Special District 9

The goatskin windbreaker Brother Xiao, after hearing the ringtone that rang abruptly from the alley, turned around to look at the alley as he raised two fingers up.

The two young men by the side quickly stuffed Kang-ge into the pickup truck before they took out their pistols and released the safety engagement notch.

The black jacket man looked at Brother Xiao nervously and said, “Did the person see me? I’ll be in deep trouble if that’s the case.”

“What are you worrying about? We can just get rid of him,” Brother Xiao replied as he gestured to the two young men holding guns.

Upon receiving the signal, the two of them immediately parted from one another before entering the alley together in unison.

Brother Xiao followed behind them with leisure footsteps.

The two young men advanced for around ten meters when they noticed that there was a wooden door to their left that was slightly ajar. Light was peering out from the crack of the door.

Brother Xiao licked his lips as he gestured for the two young men not to make a move yet. He carefully moved toward the door and peered through the cracks before abruptly pushing it open.

The door opened, and the scent of oil and herbs immediately drifted their way. Brother Xiao quietly scanned the inside before realizing that it was the kitchen of a small restaurant. There was a Western chef that was busy preparing a dish at the moment.

Hearing the sound, the slightly plump chef turned over and said smilingly, “The entrance is in front.”

Brother Xiao looked at the chef for a moment before he nodded his head and replied, “I got the wrong place.”

The chef turned his attention back onto his dishes.

Brother Xiao quietly scanned the inside of the kitchen, and after finding nothing amiss, he closed the door and left with the two young men.

Shortly after they left, the storage room of the kitchen opened. Inside the storage room, Qi Lin was pointing his gun at another chef as he threatened viciously, “Quietly cook your food and don’t say anything unnecessary. You wouldn’t want to get into trouble just because of your mouth, wouldn’t you?”

“I-I understand!” The chef by the stove nodded vehemently.

“Let’s leave through the main entrance,” Qin Yu kept his gun as he urged Qi Lin to move along.

…

By the alley.

While Brother Xiao was getting onto the pickup truck, he glanced at the black jacket man standing by the street and told him, “It was the kitchen of a restaurant. I reckon that someone came out to make a call earlier. You don’t have to worry.”

“That’s a relief,” the black jacket man exhaled deeply.

“We’ll contact you if there’s anything else,” Brother Xiao said. He closed the door and told the driver, “Let’s go.”

The driver stepped on the accelerator, and the group quickly left the area.

The black jacket man watched as the car disappeared by the horizon before excitedly taking out the money which Brother Xiao had just given him. Licking his thumb, he began counting the notes one by one.

…

Over at the entrance of the restaurant.

Qin Yu walked quickly with a lowered head as he said, “Those kidnappers have an insider in Platinum Castle. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to move so decisively.”

“That black jacket man,” Qi Lin quickly came to a realization, “is from Platinum Castle?”

“That must be the case. He received money earlier.” Qin Yu nodded.

“So, your intention is…”

“I’ll give Old Cat a call and get him to drive over here,” Qin Yu said as he took out his phone and dialed Old Cat’s number.

Several seconds later, the call connected, and Qin Yu immediately berated, “Are you a nitwit? You knew that we’re busy, and you still blindly called us at a time like this. You nearly got us killed, do you know that?!”

“There’s no need to blow your top. Your friend isn’t in a convenient position to pick up your call right now,” Coco’s voice sounded through the phone.

Qin Yu was stunned for a moment before he asked, “Who are you?”

“I am Kang-ge’s boss,” Coco got straight to the point. “We met in the compartment room earlier.”

Qin Yu had an excellent memory. After hearing the other party’s voice, he only had to think for a brief moment before he asked, “You are the one who came back to grab her bag earlier?”

“That’s right.”

“… What do you mean by this?” Qin Yu was a little bewildered by the current circumstances.

“When Ah Long died, we were planning to give up on our distribution channels in Songjiang. But Kang-ge, out of the goodwill of his heart, insisted on helping you all. Yet, you broke the rules,” Coco said with an icy voice. “Return Kang-ge, and I’ll let this matter off with just a leg from your friend.”

Qin Yu was stunned for a moment before he exclaimed with emphasis, “You’re really wronging us over here!”

“You know best whether I have wronged you or not.”

“Kang-ge is not with us. He has been kidnapped by someone else,” Qin Yu tried to explain. “We didn’t even manage to meet him earlier…”

“The only ones who know about the meeting time and location are you and me,” Coco pointed out coldly. “Right after you went up the stairs with your guns, a mishap happened to him. How can I trust that you are not the culprit behind this?”

Qin Yu was incredibly frustrated and indignant. He couldn’t find the words unable to convince the other party at all.

“I don’t care whether you are from the Yuan Family or the subordinates of some pharmaceutical company. If something happens to Kang-ge, I can guarantee you that I’ll have your buddy buried at a place you’ll never be able to find.”

“It really wasn’t us!” Qin Yu was nearly shouting at this point. “We came here to secure the supply route!”

Coco tapped her fingers lightly on her thigh for a moment before replying solemnly, “There’s no basis of trust between me and you. It’s very hard for me to believe what you are saying. Since you said that you have nothing to do with this matter, why don’t we meet and thrash it out face-to-face?”

“Do you take me for a fool? Would you believe my words just because I run right over to meet you?” Qin Yu scoffed in response. “If the two of us were to fall into your hands too, we would be a lost cause.”

“You won’t return Kang-ge to me, and you don’t dare to meet with me either. Do you really take me for a mere social escort?” Coco sneered in disdain. “Fine, so be it then. You should start preparing some incense paper and joss sticks to pray for your friend’s smooth passageway into the afterlife!”

“Wait a moment!” Qin Yu exclaimed with sweat trailing from his face. “Give me some time. I’ll prove to you that we aren’t the culprits behind this matter.”

Coco was slightly surprised to hear that. She contemplated for a moment before she glanced at her watch and said, “Dawn. That’s all the time I’ll give you. If you haven’t called me by then, there’s no need to do so anymore.”

After that, Qin Yu heard the sound of the other party hanging up the phone.

“What happened?” Qi Lin asked anxiously as he saw Qin Yu slowly placing the phone down from his right ear.

“Goddamnit!” Qin Yu cursed. He replied gravely, “That woman that was with Old Cat earlier was Kang-ge’s boss. She suspects that we’re the ones behind the kidnap, so she caught Old Cat.”

“Shit!”

Qi Lin kicked the nearby rubbish bin. “Why is our luck that bad? Nothing is going our way at all!”

…

On the street.

Coco sat inside a car with her legs crossed. Her chin was rested on her right hand, and it seemed like she was deep in thought.

“Boss, only the most merciless of fixers would dare to kidnap Kang-ge in our territory,” the driver said with hostility in his eyes while holding onto the steering wheel. “Since they have already succeeded, there’s a good chance that they would simply forsake their companion. Kang-ge is in grave danger!”

“There is more than meets the eye here,” Coco remarked with a slight frown. She shook his head and said, “Investigate whether Kang-ge has offended anyone else recently.”

“You are thinking of…?” the driver asked in confusion.

“Don’t ask so many questions. Just do what is asked of you,” Coco replied impassively.