"But this doesn't make sense..." Uncle Wei wanted to continue protesting, but Uncle Qi rudely interrupted him.
"Enough, we need to unite now. Suspicion will only lead to infighting! So, everyone will have an extra meal tomorrow. Thirteen, it was your team that caused the losses, so I'll punish you by making you give out all your tobacco and alcohol to compensate the uncles and aunties here. Also, you and your men will only eat plain rice for three days and cannot smoke or drink! Do you accept?"
Zeng Shisan lowered his head, looking ashamed. "I accept, Uncle Qi, I admit my fault."
"Alright, everyone go about your business. Feng, take your sisters and give these uncles and aunties a good massage. They've been working tirelessly for days."
A few prostitutes hesitated; they didn't want to serve those poor old men until Uncle Qi shouted, "Did you hear me?"
The lead Feng trembled in fear and quickly agreed. She reluctantly led the other women forward.
However, Uncle Wei waved them back. "It's up to you if you want to cause trouble. We're all old folks here, not enjoying any blessings. Just leave!"
Tom watched the strange expressions of Bo Zai's four men. He didn't believe Bo Zai couldn't see that something was wrong, especially considering Bo Zai's recent behavior, which clearly showed some concerns. Moreover, he found Bo Zai's words peculiar.
Zeng Shisan's behavior was also strange. Normally arrogant, he was being punished by Uncle Qi. Even if he felt guilty or anxious, his face should've looked bad. But the way he turned just now showed a hint of smugness, which made Tom feel uneasy.
Just as Uncle Qi was about to leave, Bo Zai spoke up, "Uncle Qi, you promised this morning that I could go out to explore tomorrow. Is that still valid?"
Uncle Wei immediately intervened, "Since it's so dangerous outside, let's temporarily stop going out. Bo Zai, you'll have to wait a while."
"No, I have experience dealing with ants." Bo Zai looked at his boss. "Uncle Qi..."
"Bo Zai, do you really want to take the risk of going out?"
"Yes, the others don't need to come. They'll only slow us down. I'll just take my brothers with me, and everything will be fine."
Uncle Qi hesitated for a moment before nodding. "Alright! But these four men just went out with Zeng Shisan today..."
"They've worked hard. They don't need to come with me tomorrow."
"Okay, tomorrow you can bring any weapons you want. Just try to ensure safety, okay?" Uncle Qi unexpectedly agreed. Previously, the good weapons, including Tom's big knife, had always been used by Zeng Shisan's men. Now, being so generous, it was clear that he also felt that Zeng Shisan's consecutive losses of manpower had angered everyone. So, to appease the crowd, he had to be more generous.
After the meeting dispersed, Tom deliberately pulled Uncle Wei into a secluded corner.
"Uncle Wei, I want to join Bo Zai's exploration team tomorrow."
"I've said it many times, it's not possible. It wasn't even allowed during peaceful times. Now it's even more dangerous outside, and it's even more risky for you, an injured person, to go out. Not to mention, it might also affect others. Stop bringing this up to me."
Tom shook his head. "Uncle Wei, you've seen the situation today. Uncle Qi can't control the situation at all. We must find a way, or Zeng Shisan will keep pushing his limits."
As soon as Zeng Shisan was mentioned, Uncle Wei got a headache. "Ah... it's also Uncle Qi's stubbornness. He only believes in his own brothers. We used to have Qiang Zai balancing things out. Although Qiang Zai liked to flatter Uncle Qi, his moral compass was still intact. But now, Bo Zai refuses to stand up, letting Zeng Shisan dominate alone. This Zeng Shisan, his heart is not right, selfish. I've said before that trouble will come sooner or later... so many neighbors came to me because they trusted me... but I can only watch helplessly..."
"Uncle Wei, I urgently need to get the ruby. With the ruby, things will be easier."
"The ruby? What can it do besides looking good?"
Tom shook his head. "I can't say yet. It's not that I don't trust you, but without the ruby in hand, speaking out recklessly will only make this camp more chaotic. Do you trust me?"
"I think you're a good kid, eager to help others, and you're not lazy. No ulterior motives."
"Let me go out with Bo Zai. Don't worry, I have experience dealing with ants and the like. I've seen thousands of ants, so I have more experience than them. If we encounter ants, they'll rely on me."
Uncle Wei shook his head helplessly and pointed at Tom with his finger. "You, kid, you're quite confident... alright. We're all young people with our own ideas. I, this old guy, can't manage so much. But since it's Bo Zai leading the team, you need his consent before going out. Also, when you're out there, you have to follow Bo Zai's lead. Even if you have different opinions, you can't oppose him."
Finally, Uncle Wei relented, making Tom very happy. With this happiness, he immediately spoke in Cantonese he learned from TV: "Don't worry, Uncle Wei, I know what to do!"
With Uncle Wei sorted, Tom naturally went to find Bo Zai. After asking around, he found one of Bo Zai's men and learned that Bo Zai had gone to the back room. He hurried over.
Bo Zai was pondering over the weapons he received from Zeng Shisan, with Tom's modified big knife in his hand.
"Brother Bo."
Bo Zai turned around and smiled at Tom, "I heard from Uncle Wei that this is something you made yourself?"
"The materials were limited, and time was short. I just did what I could. I hope Brother Bo isn't disappointed."
"No, it's very solidly made, Tom. They all say you're bragging, claiming you can kill rats and cockroaches alone. But I don't believe it. I saw you, seriously ill, manage to kill ants with your fists. I think you have a secret."
"I'm just a bit stronger, that's all." Tom couldn't figure out Bo Zai's bottom line, so there was no way he would confess about the ruby. Naturally, he decided he would never admit it, no matter what.
"It's okay, it's normal to have secrets you don't want to share. I don't want to bear anyone else's secrets. Just maintaining the meals for over two hundred people every day is exhausting enough for me. After eating my fill, I still have to keep your secret."
"Brother Bo, do you believe what Zeng Shisan says?"
"Uncle Qi believes him, isn't that enough? Speaking of which, I have to thank Thirteen. With 108 fewer mouths to feed all of a sudden, my burden has greatly reduced. They've joined the heroes on Liangshan, leaving us to continue suffering."
"This..." Tom couldn't accept Bo Zai's teasing about the deceased 108 people, but he also felt that what Bo Zai said wasn't malicious. For a moment, he didn't know how to respond.
"Forget about those things. Since you dared to come to me, you must have convinced Uncle Wei to let you go out with me, right?"
"Yeah!" Tom was taken aback by how quickly Bo Zai responded.
"I know you solitary players are very proud, thinking you've got some skills and experience outside. But once you join my team..."
"Don't worry, as long as it's not a wrong decision, I'll obey your command!"
Bo Zai clapped his hands. "Alright, then I have no problem. Rest up early and get ready. We won't wait for you, lame as you are."
"No problem!" With Bo Zai's agreement, Tom was very happy. As he was about to leave, Bo Zai called out to him, "Wait!"
"Yeah?"
Bo Zai tossed the big knife over to him, and Tom caught it. Out of habit, he performed a knife flourish he had learned from watching TV.
"The item works best in the hands of its original owner. I'm looking forward to your performance tomorrow."
Finally getting the chance to go out and search for the ruby, and now having his own big knife back, Tom was very happy. Taking his big knife, he returned to his nest and soon fell asleep.
He got up early the next morning, preparing weapons and loading the wheelbarrow with Bo Zai's men, along with ropes, food, water, and so on. Although many of the equipment were improvised from scraps, they looked decent.
This time, there were 14 people in the team, including Tom. Bo Zai's original target was the fourth floor of the eastern building, but when they left, they turned left and went up the stairs to the western building, which puzzled Tom.
On the third floor, Bo Zai ordered the team to proceed cautiously, so everyone took out needles. The team was somewhat scattered, but the distance between them was close, which surprised Tom.
Were these really gangsters who relied on violence and extortion to protect their turf? If each of them had a gun, they could all star in Hollywood action movies. The team didn't walk in a single file but spread out, allowing each person to have a wider field of vision and to be able to see every part of the road. Even if ants or something else appeared, they could detect it immediately.
Seeing Tom's gaze on him, Bo Zai smiled. "These are all lessons bought with our brothers' blood. I see you're not simple either. It seems keeping you alive wasn't a mistake. Maybe I'll have to rely on you to save my life later."
After more than ten days of exploration and combat, Tom had developed a habit of staying alert outdoors, always keeping his nerves tense. Once he detected a threat, he could react immediately. It was a pity that without the ruby, he had to rely solely on his own strength now.
"Abbo, is there a reason you changed the destination?"
"No, I just remembered there's something good in a house over here. I finally made the hook yesterday, so I came to get it. Be careful. We still haven't figured out the situation here."
Tom nodded and continued forward.
As they walked, they unexpectedly found a puddle of blood on the side of the road. Tom went to take a look and found that it seemed "fresh."
"Is this yesterday's bloodstain? Abbo, did Zeng Shisan come here yesterday?"
Bo Zai didn't answer, just warned the team to proceed with caution. The others didn't complain either; they just silently moved forward.
There were no more bloodstains on the road after that, which made Tom speculate more about what happened yesterday.
If the people in Zeng Shisan's team really encountered an attack, there was no reason for just one bloodstain. Things were definitely not as simple as Zeng Shisan claimed.
Bo Zai met Tom's gaze, and both sides saw the doubt in each other's eyes, confirming Tom's suspicion that Bo Zai changed the destination to search for clues about yesterday's incident and to collect evidence of Zeng Shisan's lies.