Epiphanies of Rebirth Chapter 97 (Part 1)
Translated by Pure
Chapter 97.1 Final Extra [Qi Kai]
The Golden Triangle region, situated on the border with Thailand along the Mekong River, experiences a consistently hot climate throughout the year.
At first glance, this area appears no different from many ordinary cities, with the only distinction being slightly disorderly urban construction and sanitation. The local residents, living amidst simplicity, never perceived a constant threat to their safety. During festivals, the streets come alive with the sight of elephants parading through, and individuals adorned in traditional attire singing and dancing. Tour buses transport curious visitors to partake in the festivities at the heart of the celebration. This tourism initiative, gaining popularity only in recent years, had brought substantial income to this small border town, previously lacking in resources for industrial development. Observing the joyous smiles on the faces of the residents, it's challenging to fathom that this place was under the control of Golden Triangle drug lords just a few years ago.
This transformation stemmed from the abrupt escalation of crackdowns and stringent controls on drugs in various countries within the Golden Triangle region in recent years. Spearheaded by a neighboring superpower with significant influence, adjacent nations substantially augmented their annual investments in anti-drug efforts. The resolute armed forces, armed to the teeth, heralded the liberation of this perpetually shadowed land. The moment bulldozers uprooted the blooming poppies, a multitude of people, who had long endured the darkness, congregated and erupted into unprecedented cheers.
This city enshrined that momentous day as an enduring festival. Each year on this occasion, denizens throughout the city donned festive attire and flooded the streets to revel in the Songkran Festival. The boisterous cheers traversed the river, fostering a shared carnival on the border of another country situated on the opposite bank. Nevertheless, this exuberant noise struggled to penetrate the valley and the depths of the rainforest.
The hot and humid air swirled with the fragrance of earth, and the towering giant trees cast a dense canopy that blocked out the sunshine. The surrounding forest was so concealed that even a helicopter flying overhead could not detect it. Amidst this hidden landscape, the golden sunlight filtered through the foliage and illuminated the distinctive local bamboo stilt houses. Although these houses were roughly made with gaps between the materials large enough for small animals to pass through, in such a remote village, they represented the best living conditions available to the villagers.
A child sprinted through the clearing, yelling at the top of his lungs as he emerged from the dense forest and dove into the crops planted on the hilltop, disrupting the working family members in the process. The child earned footprints on his buttocks and scolding from all sides.
In the distance, a soft sound of something crushing dead leaves reached their ears. The parents, previously occupied with scolding the mischievous child, suddenly became vigilant. Their sharp eyes discerned a large off-road vehicle covered in dust and mud, clearly not having been cleaned for an unknown period, emerging from the path.
This was truly an unsightly car, the type that would attract attention on the streets of Yan City. The camouflage body served a concealing function in the current environment, and numerous exterior modifications were evident, including the exaggerated bumper in front of the headlights and the fist-sized notch on the car glass. The vehicle had clearly endured considerable weathering, and the scraped paint had been left unrepaired. The dilapidated convertible top was crumpled behind the seat.
The burly driver of the car raised a hand and spoke in the local language, "It's us!"
The children erupted in cheers of joy and swarmed towards the car, leaving the stern parents behind. The watchful adult villagers softened their sharp expressions and turned towards the approaching vehicle. It was a group of individuals with disabilities!
Some of them were missing ears or noses, and others had smooth torsos without any upper limb joints, making farm work more challenging than for ordinary people. Baskets had to be hung around their necks to keep them in place, but there were no complaints, only occasional sounds of laughter.
Before the off-road vehicle passed through the farmland, a young woman with wheat-colored skin proudly sat on the back of the passenger seat, hugging a naughty child who had climbed along the vehicle body and into the window. She greeted the farmers loudly, "Sambo, how were the beans today?"
The dark-skinned villager named Sambo, who had only one arm, neatly picked the pods with his right hand, which had only three fingers, and threw them into the bamboo basket. He laughed and answered her, "They are all good beans! When we finish picking them later, we will cook a bowl for you! Miaoge, don't be naughty!"
His last words were shouted to his daughter, Miaoge, who was grabbing the rearview mirror and trying to imitate the other girl by climbing into the moving car.
"Leave, leave!!" The muscular man driving the car, with tattoos on his arms and a stubble on his face, drove with a ferocious expression and waved his hands to drive away the children who were chasing the car outside, but none of the children were afraid of him. The little girl named Miaoge even picked a few delicate and beautiful wildflowers from the roadside and threw them at his face.
The car, filled with a group of friends, laughed as they finally drove away from the playful children. The muscular man, with tattoos on his arms and a stubble on his face, wiped his unshaven face, his smile tinged with helplessness. In Chinese, he complained, "Fuck man. These little rascals..."
The vehicle continued toward the simple bamboo house. Free-range chickens flapped their wings in front and fled in panic. The animals here seemed more simpleminded than those in the city. While most would move to the side to avoid an oncoming vehicle, the chickens here flew forward at them.
As they approached the stairs, the clicking sound of machinery running from above reached their ears. A collective smile appeared among the group. The muscular man, adorned with tattoos on his arms, leaped out of the car window relying on his hand, and climbed the stairs in a few swift steps. His friends in the car called out to him, but received no response. They shrugged, packed up the knives and guns from the back seat, and followed his lead.
Upon pushing open the bamboo door, a figure seated inside, his back facing the entrance, came into view. The dim light in the bamboo structure revealed a rechargeable camping lamp hanging above the figure's back. The sewing machine hummed at a rapid pace, and the fabric, guided through the needle, flowed like water.
The muscular man tossed aside the items he was carrying and burst into laughter. "We've been away for three days this time. Have you even done anything other than sewing while we were gone?"
Qi Kai had to halt his movements, looking back at the muscular man with a helpless expression.
"What have you been sewing these past few days..." The muscular tattooed man stared at the piece of floral fabric hanging on Qi Kai's sewing machine needle, approaching curiously, "Hell, after so many years, I get a headache when I see a sewing machine. How come you still don't get tired of using it for more than ten years? And why is this fabric so flowery? Who are you going to give it to when it's done?"
Qi Kai didn't answer, only glancing at the pile of things he threw on the ground. "Did you buy what I wanted?"
"Yeah." While the muscular man was looking through the fabric, the door was pushed open again, and the young woman with wheat-colored skin led other friends in from the outside, replying while taking off her coat. She bent down and rummaged through the paper bag that the muscular tattooed man had thrown aside for a moment, finding a cigarette. Seeing the various disgusting patterns printed on the cigarette, she showed a look of disgust on her face and threw it in the air.
After catching it, Qi Kai smiled and said, "Thanks."
The muscular tattooed man now understood. He twisted the corners of the fabric with his two fingers and lifted up this piece of clothing, which seemed a bit pitiful compared to his body, "Isn't this children’s wear?"
"Why do you have so much shit to say?" Transportation in this place was inconvenient, and supplies were scarce. Often, missing daily necessities could only be replenished by occasionally driving back. Qi Kai had been eagerly awaiting this cigarette for almost two days. He couldn't wait to pull one out of the box and place it in his mouth. After searching his pocket and failing to find a lighter, he simply kicked the muscular man and extended his hand, palm facing up.
The pungent aroma filled his lungs, carrying a poorly processed tobacco taste. It was far less satisfying than the special cigarettes he used to smoke in China, but in this moment, no one complained.
Everyone located a clean spot and settled down cross-legged. Qi Kai wiped his forehead and inquired, "How were things outside?"
"They're celebrating Bizhu. The streets are full of elephant shit. Hell, I even got a basin full of water splashed on my face." Bizhu was the celebration in nearby cities to commemorate the expulsion of drug lords by the army. On that day, officials from the small town would ride elephants and lead parades through the streets, encouraging citizens and tourists to join in the Water Splashing (Songkran) festivities. When everyone returned, they coincidentally arrived during the midst of this celebration. The road was crowded, and the children soaked them with water guns. The tattooed man couldn't help but complain, but there was no hint of displeasure in his tone.
Qi Kai chuckled before inquiring, "What about domestically?"
"It's all the same. Anyway, all the news we wanted has been sent out. It's just a couple of bastards in the southwest; there's no reason why we can't deal with them. Oh yeah," The woman with wheat-colored skin held a cigarette in her mouth and tied up her messy hair. She suddenly thought of something, put her hand into her bra behind her vest, took out a mobile phone that was close to her body, and threw it at Qi Kai, "Is this your childhood friend you grew up with? I said it was her, but Dahu insists that I’m wrong."
The smooth and simple black casing of the international version of the Hero mobile phone still carried the body temperature of its owner. Qi Kai took it and fiddled with it awkwardly for a while before successfully unlocking the screen. The display screen was still set in the photo album, and what came into view was a luxurious and dazzling photo. His eyes immediately lit up when he saw it, and the cigarette almost fell from his mouth. "Wow, Xiao Miao got married?"
"See, didn’t I say it was her?" The woman rolled her eyes at the tattooed man, "You bet, you lose. Now choose to eat shit or bark like a dog."
The large group of friends immediately started making a fuss, leaving Qi Kai alone to look at the wedding photo quietly. He enlarged the screen to look at the familiar faces in detail. After a long time, he rubbed the screen with his fingers, and a longing smile appeared on his face.
Some of the friends who were playing around glanced at him and silently signaled the others, who all nodded tacitly. They pretended not to notice his mood swings and considerately continued their activities. Among this group of people assembled, who among them didn't have some undisclosed history from their earlier years?
Everything is left unsaid, quiet, resembling the small cloth pouch suspended around Qi Kai's neck.
Suddenly, the sound of footsteps ascending the stairs echoed from outside. Before the individuals engaged in their scuffle could disentangle themselves, a child's sweet local language permeated through the gap in the wall - "Boss! Boss!"
Qi Kai snapped back to attention, setting the phone aside. He opened the door to find Miaoge standing there with a basket of boiled beans in hand. Miaoge, the leader of the village childerns, at around ten years old, appeared frail and sallow but possessed an unexpectedly lively and robust personality. She gazed at Qi Kai boldly and spoke in a clear voice, "Boss, these are the boiled beans that my Ma and Pop asked me to bring you."
"You arrived just in time." Qi Kai accepted the basket and ushered her into the house. Cutting off the threads from the nearly completed work on the sewing machine, he shook it out and draped it over her shoulders. "Give this a try."
It was a small, colorful cotton dress with a cut that wasn't particularly fashionable, resembling a style popular in Yan City in the 1980s. The saving grace, however, was the excellent stitching. Children in larger cities might not appreciate such a dress, but in this impoverished village, it was a pleasant surprise for the children. Miaoge screamed in delight, hugged the dress, timidly uttered her thanks, and then darted away. Cheers from her assembled friends and envious sounds from other children quickly echoed outside the door.
Qi Kai leaned against the sewing machine table, smoking his cigarette, and quietly watched her run off. When he heard the laughter of the children, he turned around, tidying up his workbench in silence. His friends, who had stopped fighting, exchanged smiles, and the tattooed man peeled off a sweet bean, stuffing it into his mouth. They had long become accustomed to Qi Kai's extraordinarily meticulous care for the children in the village. Before this, they had never imagined that this fierce friend harbored such a soft side deep within his heart.
This was a village nestled deep in the dense forests of the Golden Triangle. Five years ago, it was a purgatory with poppies growing all over the mountains and fields.
The forces in this area have been extraordinarily complex, giving rise to a continual emergence of drug pushers and gangsters. Despite Pangka's arrest in the early years and his considerable capability, he was far from powerful enough to control all the forces in the industry. Following his arrest and the intensified siege by anti-drug forces, the resources and relationships in the area began to undergo a reshuffling. Similar to a scorched grassland after a fire, beneath the desolate surface, numerous individuals awaited the opportunity to act after accumulating power.
Darkness couldn't be eradicated swiftly. Much like eliminating a group of cockroaches, it was a prolonged battle demanding perseverance.
Several years ago, a multinational coalition ventured into the heart of the jungle, liberating numerous villages long held captive by drug lords. The controlled villagers were systematically directed toward physical rehabilitation and drug detoxification, while the younger, impressionable children were granted access to a more conventional education. However, the battle within the mountainous forest proved to be intricate. The escaping drug lords persisted in establishing strongholds deep within the dense forest. With disabled villagers unable to venture beyond their homeland, Qi Kai and his friends carefully weighed their options and ultimately chose a clandestine life in this secluded area.
They each carry a history of criminal records and do not serve as conventional government troops. However, they willingly undertake diverse assignments, offering protection to the villagers and sporadically collaborating with anti-drug forces by providing valuable information sourced through various channels. The compensation they received was sufficient to sustain their livelihoods.
On their recent journey, not only did they return with cigarettes, but the trunk was also laden with barbecue and wine.
Building a fire pit in front of the bamboo stilt house and setting up a barbecue grill with friends to drink and share stories at night was now a delightful tradition.
During these moments, the conversations often gravitated towards the outside world. Hailing from the same country, their discussions invariably centered on their hometown.
Truth be told, the crackdown on narcotics in the Golden Triangle area over a decade ago was a task that exceeded China’s capabilities. Before the unexpected incident involving Shi Nanxing and Qi Kai, the country was ill-prepared to confront the drug lords. Fortunately, the conclusion was ultimately positive, and the advantages of the country's early intervention have become increasingly apparent in recent years. Other smaller countries in the Golden Triangle region have faced significant challenges due to the sudden surge in drug activities in the past. Fortunately, their fertile and expansive area, akin to a delicious pie to these criminals, had escaped subsequent setbacks because of the early intervention.
This brought joy to the group of young people gathered around the fire pit, savoring their drinks and indulging in the meat. Similar to Qi Kai, his friends who opted to start anew here after being released from prison had all been affected to varying degrees by the scourge of drugs.
When recounting their harrowing past, tears welled up in the eyes of many.
T/N: the next update will be the last!
