I'm a Master in India

"Muna, can you still read?"

"Master, I... I didn't finish primary school." Muna wanted to close the book, then stopped, his expression shy.

"Reading is good, so why did you drop out?"

"My father died, no money."

Muna still remembered the day he left school. He was sitting in the back row of the classroom, holding the small slate and chalk his father had bought back from Lucknow before he died.

He was concentrating on reciting the alphabet, the classmates were noisy, the teacher was dozing off as usual.

Just then, Raja stood at the classroom door, gesturing for him to come out.

"What's wrong, brother? Where are we going?"

Raja didn't say anything.

"Should I bring my book and chalk?"

"Bring them." Raja put his hand on Muna's head and led him away.

His father's treatment cost a lot of money. At that time, their family borrowed a large sum of usurious loans from two beasts, and now he came to collect the debt.

He said that if they couldn't repay the money, Muna's whole family would have to work for him to pay off the debt.

It was at that time that his cousin Lina was violated by the beasts and got pregnant. To spare his other cousins from their clutches, all the male members of the family had to come out and work to repay the debt.

Muna was taken to the tea stall. Raja bowed to the Boss with his hands clasped, and he followed suit.

"Who is this?" The Boss squinted at Muna.

"My younger brother," Raja said, "He's here to work with me."

So Raja dragged the stove out of the tea stall and told Muna to sit beside him and learn how to smash coal.

He dragged out a sack of large coal blocks, took out a piece of coal, smashed it with a brick, and then filled the stove with the crushed coal.

"Harder," Raja taught him how to smash coal, "Harder! Harder!"

Finally, Muna managed to smash one piece. Raja stood up and said, "Smash all the coal in the bag like this, one by one!"

Before long, two classmates came from school to see Muna working. Later, a few more came in twos and threes, and he heard them laughing.

"What animal can only be seen once in a lifetime?" a boy asked loudly.

"The coal smasher!" another boy replied.

They laughed even harder.

"Ignore them," Raja said, "They'll leave when they get bored."

Muna didn't speak.

"You hate this job of smashing coal, right?"

Muna still didn't say anything.

Raja picked up the largest piece of coal and squeezed it hard.

"Just imagine this piece of coal is my head, that way it will be easier to smash."

Muna moved his lips but remained silent. He no longer blamed his brother.

Raja also dropped out of school midway, after their mother died of illness.

In rural India, it's harder for a child to receive a complete primary school education than for a teacher not to be corrupt.

"What books do you want to read? I'll bring some back for you when I return to Varanasi."

"Master, this is enough, this is enough." Muna clutched the yellowed reader, feeling at a loss.

"Reading is a good thing. Look at those workers," Ron pointed to the mine, "Only those who are literate can do the easiest and highest-paying jobs."

"Master, three hundred rupee is already a lot," Muna whispered.

Ron was startled, then burst into laughter.

"I have some books back there, you can take them and read them first."

"Thank you, Master."

Ron didn't mind his subordinates reading more. He hated fools.

Complete illiterates would not be given important positions by him.

Muna was still young, and it was good that he had the desire to learn.

"Ron, I've inquired clearly about that Tripathi Family," Aditya came over from a distance.

"What did you find?" Ron walked up to him.

"They have close ties with Member of Parliament Rao and are friendly with other gang forces in Uttar Pradesh."

"Both sides, black and white," Ron nodded, unsurprised.

"As you know, they do the arms business and have a great advantage in this area."

"What about their style of doing things?" This was what Ron was concerned about.

"Ruthless," Aditya's comment was quite brief.

"Crazy East," Ron sighed.

"Don't worry, this is a quality shared by the people of Uttar Pradesh," Aditya shook his head.

Ron smiled. This goddamn place was truly amazing.

"When are you planning to return to Mumbai?"

"Around early February. I also acquired a piece of land in Mumbai and need to go back to sign the paperwork."

"Ratan and I will keep an eye on things here, there won't be any problems."

"Okay."

There were also many things waiting for him at Sur Industrial Park. Ron couldn't stay at the mine forever.

Aditya and the others were more familiar with the rules here in Uttar Pradesh.

The fact was, he didn't have to wait until early February. The very next day, Ron hurried back to Mumbai.

Anand was missing.

Anand had been walking at night frequently recently. He needed to visit the medicine people one by one, observe their condition, and tell them when to go to the Merck laboratory for the next injection.

This business wasn't a one-time deal; you had to keep track of the status of your medicine people long-term.

Anand was very service-oriented. He had been a tour guide and knew how to attract more business.

As long as Merck was satisfied with them, the phase two and phase three clinical trials would still be entrusted to them.

This was a big business, earning U.S. dollars.

Walking through the empty market, he arrived at Arthur Bunder Road. The market stalls were covered with white canvas, making them look like bodies covered with white cloth in a morgue's cold storage.

Anand's footsteps echoed sporadically, as if phantoms were lingering around.

But he didn't mind it at all; he was thinking about something else.

Today, one of the medicine people was extremely miserable. He was abused by his family and bullied by his neighbors.

It seemed uncertain if he could even survive the next injection, but Anand saved him.

Anand told his family that if they didn't take good care of him, they definitely wouldn't get their share of the next welfare payment.

The family immediately came over to perform the foot-touching ritual and kept apologizing.

This was the small power Anand possessed. He had done a good deed and had to boast about it to his wife and children when he returned.

Anand's way of courting wasn't by giving flowers or buying clothes for the woman he loved, but by telling her stories of the outside world, stories of men fighting against demons of desire, evil, and injustice.

He told her gossip, scandals, and private secrets, and recounted his heroic deeds, hilarious pranks, and strange occurrences.

He walked briskly, his mouth moving non-stop, shaking his head and waving his hands as he rehearsed the story he was about to tell.

Suddenly, at the intersection ahead, a police officer on a bicycle slowly approached.

Anand avoided the puddles in the street and turned left. As he passed a dark private driveway, another police officer on a bicycle darted out.

Anand finally felt something was wrong. He had been working in Mumbai for many years and knew that police officers in the same area would not patrol separately.

There was only one exception: capturing fugitives.

Anand turned into a small street by the roadside and started jogging. Halfway down, a police jeep appeared at the end of the small street.

Splash, splash, the police officers on bicycles followed from behind.

The jeep stopped, and Anand also stopped.

Five people got out and surrounded him, remaining silent for several seconds.

The silence carried a strong sense of intimidation. A light rain began to fall from the sky.

They approached, their eyes shining exceptionally bright in the night rain.

"Officers, have you got the wrong person?" Anand slowly backed away, "I'm a good person, I know Police Officer Rajesh."

"That good-for-nothing who was dumped by his wife?" A low laugh came from the darkness.

"We are our own people, Mr. Sur."

"Get in the car!" The leader said in a low voice.

"Hey, I'm serious, you know Dr. Sur, can we..." Anand wanted to take out money.

But he didn't finish speaking. The leading police officer burst into laughter, interrupting him, laughing very unpleasantly.

"You are exactly who we're looking for," he said, and the other police officers also laughed loudly.

"We know everything. Get in the car immediately, otherwise don't blame us for beating you with iron-plated bamboo sticks and then throwing you in the car."

Anand was cornered against the wall, with nowhere to retreat. Helplessly, he could only follow them.

Of course, he didn't want to go to the police station. That place was more dangerous than the most treacherous gang territory.

However, the five people surrounded him tightly, and the round Anand had no wings to fly away.

He climbed into the jeep and tried to sit down, but a police officer kicked him onto the floor, which was where he belonged.

The few people in the back seat of the jeep all pressed down on him with their hands.

The car passed through two short blocks and arrived at the police station near Haines Road.

Entering the police station's courtyard, the street outside was empty. A magnificent building in the distance was flashing with colorful lights.

The police officer on night duty was a short, stout, overweight man from Maharashtra. Like other fat people, he squeezed into a uniform at least two sizes too small for him.

Anand showed a fawning smile. He was also from Maharashtra. He hoped the police officer would give him a little consideration out of fellow-provincial sentiment.

As a result, all ten police officers in the police station had stern faces. They stared at him, breathing heavily and not saying a word.

"Catch him and beat him up first," the duty officer in the police station said.

"Officer..." Anand was shocked.

"Beat him hard, beat him thoroughly. If possible, don't break any bones, but beat him hard, and then lock him up with the others in the cell."

He spoke in a casual tone, as if Anand didn't exist.

Anyone familiar with the ways of the Mumbai police knew that something very cruel was about to happen.

So Anand ran away. He pushed away the police officers surrounding him, rolled on the ground, and crawled out from under the desk.

He ran outside into the gravel-covered courtyard and ran outwards.

However, just as he reached the gate, he ran head-on into another patrol team of police officers.

He was dragged back into the duty room, and the police officers who chased him along the way punched and kicked him.

They tied Anand's hands behind his back with hemp rope, stripped off his shoes, and tied his feet together as well.

The fat police officer took out another rope and had his subordinates completely wrap Anand from head to toe.

He was panting with anger, staring at Anand until his body was covered with layer after layer of rope, looking like a mummy.

The police dragged Anand into the next room and hung him up, suspended him from a hook at chest height, letting him swing face down.

"Take a plane ride!" the fat police officer roared through clenched teeth.

The police spun Anand's body, faster and faster. He was suspended in the air, his hands and feet tied so he couldn't move.

His body kept spinning, and finally, he felt the world shaking and lost his sense of up and down.