Chapter 23: Escaped Convict

In Yangzhi City’s West Post District, Dou Qi stood in front of a metal door of a small, abandoned factory left behind during the Great Development. He leaned against the wall while smoking.

After some time, the man in the floral-checkered shirt opened the door and walked out.

“How are they?” Dou Qi asked.

“That kid is brutal. Lao Hei said that even if he manages to cure them, some of them will end up disabled,” the man in the floral-checkered shirt replied.

Dou Qi cursed. “Lao Hei always brags about his skills, but he can’t even treat these external injuries?”

“Lao Hei said that the money you gave him is only enough for him to perform basic treatment. If you want them completely cured, you need to pay more or get better medicine,” the man in the floral-checkered shirt said, troubled.

Dou Qi was pissed. “That greedy bastard... What sort of medicine would cost that much?”

“Blood Capsules from Green Satchel Pharmacy.”

Dou Qi was shocked. Lao Hei wanted to extort money from him that much? He started cursing up a storm. “Damn it! I’ve been protecting his turf for so long, and he’s treating me like a golden goose! He’s a fucking monster!”

The man in the floral-checkered shirt was also angry. “That’s right! Why else would they say Lao Hei has a heart that’s rotten to the core?”

“Tell Lao Hei to put it on my tab and treat the guys. I’ll do what he asked me to do!” Dou Qi hissed.

The man in the floral-checkered shirt sighed in relief. “Alright.”

“And that kid too! I’m not done with him, not after he hurt the guys! He’s a good fighter, isn’t he? Then, we’ll hire an expert to cripple him!” Dou Qi spat out.

The man in the floral-checkered shirt agreed to it, but he knew that it was just empty words. They were just a small gang. How could they possibly get the money to hire such a person?

Just then, one of their goons ran over. “Dou Qi, some unfamiliar faces showed up. You should take a look. I’m worried that we’re about to get into trouble.”

Dou Qi cursed again before flicking off the cigarette butt. He said, “Come on. Let’s go take a look.”

They walked along the corridor, then up the stairs to a platform on the second floor. Two people were standing at the edge of the railing. They were making a deal. When the lean and tall man heard their footsteps, he looked over warily. Once he saw Dou Qi, he looked away.

The man across from him wore a baseball cap and a face mask. Upon seeing Dou Qi and the man in the floral-checkered shirt, he tugged his cap lower.

Dou Qi cast him a glance and said to the man in the floral-checkered shirt, “That one in the baseball cap is the new client, right? Remind him to pay for the trade.”

“Alright.”

Dou Qi went downstairs with his men. The goons downstairs walked about with steel pipes. They greeted him upon seeing him.

The floor downstairs was obviously once a factory workshop. Overhead cranes hung from the ceiling, and at the center was a caged ring. Within it, two half-naked men were fighting. Around thirty men surrounded them. They yelled at them to keep fighting, cursed at them, and hurled insults nonstop. The place was a chaotic mess. The floor was covered in cigarette butts and shattered glass, which would be swept to the corner later and completely ignored thereafter.

Small gangs like theirs did not dare to blatantly organize underground fighting rings like the Blood Scars Gang or the Chain Links Gang. They could only set up something small like this.

The factory was mainly used as a site for illegal drug trades. In any case, as long as they did not do it on the streets in the West Post District, the Constabulary turned a blind eye to it.

Such places, though, were prone to accidents. They could be easily taken care of with enough manpower, but Chen Chuan had beaten up more than half of Dou Qi’s goons. Even worse was that they were the ones who were willing to fight and risk their necks. The rest were just there to make up the numbers.

The factory was the playground for cunning bastards and repeat offenders. If Dou Qi could not keep them in line, problems would immediately pop up.

After Dou Qi came down with his goons, the ones who had been sizing up the place stopped doing it.

The two people were still talking in the corner. The lean and tall man said, “Tiancong Baicao Corporation’s Clarity Capsule is high-class medicine. Do you have any idea how much it costs and how hard it is to get it?”

The man in the baseball cap whispered, “No matter how much it is, as long as you have it, I’ll buy it.”

The lean and tall man sized him up. “You’re rich, huh? Why do you need such a good anti-mutation medicine? Did the implants of someone you know mutate?”

“What does that have to do with you?” the man in the baseball cap asked calmly.

“Everything. I need to know if you’re not just toying with me. What if I get the medicine and you don’t have the money? Then, I’ll be stuck with it,” the lean and tall man said matter-of-factly.

The man in the baseball cap looked at him and took out a wad of cash to show it to him before putting it away. Then, in a flat voice, he said, “Once you get it, I’ll pay you.”

The lean and tall man’s eyes lit up. After some hesitation, he said, “I don’t have any Clarity Capsules on me right now, but what about Troyden Pharma’s injectable anti-mutation drug?”

He used his fingers to show the size of the drug. “It’s the Gray Bottle. While it can’t compare to the drugs from large pharmaceutical companies like Tiancong Baicao Corporation and Green Satchel Pharmacy, it should be good for a while. I’ll get the drug you need later.”

The man in the baseball cap thought about it. “Two boxes for now, then.”

“Alright. One second.” The lean and tall man went downstairs to tell Dou Qi about it.

Dou Qi was still thinking about how to get more money out of the man in the baseball cap when he heard hurried footsteps. A panicked goon ran toward him and shouted, “Bad news, Dou Qi! The constables are here!”

Dou Qi was taken aback for a few seconds, then he snapped out of his surprise and shouted, “Shut off the power and run!”

The abandoned factory descended into chaos. Everyone started running everywhere.

While Dou Qi had ordered a goon to shut off the power, things were too chaotic. The goon ran into some interference, and the lights remained on.

Dou Qi and the others rushed to leave via the side door, but before they could even reach it, the goon keeping watch next to it ran over in a panic. “Bad news, Dou Qi! Constables are also coming on this side.”

Dou Qi’s heart sank. The other goons also looked fearful.

Just then, they heard shrill whistles, along with the neat thuds of military boots stomping on the ground. Constables in steel helmets, gray uniforms, and holding GD-Rifles—rifles developed during the Great Development Era—rushed in. The front row squatted down while the back row remained standing. They aimed the black muzzles at the people in the factory.

“All of you, down on your knees with your hands behind your heads! Those who resist will be shot!”

Dou Qi’s face turned pale. Why would the Constabulary come after his small drug trade? He always paid his bribes. Was it Lao Hei? It had to be. That man had to have gotten some amazing drug and betrayed him. He had really screwed him over this time.

No one dared to resist. They obediently went down on their knees and put their hands behind their heads, even Dou Qi. After all, the constables were part of the military reserve. They could go and join the army the moment they changed into military uniforms. Their guns also had real bullets.

Once the factory fell silent, a captain with a fierce glare walked through the path the constables had opened up for him. He looked around. “Who is Dou Qi?”

The goons turned to stare at Dou Qi.

The captain smiled. “Looks like we won’t have to search. Bring him over.”

With a wave of his hand, two large constables ran over and slammed Dou Qi with the butts of their rifles a few times. Blood streamed down his face, and he even lost a few teeth. Then, he was dragged over like a corpse with both of his hands pinned behind him. They grabbed a fistful of his hair and yanked it back so that his face was exposed under the light.

The captain swiped at Dou Qi’s face with gloved hands. With a fake smile, he asked, “You’re Dou Qi? Do you know what you did wrong?”

Dou Qi was forced to lift his chin up. He whispered wheezily with a lisp, “P-Please have mercy. I’ll offer a handsome token of gratitude.”

The captain seemed pleased and pointed around himself. “At least you know the rules. I brought forty of my guys here tonight. You need to pay their transportation fees.”

Dou Qi immediately said, “I-I understand. Even if I have to sell everything I own, I’ll make sure to cover all of your transportation fees.”

“That’s exactly why I say you know the rules.” The captain chuckled, but suddenly, his expression changed, and he slapped Dou Qi so hard the others winced.

“If you understand the rules, why would you attack a captain’s nephew? You did it on purpose, didn’t you?” he snarled.

Dou Qi was terrified. “I didn’t, Sir. I really didn’t...”

“He didn’t, he says. Why don’t I jolt your memory a little? What did you do in the afternoon?” the captain asked.

The man in the floral-checkered shirt trembled. He bent his back even more.

Dou Qi also realized who the captain was referring to. Shan Xiong had screwed him over big time. In a panic, he defended himself loudly, “I didn’t know, Sir! I truly didn’t know that the kid was a captain’s nephew! I was lied to!”

Shan Xiong had never told him about this. All he said was that the kid was a poor student who got a little lucky. Otherwise, Dou Qi would have reconsidered the attack before it even happened.

But saying all these things was meaningless now, so he quickly said, “Sir, I know the Chain Links Gang’s Qi Wu. I’ve been paying him off.”

The captain scoffed. “What’s this? Are you trying to use the Chain Links Gang to intimidate me?”

Then, he called out to a constable standing among the others. “Xiao Wu, I found him. Do what you want with him.”

Xiao Wu walked out and took out a Dev-15 pistol—a pistol made during the fifteenth year of the Development and Order Era. He unlocked the safety and shot Dou Qi’s limbs four times.

Dou Qi screamed in pain and spasmed, then fell limp on the floor like the dead.

“You’re letting him live? You sure are kind,” the captain said.

Xiao Wu lowered his pistol and said in a relaxed fashion, “I still have to bring him back for questioning and get him to tell me who else took part in the ambush.”

The captain patted his shoulder and went to the center of the factory before snapping, “Search the place and find all the contraband they have. We’ll be going back after that.”

“What should we do with these guys?” a constable asked.

“Bring them back for interrogation,” the captain replied.

𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

“Roger!”

The constables started handcuffing everyone. When it was the turn for the man in the baseball cap, he suddenly jumped up and ran to the door.

But the constables guarding the door were well-trained and decisive. They shot at the man without hesitation. Yet even after a few shots, that man only trembled a little. He did not seem to be affected. In the blink of an eye, he arrived in front of them. With a sweep of his hands, he flung the constables to the sides and threw the place into chaos.

Still, one of the constables moved quickly. When he was about to fall, he yanked off the man’s face mask, and another person cried out, “It’s Tong Qianjiang!”

The man ran out.

The constables outside tried to stop him by shooting at him. Some shots landed, but it was useless. When the captain ran out, he only saw Tong Qianjiang vanish into the darkness. He did not even know where he went.

The captain was furious. “Damn it! He must’ve had a bulletproof vest on!”

The Great Shun Republic kept strict control over bulletproof vests that could effectively resist rifle fire, because the vests were like the armor of ancient times. If an outstanding martial artist wore them and had a weapon in hand, the ordinary folk were no different from lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

A constable ran over and saluted the captain. “Captain, the guys are okay, just a little bruised.”

“Are you sure it was Tong Qianjiang?” the captain asked sternly.

“One of us saw him last year. He was part of the escort team. I trust his judgment.”

The captain was curious. “Why would Tong Qianjiang be here? How did he get that bulletproof vest?”

He became excited. Tong Qianjiang was the brother of Tong Baitao, the escaped convict. After the convicts broke out of prison, they disappeared without a trace. The Constabulary had thought that they left Yangzhi City, but to think that they would run into Tong Baitao’s brother here.

The convicts had been on the run for a long time. If he managed to capture them, it would be a major achievement. He was not expecting to encounter such a good thing when he joined the operation only to help Nian Fuli.

The captain called Xiao Wu over. “I’m going back to the station. This is a major thing, and I have to report it to the higher-ups. Go back and tell Captain Nian that we’ve discovered Fang Dawei and his group’s whereabouts. After we solve the case, the Sealed District will get part of the credit.”