"The General's phone is ringing," Ah Mao said, picking up the iPhone, looking a bit confused at me.
"Should we answer it or not?"
I thought for a second and decisively told him to answer it but to pretend to be a bodyguard. Answer and say one sentence, then hang up immediately.
Ah Mao nodded, his hand trembling as he answered the call.
"Ahh—"
As soon as the call connected, I pinched the girl's arm behind me, causing her to scream in pain.
Then, I went around pinching the arms of the other women standing next to me, making some of them cry.
Just like in the books, these women were delicate and weak, completely defenseless.
Maybe I pinched them a bit too hard because their fair arms turned blue.
"...Got it," Ah Mao said and immediately hung up.
"It was a company commander under the General, saying there's a traitor. He told him to leave the villa quickly and said troops are coming to protect him."
"Damn it, we can't delay any longer. We need to leave now. If the soldiers arrive, we won't be able to escape."
I told Ah Ding to move the AK-47 from the corner to the car and asked the women again who wanted to leave.
There was a military jeep parked at the villa entrance, which we could follow in the ambulance to escape.
Who would dare stop the General's car?
Those three women being tortured were already near death; no point wasting time saving them. I really wanted to take these thirteen women and let them go.
Most likely afraid of being killed by the soldiers, and since I didn't abuse them, these women were all willing to leave with us.
"Chinese brother, you drive the ambulance, Ah Ding will protect you from the back. I'll drive the jeep with five women."
Ah Mao pulled out the stretchers from the ambulance, had his cousin hide inside with the AK-47, and stuffed seven women in there, locking the door.
One of the women I had hugged before, who had hidden the gun, sat in the front passenger seat.
"Brother, if we escape from this, I will definitely reward you!"
I patted his shoulder hard and said sincerely.
"No need to be polite, brother. Let's just go quickly."
Ah Mao first hid one woman in the trunk, had the one in the lab coat sit in the front passenger seat, and the other three women crouched in the back seat.
As long as the windows weren't opened or a strong light wasn't used, no one would notice.
I knew his intention. Driving the ambulance wouldn't draw attention, but driving the jeep would make the soldiers look twice.
If something went wrong, I could escape immediately, but he would be intercepted.
I remembered this loyalty.
Once everything was ready, I drove the ambulance with its bright headlights to the entrance.
The gatekeepers quickly opened the electric gate.
I honked twice and sped out.
Ah Mao quickly followed, overtaking me, leading us down the right road.
Because we were driving fast, the soldiers outside didn't see our faces clearly. We were all wearing masks; who could recognize anyone in the dead of night?
Moreover, when we entered, our faces were covered in blood, so no one would suspect who was in the vehicles.
After driving about seven or eight hundred meters, I started smelling urine.
"I'm sorry, I was scared..." the girl trembled.
I glanced at the rearview mirror, seeing nothing unusual. "It's okay, I was scared too."
I was genuinely scared. They had so many guns; if they shot our tires, we'd be doomed.
Fortunately, we were safely away from the villa area, but the route wasn't the same as when we arrived. I had no idea where Ah Mao was taking us.
"You... scared..."
She didn't believe it, given how fiercely I had killed earlier.
"Heh, do I not look like a good person? Do I look fierce?"
I rolled down the window, smiling self-deprecatingly.
It was painful to think if this were a road home, how wonderful it would be.
"No, you don't look like a bad person. You were terrifying when you killed, but you also looked handsome."
"Pfft."
She genuinely made me laugh, instantly relieving my tension.
"You have a way with words. What did you do before in China?"
To ease the awkward and tense atmosphere, I intentionally started a conversation.
"A wedding host."
"Do you know those girls? Why did you all come to Myawaddy to make money?"
She wiped her tears and choked up, "Five of them are my good sisters from the same place. During a recent break, we planned a trip to Thailand.
The tour guide said a jade boss here in Myanmar had a commercial performance and offered a high price for us to come and perform. He also said smuggling would save money.
We were so foolish to believe him and agreed to smuggle in with other girls hoping to make money.
I regret it now. I shouldn't have come. My neighbor drowned in the Mekong River halfway here."
The girl started sobbing.
Another case of girls deceived by the promise of high wages. I didn't know what to say, so I kept driving the ambulance, following Ah Mao.
Unfamiliar with the area, I had to follow him.
After a while, the girl innocently asked, "Can you take me back to China? I'll be grateful, really! I'll do anything you ask!"
"You should learn more about Myanmar's scam zones. Then you wouldn't ask such naive questions. I can't even protect myself now; where can I take you?
Dumping you on the road would only get you quickly kidnapped."
I sighed, following Ah Mao into the nearby woods and braking hard.
"If you want to let them go, let them sneak across here," Ah Mao said, getting out of the car, lowering his voice.
I looked at the women in the car. "Swim?"
"Brother, they can't escape. Smuggling means death. They might get kidnapped halfway."
Yeah, where could a dozen weak women escape to?
This was the Karen State jungle in eastern Myanmar, not a tourist spot in Dali, Yunnan.
Ah Mao said excitedly, "If we let them go, we'll all die, and our families too! But if you want to, I won't report you because you saved my mom's life!"
I was stunned. "Huh?"
"My mom was sick and needed a lot of money for treatment. When you were discharged, you gave us a lot of money. We used it to treat my mom, and she recovered."
"Don't worry about it, as long as your mom is healthy."
Thinking of his mom reminded me of mine. What if she got a headache from missing me too much?
I squatted down, asked him for a cigarette, and smoked quietly.
I was also battling internally.
Let them go or not?
After finishing the cigarette, I still had no answer.
Looking at the silent Ah Mao and Ah Ding, I stood up and asked, "Are you guys married?"
Ah Mao said helplessly, "No, I have an 18-year-old sister at home. My dad died a long time ago.
If we don't follow Professor Ace as bodyguards, we'll be bullied by village thugs, and my sister won't live safely."
"My parents died long ago too. I live with Brother Ah Mao."
My heart was suddenly pierced by Ah Ding's words.