The Potaski brothers were exceedingly unforgettable in the film. They caused a lot of trouble for David Lawrence in the early stages of the plot when he was looting for supplies. Later on, David took the initiative to kill them because they threatened Angie and Rachel's safety.
The Potaski brothers were tall and hunky guys with meaty faces. They looked like living, standing black bears.
The older brother was named Ivan, while the younger brother was named Yakov. They used to serve in the Russian Airborne Forces and later came to the United States to join the mafia. At the time at hand, they look like they were more than forty years old. Nevertheless, they were not to be messed around with.
It was a homicide that did not formally appear in the film. However, the news appeared on TV the next day. A prostitute who worked in an underground bar was killed near Lawrence's house. Angie was so scared that she did not dare to go to school because of it.
Zhou Qingfeng was sweating profusely, yet he still forced himself to stand still and stay calm. At the sight of Ivan approaching him with the former's hand on his gun, Zhou Qingfeng knew better than to remain in place instead of bolting. He would not be able to beat the speed of a bullet. Too many homicides occurred on the streets of New York, so many so that even the police felt overwhelmed.
Hence, Zhou Qingfeng raised his hands straight away and yelled at the top of his lungs, "I'm actually just trying to inform you that the police are here! They're currently on the 198th street arresting a few drug dealers. There are five to six police cars and more than ten police officers—just over there in that direction."
Zhou Qingfeng's balderdash terrified the Potaski brothers greatly. Due to the proliferation of firearms in the United States, criminals behaved in an extremely vicious and unbridled way. However, it was precisely because public security was in an abominable state. Hence, the American police were not to be trifled with either.
If one was walking down a road in the United States and was asked to stop by the police or to raise their hand, it would be better for one to do as they had been told. Otherwise, the police would shoot anyone they thought was dangerous straight away without giving too much of a warning. They did not care about the person's age nor gender at all.
A large number of innocent people died at the hands of the police each year in the United States. There were even children who were shot and killed by the police for playing with toy guns in public. Hence, even the most vicious criminals had to be careful whenever they encountered the police.
After hearing Zhou Qingfeng's warning, though the older brother, Ivan, had not heard any movements around him, he did not take any further actions either. He blocked his sturdy figure in front of Zhou Qingfeng, grabbed his collar, and warned him viciously.
"I know you, kid. Your name is Victor Hugo and you live just down this street. If I find out that you had the nerves to lie to me, I won't hesitate to kill you afterward."
Having said that, Ivan waved his hand and trotted off with his younger brother, Yakov.
Zhou Qingfeng watched their figures leave and could not help but breathe a sigh of relief. It only had been less than a minute, and he felt that his back was completely soaked with cold sweat. This whole ordeal had been far too dangerous.
The woman standing under the shade of a tree crashed softly to the ground. She was sobbing in a low voice. Her initial fate was to be sexually assaulted, robbed, and eventually killed. Nevertheless, she managed to survive.
Wonderful!
'I did it! So changing a plot that was not shown in a film is actually quite simple. If I can alter the plot, then I'm definitely going to be able to profit from it.'
Zhou Qingfeng was so excited that he walked with feather-light steps toward the woman. He noticed that her hair was a mess, and her skirt was ripped apart.
One could tell that she was working in an entertainment venue just by looking at her heavy makeup and revealing clothes. She was either a prostitute or a stripper. Zhou Qingfeng pitied her and asked in a low voice, "Are you hurt?"
The woman shook her head and got back on her feet. She casually fixed her clothes and smiled bitterly. "Thank you. My name is Lena. I'm… I'm a prostitute. My purse was stolen so I can't repay you. If you want to, I could…"
"Oh… No, no, no! It's fine as long as you're okay."
Zhou Qingfeng figured that the woman in front of him was pitiful enough. He had no intention of taking advantage of her. Lena looked like an Eastern European immigrant. It was hard for people like her to even find a regular job such as a dishwasher in the United States. Men were usually blue-collar workers, while women had no other option but to turn to prostitution.
Lena nodded and smiled in a self-deprecating way. She waved her hand casually in a somewhat uneasy manner and said, "I know, I don't look presentable enough to serve you right now.
"However, I will make sure to remember that you saved my life. If you need me, I'll be at Cat Claw's Bar at any time."
Zhou Qingfeng stared at the woman and thought in his heart, 'I know you work at Cat's Claw Bar, that's exactly why I rescued you.'
Under normal circumstances, it was impossible for Zhou Qingfeng to get money out of nowhere. He could only do so by breaking the original plot and applying knowledge he had learned in advance. For example, the handsome sum of money hidden in Cat's Claw Bar.
Cat's Claw Bar was a well-known underground bar. The Potaski brothers were the bouncers of the bar. It was also the place where David Lawrence killed the brothers.
Zhou Qingfeng remembered very clearly, a detail in the film. After David Lawrence killed the Potaski brothers, he searched the room where the brothers lived and found rolls after rolls of U.S. dollar bills in a secret safe. There were tens of thousands of dollars stashed there.
Since the cataclysm had already broken out during that time, the banknotes were all just useless sheets of papers.
David Lawrence even quoted in the film and said that the banknotes were 'too hard to wipe his butt with and were worse than toilet paper'. Nevertheless, the cataclysm had not started yet, Hence, Zhou Qingfeng had to take the initiative as he needed the money.
However, barging into Cat Claw's bar would not be easy. The pair of Russian brothers were just like bears. It would be a dead-end confrontation. If Zhou Qingfeng wanted to get money, he had to think of something else. Zhou Qingfeng's plan was to save the prostitute who was about to be killed and get her to help him.
"Hello, Lena! Do you want to earn big bucks? Ten thousand dollars." Zhou Qingfeng knew that a low-level prostitute like Lena was not capable of making that much money. Ten thousand bucks were enough to make her take the risk in desperation.
"Are you kidding me?" Although Lena sounded doubtful, she was very interested. "What do you have in mind? You're introducing me to a new job?"
"I know that the Potaski brothers have a large sum of money hidden in a room in Cat's Claw Bar. If you can help me, I could give you ten thousand bucks after I get my hands on the money." Zhou Qingfeng did not explain his plan much, though he clearly stated the risk involved.
Ten thousand bucks was huge for Lena. However, when she heard that they were about to steal the money from the Potaski brothers, the look on her face changed instantly. After saying 'You're crazy' exasperatedly, she turned around and began walking away. She did not even want to hear what Zhou Qingfeng planned to do.
'No way. Don't go!'
'Hey, hey, don't you want to consider it?" Zhou Qingfeng shouted a few times. He thought that he would be able to convince Lena as she had a deep-seated hatred for the Potaski brothers. Who would have thought that the other party would actually turn around and leave? It was not the same script he had envisioned!
Zhou Qingfeng did not have the nerve to enter the chaotic and disorderly tiger's den that was the Cat's Claw Bar without Lena's help. The probability of him losing his life there was too high. He stood rooted in the same spot and sighed, questioning himself in his heart if he had made a mistake?!
However, before Zhou Qingfeng could contemplate more about it, he heard a series of footsteps approaching him. He looked up and there was Lena again.
The prostitute was looking at Zhou Qingfeng with doubtful eyes. She grabbed a cigarette and a lighter from her handbag. She lit the cigarette for herself, took a few puffs, and said, "Why would you want to go to Cat's Claw Bar to get money? You're trying to kill yourself.
"The Potaski brothers will kill you and throw you into the trash. Do you think that they don't have the guts to do it? I've witnessed them kill someone else with my own eyes."
At first, Lena seemed to be persuading Zhou Qingfeng. However, after taking a few more puffs of her cigarette, Lena continued, "Tell me your plan. If it's feasible, then I will help you. It will be more efficient if the two of us to work together. However, I want twenty thousand dollars as my reward because I'll have to run away whether we succeed or not."
"Ha ha ha…!" As expected, a good man would always be rewarded. Things had finally taken a better turn! Zhou Qingfeng was over the moon. He laughed and said, "No problem. Twenty thousand it is. The Potaski brothers have saved enough money over the years for the two of us to share with each other. With your help, I promise that the risk will be extremely low."
After using her and altering the plot, a temporary partnership was formed.