Chapter 226 Gunshots at Midnight
“But, Master Nine-Finger, I have specifically checked her hands since the last time you told me. I did not find any calluses, formed from long time use of guns, or her having any habits that soldiers have.”
Dafei explained anxiously, as he was inwardly in awe of Master Nine-Finger.
“The current medical field is so advanced, and it is but a piece of cake to remove calluses. In fact, the so-called calluses are extra hard cells that the skin forms to protect itself. Put the calloused hands into warm water to soften them, spread the ointment that is used to soften the cuticles, then wrap them in gauze. After the calluses soften, use a small knife to scrape away the dead skin, and then spread the specially made hand cream. After a few days, the calluses will disappear completely. Nowadays, many policemen, policewomen, and soldiers who perform special tasks, remove their old calluses on purpose, to prevent themselves from being discovered.”
Deng Jiuzhi smiled as he patiently explained, “As for the habits that soldiers have formed, to be honest, Qiu Hong has disguised herself quite well, and it was difficult to see through her. Unfortunately, I am a highly suspicious person. I will always arrange special people to perform a test on everyone, who has the chance to be near our circle. There is no exception for your wife’s younger sister. Do you still remember the place where I met her, for the first time?”
Dafei thought about it and said respectfully, “It was at Eaters’ Station. I brought her to meet Master Nine-Finger, and we came across an assassin.”
“Right, in fact, the assassin was arranged by me. Facing the assassin’s attack, Qiu Hong really worked hard to suppress her impulse to fight, and pretended to hold her head and scream like any ordinary woman. But old habits die hard and she instinctively reached for her gun.”
Smoking a cigar, Deng Nine-Finger slowly explained, “Although that was one incident, I was still not completely sure if she was an undercover agent. To make you feel better, I put our people to work as waiters and waitresses at Cuizhuxuan, to monitor her every move, and also installed micro video cameras and bugs, in her clothes and handbag. I did not expect her to be so prudent, for she never wore clothes when she reported to her leader. If she were not our country woman, I almost suspected that she was having an affair with the person whom she contacted.”
Dafei’s face twitched. Regardless of her identity, she was his woman after all. Now, she made him feel very uncomfortable, because she was naked in front of them.
Deng Nine-Finger continued talking as if he was giving his judgment, “Details determine success or failure. I have to admit that Qiu Hong has done well enough. After monitoring her for such a long time, I even thought my judgment was wrong, but unfortunately, some of her details were not perfect. Therefore, my suspicion of her grew increasingly. If I was in her place, and discovered that someone has been installing video cameras and bugs in my clothes, I would have put on a clean sleeping robe, before I speak to the person whom I contacted. If so, maybe I would have been successfully fooled. After all, what woman would often walk about naked, in her house?”
Qiu Hong had never known how terrifying Deng Nine-Finger could be, until now. His suspicious nature, sharp observation skills, and sophisticated way of thinking, made everyone before him, appear transparent. That was why so many people, whom the Organization appointed to enter his circle, had all failed, in the end.
Since her life was ending soon, Qiu Hong accepted her fate, calmly standing up and saying, “Master Nine-Finger has never changed and is brilliant. Now, can I put on my clothes? I wish to die with dignity, when I have to.”
“Of course, please!”
Deng Nine-Finger had a calm look. It was as if the alluring body of Qiu Hong was nothing more than a piece of pork, in his eyes. He gestured to her, to dress herself.
Dafei had pain in his eyes. In the afternoon, this woman had sex with him, but now she was about to die. The pain he felt, was the same as being pricked all over by needles.
But he knew that he could never defeat Fire Phoenix and Violent Dragon, although he himself, had excellent kung fu skills. In addition, the unfathomable Deng Nine-Finger was present. So, Qiu Hong was doomed today.
“Master Nine-Finger, no matter what, my brother-in-law and I love each other. Can I ask that he be the one to end my life?”
Qiu Hong calmly dressed herself, and made this request.
“Yes, sure. Even if you did not request for it, I would have decided to do so. Only if he ends your life, will he be able to prove that he did not betray me. He has been with me for a long time, but things change in the world, and a woman’s love is difficult to forget.”
Deng Nine-Finger was still as calm as ever, not caring about Dafei’s feelings, and expressed his suspicions, directly
“Don’t worry. I wanted him to betray you, but he refused. I bear the responsibility for what I’ve done, and my sister even has no idea about my profession. Therefore, I hope you will not hurt my brother-in-law and my sister.”
Qiu Hong was negotiating calmly with Deng Nine-Finger.
“Every debt has its debtor. I cannot be considered as a good man, but things that happen in the complicated human world should be ended in it. I am aware of the rule of not harming the perpetrator’s wife and children.”
As a great leader previously, in the underworld, Deng Nine-Finger was still magnanimous.
“Then, I have no worries. Brother-in-law, come and end my life.”
Qiu Hong stared at Dafei, and mumbled, “Unfortunately, I cannot see the birth of my nephew.”
Dafei choked with sobs, trembling with emotion as he walked toward Qiu Hong. For him, killing the woman he loved so much, was like the cruelest torture in the world.
Deng Nine-Finger’s mouth curved in a meaningful smile. As a person who often fought with some departments, he clearly knew that Qiu Hong would not wait for her death without putting up a fight.
But he was not afraid of anything. With an idea of seeing the cat making fun of the mouse, he wanted to know what Qiu Hong was going to do, exactly.
“Brother-in-law, get down!”
Just as Dafei blocked the view of Deng Nine-Finger, Qiu Hong suddenly shouted and took out a Glock G17 micro handgun, from under a pillow, with lightning speed. As Dafei ducked out of instinct, she shot at Deng Nine-Finger and his two subordinates, without any hesitation.
“Bang, bang, bang!”
The gunshots were exceptionally loud in the dead of night, and attracted the attention of Ding Ning, who was looking for a place to sleep. He had just returned to his school, but found the gate locked.
“Gunshots. Is it a burglary?” Ding Ning braked abruptly, pulled over, took out his biomimetic skin, and turned into the Black Masked Man.
He avoided the surveillance camera, sneaked through the grass, and flew to the floor where the gunshots came from. He also summoned Air Force Wing No. 1, in case he needed to rescue anyone.
Ding Ning was terrified as he landed on the balcony of the 28th floor, and looked through the window, into the room.
“What are Qiu Hong and Dafei doing up here? Who is that two-meter-tall metal man? He seems not to be afraid of bullets.”
Qiu Hong’s forehead was covered in sweat. She never knew that the underground beater, Violent Dragon, was surprisingly, a metal superpower holder.
Dafei stiffened from head to foot, his mouth wide open in shock. As a subordinate of Deng Nine-Finger, he and Violent Dragon had fought before in a friendly match. In his view, Violent Dragon fought better than he did, but not that much.
If he fought for dear life, he could not be sure who would win, but what he had just seen, had completely overturned his knowledge of him, “Is he even a human?”
In the beginning, as Qiu Hong suddenly took out her gun, Deng Nine-Finger frowned, but calmly continued smoking his cigar.
Fire Phoenix showed an icy face that seemed not to have melted for ten thousand years, eyes drooping, and totally expressionless.
Only Violent Dragon moved. The two-meter-tall giant body merely took a step forward, and completely shielded Deng Nine-Finger and Fire Phoenix.
The skin exposed under his black tight vest, had a golden sheen. As the bullets hit his body, sparks flew and metallic clanging sounds rang out, but he was not harmed at all.
The brilliant shooting skill Qiu Hong displayed, after going through tough training in a special army, was of no use at the moment. She guessed that Violent Dragon’s eyes were probably his weak spot, but she had no chance to find out.
The moment she stopped shooting, he took a step forward at high speed, and his fist as big as an alms bowl, came toward her, with a whooshing sound.
This punch was executed with great strength and at lightning speed, and the sound of its friction with the air, could be heard. Qiu Hong screamed, closed her eyes and waited for her death.
“Crack!”
“Uh!”
A muffled moan, together with the sound of breaking bones, could be heard.
“Brother-in-law…”
Suddenly, Qiu Hong opened her eyes wide, gave a heartbreaking shriek, tears misting her eyes, when she saw the blood raining down.
Dafei’s strong-built body appeared before her. With this punch, he flew backward, his arms twisted at irregular angles, and blood squirted out of his mouth. He was smashed against the wall, and slid down slowly, like a gecko.
The power of that one punch was so strong. Qiu Hong cried and flung herself at Dafei, crying, “Brother-in-law, brother-in-law, why are you so stupid…”
“I…I am a man, how could I see others hurting you without doing anything?”
Both Dafei’s arms were broken, his face pale, and blood flowed from the corner of his mouth. His eyes, however, were gentle. He seemed very relieved and smiled, “I have long known that there will such a day, but I never thought the day will come so soon.”
“Brother-in-law…waaa…it is all my fault…it was I who dragged you to this fate.”
Qiu Hong knelt over Dafei, pressed her face against his, and could not hold back her wailing, nearly losing her breath, because of her tears.
“Waa…waa…”
The ear-piercing sounds of a siren could be heard from a distance. The sound of the gunshots had shocked the surrounding residents, and someone called the police.
“Dafei, you have been with me for so many years, and I even thought we could be brothers for a lifetime, but unfortunately…since now you have made your choice, I feel very sorry that I have to end your life.”
Deng Nine-Finger calmly stood up, looking at Dafei with sadness and disappointment. Desolately, he turned to leave, his low voice reverberating in the room, “Phoenix, let’s go. Violent Dragon, clean up this place.”
Without making any sound, Fire Phoenix, her face expressionless, left with Deng Nine-Finger.
“Yes, Brother Nine!”
Violent Dragon replied in a low, muffled tone and looking at Dafei with a complicated expression, said “Brother, it is time to die. Please have a good death.”
“Violent Dragon…do…do you have a cigarette? It is very painful. Before you kill me, I want to take a last…last drag.”
Blood was constantly foaming out of his mouth, but he begged him, with a wry smile.
Violent Dragon took out a packet of soft Chunghwa cigarettes from his pocket, lit one cigarette, and put it between Dafei’s lips, and stood there, silently watching him.
“If there were an afterlife, we would not be sworn brothers…cough, cough!”
Dafei greedily took a drag and inhaled the smoke into his cold lungs. He bled profusely and shed tears as he coughed, and the lit cigarette was put out by the flow of fresh blood.
Qiu Hong held Dafei tightly in her arms, sobbing in a low voice, dazedly rubbing his face, and showing an extremely beautiful smile, “I will be satisfied if I were to die together with you.”
“But, unfortunately, I still have not seen the birth of my son. I owe this to your sister.”
Dafei pushed Qiu Hong’s head with his chin, feeling a little regretful and had a wry smile.
“Being brothers, we have this life but won’t have the afterlife. Die now, brother!”
Violent Dragon took a step forward, his face at peace, then taking a deep last look at Dafei, he raised his fist…
“Bang…crack…”
Just as Dafei and Qiu Hong closed their eyes to wait for their death, the sounds of breaking glass could be heard.
The night wind came. Two of them opened their eyes out of shock, looking at the unbelievable scene before them.