Chapter 691: Encounter the Unlucky Guy Again
The motorcade set out early the next morning.
The sky was gray, as if it could rain at any moment.
The convoy consisted of over a dozen black Lincoln sedans. Liu Yutong sat in the back seat of one of the middle vehicles, while the other cars held core members of Wanlong Society and plainclothes police officers.
Yun Cheng sat in the front passenger seat. He had just finished a phone call and turned to report: “Young Mistress, the hospital called. Chairman Bai’s vitals have stabilized. There’s no further deterioration.”
Liu Yutong gave a slight nod without speaking, leaning back with her eyes closed.
After they’d been driving for some time, Yun Cheng’s phone rang. It was Ma Da.
Even without speakerphone, Liu Yutong could hear Ma Da’s blustering voice loud and clear.
“Holy shit! Holy shit, Yun! You guys are too badass over there! I heard you even brought the heat? I want in on this action!”
“Cut the crap, Ma Da! With your build, you’d just slow us down. Besides, someone needs to hold down the fort back home. The Young Mistress left you to guard our base because she trusts you.”
“Yeah, I know, but what a missed opportunity!”
“Even back home, we’ve heard how big the Young Mistress’s reputation is getting in the States. Those gangsters are calling her… what was it? Right, the Dragon Country Godmother… and Black Phoenix. These foreigners sure know how to pick names. Not bad at all.”
Liu Yutong’s eyes remained closed, but the corner of her mouth twitched slightly.
“Where’d you hear all this nonsense?”
“Jess told me! Says our Wanlong brothers’ reputation is spreading overseas. Yun, Chu Yang—do you two have nicknames too? Something like Black and White Fiends?”
“Mmm…”
“That’s awesome! If I’d gone, I’d definitely have a nickname too.”
“Sunny Piggy?”
“Fuck off!”
“When I get in shape, you’ll all be shocked!”
“But seriously, these nicknames are pretty cool, especially Black Phoenix. So fierce! When Wanlong goes international, the Young Mistress’s name could totally be our flagship brand…”
“…”
Liu Yutong listened as her subordinates grew increasingly animated, even discussing the absurd topic of branding their nicknames, and finally couldn’t help but speak.
“Are you two finished chatting yet?”
The phone went instantly silent.
“Y-Young Mistress! You’re there too?”
“Got nothing better to do?”
“No, no, I’m swamped! I’m heading to the construction site to check on headquarters progress!”
“Good hunting, Young Mistress! Take down Zhao Weixiang! I’m hanging up now!”
“Click… click…”
The call disconnected abruptly.
A moment later.
Chu Yang, who was driving, carefully glanced at Liu Yutong through the rearview mirror. “Actually, Young Mistress, your nickname does sound pretty impressive…”
Yun Cheng shot him a glare.
Liu Yutong closed her eyes again. After a while, she said, “Focus on the road. Unless you want to be hauling bricks back home.”
Chu Yang immediately shut his mouth, eyes forward, and drove on.
As the car stopped at an intersection for a red light, Yun Cheng spotted a somewhat familiar figure.
“Hey, isn’t that the runaway?”
Liu Yutong opened her eyes and looked out the window.
At the burger joint entrance, that guy Ah Wei—bleached hair, wearing a Stars and Stripes t-shirt—was walking out with a burger and large Coke.
“Thank God—no, thank you, America! Thank you, kind people of this free land! I finally have food!”
After racking up fifty thousand dollars in medical debt, he’d been living on the streets, starving for days, surviving off dumpster scraps. This morning, an elderly woman out for her morning walk took pity and gave him twenty dollars. Only then could he afford a burger meal.
In that moment, Ah Wei felt he’d seen an angel!
No—it was the Statue of Liberty smiling at him!
“See! This is civilization! This is quality!”
“Back home, who would just give a stranger twenty dollars? Only here! Only on this land of love and compassion!”
Ah Wei tore open the wrapper, opened his mouth wide, and took a fierce bite.
“Mm!”
He nearly moaned with satisfaction. Tears actually fell.
“Delicious! So delicious! This is real human food! Back home, when could I ever afford such a big, substantial beef burger? And so cheap? Twenty dollars buys all this! The taste of freedom… the taste of dreams… ah!”
He chugged the ice-cold Coke and let out a loud belch.
“BURP—! So good!”
“I told you! When heaven is about to grant a great responsibility, it first tests one’s resolve… All those hardships were trials, tests from God—no, from Lady Liberty!”
“Sure, I owe the hospital fifty grand. Sure, I got beaten black and blue. Sure, I’m still undocumented—but I have freedom! I have dreams! I have unlimited opportunity in this land! As long as I work hard, washing dishes, construction work… I’ll pay off my debts, get my green card, buy a big house, drive a big car! Then everyone who looked down on me back home will see: I, Ah Wei, have stood up in the free world!”
Just as he was lost in this beautiful future he’d imagined, urgent footsteps suddenly came from the street nearby!
“Stop! Police! Don’t run!”
“Up ahead! Move!”
Three or four gangsters sprinted toward him, followed by seven or eight uniformed officers. Leading them were officers from Chief Bob’s squad, executing a raid on Rossi’s remaining henchmen.
These unlucky gangsters were Rossi’s inner circle. After hiding for days, they’d finally been found.
Ah Wei, mid-burger, looked up blankly.
The fleeing gangsters froze for a second too.
One saw Ah Wei’s shifty features and Dragon Country heritage, assuming this was a scout for that Dragon Country woman. “Fuck! Ambush!”
“He’s alone! Run through him!”
Ah Wei didn’t even have time to react before the burly gangsters bowled him over. His burger and Coke went flying, splattering everywhere.
“My burger! My Coke!” Ah Wei howled in anguish.
The gangsters didn’t care. They bolted into an alley.
The police arrived just in time to see Ah Wei climbing to his feet, looking dazed and heartbroken.
“There’s another accomplice! Grab him!” an officer shouted.
Ah Wei’s sleazy appearance looked suspicious as hell. Plus, the cops found contraband in the spilled items.
Actually, the contraband had fallen from the gangsters when they crashed into him.
But the police didn’t care. Evidence was evidence.
“I’m not… I…” Ah Wei started.
Then he saw the taser.
ZAP—!
Blue electricity arced.
“AAAGH—!”
Ah Wei’s body convulsed violently. His eyes rolled back. Without finishing a single sentence, he collapsed, foaming at the mouth.
Yun Cheng and the others watched from the car, expressions strange.
“Can you believe this guy’s luck?”
“Hahaha… The cops here don’t mess around. Straight to the taser.”
“What do you think’ll happen to him?”
“I heard the average homeless person here disappears every three or four years. Is that true?”
“…”
“You can survive bad luck, but you can’t survive your own stupidity.”