Homo Sapiens

In a small room aboard the transport ship.

Fang Xinwu, Gao Gang, and the others were cautiously observing the situation in the small port town.

Soon, a speedboat appeared in their line of sight.

A child soldier on the speedboat shouted in Burmese, ”You want to dock?”

The old captain, who had spent decades navigating the Mekong River, quickly replied, ”Yes, a shipment of diesel. You need any?”

”Green Flag Pier. Someone will come talk to you later.” The young leader pointed to a berth marked with a green flag and shouted.

”Thanks.” The old captain casually tossed a small package, which landed accurately on the speedboat’s seat. Inside were some cigarettes and US dollars.

After docking.

A middle-aged man in a cowboy hat came over to discuss purchasing the diesel from the old captain. In the Golden Triangle, things like diesel, powder, weapons, and US dollars were the real hard currency.

When purchasing supplies from the outside, gangs typically used gold or US dollars, and occasionally Euros or Huaguo Yuan, but they rarely used Myanmar Kyat or Thai Baht.

After a short while, the man in the cowboy hat seemed to have reached an agreement with the old captain, purchasing the 30 tons of diesel on board.

Before leaving, the man in the cowboy hat warned, ”Old Gan, tell your men not to wander off. Otherwise, you’ll face the consequences.”

”Heh heh, I know the rules,” the old captain replied with a chuckle.

Fang Xinwu and Gao Gang had no intention of causing trouble, either. They were only here today for reconnaissance and to see if they could find any unexpected leads, not to fight for their lives.

Even if they wanted to make a move, the old captain probably wouldn’t allow it. Bringing them into the Golden Triangle was already going above and beyond.

But Gao Gang and Fang Xinwu didn’t know.

The moment they arrived at the port town, a Soldier inside the port’s small administration building was also silently watching them.

Over the past few days, as the Leech Gang’s core members were brought under control, the remaining key personnel had been gradually recalled and replaced with Soldiers.

The person in charge of the port town now was a Blood Blade Soldier who had been suddenly dropped in, along with a dozen or so child soldiers who had been converted into Soldiers.

These child soldiers had long been trained to be completely inhuman, their hands stained with blood. They were completely unsuitable for being converted into managers, so Domino had the Blood Blade Special Team turn them into full-fledged Soldiers.

With these reinforcements, the Blood Blade Special Team quickly took control of all the Leech Gang’s strongholds.

Meanwhile, the key personnel who had been replaced and sent back to the small mountain village stronghold were also quickly brought under control.

On the pier.

An old tanker truck was being filled with diesel.

Fang Xinwu, meanwhile, leaned against the ship’s railing, chewing gum as he silently observed the port’s surroundings. The town wasn’t large, with only about a thousand households.

He had hoped to find a trace of Naukam and his men here, or at least some useful intelligence, but unfortunately, the entire town was remarkably calm.

Faced with this situation, Fang Xinwu was at a complete loss.

「Meanwhile, in Huaguo.」

The port authority on the Lancang River (the upper reaches of the Mekong River) in Yunnan Province was conducting a routine patrol.

Suddenly, they spotted a small transport ship rapidly approaching.

Seeing this, Tian Siqi, the captain of one of the patrol boats, immediately grabbed his radio. ”All units, be advised. A transport ship is behaving erratically. Prepare to intercept.”

”Roger that.”

The speedboats’ engines roared to life, and the soldiers on board disengaged the safeties on their rifles, ready to open fire at any moment.

The Lancang River in July had an extremely high water level and a very fast current.

Tian Siqi and his men stared, dumbfounded.

’What the hell is going on?’

After all, in his eyes, such an act was tantamount to suicide. He quickly grabbed his radio, ”Boat 507, head over and see if you can pull them out of the water.”

One of the speedboats headed downstream.

The remaining speedboats quickly surrounded the small transport ship.

Tian Siqi picked up a megaphone and shouted, ”People on the ship, stop your vessel immediately and prepare for inspection...”

After shouting three times with no response, Tian Siqi immediately switched to his radio, ”Boat 508, board the vessel. Everyone else, stay on alert. You are authorized to open fire if necessary.”

”Understood.”

Soon, one speedboat pulled up alongside the small transport ship. Soldiers holding rifles boarded the deck and found the cockpit completely empty.

It wasn’t until they pushed open the cargo hold that they found a large group of people tied up inside.

”Captain, we have a situation. You need to come aboard, quickly.” Hearing the voice over the radio, Tian Siqi’s brow furrowed. He turned his head and ordered, ”Pull alongside.”

The driver gripped the wheel, bringing the speedboat alongside the transport ship.

As a border patrol officer, Tian Siqi was naturally aware of the situation across the border in the Golden Triangle. He had even seen the wanted posters for Naukam and his associates.

The major incident a while back had made Naukam’s name infamous throughout the Golden Triangle Region.

Feeling that this was beyond his authority, Tian Siqi had his subordinates take the ship back to base while he hurriedly made a phone call to report the situation up the chain of command.

...

Fang Xinwu, Gao Gang, and the others had just returned to Chiang Mai from the Golden Triangle. Before they could even get comfortable, a call came in from the special commissioner in Bangkok.

”...” Listening to the call, Gao Gang’s expression shifted from initial unease to shock and bewilderment.

After hanging up, Gao Gang sat on the wooden chair for a moment to compose himself.

Fang Xinwu finally asked, ”What’s wrong? Has the mission changed? We can’t be too hasty right now, or things could go wrong...”

Gao Gang shook his head. ”The mission’s been canceled.”

”What?” A flash of astonishment crossed Fang Xinwu’s eyes. ”Canceled? Why?”

”Naukam and a dozen of his men have been arrested in Yunnan.”

”...” Fang Xinwu looked as if he had just heard the joke of the century.

Gao Gang couldn’t explain it either, so he changed the subject. ”The specifics are very complicated. I can’t explain the details to you, but the higher-ups have given you a new mission.”

”What mission?” Fang Xinwu just wanted some peace and quiet right now.

Gao Gang said, ”Continue investigating the Leech. Especially his territory now. Be careful with everything, and don’t let your guard down.”

”The Leech...” Fang Xinwu instantly understood. He had clearly spotted the catch in this new mission.

The arrest of Naukam and his men was probably related to the sudden upheaval within the Leech Gang.

But Gao Gang and his team weren’t staying any longer. With Naukam and his men captured, it meant the initiative in the Mekong River incident was now in Huaguo’s hands.

They needed to go back and handle the aftermath.

This was also why Domino had simply thrown Naukam and his men away.

Naukam was the scum of the earth. She didn’t even entertain the thought of turning him into a Soldier.

After all, no one else knew that Naukam was under control. Harboring such a well-known major drug lord was not a good look publicly and would only attract a mountain of trouble.

That’s why after absorbing the Leech Gang, Domino immediately cast Naukam and his men out to distance herself from them.

In any case, she had already secured the territory. With the Leech Gang’s middle and upper echelons all replaced with her own people, there was no longer any need to operate under the Leech Gang’s name.