Chapter 409: Only My Way Chapter 409: The Knight Order (2)

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Protagonist:

Chen Yi

The Jiangning Municipal Government isn't just busy — it's busy to the heavens.

How long has it been since a miracle appeared in China's religions? How long since China's religions produced worldwide influence?

If Pu Chan Temple were in some remote township, it might only attract people from a few nearby districts and counties, gain a small reputation, earn some incense money.

But Pu Chan Temple's mountain gate happens to be in Jiangning, a prosperous key city of the southeast, with a local permanent population alone exceeding ten million. A flourishing sea-land-air transportation network can bring in or send off several million people every day.

Not only that, Jiangning City's locational conditions and its industrial-commercial conditions destine it to be China's southeast window to the outside world. Therefore, although Central Television Station, constrained by its identity, did not link that pillar of light piercing the clouds with the consecration ceremony, foreign media would not hesitate in the slightest — especially media from Southeast Asian countries that revere Buddhism; every single one that heard the news came to Jiangning to report.

In just three days, the faithful coming to Jiangning to worship Buddha exceeded one million. The originally arranged branch venues were naturally insufficient. Large crowds gathered like they were watching the World Cup — every evening they stood on the roads looking up at the sky, some in twos and threes chanting sutras in low voices, some in small groups walking and chatting. Most were not registered believers, just coming to participate in a leisurely way after hearing about the miraculous event at their doorstep.

As the government's leader, He Fuhan had to brace himself and consider how to accommodate over a million surging Buddhist devotees. He was so busy every day he couldn't even see his wife and children. When vexation flared, he could only curse Pu Chan Temple and "that miracle fabricated by Fat Dan," then think of the bald heads while his emotions surged.

Non-believers, or people like He Fuhan who already have a religious faith, sneer at Pu Chan Temple's Buddhism — all kinds of things are said. But for Buddhist believers, or the faithful with religious inclinations, miracles are the weapon that firms their conviction, a spiritual tonic.

The "Thousand Buddhas Seven Treasures Tathagata Holy Statue Consecration Grand Ceremony Dharma Assembly" continued. When the branch venues couldn't fit any more people, some eminent monks voluntarily took to the streets, preaching in small squares and parks. Some borrowed theaters, cinemas, and other public buildings, chanting sutras inside until listeners were spellbound.

This is a feast.

Whoever can become a dish at today's feast will have a bowl of rice to eat in the future Buddhist and religious circles.

Whoever gets eaten at today's feast will struggle to find a single meal for the next ten years.

The monks exerted themselves to perform, and truly attracted more eyeballs. Exquisite Zen insights; gatherings of hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands kept surging forth — simply as if the Buddha's diary had been leaked. Jiangning seemed to have become a giant Buddhist city, a transformation no one could have predicted. Even direct relatives of central leaders came to Jiangning to worship Buddha — of course, direct relatives of central leaders are also Party members, so it's not suitable to publicize; their arrival, aside from adding to He Fuhan's burden, produced no special effect.

Chen Yi returned from the West Continent first. He stayed in Jiangning only one day, couldn't stand the thick Buddhist atmosphere, and directly took the subway to the Mexican border city Reynosa.

The West River Water Fortress's work focus lies in developing the iron mine. The so-called "Mysterious Mountain" has already become a large construction site. He needs more manpower who understand driving and operating engineering machinery — a shortfall that slaves and natives cannot make up.

"Mysterious Mountain" is a heaven-bestowed mineral deposit. The ore grade is extremely high, impurities very few, and burial extremely shallow. However, after Ma La City's thousands of years of special mining methods, to bring Mysterious Mountain iron mine into high production requires excavating an enormous volume of earth. Relying solely on slaves won't work; even if numbers suffice, large numbers of slaves create large amounts of extra work — for instance, a slave camp exceeding 100,000 people would need a dedicated food supply army; management during work and defense of the slave camp would become new problems. However you calculate, the number of violent overseers should not be fewer than 1,000, otherwise even the overseers' lives cannot be guaranteed. No wonder the slave system is called a backward system — it seems to save one's own manpower, but when quantity reaches a certain level, the lost efficiency is even more alarming.

Reynosa is a typical Mexican city. Population under 300,000 yet it has its own airport, a US consulate, and facilities like natural gas pipelines connecting to the United States.

Of course, the business it's most familiar for remains drug trafficking and human smuggling. Coyotes and small-time drug dealers infest every corner of this city — even in front of foreign embassies, no exception.

Martial Arts Hall Eighth Session Trainee Wen Li, wearing a straw hat covering his face, waited for Chen Yi at the agreed spot. His waist was bulging. Chen Yi walked over, took a look, and said in surprise: "You brought a submachine gun? Times bad?"

"New gangs form every day, old gangs collapse every day." Wen Li didn't rush to pour out grievances — partly because the "Awe Pressure Strike" on Chen Yi was too heavy. He stared at the floor and asked: "Hall Master, are we returning to the hall, or going to see the recruits first?"

Overseas Chinese recognize the term "hall" more. When Chen Yi placed the Milan Anti-tank Missile shell at the doorstep of the local biggest drug lord, it also destined the local organization to have unclear ties with the underworld.

"See the people." Chen Yi walked with hands behind his back, swaggering down the street.

Wen Li followed worriedly. The three gunners he brought also clustered together.

Even fewer trainees were willing to come to a Mexican border city — counting Wen Li, only five people. So they recruited more overseas Chinese. In a country like this, discrimination and clustering are inevitable. Deluding yourself that a Mexican or a white person could integrate into a Chinese society is basically a pipe dream. Even bribing Mexican police, Wen Li had to use some petty tricks.

"We've prepared 57 people total, at a farm outside the city. You see — should we drive over there now?" Wen Li worried Chen Yi would stir up trouble. Walking so provocatively right down the middle of the road easily makes sensitive South Americans flick their tongues like snakes — usually a prelude to a fight.

Chen Yi kept a straight face and said sincerely: "No problem. I'll help you establish some awe. Otherwise just this group of people, in a foreign land, won't be able to stand firm. That missile's effectiveness has worn off."

Hearing that, Wen Li immediately said: "I'll summon the gunners right now. You say how to fight."

"No need to be so complicated. You pick a road — pass by the local boss's place, where your rivals usually hang out. That's it."

"Ah?" Although he often kept in contact with domestic, Wen Li as merely a fifth-level trainee probably could never imagine a Divine Art Knight's power. Perhaps not every Divine Art Knight is powerful enough to be irresistible, but a suitable Divine Art Knight appearing in a suitable place is truly difficult to resist.

"Go map the route. Gunners, just watch the home base." Chen Yi didn't bring anyone this trip to Mexico.

Wen Li half-believing, half-doubting marked on a local map the border drug lord Stam's mansion and a coyote's location, and said: "Stam is the strongest local force, the Bay Gang's boss of this generation. He lives right in the bustling downtown, mixed among a pile of dilapidated buildings, but the courtyard has machine guns and rockets. Last month when he killed Karim he even used hand grenades. This coyote has some conflicts with us, not too formidable — a dozen or so gunmen, with submachine guns and shotguns."

"Don't worry, we're just passing by." Chen Yi held up the map like an IQ-deficient tourist, advanced toward Stam's mansion, muttering: "Probably when we get closer I'll recognize the way. Hm, we go straight."

So Wen Li followed him straight ahead, but the further they went the more wrong it felt. He hurriedly said: "Ahead is a dead end."

"No, ahead is Stam's house."

"You want to charge in?" Wen Li looked at the spikes on the high wall, heart trembling. A drug lord's house isn't that easy to break into — even the Mexican military would have to plan carefully for a chance to catch a drug lord of this caliber. Just judging by their efficiency, their speed of catching drug lords is obviously slower than the speed at which drug lords are produced.

"No, we walk in slowly." The stronger the initiative of Chen Yi's "Awe Pressure Strike," the stronger the effect. Wen Li was a bit better off; his three gunners couldn't even stand steady.

At 20 meters from the high wall, a Mexican gunner suddenly appeared at the wall corner holding an automatic rifle, shouting: "Who goes there? Piss off back."

Wen Li still wanted to translate for Chen Yi, but heard him reply in Mexican: "Passing through."

The gunner was a bit careless. By the time he thought to pull the trigger, he was already within the range of Chen Yi's "Awe Pressure Strike." In less than two seconds he fell off the wall, like a suicide who couldn't take the pressure.

Crash—

Chen Yi, as if flipping a curtain, flipped open the half-meter-thick wall.

"Fine, no high voltage." Chen Yi waved at the dumbstruck Wen Li, then continued walking straight.

Wen Li carefully stepped over the wall breach. Stam's mansion lay fully revealed before him — tall cacti and sand on the ground, like a man-made Gobi landscape, genuinely beyond his expectations.

"This guy's taste is quite unique."

"Sure is. Watch for bullets."

Wen Li's heart tightened. He heard the "click-click" of light machine gun fire. He flung himself down.

When he raised his head to warn, what he saw was Chen Yi casually swatting aside bullets, his footsteps not pausing in the slightest.

The machine gun fired wildly for about 100 or 150 rounds, then stopped.

Stani's mansion seemed to have its switch pressed — silent as night.

Wen Li ran to Chen Yi's side in three steps made two, following him slowly through Stani's grand courtyard. From start to finish, they never met the big drug lord.

Intimidating the coyote took some time. After circling half the city, Chen Yi finally got in the car and said: "Now, trouble's resolved. I need more people — at least 300. Other requirements same, but they must know how to drive. Even better if they can operate engineering machinery."

"Losing 300-plus people in a short time, the government will get suspicious." Wen Li spoke halfway, looked at Chen Yi's eyes, then forced himself to say "Okay."

……(To be continued. If you like this work, welcome to Qidian (qidian. com) to vote recommendation tickets, monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)