Special District 9

The old lady still didn’t know that Ah Long was dead yet. She didn’t hope for her son to live a life of great wealth and power; all she wished was for him to be able to live the same life as before and have a stable job that brought food on the table. As long as they had that, even if she were to breathe her last suddenly one day, her heart would be at ease.

However, both Qin Yu and Old Cat knew that as long as the Yuan Family remained, Qi Lin’s position would never change. It was nothing more than a dream for Qi Lin to return back to Special District 9 and resume his role as a policeman.

After having dinner, the three brothers gathered together in Qi Lin’s room, and Old Cat closed the door shut. Then, he took out an old phone from his pocket.

“The service operator of this phone is a small company in Fengbei,” Old Cat said as he passed the phone into Qi Lin’s hands. “Use this to contact your older brother’s friend.”

“Alright.”

Qi Lin took the phone and dialed the number written down in the notebook.

A few seconds later, Qi Lin shook his head and said, “It isn’t getting through. It says that the other phone is switched off.”

Qin Yu pondered for a moment before analyzing grimly, “There’s a good chance that your older brother’s friend has already heard about the happenings in Songjiang and knows that something has happened to your older brother, so… he doesn’t dare to use this number anymore.”

“Shit. If that’s the case, aren’t we doomed?” Old Cat cursed fearfully.

“Qi Lin, send a message over to that number,” Qin Yu took out his e-cigarette as he instructed. “Get straight to the point and tell him that Ah Long is already dead, and you’re his younger brother. You have been cornered at Special District 9, so you’re contacting him for help.”

“Wouldn’t the other party be wary after hearing that?” Qi Lin asked with a frown.

“There’s no point lying,” Qin Yu insisted. “Given how huge the matter had blown up at Songjiang, it would be safe to assume that your older brother’s friend has already heard the news. It would appear more sincere from our side if we were to speak the truth.”

“Alright then,” Qi Lin nodded in agreement. He quickly crafted a message before sending over to the number.

Qin Yu took a puff from the e-cigarette before saying with a sigh, “The rest is up to fate. If your older brother’s friend has already changed his number after hearing the news, our fate is sealed. However, if he’s still observing the situation at the moment, he should get back to us after some time.”

Old Cat put his palms together and prayed, “O’ great Buddha, as long as you allow us to contact Ah Long’s friend, I’ll offer Yuan Ke’s mother to you as a sacrifice.”

…

Two days passed, but the three brothers still didn’t receive a reply from Ah Long’s friend. At this moment, they were already feeling utterly unconfident about this lead.

In the humble abode, even the usual lackadaisical Old Cat looked incredibly perturbed. He paced around the room restlessly as he said, “I don’t think we can count on that number. If that person is really still using that phone, he should have already given us a reply by now.”

“Yeah, the situation doesn’t look too good,” Qi Lin sat on the bed with a frown. “If there’s no response after two days, it’s more likely that he’s not using the phone anymore.”

On the other hand, Qin Yu remained silent.

“We’re in great trouble if that’s the case,” Old Cat sighed in exasperation. “If things go badly, I won’t be able to get back to Songjiang anymore.”

“You’re fine, you still have Old Li covering your ass. Yuan Ke and the others won’t touch you for the time being,” Qin Yu turned around and said. “But I would really be a goner. If we can’t re-establish the supply route, I reckon that I only have two or three months more before I’m done in.”

The unnerved trio fell silent.

Di ling ling!

The ringing of a phone suddenly broke the silence in the room.

The three of them glanced at one another. Qin Yu turned to Old Cat and asked, “Is it yours?”

Old Cat was stunned for half a second before he fished out his phone from his right pocket. His lips slowly curled up in ravenous joy as he exclaimed excitedly, “It’s a new number!”

“Get Qi Lin to answer it!” Qin Yu stood up in agitation and urged Old Cat.

Qi Lin’s face broke out in joy as well. He received the phone as he exclaimed, “I told you! After how the heavens toyed with me, they have to at least show me a way out!”

After saying those words, Qi Lin pressed on the ‘Receive Call’ button.

“Hello?” a masculine deep voice sounded from the other end of the phone.

Qi Lin pressed on the speakerphone option before asking, “Are you Ah Long’s friend?”

“…!” The other party didn’t reply right away.

“You don’t have to worry, I am Ah Long’s younger brother.” Qi Lin was afraid that the other party would immediately hang up the phone, so he quickly added. “I have only used this number once, and I have never told anyone about it. I only know this number because Ah Long told me about it himself.”

“… How can you prove that you are Ah Long’s younger brother?” the other party finally spoke up.

“I am Qi Lin. I have a mother and a younger sister. My older brother, Ah Long, left home two years ago, and he has never contacted us ever since…” Qi Lin began running through everything he knew about his older brother. “He has a scar on his right shoulder, and he has the habit of placing one leg on the chair while eating…”

After hearing everything, the other party was silent for a while before asking, “Ah Long is dead. Why are you calling me?”

“Before Ah Long died, he gave me your contact number, telling me to find you when I’m cornered, “Qi Lin replied honestly. “I am a cornered man now.”

“Ah Long is dead, and his brothers have been caught,” the other party replied warily. “They might have caught onto my lead at Songjiang by now. I don’t have the time and effort to take care for other people now, so I can only wish you the best.”

“Wait a moment, please hear me out first!” Hearing the other party’s intention to hang up the call, Qi Lin immediately exclaimed anxiously. “I’m not intending to seek refuge with you. I came with a business proposal.”

“What business proposal?”

“I want to take over my older brother’s job.”

The other party was stunned for a moment before replying coldly, “Heh, your older brother told me about you. Someone of your personality can’t survive in this trade.”

“Are you certain?” Qi Lin replied with a firm voice. “Before I left Songjiang, I wreaked havoc in New Epoch Road, killing Tiger and Yuan Wei. I singlehandedly saved my younger sister from Yuan Hua’s hands. I don’t think my older brother would have been able to do better than me if he was alive.”

The other party fell silent for a long while after hearing those words before replying, “Courage and decisiveness are the basic traits in our trade, but you need to have connections to maneuver around.”

“Would the Ma Family do?” Qi Lin’s brain spun quickly as he answered. “I am in possession of the connections he had before.”

“You have come to an agreement with them?”

“Yes, I can get to Old Ma directly.”

“The Ma Family isn’t enough,” the other party shook his head.

“The nephew of the head of Black Street Sector Police Bureau is here with me right now,” Qi Lin finally revealed his trump card. Years as a policeman had given him a sharp eye for reading the situation, so he was able to accurately discern what the other party wanted. “Would that be enough?”

The other party was silent for a moment before replying very vaguely, “Wait for my word.”

“Alright.”

With that, the two of them ended the call.

…

Over at the north, in the Development District within 300 kilometers of Special District 7, a flattop middle-aged man picked up his phone and dialed a number.

Thirty seconds later.

“Hello?”