Repairing Base Stations by Day, Acting as a Strategist by Night

Liu San Geng was twenty-nine, from Xinxiang, Henan, and a technical supervisor for Hongxun Communications in the Republic of Kalan. He had only two ambitions in life: finish inspecting the few base stations in Takara Province, then return to China and pass the civil service exam back home. He couldn't use a gun, fainted at the sight of blood, knew only two hundred words of the local language, and had just one real skill: fixing machines.

One evening in October 2020, he got lost while driving and blundered into a firefight between two tribes. The Ilai tribe tied him to a tree for two days. Their chief, Oba Balogun, didn't kill him: the Chinese had built bridges and dug wells in the area. Liu San Geng earned his life back by repairing a walkie-talkie. Then, after remarking, "At this rate, you're lining up to get yourselves killed," he was brought before a map.