The next morning, Jing Lei’s driver took Wen Siqiang and me to the airport.
Brother Bao had arranged for Da Kui to complete our exit procedures in advance, and he was waiting for us at the airport.
With our previous experience of exiting the country, we were quickly processed and boarded the plane this time.
It was Wen Siqiang’s first time flying, and he was a bit nervous. I kept watching him rubbing his hands in his seat, but I didn’t say anything.
Da Kui scanned the passengers on the plane, and only after confirming he didn't see anyone suspicious did he sit down.
This was Da Kui's professional habit; safety was always his top priority, no matter where he was.
The plane began to taxi, then took off, roaring into the sky with a tremendous noise.
I closed my eyes. Although the flight was short, waiting with my eyes open was also tedious. It was better to use this opportunity to get some sleep.
Ruili was very close to Yangon. It felt like only a moment before the plane began to descend, asking everyone to straighten their seats for landing.
When we exited the airport, Qing Ge had sent a car to wait for us at the exit. He wasn't there himself, just a business car. After we got into the car, the driver said that Qing Ge was waiting for us at the Longji mine and would take us directly there.
The driver handed us two guns from the trunk, saying that the car would pass through an unsafe area and we could have them for defense if anything happened.
They were two American-made handguns. The driver told me the magazines were under our seats and fully loaded, so we should use them liberally.
I handed one gun to Da Kui and kept the other. Having used a gun last time, I felt I was better at handling it than Wen Siqiang.
Although Wen Siqiang had experienced many things, guns were not allowed in the mainland, so he had never touched one.
This place was truly unsafe. Gunfights could break out at any moment. With our lives not in our own hands, we were living on the edge, working with our heads held high.
As for Da Kui, there was no doubt that he could probably use a cannon if given one.
The car soon drove out of the city of Yangon and entered a desolate area. The road conditions were surprisingly bad; we were tossed up and down like balls.
Brother Bao remained expressionless in the car. He had fought in this region for many years and was intimately familiar with everything here, finding it all unremarkable.
It was Wen Siqiang's first time here, and everything was filled with curiosity as he kept looking out the window.
After driving for about fifty to sixty kilometers, we entered the mountains, and the road became even more difficult. There were many small stones blocking the road, forcing the driver to weave around them. First, they had shaken us apart, and now they were trying to make us dizzy.
Suddenly, the driver slowed down the car. There were a few people ahead who were signaling our car to stop.
The driver turned back and said, "Everyone be careful. Hide your guns and don't let them see them. If you see them making a move, you must strike first."
I agreed and quickly handed the weapons to Da Kui, telling him to put them in the back. The car stopped, and a few people were talking to the driver, who was continuously explaining things to them, likely about us. However, the people wouldn't listen and seemed determined to make us get out of the car.
The driver watched them move towards the back and grabbed the car door, trying to open it. He said to me, "Everyone, hold onto the handrails, and keep your guns in your hands. I'm going to drive!"
He pretended to continue explaining to them, then suddenly stomped on the accelerator, and the car shot forward violently. Fortunately, we were all prepared and held tightly onto the seat handrails as the car sped away like an arrow from a bow.
Many people ahead saw us rushing towards them, aiming their guns at us and shouting something unintelligible.
The driver shouted, "If they open fire, you shoot them back! They wanted all of us to get out of the car; they want our car! This is my only option – to run!"
He was right; if they wanted our car, our lives wouldn't be safe either.
They had set up many obstacles in front of us. I had to admire Qing Ge's driver's ability to handle this situation so expertly. With a few sharp turns, he bypassed the obstacles and shook off the people who were blocking us.
The people here were strange; all armed individuals wore military uniforms. Those who didn't know might have thought they were soldiers doing this.
Just as we were letting out a sigh of relief, we suddenly saw a pickup truck emerge from the woods to our right rear, aggressively tailgating our car as if it intended to ram us.
Da Kui handed me his gun, and he himself had already raised his, extending the barrel out of the window to wait for the pickup to get closer.
In this terrain, the business car couldn't possibly outrun the pickup. We were quickly caught up to. A machine gun was mounted on the roof, and the person above was frantically aiming, about to pull the trigger.
Da Kui fired a burst of rounds at the machine gunner. The bullets grazed the roof, knocking the machine gun to the side. The people in the truck quickly ducked down, hiding from Da Kui's furious gunfire.
It was Wen Siqiang's first time witnessing a gunfight. He excitedly pointed at the pickup truck and said, "Brother Da Kui, this is too exciting! Kill them!"
Da Kui then fired another burst at the windshield, which instantly shattered. The truck visibly slowed down.
Brother Bao said, "Floor it and shake him off!"
Hearing the command, the driver stepped on the accelerator, almost to the floor, and sped forward desperately.
At this point, the pickup truck also began to retaliate, and soon, gunshots erupted.
Then, people began to descend from the mountains, aiming their guns at us. However, we were moving too fast. Bullets whizzed past the sides of our car, and occasionally a few rounds hit the car body, but the thick steel plates deflected them.
Qing Ge's car was bulletproof. As long as it wasn't a rocket launcher, conventional bullets couldn't do anything to it.
The bullets pinged against the car body and even the glass, but they were all deflected.
No wonder they wanted this car; it was so formidable!
The driver swerved left and right, and after about five or six kilometers, we finally managed to completely shake off the roadblock set up by the Lao Mei armed forces.
Sporadic gunfire could still be heard from behind, but we were confirmed to be safe, and the road conditions improved slightly. The driver sped up, trying to escape this bandit den as quickly as possible.
After leaving the valley, we reached a relatively flat area with a wide field of vision. I guessed no one would be foolish enough to ambush us in an open space.
Da Kui put his gun away, and I also removed the magazine, placing my gun behind me. This magical land, fluctuating between heaven and earth, was truly surreal.
The driver said, "It's still about half an hour’s drive to the mine, and there won't be any more danger. You can relax for a bit."
Who had the mood to relax? The eyes of all of us were wide open, afraid that someone would pop out from somewhere.
Only Brother Bao remained unfazed, as if all this had nothing to do with him.
Here, our phones had completely turned into bricks, showing no signal, and could only be used as electronic watches.
Wen Siqiang was still very excited, or perhaps he enjoyed such thrilling scenes. It was just that he didn't know if he had ever considered that a single bullet could take his life, yet he still had the mood to reminisce.