Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
This was a stilt house with distinct Miao characteristics. Built against the mountain, the first floor consisted only of a few supporting pillars, while the living area was on the upper level. The person leading us pointed to the upper floor as he spoke, but he stood at the foot of the stairs and showed no intention of letting us go up.
Fatty watched him lift his shirt, revealing a wide coarse cloth belt around his waist, which contained our ransom. At the same time, Fatty gestured for me to lift my shirt for him to see. We hadn’t brought much luggage; after that incident in Dongxing, we had thrown away what little we had left, leaving us quite clean.
Fatty let out a cold laugh. “Do you need to take off your pants?”
The man chuckled, “That’s not necessary.” He then turned and walked upstairs.
In that instant, Fatty lunged forward like a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey, wrapping his left arm around the man's neck while his right hand struck at his lower body. The man immediately curled up like a shrimp, his legs twitching uncontrollably.
I knew Fatty ’s strength; with him holding the man’s neck, there would be no resistance—he could hardly breathe. It was only because he showed mercy that the man’s neck wasn’t broken. However, I truly worried he might end up killing him and hurriedly signaled for him to ease up. Fatty ignored me and continued to search the man’s body thoroughly; it seemed this Guai Zi Liu really didn’t inspire confidence in Fatty.
At that moment, a hoarse voice came from the Bamboo House: “Black Steel, don’t kill my brother.”
I looked up to see half of a figure leaning out of a window in the stilt house. This person had a dark face with little flesh, sharp cheekbones, and yellowed teeth. He held a cigar in one hand and pointed at Fatty, his expression unreadable—he didn’t seem concerned about his brother's life at all.
Fatty laughed heartily and tossed the man down the stairs like a chicken before giving me a knowing glance and turning to head upstairs. His intention was clear: I should follow him. I didn’t have time to ponder it further and followed him into the stilt house.
Inside, only Guai Zi Liu was present. When I entered, Fatty and Guai Zi Liu embraced warmly; it felt like a long-awaited reunion. However, after witnessing what had just happened, their display seemed more hypocritical than genuine. I didn’t introduce myself; Guai Zi Liu didn’t ask either—he treated me like air. I casually found a bamboo chair to sit by the door.
“You’ve been messing with that stuff,” Fatty casually remarked.
“I had no choice. You know my leg; I can’t get by without taking a couple of puffs. This damn place is so humid; if it weren’t for this stuff, I would have cracked long ago,” Guai Zi Liu said with an irritated expression on his thin black face.
“Have you still not taken out the bullet?” Fatty asked as he patted him.
“Forget it; the medical standards here are terrible. That bullet is too close to the artery—if they mess it up, I could die. It’s better this way; when it rains or gets gloomy, I have an excuse to take a few puffs,” Guai Zi Liu replied as he picked up two cigars from the low table in the middle of the room, handing one to Fatty and tossing another to me.
I caught it and sniffed it under my nose before pocketing it. Who knew if he had tampered with it? I didn’t want to fall into his trap. Fatty seemed unconcerned as he lit his cigar and relaxed into a bamboo chair.
“Do you know who kidnapped Da Zhang?” Guai Zi Liu asked as soon as he sat down. “It was Nine-Headed Bird.”
I saw Fatty ’s face darken immediately. “That son of a bitch is still alive? Last time he sold me out, I was furious; now he’s coming after me again—does he really want to go head-to-head with me?”
Guai Zi Liu sat with his back to me, and I couldn't see his expression, but I felt there was something behind his words, as if he were trying to lure Fatty. "That casino belongs to the Nine-Headed Bird. Da Zhang knows him well enough. It's obvious this is a trap; he's likely lending money to Da Zhang to draw you out."
"He wants money; drawing me out is just for the Ransom. What use am I?" Fatty cursed.
Guai Zi Liu laughed like a duck quacking a few times. "Not necessarily. He wants to move his Drugs through domestic channels, and if he's looking for an agent, you might be the most suitable."
"If I wanted to get involved with that stuff, I would have done it long ago. I wouldn't have let it come to this, with my comrades nearly wiped out. Why would I need him?" Fatty scoffed.
"Right now, Da Zhang is in his hands. You might not be able to get him back even if you bring money. I'm being honest with you; you need to prepare for that." Guai Zi Liu stood up and walked around the room a couple of times, and I noticed he had a slight limp in his right leg.
After thinking for a moment, Fatty said to Guai Zi Liu: "What ideas do you have for me?"
Guai Zi Liu stopped and turned his face slightly. "Eliminate him."
Damn. I immediately understood Guai Zi Liu's intention; he wanted to use someone else’s hand to kill. Although I was thick-skinned, I wasn't at the point of treating murder lightly. Seeing how easily they talked about taking a life made me uneasy.
At that moment, Fatty glanced at me, signaling me to stay quiet. I held back; this place was indeed not suitable for reckless talk. I decided that some things should be discussed privately with Fatty. At least not now; we shouldn't draw fire upon ourselves.
Fatty didn't respond to Guai Zi Liu, staring intently at the cigar in his hand as if contemplating the matter. I was naturally anxious, already considering how to extricate ourselves from these people. I worried that Fatty, in a moment of heat, might agree with Guai Zi Liu, which would mean our trip to Myanmar would likely be one-way. That place was filled with Warlords, drug dealers, and Outlaws. To fight against them required immense courage.
Fatty and Guai Zi Liu maintained a tacit silence—one sitting, the other standing—neither speaking.
After about ten minutes of silence, Fatty said to Guai Zi Liu: "I need to discuss this with my brother." He nodded towards me.
"Alright." Guai Zi Liu exaggeratedly limped toward the door. "Let me know when you've made up your mind."
As Guai Zi Liu passed by me, he flashed a toothy grin that couldn't hide the gloom in his eyes.
Once Guai Zi Liu left the room, I stood up and walked over to Fatty: " Fatty, you need to listen to me on this; we can't let them use us as pawns."
Before I could finish my sentence, Fatty winked at me and walked over to a window, pushing it open while standing with his back toward me. In my moment of distraction, he waved for me to come over. I approached him, and he stepped aside slightly so we could stand side by side at the window. Outside was a bamboo forest and several distant Stilt Houses.
"Don't turn back," Fatty said, facing the bamboo forest. "If you have something to say, say it now, not inside the house."
"Is there surveillance?" I asked in surprise.
"This guy is overly suspicious. It's hard for him not to make a move if we’re discussing things here. It's wise to be cautious."
"Then why are you still looking for him? It's obvious he's trying to use us as scapegoats. If we agree not to involve anyone else, we’ll both be in trouble."
"That’s a possibility, so you shouldn’t go."
"Damn it, are you really planning to go?!" My voice was low, but my tone was filled with anger.
Comment 0 Comment Count