanted, my straightforwardness in showing her the letter made her a bit awkward. She sat there, unsure whether to reach out and take it.
"There’s no privacy; just take a look. Maybe you’ll discover something," I said.
Jack took the letter on her behalf, opened it, and handed it to Xiao Ting while leaning in to take a look himself. The content of the letter disappointed Jack; he immediately shifted his attention to the envelope. After reading the postmark address, he said, "I know this place. When I participated in an archaeological activity in Southeast Asia, I passed through there. It’s not safe."
His opinion echoed Fatty ’s earlier assessment of that area; it seemed this place was indeed not a good one. Xiao Ting handed the letter back to me with a dejected expression and softly said, "I’m sorry."
I shook my head noncommittally, at a loss for words. At that moment, Fatty ’s stomach let out a loud growl, and I realized it was already pitch dark outside. No matter how bad my mood was, as the host, I still had to fulfill my duties. I forced a smile and said, "Let’s eat first and chat while we do. There’s a restaurant nearby that serves excellent seafood; you should try some local specialties. It’s a private invitation, not on public funds." The last sentence was directed at Jack.
Jack pretended not to hear and simply replied with an "Okay."
This restaurant is quite famous around us; fishing boats deliver fresh seafood directly to them, which is their biggest draw. Additionally, their seafood dishes are unique, featuring some cooking methods that have become rare in recent years. I've dealt with foreigners a few times before; they don’t appreciate extravagant feasting and wastefulness. I have no objections since I'm the one treating; if I can save some money, why not? I ordered over ten dishes but kept them small in portion so that we could enjoy a variety without wasting food.
I figured most people wouldn’t mind seafood. Jack was in a good mood and praised every dish enthusiastically. He even ordered a bottle of foreign wine to accompany the meal. When it came time to pay the bill, I almost embarrassed myself—it was three thousand dollars, several times the cost of the food. On the way back, I cursed that foreigner all the way.
During dinner, perhaps due to each of us having our own concerns, we didn’t delve deeply into discussions about cooperation or action plans; we merely exchanged thoughts on the two letters we had at hand. Soon enough, everyone focused their attention on the first letter—the one from Guangxi—not for its content but for its origin: Dongxing, Guangxi.
Xiao Ting racked her brain but couldn’t recall any information about Xiao Guolin entering Guangxi. Most of Xiao Guolin's work was restricted by confidentiality agreements, so she would never be privy to his work details; however, he would at least provide her with a general idea of where he was going. The fact that Xiao Ting knew nothing about this meant there were only two possible explanations for Xiao Guolin's trip to Guangxi.
One possibility is that this matter is extremely confidential, with all parties involved keeping it under wraps, and no information has leaked out, nor is it allowed to leak.
Another possibility is that Xiao Guolin has entered Guangxi for personal reasons, and he does not want others to know about it. This raises the question: what is he doing in Guangxi?
It is difficult for us to investigate official matters, and even if we try, we face significant obstacles. However, we have the potential to investigate personal matters. Thus, we have planned our recent work accordingly. We will split into two teams: one will enter the desert to search for traces of Xiao Guolin's activities. We do not expect to find Xiao Guolin in the short term, as that is impossible; the Task Force has more information and personnel than we do, and they have not succeeded in locating him. Our initial goal for this team is to determine the general area where Xiao Guolin and others went missing.
The other team will go into Guangxi to find traces of Xiao Guolin's activities there. Regardless of whether his reasons are personal or professional, we cannot investigate his purpose for entering Guangxi directly; we can only conduct a reverse investigation to deduce his intentions from his actions in Guangxi.
Xiao Ting requested to join the desert team, but I firmly opposed it. Fatty remained noncommittal alongside Jack. As a result, the latter half of the dinner turned into a silent standoff between Xiao Ting and me, ending our meal in an atmosphere of discord.
Jack had already secured a hotel room, so Fatty and I settled Xiao Ting before heading back to our own place. On the way back, Fatty was unusually quiet, completely unlike his excited demeanor at the restaurant. When we reached the shop, Fatty called out to me.
"Qiangzi, I'm sorry. Please forgive me for this matter. I have my reasons."
I knew that Fatty's unusual behavior today must have a reason behind it. He likes money; I have no grudge against money either. The problem is that I had shared my experiences with him, and he should be aware of the dangers involved—money can be earned but may not be spent safely. Recently, he had been digging underground again; while he wasn't wealthy, he had some money saved up. It didn't make sense for him to be working so hard.
I couldn't help but lash out at him first. "Stop pretending! Show me that skill you just demonstrated; be impressive! You're like a fence-sitter—wherever the wind blows, you lean that way. Three against one? Why not just take me out directly? That would show your loyalty in front of your American masters."
I couldn't read Fatty's expression at all. However, given his thick skin, my words probably didn't faze him at all. What surprised me was that Fatty maintained an unusual silence. With his character of never letting go when he was right and arguing fiercely, this behavior caught me off guard and made me lose interest in berating him further.
"My comrade got into trouble. I need money." The dim light at the shop entrance illuminated Fatty's face, revealing a rare look of worry.
"Weren't you able to settle that issue?" I asked in confusion.
" Fatty " told me about that experience, and I remember that in the end, only he and another comrade with a severed arm returned home, and he gave all the final payment to the other person.
"He went to Myanmar to carry stones, lost money there, and got stuck in Myanmar. I need money to bail him out."
As soon as I heard this, I was unhappy and immediately said to him, "Gambling is a bottomless pit. There's a saying that advises against gambling and promotes other vices. Even if you have millions, you can't withstand the wasteful spending of a gambling addict, let alone you don't have that kind of wealth. It's like drug addiction; once you're hooked, helping him once won't save him for life. Sometimes helping him is actually harming him, and I don't support you helping him."
" Fatty " didn't react to my agitated tone; instead, he forced a somewhat annoying smile and shook his head. "It's not what you think. After returning home, I've been with you all along. I believe I've fulfilled my responsibilities and kept my promises to those fallen comrades. However, Da Zhang still keeps in touch with their families and does his best to help them. You can imagine how heavy the burden is for one person helping several comrades' parents, especially when both elderly parents are seriously ill, one needing an organ transplant. He took risks in Myanmar out of necessity. Qiangzi, if we don't get him out, I won't be able to sleep for the rest of my life."
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