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Chapter 558: Chapter 465: Keqi’s Fear (Subscribe Please!)_1
After placing the order,
Keqi and the others did not go back but followed Wangsa to the base of the first squad. They only went for dinner though, not to spend the night. As they had placed the highest bid in the auction, Ling had invited them over for dinner.
One, to strengthen their bond, two, to issue a few warnings.
After leaving the assembly factory, they got into a van.
"Wangsa, how many soldiers do you think they have here?" Keqi quietly asked Wangsa, glancing at the silent soldier driving the car.
Wangsa gently shook his head, saying, "I don’t know, but it’s definitely not a small amount. My father estimated that there wouldn’t be less than five thousand, all strong fighters, not just a mob."
Five thousand.
That was the lowest estimate from his father.
After Ling had consolidated the territories of Mara and Chek, the defense area had significantly increased. It naturally required more soldiers, which was beyond doubt. However, the soldiers within the territory were mystifyingly elusive. All their bases were in hidden places, possibly even deep in the jungle.
Moreover, the soldiers from these areas rarely had any contact with the outside. Not just them, even the civilians within the territory probably didn’t know how many soldiers there were. It’s possible even the soldiers themselves didn’t know.
It was a mystery.
Currently unsolvable.
Eventually, Wangsa gave up thinking about it. After all, he didn’t need to fight with Ling. The number of soldiers had nothing to do with him. Regardless of the number, whether it was ten thousand or more, they wouldn’t attack him. Thus, the more, the better; the stronger, the better.
That was the only way to protect his interests.
If there was instability in the territory, how would he earn anything?
Hearing the number reach up to five thousand,
Everyone present was slightly incredulous. These were five thousand fully armed soldiers. Oh god, was that even possible? Were there more than a division, even possibly two divisions?
"Are you sure?" Keqi exclaimed, his heart pounding in his chest. He had thought that there would only be two to three thousand soldiers in such a territory, which seemed reasonable. But now Wangsa was telling him it was five thousand, wasn’t that a bit too much?
"It’s only more, not less, and there are many experts." Wangsa said with a mysterious smile. The last time he stayed in the territory overnight, he’d suggested experiencing their strength. After that, he never dared bring it up again. He felt like it would be a haunting shadow for the rest of his life.
Yes.
He was defeated instantaneously.
With one move, he was completely defeated, genuinely and sincerely defeated. If it were not for his dignity as a Thai officer, he would have wanted to acknowledge them as his masters.
"Experts, how formidable are they? Are they more powerful than our Thai boxing experts?" Keqi sneered dismissively. It wasn’t that he was overconfident, but that Thai boxing can hold its own against any other kind of martial art among competitors with the same weight.
Brutal.
Brutal towards enemies.
Even more brutal towards themselves. Thai boxers have trained since childhood. Every move they learn can kill. The brutality is unmatched. This kind of boxing where training means risking one’s life has given Keqi some real confidence.
"Thai Boxing?"
Wangsa mumbled, then he turned to look at the young man beside Keqi. He seemed to be in his twenties, a bit black-skinned, very thin, with a cold temperament. He hadn’t said anything throughout, so Wangsa thought he was just a bodyguard. Now that he took a closer look, Wangsa seemed to remember him. Su Hu... This man had fought underground boxing matches in Bangkok, and seemed to be quite formidable.
Wangsa thought about his name for a while and then voiced out in surprise, "You’re Fray?"
"Wangsa, your memory is not bad. You still remember Fray." Keqi said proudly.
"Why are you working as Keqi’s bodyguard?" Wangsa asked Fray in confusion.
Before Fray could explain, Keqi interrupted, "Isn’t Bangkok in the midst of a security overhaul right now? Fray’s boss got arrested and was sentenced to life imprisonment. Underground boxing matches were also severely targeted. Fray was considering to leave Bangkok and fight elsewhere, and I just happened to run into him and asked him to be my bodyguard."
"You’re not letting him box anymore?" Wangsa asked, frowning.
At this, Keqi only smiled and didn’t say anything.
Wangsa immediately understood.
Normally, Fray was a bodyguard.
When needed, he would still be a boxer.
Wangsa then fell silent.
Although he belonged to the power hierarchy in Thailand, he didn’t approve of Keqi’s behavior. Even though this was quite common in Thailand, he was unwilling to do such things. After all, people are not commodities.
Sensing how different Wangsa was acting, Keqi laughed and said, "Wangsa, do you think I’m inhumane, taking advantage of Fray?"
"No." Wangsa denied.
But would Keqi believe it?
Of course not.
Keqi slowly said, "Fray’s sister fell ill and needed a major medical expense. I advanced the money, the surgery was successful, and she is still recovering. Although I’m not a saint, I do believe in equal exchange. If you want something, you have to pay the price. There’s no such thing as free lunch.
As long as he helps me earn the money back, Fray is free. After all, this is just for fun. I don’t want the police knocking at my door."
Upon hearing this, Wangsa realized the whole story.
Although the ’story’ was clichéd,
it was a reasonable explanation.
In this world, there’s no aid without reason, unless ... you really don’t care about money.
So he stopped asking further.
After a while,
They arrived at the camp.
They got off the vehicle.
Looking at the majestic soldiers around the camp.
Keqi wore a curious expression on his face, these soldiers felt impressive.
"Fray, how is the combat power of these soldiers?" Keqi inquired curiously.
Fray scrutinized the soldiers around him; slowly, he furrowed his brows and said, "Master Keqi, I don’t understand them. They seem strong, and yet weak. I’ve never fought them, so I’m not sure about their strength."
"What do you mean?" asked Keqi.
"There’s no fluctuation in the way they look at us, a kind of calmness that only the strong possess. Yet, their physique doesn’t appear to be particularly strong." Fray informed him genuinely.
"Oh."
Keqi didn’t say anything more. Because everyone else was walking in, it seemed impolite to criticize the martial strength of people on their own territory. At worst, they could test it out later and get a feel for it themselves.
At this time, the sun hadn’t yet set.
"Da-da-da..."
"Bang... Bang..."
Tang Kai and a few others were at the shooting range, practicing. Following the sound, a group of people walked over.
Upon seeing Keqi and others approach, Tang Kai and Wei Jun rushed forward to greet them. The influence behind these people combined could shake Thailand a bit, they had no choice but to handle them carefully.
Next.
Keqi and his companions took on target practice. The curious Zeng Ming also tested it; for someone who hadn’t had such a thrilling experience with guns back home, this was a fun opportunity. He happily swept the shooting range with a burst of gunfire.
Wangsa, on the other hand, was chatting with Tang Kai and his colleagues.
Half an hour later.
"Gentlemen, dinner is prepared. Please follow me," a soldier walked over and invited.
Soon after.
Everyone set down their firearms and followed the soldier to the dining table.
Six air conditioners were working together, driving away the heat of summer.
The table was already laden with food.
This time the food was a bit less substantial than the last time, and the variety was not as plentiful. The last time, when Tang Qing, the big eater, came, everything was well-prepared as the highest commander was personally there. But this time only Tang Kai was present, so the Command Room was not as meticulous.
They just prepared some game.
The quality hadn’t changed, but the quantity and variety had.
Even Wangsa noticed the difference, it seemed like the treatment wasn’t as good as before.
But he didn’t think much of it.
Glasses of wine were filled to the brim.
Ling began to speak.
"Let me propose a toast to everyone. I hope for a pleasant partnership in the future, that we live in harmony, and thank you for your support today. In the future, I hope not only can you be friends with me, but also become friends with each other. I wouldn’t want to see one day you all fighting against each other because of a small amount of interest. Please remember, the money in this world is endless, and once I’ve made up my mind, I won’t change it."
Having finished, Ling intentionally looked in Keqi’s direction. The chill in his eyes and the sharp spirit that exuded made Keqi tremble, as if targeted by a venomous snake. He almost spilled the wine in his hand.
Keqi’s eyes held a trace of fear and horror.
Why was Ling looking at Keqi?
Because the Command Room found out about his conversation with Wangsa last night. Wangsa, being an important character, had his camp and usual area of activity covered by hidden bugs and even surveillance equipment. Naturally, their conversation was heard clearly by the Command Room.
Hearing news possibly detrimental to Uncle Tang Qing, it was instantly reported to Tang Qing.
Tang Qing’s reply was simple: Give a warning.
After all, Keqi hasn’t done anything substantive yet. He just has the inclination and intention to do so. There’s no need for a private conversation, one look would suffice. As for whether Keqi will suspect he’s being bugged, well, would suspicion count as evidence?
Has Ling explicitly said anything?
Isn’t it you who understood it...
Seeing Ling’s strange gaze, coupled with what he had just said, Keqi immediately felt like he had realized something. He turned to look at Ling in surprise and fear, wondering if Ling was talking about his conversation with Wangsa last night?
He couldn’t help but think in this direction since the content seemed to imply knowledge of last night’s conversation.
But that was impossible; it was only him and Wangsa present then.
Could it be that I’m being overly suspicious?
Keqi fell into a state of confusion.
Wangsa, however, did not feel any pressure nor did he think too much about it, because Ling’s intimidating aura was directed only at Keqi for an instant. The others simply thought Ling was expressing his desire for them not to have internal disputes, disrupt the market, the production order or affect the territory business.
"Cheers."
Ling drank first.
The others followed and drained their glasses.
But Keqi’s astonishment grew stronger.
Of all things.
Overthinking can be the worst.
PS: The third Chapter will be available after midnight. 𝚗ov𝚙𝚞𝚋.c𝚘m
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