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墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 85: Encountering Evil Again
Clank, clank… The sound of the torture instruments dragging on the ground was heavy and foreboding.
Two hours later, Shen Lingchen arrived at the detention center. Accompanying him was Captain Xu Fei, who had arrived earlier. He didn’t ask about Shen Lingchen’s whereabouts but was slightly puzzled as to why he had come to disturb You Bisheng again. This prisoner was just waiting to die; it wasn’t just the police who disliked him—his own daughter had long since fled to another place.
As they entered, Old Yau grinned and sat down in the Interrogation Chair. Through the Iron Bars, he took a long sniff, as if savoring the rare scent of a woman. Compared to their last encounter, Guan Yiqing had grown accustomed to it and remained indifferent, ignoring him completely.
Ignoring him was essential; the more attention you paid him, the more energized he became. He would take your anger as a source of amusement.
“Master You, are you comfortable?” Shen Lingchen asked with a smile, lighting a cigarette and offering it over.
You Bisheng accepted without hesitation. Unable to move his hands, he stretched his neck to hold it in his mouth. As he inhaled, smoke billowed from his mouth and nose, and he hummed contentedly, “Mmm, not bad at all. Thanks to you two brothers.”
Xu Fei winced at being called a brother by this man; it was hardly an honor. Just for one statement, they had visited several times and brought plenty of food and drink. Look at Master You—his little belly was already sticking out happily.
“Well then… do you recognize these individuals?” Shen Lingchen got straight to the point.
“I do. Widow Ma—oh, she seems pretty Zhang Quan … Mourning Hair—damn, her hair is even shinier now… Who is this?” You Bisheng asked, his gaze lingering on the new Female Suspect sketch related to Wang Zihua. The strange expression frozen on his face was genuine; he didn’t recognize her.
“Oh, just an inconsequential person… Next,” Shen Lingchen said. Guan Yiqing let out an “oh” in surprise at You Bisheng’s reaction.
The photo froze on Old Cripple’s image. Shen Lingchen hadn’t expected this; he smiled and asked, “You know this one?”
“I do! But when I knew him, he wasn’t a Cripple yet,” You Bisheng replied with a grin, relishing the moment. “He must have been chopped up by someone—hahaha… He Changgun will have to walk with a cane now! The heavens truly have eyes… hahaha…”
“He Changgun?” Xu Fei asked in confusion.
"Ah, what a famous figure! That year at the Martial Arts Tournament in the city, he won the championship... Later, he teamed up with Widow Ma and often got into brawls. I heard there was one time when he faced over ten people, and no one could stop his Long Staff. That's where his reputation comes from," You Bisheng said.
"Are these a few of his brothers?" Xu Fei asked.
"Yeah, they all swore brotherhood together; it's been quite some time," Xu Fei replied.
Shen Lingchen interjected at the right moment, asking directly, "Back then, when they cut you off a few streets, was He Changgun among them?"
You Bisheng paused for a moment, then awkwardly shook his head. Xu Fei teased him, "Is it hard to talk about what happened in Maicheng?"
"Tch... I'm not bragging here. If I had a weapon, I could take on three or five guys like him without any problem. If I had a weapon in hand, I could easily crush them all. Do you believe that?" You Bisheng scoffed.
The three police officers looked at the guy who stood over six feet tall with arms as thick as a mule's legs; he really didn't seem to be bluffing.
"I believe you. So who did you fall to back then?" Shen Lingchen asked politely.
You Bisheng seemed genuinely embarrassed and after a long pause said, "I don't know."
"Huh? You don't know? Is there anyone in Binhai you don't know?" Xu Fei questioned skeptically.
"There are plenty of masters in the community; how can I know them all? He Changgun's father used to guard the entrance at Haigang; nobody knew that old man had such skills. He was even better than that Beggar's Sect's dog-beating stick! When I was in labor reform, there was a remarkable person in my team who specialized in dislocating arms and legs during fights. If he kicked you once, he could dislocate your calf... Really, it was incredible; he was a folk Bone Setter, an Old Master..." You Bisheng noticed Guan Yiqing smiling and began rambling.
Xu Fei tapped the table to remind him, "We asked who you fell to back then; why are you going off on that useless stuff?"
"I really don’t know anyone specific, but it must have been those guys causing trouble. After I made more brothers later on, I wanted to wipe out those bastards. Hey, I haven't even gone looking for them yet; they've all run off," You Bisheng said angrily.
The intention was clear. Shen Lingchen asked, "Oh, so you haven't settled the score for that arrow yet? Want to borrow our hands to cause some trouble for them?"
You Bisheng's thoughts were exposed as he looked on eagerly, too embarrassed to admit his little scheme.
Xu Fei said, "We've confirmed it. Those two are now running two companies and doing quite well for themselves. They certainly aren't breaking the law like you."
"Absolutely not! A dog can't change its nature. If they could change, I'd eat shit," You Bisheng insisted, firmly believing those individuals were still up to no good. This brought him to a critical point, and Xu Fei smiled as he reminded him, "Then let's talk specifics so we can bring this into play and give you some backup."
"Well..." You Bisheng seemed a bit excited. It appeared he didn't mind dragging a few old enemies down with him. However, after hesitating for a long while, he finally whispered, "I don't know."
"You don't... know?" Xu Fei was infuriated, suspecting he genuinely wanted to use the police to handle some business for him.
This time, You Bisheng truly felt embarrassed and explained, "It's not that I don't want to help you; I really don't know. I just know that this group is quite formidable. I have no idea how they make money, but they're impressive. Even the small thugs who followed them ended up looking respectable... When I got out of prison, I had nothing going for me and thought about conning them out of some cash... Damn it! Those bastards were tough; they wouldn't pay me off. So I threatened them: give me fifty thousand for living expenses or get the hell out of Binhai—don't even think about doing business here."
"Oh, so they're underhanded? You're coming at them openly while they play dirty?" Shen Lingchen asked with interest.
"Exactly!" You Bisheng exclaimed, puffing out a cloud of smoke and declaring sternly, "They're really ruthless. Compared to them, I'm practically a model citizen... You know how they operate? I was just trying to sleep at my temporary place when suddenly—bang! Bang! Bottles came flying in through the window. They were trying to kill me! I ran out of there to see who was behind it and bumped right into that bastard."
"That bastard? Just one person?" Shen Lingchen asked in surprise.
Though taken aback, You Bisheng nodded and replied seriously, "Just one person, wearing a hood like he was out for a morning jog. He laughed at me, but I didn't care about his nonsense—I swung my knife and went for him..."
He paused as if recalling something terrifying. After a moment, Xu Fei prompted him, "And then?"
"You'll find out when you take my clothes off," You Bisheng said blankly.
The hidden truth piqued interest. Shen Lingchen gestured, and the prison guard removed the restraints. Beneath You Bisheng's long chest hair and tattoos were two rows of eight wounds, resembling bullet holes, that had healed poorly, each slightly raised into a flesh bump.
"What kind of wounds are these?" Xu Fei asked, noting they were smaller than bullet holes.
"It's a screwdriver, the kind used to twist screws," You Bisheng replied after sitting down again, his anger flaring. "You have no idea! I couldn't handle a knife against a one-foot-long screwdriver. He swings the knife, then twists it and stabs me in the gut. Then he does it again... knocked my knife away and kept stabbing me... I just ran, and he chased me, stabbing all the while. I begged for mercy... but he kept going without saying a word... chased me for several kilometers until I finally said he could just kill me... then he stopped."
You Bisheng described their fight; according to him, his opponent didn't seem particularly fierce, yet he was utterly defenseless against that precise screwdriver. He was left bleeding profusely, and after arriving at the hospital, he was only lightly injured. Each stab was neither too deep nor too shallow—exactly two centimeters—and since it was a cross screwdriver, they couldn't even stitch him up properly. As a result, You Bisheng ended up bedridden for a month and never dared to provoke Widow Ma's gang again.
After finishing his tale, You Bisheng seemed to have released some pent-up frustration and felt relieved. "Those two bastards won't escape; they must be behind this. For years, I've been terrified just thinking about it... After gathering hundreds of brothers under me, I wanted to take them down. But I couldn't; they slipped away. And now you guys have caught me instead... Xu Team Leader, those people have records far worse than mine. If you can bring Widow Ma and Mourning Hair in here and really go after them, there’s definitely something to find..."
Fearing that the police might not pursue Widow Ma's gang vigorously enough, You Bisheng began to paint them in an even darker light. Shen Lingchen listened with great interest and encouraged You Bisheng to elaborate on that remarkably skilled person.
Meanwhile, Xu Fei lost track of where they had diverged in their investigation. The case involving Wang Zihua and Kang Zhuang remained stalled at the search for the Female Suspect with no leads. He truly had no idea where Shen Lingchen's scattered approach would lead them in solving the case...
……………………
……………………
At that moment, on another path, Xiao Mu encountered a passerby.
Dressed in ordinary hiking gear with sneakers and sporting a middle part hairstyle along with a mustache, Widow Ma and Mourning Hair referred to him as "Panzi." Xiao Mu casually called him Brother Pan. They had shared lunch together earlier when Widow Ma's group handed Panzi over to Xiao Mu—or vice versa—tasking him with leading Xiao Mu on an errand.
This task seemed rare; they hadn’t discussed any specifics and traveled light. The two hailed a car, with Panzi directing them straight to the Great Hidden Temple. Upon hearing that name, Xiao Mu thought to himself that it was where Big Gourd pretended to be a monk to swindle money—could it be that someone from higher up was interested in that place?
He didn't ask further questions as they got out in a bustling area filled with tourists. Panzi sized him up for a moment before smiling and saying, "Not bad! I've heard good things about you from those guys; you're doing well."
"You're too kind, Brother Pan. I'm just messing around, making a little money to get by," Xiao Mu said politely.
"Messing around with some skill, much better than Widow Ma back in the day," Panzi replied with a smile as he turned to walk away. Xiao Mu hurried to follow him. "Hey, Brother Pan, up ahead is the Great Hidden Temple. A few of us selling incense sticks are just trying to make a couple of bucks... By the way, you're not looking for Big Gourd, are you?"
"I don't even know who I'm looking for. How many people are here?" Panzi asked.
"There are... about a dozen or so," Xiao Mu replied. There were those providing cover, those trying to lure in tourists, those pretending to be incense buyers, and there had to be some who stirred up trouble; otherwise, if they ran into someone tough, Big Gourd alone wouldn't be able to handle it.
"Then let's meet them all... Just don't reveal yourself first; I'll test their mettle," Panzi said.
Whether in conversation or action, this was Xiao Mu's first encounter with Panzi. What puzzled him was that while Widow Ma and Old Cripple showed him great respect, Panzi seemed very ordinary. He walked quickly, and his face bore the marks of hardship; he clearly looked like someone who had endured sun and rain in search of a living. This behavior matched his appearance but strangely did not align with his status.
A peculiar person... An extraordinary individual must have something remarkable about them, Xiao Mu concluded.
The two bought tickets and entered. Once they reached the back hall, Xiao Mu pointed out a group of con artists centered around Big Gourd to Panzi. Then Panzi instructed Xiao Mu not to show himself as he quietly blended into the crowd of tourists.
What was he up to?
Curiously, Xiao Mu watched Panzi closely as he wandered around nonchalantly, seemingly purposefully moving closer to those con artists.
Something felt off.
He approached and then quickly backed away again, moving through the crowd like a ghost. Suddenly, Xiao Mu realized he couldn't see Panzi's hands; they were either hidden or concealed. It dawned on him: a pickpocket?
Finally, one of them noticed—a clever kid hanging around Big Gourd. He felt his back pocket and instantly turned around, making eye contact with Panzi. The kid's face turned pale as he opened his mouth to scream, but before he could make a sound, a shadow flashed by; pain shot through his stomach as he doubled over. Panzi feigned concern and helped him inside the temple.
At that moment, Big Gourd and his companions were completely unaware of the unexpected turn of events. Curiously, one of them called out, and Panzi casually replied, "Stomach ache, going to the restroom."
"Oh," Big Gourd said dismissively. Once the person went inside, he curiously asked, "Hey, this is a Buddhist hall, not a restroom... Who the hell are you? I don't recognize you."
The person quickly ran out, panic-stricken, and exclaimed to Big Gourd, "Big brother, you’ve got diarrhea and it’s bleeding! It’s worse than a heavy flow!"
"Haha..." Big Gourd chuckled foolishly. Just then, a scream echoed from inside: "Help!"
"Ah, damn!" Big Gourd was startled and hurriedly crawled towards the Buddhist hall to check on the brother who was having his 'heavy flow.'
It was a setup. Xiao Mu watched helplessly as Panzi grabbed the bag filled with money from under Big Gourd's incense table and swaggered away. The movement was so natural and fluid, as if he were taking his own belongings. In an instant, he blended into the crowd of tourists, and even Xiao Mu didn’t notice which direction he had gone.
As they exited, someone smiled at Xiao Mu. It was only then that Xiao Mu realized it was Panzi, who had even worn his clothes inside out and somehow styled his hair into a side part. If one didn’t look closely, they wouldn’t have noticed he was the one who had just stolen.
In less than three minutes, all of Big Gourd's earnings had vanished.
At that moment, Big Gourd emerged from the Buddhist hall supporting the brother who had been silenced. A rogue had encountered a thief; it was bad luck indeed. Upon hearing about the thief, the group quickly checked their pockets and were left dumbfounded. Big Gourd’s face turned pale as he rushed to check under the incense table; it was completely empty—cleaned out.
"Ah... that damned thief stole my incense money... Ah, this is infuriating! Is it easy for me to earn some money? Not even a dime left behind; this is outrageous..."
The monk in front of the Buddhist hall sat down heavily on the ground, pounding his chest and stomping his feet while crying loudly. As he wailed, his tattoos on his arms and gold chains around his neck caught the attention of tourists who began snapping photos of this spectacle. Embarrassed, Big Gourd covered his face and quickly tried to slip away under the cover of his companions...
Half an hour later, after being summoned to the Great Hidden Temple by Xiao Mu, the group of ruffians, who had spent the day cursing over their hard-earned money, arrived only to spot the "thief." Big Gourd took the lead, unbuckling his belt and rallying his fellow thugs to prepare for a group beating.
Xiao Mu tried to intervene but was stopped by Panzi, who dashed forward to confront the crowd. Just as they were about to meet face-to-face, he sidestepped and executed a sweeping kick. Big Gourd couldn't stop in time and fell flat on his face, taking down three others with him. Panzi moved like a greased eel, either pressing against walls, crouching down, or flipping around; every shift resulted in a thug receiving a slap or a punch to the gut. In the blink of an eye, four or five more were taken down, and those who remained quickly realized what was happening and began to retreat, no longer daring to provoke him.
"Damn it... just wait until I call my brothers to kill you, you son of a dog," Big Gourd groaned in pain while clutching his phone. Upon seeing Xiao Mu, he asked, "Wood Master, who is this?"
"I don't know either; someone from above," Xiao Mu replied with a smile, witnessing the rare spectacle of extraordinary individuals in the underworld. With youthful admiration, he couldn't help but respect Panzi even more.
At that moment, Panzi removed his disguise—taking off his sunglasses and baseball cap and shaking out his hair. The Gourd Brothers stared in disbelief. Big Gourd curiously asked, "Why do you look so familiar?"
"Big Gourd, you’re all brawn and no brains," Panzi laughed.
"Ohhh...," Big Gourd exaggeratedly exclaimed as he and his companions stammered, "Pan... Pan... Pan Brother!"
Panzi pointed behind him. The two stepped forward and saw that all their money was still there along with their belongings—not just cash but also cigarettes and lighters—all gathered in one place. It seemed he no longer cared about these things as he flatteringly said, "Pan Brother, this time... are we off the hook?"
"You—what's your name?" Panzi ignored the Gourd Brothers and pointed at the one who had just recovered from being hit. The guy nervously replied, "Liu Yang."
"Nickname: Nest Head... Hey, I’m asking you, leader—do you think I’m capable?" Big Gourd finally caught on and approached Panzi with his irregular gourd-shaped face, trying to ingratiate himself.
Panzi patted his shoulder and said, "You're too fat; your reactions are too slow. Not suitable."
"Who says that? I can react quickly!" Big Gourd retorted indignantly. As soon as he finished speaking, laughter erupted among the crowd. It took him a moment to realize that the wallet slung over his shoulder had somehow ended up in Panzi's hands. With a smile, Panzi returned it to him and said, "Stick with Old Cripple as a thug; it's a promising career... Liu Yang, come here."
The one named Liu Yang approached Panzi cautiously. Everyone here was either unemployed or from broken homes—either neglected by their parents or completely homeless in society. Suddenly, Xiao Mu understood Panzi's intentions; Big Gourd was right—it was recruitment. It resembled how universities expanded admissions by scouting talent locally.
The recruitment method was simple: after exchanging a few glances with Liu Yang, Panzi seemed ready to make some moves but ultimately did nothing. However, Liu Yang's eyes followed every motion of his. Xiao Mu understood; they were looking for someone with quick reflexes. After a few moments of silence, Panzi smiled and said, "It's you. I'm friends with Ma Ye, Brother Mao, and Lame Brother... Think it over; come find me tonight at Sanjing Hotel. I'll get you some work."
"Ah." Liu Yang nodded. For those at the bottom, the only way to rise was to catch the boss's eye; no one cared about the details, as it couldn't possibly be worse than their current situation.
"Hey, leader, what big plans do you have? Can we get in on it? I have a lot of brothers," Big Gourd said, hoping for a chance after missing out on recruitment.
"Heh heh, in our line of work, you make quick money and play fast; you must learn to be quick-eyed..." Panzi said, flipping his hand to reveal a shiny blade aimed directly at Big Gourd's eyes. Big Gourd let out a sharp scream, startled, but it didn't actually touch him. Panzi halted just in time and casually flicked the blade toward Liu Yang, who instinctively dodged.
There was no real danger; the bright light returned to Panzi's hand, revealing a blade attached to a fine thread. After a quick demonstration, the difference between Big Gourd and Liu Yang became apparent. Panzi smiled and asked, "You need to practice things like this every day; are you willing to learn?"
Um, no, no, no. Big Gourd shook his head vigorously like a rattle drum and stuck out his tongue.
The recruiter's eyes were sharp; out of more than ten people, only one was chosen and assigned a place. Panzi called Xiao Mu to leave, while those not selected hung their heads in envy and resentment.
"Gourd Brother, hurry back to the temple to be a monk and sell incense for money; you're wasting time here," one thug reminded Big Gourd.
"What's so great about that? Following Young Master Mu is better than being a thief... Being a monk is even better than being a thief," Big Gourd grumbled while rubbing his shaved head. It seemed that promotion was hopeless; he could only return to the temple and continue being a pseudo-monk with a promising future. Still, he felt quite dejected. When Xiao Mu looked back, Big Gourd wore an expression of deep sorrow.
It seemed that ideals had no boundaries—even Big Gourd had them.
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