Old Ninth

"Brother Nine, found him."

A shifty-eyed boy pointed at the operating room.

"Fuck!"

The boys swarmed forward and rushed into the operating room.

Little White Tiger lay pale-faced on the bed.

"Is Brother... Brother Tiger okay?"

"Brother Tiger's tough as nails. He took three knife wounds for me before and came out fine."

"Who shot my brother?"

Several boys rushed into the living room and pointed their guns straight at the two men in black.

The two exchanged a look, unable to voice their misery.

These half-grown kids really weren't to be messed with.

They had taken control of the place within a few breaths of entering. Their methods were every bit as good as Old Leizi's.

With the tricks of seasoned veterans and the hot blood of youth, these boys might kill a man over a single wrong answer.

Realizing they were up against a tough crowd, the two answered honestly, "He was shot as punishment in prison. Otherwise, they wouldn't have let him out."

"Who pulled the trigger? Give me a name. I'll take the boys over and fucking kill him right now."

Yellow Hair, with his instant-noodle curls and bloodshot eyes, shoved his gun barrel straight into the man's mouth.

Thud!

Old Ninth kicked Yellow Hair away, calmly lit a cigarette, and asked, "Who do you boys work for?"

"Not your enemies, anyway."

There was no way the two would name their boss. They stiffened their necks as they spoke, looking ready to face death.

Seeing that Little White Tiger's wounds had all been treated, Old Ninth guessed they meant him no harm.

"All right. Thanks for the help. Since you're not with our enemies, there's no need for bloodshed. Until my brother wakes up, nobody in this room leaves." Old Ninth turned to the Black-Market Doctor. "When will my brother wake up?"

The Black-Market Doctor glanced at the clock on the wall and answered cautiously, "Tomorrow morning at the latest."

"Fine."

Old Ninth pulled out a stack of cash and tossed it onto the table. "My brother's medical bills and our lodging. If that's not enough, point out someone rich in this building. I'll go get some more for you."

"It's enough, it's enough..."

The Black-Market Doctor was drenched in sweat. Thank heavens the patient had survived.

Otherwise, he dreaded to imagine what these reckless kids might do.

"Creeeeak..."

The door opened with a long, piercing creak.

A tall, thin figure stood in the doorway.

Without a moment's hesitation, every boy in the room aimed his gun at the man outside.

"Don't shoot!"

One of the men in black shouted urgently.

The man outside was none other than Mr. Li. Old Ninth studied him curiously. Though Mr. Li looked mild and refined, danger radiated from every inch of him.

"You're the man in the car outside."

Old Ninth stood before him with an air of ease, but his gun barrel had never strayed from Mr. Li.

Mr. Li was equally surprised. Old Ninth and his boys had passed right by him, and the only flash of light had come when he lit his cigarette. That alone had been enough for Old Ninth to remember him?

"This is Mr. Li. He saved your brother," the man in black explained solemnly.

Old Ninth lowered his gun slightly and nodded at him with a trace of gratitude. "Thanks."

"Heh. Just a deal. He helped me find what I wanted, and I saved his life."

Mr. Li entered the room. In the light spilling into the hallway, four or five boys who had been standing guard could be seen sprawled across the floor.

That single encounter had left both sides startled by the other's capabilities.

From the moment Old Ninth entered until Mr. Li opened the door, not a sound had come from outside.

In other words, Mr. Li had silently taken down five armed boys.

"Bring your brothers inside. Don't let them catch cold."

Mr. Li called to Old Ninth, then sat on the sofa, took out a cigarette, and lit it. "You're Old Ninth, right?"

Old Ninth shot the boys behind him a look, signaling them to drag the others inside.

Click.

Old Ninth picked up Mr. Li's cigarettes from the table and lit one without answering.

Mr. Li wasn't annoyed. Instead, he watched Old Ninth with appreciation. "Little White Tiger's sworn brother. How old are you?"

"What difference does my age make? Am I your long-lost son?" Old Ninth curled his lip disdainfully. "I know you're an Awakened. That's not why I haven't gone after you. You saved my brother, and I owe you for that. If there's ever anything on the streets you can't handle yourself, I'll do it for you. I'll repay Tiger's debt."

Mr. Li couldn't help laughing.

Old Ninth acted like a seasoned veteran, but he was still a boy.

Hearing those words from his slightly youthful face gave them a peculiar charm.

"Your brother won't wake up until tomorrow. Want a late-night snack?"

Mr. Li pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and offered it to one of Old Ninth's boys. "Go buy some barbecue."

The corners of Old Ninth's mouth lifted slightly. Why had Mr. Li handed the money to one of his boys?

He was afraid Old Ninth would suspect him of poisoning the food.

Still, by this point, both sides had more or less established that the other wasn't an enemy.

"I've got money."

Yellow Hair, with his instant-noodle curls, jutted out his lip stubbornly.

They all made their living on the streets. Taking someone else's money for a late-night snack would be a slap in their boss's face.

"This one's on me. Bring back a case of beer."

Old Ninth waved a hand at Yellow Hair.

Yellow Hair briskly led several boys out of the room, all dressed in thin clothes.

Mr. Li didn't call Old Ninth out for putting on a show he couldn't afford. After all, boys his age cared most about saving face.

But soon, Yellow Hair's furious shout rose from downstairs. "We're begging here! Spare some change! Motherfucker, hand over the money!"

"Ahem."

Mr. Li lowered his head and started fiddling with his phone.

Perhaps the silence had dragged on too long, leaving both sides a little awkward. Mr. Li finally raised his head and asked with interest, "Are you boys still with Old Xie?"

"Once our big brother, always our big brother. What's it to you?"

Naturally, Mr. Li didn't believe Old Ninth. He had heard every word when Old Ninth tore into Old Xie over the phone earlier that day.

Old Ninth was only spouting nonsense because he hadn't figured out what Mr. Li was after.

"You're cautious enough. No wonder you and Little White Tiger are the only ones who've made a name for yourselves on Red Three Street."

The more Mr. Li watched Old Ninth, the more he liked him.

Old Ninth was different from Little White Tiger. Little White Tiger was ruthless, but straightforward.

Old Ninth, on the other hand, had a wicked streak that made him hard to read.

Call him reckless, yet he had figured out where Little White Tiger was hidden almost immediately.

Call him smart, yet he had dared to storm Old Xie's den, with its hundred-odd men, bringing only a dozen or so boys.

"What are your plans next? I have a deal with Little White Tiger. I can help you take out Old Xie," Mr. Li asked seriously.

During the call earlier, Mr. Li had received instructions from above to win Little White Tiger over.

For someone like Little White Tiger, who valued his brothers above his own life, the best approach was to win over those brothers-especially Old Ninth.

"Ask him when he wakes up. I'm just a fucking underling." Old Ninth shrugged.

Seeing that neither a soft nor a hard approach worked on Old Ninth, Mr. Li could only give up for the time being.

No matter what Mr. Li said, Old Ninth refused to take the bait, doing nothing but laughing it off.

He clearly didn't trust Mr. Li.

For boys like Old Ninth and his crew, who had scraped a living off the streets since childhood, only their own people could be trusted. Earning their trust was harder than reaching the heavens for anyone else.

Old Ninth hadn't felt the slightest qualm about going after Old Xie.

Why?

Because Old Ninth had never considered Old Xie his boss in the first place.