Special District 9

Little Qu was taking a puff from his e-cigarette with a restless look in his eyes. He kept looking at his watch non stop.

On the street, the screeching sound of a brake sounded. A worn-down jeep stopped at the road intersection. Inside the car, a red-faced man dialed Ol’ Three’s number and said, “I’ve arrived.”

“He’s in 307,” Ol’ Three said softly.

“Alright, got it.” The red-faced man hung up the phone. He took out a pair of surgical gloves and put it on. After that, he took a woolen cap from the back seat and placed it on his head before finally alighting from the car.

The red-faced man put the car brake down, but he didn’t turn off the engine. On top of that, the car was parked at a spacious location along the road, such that he would be able to escape from the scene immediately right after getting his target.

Once everything was in place, the red-faced man began walking toward the ‘meat shop’ with widened strides.

“Bro, are you here to play?” A young lad standing by the entrance stood up and greeted him. “The ladies are all inside. Shall I ask them out so that you can have your pick?”

“There’s no need for that. I’m meeting a friend to discuss something,” the red-faced man said with his head slightly lowered. “Where is 307?”

Hearing those words, the young lad immediately lost his interest. He settled back into his chair before he pointed to the stairway by the side and answered impatiently, “Go up and turn left. You should see it right after.”

“Thanks,” the red-faced man replied before making his way up the stairs.

Sitting inside the simple-looking counter, the young lad spat under his breath, “Miserly beggars. They can’t afford to go anywhere else so they come to my palace to talk?”

…

A dimly-lit corridor stood in front of the red-faced man on the second floor. He placed his right hand into his chest area of his shirt as he scanned his surroundings with sharp eyes.

Inside the compartment.

Little Qu was fiddling with his phone, but somehow, he simply couldn’t keep calm. After his game character died twice, he eventually stood up and cried out impatiently, “Goddamnit, why is he so slow? Is he reneging on his promise?”

Little Qu paced around his room restlessly before finally walking to the entrance and peeking through the peephole.

…

303.

305.

The red-faced man looked at the numbers on the left side of the corridor before suddenly halting his footsteps. He took out his gun and lowered it such that it was hidden behind his right leg before walking up to a door.

He was currently standing right in front of Room 307.

He first scanned his surroundings before raising his left hand to knock on the door.

In the compartment.

Little Qu looked through the peephole, but there was no one to be seen. Then, he walked away from the door to head to the toilet. Perhaps it was out of nervousness, but he had already relieved himself ten times ever since arriving here.

Dong dong dong!

It was at this moment that door knocks sounded outside.

Little Qu froze on the spot. He immediately headed back to the door and peeked through the peephole again.

“Is it Little Qu? Open the door. Brother Three is waiting downstairs. He told me to head up here to call you down!” a voice sounded from the other side of the door.

Little Qu was overjoyed to hear that. He was just about to reach for the door handle to unlock the door and open it when his body suddenly stiffened on the spot.

“Little Qu, are you inside? Open up!” the red-faced man continued shouting.

Beads of perspiration began forming all over Little Qu’s forehead, and his face turned pale. With trembling hands, he took out a long military knife from his bag.

After a short moment of silence, the red-faced man finally lost his patience. He took a step back before abruptly raising his right leg.

Peng!

Peng!

Two dull thuds echoed as the red-faced man attempted to kick the door down. Due to the impact of the kick, the lock broke and the door burst open.

The red-faced man entered the dark room, only to see that there was no one inside.

…

Hu hu!

Little Qu gasped in shock.

He wiped away the sweat from his face as he quickly grabbed his phone and put it on silent mode. At the same time, he gripped his dagger tightly with his right hand as he continued keeping an eye at what was happening in Room 307, which was opposite to the Room 306 he was in.

Downstairs.

A series of footsteps sounded as a waiter rushed over and shouted, “What the heck is going on? Who is kicking our door?”

“Fuck!” the red-faced man cursed beneath his breath as he left the compartment. He quickly walked through the corridor, and soon, he bumped into the waiter.

“Who’s the one kicking the door?” the waiter asked furiously.

“Did anyone check into Room 307 today?” the red-faced man asked as he placed his gun against the waiter’s head. A second later, he quickly added, “Did the person who checked into Room 307 reserve any other room?”

The waiter was utterly horrified by the situation he was facing. He stood there, not saying or doing a thing at all.

“Speak, or else I’ll shoot you!” the red-faced man glared at the waiter viciously.

“I… I wasn’t paying attention. I just got on shift a moment ago!” the waiter exclaimed frantically.

The frowning red-faced man assessed the waiter from head-to-toe before noticing that there was a walkie talkie by his waist. So, he immediately ordered, “Ask your colleague through the walkie talkie. Now!”

Gudong!

A dull thud suddenly sounded outside the building.

The red-faced man widened his eyes as he asked quickly, “Are there windows in the compartments?”

The waiter didn’t dare to lie to someone who was holding him at gunpoint, so he immediately answered honestly, “Even-numbered rooms all have windows.”

The red-faced man immediately ran over to Room 306. He lifted his leg and kicked it forcefully thrice.

Guangdong!

The door opened. The room was still lit, and the smell of tobacco wafted in the air. The window opposite to the door was wide open, causing a cold draft to flow into the room.

The red-faced man immediately rushed over to the window and glanced downward, only to see Little Qu limping across the street before vanishing into an alley on the opposite end of the street.

“Shit! My 1500 is gone just like that!” the red-faced man cursed.

He turned around and swiftly made his way out of the ‘meat shop’. At the same time, he took out his phone and dialed Ol’ Three’s number.

…

After three minutes later.

Little Qu ran out of an alley disheveled. It was at this moment that the phone in his pocket rang.

A look of horror surfaced on his face. He hesitated for a moment before he finally picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Brother Three, I didn’t know that you were out for my life!”

“Little Qu, is there some kind of misunderstanding?”

“I don’t think so. I can smell the scent of gunpowder from the gun of the person you sent…” Little Qu sneered coldly. “If not for me learning the ways of the streets from Old Ma over the last few years, I would have already been a cold corpse by now.”

“I sent him there to fetch you. You are thinking too much into it.”

“Brother Three, I am just a small fry. I’m begging you, please let me off. I don’t need the final payment anymore,” Little Qu said with a hint of desperation in his voice. “I swear that I’ll never return to Songjiang ever again, so please…”

“Little Qu, listen to me…”

“What else do you want to say, Brother Three?! I can tell that the friend you sent is a hitman! Don’t take me for a fool!” Little Qu exclaimed with a livid face before hanging up the phone. Then, he quickly vanished into the midst of the night.

…

In Majestic Palace Entertainment City, on the mahjong table, Yuan Hua noticed that there was something amiss with Ol’ Three’s expression, so he asked, “What’s wrong?”

“The fixer I hired didn’t manage to get Little Qu,” Ol’ Three replied fearfully. “That lad is more cunning than I thought. He told me that he checked into Room 307, but he was observing the situation from Room 306.”

Hearing those words, Yuan Hua immediately pushed over the mahjong tiles on the table and rose to his feet. Looking down upon Ol’ Three, he asked, “You messed up?”

“… Un,” Ol’ Three replied with shifty eyes.

Pah!

Yuan Hua sent a slap right over to Ol’ Three’s face, causing him to stagger back several steps. “Is your brain the size of a bean? How did someone who works in the Police Bureau like you get outwitted by a mere hooligan?!”

Ol’ Three lowered his face as he replied meekly, “These hooligans have spent years on the streets. They have found their own ways to protect themselves…”

“You are really useless trash! Is there nothing that you can do properly?!” Yuan Hua was in no mood to play mahjong anymore. He turned to Yong Dong and asked, “That lad didn’t get the final payment from us. Is it possible for him to change his mind and turn against us?’

…

In the city.

Ma Lao-er sat in his car as he told Little Liu, “Lure him out. I’ll be waiting for the two of you below.”