Chapter 159
Xie Wendong stepped out of the hotel and sighed helplessly. General Sang’s information was true—Ma Feng’s influence in Yunnan was indeed formidable. He had barely arrived in Kunming when his whereabouts were discovered, making it difficult even to find a place to stay for the night. He walked along the street when a white van speeding toward him caught his attention. Having survived many life-threatening situations, he possessed an extraordinary sense of awareness and intuition. With a quick glance out of the corner of his eye, sensing something was wrong, he reflexively rolled to the side.
With a soft “bang,” a hole the size of a finger appeared in the floor-to-ceiling window of a shop beside the street. Xie Wendong jumped to his feet and rushed into the nearest shop. Looking back, he saw the van had stopped, and three men in black suits jumped out. Xie Wendong was familiar with these men, so he ran deeper into the shop without looking back. They were three of the six bodyguards Ma Feng had taken with him to the Golden Triangle. Xie Wendong had already seen their combat skills—drug lords often brought dozens of skilled followers, but none of them could withstand the attack of these six for more than five minutes. He had no confidence in beating any of them, so he chose to flee without hesitation.
It was a specialty store. Since it was already late, the staff who had worked all day had left, leaving only the owner. The owner was a middle-aged woman with a friendly face, perfect for business. As soon as Xie Wendong rushed in, he asked, “Is there a back door?”
The woman was startled and asked, “A back door? Why do you want to know about a back door? This is a business place, not a city gate. If you want to leave, just…”
Xie Wendong didn’t have time to listen to her rambling. He pulled out the gun at his waist, fired four shots at the three men chasing him, then stared coldly at the owner. Her face paled instantly, and her legs trembled. Without needing to ask further, she pointed to the side and said, “The back door is over there!”
“Thanks!” Xie Wendong smiled narrowly and rushed over. Sure enough, there was a small door less than a meter wide. He kicked it open and dashed into the alley outside. The three men were delayed by Xie Wendong’s four shots. By the time they entered the shop, he had already escaped through the back door. Seeing the owner’s shocked expression, he said nothing and headed straight for the back door. Before the last person left, he stopped, turned around, and shouted, “Boss!”
The female boss turned around inexplicably. To her surprise, the burly man raised his gun and fired straight at her forehead, then left through the back door with a blank expression. Ma Feng, like his dead brother Ma Wu, was a wanted criminal by the state, someone who couldn’t be exposed. His men were naturally also desperate scoundrels. In such a gunfight, the female boss would surely go to report it, but since she had seen all three of their faces, the burly man chose the most direct and simple way to keep her silent.
Xie Wendong ran while thinking about laughing. It seemed he was always destined to flee, but it was fine anyway—running could both motivate him and keep him in shape. Only Xie Wendong could think of such things while escaping. This was his first time in Kunming, and he was very unfamiliar with the area’s layout. As he turned through alleys, he eventually lost track of directions. Yet the heavy footsteps behind him never stopped. Xie Wendong sighed inwardly—these three really had great stamina and an unyielding determination. He wondered where Ma Feng had found such ruthless men.
After turning left and right, a large residential complex appeared before him. Xie Wendong perked up. Hiding inside the building would make it hard for them to find him, and he might even have a chance to fight back. He quickened his pace and dashed into the complex like an arrow. But soon he regretted it when he realized a serious problem: every building’s door was locked, unlike in City J. Just as he was anxious, he saw someone unlocking a door not far ahead. He pushed himself to hislimit, leaping in like a weasel before the door closed, gently shutting it behind him with only a faint sound. The person opening the door sensed something was wrong, turned around, and saw only a shadow. Just as they opened their mouths to scream, Xie Wendong covered their mouths with his hand and pressed a gun against their heads, threatening in a low voice, “Stay quiet if you don’t want to die!”
While covering the man’s mouth, Xie Wendong peeked outside through the crack in the door. The three burly men stood in front of the building, scanning the area for Xie Wendong, but there was no sign of him. They exchanged glances, scattered, and headed toward nearby entrances, one of them slowly approaching the building where Xie Wendong was. Realizing things were bad, Xie Wendong whispered in the man’s ear, “Take me to your house, quickly!” Getting close to the man, he smelled a faint fragrance and thought to himself that it must be a woman—easier to deal with then. Since the light sensor on the first floor was broken, it was extremely dark. In his haste, Xie Wendong had been too focused on the burly men outside and hadn’t noticed her.
The woman made muffled sounds as her mouth was covered. “I can let you go, but if you dare call for help, I won’t hesitate!” Xie Wendong released her, but kept the gun pressed against her waist, saying, “Hurry up! Don’t make me say it twice!”
The woman nodded and headed upstairs, with Xie Wendong closely following, not daring to be careless. She lived on the third floor. After she opened the door, Xie Wendong pushed her into the room and then gently closed the door. Once inside, Xie Wendong finally breathed a sigh of relief. Seeing her trembling, he smiled and said, “You don’t need to be afraid. I’m not doing this for money or for you. I just need to hide for a while and will leave soon!”
The woman responded with a soft “oh,” lowering her head, unsure of what was on her mind. There were no lights in the room; only the faint moonlight from outside illuminated it. Xie Wendong couldn’t see her clearly, but he guessed she was quite young. Her skin had been soft and elastic when he covered her mouth. The two sat quietly in the room, neither speaking. Xie Wendong was lost in his thoughts. Ma Feng’s presence posed a threat to him—a threat that could even be fatal. Whether it was transporting drugs to the Golden Triangle or arms to it, Yunnan was a necessary route. And Ma Feng, who dominated Yunnan, would surely cause trouble, both openly and secretly. As long as he remained in power, this route couldn’t be used. To deal with Ma Feng would inevitably involve the Nan Hongmen. Only a fool would think Ma Feng had nothing to do with Xiang Tiansiao, given his strong position within the Nan Hongmen in Yunnan. Xie Wendong wasn’t a fool, and he understood this better than anyone. Eighty percent of the drugs supplied by the Nan Hongmen came from Ma Feng. “What a hassle!” Xie Wendong muttered in frustration.
Xie Wendong stood up and paced back and forth in the room, thinking of strategies to deal with the situation. To overthrow the Nan Hongmen, given the current strength of the Bei Hongmen and the full involvement of the Wendonghui, it would take at least two or three years. But exchanging arms for drugs was urgent; otherwise, the Golden Triangle side wouldn’t let him off easily. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became. With a sigh, he sat down again. The woman seemed to realize that Xie Wendong, as he had said, had no intention of harming her, so her tense nerves relaxed. She glanced around and said, “You seem to have a lot on your mind. Were you being chased by the police just now?”
Xie Wendong didn’t want to talk much and casually replied, “Yes! Is there water in your house?”
“There’s Coke in the fridge,” the woman said. “Why are you being chased by the police? Gambling? Smuggling? Or robbery?” Xie Wendong smiled indifferently and said nothing. He took out the Coke, drank it while observing the interior design of the house, walking slowly around the hall. The woman was shocked and quickly stood up. Xie Wendong waved the gun in his hand, signaling her not to get up, so she had no choice but to sit down again. He wandered around, stopping at the desk for a second before stepping back, picking up the photo frame from the desk, and walking up to the woman. “The police?” he asked. The woman sighed and said nothing. Xie Wendong also sighed. He was really lucky to have stumbled into a police officer’s home, and moreover, a female officer. No wonder she had returned home so late and allowed a stranger into her house so easily without resisting. He said casually, “Give it to me!”
“What?” the woman pretended to be confused. Xie Wendong narrowed his eyes. “The gun. The handcuffs.” The woman slowly took out the gun from her waist and placed it on the ground. Xie Wendong bent down to pick it up. As soon as his hand touched the gun, he realized he had miscalculated—he had underestimated this woman who hadn’t resisted at all. She kicked him sharply in the abdomen. Xie Wendong had to give up picking up the gun and blocked the kick with his hand. As he straightened up, his other wrist hurt, and the gun flew out of his hand. He shook his hand and smiled narrowed-eyed. “Not bad skills!”
The female officer smiled triumphantly and said coldly, “You’re not the first to say that about me!” Xie Wendong replied, “I hope I’m not the last either!” With that, he rushed at her, punching at her weak point. Seeing his fierce attack, the female officer stepped back to dodge and counterattacked with a kick. Soon, the two were fighting fiercely in the room.
Five minutes later, Xie Wendong sat on the bed, breathing heavily, but his face was filled with excitement. He laughed and said, “A woman who’s so good at fighting—who would dare marry her?” He picked up the female officer’s wallet and took out her ID card. The woman glared at him, furious. Xie Wendong pretended not to see it and said, “See? I was right. Twenty-six years old and still unmarried. It’s better for a woman to stay at home and be a good wife and mother.”
If women’s eyes could really shoot fire now, Xie Wendong would have been burned to ashes. Unfortunately, they can’t—she can’t move or even shout. Xie Wendong tore open the sheets and tied her spread-eagled on the bed, covering her mouth tightly as well. He leisurely drank cola, watching the angry female police officer struggle on the bed with satisfaction. As he smiled, the wound on his lip hurt, so he turned on the light, looked at himself in the mirror, and said, “You really are ruthless.” “Ugh…”
Looking at the red scratches on her arms and neck, Xie Wendong asked, “You must have a first-aid kit at home, right?” “Ugh!”
“Where is it?” Xie Wendong leaned over her, removing the towel from her mouth. The female police officer finally got a chance to speak. She took a breath and started cursing, “Let me go, you damned bastard, scumbag, you pig…” Xie Wendong covered her mouth again and said calmly, “I’ll find it myself. But thanks for the compliment!” Then he pinched her red cheeks, causing her to groan and struggle again. Xie Wendong laughed heartily but quickly stopped, the pain in his lip almost making him cry. He thought to himself that next time he saw that old guy, he’d have to settle accounts with him. They said all girls in Yunnan were gentle and virtuous, but all he’d encountered were deadly tigers.
Xie Wendong found the first-aid kit in the cabinet. While cleaning his wounds, he glanced out the window. Though it was dark, he could faintly see three figures. Shaking his head, he thought to himself that they were really three troublesome guys. After some thought, Xie Wendong took the female police officer’s ID card and said softly, “So your name is Qiu Ningshui. It’s a nice name.” Seeing the officer stare at him, he quickly added, “Actually, I’m not a bad person, and I won’t do anything to you. Have you heard of the Political Department? The Central Political Department!”
The officer was stunned and shook her head. Xie Wendong continued, “I’m actually directly under the Northeast Branch of the Central Political Department.” He placed the ID card in front of her and added, “I came to Yunnan to secretly investigate a drug-smuggling gang here, but I was targeted by a big drug lord named Ma Feng. Afraid that the drug-smuggling operation would be exposed, he sent people to hunt me down. Ma Feng—surely as a police officer, you’ve heard of this name?” A hint of surprise flashed in the officer’s eyes, which didn’t escape Xie Wendong’s notice. He removed the towel from her mouth.
“Ma Feng?” the officer said, “I have indeed heard of him. But he’s a legitimate businessman and quite famous in Yunnan.”
“You’re wrong!” Xie Wendong asserted. “That was just his cover; his so-called legitimate business was merely a tool for him to launder the money earned from drug trafficking!” Xie Wendong knew nothing about Ma Feng at all, let alone anything about his legitimate business dealings; he was merely making guesses based on his own experience. Ma Feng also owned legitimate companies, into which he invested large amounts of illegally obtained money, which he then turned into legitimate income through fraudulent accounting.