Chapter 3 Chapter two

"Lift hard!" Fusheng shouted.Boom, Nu, Klee, and Kanda leaned against the teetering shaft, trying to pull it out of its bracket like a thorn out of a giant.They were going to raise the shaft so that a girl named Amai could enter the hole below. "I can't see!" she cried. With all their might, Bohm and Nu tried to keep the shaft from returning to its original position.Fusheng knelt down on one knee and handed a flashlight to the girl.Her fingers touched his slightly, then she took the flashlight from his hand and disappeared into the darkness.This flashlight was worth more than her, so he really hoped that the workers would not be overwhelmed before she came out.

"How?" he called down after a minute. "Is it broken inside?" There are no answers below.Fusheng hoped that she would not be caught by something.He squatted quietly on the ground, waiting for her to finish the maintenance work.Everyone else in the factory was busy restoring order on the premises.Armed with bright machetes and four-foot bone saws, Mammoth Guild workers surrounded the carcass of the Mammoth, dismantling the mountain of flesh.Their hands were stained red with blood.After the fur was stripped off, the giant beast revealed its marble-like muscles, and profuse blood flowed out.

Seeing this situation, Fusheng couldn't help but shuddered: he thought of those destroyed factories, and thought of those compatriots who were massacred—they were also dismembered, but human blood flowed out.Warehouses were destroyed and people lost their lives.Everything that happened here reminded him of those men with green headbands, machetes in hand, burning down his warehouse.Jute, tamarind, twist springs, all reduced to ashes in the flames.The light of the fire reflected a bewitching red on the scimitar.He looked away, put aside the memories, and forced himself to take a deep breath.

As soon as the Mammoth Union heard about the loss of their property, they immediately dispatched professional butchers.Fusheng had asked them to pull the bodies outside and finish their work on the street to make room for repairs to the energy chain, but the union men refused, as if the place wasn't messy enough.As a result, while the workers were cleaning the scene, the blood attracted a large number of flies, and the stench from the corpse became more and more intense. As the flesh is gradually removed from the body, the bones are slowly exposed, like a coral reef in a sea of ​​​​red meat.Blood drips from the giant elephant's body, pooling in a stream that rushes down the gutter, where it will eventually reach the coal-powered water level control pumps in Bangkok.Fusheng watched the blood flow in front of his eyes, and couldn't help feeling a little sad in his heart.There are countless gallons of blood in the body of a giant elephant, and the calories lost in it are simply incalculable.The butchers moved swiftly, but even so, it would probably take until tomorrow morning to completely decompose the corpse.

"She hasn't checked yet?" Boom asked breathlessly.Fu Sheng's attention was drawn back.Bohm and the others had almost exhausted their strength and could hardly bear the weight of the shaft. Fusheng shouted into the cave again: "What did you see, Ah Mai?" Her words sounded indistinct. "Then you come up first!" He returned to the squatting position and reached out to wipe the sweat off his face.The factory is hotter than the cooking pot.Now, all the giant elephants have returned to the stables, so whether it is the production line of the factory or the fans for ventilation, all have lost power.The hot, humid air, with the stench of dead bodies, blanketed everyone like a slaughterhouse in the Konti district.Fusheng tried his best to resist the urge to vomit.

A cry came from the union butchers: they had slit open the belly of the giant elephant, and a stream of intestines flowed out.The offal collectors—employees of the manure giants—rushed forward and moved the stuff into carts.That's the equivalent of getting lucky and getting a bunch of calories.The mammoth died without any infectious disease, so the guts were likely used to feed the pigs that the manure giants raised on surrounding farms, or entered the Yellow Cards' food storage for Malayan refugees who lived in expansion-era mansions Edible, they are all protected from manure giants.The food that even the pigs and the Yellow Card people do not eat is thrown into the biogas tank, where it is mixed with the fruit peels and manure that the city produces and collects every day, and slowly turns into fertilizer and biogas inside.Part of the biogas will be used as fuel for street lamps, illuminating the city's roads with green light.

Fu Sheng caressed his "lucky mole", thinking about it in his mind.Manure is a typical monopoly industry, and the influence of manure giants pervades many aspects of the city.With that in mind, it was a surprise that the titan didn't get elected prime minister.Of course, with the influence of the godfather's godfather, the great "Holy King," he could have everything he wanted if he wanted to. But does he want what I offer?Fu Sheng thought about it.Would he be interested in a good business opportunity? Amai's voice finally came from the ground, interrupting his thoughts. "It's broken!" she yelled.After a while, she crawled out of the hole on all hands and feet, covered in sweat and dust.Bohm and others let go of the hemp rope, the shaft fell into the pothole, and the floor shook.

Hearing the sound, Amai glanced behind him.Fusheng believed that he saw the flash of fear, and the girl knew that the rotating shaft could crush her into powder.But the look of fear comes and goes quickly.She is a very adaptable child. "How?" Fusheng asked, "Is the core cracked?" "Yes, Khun. The crack is so big, I can put my hand in so far." She gestured with her fingers close to the wrist, "There is a crack on the other side, as big as this one." "Damn it." Fusheng scolded in Chinese.The damage was about the same as he expected, but he couldn't help but say "dirty". "What about the drive chain?"

She shook her head. "All the chains I can see are twisted." He nodded, "Go and call me Lin, Nie, and Chuan..." "Chuan is dead." She waved her hand towards a pool of smudges on the ground, which were two workers trampled to death by giant elephants. Fusheng frowned, "Yes, that's right." Lian, Kapipon, and the unfortunate person in charge of the quality inspection department, Ban Ya, were also dead. He would never hear Anderson's accusation about the contamination of the seaweed cultivation tank. up.Another fee.For ordinary workers who died, their families will receive a compensation of 1,000 baht; for Banya, the compensation is 2,000 baht.He looked sad again. "Then get someone else, a little guy like you from the cleaning crew. You gotta go down there. Bom, Nu, and Klee, you get the shafts out. Get them all out. We gotta say hello to the Lord A thorough overhaul of the drive system is required. Otherwise, there is no need to consider starting work at all.”

"Why the rush?" Boom laughed. "We'll have to wait until we start again. The boss has to pay a lot of opium, or the union won't agree to come back to work here; he beat a giant elephant to death." gone." "When the trade union comes back, there won't be a No. 4 reel here." Fusheng reprimanded: "To rebuild the reel, you have to cut down such a thick tree, and it will take a long time to get approval from the palace. , and then have to vent up north and let it float here - assuming the rainy season will come this year. We'll have to work underpowered for such a long time. Think about it. Among you Some people don't have to work at all." He nodded at the broken hinge, "Only the hardest-working ones stay."

Pom covered his anger, smiled apologetically, and gave a Namaste, "Khun, I made a mistake. I didn't mean to offend." "Alright then." Fusheng nodded, turned and left.Although his face was serious, he privately didn't think there was anything wrong with what the worker said.Indeed, in order to use the giant elephant's strength to push the factory's rotating shaft, a large amount of opium and money must be paid in bribes, and the energy supply contract must be renegotiated.Another scarlet letter on the balance sheet.And that's not even counting the cost of hiring monks, brahmins, feng shui experts, or psychics who practice ceremonies; the workers will never feel at ease without these people to drive away the evil spirits of this place and make a lot of money from it. Work continues in this doomed factory... "Mr. Chen!" Hearing this sentence shouted in Chinese, Fusheng raised his head and looked in the direction of the voice.That "foreign devil" Anderson Lake sat on a bench next to the workers' lockers while a doctor tended to his wounds.He initially wanted the doctor to stitch him up upstairs, but Fusheng persuaded him to treat the injury in the workshop where all the workers could see it.His white tropical costume was blood-stained, and he looked like a ghost who had escaped from a graveyard.But he wasn't dead, and he wasn't afraid.This can save him a lot of face.Foreigners are fearless. Anderson was drinking a bottle of Mekong whiskey, which he had ordered Fu Sheng to buy, as if the old Chinese were just his servant.Fusheng assigned Ah Mai to buy it, but what he bought back was a bottle of fake wine of a mid-range brand, which saved a lot of money.Such a clever performance made Fusheng give her a few more baht, and he stared into her eyes and said, "Remember, this is my reward for you." She nodded gravely at him.If it weren't for his past life experience, seeing this statement, he would definitely believe that he had bought her loyalty.But now he just hoped that if the Thais suddenly started dealing with yellow card refugees and drove them all into the rust-infested jungle, then she wouldn't immediately want to kill him.Maybe he bought himself a little time, or maybe nothing. As he walked towards Anderson, Dr. Zhan shouted in Chinese: "You foreign devils are really strong. You're still moving around after you're all like this." She is a yellow card person like him.Refugees like them would not have been able to get work to support themselves, but like him, she earned a living by wit and craft.If White Shirt caught her grabbing the Thai doctor's bowl... the thought suffocated him.Helping your fellow man is worthwhile, even if it's just a day's work.Maybe it can be regarded as a kind of compensation for the past. "Please try to keep him alive." Fusheng said with a smile, "We still have to let him sign a remuneration note." She laughed. "It's troublesome. I haven't sewed for a long time, but since you say so, I must get this ugly bastard back." "If you are so skilled, one day I will seek treatment from you when I get second-generation tuberculosis." The foreign devil interjected in English: "What is she complaining about?" Fusheng looked at him, "She said you are always moving." "She's too slow. Tell her to hurry up." "She also said, you are so lucky. Just a centimeter away, and the splinters will cut your arteries. By then, your blood will be sprayed on the ground." To Fusheng's surprise, Mr. Lake smiled when he heard this.His eyes flicked to the dwindling mountain of meat. "A piece of wood? I thought it was the giant elephant that would kill me." "That's right. You almost died." Fusheng replied.It would be a disaster if he died.If Mr. Lake's investor loses confidence and abandons the factory... Fusheng has a sad face.This foreign devil is much more difficult to deal with than the previous Mr. Yates, but even this stubborn foreigner, even if it is just to keep the factory alive, he can't just die like this. This thing is really infuriating.Once, his relationship with Mr. Yates was so close, but now he is so distant from Mr. Lake.Not only bad luck, but also encountering a stubborn foreign devil, he must now make a new plan under these unfavorable conditions: first ensure his own survival, but also let his compatriots thrive again. "I think you should celebrate your survival," Fusheng suggested. "Make an offering to Guanyin Bodhisattva and Budai Monk, and thank them for bringing you extraordinary good luck." Mr. Lake grinned, his blue eyes staring at him like a pool of demons. "You're so fucking right, I'm going to do what you say." He held up the half-drunk fake bottle in his hand, "I'm going to celebrate it all night long." "Do you want me to arrange a company for you?" The foreign devil's face immediately became stiff.He looked at Fu Sheng with a disgusted look on his face, "This is none of your business." Fu Sheng's face remained unchanged, but he was secretly cursing himself for acting too hastily.He's gone too far, and it just makes the guy pissed off again.He put his hands together quickly and apologized, "Of course. I didn't mean to insult you." The foreign devil looked towards the other side of the workshop, and the good mood just now seemed to have dissipated, "How bad is the situation?" Fu Sheng shrugged, "At least the core of the shaft is seriously damaged. It's cracked." "Where's the main drive chain?" "We'll have to do a detailed inspection. If we're lucky, only the side chain may be affected." "Improbable." The foreigner said, handing the bottle to Fusheng.The latter suppressed his disgust and just shook his head.Mr. Lake smiled as if knowing something, took another big sip, and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. There was another cry from the guild's butcher, and more blood poured from the carcass of the mammoth.Its head had been severed in half where it joined the body, forming an odd angle.The whole corpse looked more and more like separate parts, less like a whole animal and more like a child's "build a giant elephant" combination toy. Fusheng thought: Is there any way to force the trade union to share some of the profits from the uncontaminated giant elephant meat that will be sold to him?That doesn't seem like much of a possibility given how quickly the other side moved to claim ownership, but perhaps when the energy supply contract was renegotiated or they demanded compensation... "Are you willing to keep this head?" Fusheng asked, "You can keep it as a trophy." "No." The foreign devil seemed quite angry when he heard this question. Fu Sheng almost frowned, but held back.It's maddening to work for someone like that.His fickle temperament has a constant aggressiveness, like a child, sometimes he is very happy, but after a while he loses his temper again.Fusheng suppressed his depressed mood: Mr. Lake is like this.His previous karma made him a foreign devil, and Fusheng's previous karma brought him to this foreign devil.There is no need to complain about the current situation. It is as meaningless as complaining about the quality of Udex rice when you are still hungry. Mr. Lake seemed to be aware of Fusheng's displeasure, and explained: "This is not hunting, it can only be regarded as extermination. When the dart I shot hit it, it was already dead. There is nothing worth showing off in it." .” "Ah, that's right. You are really respectable." Fu Sheng suppressed the disappointment in his heart.If the foreign devil asks for the head of the dead elephant, he can replace the leftover ivory with a coconut oil compound, and then sell the ivory to a doctor near the Bawan Lee Witti Temple.Now even that money is gone, what a waste.Fusheng considered explaining the situation to Mr. Lake and explaining the value of the meat, calories and ivory, but in the end he decided against it.The foreign devil couldn't understand these things, and he was a particularly irritable person. "Here comes the Cheshire Cat," said Mr. Lake. Fusheng looked at the place pointed by the foreign devils.On the outskirts of the pool of blood appeared felines with shiny fur, and the stench of corpses attracted this creature that could distort light and shadow.The foreign devil had a look of disgust on his face, but Fusheng had a certain respect for this devilish cat.They are cunning by nature. Although almost everyone hates them, they still struggle to survive in these places. The resilience of survival is beyond imagination.Sometimes, he even felt that they could smell the blood before it was spilled.They seem to have a bit of future foreknowledge, knowing where the next meal will be in advance.The felines stalked toward the sticky pool of blood.A butcher kicked one of them away, but there were so many Cheshire cats that it was impossible to actually fight them.Butcher's attacks were apparently futile. Mr. Lake took another gulp of the bad whiskey. "We'll never get rid of them." "Some kids are willing to kill them," Fusheng said, "for a small reward." The foreign devil showed contempt on his face, "We also had bounties when we were in Zhongxi." Our children are more flexible than yours. But Fusheng did not refute what the foreigners said.He'd put a bounty on the cat anyway.If those Cheshire cats are left to linger, the workers will spread rumors about the ghost of the Cheshire cat causing disaster.These demonic cats are already haunting the neighborhood.Piebald, yellow, night-black—cats of every color appear and disappear from view, disappear and reappear, as their bodies change color according to their surroundings.They can even turn red all over after plunging into a pool of blood. Fusheng had heard before that this kind of Cheshire cat was created by a senior executive of a Calorie company—probably someone from Pure Card Company or Nongji Company to celebrate his daughter's birthday.It is said that the little princess was just as old as Lewis Carroll's Alice at the time.This kind of cat has become the darling of children at birthday parties. The kids at the party brought home new pets, which were later bred with common cats, and within two decades, demon cats had spread across all continents, while domestic cats were completely extinct, with ninety percent of the new genetic chain More than eight are only created in modern times.The Greenheads in Malaya are as hostile to the Chinese as they are to the Cheshire cat, but as far as Fusheng knows, this demonic cat can still survive there. Dr. Zhan stabbed the needle into the foreign devil's skin again, he flinched in pain, and immediately made an ugly expression on her. "Quickly end," he told her, "quickly." She performed a Namaste carefully, hiding her fear. "He's moving again," she whispered to Felson. "The anesthetic isn't strong enough. Worse than the one I'm used to." "Don't worry," replied Fauci, "that's why I gave him the whiskey. Do your job and I'll take care of him." He turned to Mr. Lake and said, "She'll be done in a minute." The foreigner showed an ugly expression again, but at least he didn't threaten her again.And the doctor finally finished the stitches.Fusheng took her aside and handed her an envelope containing the reward.She folded his palms together to thank him, but Fusheng just shook his head. "There is a bonus inside. I hope you can deliver a letter for me." He handed another envelope to her, "I want to talk to the boss of your building." "That 'dog day'?" The expression on her face was disgusted. "If he heard you call him that, he'd kill your whole family." "That man is difficult to deal with." "Just send him my letter." She took the envelope with doubts, "You are kind to our family. The neighbors are also saying good things about you. They also burn incense and pray for...the ones you lost." "I haven't done enough." Fusheng squeezed out a smile, "In any case, we Chinese have to unite. When we were in Malaya, some of us were Hokkien, some were Hakka, and some were the fifth wave of immigrants, but in Here, we're all yellow cards. I'm just sad that I couldn't do more." "You have done a lot more than others." She imitated the local culture and saluted him, then said goodbye and left. Mr. Lake stared at her receding figure, "She's a yellow card person. Isn't she?" Fusheng nodded, "Yes. Before the incident, she was a doctor in Malacca." The man sat quietly, seemingly pondering the information, "Is she cheaper than a doctor in Thailand?" Fusheng glanced at the foreign devil, trying to figure out what kind of answer he wanted to hear.Finally, he said, "Yes, much cheaper. The technology is as good or better, but much cheaper. They don't allow us to take jobs from Thais, so she doesn't have much to do unless it's for A yellow card person sees a doctor - and the yellow card person obviously doesn't have a lot of money to pay her. She's happy to have the job." Mr. Lake nodded, looking preoccupied.Fu Sheng wanted to know what he was thinking.This man is a mystery.Sometimes, Fusheng felt that with such stupid qualities of the foreign devils, it was hard to believe that they once ruled the world, and now they have come to this point again.They were successful during the period of expansion, and then the energy collapse forced them back to their lands, but now they are back, with their calorie oligarchs, plagues, patented grains... they seem to be blessed by some supernatural power .Normally speaking, Mr. Lake should be dead. He should be a pile of flesh and blood with Banya, Lian, and the unknown mahout on the fourth reel—that is, the idiot who drove the giant elephant crazy. divide each other.But now the foreign devil is sitting here, complaining about the thin needle, as if he didn't know that he killed a ten-ton monster in the blink of an eye.Foreign devils are indeed strange creatures.Much weirder than he'd imagined, though he often did business with them. "We have to pay the mahouts another sum, or they won't come back to work," Fusheng pointed out. "OK." "We still have to invite some monks to the factory to perform rituals, so that the mood of the workers can be better. The ghosts must be completely dispelled." Fusheng paused, "It will be very expensive. They will say that there are some evil spirits in your factory, or Maybe the location is not right, or the spirit room is not big enough, or maybe a tree with a ghost was cut down during the construction of the factory. We need to find a fortune teller, or ask a feng shui master to look at it and convince people that it is a ghost. Nice place. Also, the mahout will ask us to pay accident damages..." Mr. Lake interrupted him. "I'm going to replace the Mahout," he said. "All of them." Fusheng gasped, "It's impossible. The Mammoth union monopolizes all energy supply contracts in the city, which are authorized by the government. White Shirts handed over the energy monopoly to the union. We can't do anything about the union." "They're so bad. I don't want them, never again." Fusheng wondered if the gringo was joking.He smiled hesitantly, "This is authorized by the royal family. I also want to replace the Ministry of Environment." "It's a good idea." Mr. Lake laughed. "I can join forces with Carlyle and complain about taxes and carbon credit laws every day. Let the Minister of Trade, Akarat, take care of our affairs." His gaze Focusing on Fusheng, "But that's not the way you like to do things, is it?" His eyes suddenly turned cold, "You like to act in the shadows, bargaining. Do things low-key." Fusheng swallowed hard.The foreign devil's pale skin and blue eyes were truly terrifying, more like a devil cat than a common creature; neither could give him the slightest consolation in this hostile land. "It's unwise to provoke the white shirt." Fusheng said in a low voice, "The rafters are rotten first." "That's what the yellow card guy said." "You can say so if you like. But I'm alive and everyone else is dead. The Ministry of Environment is powerful. General Praca and his white shirts are always up to a challenge against them. Even December The same thing happened on the 12th. You dance with snakes, you have to be prepared to be bitten." Mr. Lake seemed to want to retort, but finally shrugged. "I think you do know more about this." "That's why you hired me." The foreign devil stared at the dead giant elephant, "That beast should not be able to break free from the chain." He took another sip of wine, "The safety chain is rusty, I checked it. We won't pay a penny of compensation, That's it. That's my bottom line. If they value the beast, I don't have to kill it." Fusheng shook his head lightly. Although he agreed with the words in his heart, he would not say it out loud, "Khun, we have no other choice." Mr. Lake smiled dryly. "Yes, of course. They're a monopoly." He frowned. "How could Yates build a factory here. Stupid." Fusheng felt anxious for a while.The foreign devil seemed to have suddenly turned into a bad-tempered child again.Kids are always reckless enough to piss off white shirts or unions, and sometimes they pick up their toys and run home.The thought is disturbing.Anderson Lake and his investors must not escape.At least not yet. "So, what's our loss now?" asked Mr. Lake. Fusheng hesitated for a moment, and then mustered up the courage to deliver the bad news, "Including the compensation for the giant elephant and the cost of appeasing the trade union, it may reach 90 million baht?" Amai shouted in the distance and waved for Fusheng to come over.You don't even need to look at him to know it won't be good news.He added, "I think there's something down there as well. It's going to be expensive to repair." He paused for a moment, and the next thing was the point, "You should speak to your investors, Mr. Greg and Mr. Yi made an announcement. We probably don’t have enough cash for repairs. Also, when the new seaweed cultivation tanks are in place, we also need a sum of money for installation and commissioning.” He paused again, “We More money is needed." He waited anxiously, wondering how the foreign devils would react to this.The cash flowed through the company so fast that Fusheng sometimes thought that money came from the sky like water; but even so, he also knew that this was never a pleasant thing.Investors can sometimes get pretty demanding when it comes to spending.When Mr. Yates was around there were frequent quarrels about money; this was seldom when Mr. Lake came.Investors didn't seem to have complained much since Mr. Lake's arrival, and there was an influx of undreamed-of money waiting to be spent.If Fusheng himself was running the company, he would have shut down the cashier at least a year ago. But Mr. Lake didn't even bat an eye when he heard this.He just said: "More money." Then he turned to Fusheng, "When will the seaweed culture tank and nutrient solution pass the test?" He asked, "When will it be?" Fusheng's face turned pale, "It's hard to say. The water here is very deep, and the Ministry of Environment is likely to intervene." "You said you paid White Shirt to release our shipment." "Yes." Fusheng nodded slightly, "All the presents have been sent out." "Then why is Banya complaining about the contamination of the tanks? If we grow some other organism..." Fusheng quickly interrupted him: "Our cargo has already docked at the pier. It was delivered by Carlyle last week..." He made up his mind that this foreign devil needs to hear some good news, "Everything has been taken care of. You can pass the customs tomorrow. Your goods will be delivered here on the back of giant elephants," he forced himself to smile, "unless you plan to terminate your cooperation with the union now." The foreign devil shook his head, and even smiled a little at the joke.This made Fusheng relieved. "Tomorrow, then, are you sure?" Mr. Lake asked. Fusheng cheered up and nodded his head to show that there was no problem, after all, he himself was expecting this to come true.But even so, the foreign devil still stared at him with those blue eyes, "We spent a lot of money here. The most unacceptable thing for investors is incompetence. I can't accept it either." "I see." Mr. Lake nodded in satisfaction, "That's good. We'll contact the head office later. We'll call again after we get the new production line equipment back from the customs. When we report the bad news, we have to let them hear it." Good news. I don't want to ask them for money without any results." He looked at Fusheng again, "We don't want that, do we?" Fusheng forced himself to nod in agreement, "You are right." Mr. Lake took another sip of his drink. "Very well. Go see how bad the damage is. I'll see the report tomorrow morning." This means he can go.The shaft inspection team was still waiting for him in the workshop, so Fusheng walked towards them.He hoped that what he said was correct, and that the batch of goods could pass the customs smoothly, so that he could prove himself with facts.It's a gamble, but not the bad kind.Besides, the foreign devil couldn't hear any more bad news at this time anyway. When Fusheng walked to the side of the rotating shaft, Ah Mai had just crawled out of the hole and was dusting off his body. "How's the situation?" Fu Sheng asked.Now that the shaft has been completely removed from the production line, the shaft on the ground looks like a huge piece of teak.The crack is so large that it can be seen at a glance.He called into the hole, "Is there much damage?" A minute later, Bom came out from under, covered in grease. "The passage is very narrow," he gasped, "I can't get through some places." He raised an arm and wiped the sweat and dirt off his face, "The branch chain is undoubtedly damaged. As for the other parts, only Just send a kid down there to look. If the main drive chain is damaged, the whole floor will have to be pulled up to fix it." Fu Sheng frowned and looked into the hole, which reminded him of those tunnels, rats, and shivering survivors in the jungle to the south. "Looks like we'll have to get Amai to get some of her friends over." He checked the damage again.Once, he also owned such a factory, and all the warehouses were filled with various goods; but now, look what he looks like: a handyman hired by foreign devils.He is no longer young, and his body is on the verge of collapse all the time, while the revival plan of the entire nation is still circling in his mind.He sighed, suppressing his disappointment, "I want to know the details of the damage, and then I will talk to the boss. Don't come 'surprise' again." Boom clasped his hands together, "Yes, Khun." Fusheng turned around and walked towards the office. He was a little limp in the first few steps, but soon he forced himself not to take more care of his sick leg.After a busy day, his knees were sore, a reminder of the same behemoth that had left him in the factory he once owned.When he reached the top of the steps, he couldn't help but stop and turn around to look at the carcass of the giant elephant and the place where the workers died.Memories of the past swirl around him like a flock of crows, tearing at him, trying to tear his head off.So many friends, so many relatives, they all died.Just four years ago, he was a big shot.nowadays?nothing. He pushed open the door and walked in.It's very quiet in the office.Empty desks; expensive pedal computers with pedals and tiny screens; giant corporate safes.His eyes swept across the room, and religious fanatics in green headbands seemed to jump out of the shadows, machetes flying up and down in their hands-but these were just memories. He closed the door to block out the noise from the slaughter and maintenance site.He forced himself not to go to the window to look at the pools of blood and corpses below, and not to dwell on the memories: the blood running down the sewers in Malacca, and the heads piled up like durians for sale. This is not Malaya, he reminded himself.You are safe here. Even so, those images did not dissipate, but were as clear as photos or fireworks during the Spring Festival.Even though it has been four years since that incident, he still needs to resort to certain rituals to calm down.When he was in a bad mood, almost everything made him feel dangerous.He closed his eyes, forced himself to take a deep breath, and recalled the blue ocean and his fleet of fast sailing ships on the waves... He took another deep breath and opened his eyes.The room was safe again, with nothing but neatly arranged empty desks and dusty pedal computers.Shutters keep the hot tropical sun out.Clouds of dust mingled with the smoke of incense. At the other end of the room, deep in the shadows, the company's two safes gleamed somberly; the steel object crouched there, as if to challenge him.Fusheng had the key to one of the safes, which contained the usual cash.But the other, the larger safe, could only be opened by Mr. Lake. It's close, he thought. The safe containing the blueprints was inches away from him.He had seen them spread out in front of him.There were DNA samples of genetically modified seaweed; genetic maps stored in solid-state data cubes; instructions on how to grow and process the seaweed, and powder its membranes to add to lubricants; how to manufacture扭结弹簧的金属丝进行必要的回火处理，以使其可以与新的外表涂层发生相互作用的详细阐述。新一代的能源储存技术就在他触手可及的地方，而这新技术将为他本人，以及他的民族带来新生。 一年多以前，福生用白酒把耶茨灌醉，聆听他杂乱无章的叙说，并最终取得了他的信任和依赖。这一切全都白费了。现在那些东西进了这个他不能打开的保险柜，这全是因为耶茨没能力将自己的梦想变为现实，而且还愚蠢地激怒了投资人。 只要福生能够拿到那些文件，他就可以建起新的帝国。但他手头只有不完全的抄本，当耶茨在的时候经常把文件摊开放在桌面，可这个整天醉醺醺的蠢货后来却买了那该死的保险柜。 现在，隔在他和那些蓝图之间的是一把钥匙、一系列密码以及一堵铁墙。这是个质量很好的保险柜。福生对这种东西并不陌生。当年他自己也是个大人物，也有需要保密的文件，这种保险柜的安全性同样使他获益良多。令人恼火的是——也许这是所有事情中最令人恼火的——洋鬼子们用的保险柜与当年他自己在马来亚的贸易帝国所用的是同一品牌：硬铁牌保险柜。华人制造的工具却被洋鬼子利用了。他曾呆坐在这里，整天凝视那保险柜，思索其中装着的那些知识…… 福生抬起头，一个想法突兀地出现在他的脑海中。 你把保险柜锁上了吗，雷克先生？在当时的紧张情况下，你会忘了把保险柜给锁上吗？ 福生的心跳速度加快。 你会不会犯下这种小失误呢？ 耶茨先生有的时候就会这样。 福生试着控制逐渐增长的兴奋之情。他一瘸一拐地走向保险柜，最终站在它面前。保险柜就像一个神龛，一个值得膜拜的东西。这块由铁塑造而成的物体，除了耐心和金刚石钻头，没有任何东西能够穿透它。每一天，他坐在这物体的对面，都能感觉到它在嘲弄他。 事情会这么简单吗？雷克先生真的有可能因为突然发生的灾难而忘记锁上保险柜吗？ 福生犹疑不决地伸出手，握住门上的把手。他屏住了呼吸，向他的祖先祈祷，向象头人身的卡尼特佛——泰国人信仰的除灾祛难的佛祈祷，向他知道的所有神佛祈祷。他压下了把手。 足有一千斤重的钢铁纹丝不动，每一个分子都在抗拒他的压力。 福生呼出一口气，向后退了一步，极力压制心中的失落。 耐心。每一个保险柜都有一把钥匙。如果耶茨先生有足够的能力，如果他没有莫名其妙地惹火投资人，他本来会是那把完美的钥匙。而现在，雷克先生必须取代他，成为那把钥匙。 耶茨先生安装这个保险柜的时候，他还曾开玩笑说要用它来存放家里的珠宝，然后自己哈哈大笑。福生那时候只是点头、双手合十、微笑，但他心中所想的只是这些蓝图的真正价值，以及责怪自己没有趁着还能看到的时候快点把它们都抄下来。 现在耶茨已经不在了，取而代之的是另一个洋鬼子。这家伙真是个魔鬼。蓝色的眼睛，金黄的头发，脸上的线条很硬，不像耶茨那样柔和。这危险的家伙一再检查福生所做的每一件事，让所有的行动都变得如此艰难。福生必须想办法让他相信自己应该放弃公司的这个秘密。福生抿紧嘴唇。耐心，你一定要有耐心，那洋鬼子总有一天会犯下错误。 “福生！” 福生走到门口，朝着下面的雷克先生挥挥手表示自己听见了。但他并没有立刻下楼，而是来到自己的神龛旁边。 他在观音像前跪倒，求她看顾他本人以及他的祖先，求她给他一个救赎自己以及家人的机会。在观音像下面倒贴着一张福字，这样福气就能到他的身边来。福生将尤德克斯大米供奉给观音，并亲手切开一个红橙。橙汁沿着他的手臂流下来：这是一个新鲜的、没有任何玷污的、昂贵的水果。对神佛不能太过吝啬，他们喜欢供奉多的人，不喜欢供奉少的。然后，他点燃了一炷香。 缭绕的烟雾慢慢在静止的空气中化开，办公室充满了薰香的气味。福生祈祷着。他祈祷工厂不要关闭；祈祷他的贿赂能让新的生产线设备毫无阻碍地通过海关；祈祷那个洋鬼子会失去理智，给予他过多的信任；祈祷那该死的保险柜会自动打开，让他得知其中所有的秘密。 福生祈祷能够得到好运，即使是一个年老的黄卡人也需要好运。