Chapter 6: A Sinner's Good Deed (Part 2)
Another man was standing in the alley. He acted as though Tiger Lin's behavior was perfectly normal, gave him a nod, and handed over a set of car keys, pointing to a sedan parked nearby. Then he took the wheel of the SUV and drove it away.
Tiger Lin shoved me into the sedan and cut the engine, settling in to hide with me.
Within moments, a police car came flying down the alley. It spotted the SUV at the far end and pursued it instead, paying no attention to the sedan where we were concealed.
I barely dared to breathe. When the police car disappeared into the distance, I couldn't help asking, "Who was that driving the decoy?"
Tiger Lin was clearly impatient. He pressed the knife against my ribs: "Less talking. Where's the gold?"
He wasn't holding back—the tip of the blade was already piercing my flesh. The pain made me shudder, but I forced myself to stay calm.
I couldn't tell him.
This man was a killer. If he learned the gold had already been turned over to the police, he'd slit my throat without a second thought. Given everything I'd seen him do, the moment I pushed him too far and lost my value, my life would be over.
I swallowed the pain and said, "Why did you find my home?"
"You want to know? Fine, I'll tell you. I went hospital by hospital until I found your friend..." He gripped the knife and sneered. "That guy has a wife and kid. No matter how hard I beat him, he wouldn't talk. So I slapped his wife twice, and she was so scared she gave up your whole address."
My stomach dropped. He'd gone after Henry Wang.
The concept of leaving innocent families out of it meant nothing to him. As long as we stayed hidden, he'd spread the destruction to everyone around us.
"Tell me! Where's the gold!"
"If I don't tell you, will you kill me right now?"
"Listen to me, you piece of shit..." He grabbed my hair and ground his teeth. "This gold isn't mine—it's my boss's. He had a deal with a big client, and I'm just the delivery boy. Now because of you, my boss is furious. My sister's life is hanging by a thread because of this mess. So if you don't shut up, I'm going to cut your fingers off one by one."
"I was wondering how a thug like you got his hands on that much gold. Turns out you're just a runner. Does your boss know you two were skimming off the top? Actually... now it makes sense. Swallow Lin isn't some big buyer—you're just low-level thugs who decided to rob a customer when you could get away with it. Skimming from the boss, lining your own pockets."
He punched me in the face. "Shut up! Tell me where the gold is! My boss needs it back to trade for my sister's safety! If anything happens to her, I'll skin you alive!"
My anger flared too: "You can't cross your boss or his big client, so you take it out on me! Fine—go ahead and kill me. Let's see if your boss spares your sister!"
"You think I won't?"
Tiger Lin pressed the blade harder against my throat. But looking at his impulsiveness, I couldn't help but laugh coldly.
"What's so funny?"
"I'm laughing at a guy with no balls trying to scare me. You won't kill me. You've never been a real man. If I die, the gold disappears with me, and you can't afford that outcome."
He was breathing hard, hatred blazing in his eyes—but the knife didn't move.
An idea struck me. "I won't give you the gold. I want to talk to your boss."
"What? What game are you playing now?"
"You saw what just happened. The police were chasing me because I'm a fugitive too. I know I can't cross your boss, but right now I've got nowhere else to go. Let me meet him. You and your sister are both on the run, yet you're still living well—I'm tempted by that life."
"You want to work in our business? You? You don't have what it takes."
"I took you down twice. If you can do this, why can't I? You haven't outsmarted me—you've only had the knife. Without the knife, what are you? Stop threatening me. My life's already ruined. I'm not afraid of you."
He was speechless.
I pushed him away. "We're all fugitives anyway. Instead of fighting each other, we might as well call a truce. Just because we had beef before doesn't mean we can't work together now. Take me to your boss, and I'll hand over the gold. Then your sister can be safe too."
He hesitated for a long moment. Finally, he said: "You asked for this. I can't guarantee what my boss will do when he meets the guy who stole his merchandise."
I replied, "If I were your boss, I'd admire the man who pulled off a heist single-handedly—and I'd despise the man who lost the goods in the first place."
He punched me again. "Screw you!"
After that punch, he fell into deep thought.
Eventually, out of options, he sat in the driver's seat and pulled out his phone. "Boss, I've got the guy. He says he wants to meet you... Right... How's my sister?"
The call was abruptly terminated. He stared at the phone in bewilderment for a moment, then started the engine.
In truth, I had no master plan. I wasn't trying to infiltrate some massive criminal organization—I knew my limitations perfectly well. I simply couldn't afford to tell the truth, and I needed to buy time. The rest, I'd figure out as we went.
As for actual options? I had none. I was so nervous I wanted to throw up.
Tiger Lin drove, but instead of heading out of the city, he went deeper into the downtown core.
He pulled up in front of an office building. I couldn't help asking, "I thought you people operated out in the middle of nowhere. Why bring me here?"
"Boss is in the city."
"I get it. The boss lives it up in the city counting money, while the grunts run around the countryside taking all the risks. No wonder you and your sister had to skim off the top..." I mused. "You're criminals and you're still just like wage slaves. Why not get a real job?"
"Sharp tongue. Go ahead and say all that to my boss's face. See if he rips your tongue out."
He parked and led me into the building's ground-floor shop. The sign above the door read: Small-Amount Finance—"Pawn, Collateral, Auto Loans, Cash Advances."
The ground floor was spartan—just a large tea table. He took me upstairs, and the atmosphere immediately shifted.
The second floor was dimly lit. Even though it wasn't business hours, a group of men was waiting.
Their expressions were cold. They watched me in silence and parted to let Tiger Lin through.
He shoved me ahead of him. My heart was pounding—I had no idea what I'd say when I faced the boss. I'd just have to improvise.
I asked Tiger Lin, "What kind of person is your boss?"
"What do you mean?"
"I just hope he's reasonable. Not as bloodthirsty as you."
"Why do you think he's the boss?"
My anxiety grew. We reached the end of a corridor with a door, where a guard blocked us. "Brother Tiger, Boss Drake only wants to see him."
Tiger Lin asked nervously, "What about my sister?"
"Don't ask, Brother Tiger. It's not good. You guys really messed up this time."
"Can I at least see her? Let me go in and beg the boss..." He was practically pleading. "We've been with the boss for years. No credit, but at least some hard work. We admit we screwed up this time. Let me go in and confess, ask him for mercy."
The guard sighed, sounding genuinely sympathetic. "Brother Tiger, seriously—don't go in. Boss Drake gets annoyed just hearing your name. Swallow is having a rough time, but at least she's still alive. Don't push your luck."
Tiger Lin's face went ashen.
The door opened, and I was shoved inside.
It was a large office with a desk and a sofa. Behind the desk hung a banner with the most clichéd motivational phrase: Heaven Rewards Hard Work.
A middle-aged man sat beside the desk, toying with a wooden box. He didn't even look up. "You're the one who took my gold?"
"Yeah... I had no choice."
"You stole someone's gold, and you 'had no choice'?"
"Boss, I figure you're a reasonable man. Your people tried to rob me on the outside, and I was just trying to stay alive. I didn't even know there was gold in the car..."
I walked toward him as I spoke, and as the contents of the wooden box came into view, I stopped dead.
It was a hand.
A woman's hand.
Boss Drake pulled out his phone, took a photo of the box, and said mildly: "Yes, I am a reasonable man. I know about their shakedown. Since their hands were dirty, I took one of hers. Now her debt is paid. As for you—do you think you're worth a whole box of gold bars?"
I swallowed hard. Fear washed over me, and my words came out stuttering: "No... I'm not."
"Why did you want to meet me?"
"I'm a fugitive. I didn't mean to cross you, Boss... I can return the gold, but I want to work for you. Earn my keep."
He finally looked up. His face was gaunt and cold. "You've got some nerve, and you're bold. But I have enough men. Some circles aren't for you just because you broke the law. Tell me where the gold is, and I'll make sure you leave here safely. We go our separate ways. And if you get caught later—for your family's sake—keep your mouth shut."
I swallowed again, unsure what to do.
If I told him, he'd kill me to tie up loose ends.
But if I didn't, how would I survive this?