Chapter 119: The Apothecary

Gold Tooth was still boasting with spittle flying from his mouth: "You probably don't know this, but the plantations under our boss are absolutely the largest, highest quality, and most strictly managed in the entire Myanmar region!"

Mo Fei added silently to himself: And the ones that will face the harshest sentences, die the most miserably, and be the most wicked in the future.

"Half of the world's raw powder supply comes from us. It is no exaggeration to say we are the world's supplier!"

*So, the families of addicts worldwide and narcotics officers are cursing you in their hearts. If resentment had power, the entire Myanmar region would have been razed to the ground long ago.*

"We support countless local farmers with these plantations; you could say we’ve accumulated boundless merit, haha!"

*If it weren't for these plantations, these farmers might live better lives. "Boundless merit"? If the Buddha himself came here, he’d have to leave a kidney behind before he could leave.*

Nonsense, all utter nonsense.

Mo Fei chuckled. "In that case, this place really is a land of outstanding people and divine spirits."

Gold Tooth glanced at him, probing. "Why do I feel like there’s a hidden meaning in what you just said?"

"Is there?" Mo Fei chose his go-to tactic when in doubt: asking a question back. "I don't think so, do you?"

Long Er and Long Si both shook their heads with indifferent expressions.

"Nothing?" Gold Tooth eyed them suspiciously.

"Nothing at all," Mo Fei giggled.

*If only I could use an incendiary bomb to deal with these raw poppy plants, I wonder how effective it would be.*

*You’d only need to mix graphite-coated aluminum powder with potassium nitrate in the right proportions, add a little gasoline, pour it into a plastic bottle, insert a small tube with a bit of gunpowder, and finally, leave a small opening with a flint fuse at the seal.*

*That way, with just a slight shake or impact, the flint would ignite the gunpowder, detonating the firebomb and splashing the liquid inside wherever it hits. Aside from the fact that it can't be shaken, it’s exceptionally handy.*

Gold Tooth was particularly invested in the plantation; if he knew what was running through Mo Fei's mind, he’d likely open fire with his gun.

Unfortunately, he didn't know; he was still enthusiastically introducing the plantation.

Looking at the poppies covering the mountains and plains, Mo Fei couldn't even imagine how excited Lao Tang and Little Xu would be if they saw this. They would probably be working overtime, night and day, just to pull them all up.

But, credit where credit is due, this godforsaken place was certainly very green.

It was so green it made him want to dye his hair green and wear a purple suit.

As Mo Fei thought this, a person with purple hair suddenly emerged from the poppy field.

Everyone was startled. Long Er and Long Si reached for their guns, while Gold Tooth took half a step back before recognizing her and shouting, "Sister Mo? Oh, Sister Mo, why didn't you let me know you were coming? You scared me!"

"Do I need to check in with you when I come here?" Li Momo, cigarette dangling from her mouth, frowned as she plucked a poppy to inspect it. "We’re shipping out in a while. The boss sent me to check the harvest."

She let go and flicked her gaze toward Mo Fei’s group. "Who are these people? Tourists?"

Gold Tooth was about to explain with a sheepish grin when Mo Fei’s eyes lit up. "Li Momo? Sister Momo?"

"Oh, we just met!" Mo Fei clapped his hands and walked over to shake Li Momo’s hand. "Remember me? Ace of Hearts!"

Li Momo's expression shifted from vigilance to a blank stare. She scrutinized Mo Fei and yanked her hand back forcefully. "Ace of Hearts? You didn't look like that last night."

"Well, I didn't expect you to be roasting chicken wings one minute and checking on poppy flowers the next," Mo Fei said, unbothered by her attitude, hands tucked into his pockets as he smiled.

"Don't go talking nonsense," Gold Tooth said, stepping forward with his gun in hand. "I didn't expect you to know Sister Momo, but you probably don't know what her specialty is, do you?"

"Sister Momo is a legitimate university chemistry major! Every bit of new product that leaves this place passes through her hands." Gold Tooth laughed heartily. "Sister Momo, I’ve been watching the fields; not a bit of raw material will be missing, so tell the boss he can rest easy."

Li Momo flicked her cigarette butt onto the ground and ground it out with her heel. She said coldly, "If he could rest easy, he wouldn't have sent me here. Is this a place for outsiders to just wander into?"

The "outsiders" undoubtedly referred to Mo Fei and his two companions. Long Er and Long Si, possessing sharp instincts, remained silent.

Mo Fei looked left and right before pointing at himself. "What outsiders? You aren't talking about me, are you?"

Li Momo stared at him with a deadpan face. "You letting outsiders in is one thing, but you let a mentally challenged person in too? If he ruins the garden, are you going to take responsibility?"

Gold Tooth just smiled awkwardly and said nothing.

Mo Fei took offense, protesting, "Who are you calling mentally challenged? How could I ruin someone’s garden for no reason? I’m not some antisocial personality."

"Unless the owner of this garden offended me, or this garden is an eyesore, or I just happen to have a whim to do it, why on earth would I want to blow it up?" Mo Fei snorted. "I’m not a firecracker that wants to explode everything it sees."

"You better not be," Li Momo said, pulling out her cigarette case to light another one. "This isn't a playground for children. You’d better crawl back to the amusement park."

"Gold Tooth, come here." Li Momo called Gold Tooth away for a private word.

Mo Fei leaned over to Long Er and asked, "Do you know this Li Momo?"

"You said you knew her, so why ask me?" Long Er’s lips curled. "Li Momo was one of the first people converted by Da Fei. She used to be a top science student, but once she got here, she started researching new products."

"She’s been by that big boss’s side for six or seven years. She’s handled dozens, maybe hundreds of types of drugs. She’s a notorious femme fatale."

Long Si walked over to them and adjusted her sunglasses. "Although she hasn't killed anyone with her own hands, she’s indirectly caused the deaths of many. Stay away from her; don't let the lightning that strikes her hit you, too."

Mo Fei looked at her with pleasant surprise. "Oh, I couldn't tell you had it in you to say things like that. Not bad, more cheerful than your brother!"

Long Si offered a mocking smile. "I watch Wong Kar-wai movies, too."

"We are people, too—living, breathing people!" Long Si glared at him through her sunglasses.

"I don't think your brother is," Mo Fei said, leaning in. "Does your brother have any hobbies that normal people have? Tell me about it."

"My brother—" Long Si snapped at his ear, "is none of your damn business!"

Mo Fei pulled back to rub his ear, not forgetting to give Long Er a thumbs-up. "Nice. Your sister isn't as lifeless as you are; she’s lively and spunky. That’s good."

The smile on Long Er’s face widened, and he exchanged a look with Long Si. Both of them shook their heads simultaneously.

Li Momo pulled Gold Tooth behind another cluster of poppies, lowered her voice, and asked, "What's the deal with these three?"

She glanced back, frowning. "Especially those two who haven't said a word—who are they?"

Gold Tooth looked back and laughed it off. "They’re well-known mercenaries. They’ve been to every country and aren't aligned with any faction. There’s no problem."

"Is that what I asked?" Li Momo looked at him with murder in her eyes. "Don't forget whose place this is."