Chapter 23: The Fugitive
Chapter 23: The Fugitive
In the Xigang District of Yangzhi City, within the remains of an old factory from the early development era, Qi Ge stood outside a metal door, leaning against the wall and smoking.
After a while, the door opened, and a man in a floral shirt walked out. He asked, "How are the brothers' injuries?"
The man in the floral shirt replied, "Qi Ge, that kid was too ruthless. Lao Hei said that several brothers will be disabled even after treatment."
Qi Ge cursed, "Lao Hei always boasts about his skills, but he can't even treat these minor external injuries?"
The man in the floral shirt hesitated, "Lao Hei said the money you gave is only enough for this level of treatment. If you want them to recover without any issues, you'll need to pay more or get better medicine."
Qi Ge was displeased and asked, "This money-grubber, what medicine is so expensive?"
"Lao Hei said he needs the blood glue from Qing Nang Yu Fang."
Qi Ge was startled. Knowing Lao Hei's intentions, he couldn't help but curse, "Damn it! I've been protecting his business for so long, and he dares to treat me like a fool. He's not a decent person at all!"
The man in the floral shirt also felt indignant, "Yes, Qi Ge, that's why everyone says Lao Hei is so greedy!"
Qi Ge gritted his teeth and said, "Tell Lao Hei that this money is on credit. First, let him treat the brothers' injuries! I'll take care of what he asked me to do the other day!"
The man in the floral shirt heaved a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, Qi Ge."
"And that kid!"
Qi Ge spoke with malice, "Whoever dares to mess with me, this isn't over! If I can fight, I'll find a master to cripple him afterward!"
The man in the floral shirt echoed loudly, but he knew it was futile. Their small gang couldn't afford to hire such a person.
At that moment, a younger brother rushed in and said, "Big Brother, many new faces came today. You should go and check it out. The brothers are worried something might happen."
Qi Ge cursed under his breath, flicked away his cigarette butt, and strode outside, saying, "Let's go and take a look."
They walked along the corridor to a second-floor platform. In the distance, two people were standing at the railing's edge, conducting a clandestine transaction. A tall, skinny man, hearing their footsteps, looked over cautiously. When he saw it was Qi Ge, he turned his gaze away.
Across from him was a man wearing a duckbill cap and a mask. Upon seeing them, he slightly lowered his cap's brim.
Qi Ge glanced at him and said to the man in the floral shirt beside him, "Is the man with the hat new? Go and remind him to pay the transaction fee."
"Okay, Big Brother."
Qi Ge led his men downstairs. Here, his younger brothers were walking around with steel pipes, greeting him as they saw him.
Below, it was apparent that the area was originally a factory workshop. Overhead, there was an unremoved traveling crane. In the middle of the area, an iron fence enclosed a circle, within which two burly men were fighting bare-chested. Surrounding them were twenty to thirty people, constantly shouting, urging, and cursing loudly. The surrounding environment was filled with smoke and haze, and the ground was littered with cigarette butts and broken glass bottles, which were casually swept into corners and left unattended.
Small gangs like theirs dared not openly set up fighting platforms like the Bloodstain Gang or the Iron Chain Gang. They could only manage small-scale scenes like this.
This place was mainly used for the trade of prohibited drugs. Anyway, in the Xigang area, as long as they didn't go out on the streets, the police department rarely intervened.
However, places like this were prone to trouble. It would have been fine if there were enough people, but after Chen Chuan's beating earlier, their numbers had been reduced by more than half. What's worse was that almost all those who fell were the ones who dared to fight. Those remaining were just making up the numbers.
People who came to places like this were either old hands or habitual offenders. If they couldn't control the situation, trouble would erupt immediately.
After Qi Ge and his men came downstairs, the eyes that had been scanning the area cautiously calmed down a little.
In a corner they had passed earlier, the two men who had been transacting were still talking. The skinny, tall man said, "Do you know how much the Awakening Capsule from Heaven's Herbs costs? Do you know how difficult it is to obtain?"
The man in the duckbill cap spoke in a low voice, "No matter the cost, I'll buy it as long as it's available."
"Oh, so you're a rich guy," the skinny, tall man said as he sized him up. "Why, are you buying such good anti-alienation medicine? Who in your place has undergone body implantation and alienation?"
The man in the duckbill cap replied calmly, "Does that concern you?"
"Of course, it does," the skinny man said matter-of-factly. "How do I know you're not just messing with me? If I get the medicine and you don't have the money, I'll be the one getting screwed."
The man in the duckbill cap took out a bundle of money, waved it in front of the skinny man's eyes, then put it away. He spoke in a flat tone, "Once the goods are in hand, we'll exchange money for goods."
The skinny man's eyes lit up, and after a moment of hesitation, he said, "The Awakening Capsule isn't immediately available, but do you want the injection anti-alienation medicine from Tareld Corporation?" He gestured with his fingers, "It's the 'Little Gray Bottle.' Although it's not as good as the medicine from big companies like Qing Nang Yu Fang and Heaven's Herbs, it should suffice for now, right? I'll get the medicine you want later."
The man in the duckbill cap thought for a moment and said, "I'll take two boxes first."
"Hey, wait for me."
Meanwhile, downstairs, Qi Ge was thinking about how to make money when suddenly, rapid footsteps approached, and a panicked younger brother rushed in, saying, "Bad news, Big Brother! The police are all over the place outside!"
Qi Ge was startled. He froze for a few seconds before reacting and shouting, "Quick, pull the switch, retreat!"
At that moment, the entire abandoned factory workshop descended into chaos, with everyone running around frantically.
Although Qi Ge had instructed his younger brothers to pull the switch, perhaps due to the chaos, the lights remained on.
Qi Ge and his men prepared to exit through the side opening. Before they could reach it, the younger brother guarding the side door ran off first, saying anxiously, "Big Brother, bad news! The police have arrived at the back doors too!"
Qi Ge's heart skipped a beat, and the younger brothers beside him showed signs of panic.
At that moment, they heard several sharp whistles followed by the crisp, synchronized sound of military boots hitting the ground. They saw several police officers rushing in, wearing large-caliber rifles, steel helmets, and gray uniforms. The front row crouched, while the back row stood, aiming their dark gun barrels at everyone in the area.
A stern voice suddenly rang out, "Everyone, get down and put your hands on your heads. Anyone who disobeys will be shot on the spot!"
Qi Ge's face turned pale. How could his small-scale operation attract the attention of the Police Department? He had even paid tribute to them regularly. Could it be Old Hei? It must be him! He must have gotten his hands on some powerful drugs, and now Qi Ge was in deep trouble.
The people in the area dared not resist and obediently crouched down. The police officers were part of the reserves, ready to be deployed to the battlefield at a moment's notice. Their guns were real and lethal.
Qi Ge and his men had no choice but to comply, crouching down with their hands clasped behind their heads.
Once the area quieted down, a stern-eyed police captain emerged from the reserved passage in the lineup. He surveyed the crowd and asked, "Which one of you is Dou Qi?"
Qi Ge's men turned their heads in unison, all looking in his direction.
The police captain smiled, "Seems like we don't need to search anymore," he waved his hand, "Drag him out."
Two tall and sturdy officers rushed forward and struck Qi Ge several times with their gun handles, causing his head to bleed profusely and several teeth to fall out. They then dragged him out like a dead dog, his hands cuffed behind his back, and presented him before the police captain. The captain grabbed his hair and yanked his head back, exposing his entire face to the light.
The police captain swept Qi Ge's face with his gloved hand and asked, "Are you Dou Qi?" A smile played on his lips as he continued, "Do you know what you've done?"
Qi Ge was forced to lift his chin, his voice hoarse as he pleaded, "Sir, please spare me, I'll make sure to pay my respects properly."
"You know the rules."
The police captain seemed satisfied and gestured to the surroundings, "I've brought forty brothers here tonight, all the way from the city. You should cover our travel expenses as well."
Qi Ge quickly responded, "Brother, I understand. I'll do whatever it takes, even if I have to sell everything, to pay for your travel expenses."
"That's why I said you know the rules."
The police captain smiled again, but suddenly his expression changed. He slapped Qi Ge hard across the face, causing him to wince in pain. "You know the rules, yet you dare to attack the family of one of our officers? It seems you did it knowingly."
Qi Ge's face contorted in fear, "Sir, I didn't, I really didn't..."
The police captain said, "Didn't you? Let me remind you, what did you do this afternoon?"
The man in the flowery shirt among the crowd trembled, his body crouching even lower.
Qi Ge also realized what had happened. He immediately understood that he had been set up by Shan Xiong. He shouted in defense, "Sir, I didn't know, I really didn't know that the young man was related to the Police Department. I was deceived."
Shan Xiong had never mentioned this to him and had only said that the man was a lucky student from a poor background.
But Qi Ge knew it was pointless to say this now, so he quickly added, "Sir, I know Qi Wu from the Iron Chain Gang. I pay tribute to them."
The police captain scoffed, "What, are you trying to intimidate me with the Iron Chain Gang?" He turned to a well-built officer standing at the back of the lineup and said, "Brother Wu, I've found the man. What we do next is up to you."
The young officer named Wu stepped forward, drew a Jianzhi Model 15 Pistol, and fired four shots at Qi Ge's hands and feet.
Qi Ge screamed in agony, his body convulsing before going limp like a dead dog.
The police captain said, "You're a kind brother, leaving him alive."
Officer Wu lowered his gun and said in a calm tone, "We still need to take him back for questioning to find out who else was involved."
The police captain patted him on the shoulder and walked to the center of the area. He shouted, "Search the place and confiscate any prohibited items, then we'll call it a day."
One of the officers asked, "Captain, what about these people?"
The police captain replied, "Take them back for questioning."
"Yes, sir!"
The officers began handcuffing the men, but when they reached the man wearing the duckbill cap, he suddenly sprang up and dashed towards the exit.
The officer guarding the door was well-trained and quick to react. He fired at the man without hesitation, but several shots later, the man's body only shook slightly, seemingly unaffected. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the officer, and with a gentle flick of his hands, the officer was sent sprawling to the sides, causing chaos.
However, someone was quick enough to grab the man's mask as he fell, and a voice cried out, "It's Tong Qianjiang!"
The man had already escaped into the night.
More officers outside tried to intercept him, and gunshots echoed back and forth. It seemed like they hit him several times, but to no avail. By the time the police captain rushed out, the man had disappeared into the darkness.
The police captain's face was filled with anger. "Damn it, this guy is wearing protective armor!"
In the Great Shun Republic, protective armor that could effectively withstand rifle fire was strictly controlled. Such armor, combined with the strength of a skilled fighter and a deadly weapon, made ordinary people easy targets for slaughter.
An officer ran over and saluted, "Captain, the brothers are fine, just a few bruises."
The police captain asked sternly, "Are you sure it was Tong Qianjiang?"
"One of the brothers saw him last year. He was part of the escort team, so we shouldn't be mistaken."
The police captain was puzzled. "How did Tong Qianjiang end up here? And where did he get the protective armor?"
But then his expression changed to excitement. Tong Qianjiang was the younger brother of the fugitive Tong Baotao. Since their escape, the gang had gone into hiding, and it was assumed they had left Yangzhi City. The police captain couldn't believe that he had stumbled upon them here.
These criminals had been on the run for a long time, and if he could solve this case, it would be a significant achievement. He hadn't expected to encounter such a big break while just helping out.
The police captain called Officer Wu and said, "Brother Wu, I'm heading back to the station. This is a big deal, and I need to report it. Go back and inform Captain Nian that if we find any trace of Fang Dawei and his group, we'll share the credit with the Protection Zone once the case is solved."
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(End of Chapter)
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