Homo Sapiens

The sun was setting, its last rays as red as blood.

The important figures locked up in the temporary military camp were terrified.

Brother Ba, the head of the Mineral Resources Management Department, was locked in a simple, separate tent with his driver. The two of them had gone a full day without food or water. Too afraid to ask the guards for anything, they could only endure their hunger and thirst.

Suddenly, Wu Yao’s aide-de-camp walked into the tent and waved his hand.

The two guards understood immediately and left the tent at once.

Brother Ba’s face filled with terror. He recognized this man. A while back, the aide had tried to use his connections to get Brother Ba to greenlight a small gold mine run by his sister, but Brother Ba had refused.

”Brother Ba, hope you’ve been well?” the aide-de-camp asked with a grin.

Cold sweat beaded on Brother Ba’s forehead. ’I’m a dead man! Is this the day I die?’

The driver, thinking fast, immediately begged for his life. ”Brother Tai, I have 50 million in the bank. If you let me go, I’ll hand over the money right away.”

”Oh?” A greedy glint appeared in the aide-de-camp’s eyes.

Seeing this, the driver felt he had a chance and pressed his advantage. ”Brother Tai, you get nothing if you kill me. But if you let me go, I’ll tell you the password immediately.”

As if grasping at a lifeline, Brother Ba quickly added, ”If you let me go, I can give you 500 million Myanmar Kyat right now. After I’m out safely, I’ll transfer one million US dollars to you through UBS. That’s more money than you could make in a lifetime! In a few days, your superiors might show up, and all this money will be theirs.”

The aide-de-camp, Brother Tai, looked conflicted. Suddenly, he drew his pistol and asked with a cold smile, ”But if you get out and expose this, things won’t end well for me. I might as well just shoot you. It’s not like you’re going to survive tonight anyway.”

”What?” Brother Ba’s face went pale. He nearly pissed his pants in fear.

But the driver, in a moment of inspiration, said, ”Brother Tai, why don’t you come with us? You’ll have the money, you can leave Hongsawaddy. What future is there for you here?”

Brother Tai was torn once again.

Feeling his life on the line, Brother Ba could no longer worry about his secret stash bleeding dry. He quickly offered a better deal: ”Brother Tai, get me safely to Yangon, and I’ll give you two million US dollars. Hesitate any longer, and the money won’t be yours.”

As if his reason had been consumed by greed, Brother Tai paced around the tent twice, then warned, ”You’d better keep your promise. Otherwise, you’ll face the consequences. Wait here quietly.”

Then, Brother Tai quickly left the tent.

But Brother Ba and his driver were terrified. Their anxiety grew as night fell and the world outside was plunged into darkness.

However, they soon breathed a small sigh of relief.

Because Brother Tai returned with two of his trusted men and gave them a set of military uniforms.

”Change quickly. We’re running out of time.”

Brother Ba and the driver scrambled to change their clothes. Luckily, they were both slender; a fat man would have drawn too much attention.

Seeing they had changed, Brother Tai gave them a stern reminder, ”Stay behind me, keep your hats on, and don’t talk or look around. Understood?”

”Got it. Let’s go!” Brother Ba didn’t want to stay a second longer.

Under the cover of the aide-de-camp, Brother Tai, the five of them successfully drove an SUV out of the military camp.

They were less than five hundred meters from the camp when a barrage of gunfire and screams erupted from behind them.

”What’s happening? Did they find out?” Brother Ba asked, his face draining of color.

But Brother Tai, sitting in the passenger seat, was calm. ”The executions have started. Your disappearance won’t stay secret for long. Hurry toward Laiwei Town. We’ll be much safer there.”

The SUV sped up.

In the car, Brother Ba’s fear subsided slightly when he heard they were heading for Laiwei Town. After all, two Defense Divisions were stationed there, and his cousin was the local town mayor.

He quickly said to Brother Tai, ”Brother Tai, my cousin is the mayor of Laiwei Town. If possible, I’d like to bring him with us.”

”Don’t complicate things,” Brother Tai refused flatly.

...

Inside the 502nd Division’s temporary military camp.

Wu Yao watched the river of blood flow, his expression unchanging. He waved his hand and ordered, ”Check them against the list, then dig a pit and bury them all.”

”Yes, sir.”

Suddenly, Wu Yao frowned. ”Where’s Brother Tai?”

The soldiers present all said they didn’t know.

”Get him over here. What the hell is he doing at a critical time like this?” Wu Yao was furious.

Over ten minutes later, a guard ran up to report, ”Division Commander, Aide-de-camp Brother Tai drove toward the city twenty minutes ago.”

”Hm? What’s he doing in the city?” Wu Yao’s face darkened.

”I don’t know, sir.” The guard was helpless. Brother Tai was Wu Yao’s right-hand man, and the soldiers at the bottom had no authority to question him.

Wu Yao grew even angrier.

Just then, a major in charge of identifying the bodies hurried over. ”Division Commander, we’re two short.”

”Two short?”

”It’s Brother Ba and his driver.”

Wu Yao’s expression changed. He turned and asked the guard, ”How many people were in the car when Brother Tai left?”

The guard swallowed hard. ”There were... five people.”

”Damn it! Brother Tai, you’re asking to die!” Wu Yao had clearly figured it out. He clenched his fists and paced back and forth, then seemed to realize something.

”He wouldn’t go to the city. The only place nearby that can protect him is with the two Defense Divisions in Laiwei Town. Men!”

”Sir!”

”Immediately summon all battalion-level officers for a meeting in my tent.”

”Yes, sir.”

In less than ten minutes, a dozen or so officers rushed to Wu Yao’s tent, completely bewildered.

Wu Yao said viciously, ”On the General’s secret orders, I executed those useless, freeloading trash. But someone has betrayed us, escaping with two key prisoners toward the Defense Division. We have to contain this situation now.”

Jingshan, commander of the 2nd Regiment, was taken aback. ”Division Commander... for the General to do this...”

”Shut up! The General didn’t do this. I did,” Wu Yao retorted. ”For the good of Hongsawaddy, I have no regrets.”

Uh... The officers glanced at each other, all thinking the same thing: ’Has he gone mad? To take the blame for something like this?’

They clearly assumed Wu Kailuo had given the order and that Wu Yao was just acting as the scapegoat.

But Wu Yao’s next words made them all pale with shock.

”Brother Tai knows too much. If he’s captured by the Defense Division, none of you will escape unscathed.”

’Fuck...’ It was as if a stampede of ten thousand alpacas was running through their minds.

”There’s only one way now. Gather all our troops, attack the Defense Division, and pin this whole thing on them. Best case, we drag out Brother Tai and the others hiding in Laiwei Town. Do you understand?”

Jingshan, the 2nd Regiment commander, hesitated. ”Division Commander, should we report this to the General? After all, they have two divisions.”

Wu Yao scoffed contemptuously, ”Those two Defense Divisions? We’re an elite Field Division. You think we need backup? Besides, speed is paramount in war. If we don’t attack now before they can react, it’ll be too late once they take the prisoners and flee south. Execute the order, now!”

Faced with Wu Yao’s commanding presence and the chance to clear their names, the officers ultimately chose to obey blindly.

Over ten thousand soldiers quickly took up their arms and advanced rapidly toward Laiwei Town.