Homo Sapiens

Old Ma’s small restaurant was called the "Sichuan Cuisine Restaurant."

"Xiaoli, take care of the customers. I’m going to go cook a couple of dishes."

"Okay, Boss." Xiaoli, who only had one hand, quickly cleared a table. His expression was completely wooden, and he showed no intention of making small talk with Fang Xinwu and the others.

Fang Xinwu could tell the man had a story. He leaned back in his wooden chair and quietly gazed out the glass window.

The four o’clock afternoon sun cast its glow on the faces of the bustling crowd. Amid the chaos, there was a certain vibrancy, even though these people would argue until they were red in the face over a few dozen Myanmar Kyat, like ants foraging in a trash heap.

Before long, Old Ma brought out a plate of twice-cooked pork, a plate of mapo tofu, a plate of stir-fried preserved pork with garlic scapes, a small dish of spicy fried peanuts, and two bottles of Zhuyeqing wine.

He hung a "Closed for the Day" sign on the restaurant door.

Xiaoli took Mao Shuihe and the others to eat at another table.

Only Fang Xinwu and Old Ma were left.

"Let’s have a drink," Old Ma said, picking up a small glass cup.

Fang Xinwu also picked up his cup and clinked it lightly against Old Ma’s. "Bottoms up."

They downed the wine in one go. Old Ma picked up a slice of twice-cooked pork, put it in his mouth, and asked calmly, "Is business over there not going well?"

"It’s tough. A lot has changed recently, and business is hard to come by." Fang Xinwu picked up a peanut.

"I understand. Business is tough on my end, too." Old Ma refilled Fang Xinwu’s cup.

"What about the Qingye Group’s business?"

Hearing that name, Old Ma’s eyebrows twitched, and his expression turned serious. "Xinwu, don’t go poking around in that company’s affairs. The consequences could be unpredictable."

"It’s that dangerous?" Fang Xinwu was a little surprised.

Old Ma lowered his voice. "You’re not in Dongzhi, so you don’t know how domineering this company is. They can directly commandeer Mao Gu’s subordinates. The two are very close."

"I’ve only encountered some of this company’s businesses in the Golden Triangle. Do you have more details from here in Dongzhi?" Fang Xinwu asked.

Old Ma glanced out the window before explaining, "This company started out in glass and cement. I heard they have proprietary technology that allows them to produce high-quality glass and cement at a relatively low cost."

"I know that much."

Taking a bite of mapo tofu, Old Ma continued, "Then the company expanded rapidly in southern Hongsawaddy. In less than a year, it’s become a major conglomerate through joint ventures and acquisitions."

"Their business is incredibly diverse, covering building materials, infrastructure, beverages, restaurants, hotels, daily necessities, healthcare, transportation, agricultural products, food processing, mining, machine manufacturing, power generation, water services, finance, and the internet."

"That many?" Fang Xinwu was stunned.

Old Ma glanced at him, then revealed something terrifying. "They also have their own schools and security company."

"Isn’t that a trust?"

"So what if it is? All the powerful people in Hongsawaddy are inextricably linked with them," Old Ma warned grimly.

"Does the family know?"

"I’ve already sent a letter." After speaking, Old Ma downed his glass in one gulp. "Hah... Don’t count on the family. They won’t say anything openly. Besides, you should have already guessed a few things about the founder of this Qingye Group."

"I’m very worried about him." Fang Xinwu’s expression soured.

Old Ma shrugged. "What’s the use in worrying? When the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up. Besides, those people were the ones who created this mess. Are you saying he’s not allowed to hold a grudge?"

"..." Fang Xinwu fell silent. He was truly powerless.

Li Qingye was no longer on the same level as the former Young Master of the Xinxin Group, nor was he the defeated dog who had fled in panic. He was now the chairman of a major conglomerate capable of influencing the stability of an entire region.

And as fate would have it, Hongsawaddy’s location was just too critical.

Old Ma had worked in Hongsawaddy for decades. Even though he had seen his share of major upheavals, the current situation left him at a complete loss, with no idea where to even begin.

He also knew that the family was in a bind, unable to swallow their pride and negotiate with the other party. Now the situation had suddenly become extremely passive.

After all, Old Ma himself had been the one to send much of this information back. How could he not know the trickery involved?

Back when Li Qingye had first established his footing in Hongsawaddy, he went through the embassy in Yangon to confirm that he had emigrated to the Transvaal Republic years ago, changing his status from a missing person to a legal emigrant.

From that moment on, especially after Yang Tianci was poisoned and paralyzed and the Xu Brothers were poisoned to death, Old Ma began to pay close attention to Li Qingye and the Qingye Group.

But at the time, the two sides were practically strangers. Neither had any intention of talking to the other, so they both acted as if the other didn’t exist, leading to the current stalemate.

But the recent internal upheavals in Hongsawaddy had suddenly made the Qingye Group highly sought-after.

You have to understand, Old Ma’s detailed investigative reports contained data that ordinary people would never notice.

For example, the Qingye Group controlled 42% of Hongsawaddy’s beverage market, 95% of its glass bottle and glassware market, 100% of its cement market, and 15% of its small hardware market.

It owned 27 exclusive ports, 13 airports, the toll rights for 17 highways, and the operating rights for one railway under construction, on top of a massive number of highways, railways, ports, airports, and public facilities currently being built.

Not to mention the vast tracts of farmland and mountain forests it had acquired on the Shan Plateau and in the Central River Valley Plain.

Although this terrifying rate of expansion would dilute Li Qingye’s shares in the Qingye Group, he remained the chairman and maintained very strong control over the company’s internal affairs.

Old Ma said he wasn’t worried, but in his heart, his wariness of Li Qingye was even greater than his wariness of Mao Gu and the others in Bamana City.

Judging by the man’s methods, Old Ma knew this type of person was the hardest to deal with because he was extremely cautious.

At least, according to Old Ma’s intelligence network, Li Qingye had never left Tuwah Port since his identity became public. Now that he had relocated to Dongzhi City, he was being just as low-key, almost never leaving the core area of the Qingye Group.

And after his identity became public, Li Qingye only entrusted a law firm to reclaim his share of the inheritance, showing no willingness to return to the country himself.

That told Old Ma something about what was on his mind.

But what good did knowing do? What Old Ma had just told Fang Xinwu was, in a way, something he was also telling himself.

"Have you tried to communicate with him?" Fang Xinwu asked, not ready to give up.

Old Ma shook his head with a bitter smile. "No. Before, certain people weren’t willing to humble themselves before an outcast, so they kept putting it off. Now, it’s too late."

Yes, it was too late.

Besides, trying to build a relationship now would come at a completely different price than before.

Before, he was a small-time entrepreneur struggling to survive.

Now, he was a massive trust, a tiger entrenched in the Indochinese Peninsula.

It was like visiting a relative. When he was dirt poor, you gave him the cold shoulder. Now that he’s made it big, you think you can just show up with a couple of oranges and make everything right again? You must be daydreaming.

Putting himself in the other’s shoes, Old Ma felt it was highly unlikely the man could be so easily fooled.

After all, the feud over his parents’ deaths was an irreconcilable one.

The two of them drank in sullen silence.

In December in Hongsawaddy, under the warm setting sun, neither of the two men could feel any joy.

Outside the window, however, the street vendors were just entering their busiest time of day.

Until an Internal Guard Patrol Team appeared in the pedestrian street, holding a megaphone and shouting to everyone:

"Qingye Hospital is offering free physical examinations in the coming days! Everyone must go for a check-up. Only those who have a certificate of examination will be allowed to continue operating their businesses..."

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