Chapter 40 - 2#
Going back forty or fifty years, the Shabei District of Aoshi City was one of the most bustling places around. Both the southwest and southeast districts connected to the advantageous shallow bay, where countless shipyards were born and thrived.
It wasn’t until Aoshi’s gambling/casino industry grew stronger and gradually replaced this sector that the shipyards in this area slowly declined.
In recent years, the government hasn’t been in a rush to develop and replace it, and this area has gradually become a sparsely populated no-man’s-land.
A cargo truck stopped on a seawall eroded by the sea breeze.
Jing Shun and Yu Zhen were hooded with sacks, their vision blocked, and led into one of the abandoned, sealed shipyards. They were thrown onto the ground and slowly “came to.”
Jing Shun squinted, carefully observing the surrounding environment—
The abandoned shipyard was quite large. The only entrance and exit had been blocked off. Piles of unused, moldy timber were stacked around the walls, dividing the spacious area into several sections.
There were no low windows on either side; only the skylight at the top let in a bit of the night sky.
A massive ship bow sat in the center of the factory hall, its once bright paint beginning to peel off. In the dimness, it gave off an eerie, mottled feel.
“Oh, the two pretty boys are awake?”
The leader of the gang spoke—a bearded man.
Besides him, there were two other gangsters, one tall and one thin, both looking fierce and malicious.
Jing Shun and Yu Zhen exchanged a glance, their inner defenses instantly raised to the maximum.
Although Yu Zhen was bound hand and foot, he still struggled to move closer to Jing Shun and spoke first, “Who—who are you? What do you want?”
“Relax, we’re not planning to kill you yet.”
The bearded man took out his cigarette and lit it, “We’re just doing someone’s bidding. Your fate isn’t up to us.”
Jing Shun struggled to sit up, back-to-back with his friend, “Zhang Aode sent you?”
“…”
They’d guessed that already?
The bearded man paused mid-drag, not answering directly, “As long as you stay put and don’t cause trouble, there’s still a chance you’ll live.”
Yu Zhen’s heart clenched in pain, but he mustered his courage to negotiate, “How much did they pay you? I’ll double it—triple it, even—just let us go!”
The short gangster chimed in, “Hey, wouldn’t have guessed it—such a rich pretty boy we grabbed?”
“Save it. You can’t escape this place, and no one will find you here anytime soon.” The bearded man wasn’t tempted by Yu Zhen’s offer, “In our line of work, we honor favors and loyalty. Some things money can’t buy.”
He flicked his ash and calmly delivered the most threatening words, “Stay put. If you try to slip away under my nose, we’ll throw you straight into the sea to feed the fish.”
“Second, A Bing, keep watch. I’ll go contact the brothers.”
“Yes!”
The tall and short gangsters exchanged a look, found a spot to sit down—not too close, not too far.
Yu Zhen suppressed the discomfort rising in his heart and whispered in a voice only they could hear, “Jing Shun, what do we do now?”
“At least they haven’t made a move yet. We still have a chance.”
Jing Shun’s nerves were taut, but he tried to keep a clear head.
Both of their hands were tied behind their backs. The back-to-back position made it convenient for Jing Shun to feel around, “Don’t move. I’ll try to untie your rope.”
“Will it work?”
“Dead horse, treat it as alive. Shh.”
The short gangster’s sharp eyes shot over again. Jing Shun put on a terrified look, bowed his head, and kept quiet.
Fortunately, the lighting inside the shipyard was indeed dim enough to conceal their small movements.
Jing Shun painfully and blindly located the knot on Yu Zhen’s rope, carefully fumbling to loosen it.
Thump, thump, thump.
Heavy footsteps sounded. The bearded man returned carrying a large bag.
The short and tall gangsters quickly approached, “Brother, done with the call? What did the other brothers and the boss say?”
The bearded man glanced at Jing Shun and Yu Zhen sitting dumbly on the ground, and lowered his voice, “Same plan. Four brothers are left to patrol the area for suspicious people. The rest have dispersed.”
To avoid drawing police attention by gathering.
“Boss Zhang said so too—same plan. Keep watch and wait for the Chi family’s response.”
“Okay.”
“Tonight will be a long shift. Eat something to keep your strength up.”
After driving back and forth around Aoshi for nearly four hours with nerves on high alert, even the toughest driver would get tired.
The bearded man handed over the bag of food.
The tall gangster was surprised, “There’s even spirits?”
“Night’s cold. A little drink warms you up, but don’t overdo it.”
“Got it.”
The shipyard was close to the sea. The night was deep and damp, and the wet ground was like a giant ice maker, dropping the perceived temperature several degrees.
Jing Shun hadn’t given up on the rope. Finally, after a long effort, the rope around Yu Zhen’s wrist loosened.
Yu Zhen was startled. He grabbed the loose rope back into his hand, pretending he was still tied.
Jing Shun shifted and exchanged a knowing look with his friend, only to notice Yu Zhen’s lips had taken on an unnatural pale blue, “Yu Zhen, what’s wrong?”
He suddenly remembered his friend’s heart problems, “Heart bothering you?”
Yu Zhen shook his head forcefully, “I’m fine.”
Jing Shun looked toward the gangsters, his mind racing—
The three of them had drunk some spirits to warm up and had now stepped several paces away, apparently afraid of them overhearing their discussion. Their figures were mostly hidden behind a pile of timber.
If they were going to escape, it had to be now!
But the only door to the shipyard was locked from the inside. Any escape route would inevitably pass the three gangsters. What could they do?
Suddenly, a faint whimpering and sniffing sound came.
“…”
Jing Shun thought he was hallucinating, but he looked uncertainly toward the timber pile against the wall.
“Woof.”
A familiar creamy-yellow figure appeared in his sight.
Jing Shun’s breath caught. Subconsciously, he urgently whispered, “Baby, quiet!”
“…”
Within three seconds, the tall gangster glanced warily, saw Jing Shun with his head down and no sign of trouble, and went back to their discussion.
Dog Baby understood Jing Shun’s command.
It obediently shrank into the narrow space in the timber pile, its presence barely noticeable. “Woof.”
Yu Zhen could also glimpse something from his sitting angle. Surprised, he whispered, “Jing Shun, how did Dog Baby get here?”
Jing Shun hadn’t yet recovered from his disbelief, but his sharp eyes soon caught something. He murmured vaguely, “There’s a hole in that wall, blocked by the timber.”
Dog Baby must have squeezed in through there!
Which meant Chi Gui and the others were probably nearby?
Jing Shun snapped back to reality. His mind, sluggish from the cold, began working again.
No!
He had to lure these three out as far as possible!
The door was locked from the inside. If Chi Gui and the others tried to break in from outside, it would alert the gangsters too easily!
And even if they could rush in quickly, once these three took him and Yu Zhen hostage, it would definitely become dangerous!
Jing Shun surveyed the layout around him and quickly formed a plan.
He gently nudged Yu Zhen, “Quick, listen to me. Let’s gamble!”
…
The tall gangster lit another cigarette and glanced at the spot where they’d been.
After just two or three seconds of confusion, he cursed in disbelief, “Shit! They’re gone!”
In an instant, all three hurried over from behind the timber pile—
On the ground where Jing Shun and Yu Zhen had been tied up, only the former remained. Beside him lay two pieces of rope, already untied.
The short gangster was stunned too, “Brother! One got away!”
The tall gangster followed up, “How is that possible? The door’s still locked!”
He’d checked barely a minute ago. How could someone just vanish without a sound?
“…”
Jing Shun lowered his head, a faint contemptuous smile at the corner of his mouth.
The bearded man caught that look. Enraged, he grabbed Jing Shun by the throat, “Fuck! I told you not to pull any tricks under my nose! Looks like you didn’t listen at all!”
The force of his grip cut off Jing Shun’s air.
Jing Shun’s eyes instantly watered from the physical reflex. He struggled stubbornly, his gaze flickering briefly but noticeably toward the wall on the right.
The bearded man caught his subtle reaction and turned to look.
The short gangster immediately checked, only to find that hidden behind the crisscrossing timber was indeed a hole. He shouted, “Brother, there’s a hole here!”
“What are you waiting for? Go after him!”
The bearded man hadn’t expected such a slip. He roared, “Do you want him to escape and inform on us?!”
The tall and short gangsters exchanged a look and bolted out in pursuit.
Jing Shun’s face was already flushed red. The suffocating feeling of impending death engulfed him again.
Fortunately, the bearded man regained his senses at the last moment and threw Jing Shun brutally to the ground.
Jing Shun’s hands and feet were still bound. He fell like a bird with broken wings.
Air rushed into his lungs but brought with it a faint, bloody taste from his throat.
“Cough, cough, cough…”
Jing Shun coughed violently, veins bulging on his forehead. But his desperate eyes were fixed on the direction of the door. A strong, almost overwhelming premonition filled him—
They’re coming!
Chi Gui is coming any moment now!
The bearded man knew the person in front of him couldn’t escape easily, so he didn’t bother about him. Instead, he turned and re-examined the hole in the wall—
Judging by the size, it seemed barely big enough for an adult man to squeeze through?
And with all those timber piles overlapping, how could anyone crawl through the hole without making a sound?
No!
That look just now was meant to mislead them!
It was a diversionary tactic—just to lure them out so he could open the locked door!
The bearded man caught on, and an even fiercer cruelty blazed in his eyes, “You fucking tricked me?!”
As soon as he spoke—
Shiiing—
A bullet shot precisely into his thigh, exploding into a spray of blood!