I didn't say anything, but she seemed very curious: "Is this silver...? Why are you wearing a ring around your neck?" I didn't answer, but slowly took her hand away and smiled: "It's a secret, I can't tell you."
She made a face at me.
After resting for a while, I checked the time; it was almost eleven o'clock. I immediately sat up and patted her cheek: "Okay, I should go now."
I asked Xiluo to go to the next room and call Hongda, and then I started tidying my clothes. The mixed-race beauty handed me a business card with two fingers, smiling, "This is my phone number, remember to come find me when you have time."
I took it and glanced at it; the business card had a faint fragrance. The small card simply contained a name and a phone number.
"This is my personal business card, not for guests," she explained with a smile. "It has my real name on it... Remember my name, okay?"
After saying that, she came over and kissed me on the cheek. A mischievous glint in her eyes: "Can I tell you my name?"
"Xiao Wu," I replied simply.
"Xiao Wu..." she murmured in my ear, her body pressed close to mine. Then she chuckled softly and whispered, "You're wonderful, I like you very much."
When Hong Da left the nightclub, he was in good spirits. He seemed to have lifted a heavy burden, and he looked noticeably lighter. I glanced at him, feeling a little helpless. Xi Luo also seemed to be in much better spirits; at least his face wasn't so gloomy anymore.
I patted him on the shoulder: "Okay, let's find somewhere to eat something now. Fill our stomachs." He smiled at me... and then said very seriously, "Xiao Wu, I've figured it out."
"Huh?" I was taken aback.
"You're my good brother." The kid looked serious. "You wouldn't lie to me! No matter what you say or do, I believe you!"
We went into a Vietnamese restaurant and ate something. I ate two bowls of chicken pho, but Hong Da ate ten "duck eggs" in one go. Watching him stuff those fuzzy little things into his mouth, I could only sigh. I just couldn't stomach that kind of food.
Finally, around noon, I received a call! It was from Fatty Fang!
"Kid, are you still alive?" The fat man's voice on the other end of the phone sounded weak.
I breathed a sigh of relief: "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that?"
The fat man chuckled on the other end of the line: "Damn, I was lucky this time. I almost got sunk and turned into saltwater soup for old dogs." He joked for a moment, then his tone quickly turned serious: "Alright, where are you guys now?"
"Hanoi." I looked around and then gave the street name.
The fat man chuckled on the other end and said, "Looks like I'll have to trouble you to be my bodyguard for a few more hours. I'm in Xialong Bay now, so I'll have to trouble you to bring that guy over to see me."
After the fat man finished speaking, he coughed twice. I sensed something was wrong and frowned, asking, "What's wrong?"
"Damn, I got a few bruises, but it's nothing serious." He laughed on the other end of the phone, his voice still nonchalant: "Don't worry, I'm tough as nails. Hurry up and bring that guy over. I can only stay here for one day."
Ha Long Bay isn't far from Hanoi... anyway, Vietnam isn't that big. I simply hailed a taxi and asked if he would take us to Ha Long Bay.
The driver looked at the three of us with some surprise, hesitated for a moment, and then started rambling on about the price to Hong Da.
I knew this driver was just making excuses; his only goal was to raise the price. I couldn't be bothered arguing with him, so I simply threw down two hundred yuan and said calmly, "That's all. If you don't want it, I'll find someone else."
Sure enough. The driver immediately put on a bright smile, quickly said a few words to Hong Da in the local language, and even jumped out of the car to open the door for us.
Hong Da sighed at me, "You're really generous, kid."
I pursed my lips: "Time waits for no one. We're paying to buy time. Besides, every minute we stay here increases the danger."
The car sped out of Hanoi. As I watched the city recede into the distance, I sighed and thought to myself, "I never want to come back to this place again in my life!"
The driver, having received a high fare, drove with considerable effort. More than three hours later, we arrived near a private pier in Xialong Bay.
I found the place using the address I gave Fatty over the phone. It was a cruise ship dock. Both sides were lined with yachts, but many belonged to tour companies. A short distance away was a fishermen's dock, bustling with people.
The place was rather dilapidated; it was on a dock, and many of the wooden planks underfoot were old and loose, creaking as I stepped on them. I searched for a while, looking for Fatty among the densely packed small boats moored on both sides, when suddenly I saw a figure standing in the distance, waving at me.
I looked closely and recognized him. It was one of the Vietnamese men working for the fat man!
It was the Vietnamese man who drove the speedboat that took me across the sea! He was the one who gave me a bottle of water with glucose solution before I boarded the boat. That water later saved my life!
He was dressed in shorts and a short-sleeved shirt, barefoot, with dark skin, standing beside a white yacht, waving at me. When I got closer, I noticed a bandage on his hand. I gestured to him, and he grinned. Then he pointed to the yacht beside him, indicating that we should board.
He quickly got to work, untying the ropes. Then he carried buckets ashore to store fresh water.
This was an old yacht, its hull unpainted for a long time and somewhat dilapidated. As I walked over, Hong Da's eyes were wary, but I relaxed because I heard a familiar laugh!
The fat man's laughter came from the cabin. I kicked the door open and jumped in first. Sure enough, I saw the fat man leaning back in a chair, holding a bottle. He was sitting cross-legged, revealing a wound on his left calf. He was carefully pouring some medicine from the bottle onto the wound. He looked like he was in a lot of pain; the muscles around his eyes were twitching constantly, but the more pain he was in, the bigger his smile became.
"What are you up to?" I frowned, my face beaming with excitement. "Dude, we meet again!"
The fat man looked up at me, a smile spreading across his face, and waved, "Come here, come here! Damn, you're just in time, help me put on some medicine! I've got a cut on my back too!"
My heart sank, and I frowned as I walked over: "What's wrong?"
I saw that the wound on his calf was very deep, with the flesh turned inside out on both sides, and a lot of blood was flowing out. There were also many blood-stained cotton balls and gauze on the ground. The fat man grimaced and inhaled, shaking his big head incessantly.
"why are you laughing?"
"Damn, it hurts so much!" the fat man glared and said, "I'm a grown man, I can't just cry! So I just laugh! The more it hurts, the harder I laugh!"
I sighed, took the medicine bottle from his hand, treated the wound on his calf, and bandaged it. The fat man sighed again and took off his coat. I saw a lot of bloodstains on his coat. He casually threw the coat on the ground, then pointed to two seats in the cabin, looked at Xiluo and Hongda standing at the door, and smiled, "Please, gentlemen, have a seat."
I frowned, staring at the fat man's back. There was a wound on his back, clearly a cut. I gave him a questioning look, and he sighed, "Shrapnel. Damn it..."
I applied the medicine to his wound and frowned, saying, "Your wound needs stitches. Do you have any needles here?"
The fat man waved his hand: "No need. I know your stitching skills too well. They're crooked and messy. I'll have to take them off and redo them when we get back! Just put on some medicine for me and give it a basic treatment. I'll find someone to take care of it when we get back." He paused, then laughed: "It's just a small injury, it won't kill you!"
"What's going on?" I whispered.
"At sea, I ran into some enemies, and we had a fight. I sank one of their boats and then ran away." The fat man glanced at me: "It was the Vietnamese who did it."
His tone was somewhat ambiguous, and I knew that with outsiders present, he couldn't be too clear-cut. So I didn't ask any further. I just quickly bandaged his wound and handed him a cigarette: "Is there morphine on the ship?"
“I’ve already used it.” The fat man smiled. “Alright, let’s talk about serious matters.”
I hadn't seen Fatty for several days. He was still round, but his skin was a bit tanned, probably from being at sea. He was still very muscular, and his laugh was as bright and hearty as ever, with an air of fearlessness. His small eyes still gleamed with a cunning light…
The fat man was also sizing me up, looking me up and down several times. He sighed softly, "Little Wu, you've changed so much!"
"Oh?" I smiled.
“You look much more mature than when I first met you, you were such a greenhorn.” The fat man smiled.
I smiled briefly, then pointed to Xiluo and Hongda behind me: "These are the brothers who came with me on this mission..." I glanced at Xiluo: "Kid, call him Big Brother. He's one of our seniors."
The fat man waved his hand, smiled at Xiluo, and then looked at Hongda with a smile in his eyes: "This... must be our distinguished guest this time?"
"This is Mr. Hong." I took a breath and said thoughtfully, "I already told you on the phone."
The fat man nodded and glanced at Hong Da. He chuckled, "Brother, I'm not feeling well, so I won't get up to shake your hand. We're all in the same boat now, let's look out for each other!" He paused, then said calmly, "I've already contacted the higher-ups. Tonight, you'll be on my boat with us. I'll make sure you get to safety... and then, the person in charge of our business here will meet with you to discuss things."
Hong Da nodded, his expression very serious.
The fat man glanced at me and said, "Alright, Xiao Wu, your task is complete. Now hand the man over to me... I'll take care of the rest."
"So, am I leaving on your ship too?" I asked.
The fat man laughed: "It's up to you. If you want to leave on my ship, that's fine too, but it will be a bumpy ride at sea for a few days. Just don't complain that you can't take it."
I frowned and glanced at Xiluo and Hongda: "Why take a boat? We can just take a plane back."
The fat man sighed, gave me a strange smile, and shook his head, saying, "Are you crazy? Taking a plane? You two kids can take a plane without any problem. But if Mr. Hong takes a plane, it's like walking into a trap!"
He smiled and said, "This is Vietnam after all, Vietnamese territory... Mr. Hong has been missing for a few days, and the Vietnamese are definitely looking for him everywhere... To be honest, you've been hiding in Hanoi for so long and haven't been found by the Vietnamese, you're lucky!"
I smiled and didn't say anything.
The Vietnamese must also be looking for Hong Da, because Hong Da has been with me ever since he landed and hasn't contacted the Vietnamese again.
After talking for a while, Hong Da was very perceptive. He knew that we, as insiders, would definitely have some private conversations, and it was inconvenient for him, an outsider, to be present. So he made up an excuse and went to rest in one of the cabins inside.
"Help me up to the deck for a walk," the fat man sighed, glancing at me. I nodded, leaving Xiluo in the cabin.
The fat man had an injury to his leg and was half-hanging on me. As I supported him, I laughed and said, "Buddy, you've gotten quite heavy again."
The fat man laughed and cursed, "Nonsense! I've been at sea for a long time this time, I must have lost a lot of weight."
Once we were on the platform, I helped him sit down. Only then did the fat man's expression turn serious. He looked up at me and said, "You did a good job this time!"
I didn't say anything.
The fat man sighed: "Before you came, I contacted Fang Bazhi..."
"I..." I was about to say something when the fat man waved his hand and laughed, "You don't need to tell me about your affairs. Although Fang Bazhi and I are nominally in the same organization, I operate in Southeast Asia, while he oversees things in North America. We don't interfere in each other's affairs. We'll only help each other out when necessary. Do you understand?"
I nodded, a slight smile playing on my lips: "I understand... 'Airborne Mode'!"
A hint of surprise flashed in the fat man's eyes: "Oh, you even understand this. It seems you've learned quite a bit in the past six months."
He then sighed, "This time, you've essentially been parachuted into my territory to handle some business. I'll naturally help you solve your difficulties... but..."
He frowned. He hesitated for a moment, then turned to look at the distant sea…
Suddenly, I heard him say softly, "The situation in Canada is very complicated right now, so be careful."
After a pause, the fat man slowly added, "I know Tiger too... What I want to tell you is: Don't follow in his footsteps!"
A thought struck me, and I couldn't help but stare at the fat man, carefully observing his expression.
The fat man looked at the sea. His expression was calm, revealing no emotional fluctuation, and his tone of voice seemed steady as well... But for some reason, I always felt that there was something hidden in his words!
Don't follow Tiger's old path... On the surface, this sentence seems to simply be a warning to me: Don't betray Eighth Master... Don't be a traitor...
It seems like just a very simple piece of advice...
However, given the friendship between Fatty and me, and his understanding of my character, he knew that I would never betray my brothers!
Given how well the fat man knows me, he had absolutely no need to say such a meaningless "confession" to me.
So what did the fat man mean by that?
Don't follow Tiger's old path!
Could it be...?
My expression changed slightly!
Could it be that Fatty is trying to tell me: Don't be like Tiger, too loyal to Eighth Master!
Objectively speaking, Tiger deserves to die for being a traitor... but it's hard to say that Eighth Master bears no responsibility for his current predicament!
As Tiger said, "I've served Master Ba for twenty years, and now that I'm old, what have I gotten in return?"
The atmosphere became somewhat silent. I could clearly sense that the fat man was trying to hint at something, but given his position, it seemed inconvenient for him to say it aloud.
Finally, the fat man chuckled a few times and said, "Alright, I've been busy all day and I'm starving. Go to the cargo ship at the back and bring out the bottom box! Let's fill our stomachs first!"
The Vietnamese man under Fatty's command returned quickly, replenishing the ship's fresh water supply and bringing back a considerable amount of food. Following Fatty's instructions, I rummaged through the cargo ship and found a box covered in dust.
I carried it out, opened it, and found that there were actually several bottles of wine inside!