socalfunplaces Chapter 116 Guessing Master, You've Got the Wrong Person, I Am the Villain
Chapter 116 Guessing Master, You've Got the Wrong Person, I Am the Villain
Chapter 116 Guessing Master, You've Got the Wrong Person, I Am the Villain
It seemed that the campfire dinner had completely put Cai Ba at ease, and he believed that his sincerity would move Song Zhaowen.
"You dare to cooperate with me if you can't even see through me?"
"It's precisely because we can't see through things that we want to cooperate," Cai Ba laughed. "Those who can see through things are either useless or pawns. Those who can't see through things are the real players."
Song Zhaowen didn't respond and continued smoking.
Cai Ba didn't care and continued, "I've been in the Golden Triangle for twenty years, rising from a lowly henchman to where I am now. It wasn't luck that got me where I am; it was foresight. I know who is worth investing in and who I should stay away from."
You, Song Zhaowen, are the most valuable investment I've seen in the past twenty years.
"So how much are you planning to invest in me?"
Cai Ba stared into his eyes: "My plantation, my channels, my connections, and even my life are all on your shoulders."
Song Zhaowen was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed: "Cai Ba, aren't you afraid of betting on the wrong thing?"
"I'm afraid," Cai Ba frankly admitted, "but I'm even more afraid of missing out. Mr. Song, the landscape of the Golden Triangle is about to change."
With Somchai dead, those previously neutral warlords will undoubtedly regroup. The government forces will also seize the opportunity to eliminate them. In such a situation, one must either band together for mutual support or be picked off one by one.
He paused, then lowered his voice: "I've received word that General Danri is already mobilizing troops. He was Songchai's backer, and now that Songchai is dead, he'll definitely seek revenge. I can't hold out on this alone."
Song Zhaowen finally understood why Cai Ba was so eager to win him over.
It wasn't because he admired himself, but because he needed a knife, a knife that could kill for him.
"General Danrui—" Song Zhaowen repeated the name, "Is he very powerful?"
"One of the three most powerful men in the Golden Triangle," Chai Ba said gravely. "He commands two divisions and controls five counties in northern Myanmar. Somchai was just his dog, and now that the dog is dead, the master is bound to be furious."
"So you want me to deal with Danri?"
"It's not about dealing with them, it's about being on guard," Cai Ba said. "Someone like Dan Rui is not someone we can handle. But we can let him know that we're not to be trifled with. As long as he feels he can't take us down, he'll go looking for other easy targets."
Song Zhaowen stubbed out his cigarette: "Cai Ba, you've confused me. Do you want to do business with me, or do you want me to be your bodyguard?"
"That's true," Cai Ba said. "In the Golden Triangle, business and security are inseparable. Without security, even the biggest business is just doing someone else's work. Without business, even the strongest armed force won't last long."
He stood up, walked up to Song Zhaowen, and extended his hand: "Mr. Song, what I've said so much is to tell you that I'm serious. Every share I earn is your share; we'll split it 50/50! You won't regret cooperating with me."
Including this time, this is the second time that Cai Ba has invited Song Zhaowen to cooperate, and his attitude is even more sincere than towards his damn wife.
From the distant jungle came the roar of a wild beast.
Old Sang cautiously grabbed the machete beside him, but neither Cai Ba nor Song Zhaowen moved.
A few seconds later, Song Zhaowen finally reached out and shook hands with Cai Ba.
"It's a pleasure working with you," he said.
Cai Ba laughed, a laugh like a child's: "It's a pleasure working with you!"
Song Zhaowen also laughed, laughing at the other party for being an idiot.
The next day at noon, the elephant carried the two through the last dense forest, and suddenly the view opened up before them.
Song Zhaowen squinted.
Although Mangzhen is called a town, it is more like a militarized village built in a valley. Dozens of bamboo houses are scattered on the hillside. In the center, there is a relatively flat open space with a few simple wooden sheds. Further away, there are large areas of cultivated and leveled land, but they are not planted with grains, but with waist-high poppies. The pink flowers stretch out in the sunlight, like an eerie sea of flowers.
Every so often along the fields, there were militiamen carrying guns, some even carrying rocket launchers.
"We're here." Cai Ba got off the elephant and stretched his limbs.
Their arrival quickly attracted attention. A dark-skinned middle-aged man ran over quickly, followed by seven or eight armed villagers. Upon seeing Cai Ba, the man immediately bowed respectfully: "Boss, you've arrived."
Cai Ba nodded, took out a handful of candy from his pocket, and threw it at the children who gathered around.
"Grab the candy!" the children screamed as they pounced on the ground, rolling and scrambling for it.
Cai Ba looked at the scene with a satisfied smile. He turned to Song Zhaowen and said, "Did you see that?"
Here, I am their god.
Cai Ba pointed to the poppy fields in the distance, "We can't grow any food here, only these. I bring in the grain and exchange it for their goods. Without me, the whole village would starve."
He spoke with such self-righteousness, as if he were a savior.
Song Zhaowen scanned his surroundings. The villagers' gazes towards Cai Ba were complex, containing awe, dependence, but mostly a numb obedience. Several young men stood at a distance, gripping their guns tightly, their eyes warily fixed on this stranger.
"They don't seem to welcome me very much," Song Zhaowen said.
"That's normal." Cai Ba said nonchalantly, "There are rarely outsiders here. But don't worry, as long as I give the nod, no one will dare to touch you."
"Take me to see your workshop," Song Zhaowen changed the subject.
Cai Ba nodded: "Follow me."
The two walked through the village and headed deeper into the valley. The further they went, the stronger the pungent chemical smell became in the air.
Song Zhaowen frowned. It smelled of acetic anhydride and hydrochloric acid, essential chemicals in the heroin refining process.
Finally, they arrived at a secluded cave. The entrance was sealed with wooden planks, and a pungent smell wafted out from the cracks.
Upon seeing Cai Ba, the two armed guards immediately pulled back the wooden planks.
It's a hidden paradise inside.
The cave had been converted into a makeshift factory, where seven or eight workers in rubber aprons were busy at work. To the left was a large cauldron boiling black opium paste; in the middle were filtration and sedimentation tanks; and to the right was the drying and packaging area. The finished products were sealed in plastic bags and neatly stacked in wooden crates.
"How much can you produce in a day?" Song Zhaowen asked.
"Look at the raw materials," Cai Ba said. "It's harvest season now, and we can produce 20 kilograms of No. 4 heroin a day. It's 92% pure, which is top-grade in the entire Golden Triangle."
He walked to a wooden box, opened it, took out a bag of white powder, and handed it to Song Zhaowen: "Want to try it?"
"I don't touch this stuff, that's my bottom line."
Cai Ba paused for a moment, then smiled: "Okay, you have principles. I like that."
He walked around the cave, inspected several key procedures, and then gave a few instructions to the foreman in charge. The foreman nodded repeatedly, like an obedient schoolboy.