Atlas of Heaven and Man

In the Xigang District of Yangzhi City, inside a dilapidated small factory left over from the Great Development era, Brother Qi stood outside a metal door, leaning against the wall and smoking.

After a while, the door was pushed open, and a man in a floral shirt came out.

He asked, "How are the brothers' injuries?"

The floral shirt man said, "Brother Qi, that kid's attacks were too ruthless. Old Hei says even if some of the brothers are healed, they'll still be crippled."

Brother Qi cursed, saying, "Old Hei usually brags about how great he is. He can't even fix these minor external injuries?"

The floral shirt man said with difficulty, "Old Hei says the money Brother Qi gave him is only enough for this level of treatment. If you want to heal them completely without any lingering problems, you'll have to add more money or use better medicine."

Brother Qi was annoyed and asked, "That money-grubber! What kind of medicine is so expensive?"

"Old Hei says he needs Blood Glue from Qingnang Jade Workshop."

Brother Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Tell Old Hei to put the money on credit and heal the brothers first! I'll take care of what he said that day!"

The floral shirt man breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, Brother Qi."

"And that kid!"

Brother Qi said fiercely, "He hurt my people, this isn't over! He's good at fighting, is he? Find an expert to cripple him later!"

The floral shirt man echoed loudly, but he actually knew this was useless. They were just a small gang, where would they get the money to hire someone like that?

At this moment, a lackey ran in and said, "Boss, there are a lot of unfamiliar faces here today. You should go take a look. The brothers are afraid something will happen."

Brother Qi cursed inwardly, flicked away his cigarette butt, and strode outside, saying, "Let's go, let's go take a look."

They went out along the corridor to a two-story platform. In the distance, two people were at the edge of the railing, secretly trading something. A tall, thin man heard the footsteps and looked over warily. When he saw it was Brother Qi, he looked away.

Across from this person was a man wearing a baseball cap and a mask. When he saw them, he only pulled his hat down a little further.

Brother Qi glanced at them and said to the floral shirt man beside him, "That guy in the hat is new, right? Go over and remind him to pay the transaction fee."

"Okay, Boss."

Brother Qi led his men downstairs. Here, his lackeys walked back and forth with steel pipes. When they saw him coming down, they greeted him one after another.

The bottom floor was clearly originally a factory workshop, with overhead cranes that had not been dismantled. Now, the area in the middle was surrounded by iron fences. Inside, two strong men were bare-chested and fighting each other. Twenty or thirty people surrounded them, constantly urging, shouting, and cursing loudly. All kinds of banging noises were endless. The surrounding environment was smoky and filled with the smell of drugs. The ground was covered with cigarette butts and broken glass bottles, which were simply swept into a corner and ignored.

Small gangs like theirs didn't dare to openly run underground fighting arenas like the Bloodscar Gang and the Iron Chain Gang. They could only do this kind of small-scale operation.

This place mainly provided a venue for the transaction of some prohibited drugs. Anyway, in this area of Xigang, as long as it didn't happen on the street, the police almost never interfered.

But this kind of place was also particularly prone to accidents. It would have been fine if they had enough manpower, but after being beaten up by Chen Chuan during the day, they had lost more than half their men. The fatal thing was that almost all of those who had fallen were people who dared to fight, and the rest were just there to make up the numbers.

And the people who came to this kind of place were all seasoned veterans and habitual offenders. If they couldn't be suppressed, then there would be trouble immediately.

After Brother Qi led his men down, the eyes that had been scanning and sizing up the place finally restrained themselves a little.

In a corner they had passed earlier, the two people who had been trading were still talking. The tall, thin man said, "The Awakening Clarity Capsules from Tiancong Hundred Herbs are genuine, top-grade medicine. Do you know how much they cost? Do you know how hard they are to get?"

The man in the baseball cap said in a low voice, "No matter how much they cost, as long as you have them, I'll buy them."

"Oh ho, you're a rich guy," the tall, thin man sized him up. "Why are you buying such good anti-aberration medicine? Does someone you know have an implant that's aberrating?"

The man in the baseball cap said calmly, "Is that any of your business?"

"Of course it's my business," the tall, thin 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, then I'll be stuck with it."

The man in the baseball cap looked at him, took out a bundle of money, waved it in front of him, and then put it back, saying in a monotone voice, "Once I get the goods, I'll pay you."

The tall, thin man's eyes lit up. He hesitated for a moment and said, "I don't have Awakening Clarity Capsules right now, but do you want the injectable anti-aberration medicine from Talid Corporation?" He gestured with his fingers. "It's 'Little Grey Bottle'. Although it can't compare to the medicine from big companies like Qingnang Jade Workshop and Tiancong Hundred Herbs, it should be enough for now, right? I'll get you the medicine you want later."

The man in the baseball cap thought for a moment and said, "Get me two boxes for now."

"Heh, you wait."

Downstairs, Brother Qi was thinking about how to make money when a burst of hurried footsteps suddenly came. A panicked lackey rushed in and said, "It's bad, Boss! There are police officers everywhere outside!"

Brother Qi was shocked. He was stunned for a few seconds before he reacted and shouted, "Quick, cut the power, everyone out!"

At this time, the entire factory workshop was in chaos. Everyone was running around randomly.

Although Brother Qi ordered his lackey to pull the switch, perhaps it was too chaotic, or perhaps it was due to some interference, the lights remained on.

Brother Qi and the others were preparing to go out from the side exit, but before they could get there, the lackey guarding the side door ran over, saying in a panic, "Boss, it's bad! There are police at several back doors."

Brother Qi's heart sank, and the lackeys beside him also showed panicked expressions.

At this moment, they heard several sharp whistles, followed by the neat sound of military boots hitting the ground. They saw police officers in gray uniforms and steel helmets, carrying Datuo-style rifles, rushing forward. The front row crouched down, and the back row stood, aiming the dark muzzles of their guns at everyone in the area.

Then came a stern shout: "Everyone, squat down and put your hands on your heads! Anyone who resists will be shot on the spot!"

Brother Qi's face was pale. How could his small operation attract the attention of the patrol bureau? He had been paying his dues regularly. Could it be Old Hei? It must be Old Hei! He must have gotten his hands on some incredible drugs. He was really screwed this time!

The people in the venue didn't dare to resist and obediently squatted down. The patrol bureau's officers were like reservists; once they changed into their uniforms, they could be pulled onto the battlefield. The guns in their hands could really kill people.

Brother Qi and his men also squatted down helplessly, clasping their hands behind their heads.

After the venue quieted down, a sharp-eyed patrol captain walked out from the passage left open in the ranks. He looked around and said, "Which one is Dou Qi?"

The lackeys all turned their heads, looking at Brother Qi.

The patrol captain laughed. "Looks like we don't need to search." He waved his hand. "Drag him out."

Immediately, two burly patrolmen rushed up and smashed Brother Qi hard with their gun butts. The latter's head was instantly bleeding, and he lost several teeth. Then, they dragged him out like a dead dog, bound his hands behind his back, and brought him before the patrol captain, grabbing his hair and pulling it back to expose his entire face to the light.

The patrol captain brushed his face a couple of times with his gloves and said, "You're Dou Qi?" He said with a smile that wasn't a smile, "Do you know what you've done wrong?"

Brother Qi was forced to raise his chin, and said with a leaky voice, "Please, officer, have mercy. This brother will definitely give you enough tribute."

"Knows the rules."

The patrol captain seemed very satisfied, pointed around, "I brought forty brothers here today, coming all the way to your place late at night. You have to pay for the travel expenses too."

Brother Qi immediately said, "Brothers, I understand. Even if I have to sell everything, I will give the officers enough for their travel expenses."

"That's why I say you know the rules."

The patrol captain smiled again, but suddenly his face changed, and he slapped Brother Qi hard, making people wince. He said fiercely, "You know the rules so well, yet you dared to attack the family of a patrolman? Looks like you did it knowingly?"

Brother Qi revealed a terrified expression. "Officer, I didn't, I didn't…"

The patrol captain said, "Didn't you? Let me remind you, what did you do this afternoon?"

The man in the floral shirt in the crowd trembled when he heard this, and his body hunched even lower.

Brother Qi also realized what was happening and immediately knew that he had been set up by Shan Xiong. He hurriedly defended himself loudly, "Officer, I don't know, I really don't know. I didn't know that young man was a member of the patrol bureau's family. I was also deceived."

Shan Xiong hadn't told him about this at all, and even said that the other party was just a poor student with a bit of luck. Otherwise, he would have considered it carefully before touching him.

But he knew that saying this now was meaningless, so he quickly said, "Officer, I know Qi Wu of the Iron Chain Gang. I pay tribute to him."

The patrol captain sneered, "What, using the Iron Chain Gang to pressure me?" He said to a capable patrolman standing in the back of the ranks, "Brother Wu, I've found the person for you. What to do next is up to you."

The young Patrolman Wu walked out, silently pulled out a Jianzhi 15th Year Type pistol, released the safety, and fired four consecutive shots at Brother Qi's hands and feet.

Brother Qi screamed repeatedly, his body convulsing, and then he collapsed like a dead dog.

The patrol captain said, "This brother is kind-hearted, still leaving him a life."

Patrolman Wu pointed the gun downwards and said in a very natural tone, "We still have to take him back and ask who else was involved in this matter."

The patrol captain patted him on the shoulder, then walked to the middle of the venue and said sternly, "Search and check for any contraband, then we'll retreat."

A patrolman asked, "Then Captain, what about these people?"

The patrol captain said, "Take them back and interrogate them all."

"Yes!"

The patrolmen handcuffed the people one by one, but when it was the turn of the man wearing the baseball cap, he suddenly jumped up and darted towards the door.

The patrolmen guarding the door were well-trained and very decisive. Seeing this sudden movement, they unhesitatingly opened fire on the man. But after several shots, the man only shook slightly, seemingly unaffected, and rushed in front of them in the blink of an eye. With just a light push, the patrolmen in the middle fell to both sides, creating chaos.

However, someone was quick-witted and pulled off his mask as he fell to the ground. Someone exclaimed, "It's Tong Qianjiang!"

The man had already darted out.

There were still patrolmen intercepting outside, and gunshots rose and fell. It seemed that the man had been hit several more times, but it was still useless. By the time the patrol captain ran out, he only saw the man's figure disappearing into the darkness, and he was soon gone without a trace.

The patrol captain's face was full of anger. "Damn it, that kid was wearing body armor!"

The Da Shun Republic had extremely strict control over body armor that could effectively resist rifles, because such things were like ancient armor. If a person with excellent martial skills wore it and held a sharp weapon, ordinary people would be slaughtered.

A patrolman ran over from behind, saluted, and said, "Captain, the brothers are fine, just a little bruised."

The patrol captain asked seriously, "Is it confirmed to be Tong Qianjiang?"

"A brother saw him last year. He was a member of the escort team. It shouldn't be wrong."

The patrol captain was puzzled. "Why would Tong Qianjiang be here? And where did he get the body armor from?"

But then he became excited. Tong Qianjiang was the younger brother of the fugitive Tong Baitao. This group had disappeared since their prison break. He thought they had already left Yangzhi City, but he didn't expect to run into them here today.

These fierce criminals had been on the run for a long time. If he could solve this case, it would be a great achievement! He didn't expect that just coming to help out would lead to such a good thing.

The patrol captain called Patrolman Wu over and said, "Brother Wu, I have to go back to the bureau. This is no small matter and must be reported. Go back and tell Captain Nian that if you find the whereabouts of Fang Dawei and his group, when the case is solved, your Baofeng District will get a share of the credit."

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