Noon. Eastern Myanmar. The Golden Triangle Rainforest.
The midday sun hung high in the center of the sky, yet plumes of water vapor rose from the jungle floor, filling the atmosphere with a heavy, stifling humid scent.
As far as the eye could see, there were towering teak and ironwood trees, stretching nearly eighty meters into the air.
Their umbrella-shaped canopies formed a barrier, blocking out the sunlight that represented hope and warmth.
Under the canopy's blockade, even the water vapor couldn't escape; it condensed on the broad leaves as it cooled. As it accumulated, it turned into heavy droplets that slid down, hitting the waist-high ferns and bamboo with a rhythmic tap... tap... sound, like light rain.
Below, the scene was different; thickets of thorny rattan and wild ginger covered the ground, tangled with thick vines.
The view zoomed in, and leech-like creatures could be vaguely seen wriggling in the wet soil.
Splat! A heavy boot stepped on one of these leeches, bursting it with a splatter of blood.
At this moment, the view moved upwards, revealing a man wearing a camouflage boonie hat and a white short-sleeved shirt, wiping sweat from his forehead.
The armpits of the man's shirt were yellowed with stain, but what was more noticeable was the assault rifle slung over his back and several magazines tucked into his waist.
"Ugh, how unlucky!" The man waved his hand, trying his best to swat away the mosquitoes buzzing in front of his face. He complained, "I don't know what's wrong with the boss; he's been telling us to strengthen patrols these past few days."
"Alright, relax." Another person walked up behind him; his attire was similar.
He spread his hands and said, "I heard a nearby village issued a bounty for our heads. That's why we need to heighten our vigilance."
"Tch." The first man exhaled a breath of stale air, clearly annoyed. He rubbed his nose with his right thumb, saying confidently, "This is the Golden Triangle; it's a green hell. Even if you called every mercenary in Southeast Asia, they might not find us. And how much money can a small village offer anyway... Hey, what's wrong with you?"
The man's companion was staring at him, dumbfounded, mouth agape, muttering, "You... you... you..."
"You what, you... Uh..." The man was about to reply impatiently, but suddenly felt a cold chill on his neck and could no longer speak.
He tried to touch it with his hand, confusion clouding his mind, but found his limbs were already powerless.
Immediately afterward, his eyelids became incredibly heavy.
Before completely losing consciousness, he saw fully armed soldiers appear behind his companion. Then his vision went black, and he collapsed to the muddy ground.
"Ple... Uh..." His companion was about to beg for mercy but was also silenced, a dagger slitting across his throat.
After dealing with the two men, a soldier pressed his walkie-talkie and whispered, "This is C-Team; all sentries have been eliminated. You can proceed."
This soldier wore a black combat suit made of an unknown material, with dark gray armor and an exoskeleton reinforcing critical areas like the chest, shoulders, arms, and legs. But what was most striking was the skull mask he wore.
The companion had likely been too scared to speak because of that mask.
"Understood. As expected of Ghost." At this moment, a teasing voice came from the walkie-talkie.
"Less talk. Give the order, Dominik," the soldier named Ghost said, annoyed.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Everyone disengage optical camouflage. Prepare... attack!"
Following the command, a group of soldiers suddenly shimmered into existence in the previously empty jungle, walking slowly toward the nearby camp.
Ten minutes later, in a luxuriously decorated teakwood room.
"You... who exactly are you people?"
A man in an expensive suit sat slumped on the ground, looking terrified at the soldiers surrounding him.
At this moment, a soldier removed his helmet, walked slowly to the suit-wearing man, knelt down, and said indifferently, "Mr. Gabriel, you must have heard of Shadow Company, right?"
Gabriel Billy was this man in the suit, one of the most powerful drug lords in the Golden Triangle.
However, when Gabriel saw the soldier's left eye—which bore a hideous scar—his emerald-like pupils, and his neat short hair, along with his recent words, he pointed at the soldier in horror.
"You... you are Shadow Company! You are Zero!"
"Heh heh." The soldier named Zero chuckled. "Actually, I... prefer to be called a Private Military Contractor. It sounds more legitimate."
"You bastard! You bunch of bastards who only sell your lives for money!" Gabriel shouted resentfully.
He couldn't believe that as a drug lord of the borderlands, he would be captured so easily.
What angered Gabriel even more was that this bounty was only 200,000.
Was his esteemed status as a drug lord only worth 200,000?!
[Received emotional feedback from Gabriel Billy. Degree: Hatred. Points awarded: 10.]
After hearing the cold reminder in his mind, Zero's lips curled slightly.
He patted Gabriel's face with the butt of his gun and said, "Mr. Gabriel, please don't get agitated. Since you know we are people who sell our lives for money, then you can try to offer a higher price... to buy back your life."
"You... you mean..." Gabriel was stunned at first, disbelieving what the other party said. But after regaining his composure, he no longer found Zero so hateful; instead, he found him somewhat reasonable!
[Received emotional feedback from Gabriel Billy. Degree: Goodwill. Points awarded: 5.]
Zero extended his left hand, wiggling his index finger in front of Gabriel's eyes, and said calmly, "Of course, we only accept cash; we don't accept bank transfers."
"Good, good, good!" Gabriel was overjoyed, quickly pointing to a nearby safe and excitedly saying, "There's over 3 million in cash in there, the password is 3367. I have three emeralds in my desk, also worth 700,000 or 800,000, and there's also..."
[Received emotional feedback from Gabriel Billy. Degree: Gratitude. Points awarded: 10.]
Bang!
A gunshot interrupted Gabriel's words.
"I never said I agreed to sell your life."
The muzzle of the gun in Zero's hand was still emitting wisps of smoke. There was a small bullet hole between Gabriel's eyebrows, his expression still frozen in the joy of believing he could buy back his life.
Zero looked expressionlessly at the dead Gabriel, then slowly stood up. He wiped the bloodstains from his face with his hand and said to the person on guard beside him, "Take a photo of this scumbag and confirm the mission is complete."
"Yes!"
...Just as Zero was about to walk out the door, Ghost's voice came through the walkie-talkie: "Was that gunshot from your location just now? What happened, Dominik?"
Actually, this Zero is Dominik; his full name is Dominik Corvinus.
He has been in this world for three years.
As for why he says "in this world"? It all goes back to the unrest in Southeast Asia three years ago.