Chapter 18: Inch of Light
The smallest coin in the safe is worth three hundred Liuzhu, enough to cover the boat fare back to headquarters, and even enough to buy a bottle of good wine.
The lights at headquarters were always on, a place that remained brightly lit year-round. Chu Hengkong, carrying a bottle of wine, entered the lounge. The shift change had long passed; those on the midday shift were resting in the dorms, while those on the night shift were patrolling the streets. The little girl hated the police for being useless, unaware that her father had been spared precisely because the thugs avoided the patrolmen who patrolled day and night.
But what's the point of reasoning with a child? The child doesn't care about all that. He just knows that no one will come to save him when he is killed.
Chu Hengkong sat down on the small sofa and poured himself a glass of wine. The purple-red wine was slightly astringent, with a sweet aftertaste and a faint floral aroma. He narrowed his eyes, wondering if he should go find a bag of peanuts.
"Stay up late at night and drink alone?"
At the door, her golden ponytail swayed as Ji Huaisu walked in with a swift and decisive manner and sat down on the long sofa at the side. She reached for the bottle and said, "I'll have a drink too."
Chu Hengkong moved the bottle back an inch: "Drinking on duty is against the rules."
"Don't try that! You violated the rules first." Ji Huaisu rolled his eyes. "If you don't tell me, I'll report you internally!"
Chu Hengkong smiled helplessly and pushed the bottle to the middle of the table. The two makeshift partners each had a glass, savoring the rather poor-looking wine. No one spoke, and the clock in the lounge ticked.
"Have I ever told you that I used to be involved in gangs?" Chu Hengkong said.
"I mentioned it once." Ji Huaisu glanced at him, "But it doesn't look like it."
"It's true." Chu Hengkong said calmly, "In traditional underworld families, new members have to pass two major hurdles to join. The first hurdle is the family joining ceremony, which usually involves taking an oath with a bloody handprint in the presence of senior members. After the ceremony, you become a member of the family, and everyone treats you as a brother.
But the family is so large, with so many different people, that to be appreciated you have to be 'trustworthy.' That's a complicated process. You have to start by accompanying the elders, doing the smallest, most menial tasks: collecting debts, collecting protection fees, watching over the place, and teaching a few clueless people a lesson... Gradually, as you gain everyone's recognition, the second hurdle appears. One day, the elder will bring you a brown paper bag, saying he's busy today and needs your help with a small matter.
Chu Hengkong raised his glass, the purple wine looking as red as blood under the light. "The newcomer hurriedly opened the brown paper bag on the way and found that he had a gun. Only then did he realize he was going to kill someone. The chosen target must have violated the organization's bottom line. Perhaps in the open society, their crime would not be punishable by death, but in the rules of the gang, they will definitely die.
Once the newcomer pulls the trigger, he will transform into a 'trustworthy person', because in a world of violence, only human life is the most trustworthy bond and curse."
Chu Hengkong shrugged. "In the past, the pass rate for this level was very low, because people are all human, and most people don't think the other party will pay with their lives... But in modern times, the test is useless, because everyone has long known the tricks. As long as you shoot, you can advance. No matter who the opponent is, you can just shoot and kill him."
Whether the task is done well or poorly is secondary; the key lies in the choices made by the parties involved. The person held at gunpoint may have their own difficulties, may be the elderly, the weak, women, or children, or may simply be innocent. But regardless of the true situation, you must personally pull the trigger, because the person setting this test truly wants to see your attitude.
This is true in the underworld and in the white world as well.
Ji Huaisu listened with great interest and asked, "What did you do at that time?"
"Me?" Chu Hengkong chuckled. "I'm used to doing my due diligence before taking on a job. My target was a poor waiter whose sister was married to an older member of the family. That man was a typical Apulian playboy who often beat his wife and gambled away her hard-earned money. In the end, he beat his pregnant wife into a miscarriage, and the poor woman suffered a mental breakdown. When the waiter learned of this, he grabbed a knife and took the older member's life.
When he saw me, he was so scared that his legs, even as a 5'8" tall man, were shaking. He said, "I won't resist, please let my sister go." I said, "Get lost! Take your sister to another city. If anyone dares to stop me, tell them my name and tell them that I will kill anyone who dares to touch you, Chu Hengkong!"
Chu Hengkong drank the wine in his cup in one gulp, his eyes filled with satisfaction. Ji Huaisu rolled his eyes: "Such a strong sense of the underworld."
"On the way back, I bought a bottle of wine and went straight to the boss's office. The boss said, 'I've confirmed today that Akong, you will never become a big shot in your life.'"
"I said why?"
"The boss says you're not a bad brain, not lacking in quick wits, and no one can rival you in skill, but you lack the foresight to look ahead, and you have absolutely no patience at all. The big guys always look far ahead. They don't mind making concessions in the moment, because it allows them to succeed in the future. But you refuse to look up, your eyes forever fixed on the path ahead. If you don't change your character, you'll be a thug for life."
At this point, Chu Hengkong's eyes were filled with nostalgia. "Boss, you're such a good judge of character! I, Chu Hengkong, am a short-sighted wretch! I don't care about tomorrow, I only care about today. I won't yield for a moment. No matter how much reason and benefits you offer me, I won't do anything against my will!"
He looked at Ji Huaisu: "Tell me, am I very willful?"
"Very willful." Ji Huaisu nodded, "Just like a child."
Chu Hengkong burst into laughter. He wasn't usually a talkative person, but tonight he was unleashing a torrent of chatter. Perhaps he missed his gangster days, or perhaps he'd been holding these words in for a long time, unconcerned about whether anyone else was listening, simply letting them flow with the drunken abandon. He grew increasingly cheerful as he spoke, his face beaming with joy. "That's why I've never made it anywhere, and I deserve to be a lifelong thug... But at the end of the day, I'm happier than the big guys!"
Some children are stubborn because they don't understand reason, while others understand everything but remain stubborn their entire lives. Ji Huaisu thought this child was the latter. Perhaps he had always had this bad temper since childhood, otherwise a person with a sense of justice wouldn't have fallen into the trap of becoming a killer.
She waited for Chu Hengkong's laughter to stop, and then said quietly, "Chu Hengkong, your hometown is very peaceful, right?"
Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment: "Most places are safe."
"I think so, otherwise your boss wouldn't have said that." Ji Huaisu shrugged. "In times of peace and prosperity, everyone has enough money to live and naturally tries their best to look into the distance. But when the world is in chaos, it's hard to survive. Too many people focus on the future for several years, but ignore the knife of today."
She looked at Chu Hengkong's bewildered expression and suddenly smiled: "We all have only one life left, so why should we distinguish between big and small? What's wrong with taking one step at a time? If you can make it far step by step, you will also be a real big shot."
She threw a round object to Chu Hengkong and leaned back on the sofa carelessly: "Congratulations, Inspector Chu, you are officially promoted to Senior Inspector today. Remember to treat everyone to a drink when you have time."
It was a badge-shaped white jade plaque, with a dragon carved into the smooth jade base. Chu Hengkong glanced at the half-full bottle of wine and began to doubt his own alcohol tolerance.
At that moment, the lounge door opened, and the man with the paper fan reappeared, followed by the shifty Jie An. Ji Qiufeng folded his fan and said with a smile, "Everyone's in high spirits so late at night. Why are they celebrating before the ceremony even begins?"
"What ceremony?" Chu Hengkong was confused.
Jie An came forward and rubbed his palms. "Hey, didn't Captain Huaisu tell you? There are strict requirements for job title evaluation in our team. To be a senior detective, you have to be a particle level 1~"
The alcohol in Chu Hengkong's head dissipated immediately. He stood up, his face full of disbelief: "Wasn't it fired? Why was it promoted?"
"We're evaluating you as a senior inspector, not a cold-blooded killer. You did a great job, so who else should we promote if not you?" Ji Qiufeng patted him on the back. "But your handling of the situation was still reckless. You can consult with your seniors in this situation. From now on, the area around Gushui Street is yours. Keep an eye on the little girl and the dog. If anything happens again, you'll be held responsible."
Chu Hengkong put the badge away and said seriously, "I will definitely keep an eye on it."
"Okay, then our Tentacle Detective will solve another case." Ji Qiufeng waved his fan. "Since no one is too sleepy... why don't we strike while the iron is hot and hold the promotion ceremony to Senior Inspector before going to bed?"
(End of this chapter)
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