Tonight, we won't sleep.
After Strong and I poured our hearts out and cleared up our misunderstandings, we cried our eyes out all night.
Empty bottles lay everywhere.
Even though I never smoked before, I finished a whole pack.
It turns out that alcohol and cigarettes can indeed numb the pain for a while…
The next day.
We woke up with splitting headaches, sprawled out on the dirty floor.
We turned and looked at each other.
Then, we smiled.
I was relieved he was alive and glad I didn't beat him to death before. Otherwise, I would have regretted it for life.
Fate brought us here to continue being brothers in hardship.
Luckily, we're both still alive, and now we have another chance to fight together.
We didn't say a word. We just lay on the cold floor, staring at each other's swollen eyes and smiling.
As we smiled, tears started to fall again…
"Knock, knock, knock."
Suddenly, there was an urgent knock on the door.
"…Who is it?"
I rubbed my throat, asking hoarsely.
Then, Strong and I helped each other up from the floor.
My head hurt so much!
We drank so much last night that everything spun when we stood up.
"It's me, Wrench!"
"And me, Ba Yi!"
Two deep male voices called from outside the door.
"It's our own people. I'll get the door."
I patted Strong's shoulder and stumbled to the door.
"Goodness, did you two drink all night?"
Ba Yi exclaimed when he saw the mess of bottles, trash bags, and cigarette butts.
"Seriously, you're not afraid of drinking yourselves to death in here."
Wrench frowned, glancing at Strong, who was sitting on the bed, holding his head.
"Don't worry. I wouldn't leave you guys out."
I pulled them inside and locked the door.
Then I leaned against the wall, heading to the bathroom to wash my face and clear my head.
Ba Yi, always the diligent one, started cleaning up without a word, even munching on leftover snacks as he went.
No one else would do that.
Wrench just sat beside Strong, silently lighting a cigarette.
"From now on, we're brothers. Chen Weiqiang, from Changsha, Hunan, 25 years old. Fooled by a damned girlfriend into coming here."
Strong extended his hand earnestly to Wrench.
Wrench exhaled a puff of smoke, shaking Strong's hand. "Wrench, 30, from Guangxi. Tricked with promises of a high-paying bodyguard job."
"Bro, count me in as a brother too. I can fight, really."
Ba Yi hurriedly dropped the broom, flexing his deltoid muscles.
"Really? Come over and take a punch from me!"
I leaned against the bathroom door, teasing.
"You're always picking on me…" Ba Yi pouted and went back to cleaning.
Wrench laughed, "You're small, easy to bully."
"Who says I'm small? I'm actually quite big."
Ba Yi protested, pointing to himself from head to toe.
"Uh…"
Wrench was at a loss for words.
"Ping An, you looked just like a high school kingpin earlier. Back then, you were so hot-headed and righteous, always picking fights to right wrongs. Girls loved you for it. Too bad you're still single, haha!"
Strong laughed, slapping the table.
"You're still 'single' too, but with an old woman's touch, haha!"
I retorted, almost rolling on the floor with laughter.
"…"
Wrench and Ba Yi were speechless, watching us laugh and cry like lunatics.
After laughing and crying enough, Strong went back to his dorm to shower and change.
My dorm was now spotless thanks to diligent Ba Yi, who earned a bunch of snacks as a reward.
He had money but couldn't buy these snacks in the compound, so he drooled over them.
He was completely assimilated into Hunan culture after studying there for just two years.
"Ba Yi, I'm warning you, be careful with your words, or you might get us in trouble. My situation is awkward now, so don't mention anything about us. Don't get tricked into spilling the beans, got it?"
I warned straightforward Ba Yi to be cautious with his words to avoid being used by others.
"I know, bro. I'll listen to you. Don't worry, I'd rather die than betray you."
Ba Yi, though carefree, was definitely not cowardly or treacherous.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have befriended him.
Wrench said that last night, he had all the guards from Blackie's village taken to the Mekong River to feed the crocodiles. No excuses needed anymore.
Seven living people disappeared without a trace overnight.
As long as Liu Shiyi ordered it, everyone followed through.
Here, you have to stain your hands with blood and bear a few lives on your conscience to survive in northern Myanmar.
As for Blackie, before he could reveal that Chen Cheng let us go, Wrench's men cut his tongue and tortured him to death.
I finally felt relieved, now only Pei Lin was left to find.
That bookworm, where could he be hiding?
Maybe Jade Sister knows his whereabouts.
Wrench also told me that the gladiator fight on the Mid-Autumn Festival would be deadly.
That old fox Ace was secretly letting the bosses place bets.
It might be a one-on-one duel, or a two-on-one fight.
Whatever the rules, there's always one ultimate rule.
Fight to the death.
My master said that martial arts are for killing, not for performing tricks for money.
He probably never imagined that his little disciple would one day use his deadly skills to "perform" for inhuman devils for money!
I can't imagine the horrors of underground boxing. If that's the case, I must use strategy, not exhaust my strength in the cage.
I need to learn to hide my skills and bide my time.
In close combat, I might not have the upper hand, especially in a confined arena.
Against absolute power and professional underground fighters, how should I cope?
"If only my master were here. He loved to protect us disciples.
I have many senior brothers, and four of them doted on me…"
I clenched my fists, sighed, and said.
In my heart, I had only a fifty percent chance of winning.
"Finding weaknesses in that Thai underground boxing champion is tough. Northern Burmese boxing used to be a nemesis, but it failed later.
Even our Chinese Sanda champions can't beat him in a fair fight.
I watched one of his matches with Liu Shiyi. He broke a European boxer's neck with one punch. His speed and power are terrifying.
If we use Bruce Lee's inch punch against his Muay Thai, it's still an unknown outcome..."
Wrench looked at me with a hint of sadness and worry, unable to find a solution.
"I remember my master saying that Muay Thai is known for its ferocity, strength, and danger, called the 'eight limbs art,' and it's very hard to defend against.
Although it's a deadly skill, it harms the practitioner.
Unlike our Chinese martial arts, like the Tai Chi and Bagua I practice, which emphasize softness overcoming hardness and cultivating inner peace...
Don't worry. Everything has a solution. There's always a way to counter it."