Searching for someone in northern Myanmar, and you call that earning tuition fees?

Inside the tent, the aroma of chili oil still lingered.

Buck swallowed the last spicy snack and licked his fingers with a lingering satisfaction. He looked at Su Ming's hand pointing at the sand table, then suddenly grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"I don't play the games of you intellectuals."

Buck plopped down on the ammunition box, swept the rudimentary battle map away with a wave of his hand, and yelled, "What kind of sand table simulation is this? Too slow. Here, might makes right. If I want that mine, I'll send men to seize it. If they die, we'll just recruit more. Simple and direct."

Behind him, the staff officer nicknamed "Fox" pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and added sinisterly, "General, Easterners are masters at using these illusory games to bewitch people and create panic with words. In my opinion, he's a spy sent by 'Vulture' to disrupt our morale in this way."

Guide Sam, lying on the ground, was trembling like a leaf, burying his face in the dirt and muttering, "I knew it... I knew the spicy strips were poison, that eating them would cause hallucinations..."

The surrounding guards immediately stepped forward, and the sound of gun bolts being pulled back filled the air.

Su Ming did not move.

He glanced at his watch; the hands were still moving.

"A spy?" Su Ming withdrew his hand, took out a piece of chewing gum from his pocket, and put it in his mouth, chewing it slowly. "If I were a spy, I wouldn't be warning you; I'd be waiting to collect your corpses. How about this, I'll give the general a free introductory lesson in wilderness survival."

Buck narrowed his eyes, his hand reaching for the machete again: "Are you looking for death?"

"General, listen," Su Ming pointed outside the tent, "there are no birds chirping anymore."

Buck and the fox were taken aback.

"South of the camp is a broadleaf forest, home to grey doves. These birds are extremely territorial; they'll call out whenever someone passes by," Su Ming said calmly, chewing gum. "I've been here for fifteen minutes, and not a single bird has called out over there. Either all the birds are dead, or the area under the trees is full of people."

The fox immediately retorted, "Nonsense! The gunfire a few days ago scared the birds away!"

Su Ming shook his finger. "Birds scared away by gunfire will come back to claim territory in ten minutes, instead of playing dead in their nests. They don't chirp because there's a bigger threat watching them from below."

"Also," Su Ming turned his head and sniffed lightly in the direction of the curtain, "I'm very sensitive to smells. Southeast wind, level three. There's a smell of unburned, low-quality diesel fuel in the air, and the concentration is rising. Your cars are all off, so where is this smell coming from?"

The fox's expression changed, but he remained defiant: "Perhaps the patrol just returned! These are all just guesses! General, don't be fooled by him. He's stalling for time so that 'Vulture's' men can deploy! Take him down!"

A fierce glint flashed in Buck's eyes, and he was about to give the order.

Su Ming laughed: "Too late. If I were the commander, I would launch an artillery barrage in two minutes, targeting... your kitchen. If you take out the food, the army will be in chaos."

"You're spreading heresies!" the fox roared.

Buck suddenly stood up, the tip of his knife pointing directly at Su Ming: "If you dare say another word—"

"boom!"

A loud bang came from the back of the camp, interrupting him.

The ground shook violently, and a thick layer of dust fell from the top of the tent, making people cough.

This was followed by the piercing sound of alarms and the screams of soldiers.

A messenger stumbled in, his face covered in blood, his voice hoarse: "General! The kitchen! The kitchen's been blown up! The water tank's broken too! Damn it, I just served my food!"

Buck froze. The machete in his hand clattered to the ground. He looked at Su Ming, then at the rising black smoke outside, his mouth opened, but he couldn't utter a single word.

The fox's glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose. He pointed at Su Ming, his voice trembling as if he'd seen a ghost: "You...you...you used Eastern sorcery! You timed it perfectly! You summoned heavenly fire!"

Su Ming ignored the nearly deranged staff officer. His gaze swept past the crowd, landing on the rising black smoke at the back of the camp, his brow furrowed. The acrid smell, besides diesel and dirt, seemed to carry a hint of… roasted meat. What a pity.

He bent down, picked up the heavy canvas bag, and turned to walk out.

"Wait!" Buck snapped out of his daze, rushing forward to stop him. His face, no longer fierce, was now filled with awe and urgency. "God of War! God of War from the East! You...you have a way, don't you?"

Su Ming stopped and turned to look at him: "Originally there was."

"Now..."

"I'm really upset right now," Su Ming said, pointing in the direction of the explosion, heartbroken. "How could they blow up the kitchen? The cook is innocent! I was hoping to try your roast lamb leg!"

Buck: "..."

fox:"……"

That was his only expectation of this camp.

Destroying someone's livelihood is like killing their parents.

Su Ming pulled back the tent flap and walked against the panicked crowd toward the smoke-filled rear.