Chapter Forty-Nine: The Tattooed Man’s Sorrow
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Chapter Forty-Nine: The Tattooed Man’s Misery
“Is everything arranged?”
By the time Hu Li came out, Zhuo Nan and Long Kun were already seated on the sofa. With a cigarette between his lips, Zhuo Nan asked in an imposing tone, “Is it all set?”
Hu Li stood respectfully to one side. “Brother Nan, don’t worry. I’ve placed Miss Xia with the girls so they can look after one another.”
Zhuo Nan was both amused and speechless at Hu Li’s arrangement. What would happen when a quiet female teacher was placed in the middle of a group of uninhibited prostitutes? He rather wanted to sneak over and take a look, but there was still important business to attend to. He could ask Xia Qianrou later how she felt about it.
He flicked away his cigarette butt and asked in a low voice, “Are the weapons ready?”
Hu Li nodded. “Brother Nan, this way…”
He led Zhuo Nan to the private room opposite the tattooed man’s. Clearly, Hu Li had already put the weapons inside. From there, they could also keep an eye on everything happening across the hall.
Long Kun had originally planned to charge in with his gun, but Zhuo Nan rejected the idea. There were still two prostitutes inside, and if anything went wrong, the tattooed man might seize them as hostages. Zhuo Nan did not want any innocent people hurt, so he insisted on waiting until the tattooed man was finished before making their move.
Zhuo Nan once again activated his super brain to investigate. The woman beneath the tattooed man had already been replaced. The busty girl from earlier was sitting off to the side, panting as she rested. Judging by the look of her, she was exhausted.
Zhuo Nan turned to Hu Li. “Give the two girls inside fifty thousand each.”
Hu Li froze for a moment, then immediately nodded. “Feifei and Xiaomei thank you, Brother Nan.”
Zhuo Nan waved his hand dismissively.
At that moment, Long Kun handed him a five-shot revolver. Zhuo Nan shook his head and pointed at the machete in Long Kun’s hand. Understanding at once, Long Kun passed the machete to Zhuo Nan and kept the revolver for himself. Hu Li was also carrying a machete.
The three of them stood beside the door, leaving it open just a crack as they watched the room opposite. The instant Feifei and Xiaomei came out, they would rush in. Long Kun would use the revolver to intimidate the tattooed man first.
It was already half past six. From the tattooed man’s memories, Zhuo Nan knew that a vehicle would arrive to pick them up at eight. Only an hour and a half remained. He could not help worrying about Zhao Jiawen’s safety.
So far, Zhuo Nan had not informed Zhao Baohua and his wife. Telling them now would only create more trouble. If they came along, he would inevitably have to hold back.
In the images within Zhuo Nan’s mind, the tattooed man suddenly thrust several times in rapid succession. Then, like a deflated balloon, he collapsed heavily onto Xiaomei. Looking displeased, Xiaomei pushed him aside and went over to take a shower.
Zhuo Nan said quietly, “Get ready. Long Kun, kick the door open when the time comes. Once we rush in, control him with the gun first. Any objections?”
Long Kun’s gaze was firm. “Don’t worry, Brother Nan.”
About two minutes later, the door of the private room across the hall opened. Xiaomei and Feifei emerged first.
In a coquettish voice, Xiaomei said, “Boss, rest for a while. We’ll come back and help wash you in a moment.”
The tattooed man’s lewd laughter drifted out from inside. “All right. Hurry up—I’m in a rush.”
Clearly, the tattooed man was reluctant to leave. If he had not needed to depart that evening, he might well have spent the entire night there, surrounded by three or five women.
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After Xiaomei and Feifei had left, Zhuo Nan and the other two exchanged glances. Long Kun quickly rushed out of the room and kicked the door opposite.
What happened next was truly exasperating.
“Damn it!”
Zhuo Nan glared furiously at Hu Li. Sweat covered Hu Li’s forehead. Looking at Long Kun’s predicament, he thought bitterly, This is going to be a huge problem…
Whether the door was poorly made or Long Kun was simply too strong, his kick punched a hole straight through it. His right leg went through the door and became stuck inside, leaving his entire body plastered against it.
Long Kun stared at Zhuo Nan with a face full of helplessness. Zhuo Nan looked as though he wanted to eat someone alive. In his heart, Long Kun cursed every woman among Hu Li’s ancestors for eighteen generations.
The tremendous noise naturally attracted the tattooed man’s attention. He had spent many years in the underworld, and when he encountered this situation, he immediately sensed that something was wrong.
He grabbed the trousers beside him and pulled them on. After studying the layout of the room, he saw that there was only one exit—the main door.
No matter. Once they came in, he would take down one of them first.
He pulled a switchblade from his trouser pocket, rushed to the door, and stabbed at Long Kun’s leg.
A bloodcurdling scream erupted from outside.
Zhuo Nan grabbed Long Kun by the collar and yanked him out with all his strength. Blood was pouring from Long Kun’s thigh. With no time to think, Zhuo Nan snatched up the revolver from Long Kun’s hand and fired at the door.
The consequences of firing a gun inside a bathhouse were severe. The echo was deafening. Guests in the other rooms were startled by the shot, but the women quickly restrained them.
“Boss, it’s nothing. They’re celebrating the grand opening today and setting off firecrackers.”
“Oh, a grand opening? Then you’d better give me a discount…”
“Oh, Boss, aren’t you getting one right now?”
As she spoke, she placed the man’s hand onto her soft, fleshy breasts.
When Xia Qianrou heard the gunshot, she immediately tried to rush outside. A woman in a camisole grabbed her and held her back, her expression calm.
“Teacher Xia, you can’t go. If you go out now, you’ll only make things worse.”
Xia Qianrou was stunned. She let out a sigh and sank helplessly back into her seat. She no longer had the slightest interest in listening to the other woman’s lessons.
With one shot, Zhuo Nan blasted a large hole through the door. The tattooed man was clever enough not to remain directly in front of it. He moved to the left and avoided the bullet, though splinters of wood still flew all over him.
A trace of fear rose in his heart. His attackers had guns. There were only two possibilities: they were either police officers or local gangsters. Judging from the gunshots, the people outside were most likely members of a local gang.
He could not understand it. All he had done was take a bath and enjoy himself with a woman—how had he offended the local gangsters?
He still had not connected Zhao Jiawen with the underworld.
Zhuo Nan had no interest in guessing what was going through his mind. He fired another shot at the doorway.
The blast shattered the door into splinters.
Another gunshot made Xia Qianrou’s heart leap into her throat. She had never imagined that Zhuo Nan would be involved in such things. In her eyes, he had always been an exemplary student with excellent grades. Though he could be somewhat reckless, he had never gone beyond what she could tolerate.
She had never imagined that Zhuo Nan might be the leader of a criminal organization.
She did not know whether he was the one holding the gun and shooting at someone else, or whether someone was shooting at him. She did not dare think any further. At that moment, all her reproaches seemed so frail and insignificant.
All Xia Qianrou wanted was to see Zhuo Nan emerge unharmed.
“Get out of there!” Zhuo Nan shouted, raising the gun and yelling through the ruined door.
The tattooed man was terrified. Though he mixed with criminals, his trade was human trafficking, and he had experienced few true brushes with life and death. Now that he was pinned down by a gun, panic overwhelmed him.
He thought, It may be a misunderstanding. I should go out and talk first. If I stay here and they lose patience, they could fire two more shots. Then I’ll be dead.
With that thought, he shouted, “Brother, what outfit are you with? Don’t shoot! We can talk!”
He raised both hands and stepped out from beside the door.
When Zhuo Nan saw him emerge, he very much wanted to shoot him dead. But it was not time for that yet. Still, even if he did not kill him, he could make him suffer.
He aimed at the tattooed man’s thigh and fired.
The tattooed man collapsed with a gunshot wound, clutching his leg and howling on the floor. Zhuo Nan glanced at Hu Li.
Hu Li stepped forward, seized the tattooed man, and dragged him into the room behind them.
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Once inside, Hu Li bolted the door from within.
Zhuo Nan planted one foot on the tattooed man’s wound. The man screamed in agony. Without the slightest hesitation, Zhuo Nan took the machete from Hu Li and brought it down on the tattooed man’s right hand.
Three fingers were severed cleanly, and three jets of blood burst from the wounds.
Zhuo Nan glared viciously at the tattooed man, who was rolling across the floor, and demanded angrily, “Speak. Where is the girl you kidnapped?”
The tattooed man pleaded desperately. “Boss, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Damn you, still trying to play tough?”
Zhuo Nan had completely lost control. There was no trace left of the harmless neighborhood boy he usually appeared to be. With the revolver raised in his left hand and the machete in his right, he slashed into the tattooed man’s calf.
With a tearing sound, the flesh of the man’s lower leg split open. Even Hu Li could barely stand to watch the ghastly sight.
The tattooed man was covered in blood, a horrifying mess.
“Damn it! Are you talking or not?” Zhuo Nan roared.
The tattooed man screamed and writhed on the floor, unable to form a coherent reply. Zhuo Nan turned to Hu Li.
“Go find a pair of fire tongs.”
Hu Li froze. “What do you need fire tongs for?”
“To stop the bleeding. I’m going to kill him today.”
Zhuo Nan’s vicious expression made him look like the very incarnation of death.
“I’ll talk! I’ll talk!” the tattooed man cried. “Boss, don’t bring the fire tongs! Don’t bring them!”
The moment he heard that fire tongs were being fetched to stop his bleeding, he understood that they were meant to cauterize his wounds. He immediately broke down.
“Damn it. Tell me everything honestly, or I’ll kill you.”
Zhuo Nan kicked him once more in the calf.
“Boss, stop hitting me! Stop! I’ll tell you everything, everything! Go east for five kilometers. You’ll come to a fork in the road. There’s a cornfield beside it. Follow that road for another three kilometers and you’ll find an abandoned warehouse. The person you’re looking for is being held there.”
The tattooed man recited the directions in a single breath.
In truth, Zhuo Nan had known all of this long ago. He had merely forced the man to play out the scene for him. The price the tattooed man paid for his performance, however, was far too high.
Once he had finished speaking, Zhuo Nan reached out and squeezed the side of his neck. The tattooed man immediately lost consciousness.
Zhuo Nan tossed the knife and gun aside, then turned to Hu Li.
“Take Long Kun to the hospital and have his wound bandaged. I’m going to rescue the girl. Keep Teacher Xia here for now. Don’t tell her that I’ve left.”
Hu Li nodded, then asked, “Brother Nan, should I send a few more men with you?”
Zhuo Nan waved him off. “No. Just give me the car keys.”
Hu Li handed them over. Zhuo Nan turned to leave, but Hu Li hurriedly called after him.
“Brother Nan, what should we do with this man?”
Zhuo Nan glanced at the tattooed man sprawled on the floor and said contemptuously, “Put him in the car.”