6
Hearing someone calling his name, Jiang Hao instinctively panicked. It had been ages since anyone had called him that. Ever since the day he'd smashed Iron Donkey's head, he'd forbidden anyone around him from calling him by his real name, and had stuck with the nickname "Mouse."
Fearing that someone might leave the group and report his crimes, Jiang Hao retained the rules left by Tielu and used violent and harsh methods to manage his subordinates. At the same time, he accepted new members without hesitation to strengthen his own power and prevent adults like Tielu from bullying him again.
Luck was on his side. Six months later, two new high-speed railway lines converged in Chengguan City. The train station was expanded, and passenger traffic surged. This brought with it an influx of disengaged individuals. Most of them fought alone, finding it difficult to compete with the already established Jiang Hao and his gang. In the end, they either left in disgrace or joined the gang in silence.
Nowadays, even the city's thugs would give way if the name "Haozi" was mentioned. His gang, after years of growth, had become a force no one dared to ignore. Jiang Hao himself no longer had to work, yet his monthly income flowed in like water, almost equivalent to the annual revenue of a small private enterprise.
He had no plans to save money, and spent his days wandering the streets with a group of his buddies. Gradually growing tired of nightclubs, roller rinks, arcades, karaoke bars, and other entertainment venues, he began to wonder if it was time to find a woman.
Due to malnutrition, his secondary sexual characteristics developed very late, he never grew a beard, and he had no interest in women. "Little Henan" once found a torn scroll of a beautiful woman in a swimsuit in the trash. After bringing it back to the shack, everyone passed it around like a treasure, except Jiang Hao. It was just a woman wearing less clothing, boring.
But recently, when he walked on the street, he began to stare at women unconsciously, especially women of similar age, but he hated female students wearing school uniforms, as that dress made him feel inferior.
One day in the early summer, he was strolling alone down the street when he encountered a girl wearing a black T-shirt, jeans, and white sneakers. While her outfit was too androgynous to be noticeable, even the most masculine T-shirt couldn't hide the slight protrusion of her breasts. Jiang Hao's eyes unconsciously darted over, as if being sucked into the center of a vortex.
Suddenly, the girl leaned in closer, squinting her eyes to scrutinize his face. Normally, when Jiang Hao punished his subordinates, to create a positive atmosphere, he wouldn't even wipe the blood off his face. But now, he was so frightened he took two steps back, and he didn't even know why.
"Jiang Hao?" the girl called out his name. He was startled, and it took him a long time to realize that it was Li Zitong, his good friend from the orphanage days.
Li Zitong was somewhat excited to meet his childhood friend unexpectedly in a foreign land, and he chattered a lot. Jiang Hao, however, stuttered and couldn't say anything. He occasionally stole a glance and found that Li Zitong was taller than him. His eyes, mouth, and slightly upturned nose were completely different from when he was a child. His every move exuded the spirit of youth.
He lowered his head and found that he was wearing a pair of tacky slippers. He quickly closed his legs to hide them.
Before parting, he said a few irrelevant words, fumbled in his pocket, and gave the seal he carried with him to Li Zitong.
"If you get into trouble, take out this thing and tell me my name, and it will probably be solved smoothly," he said.
Li Zitong accepted it, but didn't look serious.
After parting with Li Zitong, he wandered about in a daze for a long time, returning to his quarters at night. His ungracious subordinates, as usual, approached him to fawn over him, but he slapped them twice. Silence fell over the shack; no one dared to speak.
He went to bed early, but could not fall asleep. Li Zitong had no idea what the seal meant.
His gang's rapid expansion and strict hierarchy necessitated a clear hierarchy between superiors and subordinates. Inspired by a plot from a martial arts novel, Jiang Hao created seals depicting the twelve Chinese zodiac animals and distributed them to his most capable subordinates. The other gang members were expected to obey the seal holders. Seal holders were also ranked according to their zodiac year, with those born earlier in the year possessing greater power.
What he gave Li Zitong was the seal with the word "rat" on it.
No matter how successful he was in the underworld, in the eyes of ordinary citizens, he was just a street thug. Inferiority, shame, jealousy, a sense of loss... all these emotions intertwined and took over his body and mind.
A rebellious spirit, a sense of ambition, a sense of tragedy slowly rose within him. After eliminating Iron Donkey, he felt his life had changed. No one could bully him anymore, no one could look down on him anymore. He could finally be content. But now, he had a new desire: to make more money, to climb higher, to become a person of true social status.
Contrary to his wishes, at the age of nineteen, his life hit rock bottom again.
The police simultaneously raided their three hideouts in the city, detaining everyone present. Jiang Hao, through sheer luck, escaped this fate. He had just left the bar late that night and spotted a police car in a taxi on his way back to his hideout. He calmly asked the driver to turn around and retreated to his private hideout for the night. The next day, he was disheartened to discover that, in a single night, nearly all of the gang's core members had been wiped out. He had painstakingly laid the foundations and built the walls, believing his kingdom to be impregnable, but in reality, it was nothing more than a sand fortress on the beach, shattered by the passing of the waves.
Which case was exposed, leading to the crackdown? It couldn't have been Tielu's death; that was a long time ago. Perhaps it was the incident where the CEO of the company that controlled the city's earthmoving business was found dead at home with a plastic bag over his head? That wasn't likely either; the men he sent were two of the most loyal, and their work was efficient and clean, leaving no room for evidence. Was he caught collecting goods in the south of the city and accidentally killed a police officer? That wasn't likely either; he sent someone to take the blame. Because the man was a minor, he was only in juvenile detention and wouldn't betray him. Was it because a disco waitress was found dead naked in the suburbs last year? Those idiots under his wing were high on drugs, drugged the woman, and ended up killing her. If that was the case, it would have been terrible; he'd taken off his pants that time, so there would probably have been bodily fluid evidence.
After much reflection, he decided the cause was no longer important. Most of the gang's core members had been apprehended, and sooner or later, they would confess to all the crimes. Sure enough, a wanted poster for him appeared soon after. That night, he tore off a piece and compared it to the mirror. It looked similar, but not much.
A comeback was impossible; he didn't even dare leave the house during the day. Luckily, during his heyday, he'd rented his current hideout under a fake identity. The owner and his family had gone to the United States to make a living, on five-year work visas, so he didn't have to worry about them returning anytime soon. A few of his men, like him, had escaped the disaster and regularly dropped by to deliver food and keep him informed. But Jiang Hao knew he couldn't control them. They were still willing to work because he could afford to pay them. Once his cash ran out, the gang would surely scatter.
A month later, a stranger suddenly arrived. He and his men had agreed on a knocking rhythm, but the person outside was clearly unaware of this. Terrified, he tried to escape through the window, but fortunately, he glanced through the peephole first. It was Li Zitong. He then remembered that he had told her the address of this place a few years ago, when he was at the peak of his career.
Li Zitong came seeking help. She admitted to having used the seal once before, and therefore knew he was truly powerful. She hoped Jiang Hao would unleash his abilities to bring down a music store. Although he couldn't protect himself, he didn't want to appear timid in front of the girl he loved, so he agreed without hesitation.
The subsequent developments were completely beyond his expectations. While assigning his men to gather information, he accidentally discovered the secret that Li Zitong was determined to hide, and regardless of the risk, he personally went to the music store.
Li Xueqiang spoke suggestively to Jiang Hao, a potential major customer. His secret videotapes had been mysteriously stolen from his attic, and fearing police attention, Li Xueqiang took a break from his work for several years. But as time passed, he felt the storm had passed, and recently he'd returned to his old ways.
The moment he learned the truth, Jiang Hao's emotions were mixed. Initially, he felt the urge to smash this scumbag's skull in. After forcing himself to suppress it, a dark joy took over. It turned out that the girl wasn't perfect after all. For the first time, he felt like she was within his reach.
A new criminal plan brewed in his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more feasible it seemed. The plan was long-term and risky, but the rewards were extremely tempting. Li Xueqiang's family had left their hometown and moved to this city, with no roots, no relatives, no friends. It was like a bird's nest perched on a high branch. If he could eliminate the adult bird, he could kill two birds with one stone: the nest and the chicks.
That night, he lay in bed and plotted his plan. Xu Lan would die in an "accident," Li Xueqiang in a "suicide." This way, their deaths wouldn't attract sustained police attention, making it easier for him to carry out his subsequent plan.
But as fate would have it, when the actual operation was about to begin, the father and son of Besi coincidentally got involved. He had no choice but to temporarily change his plan and shift the blame. Fortunately, he achieved a similar effect in the end.
After committing two murders, he went into hiding again to observe the situation. It was obvious that the police had no idea how to solve the two consecutive crimes, and there was no clue pointing to his existence. With this, the most difficult and dangerous stage of the plan was over, and all that remained was to wait.
He waited for two years. The cash he had wasted much faster than he had expected, so he gritted his teeth and decided to take the final risk.
For two years, he had been secretly observing Li Zitong's whereabouts. She had already graduated from high school. To take care of her younger brother, she didn't take the college entrance exam and found a job as a hospital nurse, working late every day. After school, Li Tianci had to walk home alone.
Jiang Hao approached Li Tianci on his way home from school, claiming he was his sister's friend and was there to pick him up. Since he knew Li Zitong so well, his lie was flawless. Li Tianci quickly believed him, and they got into a white van together.
The driver was a farmer nicknamed "Humpback," and in the passenger seat sat his wife. The couple were old acquaintances of Li Tianci. Besides farming, they also engaged in child trafficking. During their time dominating the underground order around the train station, Jiang Hao often had his men cover for the couple, earning him considerable commissions.
The hunchback's wife coaxed Li Tianci into drinking the drugged soda, and he quickly fell asleep. Jiang Hao got off the bus halfway. Before parting, he told the couple, "It doesn't matter how much you sell. If it's not enough, I'll make up for it. Just remember to sell it far away."
"Don't worry, we have already negotiated with the buyer. It's far away from here! It will take two full days to drive there." said the hunchback.
After years of side hustles, the couple had earned a good income. In the past two years, they'd switched to using their own car for deliveries, no longer taking the train, which was much safer. Jiang Hao wasn't worried about them. After nightfall, he arrived at Li Zitong's house, unlocked the door with his key, and opened a bottle of high-end baijiu that Li Xueqiang had left untouched. He sat in the living room and began to drink by himself.
He knew that Li Zitong would not dare to disobey him.
In order to get the girl he likes in his arms, he made a double insurance.
Before executing the plan, Li Zitong signed an agreement drafted by Jiang Hao. It explicitly stated that she had authorized Jiang Hao to shut down the music store "at any cost through agreed-upon means" and to pay him "in the future when revenue is generated." Furthermore, to "assist in the implementation of the plan," she would provide "home keys and necessary assistance."
The method they had agreed on didn't include murder. But Jiang Hao was well aware of how this agreement would be perceived by others. Li Zitong was also well aware of this. After Xu Lan's death, Li Zitong came to her house to demand the truth. He pulled out the agreement and explained it at length, successfully making her tremble all over, but she couldn't utter a word.
He planned to keep another layer of security hidden deep within his heart, never to use it unless absolutely necessary. Two years ago, he attacked Xu Lan, who was walking home alone at night, killing her with a blunt object on the head and stuffing her into a large suitcase he had prepared. Ten minutes later, he met up with Li Zitong, who had arranged to hide in a dark alley. According to the agreement, the suitcase should contain videotapes and valuable video and playback equipment from the attic. Li Zitong was convinced, and together they carried the suitcase to Jiang Hao's hideout.
He promised Li Zitong that he would burn the entire suitcase afterwards. Li Zitong, trusting her childhood friend who would rather starve than give her half a steamed bun, immediately went home to do her homework. Li Xueqiang was almost home from work, and she was worried about being discovered.
After Li Zitong left, he moved the suitcase back to the video store and began to fake the scene of his accidental death. At this time, Zheng Kun came to the store to return the videotape...
The suitcase was stained with blood inside and two fingerprints on the outside. Jiang Hao had been keeping the suitcase safe, using it as a weapon to hold Li Zitong hostage. He knew that Li Zitong loved her adoptive mother and brother, and from this, he could infer that Li Xueqiang's evil deeds had been hidden from Xu Lan.
Unless it was absolutely necessary, he didn't want Li Zitong to know the truth about Xu Lan's death.
The night Li Tianci disappeared, Li Zitong searched for him until three in the morning before returning home. Seeing Jiang Hao sitting in the living room with such a swagger, she was stunned.
"What are you doing here?"
Jiang Hao opened the paper package on the table, revealing a roasted chicken. "Are you tired? Eat something to fill your stomach and go to bed early. You still have to go to work tomorrow."
"Get out! ... I beg you, I don't have time to bother with you tonight."
"You're busy looking for your brother, aren't you? Don't waste your time. You won't find him even if you dig up the entire city."
Li Zitong rushed forward, grabbed Jiang Hao's shoulders, and a low humming sound came out of his throat. He was startled and half of the wine in the glass was spilled.
"You attacked him?"
"Don't worry, your brother is doing fine now, and he's not in any danger." He changed his tone and spoke softly and comfortingly, "He was just sent to a place far, far away, and new parents are willing to adopt him. Isn't that a wonderful thing? Back then, we waited so long in the orphanage, but we didn't even have such an opportunity. As long as you behave, I'll take you to visit him soon."
Li Zitong took a few steps back and leaned against the wall. The fatigue of the night and the heavy blow weighed on her shoulders. She finally lost her balance and slowly collapsed to the ground, leaning against the wall.
"Why...what did I do wrong? Why won't you let me go? Are you mad at me for taking away your chance to be adopted?"
"It's my fault. I shouldn't have joked around." Jiang Hao walked over and squatted in front of Li Zitong. "Don't worry, nothing will happen. Go to the school tomorrow morning and tell them that you've found your brother. He got lost on the way home from school and was found in the middle of the night. The weather outside is gloomy and cold, and he caught a cold and has a fever, so he needs to rest at home for a few days. Wait a week and then go find them again. Tell them that after this experience of being lost, you feel you can't take good care of your younger brother, so you've sent him to live with his uncle who lives out of town. Then take out your ID and go through the transfer procedures. The school will probably not suspect anything. Even if someone does suspect something, they won't dare to speak up. Li Tianci got lost on the way home from school, and they're afraid of taking responsibility."
Li Zitong lowered his head and said nothing.
"I'm thinking of you," he continued, softly and comfortingly. "I've seen how hard you've worked over the past two years. Raising a child alone is a heavy burden for anyone. Look at you, you're just skin and bones. Your brother is the same. But now it's good. Once you're separated, you can both live a good life. Isn't that the best of both worlds?"
She shook her lowered head. "At this point, you still expect me to believe your lies and believe that everything you do is not for a dirty purpose?"
"Hey, look at what you said." He scratched his temples. "Everything I did was for your own good. But if you want to talk about selfishness, there is a little bit of selfishness. As you know, the law and order have been getting tighter and tighter recently, and I've run into some minor trouble. From today on, can I stay at your place for a while?"
Li Zitong raised his head and looked at him in confusion.
"Think about it, once your brother's transfer paperwork is done, no one will care where he goes. Your family doesn't usually have any relatives visiting, so no one will even realize I live here."
He grew more and more elated as he spoke; his years of hard work and waiting had finally paid off. He felt the words pouring out of his mouth, and he had to lay out his entire plan. "After you graduate from high school, you'll apply to be your brother's guardian, right? I'm short and look much younger than I actually am. After a few years, when no one remembers what your brother looks like, you can let me take over his status. I want to live here legitimately."
Li Zitong stared into his eyes for a long time, "So this is your real purpose."
Her eyes were piercingly fierce, like a trapped beast choosing its prey. Set against that beautiful face, they stood out, frightening and out of place. Jiang Hao could never forget that stark contrast until his death.
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