Taking a short break at the command of Lao Qiao, I continued the five-kilometer run until late at night, completing a full day of training. After eating the special base meal, many of which were half-cooked with little oil and salt, Flower Yan's energy consumption was so high that despite feeling famished, she found it easy to swallow whatever she could get in her mouth. Returning to her bedroom, she grabbed a piece of homemade pastry made by Chang Ma with one hand and some beef jerky prepared by Flower Father with the other. While enjoying the delicious snacks, she watched yoga tutorials on her computer. Due to the intense training and the fact that many exercises would accentuate muscles, Flower Yan decided to add yoga to her daily routine to avoid such a scenario.
When Lao Yang had a moment to spare and saw Flower Yan sitting in front of her computer, engrossed in watching yoga tutorials like a primary school student, he suddenly felt that despite being in her twenties, she still had a childish nature. Upon inquiry, he learned that she wanted to learn yoga to maintain her physique. Fortunately, there was a yoga teacher at the base, and Flower Yan was overjoyed when Lao Yang mentioned it. She felt like watching yoga tutorials was like seeing the scenery through a veil. Now that there was a yoga teacher at the base, she didn't need to just dream about it.
"Let me help too, but..."
"Lao Yang, you don't need a favor in return, do you? That doesn't seem like something a person of your stature would do!"
"But you said before, 'It's better to share joy than to enjoy it alone!'" He said, eyeing the beef jerky on the small table as if a cat had caught a whiff of fish.
It was obvious he was lusting after her beef jerky, yet he spoke so nobly. However, seeing him solve her yoga learning problem and looking pitifully hopeful, she gave him half of the beef jerky from the bag on the table.
With the beef jerky in hand, Lao Yang left with a promise of early bedtime and arrangements for her yoga learning the next day. Flower Yan, standing outside the door, strongly suspected that Lao Yang had come for her beef jerky.
After Flower Yan fell into a peaceful sleep, a thread of color, tender green like silk, emerged from the jade pendant on her neck. It flowed over her body and spiraled into a vortex at her lower abdomen, rotating from the outside in. As time passed, the outer threads became lighter, while the color at the center grew greener. After about forty minutes, the color at the center of the vortex also faded, and it slowly returned to the jade pendant, but the jade inside the pendant was visibly diminished.
Flower Yan, having had a good night's sleep, felt refreshed and energetic, completely unaware of the strange event from the night before. She continued her training every day, practicing yoga during her rest time.
Before she knew it, Flower Yan had been at the special base for ten days. During the morning training, when she was halfway through, a soldier delivered a message asking her to go to Lao Yang's office. She didn't know what it was about, but she quickly greeted the combat instructor and hurried over. Except for Lao Qiao supervising her running, the combat instructor was the only one in charge of other training sessions, as she heard that he volunteered for the role.
The combat instructor, named Wu Lin, was a martial arts fanatic. His parents ran a martial arts gym in Haibin City. Despite his almost brutal training methods, he was undeniably skilled. After ten days of training, Flower Yan had already surpassed many soldiers who entered at the same time.
You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.
Breathless, she arrived at Lao Yang's office to find both Lao Qiao and him looking serious. After a moment, Lao Qiao spoke, "Yesterday we received intelligence that a drug trafficking group is planning a major operation! Without you, we might be in a bad position in this anti-drug operation!"
The mission came so suddenly, and it sounded like they couldn't do it without her. Flower Yan felt both alarmed and uneasy. "Oh? What's the mission?"
"The drug trafficking group plans to smuggle drugs concealed in jade fabric into our country. The quantity of drugs is estimated to be around five kilograms, which is unprecedented in the history of drug enforcement. This batch of jade fabric containing drugs will pass through Myanmar the day after tomorrow. Tonight, you will leave the base for Da Kou City in the south," Lao Qiao continued.
A typical drug trafficking offense with 50 grams can result in a sentence of over 15 years of imprisonment, while one with a kilogram can warrant the death penalty. This time, the trafficking group is dealing with a whopping 5,000 grams, indicating they're going all-in. "How did they hide the drugs in the fabric?" Any tampering with the fabric would leave traces.
"They didn't hide the drugs in genuine fabric. You must have heard of fake fabric in the gambling stone industry. They've hired experts in making fake fabric to seamlessly conceal these 5,000 grams of drugs within the fake fabric."
Speaking of fake fabric, Lao Yang's brow furrowed as he continued, "When I was young and worked in the gambling stone industry, I knew that some experienced gamblers could spot fake fabric upon close examination. Some instruments could also detect it, but there's a portion that neither experience nor technology can reveal as fake. We're facing a problem that can't be solved by experience or technology this time."
After Lao Yang finished, Lao Qiao continued, "The jade distribution center in Da Kou City, Shiyu County, will hold a large-scale jade fabric auction in five days. The day after tomorrow, over twenty fabric merchants invited from Myanmar will start crossing the border. We don't know which merchant's fabric contains the drugs. Our superiors have instructed us not to impede the smooth operation of the jade fabric auction in Da Kou City. Therefore, we need you to use your clairvoyant abilities to pinpoint exactly which merchant is harboring the 5,000 grams of drugs. Do you have any questions or concerns?"
Having grasped the situation, Flower Yan wondered what her role was in this drug bust, considering it was her first time. "What identity will I assume to inspect the fabric, and what do I need to prepare?"
"You have been appointed as a special envoy of the General Staff Headquarters. You will be under my and Lao Yang's direct command. During official duties, anyone below my rank must obey your orders. You'll be temporarily stationed at the border checkpoint the day after tomorrow, and all necessary procedures have been arranged, so you need not worry. Just prepare your personal belongings. One more thing to remember: Apart from me, Lao Yang, and Wu Lin, nobody else should know your code name, Panda. Do you understand?" Lao Qiao said sternly.
"Yes, understood." Flower Yan realized that this arrangement was crucial for her safety and the successful completion of the mission. However, she was taken aback by the extensive authority granted to her as a special envoy of the General Staff Headquarters and was curious about her combat instructor, Wu Lin, having the same privilege as Lao Qiao in knowing her code name. Despite her curiosity, Flower Yan remembered the confidentiality clause explicitly stating not to inquire about such classified matters.
Finally, with a hint of melancholy in his gaze, Lao Yang stared at Flower Yan and said, "Girl, we'll be counting on you from now on."
After a moment of surprise, Flower Yan suddenly felt a connection with Lao Yang, understanding that he had once wielded his abilities in this line of work. Now that his abilities were gone, there was a sense of emptiness in his heart, yet he couldn't fight against his resolve. Facing Lao Yang, she stood at attention and executed a crisp, resounding military salute, declaring loudly, "I promise to complete the mission!"
And it was in this humble office, akin to a rural farmhouse, that a fearless female drug enforcement officer, feared and despised by drug trafficking groups, was born...