We entered the room, and I placed the empty medicine packet from the divine physician on the cabinet. The divine physician said, "You told me that a lot has happened with you recently, including your encounter here a few days ago. Do you think Wu Guodong, in his current condition, still has the energy for this? Or rather, 'Would he still do this?'"
I replied, "I’ve been thinking the same thing. Wu Guodong is gravely ill. Even if he were capable of any evil deed, at least now, he wouldn't be able to use such means to deal with me, a nobody junior. I believe someone must be using his name, acting behind his back to do these things, with the benefits reaped being immense. Even the matter with Brother Hui in the provincial capital might have involved that person, not Wu Guodong."
The divine physician said, "I’ve been treating Wu Guodong since this time two years ago. Although it’s been two years, I don’t know much about him. Apart from the few people around him, I’m clueless about everything else. He never discussed military affairs with me. In my eyes, he was just an ordinary man in his twilight years. He only spoke of old times and matters of state with me, never mentioning what he was doing or planning to do now."
I said, "I’ve been to his poppy fields; they are vast. I imagine his troops control far more than just this land. They might control much more, and he must have a colossal management system to keep his army running and monetize the poppies. The head of this system is clearly not Wu Guodong; Wu Guodong merely bears the title."
The divine physician stated, "As far as I know, he has three sons. One is in Country A, handling business there. Another is in Yangon, involved in real estate. Only the youngest son is with him, though I’ve never seen him. Even with Wu Guodong critically ill, this son has never appeared. Or perhaps he has appeared, and I simply don't recognize him or know who he is."
This explains it. Country A is rampant with drugs, and most of the supply originates from the Golden Triangle. It’s entirely plausible he has someone managing things there.
Another son is in real estate in Yangon. While seemingly unrelated to drugs, it’s a crucial link in this black market chain. Drug money is successfully laundered, transforming into the capital of a successful legitimate real estate developer.
And the source of all this lies within this inconspicuous village, with Wu Guodong, or his proxy, continuously outputting this black paste, which eventually turns into colorful banknotes.
At this point, an officer knocked on the door, announcing that dinner was ready and inviting us to eat.
The dining hall was behind our quarters, a military mess hall bustling with many soldiers. The officer led us through the crowd to a row of private rooms.
This was likely where officers or higher-ranking individuals dined.
He showed us into a room, but did not sit down himself. After making arrangements for us, he left.
The table was set with four dishes and one soup, along with a small pot of rice. There were two meat dishes and two vegetable dishes, and egg drop soup.
The divine physician said, "Eat quickly. You must be starving, right?"
One doesn't stay hungry for long when one is advancing in age. It had been seven or eight hours since we left Ruili; it would be strange not to be hungry.
I served a bowl of rice for the divine physician and myself before we sat down to eat.
The food was quite palatable. Its taste was similar to ours, unlike the local cuisine, which uses strange seasonings and has an odd flavor.
The divine physician did not eat the meat dishes, only a few bites of the vegetables, but he finished his rice cleanly.
After we finished eating and stepped outside, we saw many soldiers who, after their meal, were not rushing back to their barracks but were chatting in small groups on the open ground outside.
I said, "Senior, please go back to your room. I'll stay out for a while."
The divine physician replied, "Then don't stay too long. There are many eyes and ears in the military camp. Be careful."
He knew my intentions and specifically cautioned me.
I nodded and walked past the groups of soldiers, heading towards a less crowded area.
This open space was a training ground, likely used for regular soldier drills. There were also a pair of basketball hoops and some pull-up and parallel bars.
I reached the end of the training ground and found an unoccupied spot to sit down.
Footsteps sounded behind me. I didn't turn my head, but I could guess who it was.
He sat down beside me and then asked, "Is my cousin doing well?"
I turned to look at him, my face filled with confusion, and shook my head, indicating I didn't know what he was talking about.
He continued, "Don't think I haven't figured you out just because I haven't confirmed it. No matter how well you disguise yourself, you can't change the fact that you've come here repeatedly. It's more than just being tired of living, isn't it? What are you trying to do?"
I replied, "I don't know what you're talking about. However, I can tell you that I'm here with my master to treat the General. As for calling me Li Hua, I'm sorry, you've truly mistaken me for someone else."
Wang Dong said, "Whether you've mistaken me or not, you know best. Since you have a purpose, you'll eventually reveal yourself. Whatever your purpose, the real skill lies in being able to walk out of this compound."
I countered, "Whether I can walk out of this compound is not for you to decide. We are guests of the General, or rather, his saviors. You wouldn't risk his life, would you?"
He let out a cold laugh and said, "The General's life? What era is this? Is the General's life still that important?"
He then made a couple of scoffing sounds, a full display of defiance.
I was taken aback. What did he mean by that? Could it be, as we suspected, that they genuinely have a new master?
Had Wu Guodong become merely an empty shell, a signboard?
It made sense. In his current state, he could barely breathe, let alone command thousands of troops in battle.
They must have someone giving the orders, someone who truly holds power.
But who was this person? Wu Guodong's third son? Or someone else entirely?
I couldn't ask directly. Doing so would be tantamount to admitting I was Li Hua, and he could then legitimately apprehend me.
I remained silent. He sat there, muttering to himself, "Actually, whether you are Li Hua or not doesn't matter. What matters is that you are from the other side, and I have a vendetta against people from the other side, so you all must die!"
My heart sank upon hearing this. No wonder he was reneging on his word; there was a story behind it.
I said, "It's true that I'm from the other side, but we have no enmity between us. Why should we die?"
Wang Dong said, "I don't mind telling you. After all, in two days, your body will be at the bottom of the river. I want you to die with understanding."
He continued, "My cousin must have introduced himself to you. I'm an orphan, raised at his home since childhood, but even he doesn't know why I'm an orphan. My parents were sentenced to death on your side for transporting heroin, and their bodies were never returned."
So that's how it was. My country has zero tolerance for drugs, and possession beyond a certain quantity results in the death penalty, with no exceptions.
Being brought to justice for drug trafficking is a deserved consequence. How can you place the blame on innocent people?
His parents lost their lives due to drugs, yet he, instead of learning from this painful lesson, has fallen into gambling and is now abetting the crime, continuing to harm the populace.