The scorching sun bakes the earth and the few weeds that sway in the sea breeze.

Stepping on the road that had been covered with sand and gravel, Li Lan, who was tightly wrapped in a layer of black cloth all over her body, looked around as she walked. The hands hidden under the black clothes clutched a pistol tightly, and the heavy jacket pockets were filled with rifle bullets.

The black fabric was baked by the scorching sun, making Li Lan extremely uncomfortable with every step she took, and the only eyes that were exposed, the corners of her eyes were already covered with sweat.

Li Lan really wanted to tear off the black cloth wrapped around her body, smash it on the ground, and stomp on it a few more times. But he didn't dare to do it, because his skin was too much of an eyesore in this place. Once the people here see it, I'm afraid that the pistol in my hand will instantly become a life talisman. Even if the attitude of the people here towards yellow-skinned people is not bad, Li Lan does not dare to use his own life to verify the previous hearsay.

It's an endless desertified plain, and the occasional sound of waves reminds people that it's not far from the sea.

After half an hour's trek, a herd of camels loomed in the distance. Seeing this, Li Lan took a sip of fresh water from the water bladder with confidence.

"Da! Da! ......" The sound of horses' hooves approached quickly, and a black man with the smell of Africa everywhere rode towards Li Lan.

did not greet warmly, but picked up the AK-47 with scratches everywhere on the horse, the muzzle of the gun was ready to be aimed at Li Lan at any time, and he said a lot of things in his mouth.

Although in Li Lan's eyes, the black man seemed to look similar, he still recognized the black man on horseback in front of him at a glance.

Li Lan did not hesitate to pull down the fabric wrapped around his head, revealing a delicate-looking oriental face, and said in simple English: "Muhammadi, my friend, is me. ”

The black man Muhammadi also recognized Li Lan, put down his gun, turned over and dismounted, walked over happily, patted Li Lan on the shoulder, hahadaxiao, and said in broken English while gesturing: "It's a pleasure to meet you, my friend." ”

Li Lan was also happy to pat the other party's shoulder, wrapped his face around again, and then followed the other party to a very dilapidated small village not far away, and entered the only small house made of cement here.

It is a village of less than 100 people, and except for Muhammadi's house, which is a concrete structure, the rest of the villagers live in wooden huts, some of which are only houses made of thick paper veneer. It looks less like a village, more like a refugee camp.

As soon as he entered the house, Li Lan took the fresh water handed over by Muhammadi and poured it a few sips.

Muhammadi on the side said anxiously: "Friends from China, have you brought anything with you?" ”

As a wealthy local man, Mohammadi owned hundreds of camels, often went to the nearby city of Bossaso to trade, studied at the East African University for several years when he was young, and his English was quite acceptable.

Li Lan got to know him after coming here three days ago, because the whole village was able to have a basic conversation with Muhammadi about him, and because Muhammadi had the food that Li Lan needed, Li Lan would come once a day for the past three days to exchange things for food with Muhammadi.

"Same as yesterday, twenty rifle bullets, ten dollars off food." Listening to some tongue-twisting English, Li Lan took out the twenty bullets in his pocket that still smelled of oil.

Muhammadi checked the bullets that Li Lan took out one by one, and after the inspection, he gave Li Lan a thumbs up and said very frankly: "My friend, very good, they are all brand new bullets, and these bullets can be sold for twenty-five dollars in the market." ”

"Of course, what I bring with me won't be bad." Li Lan said confidently.

"Waiting for my friend!" Muhammadi carefully put away all the bullets, walked into the back room, and came out after half a ring, with an extra package in his hand.

"It's what you want, camel milk and camel meat are the freshest, and there's banana steamed rice and tortillas I just made this morning."

After taking the package and hearing Mohammadi's words, Li Lan replied: "Thank you very much. ”

"Huh!" Muhammadi seemed to be very excited about Li Lan's thanks, and said: "Li, you should know that I am a Muslim, although I am not a qualified believer in the true God, but we Muslims like to help friends who come from afar and are in need. If you are French, then I will not give you food, no matter how many bullets you bring. ”

"We Chinese also value friendship the most, and I will bring more bullets tomorrow. My friend, now I'm leaving. Although it seems that Mohammadi has a good attitude towards him, Li Lan still does not want to stay in this insecure place for too long.

"Zaijian, my friend." Muhammadi took out a water bag and put it in Li Lan's hand.

“zaijian！”

Accompanied by Muhammadi, Li Lan walked out of the village, said goodbye to the other party, and watched Muhammadi continue to take care of his camel herd.

When the camel herd was no longer visible behind him, Li Lan breathed a sigh of relief. Don't look at the fact that he had a good conversation with the other party just now, but the two have known each other for too short a time, and Li Lan has always been on guard. The pistol under the black robe, the safety was always on. Once the other party makes any unexpected moves, Li Lan doesn't mind striking first.

Twenty bullets in exchange for a day's food is also a risky behavior that there is no way to make. This is East Africa, this is Somalia, and food is the most scarce in this place.

The first time he came here, he was ready to be robbed, but fortunately the people he met were not people who had no sense of morality at all, although after the discount of twenty bullets, the exchange for food was not much, but in this country with a per capita income of less than five hundred dollars and an industrial base of zero, twenty bullets could be sold for twenty-five dollars, which was already a good income. However, Li Lan didn't want to worry about this.

Because these bullets must be taken to the big city bazaar to sell at such a price, coming here has already made Li Lan frightened, and the city is currently a forbidden area for Li Lan. It is better not to enter the city until he has not armed himself with Liliang.

Walking alone on the desertified plains, Li Lan has adapted to this loneliness.

Li Lan has lived alone since she was a child, without relatives, and loneliness is not strange to Li Lan at all.

An accident came to Somalia, and Li Lan felt lonely again. However, he enjoyed this loneliness. Because it's very quiet, when you calm down, you can think about a lot of things clearly.

Sometimes, Li Lan feels that this life is simply a scam full of evil. One by one, inconspicuous little deceptions, with the ruthless crushing of the years and years, pulled out a big lie.

Since he was a child, he lived in an orphanage, and he was always told that he couldn't lie, and if you want to grow up and survive on this shijie, you must first learn to lie.

It's paradoxical, but it's a clear revelation of human nature. There are always many voices in your ears telling you: you want to take the first place, you have to be admitted to a prestigious university, you have to make a lot of money, you have to have a house and a car, you have to pass on the family lineage, and you have to run for your children's family. So, this life passed in a daze.

If you are willing to stop and think about it, you will find that there is always an invisible liliang and inertia, leading you by the nose, all the way, to the west sky.

This shijie is getting busier and busier, but it has formed a solid enclosure, layers of barriers. From the day everyone is born conscious, they are destined to be busy in this life, running around the enclosure, and there is no time to stop and ask themselves: weishenme?

Because once you stop, you will be overtaken, and you will be coldly abandoned by the fast-paced life. So no one is destined to escape.

Unless one day, you can stand at the top and look at everything.

Li Lan even sometimes wonders if the existence of this shijie is a conspiracy, the powerful conspirators hidden behind the scenes, trying to paralyze everyone's thinking with materialistic desires, trying to make people think that life is birth, old age, sickness and death, a mediocre life, and a long but short process of unexplained birth and unclear death.

If everyone's life is lived in a conspiracy, then this conspirator is undoubtedly a real strong man, who has easily compiled a web of ecstasy full of seven emotions and six desires, and uses human selfish desires to control the world.

Who can have such courage?

In the past, Li Lan didn't dare to think about it, because he thought that he didn't have such capital, and he was brainless and arrogant, so that he would eventually bury himself.

Now, Li Lan is very confident that this idea of becoming such a supreme king and controlling the world is qualified to become his goal.

It's a bit arrogant, but so what? You are crazy, you can't escape death, if you are not crazy, you are still dead. Life is only this life, not to make you worthy of yourself, but to make you worthy of this cruel life game that may pass by in a flash for decades.

Pessimistic people are distressed by the impermanence of life and the short-term death of God. Optimistic people, laughing and singing life is like a play, year after year.

At the end of the day, mindset is everything, including your destiny.

And now, what Li Lan wants to do is to survive in Somalia, where there is never a shortage of killings.

PS: New books are indispensable for the support of many new and old book friends, collections, and recommended votes.