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墨書 Inktalez
Luminous City at night is always the most beautiful, yet ordinary people's eyes cannot see the scars hidden beneath the stunning scenery.
In the bustling area of Zhengmin Road, the night market continues until after midnight. There are thousands of shops, dozens of hotels, and inns and small restaurants stretching deep into the Alley along the main road. According to statistics from the local police station, an average of eighty to one hundred thousand citizens and tourists pass through here every day.
Seventy percent of them are transient populations. This is just an estimate; no matter how strong the Police Force is, they cannot keep track of the countless people flowing through the city, nor can they manage the drifters who never apply for temporary residence permits and have no fixed abode.
For instance, people like Xiao Mu.
At eight in the evening, he was out near East Sea Hotel with Small Gourd and Big Gourd. Some things seem simple to remember but are not easy to execute. There was a problem at East Sea Hotel; a kid who had been handing out flyers for Big Gourd got caught by security and beaten up. He returned with his phone and money confiscated, his face bruised and swollen.
Thieves getting beaten up happen more often than thieves enjoying their spoils. The Lackey's complaints stirred up Big Gourd's aggression. He rolled up his sleeves and shouted, "Damn it! How dare they hit our brother? Let’s go teach him a lesson!"
The Brothers all shared the same sentiment. Erhu Lu immediately chimed in, "Yeah, let’s chop him up!"
Red Sister was too scared to speak; this pair of Gourd Brothers were notorious for being hot-headed. They could both dish out punishment and take it; they had visited the police station more times than they had gone home. Normally, no one could stop them, but unexpectedly this time someone did. A low voice commanded, "Stop."
Young Master Mu stepped forward, delivering a slap followed by a kick. Small Gourd and Big Gourd didn’t dare make a sound.
Having narrowly escaped trouble multiple times, the Gourd Brothers had learned to obey Xiao Mu's orders. However, they couldn't swallow their anger this time. Big Gourd said, "Mu Shao, it’s fine to take a beating, but if we lose this time, you won’t be able to show your face next time."
This world has its established rules: whoever has the bigger fist gets to call the shots.
However, when it comes to Xiao Mu, things should change a bit. He beckoned several of them over and lined them up along the railing on the sidewalk. Staring at the entrance of the inn for a moment, Xiao Mu finally said, "Let’s do something serious; just beating him up won’t solve anything."
"How should we do this? I'm listening to you," Big Gourd said.
"Yeah, be ruthless," Erhu Lu chimed in, regretting his lack of education and unable to come up with a good plan.
"Red Sister, come here," Xiao Mu called. It was time to make use of this once-famous woman. Although she had aged and lost her looks, her years of experience in the trade were invaluable. He asked, "Can you recognize anyone from this area who might be involved?"
This was her old profession; how could she not recognize them? Red Sister glanced around and quickly assessed the situation. She counted, "Look over there at the massage parlor across the street. At this hour, they wouldn't dare conduct business inside the shop; they must be heading to a short-stay hotel... There’s definitely something going on inside. Usually, they’re locked away in a specific room, only coming out when there's business. The front desk staff are all aware; as soon as a male guest checks in, they know right away... But it's quite discreet and hard to find."
"Do you have a way to locate them?" Xiao Mu asked.
"What do you want to do? It won't help; if you call the police, they definitely won't come. Even if they do, it would be too late," Red Sister replied.
Indeed, for such matters, men acted faster than the police could respond. Xiao Mu frowned; the boy who had been beaten had provided some information. He cautiously said, "Mu Shao, I know where they are... They're hiding in Room 307. I slipped a card inside, and several women came out and blocked my way."
Oh? So that was it; he had disrupted their business and got beaten for it.
Xiao Mu hesitated for a moment. He thought about what Red Sister had said—Young Master Mu was truly useless. If both parties consented to such activities, it wasn't illegal or particularly costly; no one would take it seriously.
Erhu Lu noticed Xiao Mu deep in thought and scolded Red Sister, "Stop talking and interrupting Young Master Mu's thinking! When Young Master Mu thinks, brilliant plans emerge faster than Brothers can shoot."
With that praise, the beaten boy looked miserable but couldn't help but chuckle. Big Gourd slapped the second guy on the back of his head and said, "Watch your mouth; you're being too obvious."
As the two bickered, Xiao Mu clapped his hands together and exclaimed that he had a plan. He leaned in close to share a few quick arrangements with everyone. They listened intently to his brilliant scheme but then realized that disrupting someone else's business was unacceptable—this was something they could tolerate no longer.
Small Gourd, Big Gourd, Lackey, and Red Sister continuously dialed numbers—ten calls turned into hundreds—reaching out to all sorts of shady characters. Soon enough, dozens of these contacts began doing the same thing: reporting to the police.
"Hello... hello... Is this 110? I want to report a group of bad people skating at East Sea Hotel Room 307..."
“Hello, hello… is this 110? I want to report a group of bad people using drugs at the East Sea Hotel… Really, it’s in room 307…”
“Hello, hello… I’m reporting that someone is selling small packets at the East Sea Hotel… Really, I saw her using too much on the third floor, and she won’t let me go…”
“Hello, hello… I need to report…”
“Hello, hello…”
Meanwhile, a few people standing by the railing didn’t move. Prostitution was one thing, but drug use was another matter entirely.
This tactic was indeed effective; within ten minutes, three police cars arrived with sirens blaring. A group of officers rushed in without hesitation and blocked the entrance. Xiao Mu tilted his head back, and Red Sister, understanding the situation, tiptoed over to investigate.
After a while, she came running back, breathless and exclaimed, “Oh no… something bad has happened!”
“What’s wrong?” the Gourd Brothers asked.
“It seems they really were using drugs; they got caught,” she said in shock, as if Xiao Mu’s earlier prediction had frightened her.
Sure enough, a moment later, police officers brought out three women with their hands cuffed and faces covered. They obediently got into the police car. Soon after, the police vehicle drove away, taking several hotel guests along for questioning.
“Let’s go.” Xiao Mu took the lead and headed inside.
“Hey, hey, Mu Shao, don’t go in there! We just stirred up trouble; we don’t want to provoke them further,” Big Gourd exclaimed in surprise at Xiao Mu’s boldness. Erhu Lu added, “We’ve made our point; this feud has deepened.”
"Look at your pathetic selves. This is exactly when they're feeling timid. Even if he had a hundred guts, would he dare to make a move?" Xiao Mu scoffed.
Red Sister hesitated to enter, while Xiao Mu confidently led the three of them inside. At this moment, Xiao Mu felt no fear; after all, he was still related to the police. If things got serious, he could always bring Shen Lingchen into the picture.
With confidence came fearlessness. The four of them stepped into the chaotic hotel lobby, where security was busy dispersing onlookers. Xiao Mu, already brimming with a rebellious attitude, slammed his hand on the front desk and barked at the staff, "Call your manager out here right now."
"Y-You are..." the staff member stammered in surprise.
"Can't you tell? We're Ruffians! Your security beat up our brother. Are we settling this privately or publicly?" Xiao Mu demanded, accustomed to finding his lost sense of existence through others' shock.
The staff member shouted for security while another called the manager. The head of security was already troubled by the situation when another group came looking for trouble. He quickly led them to a side area on the first floor. Sensing something was off, several security personnel gathered—about seven or eight of them—and someone recognized the beaten individual, whispering something to the leader.
Xiao Mu boldly entered the security room and sat down confidently, flanked by two imposing Gourd Brothers. The leader of the security team hesitated before taking a seat across from Xiao Mu, cautiously asking, "What do you mean?"
"What do you think? You beat up our people and you're asking me?" Xiao Mu replied.
"It was him; he was just handing out flyers here," the head of security said dismissively, implying that it was no big deal.
"Heh, Brothers are just trying to make a living. You wouldn't go so far as to beat someone up and rob them, would you? Besides, your place isn't exactly clean either; didn't something happen here recently?" Xiao Mu said calmly.
"Is that so..." The head of security looked at Xiao Mu suspiciously and asked, "Was it you guys?"
"Yeah, we don't do shady business; it was us," Xiao Mu declared firmly, his tone dripping with disdain.
The security guards rushed in, blocking the way, their faces twisted with menace, sending shivers down the spines of the Gourd Brothers.
"You... damn it... are you tired of living?" the leader growled, his hand gripping a rubber baton, veins bulging. This night had turned disastrous for him; he feared he might lose his job.
"Who says that? I'm living quite well. If I were afraid of you, I wouldn't have come here... Big Gourd, call Director Pang at the Zhengmin Road Police Station... Erhu Lu, get Lame Brother and Ma Ye over here. Just in case I end up lying here today, make sure to ask them for medical expenses and compensation. These guys better remember our faces; tonight we’ll let them vent their anger and later make them bleed," Xiao Mu said indifferently. Whenever he spoke such harsh words and engaged in reckless acts, he felt an inexplicable thrill.
No wonder they say that when things fall apart, the louder the crash, the stronger the exhilaration.
The security guards were intimidated; with the mention of the police station and the notorious Old Cripple, they began to hesitate. The leader's hands trembled; facing someone so fearless made him anxious.
With a loud bang, Xiao Mu erupted in fury, slamming his hand on the table and standing up with an imposing presence, glaring fiercely:
"Come on over here to Wood Master! You scared little street thugs don’t even know how to write 'death'! Dare to hit my brothers? Come on… let’s do this!"
He pointed at his own head, mimicking Baldy's fierce demeanor. Perhaps due to his experiences, he was fully immersed in the role. Though he was unarmed, he seemed to possess immense strength that made every security guard before him shrink back in fear. His wild ferocity even frightened the Gourd Brothers.
This was called momentum.
The despair of a life at rock bottom transformed into a force that unknowingly defied fate.
Some security guards quietly slipped away to report back. In the standoff, none dared to make a move. Someone discreetly informed the leader about Old Cripple's notorious reputation, and suddenly the situation took a turn for the worse. The leader was the first to flee. Shortly after, he returned with a well-dressed man wearing glasses who claimed to be the Hotel Manager. He bowed and spoke sweetly, offering apologies and even returning stolen phones and change while compensating them with two thousand yuan as a peace offering before they finally backed off.
"Who is Old Cripple?" the manager asked one of the security guards.
"The old scoundrel from Cangji," someone remarked.
"Is he the one who issued the cards?" the manager asked again.
"It should be him. He runs a KTV and has quite a few girls under his wing," replied the head of security.
That made sense for the inexplicable report, and it also explained why they were familiar with the police station. The manager, furious, slapped the security guard twice and shouted, "Let me tell you, don't mess with these social thugs. We’re running a legitimate business; can we afford to provoke them? Just think about how much I have to compensate for today... I'll deduct it from your bonuses."
The manager stormed off in a rage, leaving the security guards feeling frustrated. They thought to themselves, damn it, we can't afford to offend them, yet here we are taking the blame.
………………………
Meanwhile, those who had just exited found themselves in a completely different situation. They emerged unscathed, leaving Red Sister pale with fright. Upon hearing that compensation was required, her shock only deepened.
In truth, those at the bottom often had an awareness of their role as cannon fodder. When such matters came to light, even Old Cripple wouldn’t step in; after all, he was merely a lackey passing out cards. No one would go to great lengths for him. Even if someone got beaten up, it would be for nothing; if they got arrested, they would bear it themselves; if they were cut down, they would just take it. However, this time Xiao Mu's boldness in breaking the rules truly impressed everyone.
"Wood Master, you scared me to death just now," Big Gourd said, unconsciously changing his address.
Erhu Lu also broke into a cold sweat and added, "Wood Master, don’t pull stunts like that again. If these businesses get desperate and drag us into it, we’ll be the ones stuck."
The two brothers had been around long enough to know the ups and downs of life, which made Xiao Mu’s audacity all the more moving to them.
Scum; we’re all scum here. No one sees us as human beings.
Xiao Mu casually remarked, "You need to be more observant. If we call the police and there's no movement here, I definitely wouldn't dare to go in... But once we call the police, they'll come right away, which means what?"
At this question, the Gourd Brothers were puzzled, but Red Sister immediately understood and blurted out, "It means their backing isn't that strong?"
"Exactly. You have to look at the bigger picture. The anti-corruption storm is fierce right now; even village heads are keeping a low profile. What about the Director of the police station? If they don't have a solid backing, then they must be afraid of trouble," Xiao Mu explained. Sometimes, quick thinking leads to surprisingly accurate judgments, and he had hit the nail on the head this time.
"But what if we run into some tough ones? If it really comes to blows, won't we be at a disadvantage?" Erhu Lu said with lingering fear.
"Do you expect those making two or three thousand in salary to fight hard? They only bully the isolated ones; once they see a group, they're scared," Xiao Mu replied. He had already gauged the mentality of those security guards. If it came down to a brawl, they wouldn't dare act at such a critical moment; they were far removed from these unemployed proletarians.
With this analysis, they managed to intimidate the hotel staff. Xiao Mu handed over all the compensation he had received to the bruised Lackey. The kid didn't dare refuse and was forced to accept it. In the end, he was so moved that he said nothing and patted his chest, promising that he would gather a few locals for Xiao Mu.
Xiao Mu looked at him with a hint of pity, speechless.
After this incident, business continued. Occasionally, small troubles arose, but Xiao Mu would swiftly resolve them with determination. In this messed-up environment, anyone could encounter issues—like when someone refused to hand over cards and just threw them in the trash; there was no need for politeness—such dishonest Lackeys deserved a beating.
Or they might face competitors who were also handing out cards; those trying to steal business definitely needed a lesson too.
Sometimes they even encountered aggressive clients who refused to pay for transportation... Well, those people couldn't be beaten up; if they called the police, it would ruin business—spitting in their faces would suffice.
In one night, they intimidated two establishments and got into three scuffles, collecting several thousand in "transportation fees" from three different hotels. As midnight approached and business was winding down, foot traffic on the bustling streets began to dwindle, leaving only the remnants of activity in the night market.
They had made quite a bit today; the chicken head had given five thousand, and after collecting around three hundred in transportation fees, there was over three thousand left. Due to issues with East Sea Hotel, they had lost quite a bit of business. Xiao Mu divided the money with Red Sister—he took his share and tossed the rest to Big Gourd for safekeeping until it could be handed over to Old Cripple.
These days, Big Gourd had earned quite a bit, and he was starting to feel a little tempted with the money in his hands. As his eyes darted around, Xiao Mu understood his intentions and reminded him, "Big Gourd, don't get any funny ideas. Just tell Lame Brother the truth."
"Of course, of course," Big Gourd quickly backtracked, putting on an act. Erhu Lu chimed in, "Hey, Wood Master, I think..."
"You think we can stand on our own now, right?" Xiao Mu interjected.
"Huh? How did you know before I even said anything?" Erhu Lu was taken aback.
"Since I know, it means your intelligence isn't quite enough for independence," Xiao Mu chuckled. Red Sister burst out laughing at this remark, while Erhu Lu sulked and said, "We really got the short end of the stick. We hired the people, did all the work, and didn't use Lame Brother's manpower at all. You tell me, handing over thousands every day feels a bit painful."
Xiao Mu remained silent and turned to Red Sister with a smile, asking, "What do you think, Red Sister?"
"I also feel like we're losing out. This deal was thought up by you two and executed by you two; Lame Brother hasn't done much at all," Red Sister replied. In front of money, it's hard for anyone to remain pure.
"Wrong," Xiao Mu corrected her. "There are plenty of able-bodied people around Cangji; there's no reason for someone with a limp to stand strong forever. Big Gourd, choosing sides is crucial. With just your little foundation, Lame Brother could wipe you out in an instant."
The two shared a silly laugh for a moment before falling silent in agreement.
Xiao Mu began to doubt; if this foolish person really had ulterior motives, he might not be able to see through them. Besides, even the old whore they brought out was arranged by Old Cripple. If there were any real plans in place, he wouldn't dare act recklessly.
After finishing their late-night snack, everyone dispersed. The old car was driven away by Xiao Mu while the Gourd Brothers likely headed off somewhere together again—either to seek pleasure or drown their sorrows in drink. The end of the day always left Xiao Mu feeling heavy with fatigue. When he arrived at their temporary lodging and found a parking spot on the roadside, he dragged his weary body back home. In these lonely moments, his thoughts would inexplicably drift back to the past, yet his mind forced him not to return to those days.
It was like someone who had resolved to turn over a new leaf but couldn't help but indulge in some mischief now and then.
He no longer does good deeds every day, but whenever he has a moment to spare, he can't help but think about those righteous paths of humanity.
The fatigue in his body might not just be physical; it could also be mental and psychological. It felt as if two split personalities were entangled in a struggle, making choices. In the past, he wore a facade of propriety while harboring a beast within. Now, it was reversed—the beast inside had surfaced, and the former facade had vanished, leaving his entire being completely empty.
He opened the iron door and entered the Residence, climbing the narrow staircase while reflecting on the past. Even though he could now freely release the darkness within him, he couldn't see the sunlight after the gloom. He often found himself lost in thought, wondering if his heart was truly this dark. Otherwise, how could he live so carefree in such a shadowy environment?
Despite not liking this carefree attitude, it was akin to how he disliked his previous aimlessness.
Fumbling with the keys to unlock the door, he sensed movement in the darkness. Two figures stood up; Xiao Mu glanced over before continuing to open the door and stepped inside. The two shadows followed him in. He wasn't surprised and left the door ajar for them.
At this time and place, visitors wouldn't be from the Underworld; they were sent by the organization...
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