The little incident on the plane did not affect their trip. Upon arriving at Spring City Airport, the two smokers tacitly went to the smoking area at the same time and lit cigarettes using the lighters.
Shi Dazhuang, puffing out a cloud of smoke, said, "The place we're going to later is probably more drug-ridden than you can imagine. A lot of the people in the village smoke homemade marijuana; don't take it if they offer it to you."
Qingmu said, "We're not going to go undercover, are we?"
Shi Dazhuang and said, "You wouldn't have the chance even if you wanted to; they all know what I do."
"Then they still dare to smoke marijuana in front of you?" Qingmu asked curiously.
Shi Dazhuang sighed, "In those impoverished and remote places, people used to make money by growing hemp and poppies, so these things were like barley to Tibetans or wheat to northerners. Things are much better now. Many places have developed tourism, selling local specialties and running agritourism businesses. In some really poor villages, the government even provides targeted poverty alleviation. People aren't suffering as much as before, so everyone is much more at peace."
"You narcotics officers also deserve credit, right?" Qingmu said.
"Of course," Shi Dazhuang with no small amount of pride. "The anti-drug squad has been established for over thirty years and has arrested nearly 400,000 drug dealers—those were all desperate criminals! I worked on the front lines of drug enforcement for two years, and I personally witnessed six of my comrades fall. And that was just a regional anti-drug squad. What about the whole of Southern Yunnan? What about the whole country? And what about those who were wounded? You know, some wounds never heal."
"But there's nothing to be afraid of. Being a policeman means being prepared to sacrifice from day one. But what's heartbreaking is that in those two years, only two officers in our team were publicly reported as having died in the line of duty. The others..." He took a deep drag on his cigarette, then exhaled a long, forceful breath, almost emptying his lungs, "Nobody knew they were policemen, not even their parents, wives, or children. I couldn't even think about going to their graves to offer incense!"
As Shi Dazhuang spoke, his eyes reddened.
Qingmu knew that many anti-narcotics officers went deep into the front lines and dealt with drug dealers, and even after they sacrificed their lives, their identities could not be revealed. Once revealed, other comrades associated with them would be in danger, and their families would face vicious retaliation.
"Won't there be any problems if you go to pick up your comrade's daughter using your identity?" Qingmu asked.
Shi Dazhuang said, "All the leads related to Yu Gang have been cleared up, and the police have submitted a report to add his martyr status, so I must bring his daughter out of Southern Yunnan before his status is made public."
After leaving the airport, they went straight to the train station and bought high-speed train tickets to Tengchong for the same day. They arrived in Tengchong at around 7 p. m.
Shi Dazhuang, familiar with the place, booked a room at a hotel and let Qingmu rest. Early the next morning, he somehow got hold of a jeep and took Qingmu towards Ruihekou.
It has to be said that Shi Dazhuang's driving skills are top-notch. On several sections of winding mountain roads, he managed to make it feel like a highway. Qingmu estimated that if someone else were driving, it would take at least an hour longer.
When this was mentioned, Shi Dazhuang laughed and said, "Once you cross the Ruihekou, you'll know what a real mountain road is like."
Upon arriving at Ruihekou, Shi Dazhuang drove directly into the county's anti-drug squad, where several police officers were already waiting at the entrance.
" Captain Shi, you drive pretty fast! Looks like this newly built mountain road didn't pose a problem for you!" A chubby policeman opened the car door for them.
Shi Dazhuang got out of the car and said, "I could drive this far with my eyes closed, you believe me!" He then patted the fat policeman's belly, "Didn't you say you were going to lose weight? It's been so long, why hasn't your belly shrunk?"
The chubby policeman scratched his head and chuckled, "Carrying the weight for five kilometers every day, I just can't get any smaller, what can I do!"
"You little brat!" Shi Dazhuang punched him. "Where's your Captain Peng?"
" Captain Peng is upstairs!" the chubby policeman said. "He knew you were coming and has been waiting anxiously!"
"You're getting impatient and you don't even come down to greet me, what a load of rubbish!" Shi Dazhuang complained.
The chubby policeman explained, "A few of the thugs escaped, and Captain Peng is furious!"
"I'll go up and take a look."
Shi Dazhuang led Qingmu inside, saying as they walked, "Their captain is called Peng Jiahu, nicknamed Tiger. He came to Southern Yunnan with me. He's arrested enough drug dealers to fill a battalion, if not a regiment. It's a pity he's too reckless; he's still a county team captain and can't get promoted."
Before he could finish speaking, a burly man in a white vest rushed out of the building, pointing at Shi Dazhuang and yelling, " Abbess! You haven't even stepped inside and you're already talking bad about me!"
" Tiger!" Shi Dazhuang roared, "Who the hell dares to speak ill of you, Peng Tiger!"
Their eyes were wide open, both men exuding an imposing aura like boxers in a ring, neither willing to give an inch. Just when everyone thought that tigers and lions had met and a fierce battle was about to erupt, the two men suddenly stepped forward and embraced each other tightly.
Even though he had never been on the battlefield, Qingmu could feel the deep camaraderie in that hug.
Peng Jiahu said, "You damn Abbess, you went up north to get promoted and make a fortune, leaving your brothers here. You're so disloyal!"
Shi Dazhuang said, "With you, Peng Tiger, around, I feel safe wherever I go!"
Peng Jiahu laughed heartily and then asked, "What are you doing here this time? I don't believe you'd abandon your work in the criminal investigation team just to see your brothers?"
Shi Dazhuang said, "I want to offer incense to Yu Gang and then bring the Beauty back."
At the mention of Yu Gang, Peng Jiahu's smile vanished instantly, and the muscles on his face twitched inexplicably. "Good, good. Once Yu Gang's identity is revealed, countless scorpions and cobras will jump up in excitement! The Beauty can't stay in Ruihekou; I'm at ease letting you take her away."
Shi Dazhuang later explained to Qingmu that Yu Gang was a top-notch undercover agent who infiltrated the enemy and dismantled the hideouts of several major drug lords. In the Southern Yunnan region, scorpions, centipedes, and cobras are common venomous creatures, and they sometimes use these creatures to refer to drug dealers, meaning guys who carry poison.
Peng Jiahu insisted on having them stay for lunch, reserving a table at a nearby tavern and bringing over a large group of people, saying they were there to keep them company while they drank. Peng Jiahu had a shift in the afternoon and, according to police regulations, couldn't drink with Shi Dazhuang.
During the meal, Peng Jiahu asked Qingmu what he did for a living.
"That Teacher Qingmu is amazing!" Shi Dazhuang, half-truthfully, emboldened by alcohol. "We arrest criminals, he interrogates them. If he's involved, unless they're dead, no one will stay silent!"
Peng Jiahu had always trusted Shi Dazhuang and believed him without question. He immediately abandoned his disrespectful attitude and repeatedly said, "My apologies!"
With a single glance from him, the other police officers at the table came over to offer him a toast.
Seeing that Qingmu accepted everyone's invitations and drank heartily, Peng Jiahu was immediately impressed and said with admiration, "If Abbess had known you would bring such a capable person, I wouldn't have sent that lunatic to the city."
Shi Dazhuang asked, "What kind of mental illness?"
Peng Jiahu said, "He was wearing powder, but his speech and actions were incoherent, like a lunatic. We couldn't get anything out of him, so we had to send him to Baoteng to see if the experts from the Municipal Bureau could do anything. If he really is a lunatic, we can only release him."