Epiphanies of Rebirth

The Golden Triangle area, the border of Thailand, and the banks of the Mekong River have a hot climate all year round.

It looks no different from many ordinary cities here, except that the urban construction and sanitation are a little messy.The simple residents do not feel that they live in danger all year round. When they meet festivals, they ride elephants on the streets to celebrate. Men and women in traditional costumes can be seen singing and dancing everywhere.Tour buses bring curious guests to the middle of the team to play together. This is a tourist project that has only become popular in recent years, and it has brought extremely rich income to this small town that is located on the edge of the border and suitable for industrial development.Looking at the happy smiles on the faces of these residents, it is hard to imagine that this place was still under the control of the Golden Triangle drug lords a few years ago.

Everything is due to the sudden tightening of drug crackdowns and controls in several countries in the Golden Triangle region in recent years.Led by a nearby superpower with the right to speak, neighboring countries have greatly increased their spending on drug control every year.The iron-blooded army and guns ushered in the liberation of this perennially dark land. At the moment when the blooming poppies were shoveled up by bulldozers, countless people who escaped from the sky gathered together and burst into unprecedented cheers.

The city has made this memorable day a permanent festival, and every day the people of the city will dress up and take to the streets to celebrate the Songkran Festival.The loud cheers crossed the river, driving the common carnival on the border of another country on the other side of the river, but it is difficult for this exciting noise to penetrate the valley and enter the depths of the rainforest.

The hot tidal air is wrapped in the fragrance of the soil, and the canopy of the towering giant trees is so dense that it blocks out the sun. The dense forest surrounding the village is so hidden that even a helicopter flies over it.The golden sunlight shines through the gaps and hits a unique local bamboo building on stilts. This house is built very rough, and the gaps between the materials can almost allow some small animals to pass through, but in such a remote village Here, this is already the best condition that the villagers can live in.

A child roared and ran, chasing from the dense forest to the clearing, plunging headlong into the crops planted on the hill, knocking the working family members to one side, successfully getting footprints on their buttocks and a sound of reprimand.

The soft sound of something crushing dead leaves could be heard in the distance, and the parents who were scolding their naughty children suddenly became vigilant. In everyone's sharp eyes, a car was covered in dust and mud, and it hadn't been cleaned for a long time. A big off-road vehicle emerges from the path.

This is really an ugly car, the kind that attracts crowds on the streets of Yan City.The camouflage body has a concealed function in the current environment, and a lot of content has been modified on the outside, such as the exaggerated bumper in front of the headlights, and a small fist-sized gap on the glass of the car.It has obviously gone through a lot of wind and frost, the scraped paint has not been repaired at all, and the tattered convertible is folded crumpled behind the seat. Shout: "It's us!"

The children immediately cheered with joy, and rushed towards the car from the ferocious parents. The vigilant adult villagers also softened the sharp expressions on their faces, turned around, and saw a group of disabled people!

Some of them lack ears or noses, and some have smooth joints on their torsos, which makes it more laborious for them to do farm work than ordinary people, and even the baskets must be hung around their necks to fix them.There were no complaints in my ears, only chatter and laughter from time to time.

Before the off-road vehicle drove past the farmland, the wheat-colored young girl hugged the child who was so naughty that she climbed directly into the window along the car body, sat on the back of the co-pilot's seat with a big horse, and greeted the farmers loudly: "Sang Bo, how are the beans today?"

The one-armed, dark villager named Sangbo quickly picked off the pods and threw them into the bamboo basket with his right hand, which only had three fingers. A bowl for you! Brother Miao, don't be naughty!"

His last words were addressed to his daughter, who was clutching the rearview mirror, trying to follow suit and climb into the car.

"Go, go, go, go!" The burly man with tattoos on his arms and stubble on his face was driving fiercely while waving his hands to drive away the children who were chasing the car outside, but none of the children were afraid of him.The little girl named Brother Miao even picked a few delicate and beautiful wild flowers from the side of the road and threw them at his face.

The car full of friends laughed, and finally drove away the naughty child. The strong man wiped his unshaven face, his smile was full of helplessness, and he complained in Chinese without pain or itching: "Damn, These little bastards."

The car drove towards the simple bamboo building, and the wild chickens flapped their wings and fled in panic. The animals here seem to be more simple than those in the city. If you hide from the car, you run to the side, how can you fly forward.

When I went downstairs, I heard the rattling sound of the mechanical operation above. Everyone smiled at each other, and the strong man with tattoos on his arms jumped out with his hands on the car window, and climbed up the stairs in two or three steps.A few friends who stayed in the car shouted to him, but got no response, so they had to pack up their weapons and guns in the back seat and follow the figure in front of them.

As soon as the bamboo door was pushed open, a figure sitting inside with his back to the door was revealed.The light in the bamboo building was a little dark, and a rechargeable camping lamp was hung above the figure's back. The sewing machine was stepped on quickly, and the fabric was pushed away from the controller's hand like water.

The strong man threw the things he was carrying aside, laughed loudly and said, "We've been out for three days this time, you wouldn't just step on the sewing machine for three days here?"

The noise he made was so great that Qi Kai had to pause and look back at him helplessly.

"What have you stepped on in the past few days..." The strong man stared at the piece of floral fabric hanging on his sewing needle, and approached curiously and silently to investigate, "Damn, I stayed in it for so many years, now I get a headache when I see a sewing machine. How come you can’t get tired of stepping on it for more than ten years? And why is this fabric so fancy? Who is it for you to wear?”

Qi Kai didn't answer, but only glanced at the pile of things he threw on the ground: "Have you bought what I want?"

"I bought it." When the strong man looked through the fabrics, the door was pushed open again, and the young woman with wheat-colored skin led the other partners in from the outside and replied while taking off her coat.She bent down and rummaged for a while from the paper bag thrown aside by the strong man, and found a cigarette. Seeing all kinds of disgusting patterns printed on the cigarette, she showed a disgusted expression on her face, and threw it in the air.

Qi Kai smiled and said after receiving it: "Thank you."

The brawny man had already understood it now, and twisted the corners of the fabric with two fingers, and lifted up the little clothes, which were a little pitifully small compared to his size: "Isn't this worn by children?"

"Where do you talk so much?" This place has inconvenient transportation and scarce supplies. Many times, the lack of daily necessities can only be replenished by returning from the occasional car.Qi Kai waited for this cigarette for almost two days, and impatiently took out one and put it in his mouth. He fumbled in his pocket but couldn't find the lighter, so he simply kicked him with his palm up.

The pungent breath choked into the lungs, with a smell of crude tobacco, far inferior to the specials smoked in China before, but at this moment, no one complained.

Everyone found a clean place and sat cross-legged. Qi Kai wiped his head with his hand and asked, "How is it going outside?"

"It's celebrating the Pentacle Festival. The streets are full of elephant shit. Damn it, I'm splashed with water." The Pentacle Festival is a festival in nearby cities to commemorate drug lords being driven out by the army. Elephant took the lead on the streets to lead citizens and tourists through the Songkran Festival.When everyone came back, it was just in time for this celebration, the road was crowded, and they were tricked by the children's water guns a few times if they were not paying attention. The tattooed man couldn't help complaining a few times, but his tone couldn't tell that he was unhappy .

Qi Kai laughed a few times: "What about the country?"

"It's okay, anyway, we've got someone to pass on all the news we've heard, isn't it just those bums in the southwest, there's no reason why they can't be dealt with. That's right." The wheat-colored woman puffed up again with a cigarette in her mouth Messy hair, suddenly thought of something, reached into the position of the vest and underwear, took out a mobile phone that was placed next to him and threw it at Qi Kai, "Is this person your younger sister? I said it was her, but it was me." Wrong person."

The smooth and simple black shell of the international version of the hero phone still carries the body temperature of the owner. Qi Kai fiddled with it jerky for a while before successfully unlocking the screen.The screen was still running in the photo album, and what he saw was a luxurious and bright photo, his eyes lit up immediately, and the smoke almost fell from his mouth: "Yo, Xiao Miao is married?"

"I'll just say it's her?" The girl rolled her eyes at the tattooed man, "I'm willing to accept the bet, but you just say eat shit or bark like a dog."

A group of friends immediately got into a commotion, and Qi Kai was left alone to look at the wedding photo quietly. He zoomed in on the screen to carefully check the familiar faces on it. After a long time, he rubbed the screen with his fingers, showing nostalgia on his face smile.

Some of the friends who were fighting gave him a wink, and the rest nodded tacitly, pretending that they didn't see his mood swings, and continued to play considerately.To be honest, among the group of people who can gather together, who in the first half of their life has no unknown past behind them?

Everything should have been silent like the little cloth bag hanging around Qi Kai's neck.

There was a sudden sound of footsteps climbing the stairs outside, and before the people who were fighting were separated, a child's sweet local dialect came from the gap in the wall—"Boss! Boss!"

Qi Kai immediately came back to his senses, put the phone aside, opened the door, and saw brother Miao standing outside with a basket of boiled beans waiting.Brother Miao is the king of children in the village, a little girl about ten years old, she is yellow and thin, but has a surprisingly lively and sturdy personality.She stared at Qi Kai boldly, and said in a crisp voice, "Boss, these are the boiled beans that my parents asked me to bring to you."

"You came just in time." Qi Kai took the basket and pulled her into the house, cut off the thread of the almost finished work on the sewing machine, shook it and hung it on her shoulder, "Take it and wear it."

It was a small cotton skirt of various colors, the cut was not very fashionable, it seemed to be a popular style in Yan City in the 80s, the only redeeming feature was the excellent stitching.Such skirts may not be liked by children in big cities, but in this impoverished and backward village, it is a big surprise for children.Brother Miao let out a scream of surprise, then said thank you timidly while holding the skirt, then turned around and ran away.Soon outside the door, her cheers for friends and other children's envious voices sounded.

Qi Kai quietly watched her run away while leaning on the sewing machine, smoking a cigarette. After hearing the child's laughter, he turned his head and silently tidied up his workbench.The friends who stopped fighting exchanged their smiling eyes, and the tattooed man peeled off a sweet bean and stuffed it into his mouth.They have long been accustomed to Qi Kai's extraordinarily careful care of the children here. Before this, they really didn't expect that this tough friend had such a soft side hidden deep in his heart.

This is a village deep in the dense forest in the Golden Triangle area. Five years ago, it was a purgatory full of poppies.

The forces in this area have been very complicated throughout the ages, and drug lords and bandits have emerged in endlessly.Although the Ponca caught in China in the early years was quite capable, he was by no means powerful enough to control all the forces in the industry.After he was arrested, with the in-depth encirclement and suppression by the anti-drug force, the resources and relationship network in this area began to be reshuffled.Like a ruined prairie after a fire, there are countless immortal roots waiting to grow under the barren appearance.

Darkness cannot be strangled quickly, just like expelling a group of cockroaches, it is a long-term battle that requires perseverance.

A few years ago, the multinational joint forces finally broke into the deep forest and rescued many villages that were entrenched.The controlled villagers were uniformly sent for medical treatment and drug rehabilitation, and young and ignorant children were able to receive normal cultural education.The battle in the forest is not that simple. The fleeing drug lords are still entrenched in the depths of this dense forest. Disabled villagers who are no longer able to support themselves cannot leave their homeland. Qi Kai and his friends have comprehensively considered various aspects. Choose to live here in privacy.

They all have criminal records and are not regular government troops, but they accept various employments, voluntarily protect the villagers, and occasionally cooperate with the anti-narcotics team to report relevant news from various sources, and the money they get is enough for them to live comfortably.

Not only did the trip bring back cigarettes, but the trunk was also filled with barbecue and wine.

It is also a beautiful thing to build a firepit in front of the bamboo building at night, set up barbed wire barbecues, and have friends drink and brag.

At this time, everyone usually chats about the outside world. They all come from the same country, and the topic always revolves around their homeland.

The crackdown on drugs in the Triangle area more than ten years ago was actually to drive ducks to the shelves, because before Shi Nanxing and Qi Kai's sudden and unexpected action, the country was not even fully prepared to deal with drug lords.Fortunately, the final outcome is happy, and the benefits of the country's early action have gradually emerged in recent years-other small countries in the Golden Triangle area suffered a lot from the sudden development of drugs a few years ago, and that fertile and vast land is equivalent to sweet pastry. However, due to the early settlement of the land, it escaped the subsequent twists and turns.

This pleased a group of young people drinking and eating meat by the fire pond.Like Qi Kai, the friends who chose to come here to seek a new life after being released from prison were more or less tortured by drugs.

When it comes to the unbearable past, many people have tears in their eyes.

Qi Kai leaned against the big tree and quietly drank the wine in the glass, listening to the voices of his friends with rapt attention, only felt that most people in this life really have irreparable regrets, and who can see from their ordinary faces? To the scars buried deep in his heart?

For example, the heartless tattooed man, he comes from a picturesque province in the northwest, and the elders in his family are harmonious and honest.Bad was taken to be addicted to drugs by a malicious "friend" during his youthful rebellious period. Since then, the order of his life has fallen apart.

At this age, he has been in and out several times, and has been in prison for several years, but he still suffers from heart addiction from time to time.Fortunately, the image of the tragic death of his parents will always be in his mind, and every time he can't restrain himself, the alarm bell will ring.

For example, sitting across from him is the little guy who has a huge appetite and always smiles and doesn't like to talk. He was originally from a wealthy family, but he went astray after marriage. scattered.Now he is alone and homeless, only the little finger on his left hand that was chopped off in regret many years ago, and the wedding ring on his neck that has never been taken off but has no meaning, which shows the happy life he once had.

Qi Kai caressed the small cloth bag around his neck, there was only one left, and the little poppy who had accompanied him in the prison for more than ten years was now resting with her ashes by the stream of this forest.

He sometimes thinks of the hidden cave, the overlong belt, the crumpled flower, and the morning that will never be forgotten.

It's just that the wrong things can't be recalled after all, and the living people must also bear the guilt and walk on.

As if it was a confession of his past, the atmosphere was heavy for a moment like many times before, and the friends finally changed the subject and chatted about some light things.

Everyone was dissatisfied with the harsh living conditions here. The tattooed man wiped away his tears and said in the loudest voice, "After getting here, I even miss the food in Dongping (prison)! It's either sour or spicy all day long. I want to There is nowhere to look for a bite of braised pork. When someone in the army met yesterday, he asked us if we needed any help. My fucking first reaction was to ask him to bring some canned beef next time. Damn! I feel ashamed of his face!"

Everyone laughed, and the wheat-colored girl teased him: "If you want to eat braised pork, let's apply to return to another country. What's the problem? Qi Kai has a lot of friends in China, let him find someone to treat him!"

Qi Kai poured a glass of wine and gently poured it on the ground. Thinking of the grand and luxurious wedding photos he saw on his mobile phone not long ago, he agreed with a good temper: "I have no objections. When things here are settled, let's Let’s apply together to stay in China for a few days.”

The heat of the charcoal fire carried the aroma of the ingredients drifting away, and a group of children in the village with noses sharper than dogs ran out cheering in droves. After a while, the young people were covered with pups begging for food.Brother Tian was wearing a new dress, which is rare for a lady to fight. He stood quietly and waited for the good-hearted people to feed her. Qi Kai used a dagger to pick up a roasted chicken leg for her. Just as he was about to hand it to her, he suddenly met the other person and raised his head. Baba came, curious eyes like a chicken.

He froze in place for several minutes, until the greedy Tian couldn't wait any longer, jumped up and snatched the drumstick from his dagger.

The young figure in a floral dress ran away quickly like a wild beast, Qi Kai stood in place watching her back, and after a while, he showed a nostalgic and somewhat self-deprecating smile.

The other children were still mischievous, making the originally deep adults dumbfounded, and the adults simply invited them to sit down and have a meal together. In the suddenly lively party, the topic that was just halfway talked was brought up again.

A friend joked while cutting the meat: "Brother Kai, what you said just now is wrong. What do you mean you should apply to return to China after you finish your work? You can't say that in the future."

Qi Kai regained his senses and sat down again, he was a little puzzled when he heard the words: "What do you mean?"

"Aren't you outdated?" The person who spoke laughed, "It's a very popular saying on the Internet recently to tell you not to play with your mobile phone. What's it called... What is it?"

The young girl with wheat-colored skin added with a smile: "flag."

"Yes, yes, yes! Flag, set up the flag!"

Qi Kai pondered for a long time but couldn't figure it out: "What do you mean?"

The explanation given by a group of uneducated companions was confusing for a long time, Mai Fu smiled harmlessly: "Haven't you watched the TV series filmed in Hong Kong Island? There are often protagonists who say that this time the incident is successful, they will wash their hands and go back to their hometown. .”

"And then he died!"

"I can't go back to my hometown! Hahahahaha!!"

Qi Kai pondered for a while before he understood what it meant, and then laughed: "What a mess, there are so many things to pay attention to when you go back to China..."

Before he could finish speaking, the next second, a distant gunshot came from the dense forest.

Everyone: "…………"

The playful children became quiet for an instant, and the innocent smiles on their faces were wiped away. Qi Kai raised his hand to signal for everyone to be quiet. Amid the sound of beeping flames, birds flew into the depths of the forest.

The expressions of the adults gradually darkened, and they all stood up from their places.Qi Kai twitched his chin to the bamboo house, and the tattooed man quickly got up and went upstairs to get the weapon. He took off the gun that had been hanging on his shoulder and loaded it. The children didn't cry or make a fuss, just quietly waiting for his command.

Brother Miao, who ran away after snatching the chicken legs, quickly ran back from a distance. Qi Kai told her in the local dialect: "Take your friends home, wake up Mom and Dad, and find a safe place to hide."

The ten-year-old child nodded solemnly at him, and then left quietly with a bunch of carrot heads, big and small.

The whole village started to move in the dark. The villagers skillfully packed up their necessities quickly and evacuated along the route known only to themselves. Someone in the team by the campfire guessed: "Maybe the rats in the forest want to sneak attack at night."

This is not uncommon. In order to achieve their goals, they will resort to all means and sacrifice everything worth sacrificing. Most of the time, the despicableness and cruelty of drug lords are far beyond the imagination of normal people.

"Next!" The tattooed man on the bamboo building threw guns at his fellows below. The fast-moving companions had already carried water and extinguished the bonfire. After the villagers quickly evacuated, the people in the darkness immediately sped up their actions.Everyone quickly formulated several emergency plans and reported the situation here to the border anti-narcotics brigade. Qi Kai heard a chuckle nearby when he was carrying the magazine on his body.

Turning around, it was the young girl with wheat-colored skin. She was tall and thin, with slender eyebrows and thin eyes. She looked no different from the ordinary beautiful girls outside when she smiled. She was the only girl in their team, and she called herself pure.

Pure smiled with his eyes crooked, revealing a mouth of healthy and neat white teeth: "You crow mouth, just talking about the flag is actually effective."

Qi Kai didn't know if it was his fault, he was a little confused about the blame, but when he saw Pure's thin legs and arms, out of caring for women, he was somewhat worried: "Do you want to talk to me first?" The villagers evacuated together? We are here."

Pure, who was still smiling, suddenly sank when she heard this. She stepped on the tree to fasten her shoelaces, adjusted the angle of the bandage wrapped with a dagger on her leg, then pulled the bolt of the gun, loaded it, and hung it neatly. At the neck, jump in place and climb up the trunk.

She crawled fast, moving quietly under the cover of night, only her eyes were surprisingly bright: "Don't forget how I got here."

Pure is the only one in their team who has not been in prison. She is a Chinese from Laos and received higher education in China. When she was 20 years old, her parents who were doing business in Laos died of drug overdose. The local law could not give her a satisfactory result, so she Single-handedly, with a knife, he killed the drug dealer with whom her parents were dealing.

Then the golden cicada escaped from the endless pursuit, crossed the border, and came to this place. In the last few battles, he personally killed no less than ten drug dealers.

Qi Kai realized his unreasonable worries, and smiled apologetically at the girl who had found a suitable hiding place and was crouching on the branch of a big tree like a cheetah.

The danger is getting closer and closer, Qi Kai looks at the dense forest in the distance, the skyline under the night is like a bottomless abyss, opening his mouth at any time to choose someone to eat.

Qi Kai is the pioneer commander and needs to investigate the enemy's situation.Standing on a high stone platform, he observed the front in the worried eyes of everyone behind him. For some reason, a sudden impulse came to his mind, which drove him to turn around and propose: "If you can survive this time, go to Yanzhou when you return home." Let’s play in the city, and I will introduce you to my friends there.”

"Shut up!" The comrades around who were ready to go shouted in unison to stop his crow's mouth.

Qi Kai laughed silently, looked back and squeezed the trigger, staring into the distance, gradually calmed down.He pinched the cloth bag on his chest, brought it close to his mouth, and dropped a kiss.

Immediately leapt—

There are endless gunshots between heaven and earth.

In the early morning, Yan City, east of the city, Dongtai Community.

The sunlight poked out softly through the gaps in the curtains, and the room was peaceful and quiet. On the spacious big bed, only the sound of breathing one after another could be heard.

The mobile phone on the bedside suddenly rang loudly, buzzing and vibrating, waking up the two masters who were sleeping soundly.

Lin Jingzhe snorted a few times, half awake, Xiao Chi stretched out his hands to cover his ears in a half-dream, then groped sleepily by the bedside, and got the phone, which was a series of unfamiliar numbers.

Who, calling so early, has no eyesight at all.

He was a little impatient, but he felt that it might be something urgent, so he leaned into his ear after connecting, "Hello?"

"Hey!" There was an angry voice from the other end of the phone, "Mr. Xiao! Haven't you woken up yet?"

Xiao Chi: "...Who are you?"

"Fuck, this is too fucking ruthless!" The other party accused sadly, and then quickly cut to the point, "I'm returning to China, hurry up, why don't you sleep, and bring your Boss Lin out for dinner!"

Xiao Chi: "........."

He heard it, damn it.

Lin Jingzhe yawned, and struggled to open his eyes in his arms: "Who is it? How can you say two times before you hang up?"

"No one, go to sleep." Xiao Chi patted him on the back, adjusted the phone to silent when the screen turned on again, and replied calmly, "An insurance seller."

The author has something to say: the end of the full text

Type these three words, a lot of emotion, hard to say.

There are many, many shortcomings in this article. I can only thank you for your company and support all the time, which gave me the confidence to write until today.

I hope that if we say goodbye today, we can meet again in the future, and everyone's life will be happy and perfect.

At the same time, I would like to thank the leaders who supported the original version of this article, left comments, and voted for the overlord.Keep it in mind, there is nothing to repay, only code words to support.