by Mi Lei
"Fuck you, freak! I'll teach you to sink your fucking claw into girls'…" She struggled for breath as she continued to rain blows down on Jing Xu. "Kick him, baby! Kick him hard!"
Spurred on, the tattooed man renewed his violent efforts.
Finally, the bar's manager arrived with a cadre of security guards to put a stop to it. It took a few brutal seconds, but in the end, security subdued the attackers.
Even firmly restrained, the tattooed man's anger still boiled. He thrust his finger at the manager's face and yelled, "This is none of your business! Fucking let me go!"
The manager seemed entirely indifferent to his rage. "Eldest Brother, if you want to beat someone up, go outside. Kill him, for all I care, as long as you leave my establishment out of it."
This stopped the tattooed man's tirade. He looked down at the semi-conscious Jing Xu, unsure what to do. The girl was still fuming. She grabbed hold of the big man's arm and whispered something in his ear. At first the man's eyes popped open in surprise, and then he began to grin. He looked as if he was about to burst into laughter.
"All right, no more hitting." He turned to the gathered crowd. There was a cruel smile on his face. "This guy's a eunuch. Don't you all want to see if he's a cock-off or balls-off eunuch? Hey, maybe it's both!"
At first the onlookers were just confused, but shock quickly turned to cheerful excitement. A few even started chanting: "Show us! Show us!"
"Get his pants off!"
Satisfied that he would stop beating the man, the bar's manager let go of the tattooed man. With crossed arms, he impassively allowed the scene to unfold. Even the waitresses, who had just a moment ago cowered in fear, were now gathering around the man on the ground. They whispered and giggled as they waited for what was to come.
In the midst of it all, Jing Xu suddenly regained his senses. Crawling away on all fours, he pitifully pleaded with his attackers. "No… Don't… I'll never again..."
The tattooed man grabbed Jing Xu by the legs and flipped him on his back. He shouted to his gang, "Brothers, let's have a look!"
The youths grabbed Jing Xu. Two pinned his legs, while a third undid his belt. With a tug, they had his trousers off. Only his briefs were left to cover his modesty. Jing Xu desperately clung to them, begging and pleading to be released. He started crying. As the sobs grew louder, his voice broke. Curled up on the ground, Jing Xu looked and sounded like some sort of dying beast.
The tattooed man continued without mercy. He tore into Jing Xu's briefs, revealing a thick patch of pubic hair. Just one more tiny tear…
No one moved to stop him. Perhaps it was morbid curiosity and perhaps it was the fever of the moment, but every eye was fixed on that last sliver of cloth. The crowd was waiting, hoping for it to be ripped away.
They all stood in silence; all but one. Unwilling to take another second of the disturbing crassness, Fang Mu charged. He firmly put his foot down on the tattooed man's shoulder, ending the assault.
The big man was taken completely by surprise. He stumbled forward and landed head-first on Jing Xu's chest. Cursing, he scrambled back to his feet. He spun around to face his attacker. He was greeted by a police ID.
The man's face instantly twisted from rage to dumb confusion. It was a look mirrored by all of his gang. They stood frozen around Fang Mu, transfixed by the police ID.
"Either you walk away right now on your own or I'm taking you on a trip to the Bureau; your choice." Fang Mu's voice was bitterly cold. "I can charge you with aggravated assault..." He looked down at Jing Xu. "And I'm sure that he will be happy to add an insult charge on top of that."
The rage had returned to the tattooed man's face, but it was now directed at Fang Mu. For a few seconds, he just stared at the policeman. Then he spun around and gave Jing Xu a final kick before shouting to his men. "Let's get out of here!"
Xiao Wang watched the gang leave, then turned to Fang Mu, shrugging his shoulders as he shot him an annoyed glare. The young officer seemed just as disappointed as the other onlookers.
Now that the show was over, the crowd filed out of the lobby. The manager left Jing Xu with a kick. "Hey, get up. You're in the way of my customers."
Jing Xu slowly rose to his feet. His head, however, remained hung in shame as he pulled his trousers back up to his waist. His dignity partially restored, he took a few faltering steps toward the door. As he passed Fang Mu, he lifted his battered face. His split, bruised lips opened and closed without sound.
"You all right?" Fang Mu asked. There was no sympathy in his voice.
Spewing blood, Jing Xu collapsed at Fang Mu's feet.
Fang Mu sat on a plastic bench in a corridor of the No. 2 People's Hospital. He watched Xiao Wang slowly approach, a ream of papers in hand.
"How is he?" Fang Mu inquired.
Xiao Wang could hardly be bothered to reply, but he did. "Two fractured ribs, bruised lungs, and a cut lip. It's nothing. He'll live."
Fang Mu quickly checked the medical notes. "Has his family been contacted?"
"Ask him." Xiao Wang shrugged. "He has no relatives in the city."
Fang Mu looked up from the notes. "What now?"
"What choice do we have? We've gotta take him home." Xiao Wang grimaced. "That son of a bitch barely has three hundred yuan on him. He can't afford a stay in the hospital; that is, unless you now want to cover his hospital bill for him, too."
"Oh, I don't think so." Fang Mu laughed. "Let's go."
Jing Xu's apartment was in a housing complex built for the families of workers of a local machine tool plant. Most likely, he had inherited it from his parents. The buildings of the complex were from the '90s and they obviously hadn't seen proper maintenance since.
Xiao Wang drove past the overgrown flower beds and parked his car in front of Jing Xu's building. Turning to the backseat, he commanded, "Get out!"
Jing Xu had been drifting in and out of consciousness during the drive. Shocked awake, he struggled to open his bruised eyes. He looked around in a daze, unsure where these two police had taken him. When he realized that he was home, he propped himself up and with a painful push opened the door. He didn't make it far. Barely out of the car, he limply collapsed.
Fang Mu was out of the car to catch him just in time.
"Move!" Xiao Wang impatiently yelled at the half-conscious man. "Don't drag your fucking feet."
"Forget it," Fang Mu said. "I'll take him up."
It was only three flights of stairs, but it took them more than five minutes to make it up to the apartment. Jing Xu could barely walk, let alone climb stairs, and so Fang Mu had to carry him most of the way. Inside the apartment, Fang Mu dropped him on the sofa. Still sweating and panting, he let himself slump down across from the security guard.
Fang Mu took a look around the living room. It was an old place, cramped and dark. The floor was littered with underwear, empty beer bottles, cigarette butts, and pornographic magazines. He returned his gaze to the apartment's battered owner. Jing Xu was lying on the sofa like a dead dog. Just looking at him filled Fang Mu with disgust.
Suddenly, Jing Xu stirred. He reached out and blindly groped about the sofa.
"What are you looking for?" Fang Mu asked.
"Smoke…smoke..."
Fang Mu hesitated, but despite his revulsion, handed him a cigarette. "You shouldn't smoke," he noted. "You'll be coughing up blood."
Jing Xu ignored him and eagerly lit the cigarette. He inhaled deeply. The moment the smoke hit his injured lungs, a fit of coughing began to shake his body. Fang Mu sat and impassively watched him convulse and twist. As his wheezing slowly began to subside, Fang Mu picked up a roll of toilet paper from the floor and handed it to him. He motioned for the still shaking man to wipe the blood from his mouth.
"Don't be a fool." Fang Mu watched Jing Xu smear the toilet paper across his face. "Unless you desperately want to die young."
Jing Xu's only reply was a broken cackle. His fist clenched around the toilet paper. He violently threw the bloody
tissue to the ground. "And how is this better than death?"
Fang Mu didn't immediately answer. After a few seconds of silence he asked, "Why did they attack you?"
Jing Xu laughed again. Sitting up on the sofa, he looked almost delirious. "She's just a fucking whore! I gave her a good, hard finger-fuck, and for that the bitch goes running off to her boyfriend… You have no idea…" His eyes suddenly flashed as he looked straight at Fang Mu. "...I just tied her up and dug in. That slut screamed and cried like crazy." He laughed. "Like a worm…all twisting..."
"You really are a freak," Fang Mu said, cold disgust dripping from his voice.
"A freak?" The smile faded from Jing Xu's face. It was replaced by a look of utter despair. Without warning, he jumped to his feet, undid his belt and dropped his pants.
There was nothing but scar tissue where his penis should have been. Only his balls remained, dangling between his legs.
"Do you think I wanted this?" Jing Xu wailed. "If I had a cock, do you think I would finger-fuck them?"
Fang Mu averted his eyes. Quietly, he asked, "Who did this?"
"My boss." Defeated, Jing Xu collapsed onto the sofa. He did not even pull his pants back up.
"The hotel manager, that Jin guy?" Fang Mu asked.
"Him? No, he's just another stupid fuck!" Jing Xu snorted.
It was a cruel punishment. With his testicles intact, Jing Xu would continue to produce androgens and continue to experience sexual desire, but there was no way for him to experience release.
"Why did your boss do this to you?" Fang Mu asked.
Jing Xu didn't answer.
Fang Mu could see the trauma of the memory play across his face.
A solid minute of silence passed before Jing Xu haltingly offered his account. "It was a fresh girl. The boss wanted her unused, but I had a go anyway." Jing Xu's eyes were empty and his voice monotone. "She was a Suijing City girl, not my type at all actually… I'd watched some porn that day and I just needed some…"
"What was her name?" Fang Mu almost jumped him. His knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists.
"Lu something, I think," Jing Xu reached out with two fingers, motioning for another cigarette. "What do I care? She was just some girl."
Fang Mu threw the entire pack of cigarettes at him. It landed right in Jing Xu's lap. Jing Xu obliviously got himself a cigarette. Fang Mu's body had gone rigid with rage and he felt the veins on his forehead pulse. It was just a shame that he had thrown a cigarette pack and not a brick.
Yang Min had told him, 'Do not let him get away.'
Why ever did I stop them?
Why ever did I take him to the hospital?
Why ever did I carry him up the stairs? And why the hell did I just give him a cigarette?
But now was not the time for revenge.
Fang Mu squeezed his eyes shut. After a few seconds, he calmly asked, "Who is your boss?"
Jing Xu's head shot up. For a moment, he stared at Fang Mu, and then he tilted his head toward the ceiling.
Fang Mu knew what he was thinking: The last time he messed up, he had lost the most important thing in his life. If he actually betrayed his boss, chances were he would lose far more.
Fang Mu was thinking, How can I get him to talk?
He was letting the options play through his head when Jing Xu suddenly asked a question.
"Why did you help me?"
For a second, Fang Mu didn't know what to say. He hastily gave the only answer he could come up with. "I'm a cop."
"A cop." Jing Xu burst into hollow laughter. "That Zheng guy was a cop, too. You're a better one."
"He's a good policeman." Fang Mu shot him an icy look. "I'll give you that the faked tape was a mistake."
"He got it right, though." Jing Xu abruptly leaned forward, his eyes glinting. "That tape was no mistake."
Fang Mu stared. A minute passed. Then, he whispered, "What did you say?"
"What I mean is, it almost happened just like on that tape." All the glibness had left Jing Xu's voice. "Those three cops were pretty smart. They managed to get all the important parts right."
"How do you know that?" Fang Mu was almost too excited to breathe. "The security cameras weren't off that day, were they?"
"The boss told me to turn them off, but I didn't." Jing Xu's grin returned. "And I don't just have that tape. I have tapes of loads of people."
"Oh?" Fang Mu's shock and amazement were propelled to new heights. "What people?"
"You know, there are lots of rooms in the Bay City Hotel that the boss keeps ready for his special guests." Jing Xu's expression hardened. "There're cameras in those rooms, recording whatever they are up to. It gives him leverage." He chuckled. "I've made copies of a few of them; they're my very own insurance policy, just in case."
Fang Mu recalled what the floor manager at the Bay City Hotel had told them. 'Some of our rooms could stand up to any five-star hotel.'
He continued to eye Jing Xu in silence. The security guard too had fallen quiet and now cocked his head at Fang Mu.
What followed was a silent negotiation; the only question was, who would make the opening bid?
Fang Mu knew that he would have to give Jing Xu something in return for the tapes. "Why are you telling me all of this?" he finally asked.
"For one, you saved me tonight; and then there's..." Jing Xu lowered his hand to his crotch. "Also, I need money to get out of here."
"How much money?" Fang Mu immediately asked.
"Five-hundred-thousand," the reply came just as quickly.
"Impossible," Fang Mu shot back.
Jing Xu sneered. "You can't tell me the Public Security Bureau has gone bankrupt…"
"Forget about the Bureau." Fang Mu's voice rose. "This is between you and me!"
Jing Xu's eyes widened. For a few seconds he was speechless. His tone lowered a notch. "Three-hundred-thousand—that's as low as I can go."
"All right." Fang Mu stood up. "I'll get the money as soon as I can. Stay put for the next few days and wait for my call."
Xiao Wang was waiting for Fang Mu at the bottom of the stairs. "What the fuck were you up to?" he asked, glaring. "Did you have a pleasant chat with him?"
Fang Mu didn't answer. He was lost in thought
Where was he going to get 300,000 yuan?
CHAPTER
18
Pins and Needles
Liang Sihai's truck turned onto the narrow mountain path. Up ahead, another truck, looking just like his own, was parked next to a large boulder. He stopped his vehicle and turned off the engine. The cab doors of the other truck opened and several men got out. As he waited for them to approach, Liang Sihai continued scanning the surroundings. His right hand dropped to the pistol tucked into his waistband. With a flick, he undid the safety.
There was a reason why they had arrived a few hours earlier than usual. Today his truck was carrying very special cargo.
Lu Tianchang opened the door to his cab and climbed onto the passenger seat. "Boss Liang."
Liang Sihai shook his hand, but didn't return the greeting.
The other men went straight for the trailer to take inventory of the day's haul. As they mulled about the back, Liang Sihai kept a watchful eye on them in the rearview mirror. "Why did you bring a new one?" he asked with a frown. "And where's that Lu Sanqiang character?"
"Sick," the village head replied. The newcomer was eagerly screwing the cap off a bottle of Wuliangye. "His name is Lu Dajiang; he's very reliable," he assured his boss, pointing to the man who had struck the first blow in front of the ancestral hall.
Liang Sihai snorted derisively, but dropped the subject.
That out of the way, Lu Tianchang began to search the truck cab. When he didn't find what he was looking for, he leaned over to Liang Sihai and quietly asked, "Did you bring them?"
Without a word, Liang Sihai pulled a plastic bag from under the seat and handed it to the village head.
Lu Tianchang hastily tore the bag open. Packed
in a few sheets of newspaper lay four Type 54 Pistols alongside a few magazines.
The village head's eyes lit up as he stroked the weapons. With a smack of the lips, he picked up one of the pistols. "These are nice." He pulled the slide back, removed the magazine and turned it in his hand. He snapped it back in and let the slide fall into place.
Liang Sihai watched Lu Tianchang play with his new toy. His expression was stony, but on the inside he was smiling. These people were and would always remain uncultured country bumpkins. The idiot had obviously not realized that these were black-market knockoffs. He would be lucky to get more than a shot or two out of them. He gave the village head a few more moments, and then asked, "Why did you want them all of a sudden?"
"I want to be ready for anything." Lu Tianchang's eyes never left the weapon. "We used to rely on clubs and pitchforks, but those aren't the answer."
"The answer to what?" Liang Sihai straightened his back and leaned ever so slightly forward. "Did something happen?"
"No, no, nothing. Relax," Lu Tianchang hastily said. "We've worked together for so many years and you still don't trust me?"
Liang Sihai continued to stare at the village head in silence. Then he smiled and when he spoke again he sounded downright friendly. "Do you know how to use a gun?"
"Yeah." Lu Tianchang gathered up the pistols and magazines. "I was in the army. Anyway, thank you very much."
"Don't mention it." Liang Sihai added more deliberately, "Just make sure the job gets done."
"Don't worry about it." Lu Tianchang turned and stuck his head out of the open window. "Lu Dachun, everything in order?"
"Yes. We're all good!" his son shouted back.
The village head acknowledged it with a grunt and then turned back to Liang Sihai. "Well, Boss Liang, you coming with us?"
"No, I'm heading straight back." Liang Sihai opened the truck's door. He hesitated a moment, then said, "If you run into problems, no matter what it is, you notify me at once, understood?"
Lu Tianchang nodded emphatically. Satisfied, Liang Sihai got out and walked to the other truck. He couldn't wait to get away from the villagers.