Chapter 349

Chapter 349: "Eden"

If it were any other man, he would surely be captivated by this lightly pouting expression, unable to resist pulling her into his arms and cherishing her. But instead, there was someone who made the opposite choice.

“Don’t block the way!”

The Thai beauty felt the figure in front of her blur and then disappear. Almost immediately, a lightly spoken voice reached her from behind.

“You…” The woman turned around sharply, only to find Lin Mo standing several steps behind her without her noticing.

Along with the shock in her heart, a hint of frustration crossed her face. She was confident in her beauty, yet here she was, feeling utterly charm-free, as if he didn’t even want to glance at her.

“I am your savior. Don’t you Chinese people believe in repaying kindness?”

A haze of tears formed in her eyes. Normally calm and composed due to her professional training, she felt an unfamiliar anger stirred by his cold demeanor. This sense of injustice was something she had never experienced before.

After all, she had just saved him with a gun! She had approached him with kindness. Yet, not only did he show no gratitude, but he also completely ignored her.

How could she have run into such a rude guy? Her heart twisted with conflicting emotions.

“Did you save me?”

Lin Mo still wore an unfriendly expression, not even turning his head as he stepped onto the asphalt road leading to the base, wide enough for two military big trucks to pass.

He didn’t even stop, walking away quickly with steady strides.

“You, you…” Watching Lin Mo’s retreating figure, the Thai beauty stomped her foot in anger, frustration bubbling to the surface, unable to even form a complete sentence.

According to the script she had planned, the next scene should have been Lin Mo expressing gratitude to her like most men do, inviting her to lunch like a gentleman, enjoying a wonderful afternoon, and if something romantic happened that night, it would be even better, ultimately making it easier to catch this proud eagle soaring in the sky.

The reality, however, was harsh—she had predicted the beginning but failed to foresee the ending. The reality that unfolded was vastly different from her expectations.

As she watched Lin Mo vanish from her sight, nearing the entrance of the base, the Thai beauty, feeling helpless, unleashed her frustration, waving her delicate fists angrily and turning to storm off.

“Miss Nong Lan, it seems he has no interest in talking,” a man dressed in a deep blue sarong approached from the side of the road.

“It’s all those damned Russians’ fault! They must have said something. Otherwise, there’s simply no reason for him to ignore me. That guy actually doubted I was the one who saved him. What a jerk! I should hang him up on a flagpole to dry out as jerky.”

Nong Lan clenched her silver teeth, a layer of frost settling on her face.

“Um, um, Miss Nong Lan, it seems that based on his performance, he doesn’t actually need your assistance.”

“What do you mean, Bayu? Are you looking down on me too?”

Nong Lan, like an enraged leopard, erupted with fury. After all, she had displayed impeccable marksmanship—blowing up the rear tire of the off-road motorcycle with one shot and hitting the rider in the back with the second shot. If not for that, that man would have been done for.

“No, no, that’s not what I meant!” Bayu exclaimed, waving his hands in a panic. This lady’s temper was no joke. He felt unlucky for failing at the mission, ending up with nothing, and regretted his careless words.

“What do you mean then? Bayu, if you don’t give me an explanation today, hmph, you’ll be in trouble.” Nong Lan pulled out her silenced pistol once more, brandishing it as an ominous threat.

“Did you not notice how agilely he maneuvered behind you? Even I couldn’t see how he got there! If he has that kind of skill, would he be afraid of someone on a motorcycle trying to attack him?”

Bayu braced himself to either run away or quickly get ready for a desperate situation. The lady’s temper was renowned for being difficult to handle. If it weren’t for her connections, she wouldn’t just be the leader of a small action team; by now, she would have already become one of the decision-makers in the South Asian branch of the internationally renowned intelligence agency known as “Eden,” codenamed “Chocolate.”

"Eden" was actually established by several conglomerates, providing military and commercial intelligence support to various corporations and government departments, responsible for collecting intelligence, assassinations, and other under-the-table activities, while profiting immensely to fund operations and expansions. They operated in a deliberately low-key manner, often remaining unknown to the outside world.

At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, Robert Waddell, a former employee of DuPont, resigned and set up a new venture called Bakai Powder Company, competing with DuPont for market share.

Seeing Robert Waddell as a thorn in their side, DuPont secretly sabotaged the Bakai Powder Company’s factory, causing all of his hard work to go up in smoke, and they maliciously threatened Waddell to force him into submission, with “Eden’s” shadow lurking in the background.

Behind capital often lay bloody secrets, with various schemers operating across different fields.

“Hmph!” Nong Lan ground her teeth in frustration. Bayu made some valid points, yet she had nowhere to vent her anger. After a long pause, she waved her hand. “Bayu, you’re in charge of writing a report detailing the entire incident for the headquarters. Remember, it must be no less than fifty thousand words, or you’ll regret it.”

“Ah! Fifty thousand words? Is this writing a novel?” Bayu felt that this little team leader would not let him off easily today, especially since they had barely spoken for even a minute. Writing a report of fifty thousand words felt utterly torturous, as if she was just venting her own frustrations on him.

At the base entrance, after confirming his identity, Lin Mo saw several towering piles of firewood on a patch of grass. Nearby, there was a row of makeshift tents, and a long table piled high with various fruits, as well as several coolers clearly filled with a variety of items. A massive white tent spanning nearly a thousand square meters stood in the grass, supported by tall poles decorated with bright lights.

What kind of event was this?

Lin Mo casually grabbed a passing soldier and pointed at what seemed to be a party venue, saying, “Hey, brother, what’s going on here?”

“You don’t know?” The soldier, stationed in the Guangdong military district, looked at Lin Mo, who was dressed in a T-shirt and flip-flops. If it weren’t for the stainless steel tag hanging from his neck—identifying him like the crew members of an aircraft carrier—he surely would have been mistaken for a lost tourist.

“How would I know? I’m not God!” Lin Mo rolled his eyes. “If I knew, I wouldn’t be asking you!” Apparently, there hadn’t been any talk of a big event when they set off in the morning, so why was there suddenly such a commotion?

“They’re holding a joint celebration for the Chinese and Thai navies tonight. That pile of wood? It’s for roasting a whole cow.”

“A whole cow…”

So, the thirty thousand Thai baht he spent had directly gone to borrowing others’ offerings for the leaders of the base! With everyone getting two ounces of beef, that was enough for five thousand servings. Considering those who had gone off to tour nearby regions, the base would likely have no more than a thousand people left. Even the celebration was likely meant for mid-to-high-ranking officers.

Next to a tent with a water tap, Lin Mo finally spotted the large black water buffalo he had sent to a better place with a single punch. It was now completely cleaned, revealing bright red meat. The Chinese cook was showing off his knife skills while skinning the meat attached to the complete skeleton, and Thai chefs were rubbing piles of spices onto the buffalo, occasionally spraying saltwater to marinate it.

A rich aroma of alcohol filled the air as chefs from both countries worked to make the buffalo meat tender. Moreover, they were meticulously preparing the buffalo’s hide, stomach, liver, and head. According to Chinese culinary techniques, almost no part of the buffalo would go to waste. Even the blood could be utilized.

Lin Mo also noticed the cook Xiaotao from the aircraft carrier cafeteria, dealing with various meats like chicken and lamb. The large buffalo was the main dish, and there were plenty of side dishes too. The weather was hot, and Xiaotao had a white cloth around her neck, wiping sweat frequently. When she saw Lin Mo, her eyes lit up, and she waved, “Instructor Lin! You caught such a big buffalo! We’ll have plenty to eat tonight.”

“Uh-huh! Caught? Do you think I was hunting? Come on, you get back to work!” Lin Mo shrugged, feeling helpless. Those guys were definitely spreading rumors that he had gone hunting on the streets of Songkhla and caught a huge buffalo.

Wherever the big soldiers were, gossip was sure to follow. It was entirely believable that these guys could turn the entire story into a legendary novel. Last time, after finding the American submarine, the reward was hardly even in his hands before he had to treat a bunch of people from various departments of the aircraft carrier to a big meal. Instructor Lin’s reputation for generosity quickly spread throughout the entire fleet.

A water buffalo had been brought back to the base by Thai undercover agents, and everyone immediately imagined it as Instructor Lin hosting a second grand feast, seizing the opportunity to gather both Chinese and Thai officers for a celebration.

But it was just a buffalo; Lin Mo wasn’t the type to fuss over small matters like this. The allowance he received in a month was enough to buy several of them, and he didn’t have any bad personal habits. His personal expenses in the military were practically zero.

His largest costs were for materials for that “monstrous” project and the gold coins for supplies. It was clearly two extremes of spending; for others, it was utterly unimaginable.