32: Chapter 32 A conspiracy of snakes and rats, a dark deal before dawn.

In Kokang, deep within the Bai Family Manor.

There was a secret room ten meters underground, built with thick reinforced concrete, claimed to be impenetrable even by a nuclear bomb.

At this moment, the atmosphere in the secret room was as oppressive as the silence before a storm. The air was thick with the scent of high-end cigars and a decaying aura called "despair."

Bai Suocheng, once the all-powerful "King of Kokang," now slumped in the master chair, looking twenty years older overnight. His face was ashen, his eye bags sagging, and the prayer beads in his hand were twisted out of shape.

Sitting nearby were Liu Guoxi of the Liu Family, his eyes as sinister as a viper's; Wei Chaoren of the Wei Family, his face pale, constantly wiping away cold sweat; and Ming Xuechang of the Ming Family, fingering his prayer beads and muttering, unsure if he was praying to Buddha or casting curses.

These four were the core of the local "land snakes" who had been deeply entrenched in the Kokang region for generations.

"A disgrace! A total disgrace!" Liu Guoxi slammed the tea table beside him, shattering the fine purple clay teapot with a loud crack. With reddened eyes, his voice trembling from extreme rage and fear, he shouted, "My Liu Family has spent decades fighting in blood to build this foundation, and we have never suffered such a devastating blow! Our elite troops have been wiped out in Gunlong Valley and Purgatory Valley! Now our financial routes are cut, our territory is insecure, and our reputation is in ruins! How can I face my ancestors after I die?!"

Wei Chaoren interjected sinisterly, his voice squeezed through his teeth with a reckless desperation: "What's the use of saying all that now? The urgent priority is how to deal with that devil named Zhang! He swept through our parks, cut off our lifeline, destroyed the coalition, and killed my son (his son died in Purgatory Valley)! The next step, his butcher's knife will be directly aimed at our necks! Are we just going to wait like fish on a chopping block to be slaughtered?"

Ming Xuechang sighed heavily, his face filled with exhaustion and fear: "This kid... this kid is not human! His military tactics are demonic, and his martial prowess is heaven-defying. Looking at his actions, he is ruthless and decisive, leaving no room for negotiation. A direct confrontation is no different from throwing an egg against a rock, it's self-destruction. How about... we talk to him? Spend money to avoid disaster?"

"Talk? How do we talk? With your life?!" Bai Suocheng finally spoke, his voice raspy and dry, yet carrying a madness born of desperation. He stared fixedly at the other three with his cloudy eyes, "Don't you see it yet? That Zhang Cheng isn't here for money, he is here to change the dynasty! Do you want to hand over this empire that our ancestors fought for with their blood to some evil star that popped out of nowhere?"

He leaned forward, lowering his voice like a viper flicking its tongue, filled with seduction and threat: "We must unite, truly, without reservation! Bring out all the gold bars and US dollars we have in reserve, recruit every desperate thug we can find—international mercenaries, drug lords from the Golden Triangle, whatever it takes to buy more advanced, heavier weapons! Rocket launchers! Anti-tank missiles! Even... find a way to get some poison gas bombs!"

Liu Guoxi and Wei Chaoren exchanged glances, seeing the ruthlessness in each other's eyes. At this point, extreme measures were necessary.

"Also," a more sinister light flashed in Bai Suocheng's eyes, "We can't rely just on ourselves. We must muddy the waters! Drag that big guy into it!"

"Immediately send the most reliable and secret messenger, carrying the 'evidence' we have, and rush through the night to Naypyidaw to seek an audience with General Min Aung Hlaing!"

"What do we say?" Liu Guoxi asked.

"Just say... we have solid intelligence showing that the elite special forces of the Dragon Country have disguised themselves as local armed forces, invaded our Myanmar territory on a large scale, and committed shocking massacres in the Kokang region, with the ultimate goal of subverting our country's legitimate regime! Request the government army to intervene immediately! Conduct a 'suppression of rebellion'! We can provide all necessary intelligence support and logistical assistance!"

"Divert the disaster!" Liu Guoxi's eyes lit up, as if grabbing a final straw, "That's a brilliant move! Once the Dragon Country is dragged in, things will blow up! Even if the government army doesn't want to fight, they will have to! Once the situation becomes chaotic, we will have the opportunity to fish in troubled waters, or even use a borrowed knife to kill!"

Wei Chaoren nodded vigorously, a grimace on his face: "It has to be this way! This is our last chance! We must hold on until the government army intervenes, or... wait for other Western powers that have always wanted to interfere in Myanmar's affairs to notice, and use them to check and balance the Dragon Country and that madman!"

Ming Xuechang hesitated, his face full of worry: "Then... what about those 'piglets' we abandoned in various places, and the evidence we haven't cleared up? Now international public opinion, especially within the Dragon Country, is furious. This is extremely disadvantageous to us. Will it become a pretext for the other side to attack us..."

Bai Suocheng waved his hand impatiently, a look of extreme cruelty flashing on his face, and growled: "At a time like this, who cares about those piglets and waste paper?! Find a way to clean it up! Don't let a single survivor or any piece of hard evidence that could point to us fall into the hands of outsiders, especially those coming from the Dragon Country to investigate!"

A fierce light appeared in his eyes, and he squeezed the order from his throat: "Notify the people below, use every means! Burn the mountains! Blow up the parks! As for those 'piglets' and low-level personnel who might know too much... handle it cleanly! Make them shut up forever! Even if you have to fill in the mountains, don't leave any traces!"

...

Just as the Four Great Families were plotting their death throes, not hesitating to invite the wolf into the house, frame the Dragon Country, and even prepare to commit more crimes against humanity to cover their tracks—

In the Dragon Country, at the national security department, a higher-level, top-secret meeting with fewer participants was being held.

On the huge screen, the latest situation maps of Northern Myanmar, post-battle reconnaissance footage of Purgatory Valley, and a large number of tragic images obtained through special channels of abandoned "piglets" struggling to survive in dilapidated parks and mountains were displayed side by side.

Every image, every blurry video, hit the hearts of the attendees like a heavy hammer.

A leader opened the meeting with a sorrowful yet firm tone: "The situation, everyone has seen it. Our compatriots are suffering inhuman misery in a foreign land, living in dire straits. And the culprits behind all this tragedy, besides those unscrupulous telecommunications fraud groups themselves, are the local warlord forces in Kokang who have long connived, shielded, and even directly participated in the sharing of profits! Now, a force capable of, and willing to use iron-blooded means to liquidate these crimes has appeared and achieved a decisive victory."

Zhao Gang stood up to make a key report: "According to the latest confirmed information transmitted through the 'Wang Wu' channel, the 'Dominator' Zhang Cheng clearly stated that he will continue to unwaveringly clear out all remaining telecommunications fraud parks, rescue all trapped compatriots, and is willing to cooperate with our side for personnel reception. But he also admitted that with the expansion of the control area and the sharp increase in the number of refugees, and facing possible counterattacks from the Myanmar government army or other forces, he is facing huge logistical pressure and management challenges. Therefore, he officially requested... further, substantial support."

He paused and said the well-considered suggestion: "Chief, comrades. This Zhang Cheng, his background is a mystery, and his methods are ruthless. However, it cannot be denied that all his actions so far, in terms of objective effects, have greatly struck and liquidated the cross-border telecommunications fraud criminal groups that endanger the lives and property of our citizens. His vision for a 'unified, stable, and friendly' Myanmar, although it sounds too grand, when analyzed calmly from the perspective of long-term strategic security and economic interests on our country's southwest border, is exactly the situation we have always hoped to see but have been unable to achieve through conventional means."

"I believe that at this critical juncture, we can, and should, prudently but decisively provide further assistance. This is not just humanitarian living supplies."

After a fierce, cautious, and pragmatic discussion in the meeting room, a high degree of consensus was finally reached.

The leader made the final decision: "Principally approved! Provide 'non-lethal' military aid to the 'Dominator' forces. Including: advanced individual communication equipment, bulletproof vests, helmets, night vision goggles, medical supplies, engineering machinery, and... high-precision satellite intelligence sharing!"

"At the same time, in the name of humanitarianism, increase the air-dropping of living supplies and land transportation. We want him to know that he is not fighting alone!"

"Requirements: First, ensure the absolute safety of our personnel; Second, all actions must be secret and not give others a handle; Third, closely monitor the reactions of the Myanmar government and the international community."

He looked at Zhao Gang: "Through 'Wang Wu', formally reply to Zhang Cheng: The Dragon Country supports all just actions that are conducive to regional stability and the protection of the safety of overseas citizens. The required supplies will be in place as soon as possible. I hope he... takes care of himself and does not forget his original intention."

A more direct and in-depth cooperation channel was quietly established on the secret front.

Zhang Cheng sat in his office and received the reply from the Dragon Country.