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墨書 Inktalez
I didn't think I had the ability to persuade Fatty to give up this 16, nor did I believe I could maintain my composure in front of those two Police Officers for much longer. The only solution that came to mind was to leave this place, even though it felt a bit like burying my head in the sand.
We boarded a car passing through Beipanjiang Town. Before getting in, Fatty told me, "Sit separately," and then walked towards the middle of the cabin on his own.
I chose to sit by the door, feeling uneasy inside; sitting by the door felt safer and made it easier to make a run for it. I couldn't understand what Fatty was thinking—inside this closed, air-conditioned vehicle, if something went wrong, there would be nowhere to escape.
There weren't many people on the bus at first, but soon several passengers boarded, including two Armed Police Warriors. Long-distance buses didn't have security checks, but there were checkpoints along the way. Inspections for drugs were strict in the southwestern border areas, and I could feel my heart racing as I watched the two Armed Police Warriors. When they finally settled into the last row, I realized they weren't on a mission; they appeared to be ordinary passengers.
Even so, I still felt uneasy, especially when those two Armed Police Warriors passed by Fatty. I started sweating. After sitting down, they began chatting loudly among themselves, their conversation laced with dialects I couldn't understand—sounded like something from Yunnan.
As I speculated about their backgrounds, two young women dressed in Miao attire boarded the bus. They were slender and full of youthful energy. They looked for a double seat together but found every seat occupied. Some men sitting alone eagerly signaled that there was space next to them, but none were willing to give up their seats.
At that moment, Fatty stood up and said, "Come sit with me; I'll go to the back."
The two Miao girls, probably around twenty years old and bursting with vitality, bounced over and thanked Fatty repeatedly. He put on a serious face and replied, "You're welcome; please call me Lei Feng."
The girls giggled at his antics. Fatty grabbed his backpack from the overhead rack and headed toward the back of the bus. Pretending to be interested in what was happening around me, I turned to look back just in time to realize he was heading straight for the last row where those two Armed Police Warriors sat. They were also amused by Fatty's presence and were smiling at him. Watching this unfold made my smile freeze; my throat felt dry as panic surged within me. Fatty was asking for trouble.
When he reached them, he didn't sit down immediately but asked, "I recognize your accents; you must be from Anshun. I have a comrade from Anshun whose accent is quite similar."
"You served in the military? Where did you serve? You definitely look like someone who has been in the army," one of the Armed Police Warriors replied warmly as they made room for Fatty.
Fatty took no offense; he shoved his backpack between their military bags and plopped down in the back seat, engaging them in conversation. Perhaps soldiers shared a common language; they quickly hit it off, and soon Fatty was speaking Mandarin mixed with dialects. I couldn't keep turning back to watch them; my feelings were complicated as I turned away again, their voices fading into indistinct murmurs.
I now understand Fatty's intentions, but his actions are not without risk. His unfiltered personality could easily lead him to slip up and expose himself. Ever since I learned that he had hidden 16 in his backpack, I haven't felt at ease. When those two Armed Police Warriors boarded the bus, my anxiety intensified. Realizing I couldn't change the situation, I decided to close my eyes and feign sleep.
The journey went smoothly; we didn't encounter any checkpoints as we left the city. It wasn't until we passed through Yunnan that my heart began to settle. Typically, inspections for prohibited items like Drugs are concentrated in Yunnan, and once you leave, the scrutiny lessens significantly. However, our luck ran out when we reached Xingyi. Our bus was stopped by a team of armed police conducting random checks.
Two armed police officers boarded the bus—one questioned the owners of the bags on the overhead rack while the other supervised the luggage inspection. Their gaze was sharp; rather than inspecting the bags, they seemed more focused on the people opening them. Although I was incredibly nervous, I managed to maintain a calm facade as I opened my backpack for them to see.
The bus was already filled with passengers, and the two officers were checking slowly, inching closer to the back of the bus. My heart raced with each step they took. I didn't have the courage to look back; instead, I glanced down at the entrance where two fully armed Armed Police Warriors stood with their weapons drawn. I realized there was no chance of escape.
Suddenly, a commotion erupted at the back of the bus, causing me to jump nervously and nearly fall off my seat. Turning around, I saw that one of the Armed Police Warriors sitting next to Fatty had leaped up and punched one of the inspecting officers in the chest. The officer retaliated with a punch of his own, and then they ended up embracing each other. What was happening? My mind went blank.
A few friendly exchanges between them quickly clarified things for me. It turned out these two Armed Police Warriors were comrades from basic training and hometown friends who hadn't seen each other in over a year since joining the force. They stood there chatting amiably, completely ignoring my escalating anxiety. The two officers outside grew impatient and shouted at them from below, prompting these friends to hurriedly exchange contact information before reluctantly parting ways.
Throughout this encounter, Fatty wore a mischievous grin, showing no signs of tension whatsoever. It was as if his backpack contained not 16 but rather a cake; I couldn't tell if he had exceptional composure or simply didn't care about the danger.
After this unexpected turn of events, my heart wouldn't settle again. I felt like a startled quail throughout the journey, my gaze becoming somewhat vacant. Finally arriving at Beipanjiang Town, I stepped off the bus only to feel my legs weaken as I collapsed into a chair. Before disembarking, Fatty had been boasting to those two Armed Police Warriors, leaving what sounded like my shop's address so they could visit him later for a promised Seafood feast. It wasn't until the bus pulled away that Fatty reluctantly got off.
Waving cheerfully at the departing long-distance bus, he waited until it disappeared from sight before turning to me and saying, "Can you calm down a bit? You scared me half to death! Look at your face; you look like you've just been to a funeral. Good thing we sat apart; otherwise, we'd have been caught for sure."
I didn't even have the energy to argue back. After being on high alert for so long, I felt utterly drained now that I could finally relax.
After taking some time to recover, I said, "Don't pull stunts like that again. And about that gun—don't even think about bringing it into my shop. You can leave it wherever you want; just not in my place."
Fatty studied me for a moment before replying, "Fine, I've got somewhere else for it; just don't regret it later."
I jumped up suddenly. "What do I regret! I've been terrified all the way here, almost getting killed by you. If I let you stay in my shop, that would be my regret."
My outburst drew the attention of passengers at the station. I held back for a moment. "Let's not dwell on that for now. I need to meet Ah Xiang first, then we can talk about other things."
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