111: Chapter 111 Half a Year of Tumultuous Changes, A Heart-wrenching Journey Home

Time is like the fine sand in an hourglass during peaceful eras, moving unhurriedly; in war-torn lands, it is the beat of a death-summoning drum. But in today's North Myanmar Joint Autonomous Region, these six months have been like a transformative magic show.

Pangkham, this small border town once filled with the neon of casinos and the smell of opium pipes, has now changed its appearance.

In the early morning, the first rays of sunlight pierced through the thin mist, spilling onto the newly paved asphalt road.

Along both sides of the road, there were no longer low shacks, but reinforced concrete skeletons rising from the ground.

The power grid aided by Dragon Country was like giant blood vessels, delivering light to every corner. This ghost of a place, which used to be pitch black at night with only sporadic gunfire, now actually possessed some of the tranquility of a thousand household lights when night fell.

In front of the floor-to-ceiling windows on the top floor of the Bangkok Camp, Zhang Cheng stood with his hands behind his back.

He wasn't wearing a military uniform, but a simple white shirt with sleeves casually rolled up, revealing a military watch on his wrist that wasn't expensive but kept precise time. Although dressed casually, the pressure he exuded from years of giving orders was even more stern than the sentries outside.

Looking through the glass at the square below, a squad of the Kokang National Army in new black training uniforms was changing guard.

"Clack! Clack! Clack!"

The sound of leather boots hitting the concrete was as rhythmic as if made by a single person. These were not the ragtag troops of the past, wearing flip-flops and carrying rusty AKs. The current soldiers all wore Kevlar helmets and tactical vests, holding polished M4s in their hands, their eyes glinting with a wolf-like ferocity.

"Master."

Old K appeared behind him like a shadow, holding a tablet, his voice still sounding like ice cubes clinking: "This is the summary for the first half of the year. Thanks to the production of those large rare earth mines and the recovery of border trade, our fiscal deficit has been wiped out. Additionally, the system point reserves have exceeded 1,868,000 points."

Zhang Cheng turned around, a slight curve appearing at the corner of his mouth: "Over 1.8 million... enough for us to exchange for a few big items to hold down the fort. But there's no rush; good steel must be used on the blade."

He hadn't been idle these six months. On one hand, he was "digging deep tunnels and storing grain," managing his territory like an iron fortress; on the other hand, his relationship with Li Lanzhi had, through day after day of fighting side by side, brewed into a deep affection that even a thin layer of window paper couldn't block.

As he spoke, there was a soft knock on the office door. Li Lanzhi walked in.

Today, she wasn't wearing her stiff professional attire but had changed into a light green long dress, her hair simply held up by a hairpin. She had less of the decisiveness of a Chief of Civil Affairs and more of the gentleness of a woman from the south of the Yangtze. However, in her usually bright brow, a trace of inseparable sorrow was hidden at this moment.

"What's wrong?" Zhang Cheng waved for Old K to withdraw and walked over to her, his tone naturally softening.

Li Lanzhi bit her lip, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her skirt. After hesitating for a long time, she finally looked up as if having made a decision: "Brother Cheng, I want to... I want to go home."

"Go home?" Zhang Cheng was taken aback.

"Yes." Li Lanzhi's eyes turned slightly red. "I've been out for so long. Although I've called home to report that I'm safe, my parents are getting old after all. When I was tricked into coming here before, they were scared to death. Although they know I'm working for you now, without seeing me with their own eyes, the old couple always feels uneasy. And..."

Two red clouds flew onto her face, her voice as low as a mosquito's hum: "Our matter... I also want to tell them in person. I can't... I can't just keep being without status like this forever."

Zhang Cheng looked at the girl in front of him. Outside, she was a vigorous and resolute career woman, managing the civil affairs of the entire autonomous region in an orderly fashion; but in front of him, she was ultimately just a small woman longing for her parents' blessing.

A soft spot in Zhang Cheng's heart was touched. He reached out and gently put his arm around her shoulder, feeling the slight trembling of the person in his embrace.

"Alright," he replied crisply. "Go back. We'll leave now."

"Ah?" Li Lanzhi looked up suddenly, her eyes wide. "Really? You... you agreed?"

"Not only do I agree to let you go back, but I'll also accompany you." Zhang Cheng smiled, his smile carrying a man's unique sense of responsibility. "An ugly daughter-in-law must eventually meet her in-laws, let alone a 'son-in-law' like me who isn't ugly. It's time to pay a visit to the two elders and let them see what kind of man their daughter has followed."

Li Lanzhi's tears flowed down instantly. She lunged into Zhang Cheng's arms and nodded vigorously.

Since he had decided to go, Zhang Cheng moved quickly. But he didn't intend to make a grand display of "returning home in glory"; that was something only the nouveau riche would do. Now, his identity was sensitive, and keeping a low profile was the greatest safety.

"Old K, prepare the car," Zhang Cheng ordered while buttoning his shirt. "Not a military vehicle. Get an ordinary SUV with Dragon Country license plates. No need to bring many people; pick the four smartest 'Inner Guards' to accompany us in civilian clothes."

"Yes." Old K had no nonsense; his execution was perfect.

Half an hour later, a black Toyota SUV, specially modified for bulletproofing but looking ordinary on the outside, quietly drove out of the Bangkok Camp.

The car headed north, passing through layers of rubber forests and banana plantations.

At the border port, the atmosphere was clearly different. Although Zhang Cheng had already arranged everything and the Dragon Country side had given them special passage treatment, when the wheels actually rolled onto that familiar land and saw the red-and-white "People's Republic of China" boundary marker by the road, the air in the car seemed to become moist.

"I'm back..." Li Lanzhi leaned against the car window, greedily looking at the familiar Chinese character signs outside, her tears falling uncontrollably again.

Zhang Cheng held her hand, his palm warm: "Don't cry. Now that this road is open, we'll come back often."

The car merged onto the Dragon Country highway, speeding towards a small third-tier city named "Yunxi" deep in Southern Yunnan Province.

Zhang Cheng leaned back in his seat, watching the scenery fly by outside. There was no war here, no smoke of gunpowder; the pedestrians on the roadside had peaceful smiles on their faces.

This kind of peace was what he wanted to trade for with countless iron-blooded means in Northern Myanmar, and it was also the tranquility he wanted to cautiously guard at this moment.

Yunxi City, a typical small city in Southern Yunnan. The pace was slow, life was comfortable, and tall phoenix trees were planted on both sides of the streets.

Li Lanzhi's home was in an old family compound in the west of the city. This place had some years on it; the wall plaster was mottled, the corridors were piled with honeycomb briquettes and old bicycles from various households, and the air wafted with the pungent aroma of fried chili for dinner.

When the car stopped at the base of the apartment building, it was already getting dark.

Li Lanzhi pushed open the car door and took a deep breath of the air filled with the scent of daily life, a look of joy at returning home appearing on her face. But this joy hadn't lasted even two seconds before it was broken by a burst of noisy arguing.

"Old man! What the hell are you playing dead for?! Huh?!"

"You hit someone and want to run? I think you don't want to hang around this area anymore!"

Rude insults came from the entrance of the building, very piercing. A circle of neighbors watching the excitement stood around, pointing and whispering, but no one dared to step forward.

Li Lanzhi's heart skipped a beat. The figure being scolded looked familiar—it was her father, Li Jianguo, whom she thought about day and night!

"Dad! Mom!"

Li Lanzhi shrieked. Regardless of the high heels she was wearing, she pushed through the crowd and rushed in.

Under the dim corridor light, Li Jianguo was being cornered against the wall, his glasses crooked, as he argued with a red face. Her mother, Wang Hui, stood in front of him, wiping away tears.

Opposite them stood three thuggish men. The leader wore a gaudy shirt and had a gold chain as thick as a finger around his neck, his face full of flesh, and he held a cigarette in his hand, blowing smoke rings into Li Jianguo's face puff by puff.