The guide pointed us in the right direction and stopped. He said they had rules, and they couldn't have direct contact with army personnel. Those who were seen doing so would be beheaded.
Wen Siqiang wanted to grab him, but I stopped him. He had his reasons for not going further. I asked him if he could wait for us, and offered him an extra hundred yuan if he did. He said he could wait, but not too long, at most an hour or two. If it took longer, he would leave.
I said, "Alright. I don't know if we'll be back. If you can't wait for us, just go back on your own."
When I first arrived, I was too optimistic. Thinking back, Wang Dong's quick agreement might have been a trap set for me to walk right into.
Yesterday, someone came to find me to ransom the person, but I not only refused, but I also said a lot of things against Wu Guodong. Those two people must have reported back. And today, Wang Dong seemed to be waiting specifically for my call and readily agreed to meet me. The meeting place wasn't a neutral third party, like a small town, but within their base!
What did this mean? Was it a tour for me? And seeing such a large cultivation farm, would they let me leave with this secret?
Moreover, Wang Dong was just a bodyguard. No matter how daring he was, he wouldn't dare to lead two enemy people into the tiger's den!
My heart turned to ice at this thought. It seemed I had made a hundred percent misjudgment this time. Not only was I walking into the tiger's den, but it was likely a wolf's lair.
I said to Wen Siqiang, who was walking behind me, "I have a bad feeling about this. Are you scared?"
Wen Siqiang replied, "Boss, my life has never been my own. Following you, I'm yours. If you're not scared, why should I be?"
I asked, "What if I am scared?"
Wen Siqiang said, "If you're scared, you still have me. If we die, I'll die in front of you. Death is just a blink of an eye, there's nothing to be afraid of."
I hadn't expected Wen Siqiang to be so decisive. In just a few words, he had shown his loyalty. I had always thought of him as an opportunist, following Zhou Yingying or me just to get ahead. I never expected him to have such a firm attitude at a crucial moment. I looked at him with new respect.
I said, "Your words make me feel a lot more at ease. If you had hesitated, I would have considered turning back. But now I'm determined. Even if it's a wolf's lair, we'll tear our way out and survive."
Wen Siqiang added, "I think I smell blood."
Indeed, the air seemed to have suddenly solidified. The endless sea of flowers exuded a deadly aura. We both felt a chilling atmosphere spreading towards us.
Because we saw many people surrounding us from all directions.
Many people, dressed in green short-sleeved military uniforms, most of them holding rifles, their muzzles pointed at us. The circle of encirclement was tightening.
Everything had become a reality as I had imagined. Wang Dong had indeed played a trick on me. Perhaps the assassin desperately wanted to survive and clung to his cousin as a last resort, and I, in my eagerness to get close to Wu Guodong, had orchestrated this grand charade of walking into a trap.
The people surrounding us were chambering their weapons. One of them, who looked like a commander, shouted loudly, "Stop right there! Put your hands on your heads and squat down!"
I said to Wen Siqiang, "Do as they say, squat down."
Facing so many armed enemies, our resistance would be meaningless. Sometimes, showing weakness might not be a bad thing.
We squatted on the ground with our hands on our heads. A few people came forward, handcuffed us, pulled us to our feet, and then began to search us.
Wen Siqiang and I both had a lot of cash on us, and our mobile phones were confiscated. Then the commander ordered soldiers to put blindfolds on us. Two people grabbed my arms and led me away.
I felt us turn and walk back. I found it strange. When we passed the slope earlier, I hadn't seen any buildings or any signs of a military post. Why were we walking back?
On second thought, it made sense. They wouldn't live in the poppy fields. Letting us in was just to capture us easily. The mountain terrain was complex. If we had weapons, there would be hiding places everywhere, making it much more troublesome to catch us.
As expected, we returned to the mountains. I was being escorted forward. Wen Siqiang might not have been following instructions properly, because I heard him being beaten. I said, "Cooperate with them."
Then I was also hit with a rifle butt, and someone cursed, "Who told you to speak? Keep your mouth shut while you walk!"
I didn't talk back, letting them drag me around as we climbed.
After walking for an unknown amount of time, they finally let go of my arms and told me to stop. I guessed we had arrived.
My blindfold was removed, and the sudden brightness made me unable to open my eyes. It took me a while to adjust before I could see everything clearly.
We were in a mountain hollow with several hundred meters of woodland. Tents had been set up in the forest, and we were standing in front of a very large tent.
At that moment, the officer walked up to us and asked, "Who among you is Li Hua?"
Wen Siqiang started to speak, but I quickly said, "I am."
I knew Wen Siqiang wanted to take the blame for me, but I couldn't let him. Besides, I gambled that they wouldn't kill us, and we still had a chance to return alive. If possible, I still wanted to persuade Wu Guodong to turn over a new leaf.
If Lan Ya were here, she would call me delusional, dreaming when my life was on the line.
The officer said, "Kid, you're something else. You've played all our elites for fools. Several times we sent people, but they returned without success. But you're so powerful, yet so foolish. How did you get yourself into our trap?"
I replied, "I came with sincerity. I just wanted to see the general and talk to him face-to-face. We have no past grievances, and there's no need to resolve things through force. Any unresolved issues can be discussed over a conversation. Even warring nations have opportunities for peace talks, let alone us."
The officer retorted, "Stop preaching your moral lessons here. Our general said that what happened on the other side was all because of you. Now that you are our prisoner, there will naturally be no more fighting. But the premise is that you must die!"
I said, "My life is cheap, and my death is insignificant. I only have one request. Before I die, I want to see the general and say what I want to say. Then I can die without regret!"
The officer sneered, "Dream on. You think you can see the general just because you want to? Besides, think carefully with your foolish brain, what kind of conditions are there here? Do you think the general would be here?"
His words made me realize my mistake. Yes, I had made another mistake. How could Wu Guodong possibly be here? I had trusted Wang Dong too much, letting him trap me step by step, to the point that even Wang Dong himself might not be here.
I was truly foolish to the extreme!
Not only did I get captured myself, but I also got Wen Siqiang caught with me. If only I had been caught, Wen Siqiang could have found a way to save me. But now, we are both in a precarious situation and can only let things unfold.
I said, "I'll tell you this too: if I don't return to Ruicheng within twenty-four hours, the brothers in Myanmar will attack this base. Don't say I didn't warn you."
He scoffed, "Don't try to fool me. Even if I let you go now, you wouldn't be able to find this place. Do your brothers have clairvoyance or super-hearing? Can they find you?"
I replied, "They don't have clairvoyance or super-hearing, but don't forget, we both have mobile phones. This high-tech product transmits its location. My brothers have already pinpointed my phone's location. If a missile is fired, it will detonate between us. So, finding you and me will only take them minutes."
He looked at me with doubt. Then he took out a phone from a bag, quickly removed both batteries, and tied the bag shut with a rope, thinking he was safe.
I said, "It's useless. That thing doesn't need to be turned on; it's controlled by satellites. Unless we dig hundreds of meters underground, no one can do anything to you."