Chapter 14: Crossing the Sea
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Old Pu’s face darkened as he stared at Zhong Da for two seconds before gritting his teeth and snarling, “Zhong Da, you and I both know exactly what happened after that night. Don’t pretend otherwise with me. I’ll make this clear right now: if you don’t bring Brother Wei back to me safe and sound, I swear none of you will leave Lanta Island alive.”
“Is that so?” Zhong Da asked with a smiling, questioning look.
Old Pu’s heart jolted.
Zhong Da’s composure only made him feel more uncertain.
If he failed to keep the two brothers here, finding them again after they left Lanta Island would be even harder. Besides, Tan Wei had vanished without a trace. If something truly had happened to him, and the people above came looking for answers, Old Pu would be in serious trouble himself.
His thoughts churned. After a moment, he ground his teeth and took another step back. “Then tell me—what will it take for you to release Brother Wei?”
Zhong Da shook his head. “Brother Pu, why are you so determined to keep hounding us? I told you, after I left the bar that night, I never saw Brother Wei again. I truly don’t know where he is. If you refuse to believe me, there’s nothing I can do. But if you insist on making trouble for us, then we’ll have no choice but to assume you’re deliberately picking a fight and unlawfully restricting our freedom. In that case, we’ll have to contact the embassy.”
Zhong Da was utterly impervious to persuasion. Old Pu hated him so much his teeth ached, yet he could do nothing about it.
Just then, Xiao Hua came sprinting over, with three men chasing close behind.
The moment Xiao Hua drew near, the men surrounding Zhong Yuan and Zhong Da moved as though they intended to attack.
Seeing this, Zhong Yuan said mildly to Old Pu, “Old Pu, are you sure you want your men to make a move?”
Old Pu’s heart leapt again. After meeting Zhong Yuan’s eyes, he turned and signaled his men to clear a path for Xiao Hua.
Xiao Hua entered, glanced at Zhong Yuan, and lowered his head. “Brother Yuan.”
Zhong Yuan nodded. Xiao Hua then walked over to Zhong Da and handed him the bag in his hand. “Brother Da, take a look. Is this enough?”
He was still breathing heavily, but his expression was perfectly calm, as if the chase moments earlier had never happened.
Zhong Da, equally unconcerned with anyone around him, took the bag and began checking its contents. After a moment, he nodded. “Everything seems to be here.”
He then removed the backpack from his shoulders and handed it to Xiao Hua. Once Xiao Hua opened it, Zhong Da had him put everything inside, plastic bag and all.
When he had finished, Xiao Hua casually swung the backpack onto his shoulders.
Old Pu watched from the side. He had more than ten men with him, while the other side had only three. Yet all three—from Zhong Yuan to Xiao Hua—remained utterly calm, showing not the slightest regard for his manpower.
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Recalling Zhong Yuan’s earlier move, Old Pu remembered that he had not even seen clearly what Zhong Yuan had done. He had only realized what happened when the young man hit the ground.
At that moment, Old Pu suddenly understood that the three men before him—especially the brothers Zhong Yuan and Zhong Da—were probably far from ordinary.
A number of possible identities flashed through his mind.
Whatever the truth, none of them would be easy to deal with.
Even though he held an obvious home-field advantage, that advantage meant nothing in the face of overwhelming strength.
As turmoil raged within him, Zhong Yuan spoke. “Old Pu, we’ve said everything that needs to be said. If there’s nothing else, have your men step aside. Of course, if you refuse to accept reality and insist on keeping after us, that’s fine too. Just make your move, and we’ll settle this with our fists. How does that sound?”
The groans of the young man with the broken leg still drifted intermittently from the inn’s lobby. With that warning right before his eyes, Old Pu truly had little courage to fight Zhong Yuan and the other two.
After hesitating briefly, he snorted. “Zhong Yuan, you win! I’ll let you go today, but this isn’t over. We’ll see who has the last laugh!”
With that, he waved his hand and ordered his men to disperse.
Zhong Yuan gave a soft laugh, then left with Zhong Da and Xiao Hua without looking back.
After they had gone some distance, Zhong Yuan turned to Zhong Da. “We probably can’t use the boat at the pier anymore. Ask Dongzi or Erga if they can arrange another boat to take us across the sea.”
“Dongzi should have a connection,” Zhong Da replied at once. “I’ll call him.”
Zhong Yuan nodded.
After Zhong Da hung up, Zhong Yuan suddenly asked, “What did you do with Tan Wei’s men’s bodies?”
Zhong Da paused, then lowered his eyes. “I threw them all into the sea. Don’t worry. I tied stones to them, so they won’t float back up anytime soon.”
Zhong Yuan nodded.
“With no bodies, the police may not get involved so quickly. But now that Old Pu has determined that Tan Wei’s disappearance is connected to you, the Buddha’s Hand Gang certainly won’t let this go. Tell Dongzi to make arrangements as quickly as possible. The sooner we cross the sea, the better. Lanta Island is too small, and it’s isolated from the mainland. If the Buddha’s Hand Gang corners us here, it won’t be easy to escape.”
Zhong Da gave a quiet acknowledgment.
“Right, Erga never showed his face in front of Tan Wei’s men. Have him take another boat across first. Once he reaches the mainland, he should find a vehicle and wait near the pier, but not drive directly to it. He should also prepare some supplies—food, drinks, clothes, and so on. If he can get gasoline, have him buy several extra cans and keep them in the car.”
After thinking it over, Zhong Yuan added this last instruction.
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Zhong Da committed everything to memory, then took out his phone and called Erga.
By the time he finished, Xiao Hua had already hailed a car. It arrived shortly afterward. The three of them got in and headed straight for the pier.
Old Pu’s men did not follow.
Outside the inn, Old Pu smoked a cigarette with a dark expression. After a while, two men dragged out the young man with the broken leg, supporting him between them. Old Pu glanced at the injured leg, and the flesh on his face twitched.
“Damn, what a vicious kick!”
After cursing, Old Pu waved for his men to hurry the unfortunate fellow to the hospital. As soon as they left, Yellow Hair approached. After studying Old Pu’s expression, he cautiously asked, “Brother Pu, are we really just letting them go?”
Old Pu shot him a sidelong glance and snorted. “Could you have stopped them?”
Yellow Hair had gone after Xiao Hua earlier and had not witnessed Zhong Yuan’s move. But he had heard some of the details from the others, and after considering Old Pu’s reaction, he no longer had the nerve to boast.
Just as he stood there dejectedly, Old Pu suddenly narrowed his eyes. “Take two men to Long Beach and bring that young woman who works at the beer cart to the warehouse behind the Happy Hut.”
Yellow Hair froze.
“What are you standing there for? Go, now!” Old Pu barked when he saw him remain motionless.
Yellow Hair came to his senses and hurriedly nodded. But after hesitating, he asked, “Brother Pu, may I ask why you suddenly—”
He did not finish. Seeing the displeasure on Old Pu’s face, he swallowed the rest of the sentence.
Yellow Hair turned around, casually picked two men, and hurried away.
Old Pu watched him disappear into the distance and snorted unhappily.
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