The Nangou River is a natural boundary river on the China-Myanmar border. The riverbanks are covered with rolling mountains and dense rainforests. The river has sharp bends and rapids, with only a few calm sections. Many unmanned bamboo rafts are moored there, and people often go back and forth between the two banks to do some small business. Since they are all farmers from the surrounding area, the border guards mostly turn a blind eye.
The Sun had just risen in the east, and the morning glow painted the water a deep red.
A helicopter flew in from a distance, heading east along the riverbank, then turned back west after a while, startling many forest birds.
A large number of fully armed police officers, accompanied by police dogs, searched the forest on the north bank of the river.
As Shi Dazhuang looked at the wide river in front of him, his brows furrowed deeper and deeper as he listened to the reports from the search team through his earpiece.
Using the skills he had honed as a scout, he tracked Mu Ka's trail all the way from the Kuaziba. In the latter half of the night, other reinforcements arrived. Several fierce battles broke out along the way, and several bandits were killed, but they were still unable to intercept Mu Ka.
The helicopter carrying Peng Jiahu patrolled the banks of the Nangou River, blocking the road across the river. The appearance of the armed helicopter caused great tension at the outpost on the opposite bank. Only after learning that drug traffickers were being arrested on the north bank did the Burmese soldier relax and go back to his wooden hut to sleep.
As dawn broke, Peng Jiahu stepped off the helicopter and found Shi Dazhuang, "Who the hell is this Mu Ka? Does he think he can fly or disappear into the ground?"
At that moment, a voice came through the walkie-talkie. " Captain Shi, we've found a small cave at the bottom of the cliff in this gully. There are oxygen tanks and diving suits inside."
Shi Dazhuang quickly asked, "How many sets are there? Are there any new footprints?"
"Yes, the police dogs also detected the scent; someone must have already gone into the water from here. This hole seems to lead to other places; they probably came in from inside the cave."
Shi Dazhuang's heart sank. "Send a few more of you, with the police dogs, into the cave and see where it leads." Then he turned to Peng Jiahu and said, " Mu Ka may have already reached the other side."
Peng Jiahu could even utter a curse, he heard someone point to the opposite bank and shout, " Captain Shi, Captain Peng, look!"
Shi Dazhuang turned his head and looked in the direction the policeman was pointing. He saw two people walking along the bank of the quiet Nangou River towards the sentry post. The one in front was dressed in white and walked with a free and elegant gait, like a university professor on vacation. Behind him followed a tall man with a child on his shoulder.
Because they were too far apart, Peng Jiahu couldn't recognize whether the child was Yu Meiren. He looked at Shi Dazhuang for confirmation, only to see Shi Dazhuang punch the car next to him, his eyes almost spitting blood.
Peng Jiahu shouted, "Sniper! Where's the sniper?"
The SWAT captain's response came through the earpiece. "Sorry, Captain Peng, we cannot fire on the other side without orders from our superiors!"
"Fuck him!" Peng Jiahu knew the SWAT captain was right, but he couldn't help cursing. He strode towards the riverbank, "Can't Laozi just swim over and grab him?"
Shi Dazhuang grabbed him. " Tiger! You're a cop!"
Peng Jiahu shook off Shi Dazhuang's hand. "What are we going to do? Just watch them take the Beauty away?!"
At that moment, Director Yan's voice suddenly came through their earpieces. "This is Yan Ming. Remain Yan Ming. Under no circumstances should you cross the border! Nor should you fire a single bullet at the other side! I have brought negotiation experts with me; they will be here shortly."
A helicopter flew through the valley to the north and landed on the flat ground in front of them. Director Yan got out of the helicopter, walked briskly to the shore, and said to Shi Dazhuang and Peng Jiahu, "I have reported the situation to the provincial department, and they are informing the Burmese government and requesting their assistance in making the arrest."
"Assistance my ass!" Peng Jiahu said angrily, "If that damned Mianyue- Vietnam government were any better, the opium trade in Masuba would have been eradicated long ago!"
Director Yan said unhappily, " Tiger! If you don't change your bad temper, you'll get into trouble sooner or later!"
He then said to a man in a white shirt who had come with him, "Shout to the other side and stall them."
The negotiation expert stood on the shore with a megaphone and shouted a string of words in Mianyue.
The soldier in the small cabin at the outpost peeked out, then took out a megaphone to respond. Unexpectedly, Mu Ka walked over to the outpost, said something to the soldier, and then the soldier handed the megaphone to Mu Ka.
Mu Ka shouted into the loudspeaker in Mandarin, "Is Shi Dazhuang here? If he's not dead, step forward and speak! If not, I'm leaving."
Before the negotiation expert could say anything more, Mu Ka had already turned to leave.
Shi Dazhuang rushed forward and snatched the megaphone. " Mu Ka! It's me, Shi Dazhuang!"
Mu Ka turned around with a smile, picked up the megaphone, and said, "You're amazing! It's no wonder my brother died at your hands! If I hadn't prepared carefully this time and caught you off guard, the outcome would have been very different."
Shi Dazhuang said, "You just want revenge, don't you? Come at me if you dare! What's the big deal about grabbing a kid?"
"What's the point of morality when it comes to revenge? I'm not like you hypocrites who kill and then spout righteousness!" Mu Ka said disdainfully. "My brother died at your hands, but the root of the problem was Yu Gang! Without Yu Gang, it wouldn't have been so easy for you to kill my brother. So what if I kidnapped Yu Gang's daughter?"
He grabbed Yu Meiren's hair, saying, "I'm not only going to capture her, I'm going to torture her! I'll take her to Masuba and let her taste morphine and heroin! I'll sell her to the lowest brothel in Masuba, where she'll be ravaged by those opium-smoking men every day! Look at her, look at her delicate skin, she's really a Beauty, she'll definitely fetch a good price!"
Shi Dazhuang containing his anger, shouted, "I killed Mu Kuo! If you want revenge, come find me! Release the child, and I'll go with you!"
Mu Ka laughed loudly, "I originally wanted to kill you, but I've changed my mind. Yu Gang was injured saving you, right? When I tortured her daughter, it was more painful than torturing your own daughter, wasn't it? Haha! I want to watch you live in agony; it'll be a hundred times more satisfying than killing you!"
"You live in Wuzhong, right? I'll send you her picture. You can see what she's like: testing new drugs in my lab by day, and becoming the most popular young woman in the underground brothels of Masuba by night. She's a beautiful poppy, but she'll wither away with the September trade winds!"
"Do you know why I left so many clues to let you catch up? I wanted to tell you all this in person before I left, and then swagger away with her right in front of you!"
"If you're so capable, then cross the river and rescue her. I'll be waiting for you!"
After finishing speaking, Mu Ka handed the megaphone back to the soldier at the outpost, forcefully yanked Beauty Beauty's hair, dragged her to the ground, pulled her back a few steps, then tossed it to the big guy next to him, pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, and turned to walk away with a flourish.
Shi Dazhuang could no longer hold back. He threw down the megaphone, forcefully tore at his clothes, and threw his combat vest and bulletproof vest onto the ground.
" Shi Dazhuang! What are you doing?" Director Yan demanded.
"I'm going to arrest them!"
"You're a police officer! Do you know the consequences of crossing the border illegally?"
"I know! So from now on, I'm no longer a policeman!" Shi Dazhuang threw away his gun. "I'm leaving the police force. I'm crossing the river as an ordinary person, and it has nothing to do with the country!"
Peng Jiahu threw down his gun and Laozi: "I'm going too! I'm not going to give up!"
"What are you doing! Are you rebelling!" Director Yan shouted. "Are you saying you can become a policeman whenever you want and quit whenever you don't? Even if you take off this uniform today, you're still a policeman! Don't forget the oath you swore! You, you, and everyone here, every single one of you, represents the country and the people!"
Peng Jiahu roared in dissatisfaction, "Then what are we going to do? Just stand by and watch? You might as well kill me!"
Director Yan watched Mu Ka walk further and further away on the opposite bank, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his flesh, and he said in a trembling voice, "Stay put and await instructions from higher command!"
Shi Dazhuang knelt down with a thud, tears streaming down his face. He knew that the political situation in Mianyue was far from stable, and the government wouldn't care about such messes happening on the border. Just like Peng Jiahu said, if that effeminate government were effective, there wouldn't be so many drug traffickers.
Just then, a lazy voice came from behind. "I'm not a policeman, I can go over there."
Everyone turned to look, and saw a disheveled man, wearing an old gray trench coat, slightly hunched over, with his hands in his pockets, walking towards them with a clattering gait.
Director Yan asked, "Who are you?"
Qingmu said, "I'm none of your business."
Director Yan was somewhat embarrassed, but he had nothing to say in rebuttal. Rationally, he felt he should order the man to be stopped and detained, but he suddenly felt inexplicably dazed, his mind went blank, and he stood there, not knowing what to say.
Qingmu slowly walked through the crowd and nodded slightly when he reached Shi Dazhuang's side. He picked up a map from the ground, glanced at it, and casually stuffed it into his pocket. Then he walked onto the riverbank and boarded a bamboo raft.
The bamboo raft gradually reached the middle of the river. He poled the raft, his solitary figure standing on the water appearing particularly tall and handsome. A gust of wind blew, lifting his old overcoat, which, illuminated by the rising sun, resembled a hero's fluttering banner.