Drugs

Chen Chuan's gaze shifted slightly as realization struck him. Contraband drugs! Every bit of it was illicit medicine! Glancing at the men collapsed nearby, he deduced they must have intended to conduct a deal here tonight, only to cross paths with him. He shook his head. They had only their terrible luck to blame. Tossing the medicine he had taken out aside, he walked over and kicked each of the groaning, writhing figures lying on the ground. Silence fell immediately. He retrieved his flashlight and checked his watch. It was already past eight-fifty—almost time. Returning to the well, he lowered the wooden bucket and gave it a slight shake. Due to his lack of practice, he hauled up only half a bucket of water, but that was plenty. From the rack of his bicycle, he took the prepared black rice and soybeans, poured them in, set the bucket down beside the well's edge, and slowly stepped back. Nine o'clock arrived shortly. Yet after watching his watch and waiting for a few minutes, there was still no movement. Just as he began wondering whether he had come to the wrong spot, he suddenly caught a faint splashing sound followed by rustling noises, both ringing out crisp and clear in the quiet night. He switched off his flashlight and peered over under the dim moonlight. From the well's rim, what appeared to be an adorable child was slowly crawling out, letting out soft, babyish babbles. Chen Chuan stared closer, and his gaze instantly narrowed. That was no child. It was a plump, fleshy creature resembling a hybrid of insect and fish. Its lower body bore a row of prolegs, while the fleshy mound rising from its back looked just like the upper torso of an infant only a few months old! After crawling over the rim, the thing let out two more wailing cries, appearing to sniff the air, before pitching forward headfirst with a soft splash into the wooden bucket. Chen Chuan immediately took out the sturdy waterproof bag he had prepared beforehand, strode forward, pulled it down over the bucket, and inverted it, dumping the creature and the water straight inside. He then slipped the bucket out and swiftly tied the opening shut, leaving only a narrow slit for air. At that moment, he suddenly felt a slight blurring ripple through his Second Self. A spark of realization hit him; the sensation was remarkably similar to what he had experienced near Mount Jiao. *Was it because of this Child in the Well? What on earth is this creature?* Fortunately, the harm was exceedingly faint, causing him practically no discomfort. Deciding not to dwell on it for now, he stood up, lifted the bag, and prepared to leave. As he was heading out, Brother Tian on the ground seemed to regain consciousness. Chen Chuan had not used lethal force earlier, but the man's head had not yet cleared. Seeing Chen Chuan walking away carrying something, he slurred dazedly, "Brother Tong... take the stuff if you want, but you've gotta pay..." Chen Chuan ignored him, hung the bag onto his bicycle, and was about to push it away when his footsteps abruptly halted. *Brother Tong?* Something clicked in his mind. Searching his memory carefully, an incident suddenly sprang up. He propped his bicycle back up, dashed to the well's edge, untied the plastic bag containing the drugs, and emptied it onto the ground. Boxes tumbled out: one box of Xingqing capsules from Tiancong Baicao, while the rest were small injectable vials manufactured by Taled Company. These were... anti-alienation drugs. He drew a breath, pondered for a second, and walked over to plant another kick into Brother Tian, knocking him unconscious again without a sound. Chen Chuan gathered the medicine back up, pushed his bicycle out of the alley, and found the nearest telephone booth. He lifted the receiver and was about to dial the constabulary when he pressed down the hook. After a moment of thought, he fished out a slip of paper from his bag and dialed the number written on it. After a brief wait, the call went through, and a booming voice sounded from the receiver. "Hello? Who is this, calling so late at night?" "Uncle Wei, I'm looking for Wei Chang'an," Chen Chuan said. "I'm his schoolmate." "Ah, a schoolmate. Hold on." A moment later, Wei Chang'an's slightly weary voice came through. "Hello, who is it?" "Brother Wei? It's Chen Chuan." "Junior brother?" Wei Chang'an's tone picked up slightly. "It's so late—did something happen? Tell your Brother Wei. If there's any way I can help, I definitely will!" "Brother Wei, I think I saw Tong Qianjiang." "Who?" Chen Chuan repeated slowly, "Tong Qianjiang." Wei Chang'an's breath hitched instantly. Lowering his voice, he pressed urgently, "Where are you?" "In the northern district, near the Old City God Temple. Specifically..." Chen Chuan checked across the street under the glow of the streetlamp. "There's a Beitun Department Store right here." "Are you safe right now?" Wei Chang'an asked. "Safe." "Good. Stay in a safe place, don't call anyone else, and don't wander off. I'll be there right away! Remember, don't take any risks—make sure you're safe first!" "Brother Wei, I understand." With that, Wei Chang'an hung up. Chen Chuan thought it over, then rode back into the alley. Seeing that Brother Tian was still out cold, he produced a prepared length of rope, tied the man securely, hoisted him up by one hand, and brought him back out. Just as he stepped out of the alley mouth, he heard the pounding footsteps of a crowd running from the far end of the street. Looking ahead, he saw roughly twenty to thirty men charging his way. Spotting him, someone pointed and yelled, "That's the kid!" Then came an alarmed shout, "Brother Tian is in his hands!" Watching them approach, Chen Chuan lowered the bicycle's kickstand and began walking slowly toward the mob. Wei Chang'an drove fast, taking just over fifteen minutes to race all the way from the southwest district. When he arrived, however, he found bodies strewn across the street, stretching from the alley entrance all the way behind several streetlamps in the distance. Men lay groaning and wailing in agony amid shattered wooden clubs and bent, twisted machetes and steel pipes. Beside the roadside telephone booth, a bicycle stood parked. Chen Chuan was leaning calmly against its rear luggage rack, flipping through something under the glow of the streetlamp. Wei Chang'an let out an astonished whistle. He brought the car to a slow stop, unbuckled his seatbelt, pushed open the door, and walked up to Chen Chuan. "Junior brother, are you alright?" Chen Chuan stood up. "I'm fine." "That's good, then," Wei Chang'an said. "Tell me, what happened?" Chen Chuan gave a brief account of the encounter and handed over the seized drugs for Wei Chang'an to inspect. After listening intently, Wei Chang'an put on a grave expression. "Your deduction is spot on. That man very likely was Tong Qianjiang!" He clapped Chen Chuan on the shoulder, sighing in relief. "Thank goodness you didn't clash with him. That guy is extraordinarily formidable. Even I wouldn't have any certainty of winning against him. What's more, he might be packing heat, which makes it even more dangerous." In his memory, Chen Chuan was still at the level he had been two months ago. While impressive for a new Wuyi student, it was nowhere near enough to face Tong Qianjiang, who was an out-and-out desperate outlaw. Furthermore, there was no telling whether Tong Qianjiang had backup; none of those fugitives were easy to deal with. Chen Chuan asked, "Brother Wei, can we track down Tong Qianjiang's whereabouts through these men?" Wei Chang'an shook his head. "Unlikely. Trying to find Tong Qianjiang through low-level thugs like them is practically impossible. However..." He grinned. "I have a hunch. If it's true, junior brother, you and I are about to claim huge merit!" He walked over to Brother Tian, curled his lip in distaste, and reached down to pinch hard on the man's philtrum. Within a few seconds, Brother Tian groaned and drifted awake. Wei Chang'an withdrew his hand instantly and wiped it with a handkerchief. "Hey. Know Scarface?" Brother Tian shuddered violently. Looking up at the two of them, he stammered, "N-No, I don't." "So you do." Having wiped his hands, Wei Chang'an tossed the handkerchief aside and turned to Chen Chuan. "Junior brother, we can't find Tong Qianjiang right now, but we can follow this trail to find Scarface. All of Chou Huzi's goods are in his hands. Tong Qianjiang's visit this time is definitely to make a deal with him!" He continued excitedly, "I've been hunting this Scarface fellow for almost two months without a single lead. Who would have thought he'd finally show his tail? It's all thanks to you, junior brother!" He strode over to the telephone booth, dropped coins in, and made several calls. Returning, he said with palpable excitement, "Junior brother, I need to take this man with me. If we can locate Scarface, we might track down Tong Qianjiang's whole gang. Do you know how big this is? This case is logged with the Municipal Administration. I'll add your name to the commission report. How about coming with me now?" Chen Chuan patted the luggage rack of his bicycle. "Brother Wei, I still have some business to take care of." Wei Chang'an did not press him. "Alright. Don't worry about the mess here; someone will clean it up later. Once I turn up leads on Scarface, I'll contact you."