Chapter 92 The True Side of Alai

Morning light pierced through the iron bars of the high windows of the Bangkok Special Prison...

Seven opened his eyes three minutes before the whistle blew.

This was an instinct he had developed during his thirteen years as an assassin.

No matter where you are, the alarm clock inside your body is always accurate.

But today, he stared at the damp water stains on the ceiling and lay there for a minute longer than usual.

The note under his pillow felt like a branding iron, searing his spine.

"Deal with Li Hanzhou within three days. After that, get rid of Xiao Che."

Jiang Kun's instructions were never verbose.

Qi has carried out countless similar tasks without ever hesitating.

A goal is a goal, and an obstacle is an obstacle; simply remove them.

But this time...

A rustling sound came from the bed opposite.

Qi turned his head and saw Xiao Che rubbing his eyes as he sat up, his prison uniform collar askew, revealing a section of his collarbone.

The boy yawned and looked over groggily: "Good morning, Seventh Brother... Your eyes are so dark?"

Seven, shift your gaze.

"fine."

He rolled out of bed, his movements a bit more forceful than usual.

The water in the sink was ice cold.

Qi buried his face in the water, trying to wake up.

Water droplets slid down his cheeks and dripped onto the cement platform.

Three days.

Three days later, the boy who would call him "Seventh Brother" with a smile, complain about the bad food, and follow him around would become a corpse.

And he will be the one to make the move.

"Seventh Brother, here." A rough towel was handed over from the side.

Fang Che leaned in at some point, his eyes crinkling: "You wash your face like you're fighting a battle, you splashed water all over me."

Qi took the towel and wiped the other person's hand with his fingertips.

A sensation like being electrocuted.

"Thanks," he said, his voice dry.

"Don't mention it." Fang Che waved his hand and lowered his voice, "Seventh Brother, how about going to the basketball court for some fresh air in the morning? I heard you can see the trees outside the wall from there."

Qi looked into his bright eyes, and her throat tightened.

"what ever."

"Okay!" Fang Che turned around, humming an off-key tune as he went to change his clothes.

Qi stared at his back.

The outline of the bandages on the boy's waist could be seen through his prison uniform.

He secretly checked the medicine that was delivered last night.

It is indeed an anti-inflammatory drug, but the dosage is only enough for three days.

Three days.

Is it a coincidence?

Qi's gaze darkened.

He began to recall every detail of Xiao Che's imprisonment...

Her deliberate approach, her unusual attention to Li Hanzhou, and her private contact with Lu Che...

Who exactly is this seemingly innocent boy?

The cafeteria was as noisy as usual.

Fang Che carried his tray and searched for Li Hanzhou in the crowd.

He hasn't seen anyone since receiving the medicine and note last night.

Anxiety filled my heart.

I had just sat down when I overheard the conversation at the next table:

"...Scarface from the East District is dead!"

"Who did this?"

"Who else could it be? Li Hanzhou, of course! Someone saw them arguing in the warehouse yesterday, and today..."

Fang Che's spoon fell into the plate.

Scarface?

He recalled the conversation he had overheard outside the snake warehouse the day before.

The venomous snake told Li Hanzhou to break Scarface's leg and change his dressing.

Brother Li won't kill him.

He understood Li Hanzhou; although ruthless, he had his bottom line.

unless……

"Make way."

A cold, harsh voice came from above.

Fang Che looked up and saw Qi standing by the table with a tray in her hand.

"Seventh Brother?" He moved aside. "I didn't see you getting your food earlier."

"Something came up." Qi sat down, glancing at the table next to him. "Eat your food, don't listen to gossip."

Fang Che shut up and lowered his head to eat his rice.

But his ears were perked up.

The people at the next table were still talking: "...The mad dog from the East District has said that he's going to let Li Hanzhou know what's going on today. There are over thirty people here, he'll be in big trouble."

"Li Hanzhou also has people..."

"What good is having someone to rely on! Mad Dog's gang are all desperate thugs..."

Fang Che couldn't eat anymore.

He put down his spoon and looked at Seven: "Seventh Brother, I..."

"No," Qi interrupted him. "You're not allowed to go anywhere today."

"But Brother Li..."

“He won’t die,” Qi said coldly. “But you will.”

These words were too harsh, and Fang Che was stunned.

Seeing his pale face, Qi softened her tone: "Xiao Che, this is a special prison in Bangkok, not outside. Here, might makes right. What can you do there besides being a hindrance?"

Fang Che bit his lip.

He knew that Qi was right.

His back injury still hurts; if a fight breaks out, he'll have a hard time even protecting himself.

But……

“At least I can be with him,” he said softly. “Seventh Brother, you don’t understand. Sometimes, just having someone by your side is enough.”

Qi tightened his grip on the spoon.

He understands.

Because I understand, I can't let Xiao Che go.

Second floor of Block B, cell 206.

Li Hanzhou stood by the iron bars on the window, looking down at the crowd gathered on the playground below.

At least thirty people came from the East District, led by One-Eyed.

Scarface's older brother, Mad Dog, is notoriously reckless.

"Brother Li, our men are all here now," a scarred Chinese man whispered from behind.

His name is Lao Dao (Old Knife), and he was an outer member of the Heyitang in Thailand. He was sentenced to ten years in prison for smuggling weapons into the country.

Li Hanzhou nodded: "How many people?"

"Fifteen of them are still able to move," Old Dao said with a wry smile. "The numbers are too different; we'll suffer if we fight head-on."

“I know.” Li Hanzhou turned around. “That’s why we won’t confront them head-on.”

He walked to the bedside and pulled out a sharpened toothbrush handle from under the pillow.

The hard currency in prison is also the last resort.

"Old Dao, if a fight breaks out later, you take some men and guard the stairwell. Don't let the people from the East District come up."

"and you……"

“I’m going to the basketball court.” Li Hanzhou’s eyes were cold. “The mad dog wants me, I’ll go and make things clear.”

"Brother Li!" Old Knife cried out anxiously, "You really didn't kill Scarface?"

“I promised Viper I’d teach him a lesson, but I didn’t say I’d kill him.” Li Hanzhou paused. “But someone wants to use me as a tool to kill him.”

"who?"

Li Hanzhou didn't answer. Several candidates flashed through his mind: Viper? Jiang Kun? Or...

"Brother Li!"

The cell door was pushed open, and Alai rushed in, panting, his face filled with panic: "It's terrible! The people from the East District said that if you don't go to the basketball court for a one-on-one game within half an hour, they'll..."

"Just what?"

Alai's voice trembled: "So they went to cause trouble for Xiao Che. They said that since you killed Scarface for that kid, you should make that kid pay with his life."

The air condensed.

Old Dao gasped.

Li Hanzhou's expression was terrifying, unlike anything he had ever seen before.

Every muscle on that cold, stern face was trembling.

The chill in his eyes sent a shiver down Old Dao's spine.

How did they know about A-Che?

Alai stepped back, his face pale. "I...I don't know...maybe someone saw you in the warehouse yesterday..."

"Saw?" Li Hanzhou laughed, his smile filled with murderous intent. "Alai, yesterday in the warehouse, it was only me, Seven, Viper, and you."

He approached step by step.

"The venomous snake won't speak, and neither will Qigeng. So who's left?"

Alai collapsed to the ground, tears streaming down her face: "Brother Li, you doubt me? How could I possibly harm you? I like you so much..."

"You like it?" Li Hanzhou squatted down, grabbed his chin, and pinched him so hard it felt like he was going to crush his bones. "Alai, listen carefully."

"Fang Che is my life. Anyone who dares to touch him will regret being born."

"Yesterday when you went to see the snake, besides getting the medicine, what else did you say? What did you do? What was that package he gave you?"

Alai's pupils suddenly contracted.

How could he know?

“I didn’t…” Alai shook his head, tears streaming down his face.

Li Hanzhou released his grip and stood up straight.

“Alai, you’re sentenced to life imprisonment.” He said calmly, “The charge is serial murder. The victims were all young men who had been abused before their deaths.”

Alai froze.

“I didn’t ask because I thought everyone has a past.” Li Hanzhou looked at him. “But now, it seems your past is just your nature.”

He bent down and whispered in Alai's ear: "You want to do something to Ache, right? Like you did to those people before. Drug them, and then..."

"I didn't!" Alai screamed. "Brother Li! I just love you! I just wanted you to look at me!"

"Love?" Li Hanzhou straightened up, his eyes filled with disgust. "Your love is drugging, sowing discord, and using others to do your dirty work?"

He turned to Old Knife: "Keep an eye on him. Don't let him leave the house before I get back."

"Brother Li, are you going alone?" Old Dao asked anxiously.

"That's enough." Li Hanzhou straightened his prison uniform and walked towards the door.

He stopped at the door and took one last look at Alai.

That look sent chills down Alai's spine.

“Alai,” Li Hanzhou’s voice was low and deep, “you’d better hope A-Che is alright. Otherwise, I guarantee you’ll regret it.”

The door closed.

Alai collapsed to the ground, trembling uncontrollably.

He licked his lips, his eyes gleaming with excitement.

"Brother Li...you've finally looked at me."

Fang Che couldn't sit still in the library.

Qi locked him up here and left.

The playground outside the window was packed with people, and the atmosphere was tense.

Brother Li must be there.

He has to go.

Fang Che looked around the reading room...

Only the books remained, covered in dust.

The door was locked from the inside, and the windows had iron bars.

He looked at the stack of books in the corner, the top one being a thick English-Thai dictionary.

Fang Che picked up the dictionary and weighed it in his hand.

He walked to the door, took a breath, and smashed the dictionary against the lock.

"Bang!"

The lock rattled.

"Bang! Bang!"

The latch broke open.

He opened the door; the hallway was empty. The building manager must have been scared away.

Fang Che threw down the dictionary and rushed out, bumping into someone at the stairwell.