Chapter 1524 Capture (1/2)

Da Mao was very familiar with the workings of the jade trade. Of course, that meant he knew about the King of Old Hpakant and his family affairs. When he heard what Zhong Dapao said, he shook his head fervently. ”No, no, no! I'm not going to work for them, or there's no telling when I'll die!”

Zhong Dapao kept silent. The men from the other side had already marched up to them and were standing outside their car. For better or for worse, they had to go deal with them or risk being thought of as arrogant and unreliable.

The man in the white suit smiled at the sight of Zhong Dapao. ”It's been a while, Mr. Zhong.”

Zhong Dapao clenched his fists. ”Hey, Mr. Tun Khin, it's been a long time indeed. You're in my way. Is there something I can help you with?”

The man responded, ”I know you're the kind to cut to the chase instead of beating around the bush, so I'll get straight to it. Is there a Mr. Mao in your car? Mr. Suo Mo wishes to meet him.”

Zhong Dapao said, ”Now? I'm afraid that's not possible. Mr. Mao is here with me, but he owes all of us at the Chinese Village a huge sum of money. I've got to bring him back or I'd be in trouble with the villagers.”

Da Mao muttered from inside the car, ”I owe whom money?!”

Liu Zi stared at the boy. ”Well, get out of the car, then, if this excuse isn't good enough for you.”

Da Mao laughed in embarrassment. ”Forget what I said before. The Suos are a bunch of fools who resort to violence to get their way, and I'm not getting involved with them. I'd very much like to stay alive, thank you.”

The two men started arguing. Zhong Dapao was refusing to hand over Da Mao, so there was not much Tun Khin could do.

Zhong Dapao knew why Tun Khin was so insistent. He was a shrewd man and someone who was in the business of gambling on rocks, no less. He knew of Da Mao's capabilities and was just as adamant about keeping the boy on his side. However, he was different from the outsiders. Outsiders to the trade overestimated the boy's capabilities. Da Mao's sudden rise to fame from the incident of last night drew all the attention to himself and away from the low-profile Li Du. Da Mao had only picked a minority of the rocks the team had; Li Du picked the bulk of them, and Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi knew just how incredible a man he was.

They knew Li Du was much more powerful than Da Mao, but they also knew that man was not someone they could keep under their thumb, a fact that became even more apparent when they found out Li Du was a major shareholder in the Harry Winston Group. They knew full well that controlling Li Du would be a pipe dream, and settled for maintaining an amicable relationship with him.

At this moment, Da Mao and his big mouth became a decent option for the pair. Though Da Mao's abilities were definitely not on par with Li Du's, he was still an impressive professional in his own right, especially since he was still young. With enough experience and training under his belt, he was sure to become even better. As such, they hoped to keep Da Mao on their side so he could be of help to them, instead of having to hand him off to someone else.

Da Mao, too, had a vague feeling that this was how they felt, and acknowledged as much. He also knew that Zhong Dapao and Liu Zi were all bark and no bite. They might have cursed and even hit him the first time they met but they never bore any ill intentions – it had all been in good fun.

It had already been some time since he arrived at Longken and Kokang, so he had some sort of grasp on the situation there. It would be difficult to get by without coming from a good background or having the right connections, let alone deal with shady business.

Tun Khin and Zhong Dapao continued to argue: one was adamant about bringing Da Mao with him and the other insisted on keeping the boy. Both sides refused to back down and could not be convinced to do so.

After some time, the back door of the first car in the convoy of Pajeros opened, and out stepped a tall, middle-aged man who said something in Burmese with a solemn face.

Liu Zi pointed out as he gritted his teeth, ”Here comes the King of Hpakant.”

Li Du looked on curiously. ”That's him?”

Liu Zi nodded with a sneer, disdainful and not the least bit respectful. Zhong Dapao had his fists clenched at the sight of the King of Hpakant, who gave him the cold shoulder. He said a few more words in Burmese, then swung his arm down in an imposing manner.