Fugitive

Inside a derelict small factory left behind from the Great Expansion era in Xigang District, Yangzhi City, Brother Qi leaned against a wall outside a metal door, smoking a cigarette. After a while, the door was pushed open, and a man in a floral-print shirt stepped out. Brother Qi asked, "How are the boys' injuries?" The floral-shirt man replied, "Brother Qi, that kid hit way too hard. Lao Hei said several of the brothers will be crippled even if they heal up." Brother Qi spat a curse. "Lao Hei brags so much on normal days, yet he can't even fix a bit of trauma?" Looking troubled, the floral-shirt man said, "Lao Hei said the money you gave was only enough for that level of treatment. If you want them fixed up without lasting impairments, you've got to add money or use the good medicine." Irritated, Brother Qi asked, "That money-grubbing bastard. What medicine costs that much?" "Lao Hei said he needs Blood Gel from Qingnang Jade Workshop." Brother Qi was startled. He knew Lao Hei just wanted to bleed him dry, and curses tumbled freely from his mouth. "Damn it! I've been guarding his turf for so long, and he treats me like a sheep to fleece! What a complete scumbag!" The floral-shirt man was equally indignant. "Exactly, Brother Qi! Why else does everyone say Lao Hei's heart is black as coal?" Brother Qi gritted his teeth. "Tell Lao Hei to put the tab on credit, but treat the boys' injuries first! That thing he mentioned the other day—I'll handle it for him!" Relieved, the floral-shirt man said, "Alright, Brother Qi." "And that kid!" Brother Qi snarled viciously, "Messing with my people—this isn't over! Thinks he's tough, does he? Later on, I'll hire an expert to cripple him!" The floral-shirt man loudly chimed in, though he knew deep down it was pointless. How could a tiny gang like theirs scrape together the coin to hire someone like that? Just then, a lackey sprinted in and said, "Boss, a bunch of unfamiliar faces showed up today. You'd better go take a look. The brothers are worried something might go wrong." Cursing under his breath, Brother Qi flicked away his cigarette butt and strode outward. "Come on. Let's go see." They stepped out along the corridor onto a second-floor platform. Farther off, right by the railing, two men were covertly trading something. Hearing footsteps, a tall, thin man glanced back warily. Seeing it was Brother Qi, he finally looked away. Across from him stood a man wearing a flat cap and a face mask. Catching sight of Brother Qi and his crew, he merely pulled the brim of his cap slightly lower. Brother Qi gave him a sidelong glance and said to the floral-shirt man beside him, "That guy in the cap is new, right? Go remind him to make sure he pays the transaction fee." "Right away, Boss." Brother Qi led his men downstairs. Down here, lackeys carrying steel pipes paced back and forth, greeting him one after another as they saw him descend. The ground floor was clearly an old factory workshop with an overhead crane still mounted to the ceiling. In the middle of the space, iron railings had been arranged into a ring, where two bare-chested bruisers were brawling. Twenty or thirty men encircled them, constantly shouting, hollering, jeering, and banging on whatever was at hand. The air was foul with thick smoke, and the floor was littered with cigarette butts and shattered glass bottles, swept haphazardly into corners and left there. A minor gang like theirs did not dare run overt underground fighting arenas like the Blood Mark Gang or the Iron Chain Gang. They could only manage small-time scenes like this. This place primarily served as a venue for dealing contraband pharmaceuticals. In Xigang, as long as business didn't spill out onto the streets, the constabulary rarely bothered them. Yet places like this were also exceptionally prone to trouble. When they had enough hands, it was fine, but after Chen Chuan beat them down earlier today, more than half their manpower was gone. Crucially, almost all the men who went down were the ones willing to scrap and fight; the rest were mere warm bodies. The people who frequented this venue were all slippery veterans and habitual offenders. If he couldn't keep them in check, chaos would erupt in an instant. Only after Brother Qi came downstairs with his men did the roving, sizing-up glances slightly recede. Back in the corner they had passed earlier, the two men were still talking. The tall, thin man said, "Awakening Clarity Capsules from Tiancong Baicao—genuine top-grade stuff. Do you have any idea how much they cost? Do you know how hard they are to get?" The man in the flat cap said in a low voice, "No matter how much, if you have them, I'll buy." "Oho, a loaded customer after all." The tall, thin man eyed him up and down. "What, buying such high-grade anti-aberration medicine—has one of your people suffered an implant aberration?" The man in the flat cap said calmly, "Does that concern you?" "Of course it does," the thin man said matter-of-factly. "How do I know you're not just messing with me? If I score the goods and you don't have the cash, I'm stuck holding the bag." The man in the flat cap looked at him, pulled out a thick wad of cash, waved it before his eyes, and tucked it back away. In a flat, level voice, he said, "Once I see the goods, money in one hand, merchandise in the other." The thin man's eyes lit up. He hesitated a moment before saying, "I can't get Awakening Clarity Capsules right away, but how about injectable anti-aberration medicine from Taled Company?" He gestured with his fingers. "The 'little gray vials.' They might not match the stuff from big firms like Qingnang Jade Workshop or Tiancong Baicao, but they'll do for now, won't they? I'll get you the medicine you asked for later." The man in the flat cap pondered briefly, then said, "Two boxes first, then." "Heh, wait right here." Down on the ground floor, Brother Qi was pondering how to turn a profit when sudden, frantic footsteps echoed through the room. A panicked lackey rushed in, shouting, "Boss, we're in trouble! The outside is crawling with patrolmen from the constabulary!" Brother Qi was stunned. He stood blankly for a few seconds before snapping back to his senses, bellowing, "Quick, pull the breaker! Fall back!" At once, the abandoned workshop descended into pandemonium as everyone scattered and ran aimlessly. Though Brother Qi had ordered a subordinate to pull the breaker, whether due to the utter chaos or some sort of interference, the lights remained on. Brother Qi and his crew rushed toward a side opening to get out. Before they could reach it, the lackey guarding the side door dashed over, trembling with terror. "Boss, it's bad! Patrolmen are at every back door!" Brother Qi's heart plummeted, and the lackeys beside him broke into panic. Just then, several shrill whistles pierced the air, followed by the crisp, synchronized clatter of military boots on pavement. Patrolmen armed with Datuo-pattern rifles, wearing steel helmets and gray uniform tunics, charged inside. The front rank knelt while the rear rank remained standing, aiming a row of dark, gaping muzzles at everyone in the room. A harsh bark rang out: "Everyone get down! Hands behind your heads! Anyone who resists will be shot on sight!" Brother Qi's face turned deathly pale. How could a puny operation like his provoke the constabulary? Besides, he always paid his tributes on time. Could it be Lao Hei? It had to be Lao Hei! The bastard must have gotten his hands on some prohibited medicine. This time, he'd been ruined by that crook! No one in the venue dared resist. They knelt down obediently. Constabulary patrolmen were reservists; with a simple uniform change, they could be deployed straight to the battlefield. The guns in their hands fired real, lethal bullets. Left with no choice, Brother Qi and his men also crouched down, hands clasped behind their heads. Once the room went quiet, a constabulary captain with a sharp, piercing gaze stepped forward along the lane left open between the ranks. He swept his eyes around and demanded, "Which one of you is Dou Qi?" The lackeys turned their heads as one, their eyes darting straight to Brother Qi. The captain chuckled. "Looks like we don't need to search." He waved a hand. "Drag him out." Two towering patrolmen immediately lunged forward, slamming their rifle butts violently into Brother Qi. His head burst open with blood, several teeth flew out, and they dragged him out like a dead dog. Pulling his arms behind his back, they shoved him before the captain, then grabbed his hair and yanked backward, exposing his bloodied face under the lights. The captain brushed his leather glove against Qi's face twice. "You're Dou Qi?" With an ambiguous smirk, he asked, "Know what you did?" Forced to tilt his chin up, Brother Qi spoke through his ruined mouth, his words whistling through missing teeth: "O-Officer, please show mercy... Your humble brother will make sure the tribute is paid in full." "Knows the rules." The captain seemed pleased. He pointed around the room. "I brought forty brothers with me tonight, hauling all the way out here. You'll have to cover the travel expenses too." Brother Qi immediately replied, "Y-Your humble brother understands! Even if I have to smash my pots and sell the scrap, I'll pay every bit of the officers' travel expenses!" "Didn't I say you know the rules?" The captain smiled again, but his expression abruptly hardened. He swung a vicious backhand across Brother Qi's face with a crack that made onlookers wince. "Since you know the rules so damn well, how dare you go and ambush a patrolman's family? Looks like you did it with your eyes wide open!" Terror flooded Brother Qi's face. "Officer, I didn't! I swear I didn't..." The captain sneered, "Didn't you? Let me jog your memory. What did you bastards do this afternoon?" Hearing that, the floral-shirt man in the crowd shuddered violently and pressed his body even lower against the floor. Brother Qi finally understood. Shan Xiong had set him up! Desperate, he cried out in defense, "Officer, I didn't know! I really didn't know! I had no idea that kid was family to the constabulary! I was duped!" Shan Xiong hadn't mentioned a word about it, claiming the target was merely a poor student with a bit of luck. Otherwise, Brother Qi would have weighed the risks before laying a finger on him. Yet he knew arguing that was pointless now. He hurriedly added, "Officer, I know Qi Wu from the Iron Chain Gang! I pay tribute to him!" The captain scoffed. "What, trying to intimidate me with the Iron Chain Gang?" He turned toward a capable-looking young patrolman standing behind the formation. "Brother Wu, I found your man. Whatever you want to do next is up to you." The young patrolman surnamed Wu stepped forward. Without a word, he drew a Type Jianzhi 15 pistol, flipped off the safety, and fired four consecutive shots into Brother Qi's hands and feet: *bang, bang, bang, bang!* Brother Qi screamed in agony, his body convulsing violently before slumping limp like a dead dog. The captain remarked, "You're softhearted, brother. Leaving him breathing?" Patrolman Wu pointed his gun toward the ground and said in an utterly composed tone, "We still need to bring him back to interrogate who else was involved." The captain patted his shoulder, then walked into the center of the hall, barking, "Search the premises! Check for contraband, then we head back!" One patrolman asked, "Captain, what about the people here?" "Take them back. Interrogate every last one of them." "Yes, sir!" The patrolmen began cuffing the suspects one by one. But when it came to the man in the flat cap, he suddenly sprang up and bolted straight toward the entrance. The patrolmen guarding the doors were well-trained and decisive. Spotting the sudden movement, they fired without hesitation. Yet after several loud cracks, the man merely shuddered slightly, seemingly unaffected. In the blink of an eye, he was right upon them. With a casual shove, he sent the patrolmen tumbling aside, plunging the entrance into chaos. However, one patrolman was quick on his feet. As he went down, he snatched off the man's mask. Someone gasped, "It's Tong Qianjiang!" By then, the man had already broken through. More patrolmen outside tried to intercept him. Gunfire erupted in rapid succession, seemingly hitting him several more times, but it remained useless. When the captain dashed out, he only saw a silhouette vanishing into the dark night, disappearing without a trace in moments. The captain's face was flushed with fury. "Damn it, that bastard was wearing protective armor!" The Republic of Great Shun strictly regulated protective clothing capable of resisting rifle fire. Such armor was no different from ancient plate mail; if a skilled fighter donned it while brandishing a blade, ordinary people were merely sheep to the slaughter. A patrolman jogged over from behind, saluted, and said, "Captain, the brothers are fine, just a few bruises." The captain asked sternly, "Are you certain it was Tong Qianjiang?" "One of our brothers saw him last year as part of the transport escort. It shouldn't be wrong." The captain was baffled. *Why would Tong Qianjiang come here? And where did he get protective armor?* Yet a moment later, excitement took over. Tong Qianjiang was the younger brother of the fugitive Tong Baitao! Ever since that crew broke out of prison, they had vanished without a trace. Everyone assumed they had already fled Yangzhi City, never expecting to run into him right here today. Those violent criminals had been on the run for so long. Cracking this case would be an enormous merit! To think that coming out tonight just to do a favor would hand him such a stroke of luck. The captain called Patrolman Wu over and said, "Brother Wu, I'm heading back to headquarters. This is huge—I have to report it immediately. When you go back, let Captain Nian know: if we track down Fang Dawei's crew and crack the case, Baofeng District will definitely get a share of the credit."