Era of Mist

BZZZZ. The cutting wheel spun to life. Ah D tested the feel of it, then pressed it directly against the large lock on the cargo container.

SSSHHHREEEE! The ear-piercing screech of grinding metal lasted a full three minutes, sending crimson sparks showering out like fireworks. After three minutes, with a loud CLANG, the heavy lock broke in two and fell to the ground.

CREEEAK... Four of the underlings twisted the latch and, heaving together, pulled open the heavy container doors.

Shi Tiexin stood at the entrance. Ever eager to please, Ah Fei flicked on a high-powered flashlight and shone it inside, then looked to Shi Tiexin for instructions. "Boss, this..."

"Take it all."

"Yes, sir!"

The next afternoon, on the open terrace of Wang Dafu’s mansion.

"Stone, you did well. With this, the Hongshun Society will really be on the defensive. Our plan is going smoothly." Wang Dafu smiled at Shi Tiexin. "Stone, it’s about time you traded that leather jacket for a suit."

"A suit?"

’Is Brother Fa trying to turn me into one of those suit-wearing gangsters? But a suit isn’t practical for driving.’

"Once you have some status, a suit is more dignified, of course." Wang Dafu’s tone was warm and friendly. "I know a tailor shop that makes excellent bespoke suits. I’ll have them make one for you someday soon."

"Thank you, Brother Fa." Shi Tiexin understood what he meant—Wang Dafu wanted to promote him. He returned the smile. "When I’m worthy of wearing a suit, I’ll trouble you to take me to that tailor shop, Brother Fa."

Wang Dafu asked, intrigued, "You don’t think you’re worthy now?"

"Not yet."

"When will you be?"

"When there’s nowhere in all of Tokyo City my gang can’t go, that’s when."

Wang Dafu raised his glass to Shi Tiexin. "You certainly don’t hide your ambition."

"No need to hide it from you, Brother Fa." Shi Tiexin raised his glass as well. "Besides, if I didn’t have at least this much ambition, I wouldn’t be qualified to stand behind you."

"Hahahaha, you’re too humble!" Wang Dafu roared with laughter, his face beaming with triumph. This man, nearly fifty, seemed to finally be on the verge of reaching the pinnacle of his career.

CLINK. The two men touched their glasses together and drained them.

After discussing matters in secret with Wang Dafu for a while, Shi Tiexin left the mansion and got into Ah D’s car.

"How’d it go, Boss? Looks like the talk with Brother Fa went well." Ah Fei was all cheeky grins, never serious. "That’s the way to do it, Boss! Kissing up to the leadership is the fastest way to get promoted!"

"Mmm," Guo Bing nodded dumbly. "I also think the Hall Master is starting to value the Boss more and more."

"That’s enough." Shi Tiexin cut his men off and looked at Ah Fei. "The person I had you look for—are you still keeping tabs on them?"

"Rest assured. Finding people on the street is as easy as it gets. I’ve found the guy’s tracks and I’m watching him like a hawk."

"Good." Shi Tiexin nodded. "Arrange it. I want to meet with this person tomorrow morning. And," Shi Tiexin looked at Ah Fei, his tone brooking no argument, "handle this yourself. Don’t let anyone else know."

"Uh..." Ah Fei wanted to ask why, but when Shi Tiexin put on his dead-serious face, he didn’t dare ask any more questions. He could only accept the order solemnly. "Right. Rest assured, I won’t let anyone else know!"

「The next morning, at nine o’clock.」

"Where to, young man? Need a ride?" A taxi appeared before Shi Tiexin, seeming to materialize out of nowhere.

Shi Tiexin hesitated for a moment, but still opened the door and got into the back seat.

The car started. Looking over the driver’s seat, Shi Tiexin could see Old Jia’s thinning hair. Old Jia didn’t turn around, just made idle small talk the whole way, rambling on about this and that, chatting with Shi Tiexin like any other cabbie.

Only when it was time to get out, as Old Jia handed over the receipt, did he tuck a small note inside it and press them both into Shi Tiexin’s hand. Then he sped off, vanishing without a trace.

Shi Tiexin silently read the note. He raised an eyebrow, a flicker of surprise crossing his face, before completely destroying the paper, leaving not a single trace behind.

He watched the taxi disappear into the distance. A storm of thoughts raged in his mind, but they were all soon buried beneath a calm, placid expression.

「Nine-thirty, inside a secluded coffee shop.」

Shi Tiexin sat alone at a table while Ah D and Guo Bing stood guard nearby, surveying the surroundings. The entire coffee shop had been rented out; a "Closed" sign hung on the door, and no other customers were being admitted. The shop had three floors, and with no tall buildings nearby, it was difficult to find a good vantage point to look in from level or above, making the third floor exceptionally private.

A few days ago, Wang Dafu had approached Shi Tiexin to discuss a plan. It was a radical, bold plan. In Wang Dafu’s every word, every sentence, one could hear his surging ambition and his refusal to be second best.

Shi Tiexin thought it was a good plan, and he was currently carrying it out step by step.

But while Wang Dafu had his plan, Shi Tiexin had his own ideas. Before the plan reached its final stages, he needed to understand the situation from another perspective.

That was why he had decided to meet with that middle-aged man today.

He had already been waiting for twenty minutes, and the middle-aged man had yet to appear. But Shi Tiexin simply dropped sugar cubes into his coffee one by one, stirring unhurriedly. He seemed completely calm and composed, not at all impatient.

"Is that damn Lanzai Fei reliable or what? Look what time it is!"

Ah D was the most hot-tempered of the group. He leaned against the window, parting the slats of the Venetian blinds to look up and down the street below. Suddenly, he whispered, "He’s here!"

A moment later, someone opened the door on the first floor and started up the stairs. The THUD, THUD, THUD of footsteps sounded steady and firm, suggesting the visitor felt no hesitation or doubt.

To face a meeting like this alone and still have that kind of composure... clearly, the owner of these footsteps was no ordinary person.

Ah Fei stopped some distance away, but the middle-aged man in the trench coat showed no fear. He walked straight over. "You’re the one looking for me?"

Shi Tiexin stood up and extended his right hand to the middle-aged man. "That’s right, it’s me. Welcome."

But the man completely ignored Shi Tiexin’s hand. With a cold snort, he brushed past him and sat down brazenly in the seat opposite. "Don’t try that with me. I don’t shake hands with criminals."

Nearby, Ah D started grinding his teeth, but Shi Tiexin paid it no mind. He sat back down and laughed heartily. "I figured as much. If you didn’t despise evil as if it were your mortal enemy, you wouldn’t have come all the way to Japan at a time like this to investigate Ouyang Hong. Officer Gao, I admire your dedication."

’Officer Gao?’

Ah Fei, standing guard with his back to them a short distance away, froze when he heard Shi Tiexin’s words. As the Biker Gang’s primary source of information, he’d thought his boss relied on him to be his eyes and ears. But even he didn’t know this middle-aged man’s true identity. ’How did the Boss find out?’