The journey to the cave was now somehow enjoyable.
There was no more constant danger from anyone.
I was able to breathe in deep, enjoying the fresh air in the jungle.
The abundance of wildlife, previously unnoticed, became interesting.
Monkeys howling in the background, birds singing their songs.
Everything changes when you are in a good peace of mind.
When we reached the cave, Sea Snake Fang and Firecracker Tan were waiting for us.
Bobby ran up and gave them a big hug.
I was not the type to do so, I just waved at them.
They now looked tired, with all the dirt on them, and the dark rings surrounding their eyes.
Seeing them in such a state, I thought to myself, I must bring them around Singapore and have some fun.
"We will move all the gold out of the cave. The transportation company shall be here soon."
Amy Lee briefed us on the plan, and we got to work.
It took us half a day to shift all the gold ingots out of the cave.
"Young man, do you have instant noodles?" Firecracker Tan asked while we were waiting.
"Sure," having replenished some back at Pontianak, I was more than happy to share it with him.
Keep friends close, like my Shifu says.
Soon the smell of instant noodles filled the air.
"What will you do with all the money?" I asked him as he was busy slurping the instant noodles.
"I…hmm…will save it up for my daughter's education. Slurp." He replied, as his eyes sparkled with the thought of his daughter.
"What about you, Sea Snake Fang?" I asked and tried to find out what his desires were.
"Save it up. This is nothing compared to what the other teams are making." Sea Snake Fang shook his head, giving me a questioning look and replied.
He then took out a cigarette, lit it, and said, "There are other tomb raiding teams out there.
"Some specializing in specific regions, or specific types of treasures.
"All of them working for a bigger organization behind the team.
"Huang Bao Kun was working for the 'Four Happiness Sect'.
"Currently the Four Happiness Sect is at war with 'Heaven and Earth Sect'.
"We are now considered an independent team, or freelancers as they call it now."
"Four Happiness Sect? Will they come after us?" I asked, trying to figure out the world of tomb raiding.
"Definitely, whoever takes a chunk of their profit shall pay the price.
"Remember the Six Iron Doors, we will meet them one of these days." Sea Snake Fang sighed at the prospect of facing up to the Six Iron Doors.
I used both my index fingers to massage the sides of my head, to soothe the pain from thinking about dealing with the troubles that were incoming.
"Don't think too much, it's part of the job. Slurp." Firecracker Tan consoled me while slurping on his instant noodles.
"In the worst scenario, a few of my glass jar bombs would do the trick." He grinned, proud of his craft that helped us a couple of times.
Then Firecracker Tan remembered something, he pulled Bobby by his collar, and said, "You wanted to learn my craft? We will start when all the gold is settled."
Bobby nodded reluctantly and looked at me with an intense stare.
"They are here. Everyone, get ready to load the gold," Amy Lee said.
"Amy, wouldn't the logistics company seeing the gold keep it for themselves?" Bobby asked.
"They specialize in transporting all sorts of illegal goods, they have a reputation to keep.
"If word gets out that they double-cross their customers, no one will patronize them again." She explained why she trusted Heng Logistics.
A small fleet of river boats appeared slowly towards us.
They stopped and men wearing blue-colored overalls got down from the boats with their trolleys.
"Hi, I'm Iwanto. Here to pick up the goods for delivery." A young man in shades came up and introduced himself.
Amy Lee directed them to the gold, and they got to work.
They put all the gold onto their trolleys, wrapped them up in clear plastic wraps.
Then transported them onto the boats.
After everything was loaded, Iwanto passed a document for Amy Lee to sign and left.
"Wait? We are not leaving with them?" Bobby asked when he saw the boats leaving without us.
"The team shall always stay separate from the goods. It's to prevent being caught red-handed with the goods." I explained to Bobby.
Only the most paranoid can survive.
That was what Shifu always said.
"The shipment will go straight to the buyer. This time I had no choice; the only possible buyer is the 'Heaven and Earth Sect'," Amy Lee briefed us apologetically.
Seeing that we were looking at each other surprised, she continued, "Don't worry, the price they are paying was what Huang Bao Kun would have paid us. Not a cent less."
I nodded and said, "I agree, if we sell to any other buyers, the 'Four Happiness Sect' would kill them. Their current enemy is the best buyer for us."
The rest, upon hearing my explanation, nodded in unison.
We trekked back to the village and had a sumptuous meal.
After all, the three of them who guarded the gold deserved a good rest.
…
The following day.
With everyone feeling refreshed, we continued with our journey back to our jeeps.
Passing by the clearing where Clement was buried still gave me a nauseating feel.
Then we finally got back to where we parked our jeeps.
The engines couldn't start, so we had to push to jump-start them.
Drenched in sweat, we couldn't wait to get the air-con running.
"Let's try and get back into Pontianak, the checkpoints might be cleared by now. If in any case we are separated, make your way to this address."
Amy Lee gave us a name card each, with an address on it so that we could rendezvous.
With that, we rolled out and went on our way back to Pontianak.
When we got near the entrance of Landak twin bridge, it was clear and no military checkpoint was in sight.
Just as we got nearer, two vehicles came out by the side.