Good Deeds

The door opened.

Fish Head Xu walked in, his face flushed with excitement. Upon seeing Yang Chu standing on the living room balcony, he called out happily, "Chu-zai, not asleep yet?"

"I don't sleep much."

Yang Chu looked at Fish Head Xu, who was wearing a suit with a crooked tie and walking with a slightly unsteady gait. Catching the faint scent of alcohol and perfume on him, he smiled. "Brother Xu, what good fortune did you run into tonight to be so happy?"

"Ah, just had a few drinks with some friends, that's all."

Fish Head Xu chuckled and waved his hand, though his cross-eyed gaze couldn't hide the excitement bubbling within him.

Yang Chu watched him for a moment, smiled, and didn't press for details.

From the first time they met—when Fish Head Xu was being chased by thugs for hitting on someone else's girl—to the last time at the food stall when a woman ran over to fawn over him, Yang Chu already had a good idea of what his life was like.

In truth, it was he, the outsider, who had suddenly intruded into the other man's life.

Yet, he had no intention of moving elsewhere. He had grown accustomed to living with Fish Head Xu, and even certain emotional responses had begun to surface within him over the past day or two.

Standing on the balcony, Yang Chu balanced on the ball of his left foot, raised his right leg high behind him, and reached back with both hands to grab his elevated foot, performing a movement that required extreme flexibility.

"Right, Chu-zai, I asked around at the film set today."

Fish Head Xu flopped onto the sofa, turned his head to look at Yang Chu, who was holding the strange pose on the balcony, and lowered his voice. "Only a few officers came by this morning to take statements before leaving; they didn't ask much else. Black Skin Sha is dead, and Big Brother is in a great mood. I heard him say he caught wind that some 'dragon crossing the river' has been cleaning up the drug dens in Hong Kong Island lately."

"Oh?"

Yang Chu, in the middle of his flexibility training, stopped abruptly upon hearing this.

"A dragon crossing the river? Cleaning up drug dens?"

Yang Chu stood still, his eyes gleaming as he rapidly analyzed the information. Fish Head Xu's words made many things click into place, suddenly becoming clear.

First, the trouble his current body was embroiled in.

From the ponytail-wearing youth sent by Black Skin Sha earlier, he knew he was likely a lackey—perhaps even a trusted aide—to a drug den boss named Dao You Cheng.

After Dao You Cheng and his men were wiped out, he, the trusted aide, had somehow escaped. He was the only one who knew the whereabouts of a valuable shipment that had belonged to Dao You Cheng, which was why other drug factions were hunting him down.

Second, the "dragon crossing the river" cleaning up the drug dens in Hong Kong Island was clearly the organization behind those pain-insensitive killers.

That night, he had gotten into Black Skin Sha's car, and those two hulking, pain-insensitive men had been targeting Black Skin Sha. It was only because of his intervention—and his subsequent killing of those two—that the organization had sent more people to hunt him down tonight.

Third, this mysterious organization with its pain-insensitive soldiers was linked to Black Mask Xu Xi. It appeared that Dao You Cheng had also been "cleaned up" by this same group.

So, I've been entangled with them from the start. I killed five of their men this time, and judging by their modus operandi, they won't let this go easily. I just wonder what role Black Mask Xu Xi plays in all of this?

These associations and analyses unfolded in his mind, a conclusion reached in a mere second or two thanks to his significantly enhanced brain processing speed and analytical capabilities.

I am still curious as to why they feel no pain.

As of now, only various martial arts, along with the mysteries of the brain, psychology, and the human body, could truly pique his interest.

Everything else was of no concern to him.

Ring-ring—

Just as Yang Chu's thoughts were connecting these pieces of information, the telephone in the living room suddenly rang.

Fish Head Xu jumped off the sofa and scrambled to the phone in a few strides, picking up the receiver.

"...I'm home, Jenny... alright, alright, I won't call you Jenny, Ah Xue, Ah Xue, are you off work yet... do I miss you? Of course I do..."

Fish Head Xu's sugary, honeyed voice filled the room.

"Chu-zai, I'm heading out tonight."

About five or six minutes later, Fish Head Xu hung up the phone, looking thrilled as he rubbed his hands together, his face full of a smitten expression.

"Something good going on?"

Yang Chu, who had resumed his training on the balcony, saw the look on his face and, having guessed the nature of his plans, asked with a smile.

"Don't ask, don't ask, I'm heading out now."

Fish Head Xu chuckled, too impatient to chat further, and rushed out the door.

"Look, old man, if you keep making false reports, we can charge you with obstructing official business."

At the Sham Shui Po Public Swimming Pool, a young uniformed officer looked at the pool manager, Uncle Kin, with visible impatience.

"Officer, I'm not lying! Several foreigners rushed in here earlier and even tried to shoot me! Why would I provoke them? It wasn't me—it was a young lad who comes here often. He doesn't even swim, he just sleeps. He's a strange one."

Uncle Kin, the pool manager, gestured wildly, explaining his frustration to the officer.

"Alright, alright." The officer waved a hand. "The statement is done, we'll investigate. It's getting late, old man, pack up and go home."

"But, Officer..." Uncle Kin watched the officer turn to leave and trotted after him, seemingly wanting to say more.

Meanwhile, on a low building opposite the Sham Shui Po Public Swimming Pool, two figures—one black, one red—had watched the entire process of Uncle Kin bringing the police into the pool to give his statement.

Once Uncle Kin and the officer were far away, the beautiful woman in red turned her gaze from the night wind to the masked figure in black. "Instructor, do you know the identity of that person from tonight?"

"Ruolan, he is a friend of mine." Xu Xi's masked eyes did not look at the woman in red, but remained fixed on the distant Hong Kong Island under the night sky.

"But he killed five of our operatives."

The beautiful woman called Ruolan looked slightly agitated. "There weren't many of our team members who managed to escape, and those were people you once taught yourself."

"Five people? Does that mean there were two others before?"

Xu Xi turned his head to look at the beautiful woman called Ruolan and asked, "Why did he kill our team members?"

"He ruined our plan." There seemed to be no small amount of hatred in the voice of the woman called Ruolan.

"Your plan?" Xu Xi paused slightly upon hearing this. "What plan?"

The woman called Ruolan fixed her gaze on the masked Xu Xi for a moment before suddenly turning her head away. "Only the captain can tell you that."

"Then take me to see the captain."