Chapter 33 Chapter Thirty-Two

Smoke billowed around Kanya.In addition to the victims found in the hospital the other day, four more bodies were found.The plague mutated much faster than she had imagined.Gibson mentioned that it might mutate rapidly, and the rapidly increasing number of deaths filled her with an ominous premonition. A Pai walked back and forth by the edge of a fish pond.They have put a lot of lime and chloroform into this pond.The acrid gas lingered around everyone, and they started coughing.It's the stench of fear. She thought of other fishponds that had been filled in, other people who had huddled together as white shirts surrounded the village and burned everything.She closed her eyes.She used to hate those white shirts so much.The local mob boss saw this, found her smart and hardworking, and sent her to the capital with orders: volunteer to join the White Shirts, work with them, and win their favor.It was the godfather of a local village who was in some kind of collaboration with the white shirt enemies.He wants revenge because they took his power away.

Dozens of children from the village traveled south to beg for shelter at the gates of the Ministry of Environment, all of whom received the same order.Of all these children, she was the only one who had climbed to such a high position.But she knew there must be others like her, taking root in the Ministry of the Environment.These children share her loyalty to their homeland and their hatred for the Ministry of the Environment. "I forgive you," Jaidy whispered. Kanya shook her head, completely ignoring the ghost.She waved to A Pai, signaling to start filling the fish pond.If they are lucky enough, the village will be wiped from the face of the earth forever.Her men were quick, eager to leave the place.They all wore hazmat suits and masks, but in the relentless heat their protection was far outweighed by the pain they caused.

More acrid smoke rose up.The villagers are crying.The girl named Amai stared at Kanya, and she didn't even hide the hatred on her face.This moment will leave a permanent mark on this child's life.This memory will be a fishbone in her throat from which she will never be able to shake off. Kanya's mind drifted away from her body.If you can understand us... But it is impossible for a child of this age to understand or accept the cruel things in life. If only I could have understood then... "Captain Kanya!" She turned around.A man walked over from the embankment, stepping deep and stepping shallowly, trampling many green rice seedlings to death.A Pai raised his head curiously, but Kanya waved him away.The messenger came to her panting. "May Buddha bless you. The Ministry is calling you." He waited expectantly for Kanya's response.

"Now?" Kanya looked at him, then back at the burning village, "You want me to go back now?" The young messenger was at a loss, clearly taken aback by her reaction.Kanya waved impatiently, "Tell me quickly, is it now?" "Buddha bless you, bless the Ministry of Environment, yes." Kanya frowned, and turned around to call her deputy, "A Pai, I have to go." "Now?" He came to her, trying to suppress his surprise. Kanya nodded. "No way," she waved her hand towards the burning bamboo house, "you stay here and get things done."

"What about the villagers?" "Tie them up here. Send them food. If no one else gets sick within this week, we're done here." "Do you think we'll be that lucky?" Kanya forced herself to smile, even though she knew someone as experienced as Pai didn't need her reassurance. "We can always hope." She greeted the young man, "take me away," she glanced at A Pai, "when you finish dealing with things here, meet me at the Ministry. There is another place It must be burned." "Fran's factory?" His eagerness almost made her laugh, "We can't leave the source of the plague alone. Isn't it our job to eliminate them?"

"You are a new tiger!" Appai shouted.He patted her on the back obsessively, and then remembered the identities of the two of them, and quickly performed a Namaste salute, apologizing for his rudeness.He hurried back to his post and continued to destroy the village. "A new tiger," Jaidi whispered beside her, "that title suits you well." "Your training makes them need a radical to lead." "So they chose you?" Kanya sighed, "For now, whoever can hold the burning torch is enough." That statement made Jay Di laugh out loud. On the other side of the dike, a kink-sprung dinghy awaited her.The young man who delivered the letter sat in the driver's seat, and she also sat in the seat.Soon the dinghy was weaving through the city streets, blowing air horns and leaving the giant elephants and bicycles behind.The city recedes swiftly: the fishmongers, the clothes sellers, the amulet sellers—Jaidi always makes fun of the Phra Sevub amulets that these people sell, while Kanya herself wears the same amulet, with a small The small chain hangs it above the chest, never letting it show through the clothes and be seen by others.

Before she left the village, she touched the amulet, and Jaidi said behind her, "You have asked too much from God." Resign, hoping to get his protection, even though she knows she is not worthy. The boat stopped and she jumped ashore.The gold ornaments of the City Pillar altar gleamed in the dawn light, surrounded by women selling marigold garlands.The sound of monks chanting along with the accompaniment of Kun-style dances came from behind the whitewashed walls.Before she could thank her, the young man who drove the boat had already left.This was just another person who owed Akarat a favor, and this boat was probably a gift from Akarat, and what he got was the young man's loyalty.

"So, what did you get, Kanya dear?" Jaidi asked. "You know," Kanya whispered, "I got what I swore I would get." "So, do you still want it now?" She didn't answer, just stepped through the gate and walked into the temple.Although it was still early, the temple was still packed with believers.People kneel before the golden statue of Buddha and the shrine of Phra Sevub.The Phra Sevub shrine here is only slightly smaller than the one in the ministry.Believers present offerings such as garlands and fruits everywhere, hoping to get a lottery.The chanting of the monks drowned out all the noise, guarding the city with their prayers, amulets, and the sacred silk "Sexin" that stretched from the temple and connected all the dams and water pumps.In the dim light, the sacred thread hung loosely on a special pole, swaying slightly.They extend from this sacred center to the pump, and then circle the sea wall for dozens of miles.The low chanting of the monks continued, protecting the city of angels from being swallowed by the huge waves.

Kanya bought a few sticks of incense and bought some food for offerings, and took these things down the marble steps to the inside of the temple.She knelt before the City Pillar of Ayutthaya and the larger City Pillar of Bangkok.This is the zero starting point of all roads in this country, the heart of the City of Angels, and the place where the protective gods of the city live.From the gate of the temple, you can see towering embankments all around, and the people in the city seem to be at the bottom of the bath.The surrounding area was submerged, so bless this only remaining temple... She lit the incense stick in her hand, very pious.

"With so many places to go, the Ministry of Trade chose this place as your meeting place. Don't you think your behavior is hypocritical?" "Shut up, Jaidy." Zaidi knelt beside her, "Well, at least the fruit you offer is still fresh." "Shut up." Jaidi's repeated interruptions made it impossible for her to pray.After a minute she gave up and got up and went outside into the morning light.Nalong had arrived, leaning against a lamppost, watching the Kun-style dance in progress.The drummers beat the drums, and the dancers twisted their bodies according to the established procedures, making unmodified high-pitched sounds, which were mixed with the sound of monks chanting on the other side of the courtyard.

Kanya came to the other side, Nalong raised his hand to stop her, "Wait a minute, let's watch their performance first." Trying to suppress her anger, she took a seat and watched the dancers reenact Pima's story.Finally, Nalong nodded, seemingly satisfied. "Not bad, isn't it?" He tilted his head in the direction of the City Pillar Temple, "Have you made an offering yet?" "Do you really care?" Many white shirts gathered in the temple compound to offer their offerings to the Pillars of the City.Some prayed for promotion or assignment to more lucrative positions, others for successful investigations, and still others for protection from the plagues they faced every day.By its very nature, the temple belongs to the Ministry of the Environment and is similar in function and function to the shrine in the Ministry's compound, which enshrines Phra Sevub, who was martyred for biodiversity.Talking to Naron in this place, in front of so many white shirts, made Kanya nervous, but the other side didn't seem to feel that way at all. "We love this city," he said. "Even Akarat will stop at nothing to protect it." Kanya frowned, "What on earth are you looking for me for?" "I'm so impatient. Let's go for a walk." With a sullen expression on her face, suppressing her anger, she whispered, "Do you know that you interfere with my work? It's very important work." "Then let's talk while walking." "I was in quarantine in a village. Five people died there, and we haven't been able to find out why." He glanced sideways and seemed to be interested, "A new outbreak of second-generation tuberculosis?" He walked out of the temple yard first, walked past the vendors selling marigolds, and continued to move forward. "We don't know yet," she said, hiding her frustration, "but you're getting in the way of my work. Do you want to see me running around like a dog for fun..." "We are in trouble." Nalong interrupted her. "You may think your village is very important, but it is definitely not as big as our big trouble. Someone died, a very high-ranking nobleman. We need you to come Help us investigate." She laughed, "I'm not a policeman..." "That's out of the police's business. There's a clockwork man involved." Her laughter stopped suddenly, "A what?" "The killer, we're sure it's an alien species. A military-style clockwork man, a clockwork monster." "how is this possible?" "This is exactly what we want to investigate." Nalong stared at her seriously, "Also, we can't open the investigation because General Pracha has won the right to investigate the case. He declared that the clockworker is prohibited from entering the country." Creatures, using this as a reason to win the power of law enforcement. It seems that the clockwork killer is a Cheshire cat, or a yellow card person." He let out a bitter laugh, "We are completely blocked out, we need You investigate for us." "It's hard to do. I wasn't assigned by the Ministry to investigate the incident, and Pracha wouldn't..." "He trusts you." "Trust at work is completely different from allowing me to get involved in other affairs." She shrugged and turned to leave, "This can't be done." "No!" Nalong grabbed her and pulled her back, "This matter is very important, we must master every detail!" Kanya turned sharply and shook off Naron's hand holding her shoulder, "Why? What's so important about this matter? Countless people die in Bangkok every day. Before we send the found corpses to Into the methane incinerator, more corpses will appear again. Well, why is this dead man so important that I even let me hinder General Pracha?" Nalong pulled her closer, "It's His Royal Highness Somdej Chao Phraya. Her Majesty's protector is gone." Kanya's legs went limp.Naron grabbed her and continued, speaking quickly, "Since playing this game, I find politics getting uglier." He had a smile on his face, but Kanya saw the face now. Hidden anger, "You're a good girl, Kanya. We've never broken our agreement. You're here because of the agreement. I know it's difficult. You respect your work at the Ministry of Environment." Your Majesty is faithful and you will pray to Pa Sewubu. These are good things and you are right to do so, but we need your help. Maybe you don't want to serve Akarat anymore, but it is the court that needs you now .” "What do you want?" "We need to know if Pratzer was responsible for this. He quickly took over the entire investigation. We must know if he is the mastermind behind that dagger. Your patrons and court have all their hopes in you. Raza may be covering up something, he may even plan another December 12 coup, and this time, he will target the royal family." "It can't be him..." "It couldn't be easier for him." Nalong's voice suddenly became hoarse because of excitement, "We must know whether this clockwork man was arranged by your department." He handed over a bundle of banknotes For her, the amount was so huge that Kanya was dumbfounded. "As for the people who want to stop you, bribe them with these," he said. She shivered for a moment before regaining her ability to move.She took the money and stuffed it into her pocket.He stroked her lightly. "I'm so sorry, Kanya. You're the only card I have. Find our enemies and let's uproot them. I'm on you now." It was noon, and the interior of the Phunchi Building was suffocatingly hot.Investigators huddled in that club room, adding to the stuffiness in an otherwise impenetrable place.A decent man should not die in a place like this.This place is full of hunger, despair, and greed that can never be satiated.People from the palace gathered in the hall to watch, discuss, and prepare to remove His Royal Highness Somdej Chao Phraya's body, put it in an urn, and complete the funeral; but first, they have to wait for Pracha's people to finish their investigation.Anxiety, anger, and fear are rife here, and people can only counteract these emotions with politeness and politeness, so that the tense atmosphere will not explode.Like the moment before a monsoon storm, the overcast sky gathers the energy of thunder and lightning, and is covered with billowing clouds. The first body fell on the ground in the outer room, it was an old Farang.He was barely injured except for a livid bruise on his throat, but the blow had shattered his throat and choked him to death with a blocked airway.The body was lying beside the bar, its limbs stretched out, and its body showed various spots, like a floating corpse in a river.Some bad guys will use such corpses as bait for fishing.Old Fran stared at Kanya with wide, blue eyes like two seas of death.Kanya looked at the body and said nothing.General Praca's secretary then led her into an inner room. She gasped. There was blood everywhere.A swirl of blood spattered the walls and trickled down to the floor.Several corpses were intertwined and fell into a pile.One of them was His Royal Highness Somdej Chao Phraya, whose throat was not hit like that old Frang's, but was torn open like a tiger bite.His bodyguards were all dead, too, one with a flying knife from a spring-loaded pistol lodged in his eye socket, and another hit in multiple places by flying knives. "What a murder," Kanya murmured.She hesitated, not quite sure what she was supposed to do at the scene of this sordid death.The ivory beetles gathered on this bloody filth, gathering up and spreading out, leaving various traces on the semi-coagulated blood. Pracha happened to be talking with his subordinates in this room.Pracha looked up at her as she let out a startled gasp.The expressions of the others are also quite rich, ranging from shock, anxiety, and embarrassment.Kanya felt sick at the thought that Pracha might have been behind the killing.His Highness Somdej Chaophya was never a friend of the Ministry of Environment, but the unpardonable crime of killing members of the royal family made her extremely uncomfortable.It is one thing to plan a coup and counter a coup, but quite another to get your hands inside the royal family.She felt as helpless as a bamboo leaf washed by the flood. Yes, we are all going to die, she told herself, and even the richest and most powerful people end up being prey to the Cheshire Cat.We are nothing but walking dead.Only the stupidest of people forget this fact, and it is only when you meditate on the nature of dead bodies that you realize it. Even so, she still couldn't find her courage.Witnessing such a tragedy with her own eyes almost drove her crazy.What have you done, Your Excellency?Kanya shuddered at the thought of this question. "Kanya?" Pracha beckoned her over.She searched the general's face for a hint of guilt, but no matter how she looked at it, Pracha looked just bewildered. "What are you doing here?" "I..." She had prepared her speech in advance.But she couldn't get those words out in a room where the queen's protectors and their entourage were lying on the ground.Pracha followed her gaze and saw the regent's body.His voice softened, and he reached out and patted her arm, "Come on, I know this is hard to take." Then, he led her out of the room. "I……" Pratt shook his head. "You heard the news," he sighed, "and it will be heard by everyone in town by tonight." Kanya hurriedly told the prepared lie: "...I didn't expect it to be true." "It's worse," Pratzer shook his head heavily. "A clockwork man did it." Kanya feigned surprise.She glanced back at the large pool of blood in the room. "A clockwork man? Just one?" She glanced over the mass of flying knives nailed into the wall and recognized several of the dead.One of them was a high official in the Ministry of Trade and the son of the patriarch of a noble family.The other came from an industrial family in Chaozhou and was well-known in the trade circle.The faces of these people often appear in newspapers, and they are all people of considerable status. "It's really scary." "It's unbelievable, isn't it? Six bodyguards, plus three grown men. The killer has only one clockwork man—if we believe eyewitness testimony." Pracha shook his head. As terrible as TB is, at least TB is much cleaner." His Royal Highness Somdej Chao Phraya's neck was almost completely ripped open.Although the spine was not broken, it seemed that the connection between the head and the body was still maintained, but it obviously could not play any supporting role. "It's like the devil did it." "Or a beast. That's something only military-style genetically modified creatures can do. We've seen something like that in the North fighting the Vietnamese. They used wind-up men made in Japan as surprise troops. Luckily. Yes, they don’t have enough clockworkers.” He stared at Kanya, “It’s going to be very bad for us. The Ministry of Trade will blame us for our mistakes in this matter, and put the responsibility for the clockworkers’ entry into the country. On us. They will make the most of this matter and use it as an excuse to grab more power." His expression was very gloomy, "We need to find out how this clockwork man appeared here. Maybe Akara He specially framed us and sacrificed His Royal Highness the Regent to seize power." "Absolutely not..." Pratt shook his head. "Politics is always ugly. These villains will do anything for power. We think Akarat himself was here before this happened. Some people who work in the bar remember him." He shrugged. , "These people are terrified. No one wants to say much. As far as we have now, it is likely that Akarat and some of his farang trades were the ones who introduced this clockwork monster to His Highness Somdej Chao Phraya business friend." Is he playing tricks on me?Does he already know that I work for Akarat?Kanya pretended to be calm. If he had known, he would never have promoted me to replace Jaidi. Jaidi whispered in her ear, "You won't know. It's better for him to have a poisonous snake in his lair than to let him roam the jungle. Stay in your lair and he always knows you're there." where." "I'm going to send you to the Archives," Pratza said. "There's information we need there, it can't be drowned in files, understand? We have Trade Department spies among us. Everything you find there is Report to me. Investigate how the clockworker lives here and what her life is like. After this news gets out, someone will try to cover it. They will lie and the permission record will disappear. Those who allow this The Clockwork Man exists in violation of all laws. This is the weakness of our Ministry of Environment. Some people took bribes, some people allowed this Clockwork Man to live here. I need to know who these people are, and, I want Know if these people are also Akarat's lackeys." "Why did you send me there?" Pracha smiled sadly, "Besides Jaidi, you were the one I trusted the most. But he died." "He's got you set," Jaidy said. "If he's going to take this to the Ministry of Trade, you're the perfect tool. Ministry spy." There was no deception in Pracha's expression, but he was a very cunning man.How much does he really know? "Find this information for me," Pracha said, "and bring it to me. Also, don't mention this to anyone." "I'll do it," she said.But she thought in her heart that those records might no longer exist.The lid on what Pracha was talking about has long been closed.If there is really an assassination plan against His Royal Highness the Prince Regent, the rewards will be divided among all levels, and there are countless people who take the money.She shivered: who would do such a thing?Assassinations among politicians are common, but to kill a member of the royal family in such a way... she was almost overwhelmed by the feeling of anger and powerlessness, and she forced herself to temporarily shake off this feeling, "So far, we have nothing to do with this clockwork man. How much do you know?" "She claims to have been dumped by the Japanese. The girls who work here say she's been here for a few years." Kanya showed a look of disgust, "It's hard to believe that someone..." She stopped, and did not say her condemnation of Somdej Chao Phraya.In order to hide her uncomfortable feeling, she asked another question: "How did His Royal Highness the Regent come here?" "We only know that he was accompanied by Akarat's accomplices." "Will you question Akarat directly?" "If he can be found." "He disappeared?" "Are you surprised? Akarat has always been good at protecting himself, that's why he escaped death many times." Pracha frowned, "He's like a Cheshire cat, no one can catch him." Racha stared at her, "We have to find out who allowed this clockwork man to live here for so long, and how it got into this city, find out all the details. We have no idea how the assassination was planned Yes, and when we don't know, we become vulnerable." Kanya gave a namaste. "I'll do what I can." Though Jaidy lingers around her, sneering at her, "I'll probably need more information to track down whoever is responsible." "You have enough information to take the first step. First, find out where the clockworker came from and who took the bribe. I must know this information." "So, what about Akarat and those Farang who introduced the Clockwork Man to the Regent?" Pracha smiled slightly, "I will handle these myself." "But……" "Kanya, I understand that you want to do more. We all care about the welfare of the court and the kingdom, but we must first have the information about this clockwork creature, and keep this information in our own hands." Kanya controlled his reaction. "Yes, of course, I will find out about the bribery." She paused just right, "Will the bribe taker be required to accept the punishment publicly to express his apology?" Pracha frowned. "A little bribe is harmless. After all, the age is bad, and the people in the ministry are not rich. But such a big mess?" He shook his head. "We used to be very respected, I still remember that time." Kanya murmured. Pratcha glanced at her. "Do you remember? I thought that era was over when you joined us." He sighed, "Don't worry, it won't be a bluff this time, someone will pay for it. In my own honor Guarantee this. There is no need to question my loyalty to the kingdom or to Her Majesty. The guilty must be punished." Kanya took another look at the regent's body, and the dingy room where he had met Death.A clockwork man, and the clockwork man was a whore, and the thought of it made her sick with nausea.A clockwork man, and some people would... She shook her head.It's ugly.The situation was already stable, but now it is about to be completely broken.There will be some young man who will pay for it, the one who takes bribes from Phnom Chit, whoever he is.Perhaps many more people will be implicated. On the street outside, Kanya flags down a rickshaw.Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the figures of the Palace Panther soldiers, forming a line at the door.The crowd is gradually gathering, watching the scene curiously.In a matter of hours, news spread throughout the city. "Ministry of the Environment, the sooner the better." She waved the bribe from Akarat to the coachman, urging him to exert himself to the utmost.While she was doing this, she still didn't know which side she represented.