**DAY 10**
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When Tinjau woke up, it was still dim outside; he guessed it was around five or six in the morning. But Siupui was already dressed in light clothing, sitting in front of the mirror tying her hair into a ponytail.
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“I was just about to wake you up! Today, I want to take you to check-in at the ‘LV’ branch in Ho Chi Minh City, so that you can experience what ‘LV’ can do for its members while they are traveling. What are you waiting for? Hurry up and get dressed! We have a packed schedule today!”
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Since Siupui do not want to mention what happened last night, Tinjau decided he should forget it. He pretended to be nonchalant in front of her.
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The ‘LV’ branch in Ho Chi Minh City was located in an upscale residential area populated by foreigners. The pure white walls, minimalist furniture, and the plasma screen displaying the locations of all members…Everything is no different from the ‘LV’ branch in their hometown.
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Siupui seemed to be an old acquainted with the receptionist at this branch. This receptionist is a Dutch man who is over six feet tall, extremely thin and has shockingly pale skin. His name was difficult for Tinjau to pronounce and remember.
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After chatting with Tinjau for a few words in English, he then enthusiastically communicated with Siupui in an unfamiliar language. While he chatting with Siupui, he occasionally glancing at Tinjau with a knowing smile.
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They were probably speaking Dutch. Siupui must have had some experiences in the Netherlands. She had previously conversed with Bianca in some Latin language in front of Tinjau. How many languages could this girl speak?
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After chatting a while, the Dutch man lowered his head and made a few phone calls. Once it seemed he had sorted things out, he gave Siupui a knowing look, then made the last call. After chatting excitedly with someone on the phone for a while, he handed the phone to Siupui.
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Siupui happily conversed in Dutch with the person on the other end of the phone, and blowing a kiss through the phone as she hung up. “The connection was established. Let’s go!” She grabbed Tinjau’s arm and left ‘LV’ in hurry. Tinjau feel a bit disappointed as he had wanted to stay a little longer, meet other ‘LV’ members, and hear about their travel experiences.
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“Where are we going now?”
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“We’re heading to the Cu Chi Tunnels. I just got two group tickets from ‘LV.’ We’ll hitcha ride with the tour group because it’s a tourist area specifically open to foreign tourists, and there are no direct local buses to go there.”
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“Going to visit a tourist hotspot? That’s unexpected!”
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“You’ll see when we get there. ‘LV’ card members will be offered a special experience there as a member-only benefit.”
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After Siupui motion to the staff of the local travel agency, the tour guide arranged seats for Tinjau and Siupui at the back of the bus. Upon arriving at the Cu Chi Tunnels tourist area, Siupui handed the tour guide an envelope with the word ‘LV’ printed on it. She then say goodbyes to the guide politely, and watched the tour group queued to enter at the entrance.
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“In the tourism industry, there is an internal market that circulates bus tickets or admission tickets that are temporarily vacated by tourists who were unable to travel due to various circumstances. ‘LV’ has connections in the tourism industry to tap into these markets. This network is very convenient for travelers. Just making a few phone calls this morning, ‘LV’ secured tickets for a tour group that will departing within two hours.”
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“So where are we going next?”
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“We’re going to explore the Cu Chi Tunnels. Our destination requires us to crawl through the tunnels to reach it. We won’t be entering through the official entrance. Come on! This way! It’s much easier to take the staff passage and bypass the souvenir shop!”
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The Cu Chi Tunnels are one of Vietnam’s famous attractions, located about seventy-five kilometers to the northern suburbs of Ho Chi Minh City, underneath a quiet jungle-covered village called ‘Cu Chi’.
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Strictly speaking, the Cu Chi Tunnels is an underground city. During the Vietnam War, they served as the headquarters for the Viet Cong, allowing them to wage guerrilla warfare against the American forces through an extensive network of crypt, leading to numerous defeats and significant troop losses for the enemy.
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Thus, the Cu Chi Tunnels became a revolutionary symbol of the Viet Cong and today this place are an official cultural heritage site open to the public.
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As Tinjau recalled what he had learned about the Cu Chi Tunnels from travel guides, he followed Siupui with a sense of awe, bending down to navigate through the ancient tunnels and observe the various living and military facilities left inside the tunnels.
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The Cu Chi Tunnels are divided into three underground levels. The first level served as the main living area and was relatively spacious. By the time they descended to the second level, Tinjau had to bend down to walk.
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Upon entering the third level, they had to crouch and move slowly. The walls around them getting more and more damp, emitting a musty odor, and very few tourists ventured this deep.
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As they moved further into the tunnels, it is obviously getting narrower and narrower, and soon they would have to crawl.
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“From here on, we reach where the strategic value of the Cu Chi Tunnels lies. It is a truly underground maze that extends in all direction. Without a tour guide, it’s easy to get lost.”
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“Tour guide? Have you ever…”
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“Yup. I used to work as a part-time guide here. I usually responsible for leading the most difficult tunnel exploration tours.”
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“You’re quite mysterious. Not only can you speak Dutch, but you’ve also been a tour guide in Vietnam.”
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Siupui turned around and smiled. She say nothing and continued to move forward. From now on, they really had to crawl.
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Though the tunnels were hot and humid, with paths crisscrossing like a spider’s web, Tinjau didn’t feel the need to memorize the way back. He just completely trusted Siupui who was leading the way.
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Moreover, since there were tourist “exploration” groups passing through the tunnels occasionally, there were always some footprints left on the ground. As long as they followed these traces, they could return to the original entrance.
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The path Siupui took him along was the “designated route” full of traces of previous visitors.
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After crawling for about twenty minutes, they reached a small space big enough for several people to stand upright. There, a very muscular man was already waiting.
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The man wore a tight black tank top and camouflage pants, with thick black stripes painted on his arms and cheeks, and his body exuding a scent of gunpowder.
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Although this man was dressed like a soldier, Tinjau didn’t feel intimidated. While Tinjau had never been close to a regular soldier, this man seemed to possess a scholarly aura that soldier usually do not have and with an almost childlike kindness in his eyes.
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As soon as Siupui saw the man, she rushed into his arms oblivious of the others. The man seemed also very excited and hugged Siupui tightly with his beast-like strong arms. Tinjau couldn’t help but worry whether Siupui would die in his arm with such strength.
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Yet Siupui seemed to relish the tight hug, and even letting out a satisfied sigh. The sound pierced Tinjau’s heart, leaving him with mixed emotions.
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He couldn’t help but think of the girl he had just broken up with in his hometown—Siuzik. In the early days of their relationship, she had expressly hinted several times that she loved the intimate feeling of being tightly embraced by Tinjau.
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In the following years, he had gradually stopped taking this matter seriously. How long had it been since he had held Siuzik like that?
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If Siupui’s reaction now reminded Tinjau of Siuzik, then that meant the man before him…
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“Let me introduce to you; this is my fiancé, Van Eering. He is also Dutch. This is Tinjau, the successor of my ‘0713’ card.”
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“Hello. Have you just met my younger brother?” Van Eering enthusiastically shook Tinjau’s hand, almost making Tinjau want to cry in pain. However, his forthright manner made Tinjau feel very happy.
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“Your younger brother?”
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“He’s the staff of the ‘LV’ branch in Ho Chi Minh City you met earlier,” Siupui explained. “Their whole family works for ‘LV’. The members of ‘LV’are often scattered around the world. It already is a small miracle that he and his brother happen to be in the same city this month.”
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“Tinjau! Thank you for bringing my fiancée here! I haven’t seen her in almost six months; I was starting to doubt if our engagement was still valid!”
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“Do you want to run away from your wedding, you love rat?” Siupui playfully patted Van Eering’s shoulder really hard. “This guy left the Netherlands with his parents at a very young age and has traveled to most of the obscure countries and cities in the world. He can speaks over a dozen languages, but his English is lousy.”
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“I can’t help it. Our family has this attitude of rejecting Western civilization,” Van Eering suddenly switched to speaking Chinese, startling Tinjau. “My Chinese name is ‘Jiwing’. Let me practice my Chinese today. Siupui often complains that my Dutch accent is too strong for her to understand.”
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“It’s okay. I can understand,” Tinjau replied politely.
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“Then let’s get going! Otherwise, we might not able to catch up with the exciting scene!” Van Eering clapped his hands, turn his back and leave. “Tinjau, you take the middle; let Siupui stay behind so you don’t get lost. Siupui, don’t forget to put the ‘No Entry’ sign back in place to cover the entrance.”
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“I know!”
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Van Eering who is tall and muscular, crawled through the narrow tunnel with the standard military posture. He is moving at an impressive speed, making it quite challenging for Tinjau to keep up.
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Although they were in a restricted area for tourists, Tinjau didn’t feel any thrill or excitement. In fact, he wasn’t focused on the journey ahead at all.
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He was still reeling from the shock of the word “fiancé.”
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The little woman walking behind him had such a deep and unfathomable history. Not long ago, they had visited the grave of her ‘old friend’. Tinjau had previously speculated that Siupui go backpacking was for a sorrowful journey in memory of that deceased person.
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But who would have thought that, in addition to that deceased person, Siupui also had an engaged boyfriend… And Tinjau still not even counting himself who had one-night stand with her recently.
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Thinking of this, Tinjau couldn’t help but smile bitterly.
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After crawling for about twenty minutes, Tinjau was already panting heavily He began to hear the noise of people shouting and the sound of explosions, which reminded him of the scenes from movies about the Vietnam War.
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Could the Cu Chi Tunnels be a time tunnel?
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Upon exiting the tunnels, Tinjau found themselve in a jungle. When a few disheveled foreigners saw Van Eering, they immediately straightened their face and performing a military salute that even Tinjau could tell was completely unqualified.. Van Eering responded with a flawless salute. After they exchanged the salute, that three old soldiers shouting strangely again and scampered off.
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“Is this a war game?”
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“Of course! Do you think the United States and Vietnam are having war again?”
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“I only learned from the travel guide that in the Cu Chi Tunnels tourist area, tourists can try shooting machine guns and driving tanks, but the travel guide never mentioned about playing ‘war’ game!”
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“This game isn’t open to the public. It is a perverted pastime for the super-rich. The way it’s played here is very close to real warfare. Some of the weapons used are genuine ones which still are the active-duty weapons used in the government army!”
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“What? Isn’t that playing with fire?”
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“If you have billions of dollars and have tried everything, what will you do next? Naturally, it’s to play with their lives. Especially for these Americans who didn’t personally fight in the war when they are young but feel deeply resentful of the Viet Cong for making the army of their country suffer during the Vietnam War…”
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“Huh…” Tinjau suddenly remembered something, his heart is pounding. “The guy who just saluted you just now seems to be…”
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“Oh, it’s not surprising you recognized him. He was just on the cover of Time magazine last month. The other two are regional presidents from Citibank and have been named Forbes’ Person of the Year.”
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“So these guys are hiding in the depths of the jungle during their vacations, killing each other?”
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“You thinking so highly of them,” Van Eering said disdainfully. “They paid millions for this membership. In the end, it’s just about seeking thrills, not trying to committing suicide. Of course, they’re not twisted enough to take other people’s lives. The Vietnamese soldiers who acted as their opponents are all wearing bulletproof vests, which allowed those rich guy to ‘kill’ them again and again. If they were accidentally injured, they’ll receive a hefty settlement. Therefore, their retaliation is merely symbolic, just to satisfy the fantasies of these Americans…”
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“Don’t those ‘killed’ Vietnamese have any sense of national pride?”
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“Vietnamese people wouldn’t do such things for money! Those ‘soldiers’ are all foreign workers hired from Laos or Cambodia. These white people probably have no idea whether the people they are ‘killing’ are Vietnamese. Maybe they don’t even care at all.”
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“Wow… that’s absurd…”
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“Absolutely. And I’m just a super absurd fool serving these absurd people in this absurd club,” Van Eering said self-deprecatingly.
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“… Van, did you choose to stay here because you were attracted by something? With your personality, you would never be tied down by a job you do not like.”
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“Well said!” Van Eering patted Tinjau on the shoulder and said to Siupui. “Tinjau really got me! I like this guy alot! Let’s hurry! We need to catch today’s ‘show’!”
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“What ‘show’?”
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“A thrilling game that will makes you feel so cool! This is why I willing to stay here for several months. The opportunity is too rare.There’s probably nowhere else in the world where we can do something this exhilarating.”
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Van Eering draped his arm over Tinjau’s shoulder and strode forward, completely unfazed by the whizzing bullets, exploding shells, and the shouts of madness around them. Tinjau was actually on edge with every step, but he didn’t want to show it in front of Van Eering, so he forced himself to endure. His expressionless pale face was the calmest expression he could make.
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They came to a wild camp. Van Eering issued some commands to the stationed soldiers in a Southeast Asian language. They immediately understood and handing over two military uniforms to Tinjau and Siupui. They also took out three two-meter-long rocket launchers.
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“Let’s put on the uniforms first. If you want to kick those Americans’ butts, you have to join the Viet Cong. That’s the rule of the game.”
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While Tinjau was still looking around for a changing room, Siupui had already skillfully stripped off her top and pants, revealing her beautiful figure clad only in pink lingerie. She inspected the military uniform with a serious look on her face, and then slowly putting it on.
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Tinjau glanced at Van Eering beside him. He shrugged and said with helpless expression, “There’s no choice. Soldiers in jungle warfare were change their clothes on the spot. Although I’m a bit jealous, I have to respect the rules of the game. Alright, alright, have you seen enough?”
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After changing their clothes, Van Eering took them to a location on a small hill to hide. Siupui seemed very familiar with all this, while Van Eering focused on teaching Tinjau how to fire the rocket launcher in his hand.
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“Who am I supposed to shoot with this rocket launcher?”
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“Who else? The Americans! Those billionaires who monopolize wealth, exploit the poor, and destroy the environment selfishly!”
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“That’s a rather cynical view…”
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“Don’t you have any opinions about these nouveau riche? Not only those Americans; your Chinese nouveau riche are just as absurd!”
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“Well…”
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“Isn’t there an international scandal circulating in the newspapers recently? It said that a director-level person working in an international bank, who seems to be a Hong Kong woman. She spent over a hundred million HKD on tuition to hire a famous teacher to teach her Latin dance! If that hundred million HKD had been spent on education in mainland China, how many children’s fate could have been changed? No matter how rich someone is, they shouldn’t spend a hundred million for learning how to dance! Damn it! Can you imagine how empty and bored such a person must feel?”
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“That’s enough! Van, you scared Tinjau!”
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“I’m not done yet. Spending a hundred million on dance lessons isn’t even a scandal; we can only say it is ridiculous. The reason this became a big deal is that the teacher who taught her to dance, perhaps due to his artist’s temperament, couldn’t stand the absurdity of this matter, and then the teacher cursed her in public. If you think about it from that woman’s perspective: “I spent a hundred million to learn to dancing from a slave like you. How dare he even called me a sow and insult me like this?” So, this woman immediately broke the contract and refused to pay. When the teacher seeing the hefty tuition go down the drain, he naturally took her to court. What kind of banker is that? Can you casually break a contract just because someone cursed him? Will a bank managed by such people still respect the spirit of contracts?”
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“Enough already! Tinjau, please don’t mind. That’s just the way he is.”
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“No, what Van said makes sense. Listening to this, I feel a bit of anger building up inside me.”
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“Great! We’ll vent this frustration later! Speaking of absurdities, I remember once…”
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As they spoke, the sound of helicopter rotors gradually filled the air around the hill they were on.
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“They’re coming! Put on your goggles! Get down!”
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The noise quickly intensified to a deafening level, the swirling dust and wind whipped around painfully. Finally, a squad of six helicopters appeared in front of Tinjau.
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Inside the open cabins were fully armed American billionaires, who didn’t notice Tinjau and the others hiding behind the hillside. They were too focused on firing their machine guns at the soldier actors below, who were frantically trying to escape on the flat ground.
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Suddenly, a Morse code message came through the radio hanging on Van Eering’s chest. He excitedly stood up and gave a thumbs-up to the helicopter pilots, who all responded in kind.
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“It’s Show Time! Tinjau, get used to seeing things with the sight of the rocket launcher. Remember how I taught you to use the digital zoom function? First, aim at the cockpit of the leading helicopter, zoom in to the maximum, and see if you can recognize anyone inside.”
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“Oh my god! The one shooting wildly is the governor of a certain state in the United States! He often played war heroes when he was a movie star. Hasn’t he had enough fun yet?”
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“And the two behind him are directors from some American oil company! They’ve made a fortune from war, monopolizing the Earth’s resources while making the public bear the burden of environmental pollution—these bastards! Now aim at the tail rotor and fire!”
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“Can I really do that?”
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“Be brave! The helicopter is under attack from an unknown rocket launcher. This is the climax of the game! They paid four million dollars to come here to experience the perverse thrill of being blasted with a rocket launcher! Come on! Don’t let them down!”
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“Do you need help?” Siupui asked.
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“No need!” Tinjau, spurred on by his male pride, gritted his teeth and pulled the trigger.
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The powerful recoil sent Tinjau tumbling backwards. When he lifted his head, he just caught sight of the rocket hitting the cabin door of the helicopter less than a meter away from those billionaires. They quickly jump out of the plane to escape in panic.
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After opening their parachutes, they excitedly high-fived and cheer with each other.
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“They’re absolutely crazy!”
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“Nice shot! The more danger we create, the more they feel their money were well worth spend,” Van Eering said. “As long as we don’t kill them, let’s have fun! Where else in the world can you have a part-time job that could let you shoot down helicopters with a rocket launcher while it was filled with detestable billionaires?”
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“Part-time job?”
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“Yeah. We’re technically the official staffs of this game now.” Siupui explained. “Originally, the person responsible for firing the rocket launcher must be an elite special forces soldier who have served for many years, as accuracy is more important than anything else. If we get any of these billionaires injured, our company might not be able to afford the compensation, even our company would go bankrupt ten times. Van has been inviting other cynical ‘LV’ members to participate in this ‘job’ for the past few months. He has gone a bit crazy himself.”
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“Can you accept your fiancé doing such crazy things?”
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“I actually admire his madness,” Siupui said. “The craziest part is that ‘LV’ tacitly allows Van to do this kind of thing.”
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“… That’s true.”
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“Didn’t I mention it before? The mission of ‘LV’ is simply to provide ‘freedom’ for its members, without making any moral judgments. You can use this freedom to do anything and experience any way of life. You could even switch roles and be the one shot down from the helicopter by a rocket launcher. The purpose of bringing you here is to show you how far the boundaries of this freedom can extend.”
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“As long as I want, I could stay in the hotel and do nothing. Because that’s also my choice, right?”
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“Exactly. ‘LV’ respects the choice of all it’s members.” Siupui said.
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“… I’m starting to understand.”
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“Hey, don’t just chat! There are still four helicopters that have not been shoot down! The people up there are complaining about why the rockets haven’t hit their butts yet!” Van Eering shouted. “If we don’t take them all down within half an hour, our part-time pay will go down the drain!”
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Tinjau then picked up the rocket launcher and aimed those helicopters seriously. Despite being in such a sensually stimulating “battlefield,” his mind had never been clearer.
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He wasn’t as cynical as Van Eering, feeling the need to take revenge on those masochistic billionaires. He didn’t have a strong anti-American sentiment; while he disagreed with the absurd actions of the rich, he had never thought of taking radical actions to forcibly change the wealth gap.
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Trying out a military rocket launcher, shooting down a real military helicopter, and watching those crazy billionaires scramble to escape was indeed exhilarating for Tinjau.
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But Tinjau knew he wouldn’t become addicted to this game, nor would his psyche become distorted or turn him into a perverted murderer.
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He simply wanted to enrich his life experience by trying out some behaviors that were on the edge of madness.
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Therefore, at this moment, he was determined to fully immerse himself in the experience until the end.
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As the sun set, the game is temporarily over.
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On a flat meadow in the center of the jungle, the routine barbecue party around the campfire was started.
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Dozens of super-rich participants in the game, along with a dozen senior tactical commanders and other staffs, gathered around the bonfire to drinking and eating meat, playing and chasing each other. The militant pride shown on the faces of those billionaires at this time was a bit like those soldiers returning from the front lines for a brief rest.
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A few of them asked Van Eering whether the person responsible for firing the rocket launcher today was a new perverse mercenary. Because one of rocket had aimed too close, this crazy and bold act had thrilled them to the core.
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Van Eering then introduced Tinjau to them, and honestly stating that Tinjau wasn’t even a soldier and had only learned how to use the rocket launcher five minutes before firing.
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Upon hearing this, those billionaires didn’t express any anger or fear; instead, they burst into laughter, rolling on the ground with their stomachs aching from laughter. They gave Van Eering and Tinjau thumbs up to praising their courage.
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They had paid astronomical sums to hire such lunatic to hunt them down recklessly during the day, yet at night, they could attend the bonfire party unscathed.
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The delusion of the wealthy people are indeed of different levels.
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“Van.” Siupui exchanged a few glances with Van Eering before looking at Tinjau. Van Eering immediately understood, cheerfully joining the wealthy in their drinking to allow Siupui to slip away.
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Siupui took Tinjau’s arm and led him and walked through the shallow bushes to a bare little hill. The moon that night was almost perfectly round, reminding Tinjau of Siupui’s perfect naked body.
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They lay side by side on the hill, gazing at the full moon, and said nothing for a long time. Finally, Siupui broke the silence.
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“What do you think of today’s arrangements?”
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“I was overwhelmed by so many things.”
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“… For example, the fact that I have a fiancé?”
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“Um…”
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“I don’t think I’ve mentioned to you why I joined ‘LV’ before.”
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“That’s exactly what I was about to ask.”
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“Most people who join ‘LV’ do so to carve out space from their busy lives to fulfill various unachievable wishes. After being abandoned by my first love, I’m not able to fall back into love. So, I decided to join ‘LV’ to seek a passionate yet fruitless romance. Six months ago, I met Van Eering.
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I never imagined that in a state of complete psychological closure where I couldn’t accept sex at all, I would develop a relationship with him that led to discussions of marriage.
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But girls always thinking in this way: if a guy is willing to date you without sex, then he must be sincere.
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Yes, I believe Van is sincere. I intended to pursue a carefree relationship during my journey, but I ended up finding someone I could entrust my life to.
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Isn’t that ironic?
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But after accepting his ring, I repeatedly questioned myself: is he really what I was looking for on this journey?
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Van Eering is the answer I have been looking for all my life, but he is not the answer to this journey. So, I asked him to wait for me for another six months.
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I believe I must let go of all past ties, fulfill all unfinished wishes, and face this marriage with the most stable, rational, and mature state of mind. Only in this way is fair to Van Eering.
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A month ago, the man who had tied me down in the past died. And two weeks ago, I finally experienced that kind of uncontrollable passionate feeling.
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When I first saw you in the bar, I knew I had finally found what I was looking for. I realized my journey could finally come to an end. Over the past two weeks, I indeed established an intimate relationship with you, but I am not sure whether it is love or not.
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I just really want to save you. I’m even willing to give everything to liberate your wildness, your vitality, and your passion that have been repeatedly bound and suppressed by heavy shackles.
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I still don’t know if liberating you has helped you or harmed you. But there’s no way to turn back now…”
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“… Siupui, I’m very grateful to you. If it weren’t for you—”
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Siupui put her finger to Tinjau’s lips to stop him from talking.
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Under the moonlight, they shared a gentle, bittersweet farewell kiss.
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**DAY 14**
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After returning to Ho Chi Minh City, Tinjau continued to spend several days with Van Eering and his brother and Siupui. Since they were all gone through this stage before, they understood that Tinjau needed time to think about his next destination, so they didn’t play too wildly and trying to leave him some quiet space.
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On the eighth day after the Cu Chi Tunnels experience, they passed by the main train station in Ho Chi Minh City, and Tinjau was suddenly drawn to the old-fashioned trains that were still puffing black smoke and blowing their whistles.
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“Where does this train go?”
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“Let me see… it should be heading to Hanoi. But this is a slow train that stops at every station along the way, taking forty-eight hours. It’s an economical train for locals. For travelers, there’s a express train in the evening—”
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“No, I like this train.” Tinjau couldn’t take his eyes off from the old, worn-out train. It was packed with local passengers, creating a lively scene. “I’m leaving.” Tinjau said.
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“Just like that? What about your luggage left at the hotel?”
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“It’s nothing important. It doesn’t matter. I have my ‘LV’ member card, passport, and wallet with me. That’s enough.”
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Siupui and Van Eering exchanged glances, then nodded knowingly and smiled. They waved goodbye to Tinjau and said, “Safe travels.”
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Go when you want to go and leave when you want to leave. For a backpackers, traveling from one place to another doesn’t require any grand reasons.
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He walked up to the ticket counter, bought a one-way ticket, and then casually sat in the designated seat, staring at the scenery outside the window and lost in thought, savoring the anxiety of facing the unknown.
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That seemingly carefree feeling was ultimately shattered by the heart-stirring sound of the train whistle. Watching his companions grow smaller in the reflection of the glass, Tinjau’s heart gradually tightened.
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Siupui couldn’t help but run alongside the train, sprinting to the end of the platform, covering her face with her hands as she crouched down.
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This scene was deeply imprinted in Tinjau’s heart.
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But Tinjau would never look back to let them see his tear-streaked face. If they saw how attached he was to everything in Ho Chi Minh City, they would worry about his future journey.
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