Chapter 123: The War Profiteer

When Long Si dragged Mofei back, he was still scolding him.

“Don’t you know at your age to keep your mouth shut when you’re out?” Long Si glared at him. “The more you talk, the more mistakes you make. If you draw their attention, whether you make it back or not will be uncertain.”

“Do you know why so many people go missing every year while traveling in Southeast Asia?”

Mofei obediently nodded and listened to the lecture.

“We’ve seen enough here; let’s head back.” Long Er glanced towards Xiaobai. “Something big is probably about to happen here. Let’s return to the country.”

Mofei had no objections.

He was a stranger in an unfamiliar land; it was best to drop his thoughts and just follow them.

But some clearly didn’t want them to leave so easily.

When the three returned to the hotel to pack up and prepare to leave, Jinya, accompanied by several armed militia, blocked the entrance.

“Oh, Brother Long, Miss Long, why are you in such a hurry to leave?” Jinya rubbed his belly and smiled as he entered the hotel. “It’s been a while since you came by. Since you finally showed up, you should introduce your new friend to the boss.”

“I think I have enough friends already,” Mofei muttered.

Long Si shot him a glance. “Shut up.”

Mofei toyed with a small spray bottle in his hand, responding nonchalantly, “Oh.”

Long Er and Long Si knew that the “boss” Jinya mentioned was the head of the Bai family, one of the major heroin exporters in the Burmese region. The Bai family wielded absolute power there, which made handling this matter particularly tricky.

The Bai family not only cultivated poppies and exported heroin, but also ran industries like online fraud and human trafficking, backed by an armed force. It was best not to make trouble on their turf unless absolutely necessary.

Mofei, however, was entirely unaware of the power dynamics in the Burmese region, and ignorance naturally bred fearlessness.

It was like someone living in peacetime, hearing gunshots and thinking it was just kids setting off firecrackers, not realizing a shooting was taking place.

But now the situation had gone beyond Long Er’s plan.

In his expectations, even if Mofei was trouble, it wouldn’t attract the attention of the Bai boss.

That man handled millions in black money daily; time was truly valuable to him.

Mofei was, at most, a small-time player, not a world-famous star. Logically, he shouldn’t be noticed.

Amid this confusion, Jinya led the three to a villa.

They weren’t searched, and seeing the armed guards inside, it was truly unnecessary.

Every guard at the villa was heavily armed, some even with grenades at their waists, while mortars were mounted in the garden.

With such security, even if they carried weapons, it wouldn’t cause much trouble.

Jinya drove the sightseeing vehicle into the villa’s courtyard, which was lush with flowers and greenery, a scene of prosperity.

Xiaobai, whom they had met earlier at the underground casino, was also on guard in the yard.

Seeing them arrive, Xiaobai nodded coldly in acknowledgment, completely lacking the warmth he had shown at the casino.

In the courtyard stood a massive parasol shading an iron round table and matching chairs, the overall style exuding luxury.

“Are you Momo’s friends?” Under the umbrella sat an inconspicuous middle-aged man sipping tea. “My surname is Bai—Bai Yingxiong. Please, have a seat.”

Mofei glanced around; Long Er and Long Si didn’t move, but since the man had spoken, he sat down opposite Bai Yingxiong.

Long Er and Long Si flanked him—one standing, the other pulling out a chair to sit beside him.

Such a display gave Mofei face.

In fact, it gave him so much face it almost broke his immersion, making him feel like he was in a classic old gangster movie.

Bai Yingxiong looked entirely ordinary, like any middle-aged man smoking by the roadside.

Yet the faint murderous gleam in his eyes revealed he was not someone to be trifled with.

He was different from Long Er.

Long Er was overtly intimidating; Bai Yingxiong was more restrained, his menace simmering beneath the surface.

Bai Yingxiong raised his hand, and a young attendant standing nearby promptly poured tea for Mofei.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen young friends,” Bai Yingxiong said with a faint smile, looking at Mofei. “Xiaobai told me you’re already skilled in gunpowder production at such a young age?”

Sure enough, this was trouble caused by Mofei back at the underground casino.

Long Si gave Mofei a despairing look.

If time could rewind, she would have knocked Mofei unconscious on the spot and packaged him for immediate return.

A mission was a mission—no need to trigger side quests.

Having just been warned by Long Si not to talk carelessly, Mofei felt conflicted.

Everyone would talk more when it came to their expertise, but this was not the right occasion for such talk.

No, his expertise wasn’t explosives!

“Actually, I’m a professional actor back home,” Mofei solemnly announced. “My acting is more specialized.”

Bai Yingxiong’s eyes flickered. “Of course, I had someone look into you a bit when you started associating with Momo.”

“Compared to your acting skills, I’m more interested in what you said earlier.”

Seeing that Mofei didn’t quite understand, Bai Yingxiong plainly explained, “No one is constantly at war in this world, but there are always places that are. Some small regions can’t afford hydrogen bombs or nukes, so they have to use cheaper weapons.”

At this, Mofei understood. “So you want to export arms?”

His expression almost seemed to say: “Well, that too?”

If he remembered correctly, this man also cultivated poppies, ran online fraud and gambling operations, and now wanted to dabble in arms dealing.

Truly ambitious—building an empire and shining anew.

“It’s only a small export, nothing that affects the larger picture,” Bai Yingxiong modestly said. “Even if we don’t sell, others will. I just want to follow along and take a share—it’s not excessive.”

No matter how grandly he spoke, it didn’t change the essence.

And everyone present basically knew who the “others” were.

Who else but the world’s police, America?

That guy had intervened in their civil wars more than once.

“That may be, but it’s dangerous,” Mofei pondered briefly, not wanting to close off the conversation. “If I just chat with you like this, won’t I be arrested later for conspiracy?”

“I still have a film to release; I don’t want to become a legal case.”

Bai Yingxiong laughed heartily. “No worries. You make films to earn money. I’ll pay you, so just stay here.”

“If you want to make movies, you can do it here too. After filming, you can release them here as well!”

Mofei looked at him without smiling.

He was lazy, not stupid. How could the Burmese region compare to back home?

Aside from sharing a border, these two places had nothing in common!