Summary:
Zheng Wangji, now Adrian Tseng and no longer Chinese citizen, arrives to China with the person who accepts to go with him. In there, his past slowly reveals and how the tragedy of his sister begins. However, when they are in China, nothing guarantees their safety because there is always enemy around there.
On the same time, Kid and Nikov travel to another city in China, where they hope to dig out the power of the Group 5. When they dig back, the past of each Group 5's members slowly reveals to them.
Flying far, far away, from the past to present. Seattle is much a young city still finding its own style, but the young city is on rapid development. The cleanness and beautiful of Seattle makes it a healthy land for new immigrants.
However, ancient like China, then it should be awarded.
Awarded by ancient development, China is always a country of passion and glamour. But its history makes it very hard to be preferred. While it is heart of ancient Asia, Chinese Government has always been a fear for neighbors, albeit it is differed from the Russian Government.
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Kunming, China
Kunming Changshui International Airport
After 17 hours of flying from Seattle to Kunming, the ancient city of the Kingdom of Dali, the duo, Patricia Knightley and Zheng Wangji, or Adrian Tseng, came out from the airport. He had to smuggle weapons from illegal ports, mostly by a friend of his, Du Jiaba.
And of course, Du arrived to the airport. Du, who is a Chinese citizen but parents moved to Canada, got in contact.
"度家把! 很高兴再次见到你!" (Du Jiaba! So nice to see you again!)
"正王集! 现在已经很久了,我的朋友。" (Zheng Wangji! It is a very long time now, my friend.)
Du Jiaba was a fat-eating Chinese man with glasses, but his current background is surely terrifying: he was a weapon seller and smuggler. Since China restricts selling weapons very tight, such type of people like Du was very needed. Adrian was lucky to have Du on his side.
"武器,他们在这里吗?" (The weapons, are they here?)
"来吧,我的朋友,下来。 一切都做,很容易。" (Come down my friend, come down. Everything is done, easy.) Du comforted Adrian and Adrian happily accepted. Patricia, on her trip to China, was the first time in her life she came to her motherland, which was the land of her grandmother's side. Patricia's distant Chinese descent, a legacy of the American Civil War, gave her several feeling of returning back to China.
She was quite calm this time, and with Adrian, he just needed that.
"Patricia!"
"Oh … I am here." The delinquent girl subsequently walked on, as Du Jiaba took his vehicle and drove from the airport. When they arrived, the city of Kunming was under rain and thunder, so the weather was not very good. The rain got increasingly heavy, and Du had to carry them into his home. He was still single and not married, due to Du's occupation.
Du, like Adrian, spoke a very well English, which is rare to find it in China.
"So, you have arrived to the United States, Adrian?"
"Like how your parents moved to Canada. But at least, your family moved in peace. I have to escape from it, from the hell." Adrian remained firm, his story was quite saddened: "My parents lost home, lost occupation, got harassed. And only thanked for an American vigilante, they can finally enter the U.S."
"I'm … sorry to hear that, Adrian." Du felt sad together: "I could not believe that you are no longer a moral soldier of the People's Liberation Army."
"I neither believe it well. It was taken … cruelly."
Patricia, for the first time, felt the strength of someone who was a former military personnel. But Du didn't forget about Patricia.
"So … who's the lady coming with you?"
"She is Patricia. I heard she was a drug smuggler and gang leader, before got imprisoned. However, she was released earlier for some reasons, perhaps because of the mystery man's ransom." Adrian explained, but he didn't talk about the name of Raymond Reddington. Instead, he diverted Red as "mystery".
"The mysterious vigilante, right? Also the same man who helps your family escape?"
"Yes." Adrian smiled: "The time is no longer waiting, friend. I have … my last duty to do."
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Nanjing, China
The weather in Nanjing was also very bad as well, but there were something that very few people knew. Two mysterious men also appeared.
"Nikov … we are here."
Well, nothing strange. It was Dora-the-Kid and Dora-nikov, and they were together standing here. The rains in Nanjing were heavy like in Kunming.
But unlike Kunming, Nanjing did not have thunder this time. Kid and Nikov were going on the heavy rains as the city. However, since Kid could not speak Chinese, Nikov had to do it for him.
Kid wondered if they needed to have their friend, Wang Dora, who was also a Chinese citizen and their long times friend. In fact, Kid and Nikov had rare contact for two years.
There, they finally arrived to Longwangshan, a scenic tourist area. It was where, another man waited for them. He was black-skinned, tall and very pure, came to China … with an Italian passport.
"Thanks."
After paid money to the driver, Kid and Nikov went to meet him, the black man who carried a blue umbrella in Nanjing during the rains.
"(Interesting … a black man. So, he is …)"
"I'd like to represent." Kid represented to Nikov: "It is Emiliano Ndongo-Battaglia. Son from a DR Congolese family being killed during the Congolese War, he was found by me in 2000 as a mendacity. I decided to take him, and raised him for a year, before September 11. After that, I gave him to an Italian family in Alps, where he was raised with them, since …"
When Kid spoke about the old story, he could not forget the moment he first saw Ndongo.
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2000
North Kivu, Democratic Republic of the Congo
The Congolese War devastated a lot of people, especially in the east, a very damn poor region in the country. Involvements from other African nations caused the worst famine and refugee movements, forcing nations like Angola to take stance.
It was some rare free time Kid could be able. And when Dora-the-Kid was walking in the plain land of the country, he saw a crying kid hugging the bodies of a woman and a man. He just kept crying and no one wanted him.
In much of the shocking moment, Kid headed to the crying boy, and just mentioned out, the name of the baby, just 2 years old, alongside the bodies of the dead, had a great impact … on his belief.
He saw a human soul of his side arisen.
When he knew the boy was from the Ndongo family, once a powerful rich family but was later devastated and dumped due to Mobutu regime, Kid escorted the lost kid and carried him out from the region. From there, he finally ditched out from the country, carried him back to the United States and raised him there. He kept the story in secret and to prevent it from being found.
It could have been that way, until the September 11 attack.
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Now
Nanjing, China
Kid stood on as they were walking away to go to a small rest house, which was done by Emiliano. Kid did not put his name because he wanted to get the time and hoping to carry the boy a possible name in the future. But with September 11, he could not have time anymore, and he brought the boy to Bormio, Italy. The Italian family gave his name as Emiliano, and Kid still kept contact to that Italian family of Battaglia.
Ndongo-Battaglia …
"(You did a good job, my brother.)"
"Indeed." Kid smiled: "Maybe, it is the best thing to do."
The Nangang Hotel became their home base, for Kid, Nikov and Emiliano. Kid sometimes visited Emiliano, and Emiliano was very grateful for his support to him, even it was not frequent.
Kid stood along, with a smile. Nikov also walked to Nangang Hotel, and they decided to wait there.
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Kunming, China
As the rains fell heavier and heavier, Du Jiaba and Zheng Wangji, or Adrian Tseng, together with Patricia Knightley, an American delinquent girl of distant Chinese origin, shared together a common house, which located underground and was Du's apartment. And like a delinquent, her first task was …
"Snack. Do you have snack, Du?"
"Okay, Patricia. I have." Du Jiaba, however, had a soft side. Although being a weapon dealer, he could be a very funny girl. He loved snacks, and so was Patricia.
"Patricia, you are a 27 years old girl and you behave like a kid. Really?" Adrian criticized.
"Snack is for everyone. If you don't like then don't talk." Patricia argued that Zheng did not have a taste.
"Calm down, Adrian … or Zheng, I dunno. But I love to have one. Your name … should I call you Zheng or Adrian?" Du Jiaba made it funnier, but he seemed to back the idea of Patricia.
"Just call me Adrian."
Yeah, just … Adrian.
Adrian was quite very serious and unhappy to see any different decision that like eating snacks. The lack of this happiness, while understandable, should not be taken there, as Du and Patricia agreed.
Zheng didn't want to tell that he was the Butcher of Kachin people before, due to his service under late Than Myint. But Patricia, the girl in black uniform and quite a tomboy despite carrying a dress, was not a kind of person who could hold nerve for Adrian. From that moment, Du and Patricia would refer him as Adrian, since Chinese language is too hard to read.
Even Du admitted it.
"I like it. But I think Chinese language, alphabet, writing … oh my God."
"I was told my late grandma that … we came from a very long, ancient country. But I was not aware until I found I am partly … Chinese."
"You are also Chinese by descent? Oh, cool!"
"Do you have any game? Let's share it. I feel bored under the rains."
"Haha, don't cry if you lose."
"I won't lose."
Du and Patricia got surprising friendship very easy as Du Jiaba was also quite childish like Patricia Knightley. Du got along with Patricia very fast, he saw her as a great friend with a great attitude. And so did Patricia.
Meanwhile, from the couch of his home, Adrian looked to the window, which had been under rainy siege and thunder. Each time he listened to the thunder, each time, the memoirs of the past returned.
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"哥哥!" (Brother!)
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"我相信你会走得更远,我相信你。 我保证我会成为能够保护家庭的人。" (I believe you will go further, I trust you. I promise I'll become the man who can guard the family.)
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"妈妈,爸爸,我将成为解放军的军事士兵。 这是保持家庭经营的唯一选择。" (Mom, dad, I will become a military soldier of the People's Liberation Army. This is the only choice to keep our family's business.)
"哥哥,请发短信并通过微信给我打电话,好吗?" (Brother, please text message and call to me by WeChat, okay?)
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Adrian remembered the time his family lost a big gamble of the business and they were threatened to close their shops. Joining the PLA was a forced choice, but Adrian was willing to be admitted, to save his family.
Now, as a former PLA soldier, he just helped his family to be relocated to the United States, in an unknown location to avoid harassment, as the U.S. authorities agreed to keep their identity. But Adrian's involvement on discovering corruption in the country's military, had triggered his position.
From a rising star of the Special Forces, he was later sent out, dismissed and taken to Myanmar, where he was abandoned to almost die. Before that, he had killed a lot of Kachin insurgents, earning the name "the Butcher of Kachin". But the same people he murdered, turned out to have saved him, making him to realize the humane inside. When he returned to China, he was aware, he got dismissed.
Wang Yushan later fooled him to be re-enlisted. It wasn't, it was a plan to let him silence permanently. Badges and armors given to Adrian, were to fool him. But he knew it.
Now, he just wanted to revenge. And he wanted to see those behind to die. Peng Baode and his son, Peng Daqing, both were natives to Yunnan, were the first targets of his.
Peng Baode had a very close tie to Wang Yushan, and Peng was also influential in the dismissal of his. Before becoming Economic Minister of China, Peng sought to corrupt Adrian in exchange for the richness, and Adrian rejected the offer.
Peng had tie with Hu Guoyi, a corrupt Chinese military General of Hui origin, and Peng sued Hu to dismiss Adrian by sending him to Burma. From this moment, it came on …
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Nanjing, China
Kid and Nikov, together with Emiliano, stayed inside the hotel. The rain was a great moment for them to share the news to Anthony Concong, the internet software engineer who could help examine the truth of the powerful Group 6, or Group 5 by now.
Kid called to Anthony in the United States of America, and they called the phone to Anthony.
"I have my list from the List I took cover of. It has six names, Peng Baode, Wang Yushan, Yi Huangshan, Ma Ziyou, Zhang Bingliang and Hu Guoyi. One of them, Wang Yushan, was dead. I need you to identify and hack the profiles of Hu Guoyi."
Meanwhile, Anthony had taken the list of Kid, and he told.
"Alright, I know it. But … seriously, Hu Guoyi, right?"
"Hu Guoyi, who is this guy, and how much power he has in China, does he drive any political aspiration of China? I feel this man is very powerful."
"Sounds hard. Hu Guoyi is renowned in China as being a Major General of the People's Liberation Army. His profile is … a top secret."
"He is a high-ranking General, isn't it?" Kid reminded about that.
"Yes. So at least, hacking him has never been easy. It is codified and I will have to do what I need to do." Anthony reminded Kid as well.
"I trust you, man." Kid replied: "Anthony, well done. All the best."
"I am honored."
As Kid, Nikov and Emiliano learnt to live there, they were reported about a man frequently traveling their street by Anthony as well. Although Anthony's role on it was more likely a sign to warn, Emiliano understood much later than Kid and Nikov.
Kid and Nikov told Emiliano to be careful, and that they would prepare.
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16:00
Kunming, China
Both were in Du's house, or more likely, an apartment, since Du lived in an underground apartment of a building near to the city's main center.
After a damned rain, the social activities returned normal. When Adrian watched out Du Jiaba and Patricia Knightley's happiness sleep, he just could not imagine it. One side, he could not understand why an already grow-up people could still behave like kids. One side, he remembered to the old past.
But that's it.
"Du, Patricia, it's time." Adrian urged them up, and they woke out after a sleeping noon. The moment they entered into the centre of the city would be a time their life changed.
"Ark … it is too early?"
"Du, thanks for helping. But I will need you to identify the mansion of Peng Baode." Adrian was determined: "You know that, right?"
"Peng Baode?" Du got startled: "Man, you are kidding me, right? For what?"
"I have personal problem, and this case needs your reliance. Outside working as a weapon seller, you are also a hacker, right?" Adrian reminded the past of Du: "Just do it, okay?"
"Bro, Peng Baode is a very dangerous figure. You really want to mess with him?" Du knew about it: "He has men everywhere in this province. Evoking problem against him is nothing but severe punishment."
"Just do it, I repeat." Adrian's eyes turned flares to see Du: "Do you help me, my old friend?"
Seeing the face of Adrian Tseng, Du Jiaba understood that Adrian had personal grievances. Although skeptical of the success, Du decided to help out with Adrian. Patricia, on the same time, saw the pressure from Adrian to Du, she wondered if Adrian had anything traumatic inside.
But even before she could take a word, Adrian mentioned already.
"Patricia, you take the weapons of your own. From Du's delivery. Be fast. We've a job to do."
"Wow, that's fast. But I'm ready." Patricia was also determined, while Du Jiaba opened his computer. In wary, Du feared for the lives of both Patricia and Adrian, so he warned.
"Do you really think it'll be a success?"
"Nothing is already easy." Adrian stressed it back: "No back down."
Du's wary wasn't fake, since he knew about the power of Peng Baode and son Peng Daqing. He didn't want to take too much risk.
And so be it.
"Alright. But I must warn you, if we fail, no one will help us."
"I've nothing against you. But it is … a very risky job." Du claimed: "Be careful."
For Adrian, little option for him now. He wanted to see the death of Peng Baode, and Peng Daqing. He also wanted to figure central figures among those Group 5.
And that's it.
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Nanjing, China
Nanjing was far, far away from Kunming, but Kunming and Nanjing shared common timeline. That was because the Government of China declared its timeline to be UTC+8 across the country, despite its diversity.
Kid and Nikov allowed Emiliano Ndongo-Battaglia to take care of the room in the Nangang Hotel, and they walked into the Uyghur market in the city.
Nikov spoke Chinese fluently, but Kid could not. So to handle, Kid had to rely on Nikov to have extensive discussion with the local Chinese citizens to buy some good stuffs of food. Kid and Nikov had heard about cuisine of the Uyghurs and they preferred to have some taste over it.
Both had never eaten any Uyghur food, so they would try to seek any Chinese restaurants which had cuisine food from the Uyghurs. In the city's landscape, it still retains many of ancient infrastructure and landscape, as she used to be the capital of imperial China.
Kid needed to have some handle over, since they were searching for Hu Guoyi, a high-ranking General and now being posed to be the next Defense Minister of the PRC. Hiding in a market was the best way to cover their real motivation.
They kept watching until they saw a man walking around. He was …
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Kunming, China
While Kid and Nikov were in Nanjing, Adrian and Patricia instead, were in Kunming. And they also searched in a market. The rain had ended, and life returned very fast.
Adrian saw the scenery of the city and he liked it, like the days he was still in China.
"给我两个饺子。" (Give me two dumplings.)
Patricia was interested to know about her motherland, and she first tasted a traditional Chinese dumpling. It is a popular food in China and can be eaten anytime. Adrian didn't forget to pay money to settle down the issue.
"再见!" (Bye!)
Adrian missed the old days though. He had never traveled so far until becoming a soldier of the PLA. Now, as the eldest of two children from his family, he didn't hold anything but missing feeling.
Some parts of the street had people from many nationalities. Those from Tunisia, Iraq and even Russia, Iran, Costa Rica, were founded.
Kunming is not popular comparing to other major Chinese cities even to Nanjing, but its rapid development has been the reason inviting more people in. The city's future is being seen, as bright.
But not everyone is so optimistic. The city has become a patrol ground for some unknown reasons, but very few people, including Adrian, knew this truth.
"Adrian, are you fine?" Patricia asked.
"Patricia …" Adrian breathed: "I just do not get it only."
"It's okay, Adrian."
They were both running into it, and looked into several buildings in the Dayu Residential District, where an abandoned building was here. Abandoned building was also the first place Adrian supposed, because the ground in Dayu was more than just addressing. It was also the first time when Adrian discovered the truth of the secret drug trades.
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"毒品交易将保密。 可卡因,甲基苯丙胺,它们都是我们的。" (The drug trade will be kept in secret. Cocaines, methamphetamines, they are all ours.)
"当我们爬到最高位置时,它将变得无敌。" (When we climb to the highest position, it will become invincible.)
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Drug trades.
Where he knew about it. But after reporting about it, he found that, the case was dismissed. From this moment, he believed that officials from Yunnan facilitated the drug trades in secret, and that he had to fight against it, alone. He remembered those voices, by then, he had yet to see who was behind.
He saw a bunch of empty-grounded buildings there, several severed construction and steels being thrown there. Why? It was not clear. Adrian became furious when he saw it again.
"The buildings … the compounds …"
"Compounds?" Patricia asked.
"This … it is where I first discovered the illegal drug trade." Adrian mentioned back to Patricia: "When I saw the drug trade, I intended to report. However, it was never responded."
"I see." Patricia just bowed her head down: "I understand why, now."
"It's not your fault anyway. You did drug trade in the U.S., not China. I don't blame you." Adrian took his charge, and when they visited the buildings, they just … remembered it back.
The building was being built by an Ukrainian company but had been halted for ten years. No one knew why. But since the abandoning, the buildings had always been mysterious and at night, no one headed to it.
Adrian guessed out this and …
"The building … for more than 10 years, it has yet to be continued. I wonder what could have halted it."
When he and Patricia looked upon, all showed up a number of memory of Adrian. The Chinese guy, now an American citizen, stood in front of the door. It includes the photograph of Wu Lei, the current famed Chinese soccer player, though. But inside the abandoned buildings, what else except coldness and empty?
Yes.
While they were standing there, Patricia saw on the wall … something.
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A small Chinese words, being written by drugs. With her could not speak Chinese, she could smell the yaba inside it.
"Yaba!"
Adrian turned his back, as he saw Patricia was digging the wall and showing evidence of the yaba. It was painted in red color, the color of yaba, and Patricia, a long time drug dealer before subsequently released, used her ability to smell it.
"Adrian, they are trading yaba."
"Yaba?" Adrian found it again, and he came to her position in the right of the wall: "I have seen this type of drugs in Burma."
"Yaba is very popular in Myanmar, one of the largest drug producers in the world." Patricia pointed out when she dag the drugs into the ground: "When I did the drug trades with the Mexicans, they also talked about yaba."
"It seems like the Chinese regime has many dark secret there." Adrian looked on the yaba for a moment, and Patricia's ability to analyze drugs revealed.
"It has been just a year ago. Sadly, I cannot speak Chinese."
"It meant 死, which mean … dead." Adrian's eyes turned out, and then, he realized that, he felt something behind. He was not afraid to look on, as so was Patricia.
A model of a roof house, which had that smell. Up there, it was a mat covering something. It was done very poorly, but it spread a stinky smell.
The yuck of it was so great that it could not be felt elsewhere. Adrian was determined to figure what was inside the mat.
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19:30
Nanjing, China
Night market in Nanjing is always been fun. And this is part of Chinese cultural heritages. For a thousand years, the city of Nanjing had been exclusively influential for Chinese people. Also, the city was also the scene of brutal Nanking Massacre in 1937.
But old Nanking had gone now.
When Kid and Nikov carried some good stuffs, they had previously watched a mysterious man and discovered that, he was a special agent of the CIA, being posed into the position to spy on the activities of Hu Guoyi. His name is Hu Dianbai, the fallout son of Hu Guoyi.
"Hu Dianbai. Why didn't you tell about your CIA activities earlier?"
"Guys, guys … I was among one of his four sons, but I was the least favored among all. I did a lot of jobs for him but he didn't care about me. He had a lot of violent with my mother, causing her to divorce and went exile to Britain."
Kid and Nikov had secretly followed him, but Hu was aware with it, so he walked into the street's empty corner. In there, Hu decided to get trapped, much to Kid and Nikov's amazement.
When Kid asked, he revealed his CIA activities.
"You chose CIA because …"
"I should have been posed to become the main leader of the Special Forces of the PLA, because I'd worked harder than him and other sons. But he screwed me up and evoked feeling that I would not be chosen. So I had no choice. My mother was treated like subhuman by him, to protect her, I had to side with the CIA."
"Dianbai, what else do you know about him?" Kid asked: "Only between us."
"My dad is the leader of the hawk movement in the country. But I feel that … he has tie … with …"
"With what? Which organization?"
Dianbai took a moment to remember, before he gave a photo of Hu Guoyi's right hand. It showed a strange symbol depicting Salvationist sects in red, with a larger White Lotus surrounding. It was painted in Zhenkong style.
"This. This is the Zhenkong Salvationist sect. Painted in red, surrounded by a larger White Lotus. I still don't know what it is."
Kid and Nikov were impressed to see such a symbol, and for both two people, the Zhenkong sect demonstrated a secret stand of the ancient Chinese language. Then, the phone of Kid rang.
"Hold on a second. We need to go to a safer place."
Kid, Nikov and Hu Dianbai entered a local building and took the phone. The rains in Nanjing had yet to be over, unlike Kunming one, but it was enough to feel the pressure.
The phone was from Anthony Concong.
"Anthony! What on Earth are you doing, man?"
"I have analyzed all the secret profiles and hacked some of Hu Guoyi's most important top secrets. I found … something, very freaking up."
"Cool. I am standing with his son, Hu Dianbai, who is a CIA agent, so I think it is better to have him with." Kid told.
"Wow, his son is a CIA agent?"
"Yeah. Since he has blood link with the fugitive, I'd like to cooperate. However, you did a great job, Anthony. So, try to give a sense, okay? Talk with me about Hu Guoyi."
"Well, Guoyi has been seen as some kind of … religious person. He believed on a movement called White Lotus, which venerate Wusheng Laomu, a mother Goddess of Chinese people in ancient folk tale of China."
"White Lotus?" Kid suddenly remembered the lotus symbol on the photo.
"I have no history of the organization. However, I was aware that, he may have been belonged to the organization." Anthony, calling from another side of the world, addressed.
"Did it have any instrumental part of stampeding the shape of China?" Kid continued.
"White Lotus is a very hypocritical society. Its main goal is to claim the high power and to bring harmony. Instead, it became a sectarian group. But I am not an expert of Chinese history, so, that's it."
"Anything else about Hu Guoyi, outside the White Lotus link?"
"He is a part of the Chinese Defense Ministry and he advocates for stronger and tougher military occupation. In his view, Taiwan and Hong Kong are seen as rogue states, in spite of Hong Kong being part of China – mainly due to Hong Kong's resistance to Chinese influence. His philosophical view also reflects the ambition of the Chinese government, in accordance to White Lotus – a new China which it became a dominant power, restoration of imperial rule."
"In his view, countries like Taiwan are rogue. How about Korea, Japan, Vietnam, Mongolia, the Philippines, Myanmar and others?"
"He saw them unequal but had been helped by the United States to break away from Chinese influence. He belongs to the hawk side of the People's Liberation Army, and has always stood firm that a new Chinese world has to be built. He advocates alliance with Russia and believes that the world is better if Russia and China conquer all neighbors militarily."
"And?"
"When he was a former Chief Intelligence Director of the PLA, he directed many operations abroad, including attacks, hacking and secret assassinations. The CIA wants him dead because in 2004, his agents had launched an attack on a South Korean military base, killing one Korean and one American military personnel, and stole the military project collaborated between Seoul and Washington."
"He dared to attack an American base. Damn."
"Not just that, his agents had launched assassinations against those opposing One-China Policy in Taiwan. Eight years ago, three Chinese activities and a Taiwanese official were murdered in Tainan. This is just a small list of his cruelty." Anthony became wary: "But since he is now on the route to become the new Defense Minister of China, I am afraid he won't hesitate to use war."
"Thanks Anthony. Still have any possible list?"
"No … but I am still decoding. Just wait."
"Alright, see ya."
Kid turned down the iPhone as Hu Dianbai was stunned about the organization. For the first time, he heard back the name of White Lotus, the organization which had caused huge impacts in the history of China. Kid had to give it to Dora-nikov.
"How do you know about the White Lotus?"
"(White Lotus!)" Nikov was serious: "(This is a secret society, formed during the Mongol rule in China. The organization itself had led a number of anti-government's rebellions during the Yuan Mongols and the founder of the Ming dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang, was an adherent of the organization. The name of the dynasty also derived from a religious sect of them.)"
"Just keep going, Nikov."
"(The organization itself disappeared after being granted privileges by the Ming authorities, but resurfaced in 18th century when the Qing, a Manchu dynasty, ruled China. The Qing dynasty, however, condemned the organization as unorthodox, and engaged against it. This was ended with a victory for the Qing, but the White Lotus Rebellions spanned from 1770s to 1810s weakened Qing authorities and played a role on later expansion of European powers to China, which led to an era called Hundred Years' Humiliation.)"
"So the people …"
"(The people blamed the White Lotus for leading the country to calamities. From this point, the White Lotus lost its place, privileges and positions. The organization turned from symbol of Chinese free people, to an organization collaborated with foreign powers in later half of 19th century. During the World War II, White Lotus members fought on Japanese side, increasingly antagonized.)"
"White Lotus allied with the Japanese, wow, should have known it earlier."
"(When the Communists won the civil war and forced the Nationalists to Taiwan, the group was persecuted during the Great Leap Forwards and Cultural Revolution. However, with the end of the traumatic era and 1978 economic reforms by Deng Xiaoping, the organization regained its position and becomes a very powerful and influential organization within this communist state.)"
From this point, Kid and Hu Dianbai realized their enemy was far beyond its understanding. The List was not wrong, the fugitive belonged to a secret society.
"Dianbai … you're the third son of Hu Guoyi. Do you know what is Hu Guoyi doing next?" Kid asked.
"Hold on … I think I do." Hu Dianbai calmed them down, and said: "I can. And I can help."
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Kunming, China
With Adrian and Patricia, what they saw under the model roof and the mat was extremely shocking.
"Human remains!"
Behind was a skeleton of a person, still wearing clothes, but no one knew how the person died. But the skeleton showed the body, was a man's body.
"It is a dead man." Patricia said: "He six for over seven months now."
"Look on the skeletal remains, I expect that … he could have been killed. Something had killed him." Adrian watched on the skull of the late man: "Whatever it is, this was a gruesome death."
"But it seemed like his body was not completely eaten all. However, if someone had truly killed him, hiding body there was not a good idea." Patricia concluded.
"Unless if this is protected by someone." Adrian noticed out from the words "death" in Chinese: "It was like a text message for anyone who messed with the drug trades …"
"Or, those who did not obey the cartel's law." Patricia mentioned as she covered back the mat into the skeletal remains: "It's disgusting."
Despite both carried guns, they were wary that it could be used to do something against. And then …
Adrian heard something coming. He soon urged Patricia to hide elsewhere, notably came upper, where it could be safer. He didn't want to be discovered and so did Patricia.
…
…
From outside Dayu District, a police vehicle arrived with another vehicle. This time, it was a black vehicle, a limousine, came into it. The abandoned building was written in Chinese outside as "no permission, no entry". So, Adrian and Patricia had taken their risk to do it.
The police vehicle stopped, alongside an official there, after reaching the ground. Inside the police car, written in Chinese both 公安 and 警察, a man came out as well. Another man also walked out, wearing black vest and met with the Sheriff of Kunming.
"警长,你做得很好。" (Sheriff, you did a very good job.)
"谢谢你,酋长。" (Thank you, Chief.)
Adrian and Patricia hid in a hill nearby, where they quietly heard about the talking between the Sheriff of the city and a man whom he called "Chief". No one knew what was it like, so spying was used.
But Adrian could not hear any wrong voice. One of the voices was …
…
…
"Ma Ziyou!"
…
…
…
…
…
Nanjing, China
"Huo Guoyi and Peng Baode. Now, I need to figure another stories of Ma Ziyou, Zhang Bingliang and Yi Huangshan." Kid spoke on after collected all from the CIA agent and the fallout son Hu Dianbai.
"Then … we will know the exceed of White Lotus in the Chinese regime." Hu Dianbai signaled: "It's a must, right?"
"(Yes.)"
From this point, past of Hu Guoyi and Peng Baode, for Kid and Nikov, finally showed out. But why was the power of their so exceeded? Only them to find out.
