Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 82: I Have Become a Demon
... Now broadcasting a news update: Last night, the police conducted a surprise inspection of over two hundred entertainment venues in our city. Some locations found to be involved in illegal activities related to gambling and drugs received administrative penalties. During the inspections, eighteen women engaged in prostitution were apprehended, and a batch of controlled knives was confiscated... This action effectively purified the social atmosphere of our city...
In the early morning broadcast, the sweet voice of the news anchor echoed from the television screen. Old Cripple sat on the sofa, frowning and gripping his cane. The scenes of police raids made his eyelids twitch.
Behind him stood Small Gourd and Big Gourd, two women, while four others trembled in fear, not daring to make a sound. Those engaged in borderline businesses were inevitably swept up by the police; venues were shut down and sisters were detained or arrested—it had become a common occurrence. At times like this, a sense of desolation surged within everyone.
The world is harsh; even selling oneself has become difficult.
One of the women was Red Sister, who found this situation quite unexpected. In the past, whenever Gourd Brothers were caught, nothing significant happened to them. However, it was Lame Brother's Cangji New Village Bar that got shut down by the security team this time.
The charge was for harboring prostitution—truly unfortunate luck. A few couples conducting business in the upstairs rooms were caught red-handed by the authorities, leading to an immediate closure.
It seems that the underworld is merciless; conversely, Xiao Mu's extortionist gang not only faced no issues but also returned with several thousand yuan during the inspection.
This morning, they received notice to gather at the scene. Lame Brother waited for quite some time until several Madams arrived before he stood up. Without saying much, he instructed Big Gourd to take his bag and distribute money to each Madam one by one. With heartfelt sincerity, he simply said, "Lay low for a while; contact me by phone... As for the sisters who went inside, I'll find a way to get them out..."
"The tourist season is approaching; there’s always such an incident every year. I just didn’t expect it to happen so early this year."
"Everyone needs to keep a low profile; don’t rush into danger... Once things settle down, I’ll notify everyone to come back."
The rules of Liu Ying Guerrilla Warfare are simple: you come when I go; you leave when I arrive. Anyway, I can open for business anytime and anywhere—who can stop me?
The older women didn’t seem sad at all, but Lame Brother was indeed benevolent. The few who were touched gathered their emotions into one sentence:
"Lame Brother, no need to say more; we’ve been selling for decades and trust you."
The emotion behind those words left Old Cripple feeling downcast. However, Big Gourd seemed to catch a hint of dark humor in it, and he chuckled softly. Old Cripple, wielding his cane, swatted him aside and instructed Red Sister to send everyone away. When Red Sister returned, she pretended to scold Big Gourd, saying, "What are you doing? Don't you know Lame Brother is in a bad mood? Why provoke him?"
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I couldn't hold it in," Big Gourd replied repeatedly.
Old Cripple weighed the money in his hand while noticing the two brothers staring at him intently but not receiving anything. He casually asked, "Has Young Master Mu said anything to you these past few days?"
"Nothing at all?" Erhu Lu replied, bewildered.
"Really? He's one of Ma Ye's people. Didn't he find you a good way out?" Old Cripple inquired.
Big Gourd pondered for a moment and said, "No? Oh right, he’s been with Brother Mao for some reason. We asked him, but he didn’t say anything."
Old Cripple glanced at Red Sister with suspicion; she shook her head as well, indicating that there was indeed nothing. At that moment, Old Cripple tossed the money to the Gourd Brothers and said, "Three shares; one share is for Xiao Mu... Take it easy for a few days. This time luck is on your side. If it were any other time, you would have already been detained. I would have had to send someone to pay your food expenses in the detention center."
This was meant to unify their efforts to avoid trouble—at most ten days to a month, or at least a week—essentially equivalent to a vacation for underground workers. The two happily tucked the money away. Erhu Lu asked, "Lame Brother, are you saying our business is over?"
"It definitely has to be over. Are you going to charge headfirst into danger? The whole city is being swept clean; they’re targeting people like you who have no background," Red Sister scolded.
"Got it. We'll play for a couple of days and then come back," Big Gourd said nonchalantly.
"Go on... just go," Old Cripple said as he glanced at the three of them before sinking back into the sofa with a sense of melancholy. The three then left Lame Brother's home together.
After hesitating for a long time on the sofa, Old Cripple finally pulled out his phone and dialed a number lazily informing the other party:
"No leaks; my lips are sealed... That kid is sharp enough; as soon as things got suspicious, he ran off. What terrible luck! He even got my shop shut down..."
On the other end of the phone, a burst of raucous laughter echoed.
Ma Yubing was the one laughing, and when he hung up, his stomach hurt from all the chuckling. He was sharing a laugh with a familiar small-time boss, Golden Treasure. Just then, Black Steel walked in carrying a black plastic bag and curiously asked, "What's going on, Ma Ge? Why are you laughing like that?"
"Haha... you wouldn't believe it! Last night, they cracked down on illegal activities and shut down Old Cripple's place," Ma Yubing said, unable to contain his joy.
Black Steel laughed too. Old Cripple was always in hot water; a significant portion of his earnings went straight to the government. He jokingly asked, "Lame Brother has had his fair share of trouble over the years. Let him retire already! But come on, Ma Ge, you don't have to laugh this hard."
"Haha, I haven't even finished! While Old Cripple's place got shut down, Xiao Mu and the Liuying Guerrilla Team were out there collecting money! Haha, what kind of situation is this? The old-timers can't keep up with the newcomers," Ma Yubing continued to chuckle.
The name Liuying Guerrilla Team was self-proclaimed by Xiao Mu. After hearing this, Black Steel was stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter again.
Young Master Mu, who had taken on an additional job, hadn't given up on his skin trade. In just a month, his operation had grown significantly; even seasoned players on the streets were starting to recognize the name Liuying Guerrilla Team. It was just a bunch of washed-up prostitutes who banded together to extort money—yet they were surprisingly effective at it, making those involved in legitimate skin trade envious and even prompting some to imitate them.
As they joked around, Black Steel placed a bag of items on the table. This was serious business. Laughing, Ma Yubing opened it up and poured its contents onto the table. He gestured for Black Steel to close the door and looked at the twenty-some items piled before him. He casually picked one up—a watch—and was taken aback. He raised his hand and asked, "Are you sure? The market price is up to 200,000?"
It was an old leather watch with a yellowed face. Black Steel replied, "No doubt about it. Xiao Mu said that in the eyes of collectors, the older it is, the more valuable it becomes. This vintage Rolex isn't valued for its brand but for its age."
"Not bad! How did this freak come to know about baseball cards? They can sell for eighty thousand... If it were us, we would have thrown them away ages ago," Ma Yubing exclaimed in astonishment as he held up a pile of items. There were so many good things that he wished he had more eyes to see them all.
He waved his hand dismissively as Golden Treasure took his leave. Black Steel grabbed his phone and prepared to take pictures while saying with a grin, "For us rough guys to know so much... Mao Ge will be grinning from ear to ear! Making tens of thousands from one shipment is nothing... I'll take some photos now; this time we have a solid price quote so we won't end up selling good stuff cheap again. By the way, Mao Ge asked if there’s any news."
Ma Yubing patted the table and said, "No, he's tight-lipped. A smart person like him should know the stakes."
"Brother Mao said we need to keep a close watch; we can't let anything slip," Black Steel replied.
Ma Yubing scoffed, "Mourning Hair is just a dog. If you don't help him, he'll bite you. If you do help him, he'll still bark at you... What could possibly happen? This plan was designed by Brother Five. Don't even think about letting anyone investigate; even if you tell someone directly, they won't believe him!"
Black Steel chuckled, glancing at the photo on his phone. He snapped another picture and said, "Exactly. Compared to us, Brother Five is a master. By the way, it's been a while since Brother Five came around. What’s he been busy with?"
"Fine wine and beauty, of course. What else could he be busy with? That's what life is about. We’re just stuck here working our butts off; we can only call that survival," Ma Yubing replied with a smile.
The phone rang, and seeing it was Mourning Hair, he answered. They chatted casually, but the main topic remained on Young Master Mu. From the tone of Mourning Hair's voice, it was clear he was still uneasy and wanted someone to investigate Young Master Mu's background. Ma Yubing readily agreed.
Black Steel hesitated for a moment, realizing that this outsider had unwittingly become the focal point. To investigate meant he would be brought into play again.
His hand trembled slightly as the photo blurred; he quickly adjusted and focused on the contraband for another shot.
The photo was uploaded to a cloud storage service.
He didn’t know how many people had received the password or how many would pay attention to it. In truth, this was an industry secret; the Underworld was keeping pace with the times. The Ghost Market that had disappeared from the city had actually gone online and become virtual.
Moreover, it had become more convenient. Just then, the phone rang again; the buyer had already seen it. Ma Yubing took the call and waved his hand dismissively as Black Steel discreetly exited...
Xiao Mu opened his eyes in the afternoon, awakened by a series of text message alerts from Big Gourd. The messages were alarming: Erhu Lu had been captured, Red Sister had been captured, and Lame Brother had also been taken. The police were out searching for the core members of the Liuying Guerrilla Team. The memory of last night's raid was still fresh in his mind, and it jolted him awake. As he sat up and scrolled down, he found a cheerful closing line:
"Scared, Wood Master? I forgot to send this on April Fool's Day, so here it is now."
Damn, this guy even knows how to joke around. Furious, Xiao Mu tossed his phone aside and burrowed back under the covers, but it was clear that sleep had eluded him. After lying there for a while, he decided to get up and wash up, preparing for another day.
He noticed the change in himself when he caught a glimpse in the mirror. The transformation was striking; he stared blankly at his reflection. His hair had grown long and was styled to one side, while a fine layer of beard had thickened along his jawline—he couldn't be bothered to shave. His skin had darkened from the sun, and he looked significantly more melancholic.
Yes, he had changed a lot; he was no longer the carefree youth he once was. Back then, he used layers of hair gel and face masks multiple times a day; now he hardly had time to think about such things. He finally understood the grind of daily life and felt the driving force behind being a criminal.
Survival and instinct.
After losing everything, there was no choice but to hustle—whether it was running errands or pulling a cart. Just like being summoned by Mourning Hair to distribute goods; it was something he had to do, with no room for refusal. The lower strata of society resembled a massive whirlpool, constantly swallowing those who took a wrong step.
So, I cannot afford to make mistakes.
He quietly dressed in a white shirt and jeans—a clean and simple outfit that leaned towards androgyny, neither flashy nor shabby. After leaving the bathroom, he grabbed his phone and the room keycard. Each day brought a different place to stay; it wasn’t intentional; he simply didn’t know where he would end up the next day.
Stepping out of his hotel room, he contacted Big Gourd as he walked. To his surprise, Big Gourd and his crew were already waiting for him. They informed him that they were currently dealing with some family matters and urged Xiao Mu to hurry over.
Those two must be up to something again. Xiao Mu hailed a passing cab. Having spent enough time with the Gourd Brothers, he knew them well—they were restless troublemakers who couldn’t go three days without a fight. They were just a couple of rascals he'd known since the beginning; an inexplicable bond had formed among the three of them, especially with how obedient the two were towards Xiao Mu, giving him a sense of accomplishment as their leader.
He rushed over to New Village, arriving at a residence on the west side of town—a typical rental place where only the sky could be seen from the courtyard below. A crowd had gathered around, and all that could be heard were loud slaps echoing through the air. Upon his arrival, a group of small-time thugs in Cangji automatically parted ways for him. As he stepped into the center of the commotion, sure enough, it was the Gourd Brothers in action again—whenever they fought, they stripped down to their bare skin, their bodies covered in graffiti-like tattoos paired with fierce expressions that intimidated anyone else from retaliating.
The one being beaten was a Jiangxi person, and the group of fellow villagers living upstairs had been completely subdued by the Gourd Brothers. They were taking slaps to the face without daring to fight back.
"Stop it... what are you doing?" Xiao Mu scolded.
Big Gourd grabbed someone and said viciously, "This kid stole that trick from us. Damn it, he even learned to post ads to swindle money... What do you call that?"
"Plagiarism," one of the thugs, who had some education, reminded him.
"Right, plagiarism." Erhu Lu slapped the guy and cursed, "This is worse than cheating our brothers... Speak up, what should we do?"
With a thud, the Jiangxi person fell to his knees in front of Xiao Mu, crying and begging not to be hit anymore. "Wood Master, I won't dare again... we won't post anymore."
Xiao Mu remained silent. The man’s shifty demeanor gave him no good impression. Big Gourd kicked him and cursed, "Stop pretending to be innocent. How much did you take from Cangji? Spit it out... or I'll ruin your means of making a living."
With that curse, Erhu Lu brandished a metal pipe near the man's neck. The beaten guy held firm and refused to speak. The fellow villagers on the third floor glared angrily but didn’t dare step in.
"Stop it, stop it..." Xiao Mu raised his hand, silencing the ruckus. He squatted down and looked at the bruised man, politely asking, "Do you need me to handle this? Either I handle it or you settle it with them."
The man stammered a few times and crawled in front of Xiao Mu, ingratiating himself. "Wood Master will handle it."
This handsome guy was none other than the recently rising Young Master Mu, who had always won people over with his virtue. Outsiders wouldn’t dare provoke these local bullies.
"Who led this? Step forward... was it you?" Xiao Mu asked. The man glanced sternly upstairs but when he lowered his head, he admitted it was himself. Xiao Mu chuckled lightly and said, "Oh wow, you guys really have no backbone. You get scared just from a fight and still want to snatch food from the tiger's mouth? The ones who came up with the ideas don’t even dare show their faces; what do you expect to accomplish by banding together?"
"It was me..."
As the words fell, someone stepped forward, coming down from the upper floor, glaring at Xiao Mu with resentment. "Your names aren't even written on the Territory. Why do you think you can beat us up just because we're trying to do a little business?"
He was a man in his thirties, with rough hands and a dark, thin face. It seemed he had resorted to this desperate measure to change his hard-working life. Xiao Mu slowly rose, staring at him for a while before speaking leisurely, "No one is stopping you; you can continue your business... and you can even expand. We could withdraw from all the hotels around Zhengmin Road. Are you interested in taking over everything?"
The man was taken aback, unable to grasp the situation. He scoffed, "It's not your business; what do you have to hand over to me?"
"But as long as we are here, you won't be able to do well or grow big. And driving you away would be easy for us; wouldn't you agree?" Xiao Mu replied.
With numbers on their side, the Gourd Brothers had gathered over thirty people, and their visibly weaker opponent hesitated, knowing they couldn't match the other side's strength.
In that moment of hesitation, Xiao Mu employed the same tactic again, extending his hand. "Five thousand dollars; this entire area is yours. We'll move our business elsewhere—it's just symbolic. If you do well, you'll earn much more than this in a day."
"Are you serious?" the man asked in surprise; this price was quite reasonable.
With a rustling sound, Xiao Mu pulled out a stack of cash from his pocket and tossed it onto the ground with a thud. "This little business isn't even worth my attention, but if this continues with all the fighting and noise, once it reaches the Striped Uniforms, no one will come out unscathed... So how about this: I give you ten thousand to pack up and leave?"
After a brief moment of contemplation, this unconventional approach proved effective. The man hurriedly asked his companions to pool their money together and soon handed a stack over to Xiao Mu. Xiao Mu pocketed his share and casually tossed the money given by the man to his subordinates. "You heard that? Split this amount and disband. No one is allowed to trouble them."
The crowd of ruffians' eyes lit up at the sight of money as they surrounded the Gourd Brothers to divide it up before roaring away. The Gourd Brothers walked off without taking a cent for themselves, swaggering confidently. Those who had "plagiarized" this extortion idea finally breathed a sigh of relief; the plague had been sent away, and opportunities for profit were on the horizon. They quickly printed small advertisements and planned for that bleeding-nosed fellow to bring his wife along for work that night.
Was it really that easy?
Certainly not. Back at the restaurant, the Gourd Brothers were secretly amused. They had just scammed those fools out of some money and saved on dispersal fees. The two laughed heartily, their bodies jiggling with mirth as they handed over the money they had received from Lame Brother to Xiao Mu, adding an extra two thousand on top.
Local snakes have this advantage over outsiders; they know how to keep a low profile. Red Sister, who had come along for the feast, was also chuckling, saying that this fool had learned well. If they continued down this path of bravado, it would surely lead them straight to jail. Those outsiders were really pent up trying to extort in hotels; within days, that business would go under.
Xiao Mu was laughing as he ate his vegetables, pondering that this was precisely the brilliance of Old Cripple. It was no wonder that this underground worker paid more attention to the news broadcasts and local news than anyone else; whenever there was even a hint of trouble, he would be the first to make a run for it.
In the world of the rivers and lakes, one must be observant and attentive to all directions. Unfortunately, this time he hadn’t escaped smoothly. Red Sister said, “Lame Brother has arranged for things to calm down for a while. With May Day approaching, every year around this time, we have to suffer because of the city’s image as a civilized tourist destination…”
“Lame Brother’s political sensitivity is quite strong,” Xiao Mu remarked with a smile, but then he quickly composed himself, realizing that Gourd Brothers probably wouldn’t understand this joke.
As expected, Big Gourd chimed in, “Forget about that useless stuff. Once the crackdown starts, it’s like we get an extended holiday. Where should we go to have fun?”
“Why don’t you take it easy for a couple of days? That little bit of money isn’t enough for you to mess around for long,” Red Sister reminded him.
“Oh come on, Red Sister! You know I’ve never been this rich before!” Big Gourd exclaimed excitedly, patting the more than ten thousand yuan in his pocket.
He was the type who couldn’t sleep soundly when he had money in his pocket. Erhu Lu was similar; he cheerfully said, “Oh my, I have so much money that I don’t even know where to spend it… Come on, I need to toast Wood Master! In my whole life, I’ve never been this well-off!”
“I’ll toast too… Wood Master, come back to the gourd with me! Let’s find a couple of girls from Northeast China; those big-breasted Ruhua are just delightful!” Big Gourd sincerely invited.
The two of them made Xiao Mu and Red Sister burst into laughter. Xiao Mu put down his cup and suddenly remembered that he didn’t even know what these two were called. When he asked, Big Gourd introduced himself as Hu Yiming and Erhu Lu as Li Xiaoyong. This answer disappointed Xiao Mu, who chuckled and said, “I thought you two were really brothers!”
But they did resemble a pair; Big Gourd had tattoos of dragons and tigers on his arms while Erhu Lu didn’t want to be outdone—he had not only dragons and tigers but also a cow tattooed on his belly. This often led to funny situations where he would boast while pointing at his groin: “Look, how impressive!”
Red Sister laughed and explained, “Mu, these two were picked up by Lame Brother from a shelter. I must say I admire Lame Brother’s eye for talent; with them around, they can make even the police officers laugh and cry at the same time.”
She recounted how last year at the end of the crackdown on prostitution, the two brothers had been caught while keeping watch. They shouted their innocence: “Police uncle! Why are you arresting us? We’re just blowing our own horns here; what does that have to do with prostitution?”
As they reminisced about old times, the two brothers remained unfazed. Big Gourd told Xiao Mu, “We’ve shared a roof together.”
"Classmates... who are you fooling? Didn't you just finish elementary school? You haven't even graduated," Xiao Mu said, puzzled.
"The iron bars of the window," Erhu Lu reminded him, leaving Xiao Mu momentarily speechless before bursting into laughter. He replied, "We’ve both gotten into trouble together; does that mean we can call ourselves colleagues now?"
"Aren't we all colleagues?" Big Gourd chimed in. "Hey, Red Sister, why don’t you come with us back to Gourd Island? My brother and I can find you an Old Man. You look like you're suffering from hormonal imbalance with your age and fading beauty."
The two of them managed to make their older sister blush with anger. Red Sister, both amused and exasperated, turned to Xiao Mu and said, "With these two around, if it weren't for you, I wouldn't even know how many times I've been inside."
They might tease others, but they held great respect for Xiao Mu. As they took turns toasting him during their farewell dinner—still unsure where their next meal would be—Xiao Mu, after a few rounds of drinks, looked thoughtfully at the group. After a long silence, he suddenly said, "Actually, there's no need to run away. Why are we so anxious?"
"You haven't seen the situation; we're all on the police blacklist. Whenever there's a meeting, they always lock us up first. We can't go anywhere," Big Gourd explained.
Erhu Lu added, "Exactly! What do we have to do with civilized cities? They always cause us trouble."
"Where there's a mountain, there's a way; where there's water, there's movement. Can't we do something other than Skin Trade? Have you ever thought about diversifying?" Xiao Mu asked.
Oh, now they were intrigued; the two brothers perked up their ears. However, Red Sister's eyelids twitched as she asked directly, "Mu, what kind of business does Mao Ge have? Why don't you pull us in so we can do something together?"
"No, no, no! You've misunderstood. How much can you earn working for someone else? What I mean is that you should be your own boss and find your own opportunities. You can't just keep following others without any ideas of your own," Xiao Mu countered.
Big Gourd looked at Erhu Lu's foolish expression and sincerely said, "Honestly, we really don't have any ideas. What do you suggest?"
"Let me think... let's do something that's not too hard or tiring but guarantees profit—something that won't get us in trouble with the police. How does that sound?" Xiao Mu proposed.
Big Gourd's eyes rolled in disbelief as he said, "Are you kidding us? It sounds like you're talking about being a civil servant."
"That can't be right. With our skills, being a civil servant would be a waste," Erhu Lu scoffed.
Red Sister couldn't hold back her laughter and started coughing. This pair of lively brothers could be given any task, but don't expect them to discuss matters seriously. She turned to Xiao Mu and asked, "So, are you planning to do this on your own?"
"No, what I mean is, you all... can definitely do it yourselves," Xiao Mu replied.
Us? The three of them were stunned, their expressions blank, as if they had never considered this possibility before.
"Don't just think about the business of the lower half; there's also the life ahead of you. Sometimes trying to change things up can lead to surprises... If you don't become independent, you'll always live in someone else's shadow. Do you understand?"
Xiao Mu spoke from the heart; this was his deepest realization after a series of events. Even the most undesirable business was more justified than asking for money from your own father.
Unknowingly, the once Young Master Mu had changed significantly. The calmness and confidence in his words carried an undeniable strength; his determined expression and smile showed that the confusion and despair of the past were gradually fading away.
Unfortunately, it seemed like his words fell on deaf ears. The three simply stared at him blankly, waiting for orders to act...
Well, it's officially launched now. This book has had its ups and downs; Lao Chang finds it hard to write, so I ask everyone to subscribe more. This book has been free until now, and for those who wish to support Lao Chang, please temporarily delete this book from your client and then re-download it for a full subscription. Thank you very much.
Comment 0 Comment Count