The driver opened his money bag and counted the money. There were more than two hundred Hong Kong dollars and more than two hundred mainland banknotes in the bag. In those days, one mainland banknote could be exchanged for more than three Hong Kong dollars, with a total value of about one thousand Hong Kong dollars, which was equivalent to almost half a month's income for him, but he was not satisfied.
He judged that Li Ling was scared and wanted to settle things peacefully, so he stretched out his hand and continued to extort money: "The bigger the guy, the more fare you'll pay! And all your money, take it all out, not a single coin left."
Li Ling patiently reasoned with him: "Boss, my family is poor and I didn't bring any money with me, otherwise I wouldn't have needed to flee to Hong Kong! Leave some room for maneuver, being able to get something out of me is already enough, don't go too far!"
"Stop talking nonsense!" The driver ignored Li Ling and threatened, "Take out all your valuable jewelry, or I'll drive this car to the police station! Open your backpack too, I need to check it!"
"Are you sure you want to rob me?" Li Ling hugged the leather bag tighter to his chest.
"I'll take you to your coffin! If you dare say another word, I'll not only take you, but I'll also chop you up!" The driver jumped up, pulled a fish-cleaver from under his seat, and pointed it at Li Ling, increasing the threat's intensity.
"Don't be impulsive! Boss, I'll pay you, I have tons of money!" Li Ling immediately pulled on his backpack, but stopped halfway through. He reached inside and pressed something, and the conversation from before could be heard coming from inside the bag.
...
"Driver, this is extortion!"
"So what if I am? You're not happy? Call the police and have me arrested!"
...
Are you sure you want to blackmail him?
"I'm going to blackmail him! What can you do about it?!"
...
Are you sure you want to rob me?
"I'll kidnap you and take you to your coffin! If you dare utter another word, I won't just kidnap you, believe me, I'll chop you up!"
...
The driver was stunned for a moment after hearing this, then flew into a rage and shouted, "You have a tape recorder? You bastard, you dare to frame me!"
Li Ling didn't back down and returned the favor with a cold look, his tone mocking: "So what if I schemed against you? Not happy? Call the police and have me arrested!" He returned the sentence to the other party.
"Give me the tape recorder, or I'll kill you today." The driver's face was contorted with rage, veins bulging, and his skin, wrinkled by the sea breeze, was flushed red.
"It's not that I'm looking down on you, but you don't even have the guts to kill an ant." Li Ling's sarcasm was blatant. "You dragged me to the police station to rob me. When it comes to being brain-dead, you're unparalleled."
What does "brain-dead" mean? The driver seemed to understand, but he didn't have the energy to dwell on this unfamiliar term. When he saw Li Ling reach for the car door and open it a crack, he panicked.
Li Ling had already taken the initiative. With one foot on the ground, he looked at the driver and said calmly, "Give my brother his money back. If you don't, I'll go to the police station to submit evidence right away. I won't suffer any hardship, but you're dead. We can see who ends up worse off."
The driver's fierce gaze instantly crumbled, and he reluctantly gave in, throwing the money bag into Lin Baozai's arms. "I admit defeat today. Get off the bus."
Li Ling didn't move, pointing at the tear stains on Lin Baozai's face: "You scared my little brother to tears, so you have to pay him another thousand yuan for emotional distress."
Lin Baozai hesitated, wanting to say that he was in good spirits and didn't need to pay, but seeing Li Ling's imposing manner, he didn't dare to say a word.
The driver's anger vanished, and he softened his tone, saying, "You can make me pay, but you must destroy the tape recorder first."
"You're not going to pay, huh? Keep them to hire a lawyer." Li Ling waved to Baozai, got out of the car, and left the two fish behind.
"Afraid of you?!" the driver shouted from behind. "I don't believe you dare to call the police. The recording is between the three of us. If you don't testify, the police can't convict me. If you dare to testify, you'll definitely be deported."
After Li Ling and his companion walked away, the driver sat down, fuming. He had used this tactic to rob more than a dozen mainlanders over the past few years, and it had never failed him. The mainlanders would immediately surrender their weapons as soon as they arrived at the police station and give him whatever he wanted. But today, instead of robbing the bird, he was pecked by it. He was furious and slammed his fist on the steering wheel.
"You damn bastard, don't let me see you again, or I'll chop you up every time I see you!"
He stepped on the gas and drove south along Ping'an Street. After driving a few dozen meters, he turned the corner and parked the car in front of a restaurant with a sign that read "Shunxing Restaurant".
He unloaded a basket of fish from the train carriage and placed it at the entrance of the restaurant. Then he went to the hotel lobby to contact the client. A short while later, he led a staff member dressed as a chef out to receive the fish.
The two seemed to know each other quite well; the chef didn't check the food, just took the order and paid directly.
"Curry Bro, the rest of the goods are all for 'Rich Seafood,' so we can't be late. You go ahead and get busy, I'll treat you to a late-night snack when I have time." The driver greeted him and moved his large body to the driver's seat.
"Big Head is treating, I'll definitely be there!" The chef waved enthusiastically, carrying a fish basket into the kitchen. A dozen minutes later, he ran out again, looking anxious.
He crouched down, picked up a strange fish with obvious tear marks on its mouth. He pried it open and pulled a medicine bottle out of its belly. The bottle had no label. He unscrewed the cap, poured out a few white pills the size of soybeans into his palm, and smelled them. They had a strange smell.
The driver had already disappeared into the street. The chef, in a panic, grabbed a medicine bottle and ran into the lobby. He found the duty manager and explained the situation. After checking, the manager immediately dialed the Yuen Long Police Station.
The Yuen Long Police Station is less than 200 meters from the hotel. The police officers usually eat here, so the police can respond quickly. In less than five minutes, a police car was already parked in front of the gate.
Two police officers emerged from the police car, accompanied by a police dog.
"Officer Gao, I suspect there's something wrong with this medicine. Please check it quickly." The duty manager hurriedly handed over the medicine bottle.
The officer let the police dog smell the pill and immediately frowned: "This medicine contains morphine!"
"What? It really is poison!!"
------------
Chapter 76 Deserved Punishment
The manager was terrified by the police officer's answer!
That damn fat bastard poisoned me!
He hurriedly explained to the officer, "Officer Gao, this has nothing to do with our hotel. This batch of fish was just delivered half an hour ago. Curry Bro was the first to discover it. Luckily, it wasn't cooked in the kitchen, otherwise, wouldn't it have caused a death? Officer Gao, you must testify for us!"
"Who sent the fish?" The officer glared at him fiercely, "Your mother can testify for me!"
"Guo Bingsen!" the chef answered quickly. "He drives a Toyota Hiace, license plate number EF1025. He just said he was delivering to Fugui Seafood. Fugui Seafood is on Jiaoyu Road, two streets away, next to the Shanbei River."