Chapter 654: Changing the Dressing
The hawk-nosed man paced back and forth within the military camp, his body gradually trembling. Just thinking of how Lin Chuan had actually killed three members of the Poison Scorpion group, he was choked with rage. If he couldn't vent this fury, he would never forgive himself in this lifetime.
............
On the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, a desolate and remote area, stretches a vast desert with sand and stones flying about.
A highway cuts through this desert, where one could occasionally see numerous merchants in white robes leading camels. After all, camels are the most drought-resistant animals in the desert and are suitable for transporting heavy loads. A camel caravan passed through the desert.
Occasionally, cars would speed along this road. Very fast. As the cars passed, they stirred up gusts of wind and sand.
After several hours of speeding, the car soon entered a city at the junction of Afghanistan and Pakistan: Asa.
Asa is located on the banks of the Kunar River in eastern Afghanistan, close to the Pakistan border, and is the capital of Kunar Province. Asa is a checkpoint for crossing from Afghanistan to Pakistan. After reaching Asa, Lin Chuan and Miss Lan abandoned the car by the roadside, which had no keys.
The two of them had already disposed of all their weapons at some point along the way, and only carried some essential daggers for self-defense.
Upon arriving in Asa at last, they entered a proper city. The city was bustling, with crowds weaving through the streets. It seemed as if the war had never affected the people of this city. They always moved energetically, shopping in the stores with an array of goods offered by Lin Liang.
"Lin Chuan, should we find a place to rest?" Miss Lan touched her stomach and said, "I'm a bit hungry."
"Hmm!" Lin Chuan nodded and said, "Let's find a place to rest for the night first, I'll figure out a way to contact the people for the crossing."
"Okay." Miss Lan quickly nodded in agreement, having traveled such a long distance; lying in the car to rest was not comfortable at all. It was far better to find a bed to sleep in comfortably.
Then, Lin Chuan found a hotel nearby. Considering they had no passports or any related documents, Lin Chuan specifically looked for a hotel that required no identification for check-in. Naturally, one can imagine the level of security there.
As soon as they entered the hotel, they encountered several menacing characters who took an interested glance at Miss Lan.
Miss Lan glanced dismissively at them and passed by without further interaction.
The hotel environment was average, with two Afghan men standing at the front desk wearing loose fitting clothes. They politely bowed to Lin Chuan. Lin Chuan paid and quickly completed the check-in process without any trouble. They took the keys and entered the room.
"Afraid?" Lin Chuan asked.
"Not afraid." Miss Lan surely understood what Lin Chuan meant.
Since no identification was needed for check-in, it indicated that this place was a den of mixed repute. There could be murderers, drug traffickers, and even arms dealers. In short, anything was possible.
The room was terrible, with only one bed, a worn-out chair, a black-and-white TV that only showed one channel filled with static.
The bathroom door was broken. Though it could barely close, it was only half a door. If someone stood inside to shower, everything below the thighs was completely visible. The bathroom and toilet were combined, with a very cramped space, and the toilet was filthy, with the squat toilet covered in a mix of black and yellow substances. It was nauseating at just one glance. However, Lin Chuan and Miss Lan seemed not to care, almost as if they were used to it.
"The environment is really bad," Lin Chuan said.
"It's not too bad," Miss Lan smiled and said, "It's still better than sleeping outside exposed to the elements."
"That's also true," Lin Chuan nodded.
Miss Lan sat at the head of the bed, and Lin Chuan tidied up their things and changed the dressing on his arm wound.
Lin Chuan took a bundle of herbal medicine and walked over to Miss Lan: "Come on, let's change the dressing."
"Okay!" Miss Lan nodded.
Suddenly alone with Lin Chuan in the room, being asked to undress, Miss Lan lost her previous forthrightness and became a little coy. Blushing, she said, "Can I... can I do it myself?"
"How are you going to change the dressing on the wound on your back?" Lin Chuan asked.
"I..." Miss Lan blushed and said, "I'm a girl who's not even married yet, and you've seen everything, how can I ever get married in the future?"
"Wow, you can actually be shy?" Lin Chuan said in surprise, looking at Miss Lan.
"You jerk, you're the one who's shameless!" Miss Lan immediately got angry.
"Haha..." Lin Chuan burst into laughter.
Ultimately, Miss Lan honestly removed her clothes, complaining as she undressed, "Well, since you've seen everything, I don't care if you look at me once more."
Having said that, she took off her clothes.
Lin Chuan carefully unfastened the clothing on her chest. Her two snow-white peaks were tightly bound and, having been suppressed for a long time, they were red and wrinkled. Despite this, their beauty was not dimmed.
Lin Chuan carefully removed the herbal medicine from her back and then wiped her wound with warm water.
This gesture touched Miss Lan. If a woman could find a man who was so careful with her in her lifetime, what more could she ask for? It was just a pity that such an outstanding man as Lin Chuan was destined not to be her own. Miss Lan felt regretful. She sighed.
Lin Chuan's carefulness and tenderness deeply moved her.
Soon, Lin Chuan applied new medicine to her wound and secured it with white gauze bought from downstairs. Miss Lan put her leather jacket back on, but she felt somewhat sad without her underwear.
"Let's go out and grab a bite to eat!" Lin Chuan said.
"Okay." Miss Lan immediately nodded in agreement.
They went outside and found a Mosque restaurant.
The food here mainly consists of noodles and mutton. Lin Chuan and Miss Lan were so hungry they felt like they could devour a whole sheep.
Upon entering the restaurant, Lin Chuan instantly set his sights on a lamb being roasted over the fire.
"Let's eat this!" Lin Chuan exclaimed with joy.
"Roast lamb?" Miss Lan was startled and said, "Isn't that too much?"
"I'm so hungry I could almost swallow a whole sheep right now," Lin Chuan said hastily. "So don't worry about it."
Miss Lan didn't object. They ordered a whole roasted lamb and two bowls of noodles.
Soon, the lamb was brought to their table on a tray. The golden-brown roasted meat was fragrant, sprinkled with some white sesame seeds, along with some other unrecognizable seasonings, but the lamb was incredibly delicious.
Lin Chuan swallowed his saliva, then said, "Let's eat."
Just as Miss Lan was about to cut the meat with a knife, Lin Chuan couldn't wait any longer. Ignoring the freshly roasted lamb's scorching heat, he grabbed a leg directly from the lamb and started gnawing on it voraciously.
Miss Lan looked on, wanting to laugh. Despite her hunger, she still maintained her ladylike demeanor.
Lin Chuan wolfed down his food. In contrast, Miss Lan ate gracefully, carefully cutting every piece of meat with a knife, dividing it into small pieces, and delicately placing them into her mouth. If she choked, she would take a sip of soup to wash it down.
The restaurant was quite busy with a mixed crowd. After all, it was a border city, so naturally, there was a larger mix of people from different countries. Some were tourists sightseeing, some were foreigners here for business, and of course, many locals. In this troublesome place, there were also smugglers and illegal immigrants.
While Lin Chuan was hungrily eating meat, those fierce and menacing guys he had encountered at the hotel walked in from outside.
The leader was a burly man about 1.8 meters tall, who looked somewhat like a barbarian with a broad back and bear-like waist, wielding several knives around his belt and carrying a gun. Anyone bold enough to carry a gun in Asa usually had the backing of some power. It was common to see armed people walking around on the streets. Lin Chuan glanced at the man, whose gaze was immediately fixed on Lin Chuan and Miss Lan.
The burly leader revealed an evil grin.
"Hehehe…" The man bared his teeth in a smile.
He walked slowly over to Lin Chuan with three men in tow.
"Are you Japanese?" the man asked.
Lin Chuan hesitated for a moment, but ultimately didn't speak and continued eating his meat. The man seemed displeased.
Bang…
Suddenly, the man pulled out a handgun and slammed it onto the table, angrily saying, "In Asa, no one dares to defy my will."
Lin Chuan looked up at the man, then casually wiped his hands clean with a snow-white towel. He took a sip of soup.
The man was incredulous, as no one would normally sit there calmly eating meat and drinking soup in such a situation. Only this fellow seemed utterly fearless, appearing completely composed.
Bas clenched his teeth. Bas was Mongolian, and he had come to Afghanistan this time to purchase a batch of arms to take back to his country. At the hotel, he had set his eyes on Miss Lan, but he had business to take care of, so he didn't take action. Unexpectedly, he ran into the lady again at the restaurant. Therefore, he immediately felt this was a fateful gift from the gods.
Mongolians have always revered the strong.
Lin Chuan put down his soup bowl and casually picked up the handgun.
Click-click…
Within ten seconds, the gun was disassembled into individual parts; even the twelve bullets in the magazine were all taken out.
Sizzling…
The few Mongolians watched, stunned and speechless.
"Put away your gun," Lin Chuan said with a glance at the man, as he grabbed another lamb leg to gnaw on, and while chewing, he warned, "Don't disturb my meal, or the consequences will be severe!"
Bas squinted his eyes, assessing the man before him. He quickly dismissed the idea that Lin Chuan and Miss Lan were Japanese; he promptly surmised the pair must be Chinese. Japanese men didn't possess Lin Chuan's type of dominance; instead, they exuded a Yin Energy. Moreover, Lin Chuan's gaze and demeanor had numerous subtle connections to that of a Chinese soldier.