Chapter 45: Bring Me a Bowl of Beef Noodles!
"Splash!"
The crowd scattered in panic.
...
Liu Haizhu vigorously shook the blood from his head. In just this short while, he had already taken twenty or thirty lives with his own hands.
As for the remaining dispersed brothers from the Walled City,
the moment they saw this reckless bastard charging toward them, they instinctively retreated three steps! These brutal enforcers of the Kowloon Walled City, even if not scared out of their wits, dared not fight him head-on anymore.
An old saying goes:
The barefooted are not afraid of those wearing shoes; the fierce fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those willing to risk their lives.
In their eyes,
the young man before them was simply not human; he was three parts more ruthless than the most vicious thugs of the Kowloon Walled City!
...
Not far away, the miserable scream of Broken-Finger Song suddenly rang out.
Before anyone could see him arrive, Liu Haizhu soared into the air, wielding a large iron shovel and smashing it down toward Scarface!
...
"Oh no, this is bad!" Behind Tornado, Shin-ichi exclaimed in alarm!
Brother Lung turned his head, but Shin-ichi was already gone.
When he looked again,
Shin-ichi had forced Liu Haizhu back with three swift strikes and was now supporting S仔 (Focal) as they retreated.
...
"This is against the rules!"
The elderly referee shouted in a dry yet vigorous voice.
...
This old man was actually a figure from the era of Le Loi, nicknamed Big Shrimp, whose real name was Chen Rongzong.
It was said that back in the day, he was a key pillar under the command of Limping Ho.
Now, however, he had a head of white hair and was toothless with age.
Although he was an elderly man, his words still carried immense weight in the underworld.
Tornado smiled, stood up, and cupped his fists. "Master Rong, it indeed violates the rules. Our Kowloon Walled City will simply withdraw."
The old man pondered for a moment, nodded, and gave his consent.
...
"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!"
The bell of the Mao hour rang out right on time!
Five o'clock in the morning had arrived, declaring that tonight's slaughter had finally come to an end.
...
Liu Haizhu planted the iron shovel into the ground with both hands,
glaring coldly at the punk who had snatched the Ghost-Faced Man from his grasp and played him for a fool.
Damn it all to hell!
In the blink of an eye, that punk had left three wounds on his body—not fatal, but bloody enough to look intimidating.
The reckless bastard spat a glob of bloody phlegm onto the ground and cursed resentfully, "Damn it, why does another guy more handsome than me have to show up!"
...
Since matters were now settled, dwelling on it was pointless.
The various kingpins cast complicated gazes at the tall young man standing in the arena.
From this moment on, amidst the shifting winds and clouds of Hong Kong,
the name Liu Haizhu was destined to be remembered!
...
Ah Kong trotted over and playfully punched Liu Haizhu's shoulder. "It's over. Are you giving me that shovel?"
Xiao Ni gave him a fierce shove. "Did I give you permission to touch my man?"
Liu Haizhu smiled and handed over the large iron shovel. "It's yours."
...
"Tsk tsk!" Ah Kong held the shovel as if it were a rare treasure, casting a smug eyebrow-raise toward Air Force Wah.
This scoundrel was exceptionally happy today for three reasons:
First, he had effortlessly acquired a reliable weapon: (Liu Haizhu's large iron shovel).
Second, both of his subordinates were still alive (Broken-Finger Song had been severely injured and already sent to a medical clinic for emergency treatment).
Third, and most importantly, Ah Kong had transformed overnight into a man of wealth with over a million dollars—enough to buy two apartments. How could he not be happy?
...
"Hmph!"
Air Force Wah glared at him and turned away.
He had placed a heavy bet today,
putting down all the liquid cash he could possibly mobilize—a full eight hundred thousand—on the victory of the Kowloon Walled City.
To hell with Scarface! To hell with the Ghost-Faced Man!
Damn it!
Now that he had lost every single penny, he could only swallow his bitterness in silence and keep it to himself!
It seemed that for the remaining days, he would have to turn to Szeto for financial turnover.
...
"Liu Haizhu."
Kam Ping-yun stood upon the high platform and shouted in a voice like thunder.
Liu Haizhu looked up.
Kam Ping-yun smiled warmly. "Tuen Mun is yours!"
A single sentence
sent a shockwave through the hearts of everyone present!
...
Mr. Chiang, who had already been walking away, instantly stopped in his tracks.
He turned back to look at Kam Ping-yun, remaining silent for a long moment:
"Green mountains endure, green waters flow on. We shall meet again."
Kam Ping-yun's face flushed with delight as he nodded repeatedly. "Very well, very well."
...
"You're not fighting anyway, let's go!"
Tai Chi bumped his shoulder against Ah Nan and smiled. "What the hell are you still staring at? Let's go, let's go."
Handsome Nan calmly gazed at that flash of orange-yellow, a hue lingering around a single figure. His eyes lingered for a long time, unable to look away.
...
The Big Boss looked with gloomy eyes at the young man standing with his spine straight in the arena. All appreciation had vanished from his gaze, replaced entirely by ruthlessness and viciousness.
Wang Jiu: "Boss, we lost over three million tonight."
The Big Boss glanced at the ledger in his hand, the corners of his mouth twitching violently.
...
...
The world is dark, and a lone figure walks on.
Hubei Province, Huang'an County.
...
A catchy and popular folk ballad had long been passed down here:
Tiny Huang'an, everyone a hero,
When the bronze gong rings, four hundred and eighty thousand rise,
The men go to battle, the women deliver the rations.
...
That national calamity back then lasted for a full eight years.
In a tiny speck of a place like Huang'an, a full hundred and forty thousand loyal souls sacrificed their lives, producing over two hundred generals for the country.
This also served to demonstrate,
in a brief yet profound way,
that the local folk customs here were fierce and unyielding—verily, heroes could be found everywhere!
...
It was already the early hours of the morning.
Guo Minghao walked out of the Public Security Bureau alone.
...
He walked along the chilly streets, accompanied only by the biting winter wind.
Yet, his mood was far from good.
In fact, he felt somewhat suffocated!
He suddenly understood a simple truth: excessive kindness in the end becomes a sin!
...
Today was the weekend,
and the weather was bright and sunny.
Guo Minghao finally allowed himself to sleep in, waking up to find it was already past noon.
His parents both lived in the countryside and refused to move over, being too used to country life.
In the city, he lived alone.
In his own words: As for life, the simpler, the happier.
...
Guo Minghao briskly dressed himself and habitually picked up his phone to call Zhu Zi, but it was still powered off.
"Damn it!"
Guo Minghao cursed under his breath, grinding his teeth. It had been over half a month!
...Dead or alive, couldn't you at least make a phone call?
What is this? Abandoning your childhood friend? Abandoning your brother?!
Besides, over in Hong Kong, it shouldn't be too cold right now, right?
...
Guo Minghao quickly finished washing up and went downstairs.
He randomly picked a noodle shop, ordered a large bowl of beef noodles, a small flask of warm sorghum liquor, and four small cold dishes.
Compared to Silly Zhu, Xiao Guo truly knew how to enjoy life.
...
"Screech!"
The door was pushed open suddenly.
A bearded, disheveled, and unkempt rough man pushed his way in, exuding a distinct, sour odor.
The shop owner raised his head to glance at him, said nothing, and lowered his head to continue his work.
The man glanced around everywhere,
and seeing a bowl of noodles left unfinished by a previous customer on a table, he picked up chopsticks and began to devour them voraciously.
*Glug, glug.*
He didn't even spare a drop of the noodle soup, cleaning the bowl completely.
Guo Minghao: "Boss!"
"Hmm?"
The chubby shop owner raised his head once more, casting his gaze upon the slender-figured Guo Minghao.
He recognized him as the young man living in the residential building just ahead.
"Bring me two bowls of beef noodles!"
...
The chubby owner kindly reminded him, "You won't finish all that, don't waste it."
Guo Minghao pointed his chopsticks toward the disheveled man. "Give the other one to him!"