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墨書 Inktalez
I didn't hold back and immediately let him have it. Da Zhang, not wanting to join in, simply asked why he had come so late. Fatty, putting on a show, slammed the table and sighed, "It's all because of the money."
As soon as I heard that, I understood—he had lost the money. "You'd rather lose your life than your money and end up working for nothing. Serves you right," I said without holding back, adding insult to injury.
Fatty, thick-skinned and unfazed, continued, "But I managed to recover a bit and even got my arm treated. A little delay was worth it."
When Fatty crashed into the wall, I saw him clutching his arm with a pained expression. Hearing him now, it seemed his arm had been seriously injured, and he had even sought treatment for it. However, I was completely in the dark about what he meant by recovering a bit.
Da Zhang, with an honest smile, asked, "So you didn't lose all the money?"
"I didn't get that money back; the box shattered when it hit the rocks, and all the cash scattered into the river. There was nothing I could do," Fatty replied, his tone devoid of any frustration. Instead, he seemed excited as he added, "But as soon as I got ashore, I ran into Hu Lao Liu. He and Guai Zi Liu had already started fighting over territory, drawing several groups into the fray. It looks like they want to divide Nine-Headed Bird's territory. Hu Lao Liu plans to take advantage of the chaos to raid a Burmese Bandit's hideout where there's a casino. I'm short on cash, so I decided to join him and see what we can gather."
With that, Fatty pulled out several stacks of cash from his pocket—USD, Renminbi, Myanmar currency, and Vietnamese Dong. My head buzzed when I saw it all. We were here to rescue someone; he had resorted to ruthless measures against Nine-Headed Bird's gang. I was present during that incident; there was no other way—it was a fight for survival, and I had no regrets about it. But I couldn't accept that he would rob a casino for money; if he could rob a casino today, would he rob a bank tomorrow? For survival, I could compromise some principles, but for money? That was something I couldn't do.
I swatted the money from Fatty's hands onto the ground. His expression froze as he looked up at me in shock. Gritting my teeth, I said to him, "We are not bandits or robbers; we are here solely to save someone." I gestured toward Da Zhang.
Da Zhang looked just as surprised at my outburst; he seemed unable to understand why I was so furious. However, knowing my relationship with Fatty, he took a step back instead of intervening. Fatty's gaze was complex; perhaps he thought that after witnessing bloody scenes with severed limbs flying around, I could tolerate something like robbing a casino without issue—so why was I suddenly angry?
I understood what they had been through over the years; their experiences had led them to underestimate life and disregard laws and order—they had lost their sense of fear. In chaotic times or during war, this could be an advantage that allowed them greater survival space or even elevate them to heroism or infamy. But in peaceful times, laws and order are prerequisites for ensuring everyone’s equal right to live; we should all hold them in reverence. Especially in this civilized society, respecting life is a hallmark of progress.
I maintained my fierce glare at Fatty; he needed to know my stance and my bottom line. I believed that both Fatty and Da Zhang were fundamentally good people who risked their lives amidst gunfire to uphold their promises to comrades—Da Zhang even took on the responsibility of caring for the families of fallen comrades after returning home. Yet war had twisted their hearts and awakened their primal instincts; actions that seemed unbelievable to ordinary people were easily accepted by them. But I couldn't accept it—I didn’t want them sliding deeper into the abyss.
Fatty stared back at me with confusion mixed with anger. However, my nearly palpable fury made him ponder deeply. We locked eyes; though I wasn't taller than him, in this unequal confrontation, I held my ground firmly. At that moment, my psychological advantage crushed Fatty's distorted worldview into pieces.
"Maybe I was wrong," Fatty said uncertainly. "But here, as you can see, the jungle law is respected more. It's hard for us to survive according to your moral code, let alone rescue Da Zhang."
I continued to look him in the eye. "It's not just here, Fatty; it's also in Africa. The experiences you've gone through have changed you. Don't you think you've changed a lot? These ingrained thoughts and behaviors will carry over back home. We can't break the law or violate the principles of being human just for money or personal gain. If you rob a casino and kill innocent people for money, do you think that's the behavior of a normal person?"
"I didn't kill anyone," Fatty retorted.
"That’s because they didn’t resist. What if they did? Would you kill them for that money?" I pointed at the stacks of cash on the ground. "The key issue is your behavior. If you continue down this path, you'll become disconnected from society. This society does not allow people like that to exist, do you understand?"
My words made Fatty and Da Zhang think seriously; their brows furrowed tightly, and their faces turned pale with fear. It was time to reflect on life. Even someone as good at arguing as Fatty fell silent, indicating that my words had gained his acknowledgment.
"Well, we can't just return this money," Fatty said after a moment, pointing at the cash on the ground.
My heart eased slightly. This was a sign of him softening up; getting Fatty to concede wasn't easy. I didn't respond to that question. Of course, it was impossible to return it; going back there would mean risking our lives.
"We should go back home," I said, relaxing my tone a bit. "Xiao Ting and the others still don’t know what’s going on with us, and we can’t contact them here. We need to hurry back."
"We can’t go back yet. I’ve received new information," Fatty suddenly said.
"Nothing is more important than going home!" I insisted firmly.
Although I didn’t know what he was planning, I could guess that staying here wouldn’t lead to anything good for him. I couldn’t let him get stuck here. At the same time, I found it strange; he had decisively returned home before and shouldn’t be longing for this precarious lifestyle again. "The information I got might be related to Xiao Guolin. Yes, there’s a high possibility," Fatty nodded at me.
I was taken aback; I trusted that Fatty wouldn’t lie about this matter. "Xiao Guolin has been to Myanmar?" I blurted out.
“Probably not.” Fatty said, “When I was buying a gun from a Vietnamese, I casually asked about the situation over in Dongxing. He mentioned that someone made a big deal over there last year.”
I seized on a piece of information in his words. “What do you need a gun for?”
Fatty became nervous at my question, and with a clatter, a 16 assault rifle fell out from his loose Dai Robe.
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