During this period, the guys at the repair shop were restricted from coming and going. Even the most basic necessities were only available to some people every now and then, while the others were not allowed to leave the house.
Xiluo, two other brothers, and I drove a small pickup truck and parked it at a large supermarket two blocks away from the nearest repair shop.
Today it was my turn to go shopping with Xiluo and the others. After being stuck in the repair shop for so many days, this was my first time going out. The gang conflicts outside have decreased a lot now.
We bought enough food and supplies. After getting in the car, I sat in the back. Today, Xiluo was driving.
We had just driven through a block when Ciro suddenly shouted in an excited and nervous tone, "There's a car behind us! It's been following us!"
The other two and I immediately turned around and saw a large SUV speeding past us. This car was twice our size. After overtaking us, they started flashing their taillights and slowing down, seemingly signaling us to stop...
"What do we do?" Siro hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at me.
The SUV's taillights were flashing, its speed was decreasing, and it was driving in an S-shape on the highway. It was clear that the driver was very skilled and had cleverly blocked our overtaking route.
Ciro's expression was a mix of excitement and nervousness. He looked at me with a hint of eagerness, and the other two guys in the car understood what was going on, given all the recent events.
"Are they Vietnamese?" a guy in the back row asked nervously. They were all just working at Eighth Master's auto repair shop, and apart from boxing in the underground gym, they didn't do any other work.
Everyone was looking at me at that moment.
I remained expressionless, simply pulling a glove from my jacket pocket and simultaneously drawing a gun from my waist. It was a Browning pistol. I tilted my head and said to Ciro, "Slow down, stop the car, everyone stay inside, check the situation first."
This section of the highway wasn't a commercial street, so there weren't many pedestrians or vehicles. Xiluo turned on his lights and then slowed down as well.
The two cars stopped on the side of the road, one after the other.
I could tell that Ciro and his two brothers were a little nervous, their expressions were complicated. Ciro clenched his fists and stared intently at the car in front of him.
I gently patted his thigh to signal him to relax. My other hand was holding the gun, which was inside the car door.
The car door opened, and first a foot wearing a black leather boot stepped out. Then I saw a very thin and short man get out of the car. The man was wearing a red suit, had a receding hairline, and yellow skin. He got out of the car and walked towards us.
I noticed that his hands were empty.
This discovery stopped Ciro and the others from making any unusual movements. At the same time, I tucked my gun into the inside door handle.
Bang bang...
He walked up to our car and gently tapped on the window, gesturing for us to roll it down.
Upon closer inspection, his face was somewhat round. He had a large, hooked nose. His eyes were very bright, but his balding head made me unsure of his age.
I stared at him coldly, my pistol already pointed at him through the car door. Then he lightly lifted his suit jacket lapel, a gesture that made Ciro tense for a moment, but I didn't move. I just watched him coldly… As his jacket lapel opened, my eyes immediately narrowed…
I've been here for a while now. I recognized that this guy had an ID badge with a badge hanging inside his suit.
"police?"
Xiluo and I exchanged a glance, but neither of us dared to let our guard down.
There are indeed some Chinese-Canadian police officers in Vancouver's Chinatown, but most of them are not high-ranking and they are mostly connected to local Chinese gangs.
I immediately gave Ciro a look, signaling him and the others not to move.
"Hey!" The hook-nosed policeman leaned halfway out of the car window, his tone somewhat languid, his shirt intentionally open, deliberately revealing his identification and badge.
Neither Siro nor I spoke. The guy had a complicated smile on his face, and then said to us in Chinese with a slightly strange accent, "Hello, gentlemen."
His gaze swept over me intentionally or unintentionally, as if he had discerned from our earlier exchange of glances that I was probably the leader among these people.
"Officer, is there a problem?" I looked at him calmly and said, "Were we speeding?"
The policeman shook his head. He had a smile on his face, but it was a smile that made people feel very uncomfortable: "You weren't speeding, and you didn't violate any traffic laws." Then he looked at Ciro: "May I see your documents?"
With a gloomy face, Xiluo took out his driver's license and gave it to him, then showed his ID card.
“Your identification.” The hawk-nosed man turned his gaze to me.
I smiled slightly, tucked the gun into the car door handle, and then naturally took out my ID and handed it over.
“Oh. Your visa is about to expire.” He raised an eyebrow, narrowed his eyes, and I saw a glint of shrewdness flash in them.
“But it’s not due yet, is it, officer?” I looked at him coldly.
“Oh, this is just a friendly reminder.” Hedgehog Nose chuckled.
I noticed two men standing next to the SUV in front of me, but for some reason, they didn't come over. He then checked everyone's documents, and finally, quite obviously, his interest focused on me. His eyes remained fixed on me: "Please open the trunk."
Xiluo asked, "Why? Is there a problem?"
The man with the hooked nose wasn't annoyed at all, still sporting a smirk: "It's nothing, just a check-up."
He then deliberately looked at me and said, "You've only been in Canada for a short time, haven't you? I have the right to inspect your vehicle in public because I suspect you may be carrying some prohibited items."
I glanced at Xiluo, and he silently nodded at me.
I looked at the policeman outside the window. He didn't know that I was holding a gun in one hand, on the inside of the car door. From my angle, if I fired, the bullet would definitely go through the door and hit him, and in a vital spot! A smile slowly crept onto my face as I quietly tucked the gun into my trouser leg, then calmly opened the car door and stepped out.
I opened the trunk, letting the hook-nosed man inspect it, while spreading my arms and taking two steps back.
The man with the hooked nose whistled, and his two companions immediately came over and, without saying a word, began rummaging through our trunk.
The trunk was full of food and household items, which they rummaged through one by one, throwing them on the floor and making a mess. I was getting annoyed... because they were clearly just looking for trouble. I could tell they had no intention of finding anything; they were just deliberately making a mess of our things.
For example, they would tear open bags of flour, spilling the flour all over the ground. They would also puncture rice bags with knives, letting the rice grains flow out.
I just frowned and looked at those guys coldly.
I remained indifferent, slowly pulling out a pack of cigarettes and preparing to light it, but the hook-nosed man suddenly smiled at me: "Sir, smoking is not allowed in public places in Canada. Please do not smoke, or I can take you straight to the police station!"
Five minutes later, two policemen suddenly shouted and pulled something out of the trunk, their faces bearing malicious smiles: "Something interesting."
I glanced at it; it was a paper package, and I didn't recognize the object.
The two of them pretended to open it and inspect it, even bringing it close to their noses to smell it.
“It’s marijuana!” one of them shouted. A sneer appeared on the hooked-nosed man’s lips as he looked at me: “Sir, please explain.”
I shrugged: "This isn't our stuff."
A surge of anger welled up inside me, but with more experience, I gradually learned to control my emotions. Even when anger burned within me, I maintained a cold expression on my face.
It's obvious this is a frame-up.
Just now, those two guys were checking the trunk with their backs to me. The two big men were leaning against each other, completely blocking my view. Even if they put in a bag of marijuana, or even two bags of heroin, no one would be able to see it!
"Please step back." The hook-nosed man looked at me with a smug expression.
Xiluo and the others got out of the car, but the two policemen had already drawn their guns and looked on with vigilance. Xiluo and the others were looking at me, seemingly waiting for my signal.
I thought for a second and made a decision immediately.
I've passed that impulsive phase; I won't act rashly anymore.
Although there were three policemen in front of me, and they were all armed, I was confident that I could definitely take them down. However, I wouldn't be foolish enough to kill a policeman, nor would I want to cause unnecessary trouble.
I gave a cold laugh, slowly stepped back, and then raised my hands.
A policeman immediately came over and searched me, then found my gun in my trouser leg. I gave him a cold look: "I have a license; I'm legally carrying a gun."
He didn't say anything, took my gun, and then at my signal, Xiluo and the others didn't resist and let the police search them.
"Now please come back with us for a while." The hook-nosed man smiled at me.
"Please tell me your name and badge number, officer." I said calmly.
“Jeff.” The hook-nosed man shrugged and then flashed his badge.
"Do you think this makes any sense?" I looked at him coldly. "You have no evidence; this is a frame-up." I put my hands down, took out a pair of gloves and put them on, while gesturing for Xiluo and the others to put on gloves as well.
Fortunately, it's still quite cold this time of year, so we all wore gloves when we went out.
I put on gloves: "There are no fingerprints of any of us on that package. I can go back with you for a bit, but I need to call a lawyer and let the lawyer handle these matters."
At this point, I looked at the policeman named Jeff with a mocking expression and deliberately smiled, "I am indeed new here and not familiar with Canadian laws... You don't have a law here that forbids people from wearing gloves, do you? That's good!"
Book 1, Part 1: A Life in the Martial World, Not in Control of One's Own Fate, Chapter 142: "Your Highness"
The policeman named Jeff called another patrol car. Judging from the time the police car arrived, I realized that this guy seemed to have planned this action, because a police car arrived very quickly after he made the call, obviously prepared in advance and in the vicinity.
He deliberately handed Xiluo and the others over to the newly arrived police car, while I got into his SUV.
Clearly, he separated me from Ciro and the others.
My hands were handcuffed behind my back, and I didn't know if it was legal for him to handcuff me like that. Xiluo and the others weren't around, and I didn't know anything about the laws here.
After getting on the bus, I sat in the back, Jeff sat next to me, and his two companions in front were clearly his men.
"Want a cigarette?" He pulled out a pack of 555 cigarettes from his pocket. I looked at him coldly: "Isn't smoking prohibited in public places?"
He didn't say anything, but lit one for himself first, then gestured to me, and I raised an eyebrow.
Seeing that I didn't refuse, he put a lit cigarette in my mouth and then lit one for himself.
When did you disembark?
He asked the question as if it were very casual.
"Are you taking a statement, officer?" I sneered, took a drag on my cigarette, and slowly exhaled a puff of smoke at him.
"Just chatting." Jeff shrugged nonchalantly.
"I'm sorry, I won't answer any of your questions without a lawyer present."
Jeff laughed. His laugh was somewhat strange.
“Listen up, kid!” A cold glint flashed in his eyes. “I know you’re one of Eighth Master’s men. You must know what’s been going on lately. Don’t think you can fool the North American police just because you’ve seen a few American movies back home! A lawyer! You want to talk to me about lawyers? Hmph…” He patted my face, a hint of ferocity in his eyes. “You’re a smuggler, aren’t you? Jump ship or plane? Don’t think Vancouver is like China! It’s not that easy to get by here!”
I didn't say anything. I just stared at him coldly.
Jeff was getting annoyed by my stare. He lowered his voice: "Let me tell you, I can call immigration anytime I want, and you can go back to your hometown!" He snorted: "I just need a few things! When exactly did you jump into the sea! How many people came in the same batch as you! Where are they now!"
I laughed, but just smoked. I didn't say anything.
"Don't think that 'Eighth Master' can protect you. Vancouver isn't his territory! And Canada isn't your Big Circle's territory!"
He then began to tempt me: "Give me information, and I can help you change your status. I can even help you get permanent residency, a green card, and become a legal citizen here! I can even get the police to protect you!" He laughed and said, "If you like money, the police will give you a large reward!"
I waited quietly for him to finish speaking, without saying a word or interrupting him, until he closed his mouth. Then I simply said, "Are you done?"
"..." Jeff and I stared at each other for a while. Suddenly, he smiled, his fierce and threatening expression disappearing, replaced by a peaceful smile. He then slowly took out a tiny recording device from his pocket, turned it off, and tossed it to the person in the front row.
Then he spread his hands and laughed, "Okay. I can't scare you, I admit it."