Chapter 41 Chapter Forty

The appearance of the tank surprised everyone.One moment, they were riding two rickshaws on an almost deserted street; the next moment, the air was filled with roars, and a tank rushed out from the intersection ahead.A loudspeaker on the tank yelled something, perhaps a warning, and then its turret turned toward them. "Hidden!" Fusheng shouted, and everyone jumped out of the car in a panic.The tank gun let out a loud roar.Fu Sheng fell heavily to the ground.The front of a house collapsed completely, a large number of wreckage fell on their heads, and gray dust covered his whole body.Coughing, Fusheng tried to get up and crouch to run away, but a rifle rang out and he fell back down again.The cloud of dust made it impossible for him to see clearly.Someone from a nearby house appeared to return fire with a small-arms fire, and the tank opened fire again.The dust mist began to dissipate slowly.

Smiling Zhan was waving at Fusheng in a nearby alley, his head and face covered with a thick layer of dust.His mouth opened and closed, but there was no sound at all.Fu Sheng pulled Bai Ying hard, and the two fled over.A flap door on the top of the tank opened, and a gunner in battle armor poked his head out and fired at them with a spring-loaded rifle.Bai Ying fell down, and bright red blood flowed from her chest.Peter Guo ducked into another alley, and Fusheng caught him running away from the corner of his eye.Fusheng fell down again and crawled into the nearby rubble pile.The tank fired again and seemed to back off a bit.There was the faint sound of small arms fire from far down the street, and the man above the turret suddenly fell, seemingly killed, the rifle in his hand bounced off the armor of the tank and fell to the ground.The tank cranked up, its tracks turning, rattling.It started to move in the direction of Fu Sheng, faster and faster.Fusheng dived aside, and the tank smashed through the wall and passed him, letting more building debris fall on his head and body.

Smiling Zhan stared closely at the retreating chariot.He said something, but Fusheng's ears were still ringing.He waved to Fusheng, Fusheng staggered up and walked to the relatively safe alley.Smiling Zhan put his hands next to Fusheng's ears.He yelled loudly, but Fusheng felt that his voice was like a whisper. "That thing is so fast! Faster than a giant elephant!" Fusheng nodded.He was shaking.The thing came so suddenly, faster than anything he had ever seen.Old expansion-era technology, and the people who drive it are as crazy as real madmen.Fusheng looked around at the surrounding ruins. "I don't know what they're doing here, there's nothing worth fighting for here," he said.

Smiling Zhan laughed, but to Fusheng, the voice seemed extremely distant, "Maybe they got lost!" Both of them laughed wildly.After the life threat was lifted, Fusheng almost laughed hysterically.They sat in the alley, resting, trying to control their breathing and bursts of laughter.Slowly, Fusheng's hearing recovered. "These things are scarier than green headbands." Smiling Zhan looked at the ruined street, "When fighting against green headbands, at least you can fight them." He grimaced, "But these guys are too fast Yeah, it's too crazy."

Fusheng agreed with him, "However, death is still death at their hands. Whether it is the green headband or these people, hide as much as you can." "We've got to be more careful," said Smiley Zhan.He nodded towards Baiying's body, "How to deal with him?" "Planning to carry him back to the Yellow Card Building?" Fu Sheng asked back. Smiling Zhan shook his head and frowned.Another explosion.Listening to the sound is probably a few blocks away. Fusheng looked up, "A tank again?" "Let's not wait here for an answer." They began to march down the street, keeping close to the curb.Several people opened the door and went outside, looking at the ruins caused by the explosion, trying to analyze the current situation and determine where the explosion sound came from.Fusheng remembered that only a few years ago, he himself stood on a similar street.Then, as now, he could smell the sea and see the obvious signs that the rainy season was coming.It was on that day that the Green Headbands began their purge.On the same day, people raised their heads like doves, turned their heads, looked in the direction of the carnage, and suddenly realized that they were in danger.

What sounded ahead was the sound of a spring-loaded pistol being fired, so there was no mistaking it.Fusheng gestured to Smiling Zhan, and the two turned into another alley.Behind them, other people on the street were still standing outside, staring blankly at the direction from which the sounds of battle came.And he has too much experience to be as stupid as these people.These Thais don't know what to do.I still do not know yet.They hadn't experienced real carnage, and their reactions were wrong.Fusheng turned a corner and entered an abandoned house. "Where are you going?" Smiling Zhan asked.

"I've got to take a look. I need to know what's going on." Fusheng climbed up the stairs.One floor, two floors, three floors, four floors.He began to gasp.Five floors, six floors, and then entered a lobby.All the doors were broken, and the air was suffocatingly hot and smelled of excrement.Another explosion sounded in the distance. Through an open window one could see the arc of bullets across the darkening sky, and the flare of a distant explosion.Projectiles from small arms flew across the streets like fireworks at Chinese New Year.More than a dozen pillars of smoke burst out from all over the city, presenting a curled black serpentine shape, which looked shocking against the setting sun.Airship landing sites, docks, manufacturing areas, Ministry of Environment...

Smiling Zhan grabbed Fusheng's shoulders and pointed in one direction. Fu Sheng took a sharp breath.A fire broke out in the Yaowarat slum, engulfing huts built of weatherproof timber in the rapidly spreading flames. "My God," Smiling Zhan murmured, "There's no way to go back." Fusheng stared at the slum that used to be his residence.In his little room, his cash and gems were reduced to ashes, while he could only watch in horror from a distance.Fate is really fickle.He let out a weary laugh, "You still think I'm unlucky. If we stayed there, we'd all be burnt pigs by now."

Smiling Zhan imitated the appearance of a Thai and saluted him with Namaste. "I will follow you, honorable Boss Sanrong, to the eighteenth floor of hell." He paused, "What should we do now?" Fu Sheng pointed in one direction, "Go along King Rama XII Avenue, and then..." He did not see how the missile flew over.Its speed is too fast, no one can catch it with the naked eye, perhaps only the military type clockwork man has this ability.Fu Sheng and Xiao Mian Zhan were knocked to the ground by the shock wave.A building across the street collapsed. "Don't worry!" Smiling Zhan grabbed Fusheng and led him back to the safe stairs, "We can figure out a way. I don't want to lose my head just to see."

They slipped cautiously down the darkening street again, groping their way toward the manufacturing area.The streets were deserted, and the Thais finally realized that it was never safe to stay outside. "What's that?" Smiley Zhan whispered. Fu Sheng glanced into the darkness.Three men crouched next to a crank radio, one of whom raised the antenna above his head to get better reception.Fusheng slowed down and urged Smiley Zhan to cross the street to them. "What's the news?" Fu asked panting. "A missile went off." One of them looked up. "Yellow card people!" He muttered in a low voice.His companions saw the machete Smiley Zhan was carrying, exchanged glances, smiled uncomfortably, and began to slowly back away.

Fu Sheng hastily performed a Namaste salute, "We just want to know the news." One of them spat a betel nut out of his mouth and said, "It's Akarat on the radio." He gestured for them to listen to the radio.His friend raised the antenna again, catching radio waves. "...stay at home and don't go out. General Pracha and his men in white shirts are trying to overthrow Her Majesty's rule. We have a duty to defend this country..." The radio crackled and the signal dropped again.The man turned the knob, trying to find a station with a stronger signal. The other shook his head, "It's all lies." The man who was tuning in murmured a dissenting voice: "But, His Highness Somdej Chaophya..." "As long as it is profitable, Akarat will also kill the Holy King Rama." Their friend lowered the antenna that was raised overhead.The static hissed from the radio, and just as he started talking, the sound died away completely. "One day a white shirt came to my shop and he wanted to take my daughter. A 'gift of goodwill', he called it. Those guys are all lizards watching us. Corruption is a thing thing, but those bastards would..." Another explosion shook the ground.Everyone turned around, and together the Thais and the Yellow Cards did their best to estimate where the explosion had occurred. We are like a bunch of little monkeys trying to make sense of a giant jungle. This thought terrified Fusheng.They put all kinds of clues together, but they couldn't grasp the incident as a whole.No matter how much they learned, it was never enough.They can only react according to their own judgment as events occur while hoping for a little bit of luck. Fusheng tugged at Smiling Zhan's arm, "Let's go." The Thais had already packed up the radio and ran back to their shop to hide.When Fusheng turned his head again, the street corner was empty, as if the political discussion just now had never happened. The closer to the manufacturing area, the more intense the battle.There seemed to be people from the Ministry of the Environment and Army soldiers fighting everywhere.In addition to professional combatants, there are other people on the streets: volunteers, student unions, civilians, kings, each mobilized by different political organizations.Fusheng stopped at the door of a house, gasping for breath, as explosions and rifle fire echoed through the street. "I can't tell who belongs to which group at all," murmured Smiling Zhan.A group of college students with scimitars and yellow armbands ran past and charged at a tank that was busy firing at an Expansion-era building. "Everyone is wearing yellow badges." "Everyone wants to prove their loyalty to the Queen." "That queen, does she really exist?" Fusheng shrugged.A student fired a throwing blade from a spring pistol, and it bounced off the armor of the tank.That tank is just too big.Fusheng felt a little fear in his heart: the military has successfully transported so many tanks to the urban area of ​​the capital, and it is estimated that the navy also has quite high-ranking generals to provide assistance to the army.This means that General Praca and his white shirts have no more allies. "They're all crazy," Fusheng whispered. "There's no way to tell who's who." His knee hurts, and previous injuries keep him from going any faster. "I wish we could get two bikes, I legs..." He frowned. "It's easier for them to shoot you with a gun if you get on a bike than an old lady sitting on a doorstep." Fu Sheng rubbed his knees, "However, at my age, it's really hard to support me." There was another explosion, sending rubble flying everywhere.Smiling Zhan pulled out the plaster that fell in his hair, "I hope it will be worth something if I run this trip." "If you don't make this trip, you're already burned alive in the slum." "Indeed." Smiling Zhan nodded, "But let's hurry up, I don't want to rely on luck all the time." They passed through countless dark intersections and witnessed many scenes of violence.Rumors of all kinds were flying around the streets.The Ministry of Trade building was ablaze and students from Thammasat University marched to show their allegiance to Her Majesty the Queen.Then another station came on, and the people gathered around the little radio said it was a new channel.The voice that read the news sounded trembling.Fusheng wanted to know if there was a pistol pointed at her head.Kun Suparvati, this announcer is always popular and her radio dramas are always interesting.And now, in a trembling voice, she begged her countrymen to remain calm—even as tanks raced through the streets, occupying or occupying everything from airship pads to docks.The sound of shooting and explosions came from the radio speakers.A few seconds later, there was a thunderous explosion in the distance, mixed with the voice on the radio. "She was closer to where the fighting was happening than we were," Smiley Zhan said. "Is this sign good or bad?" Fusheng pondered. Laughing Jan's answer was interrupted by the sudden roar of a giant elephant, followed by the sound of a spring-loaded pistol firing.Everyone looked towards the end of the street. "This movement is not a good thing." "Hurry up and hide." Fusheng said. "It's too late." A group of people rushed over from the corner of the street screaming while running.Three gigantic elephants clad in carbon-fiber armor chased after them, their giant feet shaking the ground.Their huge heads drooped and swayed from side to side, and their trunks swung sideways in response, and the sharp blades fixed to them swept into the fleeing crowd.Limbs were sliced ​​open like citrus and flew around like leaves. On the giant's back, a machine gun fired non-stop, and silvery bladed frisbees poured down on the crowd.Fusheng and Smiling Zhan crouched on a porch, while the crowd kept fleeing forward.White shirts fled among the crowd, firing at the giant elephants with spring pistols or single-shot rifles.But the Frisbees they fire are useless against the armored Colossus.The people at the Ministry of Environment don't have the weapons for this type of battle.Frisbees fired from machine guns bounced off the walls, flying around them.Lines of people lay in pools of blood, howling in pain as the giant elephants trampled over their bodies.Smoke covered the entire street.A man was thrown aside by the giant elephant's trunk and happened to hit Fusheng on him.Blood was pouring out of his mouth, and he was utterly dead. Fusheng crawled out from under the corpse.More men gathered in the other direction and opened fire on the giant elephant.These were probably students, Fukusa thought, perhaps from Thammasat University, but he couldn't tell which side these people were loyal to.He felt afraid even they didn't know whom they were fighting for. The giant elephant turned sharply and charged.People fled to Fusheng's side, trying to avoid the giant elephant.Fusheng couldn't breathe under their weight.He wanted to shout, to make room for himself.But the impact of those people was too violent.he screamed.The desperate fleeing crowd pressed against him, robbing the last breath of air.A giant elephant turned this way.It backed up a few steps, then rushed forward, waving its bladed trunk at the same time.The students threw Molotov cocktails and torches at it, and the flames swirled and danced... Bladed Frisbees fell like a silver rainstorm.Fusheng flinched under the gunfire.A young lad stared into his eyes, a yellow headband slipping off his head and landing on his bleeding cheek.Fusheng's leg was in severe pain, and he couldn't tell whether he had been shot, or whether his kneecap had finally broken due to the heavy pressure.Pain and fear made him scream.The crowd jostled him, and he would have fallen dead on the ground in an instant, trampled to a pulp with the rest of the corpses.This time, he still failed to understand the vicissitudes of war.He thinks he can make perfect preparations, but this idea is really stupid... Suddenly, everything fell silent.There was a humming and roaring in the ears, but there was no sound of weapons being fired, nor the thud of giant elephants stamping on the ground.Fusheng trembled under the heavy pile of corpses, and the only sounds around him were groans and soft weeping. "Ajan?" he called out. No one answered. Fusheng pushed away the corpse on his body and crawled out.Other survivors were also climbing out of the pile of bodies to help the wounded.Fusheng could hardly stand up.His leg hurt like hell and was covered in blood.He rummaged through the corpses, trying to find Laughing Jen—even if he was among the corpses, his body must have been soaked in blood like the others, and it was impossible to tell in the dark. Fusheng yelled again, and then looked at the pile of corpses.At the far end of the street, a methane street lamp is still burning tenaciously, but its lamp post has been broken, and methane is leaking from the pipe inside.Fusheng felt that the thing might explode in the next second, and with this as a starting point, all the methane pipelines in the entire city would be blown to pieces.But he couldn't bring himself to pay attention to it at all. He looked at the corpses, and it looked like most of them were students, just stupid kids, it was stupid to fight a giant elephant.He suppressed the memory that came to him: his own child had died, too, lying dead in the street.The massacre in Malaya was repeated in Thailand.He removed a spring-loaded pistol from a dead white shirt and checked the ammunition again.There are only a few Frisbees left, but at least they are still usable.He put some energy into the spring and pocketed the pistol.These children think war is a game.They shouldn't have died like this, but they lost their lives because they were too stupid. Fighting is still going on elsewhere, and victims continue to lie in the streets.Fusheng limped forward along the street, both sides of the street were piled up with lying corpses.He came to an intersection, and there was a man on the other side of the intersection, sitting against the wall, dying.His bike fell beside him, and his legs were covered in blood. Fusheng picked up the bicycle. "It's my car," said the man. Fu Sheng stopped and looked at him.The man can barely keep his eyes open, but he still thinks these are normal times, and still thinks that things like bicycles can become inherent property.Fusheng turned around and pushed the cart onto the sidewalk.The man yelled, "It's my car!" But he didn't stand up, and he didn't do anything to stop Fusheng.Fusheng stretched out one leg, stepped over the rear shelf of the car, and stepped on the pedals with both feet. Even if that person said something later, Fu Sheng didn't hear it at all.