Chapter 16: Darkness Before Dawn (Part 1)
So it goes.
I refused to accept fate.
Monkey Drake held the gun and sighed to his men, "You've been with me for years. I'm sorry I couldn't take you further. From today, it's over. Take the cash and split it among yourselves."
His underlings looked at him anxiously.
"Boss Drake, how can we abandon you?"
"That's right, Boss Drake. We go together or not at all. After all these years..."
Monkey Drake waved them off impatiently. "Stop with the sentimental talk. If you don't leave now, you'll never get the chance. Once I'm dead, the grudge ends. Don't try to talk me out of it. If I don't die, this problem won't be solved. Rather than getting tortured and killed, I'd rather die with some dignity."
The thugs exchanged glances, then reluctantly opened car doors and grabbed bags of cash.
They headed for the exit, glancing back with every step. Monkey Drake suddenly seized me by the head, hauled me upright, and pressed the gun against my chest—firing twice.
The impact was tremendous. The force bent me double, and I collapsed to the ground.
Monkey Drake roared, "Go! Get out of here before anyone comes!"
His men finally ran. Monkey Drake sighed, aimed the gun at the sky, and fired once more.
Another gunshot rang out.
He lowered the gun and said calmly, "Stop playing dead. Get up."
I stared at him in astonishment. He walked over and patted my bulletproof vest. "Pretty thick. The cops give you this?"
I couldn't help asking, "Weren't you going to kill yourself?"
"How else was I supposed to get rid of them?" Monkey Drake said matter-of-factly. "You have to plan for the hundred percent scenario. Some of them have killed people. If I'd said I was turning myself in, how could I be sure one of them wouldn't turn on me? I wouldn't even know if I'd make it out alive."
"Did you know I was wearing a bulletproof vest? That's why you didn't shoot me in the head?"
Monkey Drake lifted his shirt, revealing his own black vest. "I wear one all the time. I spotted yours immediately. You have to suspect everyone around you. You have to live on guard every single day. The police must be everywhere outside. My guys are probably already in custody."
Sure enough, sirens wailed in the distance.
Detective Sullivan's team must have heard the gunshots and moved in.
Monkey Drake tossed his gun aside and sighed. "Unfair. I was careful for so many years, and I still ended up in this mess. What a raw deal."
I stared at him. To be that cautious and still lose—it really was unfair.
"I've been on the smuggling route that handles Victor Li's escape a few times. They take the highway south. When transporting a big client, they make sure the journey is comfortable. Only near the border do they make the client rough it and go to ground. Once you cross the border, they've already bought off the people on the other side. The client can either stay comfortably in Southeast Asia or get routed to a port and on to the West. They should be leaving any time now."
"What kind of vehicle?"
"There are three vehicles they use for VIP transport. I don't know which one they'll deploy. Two black Mercedes, one white Lexus, all with out-of-province plates. Before departure, they stay at the Grand Emerald Hotel. They wait for word from their overseas contacts. As soon as the next shift of bribed border guards comes on duty, they move—ten-odd hours and it's done."
I stared blankly at the Land Rover.
He shoved me. "Don't you want to earn credit for a reduced sentence? Why aren't you going? Beat the police to the punch!"
I scrambled to my feet and ran for the Land Rover, shouting, "Thank you!"
He smiled bitterly. "When you find Victor Li, do me a favor—run him over with your car. Or he can run you over. Either way, I'll be happy."
I rushed out of the factory. Detective Sullivan and his team were already converging on the position. He spotted me and called out, "Are you hurt?"
"I'm fine!" I yanked open the car door. "Thanks for the vest, Officer Sullivan—it works great. Just hurts like hell!"
"Good... What are you doing getting in the car? What are you planning now?"
I threw the car into gear and stomped the accelerator. "Officer Sullivan! Victor Li might be at the Grand Emerald Hotel. Out-of-province plates—black Mercedes or white Lexus. They're heading south!"
I sped off. Sullivan shouted in frustration, "Marcus Zhang, is there no end to this! Please—I'm begging you—stop causing trouble! My units are already at the foot of the mountain. They'll get there faster than you. Do you really not consider yourself a fugitive?"
"Officer Sullivan, we'll see who gets there first!"
"I'm not giving you credit even if you get there!"
"I'm not doing this for credit. I'm doing it for something that matters!"
I floored it. Sullivan grabbed his radio and barked, "Block all outbound checkpoints! Focus on out-of-province black Mercedes or white Lexus! Get to the Grand Emerald Hotel now!"
I drove out and immediately spotted Monkey Drake's underlings already in police custody.
Their cars were parked by the road, but they didn't block my path.
Officer Carter was cuffing one of the criminals. He saw me drive out and froze. "Marcus Zhang, where are you going? Don't do anything reckless! If you have something to say, talk to the police!"
"Just one thing—you protect this country, and that's honorable. My respects!"
"You already told me that last time!"
"Sorry—I didn't realize that was you then!"
I drove down the mountain, a police car hot on my tail. I decided to treat it as though they were chasing Victor Li, not me.
Thanks to the trip I'd made dropping off Tiger Lin, I knew this road fairly well. I barreled downhill faster than the police car. By the time I reached the bottom, I was navigating by GPS, racing toward the Grand Emerald Hotel.
Victor Li—I wanted to slam my fist into his face so badly.
If I didn't, I'd never be able to let this go.
When I arrived at the Grand Emerald Hotel, I found it already swarmed with people.
Just as Sullivan had said, his team had gotten there first.
But the situation was chaotic. A man with a backpack was balancing on an outdoor air-conditioning unit several stories up. His hand was wrapped in bandages, and his face was panicked—it was Victor Li.
Finally... I'd found him!
Police were at the window, and more officers below were shouting, "Victor Li, don't jump! Running won't solve anything. Cooperating with the investigation is your only way out!"
Victor Li ignored them. He scrambled furiously upward. Despite his bulky frame, he was remarkably agile, scaling pipes and clambering higher.
A residential building stood beside the hotel. In this older district, the buildings weren't far apart. I hurried into the adjacent building and sprinted up the stairs.
By the time I reached the rooftop, Victor Li had already climbed to this height and swung himself onto the roof.
He was about to make a run for it—then turned and saw me. His face went slack.
"Victor Li! You son of a bitch!"
I balled my fist and drove it straight into his nose!
His nose gushed blood. He clutched his face and toppled over. I straddled him and punched him again and again, roaring, "You lost! You lost everything, you bastard! You murdered so many people—you're worse than an animal!"
Victor Li couldn't take the beating. He tried to swing his bag at me.
I grabbed his arm and sank my teeth into his wrist. He shrieked in agony. At that moment, police officers swarmed onto the roof, shouting, "Stop fighting! Hands on your head and squat down!"
I shoved Victor Li away and grabbed his bag, ripping it open.
Sure enough—the remaining gold zodiac figurines were inside.
I clutched the bag and refused to let go. Several officers tried to pry it from me. I shook my head violently.
"I'm not letting go. I need to speak with Detective Sullivan. Have him come talk to me!"
"Stop acting ridiculous!"
"Then cuff my hands and feet. I'm still not letting go. I want to see Detective Sullivan!"
They exchanged looks, then had no choice but to cuff my hands and feet.
After what felt like an eternity, Sullivan finally arrived.
The officer said helplessly, "Captain, Marcus Zhang won't let go of the bag. He insisted on waiting for you."
Sullivan walked over and sighed. "What trick are you pulling now? Don't tell me you think catching Victor Li counts as your merit. I told you, I'm not giving you credit for this."
I panted, "How much did my wife pay in compensation?"
"One point four million."