Literary Master 1983

Chapter 279 "American Mental Patients"

"Ning Ke, what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in the south?"

“I’ve retired from the military and found a security job here. I heard you were practicing shooting here, so I came to visit you.”

Upon hearing this, Yu Qie flew into a rage: "You were a suicide squad member who led the team to take down the high ground, how could you retire? Even if you did retire, you should be given a good place to go. Who made you a security guard? I'm going to find him!"

Ning Ke was very moved and said, "Actually, I'm still fighting, but it used to be public, and now it's underground."

Yu Qie understood a little: "You've become like Yu Zecheng?"

"Who said that? I can't compare to that." Ning Ke blinked.

The two found a place to catch up.

It turns out that after the Battle of Laoshan, Yu Qie, Ning Ke, and photographer Wang Min were all commended. Wang Min was directly transferred to the International Department of Xinhua News Agency, becoming one of the first war correspondents sent abroad; Ning Ke, on the other hand, was valued by relevant departments for his meticulousness and willingness to charge into battle, and was transferred from the army to work in the Ministry of State Security.

It's now very difficult to know the truth about how that Vietnamese man died.

But most likely, Yu Qie fired a blank shot, and the fatal wound was caused by Ning Ke. Under such extreme tension, the three of them were able to find the best way to divide the credit in a short period of time, which satisfied everyone.

Ning Ke, this rough guy who only knew how to use a gun, was chosen by the organization. He was not only good at charging into battle, but also had a clever mind, so he would definitely be able to handle other tasks... after coming down from the front lines. He had been demobilized for some time, and he never expected that his first trip abroad would be to accompany Yu Qie.

At that time, many scholars were visiting the United States. Yu Qie's trip involved exchanges with writers and also required passing through the "Silver Triangle" of Colombia, so he valued security more than others.

Ning Ke said, "Judging from the sound... you're using a Type 54? How's your shooting?"

“Very good. At a distance of ten meters, it can basically be within eight or nine rings, and at a distance of fifty meters, it can guarantee hitting the target.”

This is an impressive achievement. Ning Ke was quite satisfied, but then added, "Foreigners don't use the Type 54 pistol, and its recoil and power are too low. You should try other guns."

In the following days, Yu Qiezhen began practicing shooting at the military base.

Colombian police use Glock 17s, so Yu Che uses Glock 17s sourced from Hong Kong; drug traffickers use AK47s, so Yu Che uses the domestically produced Type 56. He even learns how to treat gunshot wounds... This is not making a mountain out of a molehill. Colombia is a country full of ruthless people, and the local order is not controlled by the government, but by the historic drug lord Pablo Escobar.

As mentioned earlier, Ambassador Gomez invited the Chinese delegation to meet Colombian high-ranking figures, such as the Minister of Justice, the courts, and the parliament. What was not mentioned was that this group was eliminated by Pablo's men in 1984.

In May 84, 50 drug traffickers stormed into the Ministry of Justice building where a meeting was being held and carried out a massacre.

The Minister of Justice, along with numerous officials from the Prosecutor's Office, the courts, and the Anti-Drug Bureau, were all kidnapped. A fierce battle ensued between the drug traffickers and Colombian National Defense Forces who arrived as reinforcements, resulting in a stalemate. Then, 300 drug traffickers carrying surface-to-surface missiles arrived as reinforcements—yes, you read that right, surface-to-surface missiles!

The battle continued into the night, and the drug traffickers left behind the bodies of 34 police officers and 11 judges before fleeing.

Pablo Escobar is a god of the underworld and was named one of the world's seven richest people by Fortune magazine. His base of operations is just a small country like Colombia—which shows how deeply he controls Colombia.

Murder, drug trafficking, promiscuity, incest… this is the truth of Latin America, a collection of all the evil and darkness of the Americas, the shadowy side hidden beneath the massive body of America. It is a man-made region where all sides project their power. Of the ten best Latin American literary works selected by later generations, none are without murder, bullets, revolution, and sex.

In the novels of Jorge Luis Borges, a pioneer of Latin American literature, murders and pistols are everywhere. He even dreamed of being shot and killed while writing his novels. Gabriel García Márquez once played a game of Russian roulette with someone—a revolver was partially loaded with bullets and fired in turn. When it was Márquez's turn, all the previous revolvers were empty, leaving only the one with bullets.

If the other party hadn't remembered that Márquez's father had cured his gonorrhea, Márquez would probably have been shot dead.

This is Colombia, a place rife with tough work; this is Latin America. To be a great writer, you actually need to know how to handle a gun.

A week later, Yu Qie was at the shooting range.

"boom!"

"boom!"

"boom!"

The three shots missed the bullseye, but formed a triangle. If someone had been standing there, they would probably be dead.

Ning Ke clapped his hands and said, "The commander was right back then. If you had joined the army, you would definitely have been a good candidate. You hold the gun steady and fire it quickly."

Yu Qie said, "If I were to go back to Laoshan now, back to that night, I definitely wouldn't fire a blank."

"What are you going to do with that person?"

“I will let him see his own brains,” Yu Shuangying said.

"I hope you never have that opportunity."

After that, Yu Qie started using the Type 56 rifle, but he wasn't very good at it and couldn't control the gun.

A single burst of bullets swept across the area, and it was simply unbearable to look at.

Ningke said, "You'd be better off using a pistol. Actually, when you visit Colombia, you won't really need a gun."

"It will still be useful."

Gabriel García Márquez had many enemies in Colombia, most of whom were related to his numerous affairs and infidelity. Throughout his life, Márquez tirelessly pursued mistresses.

For security reasons, Yu will probably need to bring a handgun with him when he goes to Colombia.

In mainland China's literary circles, there is currently a great deal of admiration for Márquez. He is seen as an anti-American pioneer who spent his entire life investigating massacres and was practically a perfect person.

The above things are indeed true, but he is not a perfect person.

In fact, during his recent phone call with Yu Qie, Márquez had already hinted at how he sought pleasure. Given his fame as a great writer, it's not surprising that he has mistresses all over the world, and it's not uncommon for them to be pursued by their prominent husbands.

Yu Qie wrote the opening paragraph of a manuscript for Márquez to review, specifically criticizing the extravagant lifestyle of the American elite and consumerism. Márquez liked it very much and introduced the manuscript to his publishing partner, saying:

“Your manuscript is excellent. No wonder you’ve achieved success in Japan. We’re here to criticize this corrupt and outdated relationship. I’m going to throw you a party and invite ten crazy women to keep you company.”

“In Latin America, we are entangled with our cousins, our aunts, and... we are all intertwined like this. If you don’t understand sex, you haven’t truly entered this country.”

This is utterly insane! It completely shocked Yu Qie. He could only immediately refuse Marquez's offer.

In other words, when Yu Qie made the phone call, there were very few people present who spoke Spanish, otherwise it would have probably made a lot of people burst out laughing.

In early March, the travel itinerary for the writers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait was finalized. They first needed to travel from the southern United States to Colombia at the invitation of the Colombian president and the great writer Gabriel García Márquez. The meeting would then take place in Boston in April, around which time Yu Guangzhong and others also arrived in the United States.

Yu Qie spent a rare period of time.

He was studying Latin American history while writing the manuscript he was preparing to send to the United States.

This manuscript is called "American Psychopath," set in 1980s America, and describes the story of Patrick Bateman, a Wall Street elite with a dual personality who transforms into a serial killer once night falls.

This novel could not possibly be published in mainland China; it depicts a pure form of evil and can currently only be used to criticize the United States.

On the surface, this story describes the "fall" of a Wall Street elite, but in reality, it criticizes the consumerism of contemporary capitalist society, which alienates the original social relationships and people themselves. Bateman feels lost because he has a sense of urgency that he is about to be "drowned" by others and has no sense of security.

Ultimately, he derived a kind of pleasure from complete control during the killing... In psychological terms, this is instant feedback, an addictive aspect of giving up...

Okay, I can't go on like this. This novel is indeed quite bizarre. No wonder it's called "American Psychopaths." It's actually saying that "America has become a psychopath."

If cyberpunk like "Happy Hunting" is a macro-level critique, then "American Psycho" is a more concrete critique.

There is a girl named Lucy in the Department of Western Languages ​​at Yenching University. Her father is an executive at McGraw-Hill, one of the world's largest publishing houses.

Yu Qie went back to Yenching University to find Lucy and see if there was any way to publish a book through her, thus opening up another avenue for his research.

Unexpectedly, this fair-skinned girl has already left Peking University.

Lucy's former suitor was Wang Qiang, now an English teacher at Yenching University. Yu Qie invited him out to play ping-pong. On the ping-pong table, Wang Qiang said, "Lucy and you graduated in the same year. The year you graduated, Lucy also returned to the United States."

"Then how do I contact her?"

"Lucy can probably never go back. If you want to contact her, you can only make a name for yourself in the United States first. I ended up having a very unpleasant falling out with Lucy. I finally realized that Lucy didn't like Chinese people, and she didn't like the Little Red Book... Those were just her fashion and topics of conversation, like the designer bags she carried."

"She can take it or throw it away if that thing no longer makes her proud," Wang Qiang said.

Yu Qie was very surprised.

I haven't seen Wang Qiang in a long time. He's become a philosopher now. No wonder he was able to go into business later.

Moreover, his table tennis skills have improved a lot compared to before, and now he can even hold his own against Yu Qie, who is playing leniently. Wang Qiang explained, "Yan University has staff sports competitions, and I practice table tennis every day."

The teachers at Yenching University are really living a good life! I can't wait!

"Yu Minhong has always felt that I have a chance to beat you. He's a teacher now, so should we call him over?"

"Let him come!"

When Yu Minhong arrived, this cunning fellow even invited a group of female students to watch the game.

Yu Qie immediately began to exert all his strength, making Wang Qiang search for the ball all over the place. Then Yu Minhong also came onto the court, and continued to be beaten and search for the ball all over the place. They never won against Yu Qie even once, and a few years later, this gap widened even further.

However, everyone was very happy, and it felt like they had returned to their student days.

Yu Qie is now a renowned writer and a student of a famous professor, poised to become a professor in the future. The two brothers from the Department of Western Languages ​​are also teachers within the Yenching University system, with no worries about their future. Yu Qie's search for Lucy left them both deeply moved.

Yu Qie was also quite emotional. Back then, he didn't have the status he has today in China, just like in the United States where he was about to go—he also had little status and was a purely Third World writer.

A group of people were eating in the Yenching University cafeteria when students kept coming up to greet Yu Qie. Some even greeted the two brothers from the Department of Western Languages.

Yu Qie asked Wang Qiang, "You're always hanging out with Lucy, have you actually started dating her?"

Wang Qiang shook his head.

"She didn't give you any chance at all?"

Wang Qiang said, "Lucy is a China expert and is very good at playing table tennis. She told me that if I could surpass her in table tennis one day, she would be with me."

"Did you hit her?"

“I tried. But Lucy immediately had a complicated expression on her face. She told me that I also needed to know how to play soccer, and I also needed to have an American passport… so she rejected me.”

Yu Minhong then interjected, "But Lucy had her eye on you from the very beginning, without any conditions."

Yu Qie remained silent, waiting for Wang Qiang to share his insights on being a sycophant.

Generally speaking, the truths of the world are summarized by simps and scumbags.

Wang Qiang said, "I realized she never really liked me; her demands on me were endless. Americans are all like that, thinking they're the best in the world. You're an exceptionally outstanding one, disdainful of her, and she only briefly admired you..."

"But now she's going back to the US to be a publisher again, a McGraw-Hill employee, until she becomes an executive, following in her father's footsteps. If you manage to get even the slightest favor from her this time you go to the US, she might treat you the way she treated me."

Wang Qiang's words were a bit convoluted. What he meant was that American girls admire strong men, and now that Lucy, the big white girl, has returned to China and has McGraw-Hill's influence, she might not be as accommodating to Yu Qie as she was at Yenching University.

This "Yuqie" could become "Wang Qiang".

Yu Qie immediately replied, "No matter where I am, I am Yu Qie."

Later, the mainland poetry journal "Stars" published news of the writers' upcoming visit, and in a supplementary issue, it specifically mentioned the visiting scholars and published details of the personnel, but did not disclose the location.

At the same time, mainstream newspapers also reported on the event. By this time, the exchanges between writers from both sides of the Taiwan Strait had already been exposed by Hong Kong media, so they simply went all out. Yu Qie appeared on CCTV news, and the program published excerpts from his letters with Márquez.

This is the first time his nickname "representative of China-Latin America friendship" has been mentioned.

(End of this chapter)