Our car stopped in front of the sentry post not long after we started.
A wire mesh barrier, along with a wooden railing as thick as a bowl, blocked the road.
Two soldiers, holding long rifles, stood in front of the railing.
Ah Bei jumped out of the car, bowed his head and stooped to hand over the permit.
The sentry took the permit and walked to our car, scrutinizing us carefully. Then he pointed at me and said, "You, get out!"
I froze for a moment. What, had they seen through us?
Impossible. If it were Brother Hui's men who recognized me, I might believe it, but how could these soldiers, with their divine eyes, recognize me in this disguise?
I looked at Ah Bei, who was also a bit bewildered and shook his head at me.
Seeing me get out, the sentry sized me up from head to toe, as if I had flowers growing on me.
"Are you from the mainland?"
I nodded. I couldn't admit I was from northern Myanmar. Although they were, in a sense, our kin, they were generally sallow and thin, quite different from our region.
The sentry glanced at the Daoist brothers again and asked, "Are all of you?"
The Daoist brothers nodded calmly, tacitly admitting it.
"That's not right. As far as I know, I know all the people from the mainland. You're all strangers. Where did you come from?"
I was startled. It must be our clothes. We were wearing the local attire, but our features were those of people from the mainland.
Ah Bei reacted faster. He quickly said, "These gentlemen are Brother Hui's people. He sent them to protect Madam, and they deliberately disguised themselves like this to avoid attracting attention from the other side during the operation."
I nodded and added, "This mission is rather special. We dare not be careless. If you don't believe me, you can ask Brother Hui."
I bet he wouldn't go to Brother Hui to verify. I had already decided: if we were exposed here, we would fight and break through directly.
With my hands behind my back, I made a gesture to the two Daoist brothers in the car.
The sentry looked at us for a few more moments before signaling the other soldier to move the wire mesh and raise the pole.
Ah Bei and I got back into the car. We started the tractor-like jeep and drove past the sentry post.
I had given Ah Bei a stack of bills beforehand. When Ah Bei handed over the permit, he had pressed a few bills underneath. The sentry probably wanted to pocket them privately, so he deliberately showed them to the other soldier.
The car drove on for about ten more minutes before we arrived in front of several houses.
Ah Bei said, "We're here. Follow me to escort Miss Zhou inside. The other two brothers will wait outside."
I nodded. Ah Bei was our leader now, and I had to obey him in everything.
Before we even entered, we heard a torrent of curses from inside. It sounded like Brother Hui.
"Damn it, useless trash! You can't even handle a patient lying in bed, and you're all eating dirt? Someone drag him out and bury him!"
Then we heard the sound of a door opening, and two men in black dragged someone out.
The man was covered in wounds and spitting blood. It seemed he had just undergone severe torture.
I realized this must be related to the assassination attempt on me in the hospital the night before last. This person was likely the one who had struggled with the elder.
We waited by the side until these men had walked away before going in.
Zhou Yingying was so terrified by the sight of the blood-covered man that she hid against the wall, trembling, and followed behind us.
Entering the room, I saw Brother Hui standing in the center, with several henchmen beside him.
It was a large living room, about fifty square meters. The room was quite spacious. Apart from a sofa and a coffee table on the right, the rest of the area was empty.
Brother Hui looked up at us, his eyes still burning with rage. Just as he was about to erupt, he saw Zhou Yingying hiding behind us. His gaze softened slightly, and he said, "You're here? Come in."
He then turned to us and asked, "What's the situation on the other side? Did anyone notice you?"
It seemed he hadn't detected any flaws in my disguise. When he looked at me, it was just a cold, indifferent glance, the look of a complete stranger. He continued to stare at Ah Bei.
"Reporting to Brother Hui, escorting Miss Zhou was quite smooth. There were no signs of armed personnel noticed on the other side."
Brother Hui nodded and said, "Good, as long as everything is fine. You did well with this. Go back and rest. I'll call for you later."
My heart skipped a beat. Brother Hui wanted to see him alone? Could he have already become suspicious?
I knew Brother Hui was inherently suspicious and adept at hiding his emotions. Even if he suspected us, he wouldn't say it immediately.
Would Ah Bei betray us later?
Ah Bei appeared calm. He bowed to Brother Hui, and we withdrew.
After coming out, Ah Bei told us to go to the dormitories behind.
Behind the house was a row of single-story buildings, about five or six rooms. Ah Bei said these were where Brother Hui's subordinates lived.
On the way, he told me that there were about twenty people here, more than half of whom were recruited locally, and he had only brought five or six men from the other side.
The locals could only handle the outer perimeter; the ones truly on missions were the men he brought. These men also had to protect Brother Hui's safety, so he had very few usable subordinates.
The three men in black in the room earlier, plus the two who dragged out the killer, were probably Brother Hui's entire force.
However, judging by their skills, every one of them was a formidable fighter.
Since he was in a military camp, he could surely mobilize personnel. I felt that the difficulty lay with these men.
The key was that they were armed.
People here had been handling weapons since they were old enough to understand. When it came to using guns, none of them would be weak.
This was what worried me the most.
This posed a significant obstacle to our plan to deal with Brother Hui.
To deal with him, it was best to stay away from those who carried guns.
Seeing Brother Hui's arrogant and domineering demeanor earlier, he surely felt that this place was like an iron barrel, and we on the other side couldn't touch him at all.
He would never have imagined that I was standing right in front of him.
A direct confrontation would be a hundred percent failure; we could only outsmart him.
Ah Bei led us to a room and said awkwardly, "It's a bit crude here, you see..."
I glanced around the room. On the floor were a few wooden planks covered with a worn-out cloth, and hanging above were several black mosquito nets.
I smiled and said, "It's not your fault. It's good enough to have a place to sleep. Come here, I have a few things to tell you."
We walked a few steps away and stopped by a large tree.
I took out a cigarette and offered him one, then lit one for myself.
I took a deep drag and then said, "You saw Brother Hui just now. What are your thoughts?"
Ah Bei shook his head. "I can't figure Brother Hui out. Besides, I'm just an outsider. If it weren't for this mission, we wouldn't even have the chance to talk."
"What do you think he means by wanting to see you later?"
"I don't know either. Since he said we did well, why does he want to see me later?"
Although I had interacted with Brother Hui, I still couldn't fathom him. He was like someone hiding behind frosted glass; you could see his silhouette, but not his true face.