Chapter 35 Chapter Thirty-Four

"Can you sit down? You're making me nervous walking around like this." Fusheng stopped in his tracks and stared angrily at the smiling face Zhan, "I paid for your calories, not for you to tell me what to do." Smiling Zhan shrugged and continued to play the cards in his hand.They have been crammed together in the hut for the last few days.Smiling Zhan got along very well with him, as did the Bai Ying and Peter Guo he brought.But even the best of friends... Fu Sheng shook his head.None of this matters.A storm is coming, and the horizon will be red with flames.He felt the same way before the Malaya Incident, before his son was beheaded and his daughter was gang-raped to death.But at that time, he sat in the center of a brewing storm, stubbornly ignoring this feeling, and instead told everyone who would listen to him that the people of Kuala Lumpur would never allow the tragedy in Jakarta to repeat itself, and would never show respect to these kind-hearted Chinese. Raise the butcher knife.Are they disloyal to the country?Don't they contribute to society?He maintained friendly relations with officials at all levels of the government who repeatedly assured him that the Green Headbands were nothing more than a political posturing — were they all fake?

He refuses to believe the storm's undercurrents around him...but not this time.This time, he was ready.There was turbulent energy in the air, and he knew a storm was coming.Signs of things have been evident since the white shirts sealed off the factory complex.And now, everything is about to explode.This time, he was fully prepared.Fusheng looked around at the small fortress—a large amount of money, precious stones, and food were stored in it—and he smiled secretly. "Is there anything new on the radio?" he asked. Smiling Zhan exchanged glances with his two subordinates, then nodded to Bai Ying, "It's your turn to inject energy into it."

Bai Ying frowned, and walked to the hand crank radio.The radio was prohibitively expensive, and Fusheng was beginning to regret buying it.There were a few other crank radios in the slum, but if he rushed over to listen to them, it would attract attention, so he bought one himself for a fortune.At that time, he had doubts, maybe there would not be any useful news in the airwaves except rumors, but even so, he still couldn't refuse the source of the news. Bai Ying knelt down on one knee beside the radio, turning its crank.There was a rattling sound from the horn, not as loud as the noise from turning the crank.

"You know, if you charged it with a decent drive system, it would be much more efficient than it is now." No one paid any attention to him, and everyone's attention was focused on the small speaker: there was music coming from it, it was a Thai-style sanxian... Fusheng squatted next to the radio, listening intently, and then adjusted the frequency.Baiying began to sweat, and he spun for another 30 seconds, then stopped, gasping for breath, "Okay, it should last for a while." Fusheng patiently adjusted the frequency and listened to the sound of the wind transmitted by the radio waves.Listened to one station, then tuned to another station.Nothing but music.

Smiling Zhan looked up, "What time is it?" "About four o'clock? Who knows." Fu Sheng shrugged. "There should be a muay thai fight. The pre-match ceremony should be broadcasting right now." Four people, you look at me, and I look at you.Fusheng continued to tune to one station after another.All just music.No news, nothing... Then, suddenly, a voice appeared.All stations are filled with this sound, as if becoming the same station.All the people clustered around the radio, listening carefully. "I think it's Akarat." Fusheng paused, "Somdek Chao Phraya is dead, and Akarat is condemning the white shirt." He looked at the other three people, "The matter has begun."

Bai Ying, Smiling Zhan and Peter Guo all looked at him with respect, "You're absolutely right." Fu Sheng nodded impatiently, "I have learned a lesson." A storm is forming.Giant elephants will fight each other, that is their destiny.The distribution of power achieved by the last coup simply cannot last long, there must be a conflict between these beasts, and only one will be left to establish final total control.Fusheng silently prayed to his ancestors, hoping that they would bless him to survive this storm. Smiling Zhan stood up, "It seems that we still have to earn this bodyguard's salary after all."

Fu Sheng nodded solemnly, "The development of the situation will be terrible, especially for those who are not prepared." Bai Ying started charging his spring pistol, "It's the same as in Penang." "This time it won't be like that," Fusheng said, "this time, we are ready." He waved at them, "Come on, it's time to see what we can do..." There was a violent knock on the door, and everyone was shocked. "Fusheng! Fusheng!" A hysterical shout came from outside the door, and then there was another loud knock on the door.

"It's Lao Gu." Fu Sheng opened the door, and Lao Gu stumbled in. "They took Mr. Lake. 'Foreign Devil' and all his friends were taken." Fusheng stared at the rickshaw driver, "White Shirt started to deal with them?" "Not the white shirt, but the Ministry of Trade. I saw Akarat himself there." Fu Sheng frowned, "It's completely illogical." Lao Gu took out a leaflet and handed it over, "It's the clockwork man, the one he often brought to the apartment. She killed Somdej Chaophya." Fu Sheng quickly scanned the contents of the leaflet and nodded, "Are you sure this is the clockwork man you mentioned? Our Mr. Foreign Devil got involved with a killer?"

"All I know is that the leaflet says she's a killer, but that's the clockwork monster it's describing. It's unmistakable. He took her from Phnom Chit to the apartment many times, and even left her there overnight." "Are you in trouble?" Smiling Zhan asked. "Of course not." Fusheng shook his head, even allowing himself a smile.He went to the bed and took out a bunch of keys from under the mattress. "This is an opportunity, a better opportunity than I expected before." He turned to face everyone, "After waiting for so long, we finally don't have to hide here anymore."

"real?" Fusheng grinned, "Before we set off for the city center, we still have one place to go and one thing to get. That thing is in my previous office. Get your weapons ready." To Laughing Jen's credit, he didn't ask any questions.He just nodded, put the pistol in the holster, and slung a machete on his back.Others do the same.Several people went out together.Fusheng was the last to go out and closed the door behind him. Fusheng trotted to keep up with his men, the key to the factory jingling in his hand.For the first time in a long time, fate favored him.Now he just needs a little luck and a little extra time.

There were a lot of people in front, and they were shouting, denouncing the white shirts and mourning the death of the Queen's protector.People are very angry.A riot is about to happen, a storm is brewing.The combatants are calibrating their targets.A little girl ran over quickly, stuffed the leaflets into everyone's hands, and continued to run away.All political parties have started to move.The mafia bosses in the ghetto will soon send people to these back alleys to incite the people to violence. Fusheng and his men got out of the labyrinth of alleys and came to the street.There are not many people on the street, and there are no cars. Even the solo rickshaw pullers are out of service.A group of shopkeepers gathered around a crank radio.Fusheng waved his hand, motioned everyone to wait a moment, then walked over by himself, "Any news?" A woman looked up, "National Radio says His Royal Highness the Regent..." "Yes, I know about that. What else did it say?" "Minister Akarat condemned General Pracha." Things were moving faster than he had imagined.Fusheng straightened up and shouted to Smiling Zhan and the others: "Hurry up! If you don't hurry up, there will be no time!" At the same time as he shouted, a huge truck turned around the corner, its engine roaring, and it made a loud and shocking noise.Puffs of black smoke came out from the back of the car, not unlike the kind that come out of illegal burning of excrement.Dozens of soldiers with serious faces looked out from the open rear compartment.Fusheng and his men hurried into the alley to hide, the exhaust fumes made them cough.Smiling Jen poked his head out to look at the departing truck. "It's a coal-diesel hybrid," he said in surprise. "A military car." Fusheng thought: These may be those who were loyal to General Pracha during the December 12th Incident. They were commanded by the generals currently stationed in the Northeast. .Alternatively, these could be Akarat's allies, out to seize locks, docks, or airship pads.Of course, these troops could just as well be opportunists, ready to get ahead of the coming chaos.Fusheng watched them until the truck disappeared on another street corner in the distance.Whoever it was, the presence of the army was undoubtedly a harbinger of the coming storm. The last of the walkers fled home.Shopkeepers boarded up the doors and windows of their shops, and the click of the latch bolts could be heard all over the street.No one knows what will happen next in the city. Memories surrounded Fusheng like crows, pecking him with sharp beaks from time to time: sticky blood flowed in the alleys, and the smoke from burning green bamboo forests was ambiguous.He fondled the spring pistol and the cutlass, the weapons that brought him solace.The city may be a jungle full of tigers, but this time, he is no longer a fawn fleeing from Malaya.After that, he learned a lesson—preparation makes for a better response to chaos. He gestured to his men, "Let's go, it's time for us to do it."