Decide
In the private hospital room, there was a sound of the door being pushed open.
Apa's small body sank into the large hospital bed, an IV drip inserted into her arm, receiving saline solution for detoxification. Several men in plainclothes, but with wary eyes, stood guard at the door, their gazes slowly following the man who pushed the door open and entered.
Apa instinctively stretched out his slender arm, and Blaise walked to the bedside and sat down, habitually checking the IV drip rate.
"Where did you go?" Apa asked, bewildered. "You said you were coming to see me, but you're late."
Blaise did not answer.
He couldn't tell the child that he went to the dusty archives and found the thin autopsy report. The torn pages, the incongruous ink and handwriting on the forensic conclusion page, the abrupt and hastily written description of the drug injection—every trace of alteration was so obvious, without any attempt to hide it.
He couldn't tell the child that his life had been a lie from beginning to end, and that his existence was a huge joke.
Apa muttered a complaint about how bad the hospital food was and how he wanted to go back to base.
Blaise listened in silence.
Apa was used to Blaze's silence and kept rambling on to himself. After a while, he became hesitant, and when Blaze asked, he said he needed to go to the bathroom.
Blaise helped him hold the IV drip bottle and led him to the private bathroom in the ward.
The only sound in the cramped space was the rushing water. Blaise stood with his back to the door, waiting quietly.
Apa's voice, filled with childlike confusion, suddenly came through: "Could you please tell Grandpa Xigong not to tell him that I ran up the mountain? If he finds out, he'll definitely kill me. Grandpa Xigong said I can't tell anyone else, but you're my good friend, you're not 'anyone else,' so I can tell you, right?"
Blaze's hands tightened suddenly, the cold plastic bottle making a slight creaking sound. He slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Apa's face: Why did you suddenly decide to go up the mountain?
Apa was a little scared by his gaze and shrank back, but still answered softly, "Because Grandpa Xigong told me that only those who have been up the mountain are qualified to carry guns, just like you. Batu and I really wanted to get guns, we all wanted to be as powerful as you! So we sneaked up the mountain, and no one caught us, except that big bad guy! I drank the cola he gave me, and then my head started hurting so much, and I couldn't remember a lot of things. I don't even know what I did there... Oh, right, I think I saw that handsome young man, wait, have I seen him before? I can't remember either..."
Blaise's mind was reeling.
The reason Xigong applied to the current Tengbang government for a drug eradication campaign was because children within his territory were being forcibly taken to the mountains... It turns out that he was using this group of children as an excuse to wage war against Mengtuo and sending them to the Qila Mountains.
A cold, mixed feeling of shock, anger, and utter humiliation gripped Blaze's heart, almost making him nauseous.
"Did I say something wrong?" Apa asked anxiously.
Blaise crouched down, put his index finger to his lips, and made a shushing gesture: These words must never be said to anyone.
Seeing Blaise's serious expression, Apa immediately covered his mouth and nodded frantically.
Blaze suppressed his turbulent emotions, helped Apa straighten his clothes, and helped him back to his hospital bed.
“Blaze.” After a long silence, Apa spoke again in a low voice, her voice filled with confusion, “Why are all the children here in Taran locked in such a big, big house? They are so pitiful.”
Blaise looked out the window and saw several children in school uniforms running past. The large house that Apa mentioned that was locked up was probably referring to the school.
Apa said longingly, "I really want to go back to the base, I want to go up the mountain, I want to practice shooting, and I also want to kill someone."
Blaise remained silent for a long time, so long that Apa thought he wouldn't speak again. Finally, Blaise simply reached out and, with an extremely stiff yet unaccustomed gentleness, patted Apa's head lightly.
Blaise stopped looking at Apa, stood up, and left the ward without looking back, his steps hurried. He walked straight through the noisy hospital lobby and headed for the parking lot.
Once inside the car, the cramped space made his breathing tighten, and the increasingly intense suffocation gripped his throat. Blaze pounded the steering wheel, each blow harder than the last, venting his anger in silence.
The appearance of Theo Green briefly showed him another possibility in his boring training career. Before he knew why he admired such a person, his heart had already flown towards that kind of beauty.
But then, Theo Green died, and Sigon told him that the world was a dog-eat-dog world, and he could only do what he wanted if he became powerful enough to inspire fear. For so many years, he hadn't had any particular desires, nor had he considered the complex chain reactions his actions might have. His world was as simple as a piece of cheap white paper; only upon closer inspection could one smell the stench of rotten tree bark and fishing nets on it.
After meeting Milo, he simply thought that whether it was selling shares or becoming a bodyguard, as long as he obeyed Milo, Milo would be his. But reality told him that it wasn't like that. Everyone's world is complex. Compared to his simple mind, Milo's world was full of all sorts of conspiracies and schemes that he couldn't understand. At that time, he still thought that although he wasn't smart enough, he could still be someone who could protect Milo.
But when Milo pushed him into this bloody reality and showed him the true nature of the world, he realized that he was the stupidest one. He had thought everything was too simple. He thought he was doing what he should do, but in reality, every decision and every mission was to help others make money and gain political capital. Those who were truly in a low position were unknowingly trampled even lower by him.
Heavy breathing filled his ears as Blaze forcefully suppressed the turmoil in his heart. A glance out of the corner of his eye revealed the heavy sum of cash owed. The first batch of new drugs had been released and was circulating within Taran, already yielding many foreseeable benefits. However, due to Milo's intervention, some partners had begun to waver, and most of the people in Gan Valley were now out collecting the remaining payments, not allowed to return to the city early.
This means that Sigon has already started making his move; these people have already begun to act.
Inside the cramped and stuffy car, Blaze couldn't calm down. In his agitation, Milo's words from long ago suddenly kept echoing in his mind.
"But what if one day you encounter a situation that you can't solve using the principles you've always held?"
That day, he was furious and almost immediately took a knife to kill Miles. But Miles' words made him realize that behind a human life could be so many intricate relationships. The method he thought could solve the problem simply had failed and was no longer effective.
“When that day comes, I may not be able to teach you. You have to think for yourself and make your own decisions.”
"Making decisions is a very important thing. It not only means what you want to gain, but also what you have to choose to lose."
At this moment, Blaise finally understood Milo's words.
Only at this moment did Blaise finally understand Milo's predicament.
From the moment his family was destroyed, Milo lost all support. Every decision he made in his life afterward was his own choice, which is why his heart was so hard and his choices could not be changed by anyone. He understood from the beginning what his goal was and what he would lose in the future.
And he, for so many years, has lived like a puppet, never thinking deeply about anything. Apart from the physical torment, how many truly difficult things have he encountered, how many things have truly tormented and tormented him? Without thinking, one becomes numb, and over time, one loses the will to resist.
Blaise finally understood what he had vaguely sensed before—the difference between him and Milo. If life were a sheet of paper, Milo's thickness was on a completely different level. He had narrowed his perspective, simplified things too much, and taken everything for granted. Milo, on the other hand, must have foreseen all of this long ago.
Even if he took a step back, he could still pretend nothing had happened, forcibly bring Milo back, and regardless of whether it was good or bad, having him by his side would be a form of gain.
Taking that step forward means breaking through the illusions of his life that he has been shrouded in for more than twenty years. He may lose Milo, he may lose his last remaining family member, and he will have to bear all the consequences of his momentary lapse in judgment.
what to do?
what to do……
Blaise gripped the steering wheel with both hands, listening to the thunderous roar in his chest.
You have to think for yourself and make your own decisions; no one can help you.
Looking at the cold green banknotes nestled in the bag, Blaze composed himself, his forehead damp with sweat, and the breath he had been holding in was released as he turned the car key.
Strangely enough, it was easier than he had imagined.
The car immediately turned around and headed towards Shilitaran, heading straight for the town of Maka.
*
The heavy door to the conference room was pushed open, and Jesse walked out carrying a stack of documents, his face showing fatigue and seriousness from staying up all night.
At the end of the corridor, Milo leaned against the cold window, a half-smoked cigarette between his fingers. Seeing someone approach, Milo quickly extinguished the cigarette.
Jesse walked up to him and said in a low voice, "We just got confirmation from Taran that Miles entered the country the day before yesterday. It seems he really intends to invest in Gan Valley."
Milo nodded: "As expected."
Jesse hesitated and said, "But I heard he seems to be injured. He was taken to the hospital last night. It looks like a knife wound, but it's not life-threatening."
Milo remained silent, his thin chin taut, seemingly unresponsive.
Jesse pondered and said, "Given Miles's usual style, it's illogical for him to put all his eggs in one basket with Gangu and Penglason at this point in time. The risk is too high. The border situation is on the verge of exploding, and he is well aware of the pressure on Lanman."
Milo shook his head: "He didn't want to bet; he was forced to. His relationship with the Pom La Song and Meng Tuo brothers has been exposed, and his original plan to play both sides has completely failed. He is too deeply tied to Pom La Song, and once we catch him in the act of transferring benefits, it will be enough to ruin him. The Tengbang government's Zowin needs his money and channels to stabilize the Gan Valley industry and resist Lanman's attack. He is now in a dilemma and has no choice but to take sides."
Jesse was silent for a moment, somewhat shocked by Milo's incisive analysis from a business perspective: "So, he's betting, betting that Gan Valley can withstand this blow, betting that Xigong and Penglason can win?"
“That’s right,” Milo nodded. “We only have a week.”
Jesse's eyes narrowed: "What, a week?"
"I've already had my lawyers take action and are applying for an emergency court order, which should temporarily freeze the Gangu factory's use of that patent this week. But this week is also the most dangerous. There's a provision in the Lanman Patent Law that if I, the patent holder, die and there's no clearly identified heir, the patent may become invalid or be transferred back to another co-heir. So, even if I signed a transfer agreement with Blaise, if I die this week, the agreement may become worthless. For them, making me disappear completely is the most straightforward way to cut their losses."
Jesse's expression turned unusually serious. This meant that Milo had now become the most conspicuous target in the eye of the storm.
Milo calmly said, "So, passive defense isn't the solution. We need to take the initiative and disrupt their rhythm."
Jesse frowned. "The factories in Gan Valley are operating at full capacity. Due to patent restrictions, they might be producing generic drugs. Even generic drugs, once released, can still be used to control the drug epidemic. Before, they could only use waterways, but now that the Mengtuo brothers are dead, the land route is open. We can't predict which route they'll ultimately choose. Land? They can use anti-drug operations as cover, mixing their convoys with military vehicles, making it impossible for our people to get close enough to investigate. Waterways? High risk but large capacity. Miles' Dale Group should be able to arrange cargo ships for them. Both routes are possible, but we have limited personnel and can't coordinate both land and water routes simultaneously."
Milo pondered for a moment and said, "Last week I donated two medical centers to Taran anonymously. The money has already been deposited, and they should be able to find out my real identity soon. They will find out that the medical centers will benefit Ponglasong."
Jesse frowned: "Didn't you say that Pomlasson had no intention of cooperating with you? Why are you doing this?"
Milo's tone was soft and slow, with a hint of guidance, "Zowin is now a leading candidate for the next prime ministerial election, and Ponglasong, as his financial backer and political broker, should have been his only channel for 'charity' outside the government. Now he's inexplicably connected with me, a foreigner. Do you think Zowin will believe that I'll give him two medical centers for free without expecting anything in return? Ponglasong already messed up the patent, and Zowin is a very cautious person during this crucial election period. He knows that Ponglasong and Sigon are not just looking to be businessmen; he'll be suspicious."
Jesse suddenly realized, and understood quickly: "Therefore, Zowin would never entrust the first batch of the most important cargo to the waterways that Pomlason might infiltrate, or rely entirely on Miles's ship, which is an outsider! He wants to use the land routes that he can control the most to transport a batch of core samples out first, so that even if something goes wrong on the waterways, he will still have the means to recover his losses."
Milo nodded: "Moreover, a successful land route would solidify his control over Pomrasong and Miles."
Jesse's mind raced: "Since it's the land route personally controlled by General Zowin, we have no chance of winning if we confront them head-on in Tengbang. The Lanman police can't reach there either. But Zowin's anti-drug operation itself is our entry point."
Milo waited for Jesse to continue.
Jesse's eyes lit up: "We can go through official channels and put pressure on them openly. I will consult with my superiors and contact the Chinese Embassy in Tengbang, saying that an international criminal group is attempting to use Zowin's recent 'anti-drug operation' on the Gan Valley border as a cover to smuggle large quantities of illegal materials out of the border hidden in military vehicles. Based on the anti-drug cooperation between the two countries, we can conduct symbolic, non-intrusive joint supervision at the necessary land border checkpoints to ensure the purity and international credibility of this anti-drug operation."
Milo nodded: "Zowen can't refuse. Refusing would be tantamount to admitting he has something to hide, confirming the intelligence from Lanman's officials, and offending the higher-ups at Tengbang. But if he agrees—"
Jesse chimed in, his eyes sharp: “If he agrees, it’s tantamount to transporting goods under the surveillance of the Lanman police. Once we reach the checkpoint, we’ll either have to obediently accept the inspection or change our plans at the last minute. And changing our plans, whether it’s hastily switching to waterways or using a more secretive but riskier alternative land route, will disrupt their original rhythm, expose more loopholes, and give us time to anticipate their water transport.”
Milo nodded in agreement.
Milo was a little excited and a little thrilled, but he quickly calmed down and asked hesitantly, "If, and I mean if, they really do that, have you thought about who will be in charge of the transportation?"
Milo understood perfectly well. No one but Blaise could undertake such a dangerous and important mission.
“If you have any doubts about him, you can apply for protection beforehand, and I will ask my superiors for approval. You don’t necessarily have to come with us.”
“Wave?” Milo repeated the word unconsciously. “Jesse, we’re from completely different worlds. If one day I waver because of him, you can shoot me right now.”
Jesse frowned as he listened, and after a long while, he finally asked the question he had never dared to ask: "Milo, you really haven't fallen in love with him?"
"Fall in love with him?" Milo smiled indifferently. "I'd rather die."
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