MTLNOVEL Chapter 170: Partner!
Kachin State, Myanmar, deep in the mountains, in a certain lush tropical jungle.
Clusters and clusters of red flowers were in full bloom, their blossoms large and radiant, releasing a rich fragrance that wafted gently with the warm breeze, intoxicating the senses.
These are poppies.
And beneath many of the vibrant flowers, spherical fruits were densely packed.
A few scattered armed patrols moved about, their grass-green uniforms embroidered with the crossed daggers emblem, inspecting each fruit field.
The patrolmen were generally not tall, dark and wiry, but their eyes differed from most domestic soldiers; a single glance revealed they were battle-hardened, having truly seen blood.
Their gear was varied; some carried rusty Type 56 submachine guns, while others had old automatic rifles, all slung loosely across their bodies as they smoked, walking leisurely as if on a casual stroll.
In the distance, hidden watchtowers were silhouetted by flashes of lightning, with armed personnel on constant guard.
Deeper still, in the rugged mountain trough, a few stilted bamboo houses loomed into view.
Inside one of the main bamboo houses, Ta Kun put down the satellite phone and instructed the two armed guards standing outside the door: "Bring Luo Jihan to me."
"Yes!" One of the guards nodded in response, immediately shouldering his gun and departing to fulfill the order.
Before long, a middle-aged man, standing around 1.7 meters tall and in his early thirties, followed the guard back, who saluted Ta Kun and then left, leaving only the middle-aged man standing in the middle of the room.
The middle-aged man appeared unremarkable, with an ordinary physique and face, the kind of person who would blend into the background as a common laborer back in the mainland. However, the hint of fierceness in his eyes, coupled with biceps thicker than most people's thighs, quietly signaled his latent formidable power, marking him as a rare expert.
Most notably, his complexion was not as dusky as the locals'; instead, it mirrored that of a Chinese person.
This wasn't unusual, as the Myanmar border was open with China's Yunnan, allowing for significant population flow. This no-man's-land was originally developed by the defeated troops of the Gua Min Party fleeing into Myanmar, with the Chinese component being quite substantial.
"Luo Jihan, there's something I need you to do." Ta Kun came around from behind the desk and addressed the middle-aged man.
"Young Master Ta Kun, please command me. As long as it's within my abilities, I will be unwavering in my loyalty!" Luo Jihan replied expressionless.
"Very good. You are familiar with China. These two people have now traveled together to Su City in China. I want you to infiltrate China immediately and bring back their heads." Ta Kun handed Luo Jihan two photographs, speaking in a cold tone.
Luo Jihan slightly frowned, taking the photos and asking in puzzlement, "Them...?"
"They are the criminals responsible for the deaths of my second and third brothers!" Ta Kun did not conceal his disdain as he coldly replied, "My second brother died at this man's hands, and my third brother was captured by this woman, destined to perish in a Chinese prison sooner or later."
"I understand." Luo Jihan asked no more questions and tucked the photos away.
Ta Kun hesitated for a moment and then cautioned Luo Jihan, "Luo Jihan, you are one of the six top experts under my father's command. He sent you to assist me, trusting in your skills just as I do. However, I must remind you, the man in the photo is not simple. Tasha took Man Xiong and the others, all four of them, yet they were completely wiped out. Be extra careful."
"Young Master Ta Kun, do not compare me with the likes of Man Xiong. In a hundred-meter range, against the four of them, I could easily dispatch them in seconds; they are just four useless weaklings." Luo Jihan replied with disdain all over his face.
"Haha, I appreciate your confidence. Very well, I'll arrange for someone to take you out of the base. Remember to be quick and return fast. I await your good news." Ta Kun was finally satisfied and smiled, patting Luo Jihan on the shoulder.
Luo Jihan said nothing further and turned to leave.
...
More than five hours later, as evening approached, the train from Jiangdong, Binhai finally pulled into Su City station.
Jiang Feng and Situ Yan descended from the train, blending in with the crowd, where several members from Su City's action unit were already at the exit to greet them.
"Chief Situ, welcome to Su City!" The leader of the Su City action unit was named Kong Xiang, who had spoken to Situ Yan over the phone while on the train. The relevant leaders from Su City had sent him to liaise with Situ Yan.
Situ Yan shook hands with him briefly. Kong Xiang was quite surprised by Situ Yan's beauty and couldn't help looking at Jiang Feng beside her: "And this is...?"
"My partner, Jiang Feng." Situ Yan gave an ambiguous response.
"Mr. Jiang, hello." Kong Xiang offered his hand politely to Jiang Feng.
Jiang Feng shook hands with Kong Xiang expressionlessly, "Commander Kong, have you found any leads on that Chen Peng?"
"Yes, but..." Kong Xiang chuckled wryly: "Forget it, this is not the place to talk. You both must be tired from your journey. I'll host you to some local specialties and we can talk as we eat."
Seeing that Kong Xiang had unspeakable difficulties, Jiang Feng and Situ Yan did not pursue the matter further and followed him out of the station.
...
Kong Xiang instructed the fellow task members to head back first, then drove Jiang Feng and Situ Yan to a renowned local Huaiyang cuisine restaurant, selecting a private room for their meal.
Huaiyang cuisine is one of the four major traditional culinary styles of China, originating from Yangzhou and Huai'an, primarily using aquatic ingredients and placing great emphasis on knife skills, particularly renowned for melon carving.
Kong Xiang ordered some of the more famous Huaiyang dishes, such as braised crab roe meatballs, large pot dried bean curd, three nested ducks, soft-shelled long eel, crystal salted meat, and squirrelfish, showing his hospitality.
"Captain Kong, back at the station, you seemed to have some misgivings. What's going on exactly?" Before the dishes arrived, Jiang Feng directly asked Kong Xiang.
"To be honest with you both, we currently do not know Chen Peng's whereabouts, but we know who is hiding him. It's just that the person is quite difficult to deal with, and we can't make him talk..." Kong Xiang chuckled bitterly.
"Is it Da Xia?" Situ Yan asked.
"It seems Chief Situ's intelligence work is spot on. Yes, it's Da Xia!" Kong Xiang nodded, "Da Xia is Chen Peng's brother. We saw through surveillance that as soon as Chen Peng returned to Su City, he went to find Da Xia, who then set him up with a hidden refuge, and Chen Peng subsequently disappeared from all surveillance, leaving us unable to pin down his location."
"So you've reached out to Da Xia? What did he say?" Situ Yan continued to ask.
"Da Xia naturally wouldn't admit anything. Not only did he deny hiding Chen Peng, he even turned the tables, accusing us of groundless accusations without evidence. I was even thrown out and insulted by him, which caused quite an uproar, and I was reprimanded by my superiors." Kong Xiang could not help but get angry as he recalled Da Xia's attitude, but he was helpless.
"You're with the action unit, and Da Xia dares to bully you. Does he have a death wish?" Jiang Feng asked with a frown.
"Sigh, Mr. Jiang, you may not know, but Da Xia has never been an easy character to deal with." Kong Xiang replied bitterly, "He relies on his connections to act brazenly in Su City. If I had concrete evidence of the poisoned almonds, it would be fine, but without solid evidence, he clearly does not fear me."
"Who is backing him?" Situ Yan asked.
"Guo Xiaolin, have you heard of him? He's a local overlord in Su City, the number one figure in the underworld. The White Horse Club where Da Xia works is his territory, and Da Xia has been guarding it for years as Guo Xiaolin's henchman, so he fears no one!" Kong Xiang explained.
Every place has its own shades of black and white, which is not surprising. In Binhai, there are also people like Chu Renxiong and Mr. Scar controlling the underworld. It's completely normal to find similar bigwigs in Su City.
People like that often wield immense power and have excellent relations with various facets of society, so taking them down isn't as simple as just deciding to do it.
This Guo Xiaolin was renowned as a dominant force in Su City. Even Kong Xiang was troubled when mentioning him, which explained how Da Xia could behave so recklessly under his protection.
"When we've finished eating, you take me to this White Horse Club. I want to meet this Da Xia in person." Jiang Feng said expressionlessly, in a tone disconcertingly calm.