A Call for Humanitarian Concern

Sun Buyuan felt a little confused, but they went to the cafeteria together.

The main entrance to the Dashi was open, and you could see that it was already completely dark outside.

A natural night breeze blows in, making it comfortable even without air conditioning.

Besides, the air conditioning was running quite loud on the side near the window.

The square lights on the ceiling were all on. People who worked nearby came in batches to eat, and some had already finished and were preparing to leave.

Chen Taozhi brought back the plates: scrambled eggs with tomatoes, stir-fried greens with ginger, three large fried chicken legs, a large scoop of eggplant with garlic sauce, and a thick layer of rice.

Chu Tianshu only took a plate of sliced watermelon and cantaloupe, and ate them bit by bit with a small fork.

Sun Buyuan ate something light; in front of him was just a bowl of vegetable and lean meat porridge, which he was stirring with a biodegradable spoon to cool it down, lost in thought.

The internal work atmosphere used to be very good, and forensic doctors like him were highly respected. However, everyone was busy with cases. When they went out on fieldwork to investigate the scene, they would come back and do all sorts of tests and reports.

Aside from my forensic colleagues, I wouldn't say I have any particularly close relationships with anyone else.

After retiring, he accepted a re-employment offer. Besides feeling that he was still quite capable despite his age, he also realized that staying at home made him feel estranged from his neighbors.

It's not that people have much criticism of him, it's just that he doesn't quite fit in.

"I feel more familiar with the work environment here."

Sun Buyuan muttered something, blew on the porridge, and then started eating his dinner.

While chewing on fruit, Chu Tianshu flipped through the file folder that Helai had given him. It contained quite a few things, including a tablet.

"This contains what's said to be video footage from the Golden Triangle."

Chu Tianshu took out his tablet, found an angle where all three of them could see it, and pried open the built-in stand on the back of the tablet to prop it up.

The first video shows a man wearing a military-style short-sleeved shirt giving a speech.

This man had gray hair, a slightly chubby face, and dark skin, but his raised eyebrows and fierce eyes gave him a rather imposing and Sha Qi.

Especially his speaking posture, full of energy, with a pretentious tone, and precise pronunciation of each word, clearly indicates that he gives speeches frequently.

"... Our triangular area, in a broader sense, has been known worldwide since the 1940s and 50s, but not for a good reason."

"Every year, hallucinogenic and addictive drugs flow out of here and rapidly enter the global market. In 1993, a statistic was compiled, and it is said that at that time, there were already hundreds of millions of victims."

"Whose fault is this? Is it the fault of us, the people?"

"Obviously not, absolutely not!!"

"It's because the neighboring countries lack good plans to develop the resources and economies along their borders, forcing us into this industry!"

After setting the tone for his speech with deep sorrow, the speaker began to present a wealth of detailed data and case studies.

It tells the story of local farmers who are forced to grow raw materials, the dangers they encounter during planting and harvesting, and the layers of exploitation and inspection they face when handing over their produce. It also recounts the international condemnation and discrimination against their region.

Chu Tianshu said, "This person's speech is quite inspiring."

"This is Sahong."

Chen Taozhi, "The head of the largest armed group in the area that traffics opium."

His statement coincided perfectly with the speaker's conclusion.

"Opium must be eradicated!!"

Sahong raised his arm and slammed it on the podium.

"Only by completely eradicating these raw materials can our future generations be spared discrimination and harm, and can our local area rebuild a complete and comprehensive industrial chain."

"And all of this is something that cannot be achieved by continuing to depend on neighboring countries."

"We must be self-reliant and strong, we must persevere in the struggle, and we must uphold our proposal for North Sai Democratic State."

"Only in this way can we seek justice for the people around the world who have been poisoned over the years!"

At this point, Sahong turned directly to the camera.

"We call for international humanitarian concern and welcome international oversight, which is open to reviewing our internal efforts and attitude towards banning opium at any time."

"We also urge the international community to take our people's demands seriously and prohibit countries like Siam and Pagan from encroaching on our territory and affecting our work."

"Banning tobacco and destroying opium is the foundation of our nation and the demand of all our citizens."

"And we will never be forced to return to the evil path they once set out for because of the inhumane interference of neighboring countries!"

Chu Tianshu chewed on the watermelon, his expression somewhat subtle.

He originally thought that the Golden Triangle's claim of forming its own country was nothing more than local armed forces thinking they had enough power to cause trouble.

I really didn't expect that they would choose this theme as the foundation of their nation.

"Heh, he really doesn't grow tobacco anymore; he's switched to making ice."

Chen Taozhi said, "In this so-called ' North Sai Democratic State,' all the top officials were originally opium tycoons, and they have basically all begun to transform."

"Anyone with a brain could see that they were just talking nonsense. Although countries like Siam had internal problems, collusion, and a tendency to turn a blind eye, they were still much better than these culprits."

"But by bringing up this topic, they've actually given some people an excuse to fish in troubled waters. The situation there has been turmoil for half a year and hasn't settled down yet, partly due to this factor."

Sun Buyuan shook his head. "The main reason they could cause trouble for half a year is because of their strength."

In a narrow sense, the Golden Triangle is just a small area nestled among towering mountains.

The so-called "Golden Triangle" in a broader sense now encompasses several major border cities that have been developed by nearby countries.

This so-called North Sai Democratic State has crossed the red line of countries like Siam.

After Sahong went too far, those well-known heartlands were directly bombed by warplanes.

It is clear that the attitude of countries like Siam remains quite firm.

The problem was that, despite the bombing support, their key figures were subjected to various assassinations and reprisals, and the army's advance was very difficult, suffering repeated defeats at the hands of local armed groups.

"Because they themselves showed weakness, this is also an opportunity for us."

Chen Taozhi perked up, "The joint law enforcement effort by the four countries was originally expected to be implemented at least in 2017."

"If the opportunity arises this time, we might be able to push it forward significantly, much earlier than planned."

Sun Buyuan finished the last mouthful of porridge and said in a low voice, "Xiao Chen, our top priority is still the Grotto-Heaven. We need to figure out the crux of the problem first, and escort the Grotto-Heaven ruins back to the country. Everything else can wait."

The potential of the Grotto-Heaven Ruins themselves is considerable.

Moreover, this Grotto-Heaven ruin must have incorporated many ancient Immortal Dao techniques; if it could be unearthed, its significance would be astonishing.

Originally, if Chu Tianshu hadn't returned, Helai and the others discussed it and felt that if all else failed, they could consider sending Lin Chucheng.

Lin Chucheng, who hadn't left Northwest China for decades, and the world's first modern human to break Taboo, personally led a team to Southeast Asia, demonstrating the importance that China attaches to the Grotto-Heaven site.

Chu Tianshu opened the video directory, looked at the detailed content descriptions, turned off the tablet, and took out a jade pendant.

This Xianhe pendant is a magical artifact used to communicate with Luo Yungu and the others.

Although they cannot directly contact the people inside the Grotto-Heaven, the advantage is that even if the other jade pendant is brought into the Grotto-Heaven and then brought out again, it can still function normally.

Unlike regular communicators, which might break if taken in and out, this one is different.

Chu Tianshu infused a bit of his Mind Power into the Xianhe, causing its eyes to turn red.

As luck would have it, the person holding the jade pendant happened to be outside the Grotto-Heaven and made the call on the spot.

The light projected from the jade pendant formed a clear video image on the tablet, revealing Yungu's face.

"Hey, Brother Chu!"

Yungu was overjoyed. "Have you two decided on this? Should I ask you to come and help?"

Chu Tianshu nodded and introduced the two people beside him, "This time I will be bringing quite a few helpers with me. How is the situation on your end?"

"There are no safety issues."

Yungu said, "We are two Taboo, our strength is undeniable. Besides, even if something really happens, we can still hide back in our Grotto-Heaven."

"Currently, we haven't encountered any danger that would force us to retreat, but according to Daoist Priest Chen, the pressure on the Grotto-Heaven Ruins seems to be increasing."

As he spoke, Yungu looked up at another spot, raised his left hand, and immediately a burst of gunfire erupted, followed by a continuous barrage of gunshots.

"Hey, this submachine gun is really useful! It's much better than the firearms of our Divine Machine Battalion."

"The cigars here are better than the tobacco from our Great Ming Dynasty."

Chu Tianshu asked curiously, "What are you doing?"

I'm out buying some drinks.

Yungu laughed, "This place is much wilder than Busan now. All the good spots are occupied by people with guns. If you speak to them politely, you'll only be bullied."

"Using martial arts to fight them would be giving them too much credit. It's better to just grab a submachine gun and sweep it around their feet; that's the most direct way to intimidate them."

Yungu's gaze sharpened slightly, and he raised his hand to fire another shot.

A sharp, mournful howl seemed to echo from afar, sounding like both a human and a wolf.

"I've recently developed a method of manipulating energy to control the projectile's tip, allowing it to turn seven times consecutively within a hundred paces, circling around."

Yungu said with great interest, "It can harm evil spirits and break strange spells, but it will cause the bullet velocity to be much slower than normal shooting..."

The people in the Dashi eat quickly and efficiently, and the place is basically empty by now.

Only the three of them were left at this table.

Chu Tianshu struck up a conversation with Yungu Yungu, who would occasionally turn the camera around and talk about his recent experiences.

Before we knew it, we were chatting until after 2 a. m.

Sun Buyuan inadvertently caught a glimpse of the wall clock.

"Wait a minute, aren't we supposed to set off tomorrow?"

Old Sun used to stay up all night quite often, but those were all legitimate jobs—going to the field and conducting tests.

Who chats via video until 2 or 3 in the morning? That's way too lax.

"Mr. Chu, shouldn't you be going to sleep?"

Chu Tianshu suddenly realized, "Dr. Sun is going to sleep. Okay, goodnight."

He grabbed the jade pendant and the tablet and headed towards the room that had been arranged for him.

Sun Buyuan looked at him, clearly not planning to go to sleep right now, and hesitated to speak.

It's already 2:30 AM!

The old man realized that he might not be as familiar with the current work environment as he had imagined.

The tightness I used to feel is completely gone.

Well, those Taboo powerhouses might not be human after all. One hour of deep sleep is equivalent to ten hours of sleep for others.

Sun Buyuan found the light switch in the corner of the cafeteria, turned off the lights, and went out with Chen Taozhi.

"But I'm still human, I need to go to sleep!"

(End of this chapter)