Part 1: A Man in the Martial World, Forced by His Own Will Chapter 181: The Mixed-Race Beauty
Bullets whizzed past me as I dove to the bottom of the river in one breath. The river wasn't very deep, only about five or six meters. I swam forward, exhausted after a night of running and another frantic dash. But with my life hanging by a thread, I had no choice but to fight for my life!
My lungs were already starting to ache from holding my breath for too long, but I knew I hadn't swum far enough! I dared not surface! On the open water, I had no cover whatsoever. If I surfaced, and if one or two of the other guys had good marksmanship, I was doomed!
The river water was extremely murky, almost black! It also had a strong stench, with a faint smell of organic oil. I knew this was the result of industrial wastewater discharge, but at least the black water was good for me at the moment. I submerged myself underwater, where the people above couldn't see me.
I held my breath for a long time, and when I finally couldn't bear it any longer and poked my head out of the water, I was already more than ten meters away from the bank. The people on the bank were shouting and cursing, but no one actually jumped into the stinking river to chase after me. After venting for a while, some people immediately ran off to either side!
I swam a long enough distance before I could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Luckily, Vietnam is located in the tropics and has a hot climate. Although I was very tired while soaking in the water, I wasn't cold... If I were in a snowy place, I would have frozen to death even if I didn't drown.
After all, I've spent a few days in Hanoi and have gained some understanding of its geography.
Hanoi is generally located in the Red River Delta region of Vietnam, and this river is a tributary of the Red River. It just so happens that I'm passing through Hanoi. I know the nearest iron bridge is quite far from here, so I'm not worried about them coming to the other side to ambush me.
The river was at least 100 meters wide, and this was the narrowest part of the river. Normally, swimming across wouldn't be a big problem for me, but now, exhausted, it was a major test of my physical strength and willpower!
Having survived numerous life-or-death struggles, my nerves have become incredibly resilient. Even though I was so exhausted I felt like I was about to faint, I gritted my teeth and persevered... I didn't want to end up drowning in a river instead of being shot to death!
When I finally climbed to the other side, my legs were as weak as noodles. I staggered a few steps and collapsed to the ground... I felt like I had used up every last bit of strength!
My left arm was numb, and I could barely feel the pain. I reeked of foul odor, my entire body was soaked in the filthy river water, and there were still traces of oil clinging to my skin. I rolled over and lay sprawled on my back on the riverbank, panting heavily like a wild dog.
I didn't dare rest for too long, only allowing myself two minutes to catch my breath before forcing myself to sit up. Those two minutes of catching my breath made me feel less stiff... I'm grateful for those years in Canada.
If I were back in China during those hedonistic days, I definitely wouldn't have the physical strength I have now. But the rigorous training I did in the auto repair shop gym in Canada helped me regain my peak physical condition.
"That woman... I wonder if she's dead or not." This thought suddenly popped into my head.
Actually, I should thank her. If she hadn't rushed out of the alley and I hadn't realized it was a trap in time... if I had walked into that alley, I probably wouldn't have been able to escape!
Based on my judgment, it's highly likely that after I left to buy medicine, the Vietnamese gang tracked me down and found the motorcycle and the woman at our hideout. Then, in order to catch me, they deliberately deployed more people around, preparing to lie in wait.
Unexpectedly, that woman rushed out at the crucial moment...
The murky river water stung my eyes. I wiped my face hard, gritted my teeth, and looked up at my arm. The bullet hole was slowly bleeding again. I ripped off my shirt, tore off a strip of cloth, and bandaged the wound on my left arm, temporarily stopping the bleeding.
I stood up again. I used the sun in the sky to determine my direction.
what to do?
I stood on the riverbank, looking at this unfamiliar city around me, and gave a helpless, bitter smile.
It's happening again... it's that same desperate, stray dog-like behavior again!
This all feels just like Guangzhou! But in Guangzhou, at least I met Fatty who helped me... But here, I'm all alone!
He touched the handbag beside him.
Thank goodness, even while I was running, I didn't throw away the bag I was carrying. Having experience in the life of a "runaway," I knew very well that money was essential when on the run!
I slapped my forehead, remembering that I had just bought gauze, cotton, and medicine in my bag. But when I opened it, everything was soaked in the filthy river water. Only the sealed medicine bottle was intact.
I forced myself to calm down, my mind racing: First, I need to find a place to change my clothes! I'm too conspicuous right now. I'm so smelly, covered in filth, and soaking wet walking down the street, I'm practically the center of attention!
First, I need to find a place to change my clothes.
Then I have to make a phone call.
I reckon Siro has already gotten off the plane! I couldn't call him while he was on the plane, but he should contact me as soon as he gets off. I bet Siro is really anxious right now. I missed my flight at the last minute, and he flew away from Vietnam alone. I bet he was worried sick on the plane.
kindness!
I took a breath and cleared my head!
First, I changed my clothes, then contacted Xiluo, and then asked him to go back and find Master Ba, and then figure out a way to get me out of Vietnam...
Before they come to rescue me, I must find a place to hide!
"Hide away..." I gave a wry smile.
Easier said than done!
This is Vietnam, after all, and I'm a stranger here. Now I not only have to hide from the police, but also from the Vietnamese mafia. I can't stay in hotels or motels because I'll be discovered very quickly… I can't even leave Hanoi! I'm sure if I dare to take a taxi or go to places like the train station, I'll definitely be found out!!
Compared to the police, powerful local gangs have a more pervasive and insidious influence!
Moreover, I'm injured. If I'm chased again, I can't guarantee I'll be able to escape.
After thinking about all this on the riverbank, I decided to walk downstream to see if I could find a place to change my clothes.
As I walked along a path by the river, I saw a small, thin person looking at me curiously not far away.
This is a boy, no more than ten years old, dark-skinned and thin, with a dirty face, holding a bamboo basket in one hand.
These must be kids from the neighborhood, coming to the riverbank to dump their trash. He looked at me curiously; I don't know how long he stood there watching me from a distance, but I guess I look pretty strange right now.
Looking at the child, a thought suddenly struck me. I quickly opened my purse, pulled out a soaking wet dollar bill, smiled at him, and waved...
Sure enough, being a child of about ten years old, he at least understood the importance of money. His eyes lit up when he looked at the banknotes in my hand…
Half an hour later, I was walking on the path in clean clothes.
The boy did indeed live nearby, less than a hundred steps from where I landed. I bribed him with a hundred dollars to go home and get me a set of clothes belonging to one of his family members. Then I found a roadside tap and gave myself a quick rinse. Although the grease was hard to wash off, at least I wasn't covered in black water anymore. The smell was still a bit unpleasant, but it probably wouldn't attract much attention unless someone came close.
The kid took a hundred dollars from me and gave me this outfit. It must have been stolen from his father when he got home. It's a bit short, but it'll do.
He went back to get his clothes and changed, which only took him five minutes, but it took me a full twenty minutes to communicate with him. I don't speak Vietnamese, and he doesn't speak English. In the end, I found out that he knew a little bit of Chinese, but only a few words, and that's how I barely understood what the other person meant.
I walked for ten minutes and came to a street. The streets in Vietnam are all very narrow; it's hard to find wide, paved roads. I looked for many phone booths, but it's clear that Vietnam's basic infrastructure is poor; many phone booths were dilapidated. I walked several streets before finally finding one. I used the change I got from a street vendor selling newspapers and magazines to try and call Si Lo. But after dialing, I discovered, to my dismay, that this roadside phone booth couldn't make international calls…
I can finally catch my breath.
If you want to make an international call, you can only look for some upscale places, such as a hotel... or... a post office?
I gave a wry smile. It's too risky. I should try to treat the wound first.
I walked along the street, head down, searching for a pharmacy...
The streets of Vietnam are dotted with tiny karaoke bars, which are essentially low-end brothels. These places are practically everywhere, and you can see their brightly colored signs on many streets, mostly featuring pictures of vulgar women. After walking around for a while, looking at these karaoke bar signs, a thought suddenly struck me…
In Vietnam, I at least know one person!
The mixed-race beauty in that upscale nightclub.
Although I know that most women in those places are unreliable, I'm desperate now, so I might as well try anything!
I rummaged through my bag and finally found the business card she had given me before she left that day...
...
Okay, let's try contacting her first, regardless of whether she's reliable or not. If she's unreliable...
I thought helplessly to myself: then I'll just have to be the bad guy this time. Ideally, I'd find her, give her some money, and hide where she is—that should be a good hiding place. If she's unreliable… I'll just kidnap her. At worst, I won't kill her; I'll just give her some money when I leave.
See, I'm not a good person; at least I didn't have any good intentions towards her.
But this is the only way I can do right now, isn't it?
It's only afternoon now. Generally speaking, girls in her profession work at night and sleep during the day. At this hour, she probably hasn't even gotten up yet. I went to the phone booth by the roadside and dialed the number on that wet, glistening business card. The phone rang more than a dozen times before someone answered.
"%%"
The voice that answered the phone was that of a very delicate young girl speaking Vietnamese, probably something like "hello" or "hello," but it was clearly not the voice of the mixed-race beauty.
I frowned slightly, then tentatively said in English, "Hello, I'm looking for..." The name on the business card was in English, and it was a bit awkward to pronounce; I guess it was a Vietnamese name translated into English.
Fortunately. The other person was silent for a moment, then seemed to say something in a low voice. After a burst of noise, the mixed-race beauty's clear voice came through: "Hello." But it was tinged with a bit of languor, as if she had just woken up.
"Hello, this is Xiao Wu." I tried to keep a calm voice as I smiled into the microphone, "Do you remember me?"
After a few seconds of silence, she immediately smiled and said, "Of course I remember." This time she spoke in Chinese. Then she asked me, "Why did you contact me? Oh, are you still in Hanoi?"
"Do you have time now?" I asked, standing in the phone booth, glancing at the passersby on either side while keeping my head down as much as possible.
"Now?" She hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "Is there something you need?"
"Yes." I smiled and said, "I plan to stay in Hanoi for a while, and I'd like to find someone to be my tour guide. Do you have time?"
"But..." the girl hesitated, "I have to work tonight..."
“I’ll pay you.” I said decisively, “I’ll compensate you for your work-related misconduct at night, double the amount.”
The mixed-race girl's voice became much more cheerful: "Oh, why did you look for me?"
"You're very beautiful," I said with a smile. "And you said you like me a lot, don't you?"
The other person was silent for a moment, then softly replied, "OK."
I immediately seized the opportunity and said in an embarrassed tone, "Oh, there's one more thing I need to trouble you with. I'm shopping alone right now, but I seem to be lost and don't know which way to go... It would be best if you could come and pick me up, okay? You can take a taxi. I'll reimburse you for the fare."
"Okay, where are you?" The gentle voice of the mixed-race beauty came from the roadside. I breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at a road sign. After all, this was the capital city, and tourism was thriving, so there were signs in English. I quickly recited the sign.
The mixed-race beauty said I wasn't far from where she lived, and it would take her about half an hour to get there. I hung up the phone and took the opportunity to look around the roadside. I found a shopping mall not far away, so I ran in to take a look. The first floor was full of tourist handicrafts, but luckily there were clothes for sale upstairs.
I glanced around and found a counter on the second floor. I bought a full set of NAKE clothing. The material was rough, so I was sure it was a counterfeit, but the oversized tracksuit would cover the gunshot wound on my arm. I also bought a baseball cap and put it on, and then found a pair of very large sunglasses on the first floor and put them on.
These sunglasses are so old-fashioned; only older people wear these outdated aviator sunglasses these days. But the large sunglasses cover a third of my face, so I don't care if they look good or not.
I found a secluded alley and waited there for a while, carefully observing my surroundings. The place I was meeting with the mixed-race beauty was right in front of a shopping mall nearby, a prominent building in the area.
I waited for about twenty minutes before I finally saw a white taxi parked there. A mixed-race beauty came out of it and stood by the roadside looking around.
I didn't rush over. Instead, I stood still and quietly observed her surroundings. Only after confirming that there was no danger did I walk over with a smile.
"Hey, hello." I patted her on the shoulder from behind. She turned around and looked at me with wide eyes: "You... ah, why are you wearing such ugly sunglasses?"
I didn't take off my sunglasses, but instead smiled and looked her over.
The girl had clearly rushed out; she was dressed simply, in a pair of cropped jeans and a tight-fitting red short-sleeved T-shirt. This outfit gave her a delicate, refined air, making her more attractive than the heavily made-up, sexy women she usually wore in nightclubs. The tight-fitting T-shirt, in particular, perfectly showcased her upper body curves—a slender waist, a full bust—exuding youthful vitality.
Seeing me looking her over, the mixed-race beauty tilted her head slightly and smiled, "What are you looking at?"
I smiled, but it was a forced smile... The gunshot wound in my arm hurt a lot. I felt pretty amazing for enduring it this long.
"Give me your bag." I glanced at the small handbag she was carrying; it was delicate and petite, but clearly not anything valuable.
"Huh?" She paused for a moment, but still handed it to me. I took the bag, took out a few dollar bills from my pocket, put them in the bag, and then gave the bag back to her.
"Here's your pay for today." I smiled.
She was somewhat surprised: "Too many..."
I just slipped her at least six hundred dollars, which is about four thousand yuan. Based on her nightclub pay of one hundred yuan an hour, even if she had customers every day, she'd have to work more than ten days to earn that much!