Chapter 124: Gunshots on a Snowy Night

Military strategy is never fixed, and water has no constant shape.

A drop of water at room temperature is merely water. When frozen, it becomes ice. When heated, it rises as steam. When condensed in the clouds, it turns to snow. Falling to the human world, it melts back into water.

Jin Yue stepped out of the villa’s cold storage, opened the living room door, and placed a cyan watering can beside the pansy flowerbed. She gazed up at the gloomy sky, reached out her right hand to catch a snowflake drifting from the clouds, and let it land on her forehead. She murmured, "Flying snow brings the spring breeze, swirling aimlessly through the void. Where you see flowers, they are but hidden east of the green vines. Snow falls without a sound, and without a life; then let him die."

Zhang Xiaoman, exiting the volunteer association, breathed into his hands and scanned the brightly lit street. Suddenly feeling a chill land on the tip of his nose, he tilted his head and sighed, "A lone boat, a straw-hatted old man, fishing alone in the cold river snow. With snow turning my hair white, there is little time left for me. It is time to draw the net..."

Crouched in a dark corner across from the jewelry store, Hou San took a sharp drag from his cigarette, flicked the ash from his fingers, and exhaled a cloud of white mist. Staring at a flake of soot drifting from the clouds, his eyes glowed as he said, "A timely snow promises a good harvest; damn, what a fine omen!"

Zhu Dachang rubbed the chill from the back of his neck, turned up his collar, hunched his shoulders, and rubbed his hands together. "Third Brother, it’s snowing. Let’s find somewhere with an overhang to hide; it’s freezing."

Hou San gestured toward the jewelry store with his chin, stood up, dropped his cigarette butt, and crushed it three times with his toe. He pulled a Sun Wukong mask from behind his back, put it on, and said excitedly, "Isn't there an overhang right there? Let’s go! It’s time for our harvest!"

Zhu Dachang hurriedly rose, pulled a Zhu Bajie mask from his shirt, donned it, and said in a muffled voice, "Plant one seed in spring, reap ten thousand in autumn—harvest time, harvest time!"

"Exaggerated!" Hou San gave him a side-eye, strode to the front of the jewelry store, darted his eyes around like a thief, and pulled a wire from his pocket. He inserted it into the lock of the rolling shutter, twisted it skillfully, and with a click, the shutter opened. He let out a long breath and said smugly to Zhu Dachang, "See that? Practice makes perfect. As long as you’re diligent, you can master even the most profound skills. There is no end to learning; in the future, you should focus more on improving your professional skills..."

Zhu Dachang nodded like a chicken pecking rice. He stepped over the threshold, pulled the shutter down with a bang, and promptly bumped into a wall of glass. Only then did he realize there was a glass door behind the shutter.

Hou San, also trapped between the glass door and the shutter, turned to look at Zhu Dachang, his face livid. "What are you doing?"

Zhu Dachang smiled awkwardly and defended himself, "Third Brother, I just thought it would be easier to work with the door closed. How was I to know there was another wall of glass behind it?"

Hou San took a deep breath, trying to suppress the rage in his chest. Looking at Zhu Dachang pressed against the glass, he snapped, "What are you still standing there for? Hurry up and figure out how to open the shutter again!"

Zhu Dachang gave a soft "Oh," pressed against the glass, struggled to pull his phone from his pocket, tapped in a few digits, held it to his ear, and lowered his voice to whisper, "Hello?"

"What are you doing now?" Hou San felt an immediate sense of foreboding, swallowed hard, and asked, "You aren't calling 110, are you?"

"No, no..." Zhu Dachang shook his head. "How could I call 110 in this situation? I’m not an idiot..."

Hou San breathed a sigh of relief and nodded. "You’ve finally gained a little bit of sense..."

"I’m calling 119... Hello? Hey! 119? My Third Brother and I are stuck in a door... No, not stuck in a door in our heads..." Zhu Dachang emphasized, "It’s an emergency! Please come and help us quickly! We are at..."

Hou San’s eyelid twitched. He snatched the phone from Zhu Dachang’s ear, hung up, and gasped, "Can you stop causing these damn problems? You’re driving me to a breakdown... Use your pig brain and think: is there any difference between calling 119 and calling 110?"

Zhu Dachang pouted. "There is a difference. In a situation like this, 110 can’t help. Only 119 has the tools to pry open this shutter..."

"I wasn't asking you for a lecture on the difference between 110 and 119! Calling 119 is effectively notifying 110 anyway..." Hou San stuffed the phone into his own pocket. "I’ll keep this phone for now. You just mess everything up when it’s in your hands."

Zhu Dachang looked longingly at Hou San’s pocket and gave a silly grin. "Third Brother, what do we do now? We can’t get in, and we can’t get out. Isn't this a dilemma?"

Hou San narrowed his eyes, pondered for a moment, and stared at Zhu Dachang’s backside. "Stick your butt out further."

Zhu Dachang lowered his head in embarrassment. "Third Brother, isn't that a bit inappropriate here?"

"What the hell are you thinking?" Hou San glared at him. "You’re big; stick your butt out to push the shutter out so I can open the glass door... Hurry up! If it weren't for your meddling hands, we’d be inside helping ourselves already!"

Zhu Dachang chuckled dryly and immediately did as he was told, sticking his rear high and pushing the shutter out into a small tent shape.

Hou San felt the space open up. He loosened his neck, moved to the glass door lock with his wire, picked the lock in a flash, and pushed hard, only to freeze in place.

Zhu Dachang, still with his rear pushed out and his face flushed red, shouted, "Third Brother, get in already! My butt has been stuck out for ages; I can’t hold this much longer..."

Hou San’s face shifted between blue and red. He cleared his throat and said, "This glass door pulls outward..."

"Then pull it!" Zhu Dachang groaned. "If you don't pull it, I’m going to lose it!"

"Lose what! Keep it in! I’ll find a way to open the shutter again..." Hou San turned around with difficulty, crouched down, shifted to the shutter lock, bent the wire into a U-shape, poked it outside, twisted it hard, and lifted the shutter with effort. He wiped the sweat from his forehead, patted Zhu Dachang on the shoulder, and said, "Done. Put your butt away. Every start is hard, but we’re halfway there. Let’s get in and harvest. Remember, we only have three minutes..."

Zhu Dachang breathed a sigh of relief, took off his mask to fan himself, stood straight, and nodded vigorously. "I know that. They show it in all those cop movies—once three minutes are up, the police arrive."

Hou San pulled the glass door open, rubbed his hands with a sinister grin, and said, "Three minutes. Take whatever you can. Timer starts now!"

As soon as he spoke, the two men rushed into the jewelry store, smashing the glass counters with the butts of their makeshift guns and stuffing jewelry into the prepared woven sacks. In no time, the sacks were packed full, weighing nearly a hundred pounds.

Hou San put away his gun, tied the bags shut, and gave Zhu Dachang a signal to retreat. "Greed is a recipe for disaster; stop while you’re ahead."

Just as Zhu Dachang was leaving the checkout counter, he spotted a black USB drive in the back of a drawer. Remembering that one of the two items Hou San told him to collect earlier was also a drive, he assumed it was something valuable. Without thinking, he shoved it into his pocket, turned, shouldered his sack, and ran toward the door.

Bang!

Just as they reached the door, they collided head-on with Wang Chao, who was also carrying a sack. The two bags tumbled together. Zhu Dachang lost his balance, fell onto his butt, and the makeshift gun in his trouser leg slid out.

Wang Chao was startled. Just as he was about to curse, he saw the gun sliding to his feet. He froze for a second, then snatched it up faster than Zhu Dachang could react. Looking up, he saw Zhu Dachang’s large face. Remembering his encounter in the sewer, he raised the gun, eyes wide, and growled, "You!"

"Oh, mother!" Seeing Wang Chao’s face, Zhu Dachang bolted like a frightened rabbit.

Hou San hurriedly pulled his own gun from his trouser leg and chased after Zhu Dachang, shouting, "Why are you running? You’re leaving the loot!"

Zhu Dachang glanced back at Wang Chao chasing behind Hou San, terrified. "Third Brother, he’s the one we saw kissing the jewelry store owner at the villa! He probably killed the woman in the laundry room cabinet too—he’s a real murderer! Run faster, Third Brother, he’s right behind you!"

"Then saving our lives is the priority. As long as the green hills remain, there’s no need to worry about firewood..." Hou San looked back at the cold-faced Wang Chao and couldn't help but shiver. He picked up his pace, running until they reached the small river by Guandong Street before stopping. He looked back at the pursuing Wang Chao, then down at the gun in his own hand, slapped his forehead, and gritted his teeth. "I have a gun too! What am I afraid of?"

Wang Chao stepped into the river. The chill seeped through his legs, helping him regain some clarity. His rage had clouded his judgment earlier, but now he noticed the gun in Hou San’s hand. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He tightened his grip on his own weapon, staring at Hou San with a frigid expression, standing in the river like a statue.

Hou San also stood silently, aiming his gun at Wang Chao. He glanced at Zhu Dachang hiding behind him, steadied his nerves, and his expression became firm and resolute—just as it had been all those years in the village whenever he stood up for Zhu Dachang.

The wilderness was silent, save for the whistling of the wind. The snow fell heavier, and soon, the shoulders of both men were coated in white. The river gurgled, the biting cold turning their hands a bruised purple.

Two minutes and thirteen seconds later, hearing Zhu Dachang’s teeth chattering behind him, Hou San exhaled a cloud of white mist and shouted to Wang Chao, "Brother, standing in the water on a snowy day like this isn't very proper, is it?"

Wang Chao tried to control his trembling legs and replied with equal vigor, "It’s damn well not proper!"

"I have an idea," Hou San coughed twice. "Why don't we both head back and reschedule for another day?"

"Reschedule!" Wang Chao licked his lips. "Pick an auspicious day!"

Hou San continued, "Fasting and bathing! Incense and clean clothes! You put your gun away first?"

Wang Chao shook his head. "You put yours away first!"

"How about I count to three, and we put them away together?"

"Agreed!"

"Three, two, one! Hey, hey, hey! That’s not funny, man!"

"You have the nerve to talk? The crow laughs at the pig for being black, yet doesn't realize it itself! Besides, you clearly said count to three, so why did you count backwards?"

"This time I’m serious. If we say we put them away, we have to do it together!"

"Must!"

"One... two... three, stow!"

Hou San and Wang Chao stowed their guns at the same time, exchanged a glance, said "See you later," and turned to leave.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom erupted above the heads of Hou San, Zhu Dachang, and Wang Chao.

Hou San and Wang Chao instantly whirled around, guns aimed at each other, fingers on the triggers.

Pop-pop-pop! Pop-pop-pop!

In an instant, fireworks bloomed brilliantly in the sky, while on the ground, the muzzle flashes flickered in the dark...