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墨書 Inktalez
Fatty suddenly recalled something from his childhood, speaking seriously: "What I have with you is all true. Of course, I will try to avoid taking that step. Just thinking about entering their base makes my scalp tingle. My plan is to go to their Reception for clues."
"Wait, what? Reception?" I felt like there was something wrong with my ears. A smuggling organization for Arms and Drugs has a Reception? Are they going international and formalizing now?
"Let me explain," Fatty said impatiently. "It's pointless to talk to someone who doesn't understand."
Seeing me glare at him, ready to explode, he quickly waved his hand: "Alright, here's the thing. These Arms and Drugs smuggling groups won't easily let anyone into their bases. They set up contact points in many places, which we call Reception. In the Golden Triangle, familiar guests can find these contact points where they are responsible for food, lodging, and safety." I nodded in realization and suddenly thought of a question. "Are there contact points in other places? Like domestically?"
"Not in mainland China, at least not that I've heard of. Hong Kong has some, but I'm not sure; I've just heard about it."
"Is it possible that Xiao Guolin contacted these Arms dealers through other channels, like the contact point in Hong Kong?"
A mischievous grin appeared on Fatty's face as he slowly replied: "He can only reach out to these Arms dealers through the external contact points; there's no way he'd come to Southeast Asia. It's too dangerous for him here; the chances of coming back alive are slim."
I stared at him in disbelief: "Did you think of this earlier?"
"Didn't you?"
How could I have thought of it? I didn't even know about these shady dealings. Suppressing my frustration, I asked him: "Then wouldn't it be easier for us to gather information about Xiao Guolin from outside? Why do we still need to go to Laos?"
"Qiangzi, how do we know which contact point Xiao Guolin used to reach them? And do you know where their contact points are? I can find out about those in Southeast Asia, but once we leave here, I'm out of options. What about you? Do you have a way to find their contact points?"
I thought for a moment. Although I didn't understand the smuggling process for Arms, nor could I possibly know their contact points, it was still possible to find out which contact point Xiao Guolin used to connect with this organization. As long as this Arms smuggling group hadn't set up a contact point domestically, I could trace back from half a year ago through Xiao Guolin's entry and exit records to see where he had been. At the very least, I could determine which city this Arms smuggling group's contact point was located in and then try to find out the specific address of that contact point.
This matter is not suitable for me to handle; I lack the appropriate identity. Xiao Ting, on the other hand, can investigate with proper justification and seek official assistance. Although entering Laos might be the most direct and swift way to gather information, Fatty's words made it clear to me that it is too dangerous over there. If we were just going to the liaison office in Laos, it would be manageable, but the thought of entering their base sends shivers down my spine.
I steadied my emotions and said to Fatty, "Let's not make any decisions just yet. Since we called Jack around Jingxi, we haven't been in touch with them for a long time. Let's first inquire about the situation over there before deciding our next course of action. If there are any breakthroughs or significant movements on their end, we will immediately return to Xinjiang to meet up with them. If they are stuck in a deadlock, we will head into Laos to look for clues."
In truth, I wanted Xiao Ting to start investigating Xiao Guolin's immigration records right away. However, I felt that Jack's team must be tied up; they are on the front lines of the incident—though not at the scene itself, their location should be the closest point currently accessible. That place could reveal the latest news at any moment, and someone needs to keep an eye on it. This means Xiao Ting would have to investigate Xiao Guolin's immigration records alone. My concern was that if Xiao Ting obtained information about Xiao Guolin's movements, she might take action independently, which would be disastrous. The likelihood of this happening is high since we are severely lacking in manpower.
Fatty did not object and leaned back slightly. "Alright, but there’s no phone in this village; we need to go out and find one."
I nodded. "No time to waste; let's go now."
Fatty said, "Wait a moment," tossed aside two magazines, and ran outside. After a while, I heard a loud motorcycle engine revving along with Fatty's shouts.
When I stepped outside, I saw Fatty had brought back a rusty domestic motorcycle. He sat on it wearing some kind of ethnic attire; beneath his robe were two hairy legs, and he wore a pair of muddy flip-flops. The motorcycle's rear seat was just a metal rack—not meant for passengers—and it was covered in rust, suggesting it had previously held something else that had just been removed. The exhaust pipe was spewing black smoke that nearly engulfed Fatty.
I cursed as I rushed into the black smoke, almost choking to death. Fortunately, once the motorcycle started moving, the smoke was left behind; otherwise, we would have suffocated before even leaving the village.
The road was narrow and muddy, particularly bumpy; I had to hold tightly onto Fatty to avoid being thrown off. The motorcycle zigzagged wildly down the road, punctuated by our screams of terror as it swerved and jumped around like a scene from a motorcycle rally. By the time we reached a crowded village, I was utterly exhausted from this harrowing ride.
I staggered into a shop that had a phone. Fatty seemed unfazed and continued shouting excitedly. I decided that on our return trip, I would drive the motorcycle; sitting behind him was too torturous.
This was a simple convenience store with a phone at the counter. Fatty's Burmese was far better than Da Zhang's; he quickly negotiated the call charges and chatted animatedly with the Myanmar girl at the store—both of them were quite friendly.
The call connected quickly, though the quality remained poor as usual. Jack shouted a few words before hanging up; shortly after, the phone rang again. I picked it up and heard Jack calling back from a landline.
"How did you get to Myanmar?" Jack asked, clearly aware of Myanmar's area code.
I briefly explained the situation here, mainly that Xiao Guolin might have connections with a smuggling group from Vietnam. Of course, I also mentioned Da Zhang; with his involvement, the whereabouts of the five hundred thousand USD made sense. I didn't mention anything about Nine-Headed Bird Fire or even bring up Guai Zi Liu. I only hinted that things were quite dangerous here and that I needed to confirm information from his side before deciding on my actions. Naturally, I shifted the topic to Xinjiang.
First, Jack informed me that Xiao Ting was not around; she had gone with Xiao Guolin's student to contact the rescue team. Hearing this, I finally relaxed. The rescue team had actually disbanded, and everyone had returned to their respective workplaces. Their search for rescue team members meant they had temporarily left the dangerous area.
Then, Jack shared some breaking news with me. The level of this incident had escalated.
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