Two trucks slowly drove out of the camp. Bo Gang's vehicle led the way, and we followed at the rear.
In this nation, the military reigned supreme. We were in military vehicles, driven by soldiers. We encountered no obstacles and soon reached the customs checkpoint.
At customs, everyone in military uniform disembarked, leaving only the plainclothes drivers and one escort per vehicle.
Even the license plates were swapped for civilian ones.
Military vehicles entering or leaving foreign territory was no trivial matter.
No matter how rough Bo Gang was, he didn't want to provoke an international incident. That would be no fun at all, especially when dealing with such a powerful nation.
The vehicles drove all the way to the Sino-Myanmar Street. We stopped at an intersection where Jing Lei was already waiting. Da Kui and one of their subordinates were in Jing Lei's car to pick up the cash.
It was fifteen million in total, in two million per package. Seven large bags, and one bag with one million, which was very heavy. Both were strongmen, carrying one bag in each hand, and it took them two trips to move it all into Bo Gang's vehicle.
I asked Bo Gang for a loan receipt, and then his vehicle returned. We took the military trucks to the distillery to unload the goods.
There were many cargo transactions with the Burmese here. Their vehicles driving on the streets was normal and attracted no attention.
Although the goods were successfully transported back, there was still a lot of arduous work awaiting me. Fortunately, I had taken on Master Zhang, who could share some of the burden. Otherwise, to finish before the auction in a few days, classifying this pile of stones alone would be impossible.
I thought of my master. I wondered if he could work overtime for me tonight, or even if he could come work with me.
Master was a very mysterious figure. He never spoke of his past. He was clearly very good at appraising stones, yet he never touched gambling stones. I had tried asking him several times, but he always skillfully evaded the topic. It was particularly strange that the time I asked him about fake rough stones, he seemed extremely apprehensive and nervous, outright refusing to discuss the matter.
Perhaps Master's past was somehow related to certain matters concerning rough stones.
With his skills, if he gambled on stones, even on a small scale, tens of millions would be no problem. Why was he content to earn tens of hard-earned dollars a day?
When I was young and inexperienced, I never considered this issue. Now, after experiencing so much, I suddenly felt that Master was definitely a man with a story.
But I had no clue what that story was.
Lan Ya and Jing Lei parted ways with us at Sino-Myanmar Street. They were going to the relevant department to submit the materials and deposit for tomorrow's farm auction.
Wen Si Qiang came to pick us up. Brother Bao, Da Kui, and I went to the distillery in my car.
As we approached the distillery, we saw that the main entrance was being decorated with lighting and promotional banners, and workers were planting greenery. This place had been abandoned for many years, and the original green belts had been severely damaged, requiring extensive restoration.
This place was becoming more presentable. One couldn't deny Brother Bao's foresight; building a market here had definite advantages.
Firstly, it could gather a large number of merchants, and then the extensive buildings could be transformed into trading and leisure areas. Later, we could attract investment, dividing the factory into several zones for other merchants to operate.
The car stopped at the entrance of the office building. I asked Brother Bao to go to his office while I supervised the unloading.
These were priceless rough stones, not construction materials. They had to be moved carefully; a bump could be fatal. A stone that could have fetched a good price might become worthless brick because of a slight damage revealing its interior.
I instructed Wen Si Qiang to drive the truck directly into the workshop.
The workers began unloading. We didn't have as many soldiers as Bo Gang; only about ten people. However, they were organized, working in groups of five, passing the stones along, and they were fast.
Saving travel time, one person was doing the work of two.
I had arranged for Bo Gang's men to go to the canteen to eat. After eating, they could rest and have some water in the canteen before coming back.
Master Zhang was selecting mining sites from the pile of stones that had been unloaded. He then labeled them with simple letters and handed them to Wen Si Qiang to arrange them in order.
With the two of them, I was much more at ease, not needing to personally handle every task.
I heard Brother Bao say that after I was hospitalized, the Crown Prince’s side had been quiet and inactive. The only thing heard was that Gong Gong was involved in the rough stone trade, but there was no news from the Crown Prince. However, I did see the Crown Prince's name—Kang Li—on the list for the farm auction.
Would he show up tomorrow?
With the appearance of these two rivals, tomorrow's auction was suddenly filled with a sense of impending conflict.
I had experienced a brush with death, and this debt had yet to be settled. Tomorrow, I would face them head-on.
Although tomorrow's contest would not involve gunpowder, the intensity of the struggle would be no less than that of real swords.
I looked forward to this competition. A conflict without smoke could better showcase everyone's strength. A horse is judged by its performance when ridden; only by trying can we know who is the true hero!
Gong Gong is old, and the Crown Prince lacks brains. Even if these two were tied together, they might not be able to dominate the world and rule one side. Gong Gong's era had passed, and the Crown Prince lacked the stature of a hero. As the saying goes, greed knows no bounds, and it is too difficult for the Crown Prince to shed his elephantine ambition.
He now believes he can command the wind and rain under his father's protection. Once that protection is removed, he is nothing but a common ruffian.
Yes, we must first dismantle Gong Gong's umbrella of protection and expose the Crown Prince to the sun. We can defeat them one by one, preventing them from supporting each other, and then we will have a chance to win.
After all, only one person can emerge victorious. Why shouldn't we also submit two bids and confront them directly, forcing them to divide their attention and eventually give up on the farm?
Yes, that's the way to do it. Having an extra opponent will have a deterrent effect. This opponent must be packaged as a mysterious and powerful figure, making them seem insurmountable and willing to give up.
I called Lan Ya and explained my intentions. At this point, Jing Lei suggested that we could use the name of one of her relatives. A stranger could then bid, completely unrelated to us, to confuse Gong Gong.
I agreed. I told them to finish these matters and then return, and we would strategize the auction process for tomorrow. In today's terms, it's a roadshow. We'll play the roles of different opponents ourselves and go through all possible scenarios.
After hanging up, I felt a bit more confident and a little relieved. I went to watch Master Zhang picking stones.
I saw him holding a small stone, weighing three to four catties, and asked him what mining site it was from.
He told me it was a Muna material, with a white sand skin. As he spoke, he handed the stone to me.
This stone was indeed Muna material, with a heavy sandy texture and a rough feel. Was it definitely from an old mining site?
This stone was for gambling on color. I asked Master Zhang, based on his judgment, whether this stone would reveal color.
He took it back, held it up, and examined it under the light for a while. I handed him the flashlight, and he shone it repeatedly, then handed it back to me, saying, "This stone will at least reach true vibrant green. However, I dare not gamble that it will produce a color one grade higher."
Anything higher would be imperial green. He probably hadn't encountered it before and didn't dare to gamble.
I also shone the light on it. The skin clearly showed fly wings, and the fluorescence was quite strong. If there were no internal cracks, and the base and water content were sufficient, even if it were just true vibrant green, this stone would be worth hundreds of thousands.
I handed it back to him and said, "Go ahead and open a window. Perhaps it will reveal imperial green."