Chapter 152: Hello There (First Update)

Just as a dog likes to rest its chin on the windowsill while waiting for someone to return, people do the same.

Thirteen minutes and fourteen seconds after Zhu Dachang left the hospital room, Hou San had been pressing against the windowpane, watching a heavily loaded tricycle piled high with natural gas tanks rattle past from front to back, then left to right.

After finishing his seventh cigarette butt, Hou San exhaled a final, heavy ring of smoke, let out a long sigh, and walked over to the hospital bed. He lifted the sheets, pulling out two homemade firearms hidden underneath, and shoved them down each leg of his trousers. Dragging his injured leg—which had taken a bullet to the knee—he turned and headed out of the hospital room.

Hou San had once heard someone say that to the person who leaves, it is they themselves who are doing the departing. He had thought about it seriously just now, and realized he didn't actually want to leave Zhu Dachang behind. Without him tagging along, that foolish, plump fellow wouldn't even be able to find his way home. After all, it was he who had brought Zhu Dachang out here, so it was only right that he bring him back. Whatever one starts, one must finish.

Besides, a man cannot carry two guns. Even if they were about to part ways, he should at least give one of the homemade pistols to Zhu Dachang for self-defense; only then would it be fair.

By the time Hou San limped out of the room, a man in a gray jacket pushed the door open, glanced around the empty space, and rummaged through the bedside cabinet and the bed itself without finding a single thing. Frowning, the man stepped back out into the hallway, sat down on a bench, and muttered with an icy glint in his eyes, "You can run from the monk, but you can't run from the temple!"

Hou San had no idea the man in the gray jacket was looking for him. The reason he hadn't crossed paths with the man upon leaving was that he had suddenly veered down the corridor toward the restroom to take a piss. He had once heard that if you drain some of the water from your body, the tears won't fall.

Nature calls when it must. Once he finished urinating, Hou San felt his entire body relax, and the urgency left him. Since Zhu Dachang was waiting for Zhang Xiaoman, he probably hadn't left the hospital yet. Furthermore, judging by his earlier remarks about helping settle the medical bills, he was most likely waiting in the main lobby closest to the payment counters.

Having figured this out, Hou San glanced at the wall clock by the nurses' station. Pondering for a moment, he fished out the last crumpled banknote from his pocket, leaned against the wall, and walked over to the vending machine. He bought two cups of instant noodles and a single sausage, made his way to the water dispenser by the nurses' station to fill the noodles with boiling water, unwrapped the sausage, and snapped it into two equal halves. He was about to drop them evenly into the two bowls when his lips twitched, and he tossed both pieces of sausage into a single bowl. Carrying a cup in each hand, enduring shooting pains with every step, he made his way toward the lobby.

The world is full of unpredictable turns. When fate brings people together, neither mountains nor seas can bar their way; but when fate comes to an end, they cannot meet even if they are standing a hair's breadth apart. Just as Hou San's leading foot stepped into the hospital lobby, Zhu Dachang's trailing foot vanished around the corner of the corridor on the opposite side.

Some people say the earth is round, so even those traveling in opposite directions will eventually meet. In reality, however, the road is long, and one might spend an entire lifetime without ever crossing paths.

The hospital, on the other hand, was square. Thus, following Yang Wei through the labyrinthine corridors of the building, Zhu Dachang looped around and caught sight of Hou San's hospital room from the opposite end, along with the man in the gray jacket sitting on the bench.

"See that? Was I lying to you or not?" Yang Wei adjusted his sunglasses, lowering his voice. "That man is here to get revenge on you lot. He's vicious to the core. You know about those major cases recently? He did every single one of them... There was a nanny, out in a suburban villa in City A—they carved out her heart, liver, spleen, stomach, and kidneys, and hacked her into three hundred and sixty-five pieces..."

"It wasn't a nanny," Zhu Dachang said, his face turning pale as he stared at the man in the gray jacket. He recognized him, and the recognition only heightened his timidity. "The nanny was that rotting corpse they turned into beggar's chicken."

Yang Wei blinked. "Is that so?" He gave a light cough. "Well, it seems you know even more about this than I do, brother. That's why I'm telling you, getting mixed up in this kind of business is extremely dangerous. Even though we had a bit of a minor grievance between us before, it's not like we need to fight to the death. As long as you hand the thing over to me, everything in the past is wiped clean. I can even give you a sum of money... Think about it: either you fight a life-or-death battle with that ruthless lunatic, or you take my money and live a carefree life. It's an easy choice to make."

Zhu Dachang pursed his lips, rolled his eyes, and sighed softly, "Third Brother always said that fights lead to friendship, and some bonds are forged through blows. I suppose we can be considered friends now. Logically speaking, this choice should be easy, but there's just one problem..."

"What problem?" Yang Wei patted his chest. "I can help you solve any problem you've got. You might not realize it, but even though my hometown is in Lvteng City, I've got connections here in City A. People from the Southern Realm don't deceive people from the Southern Realm!"

"This is one problem you really can't solve," Zhu Dachang said, poking his fingers together with an embarrassed look on his face. "I'd love to give the thing to you, but unfortunately, there's just no way I can do it right now..."

"Not on you? It's with your Third Brother? Well then, we need to plan this out properly. Three against one—no matter how savage that guy is, our odds of winning are huge!"

"No, no. The thing is on me, I just can't give it to you right this second."

"Is it hidden in some... private part?" Yang Wei cleared his throat. "It's fine, we can go to the restroom so nobody sees us. If necessary, I can even help you fish it out."

Zhu Dachang scratched his head. "I do have to go to the restroom to get it out, but it might not come out just like that. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, or even the day after."

"Brother, that's not playing fair," Yang Wei said, his expression turning cold. "I'm genuinely looking out for you and Brother Hou, which is why I'm willing to take this hot potato off your hands. After all, no matter how lawless that guy is, he wouldn't dare touch me... Yet here you are beating around the bush and playing stalling tactics. Don't you see the fire is already licking at your heels? Time is your Third Brother's life!"

Zhu Dachang rubbed his own round belly and said, "I know, I know. But there's really no way I can hand it to you right now. I have to wait until I shit it out."

"What!" Yang Wei's face stiffened. "You mean..."

"That's right, exactly what you're thinking," Zhu Dachang nodded heavily, explaining, "When we were eating instant noodles last night, Third Brother accidentally dropped the thing into my bowl, and I drank it down along with the broth. I've been trying hard to push it out ever since this morning, but nothing yet... I suppose even shit has to wait its turn in line."

Yang Wei gave Zhu Dachang a long, deep look, a cold sneer playing at the corners of his mouth. "That really is a difficult problem to solve. Looks like I'll just have to solve the person who presented the problem first!"

Zhu Dachang took a cautious step back, his eyes widening as he put on a fierce dog-like expression, pretending to fumble for a weapon in his trouser leg while putting up a bold front. "Hey, hey, hey! Think this through carefully. I've got a gun on me!"

"Stop putting on an act," Yang Wei sneered. "When you were sleeping in the lobby earlier, I already sneaked a look and figured it out—you don't have a gun on you at all. So this isn't three against one anymore; it's two against two! Well... to be precise, it's two against one and a half. You're the one who needs to think clearly. You can run, but what about your dear Third Brother? Even if he has a gun, his knee is blown out. When the time comes, he'll just be meat on a chopping board, waiting to be carved up!"

Zhu Dachang clenched his fists, knitted his brows, and said angrily, "You dare lay a hand on my Third Brother? Ask my fists if they agree first!"

Yang Wei rolled his neck to loosen it up. "Didn't you know I know kung fu? Are you always this reckless? And besides... haven't you ever heard that two fists are no match for four hands?" He gave a heavy cough and shouted toward the man sitting on the bench, "Wang超! Stop dozing off, the guy you're looking for is right here!"

Wang Chao, sitting on the bench, jerked his head up, slowly twisted his neck to look at Yang Wei, and then spotted Zhu Dachang standing beside him. A wide grin split his face, revealing two rows of gleaming white teeth as he raised his right hand and waved it from side to side. "Hello there!"