Go back in time and be a chaebol

Chapter 1660: Pearl in the Rainforest (Third update, please subscribe)

The tires of the Land Rover SUV made a dull rolling sound on the muddy road, rain poured down the windshield, and the wipers swung left and right desperately.

What the hell is this place?

Fang Jingren, who had long been accustomed to the highways in SEA, which were at best paved roads, could not even imagine that there would be such roads in the world - muddy, without any hardened road surface.

Sometimes, there is a quagmire ahead. If it weren't for the good passability and light body of the Land Rover off-road vehicle, it would have been stuck in the quagmire and spinning around.

Such roads can only be found in the rain forest in China. Even between those plantations, there are paved hardened roads. Although simple, they are at least hardened roads.

This damn place is basically...the army's cross-country training ground.

Holding the steering wheel tightly, Fang Jingren's knuckles turned slightly white due to the force. The car body kept bumping on the bumpy road, as if it would fall apart at any time.

"This damn place doesn't even have a decent road!"

Fang Jingren couldn't help but complain, his voice full of suppressed irritation. His shirt was soaked with sweat and stuck to his back. The air in the car was hot and humid, mixed with the smell of soil and rotting plants.

Lu Chujie sat in the passenger seat, his arms folded across his chest, his eyes looking straight ahead, his face expressionless. His silence made Fang Jingren even more uneasy. They had been driving in this rain forest for nearly five hours, and there was nothing to see except tall trees and vines. Fang Jingren didn't know where they were going, nor did he know the specific content of the mission. He just followed the instructions of the section chief to leave the highway and head north along the dirt road.

"Chief, where are we going?"

Fang Jingren finally couldn't help but speak again, with a hint of anxiety in his voice.
"If we continue driving on this road like this, the car will be scrapped."

"Then just change another one..."

Lu Chujie said casually, turning his head slightly and glancing at him.

Fang Jingren knew that Lu Chujie was a man of few words, but every word he said carried weight.
The atmosphere in the car became more depressing, with only the sound of raindrops hitting the roof and the roar of the engine echoing in his ears. Fang Jingren became more and more confused. But Lu Chujie's silence was like a wall, blocking all his questions.

"You'll know when you get there."

Lu Chujie finally spoke, but still no answer
Fang Jingren didn't ask any more questions, but just nodded silently. He refocused his eyes on the road ahead, holding the steering wheel tightly with both hands, and began to think about various possibilities in his mind.

Where is their destination this time?
In the past half month, Fang Jingren and the section chief left Bangkok, headed north, and then entered Shan State, a special area.

Although it nominally belongs to Myanmar and Myanmar also claims sovereignty over it, it declared "independence" and was recognized by SEA and some of its allies after independence. It even has a representative office in Chang'an and issues passports.

Since its independence, with the help of development aid loans, Shan State has not only built projects such as railways, roads and hydroelectric power stations, but its economy has also developed accordingly. Cash crops such as oil palm and coffee have replaced opium, and a large number of factories have been established in the capital, Xin'an.

Before coming here, Fang Jingren's knowledge of Shan State was mostly about Shan State apples - this fruit is very common in the domestic market.

Apples in Shan State are also a development aid project.

A few hours later, under the setting sun, the car drove into a small town. Although it was a small town, Fang Jingren was somewhat surprised to find that the city was more prosperous than he had imagined.

There are even several ten-story buildings in the city, with spacious streets and vehicles coming and going. It looks as prosperous as the capital Xin'an.

"Chief, this place looks very prosperous."

But why is there no road through it?

"Here the main route is the Mekong River, and road transport is not necessarily faster than water transport."

After observing the city for a while, Fang Jingren realized something and said:

"Chief, is this the border?"

"Ah."

Lu Chujie nodded and said:
"After entering the city, walk along the main road to the other side of the city, find a place to park the car, and then... put on your vest and hat."

The vest is a blue breathable vest with the Agency for International Development badge on the chest and the English abbreviation "AID" of the Agency for International Development written on the back.

When they work outside, they will wear it to show their identity.

The city is like most Southeast Asian cities - the shadow of SEA is everywhere, cars, motorcycles, televisions, etc. are basically all SEA products.

When people on the street see them, they always smile warmly and greet them proactively. In the past, the International Development Agency did help these people get rid of poverty. This also earned them respect in Shan State.

Near the border, a continuous barbed wire fence separates the two countries. At the sentry post, a flag is flying - the flag of Shan State.

The Shan State flag has a blue background with a golden map of Shan State at the bottom and seven white stars at the top, representing the local ethnic diversity.

"Chief, why are we here?"

Fang Jingren looked at the other side of the barbed wire curiously. Although it was a hundred meters away, he could still hear the passionate words coming from the loudspeaker. When he got closer, he could see the soldiers on both sides confronting each other vigilantly across the border.

This is……

With his eyes slightly open, Fang Jingren could feel his heart beating violently. Just as they approached, about 50 meters away from the border checkpoint, the soldier stopped him and said, "Sir, this is a restricted area. No approaching."

Even though they were from the Agency for International Development, they were not allowed to enter.

And Lu Chujie also stopped, he took out a cigarette box from the cigarette box and said:

"This border city is actually a kind of showcase, a display cabinet..."

After a brief pause, Lu Chujie added:
"It is also a demonstration of our efforts to ensure our own security. We need to curb external threats and infiltration. It is not enough to rely on barbed wire and guns. We must change people's lives. This is our job here. We say we are providing help, but in fact we are also helping ourselves."

The so-called "international development" is all purposeful. In the past half month, Fang Jingren finally understood that the so-called help and development are essentially for their own interests. As for "helping mankind get rid of poverty", it is simply nonsense.

It is a trick used to deceive people.

But it does not prevent them from using this as a banner, and this is the truest side of the world.

"More than a decade ago, the people here were extremely poor. They could only make a living by growing opium. Now, we have promoted tropical cash crops such as oil palm. The impoverished mountain people not only live in new houses, but also ride motorcycles and use some home appliances. At the same time, we have also helped them build modern power stations and cities, including this city behind us..."

Lu Chujie, holding a cigarette in his mouth, pointed to the other side of the wire fence, then turned around and looked at the city and said:

"Sometimes prosperity is the most effective containment..."

As he finished speaking, as if in response to his words, the small border town behind him suddenly lit up with lights, and not just street lights, but also colorful neon lights.

When the lights come on, the small town in the rainforest is dazzling, and even the Mekong River flowing along is lit up by neon lights.

In the dark night of the rainforest, the neon lights are so dazzling that they even dispel the twilight of the rainforest, allowing people to see this pearl of the rainforest from dozens of miles away.

In the dense rainforest, a group of figures were struggling to move forward in this lush tropical rainforest. Their clothes were torn by thorns, and the clothes wet by sweat and rain stuck to their bodies.

The leading guide was chopping vines with a machete. In the dark rainforest, even the starlight could not be seen. Most of these people were young people, both men and women, with different accents.

The eyes of this group of people revealed anxiety and uneasiness. Some of them frowned and looked back and forth into the depths of the dense forest, cautiously afraid of being discovered; some of them panted quickly and clenched their fists to show their inner tension and panic.

Among these people, the women seemed more nervous, their eyes wandering, their fingers tightly grasping the branches beside them, fearing that they would get lost in this endless dense forest. A woman with messy long hair, her eyes flashing with anxiety and fear, her face covered with beads of sweat, contrasting her pale face.

Although the group of people were dressed in rags, each of them showed a strong will to survive. Their rapid breathing and quickened footsteps were particularly clear in the heavy green. Despite the harsh environment and uncertain future, they still retained a glimmer of hope in their eyes.

They walked in the dark rainforest, over mountains and across rivers. Their steps were hurried and heavy, and every step seemed to be a race against time.

When they crossed a mountain, the air was filled with the smell of soil and rotten leaves, which faded a lot under the blowing of the river breeze. They could already hear the sound of the rushing river.

Standing on the mountainside, a man pointed to the distance as if he saw something and said:

"Look, there..."

In the darkness, they saw dazzling lights, red, blue, green, yellow, colorful neon lights, so eye-catching in the rainforest that people were dazzled. They just stood there stupidly, and some women even shed tears of excitement.

"Well, that's the neon light..."

"It must be, it's colorful, like, like..."

For a moment, they didn't even know how to describe it, but this was exactly what they wanted.
"Here we are!"

Soon, they arrived at the foot of the mountain. At the foot of the mountain was a surging river that flowed southward in the darkness. The river in the darkness was like a bottomless abyss between the mountains.

There is a deep abyss between them and the road ahead, which seems to remind people that anyone who wants to cross this abyss must pay the price with his life.

But these people did not stop. At the guide's reminder, they all started cutting bamboo! There is a large area of ​​natural bamboo forest by the river.

The bamboo is not cut randomly, it has to be cut according to the rules: 6 sections of bamboo tubes, each section is 40 cm long and 10 cm thick, 3 sections are tied in front and 3 sections are carried on the back. This is enough buoyancy, and it will neither float completely nor sink in the river.

Then after tying them with ropes, people looked at the surging river and encouraged each other. Before going into the water, they would prepare some fried rice cakes as dry food and carry them with them in case of any accidents, at least they would have something to fill their stomachs.

"Okay, see you in the south!"

After that, people jumped in without hesitation, the men guarding the head and tail, the women in the middle, and then they swam along the river.

As they went straight down the river, a man's eyes flickered with determination and he looked back frequently to make sure everyone was safe.

They swam all the time under the cover of night, occasionally eating rice cakes to satisfy their hunger. The woman swam hard under the flow of the river. Although the distance was far, she encouraged herself while paddling.

"Make up your mind..."

A wave was about to drown her, stopping the encouragement in her heart. As she continued to fight the river, she saw the light of a searchlight on the river surface, so she took a deep breath, dived into the river, and continued to swim under the water. Whenever she saw the searchlight shining, she and the others would dive into the river...

(End of this chapter)