In the afternoon, accompanied by Wu Lin, Flower Yan reviewed the combat skills she had learned over the past ten days three to five times. Upon returning to her room, she decided to give the remaining pastry and beef jerky to him and his comrade, Qiangzi. At the special base, Flower Yan only interacted with Gouzi and Qiangzi, who were the ones who had initially come to pick her up with Lao Yang. She hadn't seen anyone else, possibly as per Lao Qiao's instructions.
Originally intended to share some delicacies with Wu Lin, Flower Yan found out that he would be accompanying her. Concerned about her first mission, Lao Qiao arranged for Wu Lin to assist her. Just before boarding the helicopter, Lao Qiao solemnly handed her a black document resembling a special police credential and said, "If anyone questions you, show them this. I believe you're a good soldier."
Glancing away from the highly textured black document, Flower Yan smirked at Lao Qiao and said, "Lao Qiao, I see you're trying to flatter me. But this trick won't work on me." Cooperation was based on mutual trust, and she wouldn't blindly obey orders just because of a few words or a privileged document.
Clearing his throat to conceal his embarrassment, Lao Qiao was interrupted by Wu Lin's amused expression. Quietly giving Flower Yan a thumbs-up, he stifled his laughter and hastily boarded the helicopter, leaving first. Seeing this, Lao Yang witnessed Lao Qiao being teased and couldn't help but smile before offering a few words of advice to Flower Yan and allowing them to depart.
Transported directly from the special base to the nearest military district by helicopter, they soon boarded another military aircraft bound for Da Kou City.
Arriving in Da Kou City the next afternoon, they eventually reached the border checkpoint located there. While technically situated on the border, the checkpoint's facilities were second only to those of a second-tier city, owing to its jurisdiction falling under Da Kou City.
They were received by a forty-year-old station chief named Gu Changde, who, despite his corpulent figure, moved with surprising agility. Especially noteworthy were his eyes, devoid of visible pupils when he smiled, yet emanating a sense of wisdom. Aware that a significant amount of drugs would pass through the border, and with superiors having dispatched someone to oversee the matter, he abandoned the usual bureaucratic demeanor and showed great respect towards Flower Yan and her team.
As Gu Changde introduced them, Flower Yan learned that the station had five checkpoints, each receiving over ten thousand people from or going to Myanmar every day. While the station itself wasn't large, the volume of traffic it handled was substantial.
After discussing, they decided that the next day, if any Burmese fabric merchants passed through any of the five checkpoints, they would undergo inspection by Flower Yan's team before being allowed to proceed. If two or more merchants arrived simultaneously, the station staff would do their best to ensure they waited without complaint. While Gu Changde and Flower Yan were discussing, a young man with a flat top haircut, slim build, and fair complexion entered with a pot of tea. Surprised to see Flower Yan and her team, he quickly glanced at them, apologized, and left.
"Zhang Bing, your timing with the tea was perfect. I was just feeling thirsty. And by the way, you'll meet two new colleagues who've arrived from another station," Gu Changde said as if it were a normal occurrence for Zhang Bing to enter without knocking, showing no sign of reproach but rather genuine appreciation.
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Zhang Bing smiled and immediately lowered his head, saying, "Station Chief, I didn't know you had guests. Otherwise, I wouldn't have entered without knocking."
"Oh, it's nothing. Hurry and get two more clean cups," Gu Changde replied casually.
"Sure thing, I'll get them right away," Zhang Bing replied and dashed off without looking back.
While Flower Yan and Wu Lin were suspicious, once Zhang Bing was out of earshot, Wu Lin asked, "Station Chief, could Zhang Bing have overheard our conversation?" After all, they had been engrossed in their discussion and hadn't noticed when Zhang Bing arrived or how long he had been standing there.
"Don't worry, he won't spill the beans even if I do. You can trust me, and if there's an issue with me, there's an issue with him too," Gu Changde said confidently, speaking candidly about himself.
Curious, Flower Yan asked, "Why is that?"
"Zhang Bing's father, Zhang Guangcheng, was a drug enforcement hero who served for over a decade without taking a single day off. He never complained, even in the harshest conditions, dedicating himself wholeheartedly to drug enforcement. During his tenure, he ranked first in drug seizures among several border conflicts and assisted in the resolution of hundreds of drug-related cases as an undercover agent. Last year, he was tragically killed in a drug bust, taking a bullet to the forehead. With such an outstanding father, how could Zhang Bing have any issues?"
"Zhang Bing indeed has an exceptional father." Wu Lin deeply admired the dedication of this drug enforcement officer, feeling reassured by the explanation. Seeing both the station chief and Wu Lin speak in this manner, Flower Yan refrained from voicing her concerns further. She decided she would discuss it with Wu Lin when they had more time.
When Zhang Bing entered earlier, Flower Yan's perception indicated that he wasn't calm internally; his heart rate was more than twice its usual pace. Moreover, Zhang Bing had only looked up twice during his brief time in the room, both times very briefly before quickly lowering his head again. Such behavior couldn't be explained unless he had something to hide.
To facilitate their work discussions, Flower Yan and Wu Lin shared a room. "Flower Yan, why don't you take a shower first and then get some rest? I'll wake you up for dinner later," Wu Lin suggested.
"Instructor, I still think Zhang Bing is very suspicious!"
"Oh? That shouldn't be the case. Despite the ragged appearance and lack of formal education among these local drug enforcement officers, they are the backbone of the front line in this battle," Wu Lin replied. Having fought in drug enforcement for over a decade and interacted with numerous local officers, he understood the remarkable achievements of domestic drug enforcement. Many of them, who earned less than the receptionist at a foreign company and had no decent living conditions, fought day and night against drug traffickers. In his heart, they were heroes, even sacred and inviolable. He couldn't bring himself to believe Flower Yan's suspicions about the offspring of these heroes.
"But don't you find Zhang Bing's demeanor suspicious?"
At this mention, a hint of sadness appeared on Wu Lin's resolute face for the first time. He stopped staring at Flower Yan and looked down at the tea in his hands before slowly speaking, "Do you know, many children of frontline drug enforcement officers drop out of school without even finishing high school? It's because they hardly see their parents throughout the year, let alone receive guidance from them like children from ordinary families. Because of this, some of these children, like Zhang Bing, become timid and don't know how to interact with others. You could even say they have mild autism... So, Flower Yan, you need to approach them with understanding."
Wu Lin's firm tone left Flower Yan momentarily speechless. If Zhang Bing's behavior could be attributed to autism, it wasn't entirely implausible. Yet, despite his explanation, she still harbored an inexplicable unease deep within her.