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

Outside Dhaka airport, dust was flying everywhere.

Su Ming pulled a can of red paint and a stiff brush from the back of the pickup truck.

He walked up to the first pickup truck, unscrewed the hood, dipped his finger in the paint, and wrote four large characters on the scratched hood.

Professional debt collection.

The handwriting was neat and square, with a red background and black border. After finishing, he picked up the brush, walked to the second car, and continued writing.

Li Changfeng stuck half his head out of the rear window and watched Su Ming's typing motions, his face twitching.

"Su Ming, isn't this style a bit off?" Li Changfeng raised a hand and pinched his brow. "We're supposed to be doing serious business, but you're making yourself look like some old Chinese medicine doctor treating psoriasis on a telephone pole. It's beneath you!"

Su Ming threw away the brush and wiped his hands with a tissue.

"To save on communication costs." Su Ming glanced at the still-wet paint on the lettering. "To clearly state the nature of the business and prevent accidental damage."

Seeing this, Big Gold Tooth scurried over, opened the passenger door of the first car, bent down, and made a standard "please" gesture.

He didn't know Chinese characters, nor did he ask; he simply provided services.

Su Ming stood in front of the car door, not in a hurry to get on. He turned on the calculator.

"Big Gold Tooth, I just did the math," Su Ming said calmly. "Your total assets are currently two hundred US dollars, and your liabilities are fifty thousand five hundred. Interest is calculated daily."

Big Gold Tooth nodded repeatedly.

"Given your current equipment level, the success rate of collecting debts from warlord camps is only five percent." Su Ming put away the calculator.

Big Gold Tooth's face turned pale.

"What do we do then?" Big Gold Tooth panicked, grabbing the car door frame. "Can the spot with free meals and accommodation still be reserved?"

"It depends on your performance," Su Ming said, turning to look at Li Changfeng in the car next to him.

"Brother Li, according to the mission briefing, there should be a local informant who speaks Chinese meeting you at the airport. Where is he?"

Li Changfeng peeked out and looked around. All he saw was endless yellow sand and a few locals scavenging for trash. The informant who had run out from the construction team to report the incident was nowhere to be seen.

"I didn't see anyone," Li Changfeng shook his head.

"Time is limited, and the interest is accumulating." Su Ming got into the passenger seat. "Let's not wait any longer, let's go."

Big Gold Tooth immediately jumped into the driver's seat, stepped on the gas, and the first pickup truck, belching black smoke, roared and sped off.

Old Zhao sat in the back of the second car, next to Li Changfeng. The car was shaking violently, and Old Zhao was clutching his thermos tightly with both hands, his face turning pale and then flushed.

"Old Li, I have a question for you. Tell me the truth." Old Zhao lowered his voice.

"Go ahead," Li Changfeng said, looking out the window.

"Just how dangerous was this trip?"

Li Changfeng thought for a moment, then reached into his pocket and pulled out two unopened bottles of nitroglycerin pills, waving them in front of Lao Zhao.

"I brought two bottles with me before I left."

Old Zhao stared at the two bottles of medicine and swallowed hard.

"Then why the hell did you lie to me?"

"I'm not lying to you, you really are the head instructor." Li Changfeng pointed to the black men sitting in the back of the truck outside the window, holding broken guns. "Look, aren't there students here?"

Old Zhao was speechless for a moment. He looked down at the school badge on his chest, gritted his teeth, and sat up straight.

The convoy sped along the dirt road for a short while.

A cloud of dust rose ahead, and a figure was pedaling a dilapidated bicycle toward them.

Big Gold Tooth slammed on the brakes, and the convoy came to a stop.

The man was wearing a tattered Chicago Bulls jersey. He stopped his bicycle and glanced up at the five menacing pickup trucks. When he saw the four bright red Chinese characters for "Professional Debt Collection" on the hood, the excitement on his face froze, then turned to terror.

He abandoned the broken bicycle and ran away as fast as he could.

Li Changfeng flung open the car door and roared in a booming voice, "Stop! Black Grasshopper!"

The black man in the jersey froze upon hearing the shout. He turned around in surprise, and upon seeing Li Changfeng's face, he stood frozen in place. He stopped, whirled back, and shouted with outstretched arms, "Li! Is that you, Li?! God help me, I thought it was Blood Axe's debt collectors!"

Li Changfeng walked over, and the person who came was the informant they were looking for—Black Grasshopper.

He asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I got the flight time wrong!" Black Grasshopper gasped for breath. "After I realized it, I've been stomping on it like crazy!"

Old Zhao also got off the car. He walked to the bicycle lying on the ground, kicked the tire, and frowned.

Old Zhao pointed at the bicycle on the ground, his voice suddenly rising, "You ride this thing to pick someone up? What's the difference between this and riding a stool? Don't you even know what a professional security rendezvous is?"

Black Grasshopper wiped his sweat and hurriedly explained, "I got the time wrong. I was trying to take a shortcut to the airport..."

He walked past Lao Zhao, his gaze sweeping repeatedly across the convoy behind them. Those pickup trucks, which originally belonged to the rebels, were now filled with guerrillas armed with AK rifles.

"You are... a rescue team sent by the Dragon Kingdom?" Black Grasshopper's voice trembled. "Why are you dressed like this? Where are your tanks? Where are your attack helicopters?"

Big Gold Tooth jumped out of the first car and strode over to Black Grasshopper. He straightened his chest and adjusted the bullet belt around his neck.

"I'm now the deputy team leader in the Risk Control Department of the professional debt collection team." Big Gold Tooth paused deliberately, then corrected me with a serious expression, "Black Grasshopper, please watch your words. This is my new career, please respect my career choice."

The black grasshopper was completely dumbfounded.

What's wrong with this world? When did warlord guerrillas start talking about manners? And a deputy head of the risk control department?

Su Ming pushed open the car door and got out. He was holding a calculator and walked up to Black Grasshopper.

"Mr. Black Grasshopper," Su Ming said calmly, "According to the contract, you are responsible for leading the way, and your fee is five hundred US dollars. However, for every minute you are late, we will deduct one percent of your leading fee."

He pressed a few buttons on the calculator.

"You're already twenty-one minutes late. If you want to keep the rest of your money, I suggest you get on the bus now."

The black grasshopper retreated repeatedly, shaking its head desperately.

"I'm not going!" Black Grasshopper pointed at the beat-up pickup trucks. "No heavy weapons, no regular troops. You're going to Blood Axe's camp with these few crappy guns? That's suicide! I'm not leading the way!"

Li Changfeng sighed. He stepped forward and patted Black Grasshopper on the shoulder.

"Brother, I understand you," Li Changfeng said, patting his shoulder sympathetically.

Black Grasshopper looked at Li Changfeng with gratitude. Finally, there was a normal person among them.

"I wouldn't want to go either," Li Changfeng continued, "but..."

He pointed at Su Ming.

"You haven't been with him," Li Changfeng's voice was somewhat unsteady. "He doesn't need armored vehicles."

Black Grasshopper followed the finger and looked at Su Ming. Su Ming was looking down at the calculator, his face expressionless.

"Who is he?" the black grasshopper asked.

"Our CFO, who is also the chief asset appraiser," Li Changfeng said, "is in charge of the accounting. Once the accounting is done, Blood Axe's armored vehicles will become his, both physically and legally."

The black grasshopper opened its mouth wide, seemingly unable to process what was happening.

Big Gold Tooth grabbed Black Grasshopper by the collar from behind and dragged him into the car.

"Stop dawdling!" Big Gold Tooth said fiercely, "If you waste Daddy's time, I'll dock your pay!"

Black Grasshopper was shoved into the back seat. On either side sat a guerrilla fighter carrying a gun.

The car door slammed shut. The engine roared to life again.

Black Grasshopper huddled in the middle of the seat, watching Big Gold Tooth's excited driving back as he drove.

He closed his eyes in despair, wondering if he had mistakenly boarded a pirate ship, or a wrecked ship about to sink.

I should never have learned Chinese in my life!