After leaving Yang Lianting's office, I was in a daze. Confirming that the Shakill organization was on the move left me feeling uneasy.
Being alone in the KK compound, without any communication devices, and having my freedom restricted, I knew I was vulnerable. It's easy to avoid open attacks but hard to guard against hidden ones.
If they used underhanded tactics against me, I might not be able to handle it.
Outside the corridor.
Wrench waved an AK in front of me, "What's up? You look lost so early in the morning."
"Uh, this..." I snapped back to reality, glanced around to make sure no one else was nearby, and lowered my voice, "Mao Dinglun wants to use someone to kill me."
"What? Whose knife?"
"It's complicated. Basically, it's the Shakill organization behind Paitun, led by his master, Shakill."
"Shakill..." Wrench cradled the AK and frowned in thought.
"You know this organization?"
"I overheard Mao Dinglun mention it once before, but I don't know much about it. Paitun's identity is a closely guarded secret."
"So you don't know either. I'll explain more after work."
"..." Wrench watched me walk into the studio with a bewildered expression, then silently turned and left.
Since that incident, Sister Yu had been much more low-key, working diligently at her computer every day, avoiding any trouble.
She was more restrained when she saw me, even her behavior was less flamboyant.
Regardless of who was killed, the studio still needed to operate, and everyone was working hard to keep their jobs.
Today, I had no mind for catching any big fish, just pretended to type away, with my head full of thoughts about Shakill.
If they really came to Myawaddy to seek revenge, how should I respond?
And how could I ensure that Ba Yi and Wrench wouldn't get caught up in it?
I kept thinking about it until the end of the day but couldn't come up with a good plan.
I even lost my appetite for dinner.
The only solution was to fight back if they came for me. I couldn't let them kill me.
Screwdriver put his arm around my shoulder and asked, "What's wrong? You seem troubled."
Given the crowd in the cafeteria, they hadn't asked earlier.
Now back in our shared dorm, they surrounded me with questions.
I opened a pack of spicy strips, ate a bit to wake up, and then explained the Shakill underground organization situation in detail.
Unfortunately, Chen Weiqiang didn't know much about Shakill either. We were all just laborers, with no way to know these dark secrets.
Ba Yi and Screwdriver knew even less.
Li Jianguo's only concern was revenge; to him, anything else was irrelevant.
Liu Shiyi and Boss Ning wouldn't broadcast these things to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Yang Lianting said that after I killed Paitun, Boss Ning had to pay a hefty sum to appease Shakill's anger.
According to him and Sister Yu, if Mao Dinglun had secretly contacted Shakill to come after me, it would be a different story.
I sighed, "The only way to learn about this organization is through Swallow."
Chen Weiqiang slapped his empty hand, "How do we contact her?"
"Try to call Tang Tian and have him contact Swallow to come here tomorrow."
If Swallow wanted to see me, Boss Ning would surely let Tang Tian bring her here.
"Alright, give me the number, and I'll make the call."
Among us, Wrench was the only one with an old, compound-issued phone.
It could only call local numbers, no way to reach China.
Not being able to contact the outside world was one of our biggest worries.
All captured laborers had their phones smashed immediately.
But before smashing, they'd check for any important content like banking apps, WeChat balance, or photos to assess our ransom value.
Except for Chen Weiqiang and Wrench, the rest of us had been forced to ransom ourselves through video calls.
Money could be earned again. Lives couldn't.
My main worry now was for my mother and master. One was in poor health, the other was old. If something happened to them, I'd be devastated.
We didn't expect that before Wrench could make the call, early the next morning, Tang Tian drove an off-road vehicle into the KK compound, bringing Swallow and two armed guards.
Officially, Swallow missed her cousin, but she was accompanied by a group of foreigners, making a grand entrance.
Boss Ning was busy dealing with the mining boss of the fourth district, so he couldn't come, leaving Tang Tian to escort Swallow.
Liu Shiyi greeted them with a smile, "Oh, Captain Tang, what brings you here...?"
"Supervisor, Miss Yan wanted to see her family, so Boss Ning sent me to bring her. And coincidentally, these foreign friends wanted to visit Paitun, so we came along."
Tang Tian smiled and handed a pack of Zhonghua cigarettes to a suddenly pale Liu Shiyi.
Swallow looked completely different. Wearing a simple, high-slit qipao, she stood in the sunlight like a pure jasmine blossom.
If I didn't know her, I'd think she was a wealthy heiress.
It was inevitable they would come, just sooner than expected.
I glanced at the people in the black Maybach and told Ba Yi and the others, "Go to work. I'll handle this."
Ba Yi refused to leave, "Brother, I won't go."
I glared at him, "Go, now's not the time for loyalty. They won't dare do anything to me here, and I won't hold back outside."
Last night, I loaded my Desert Eagle with bullets for self-defense. I didn't expect to need it so soon.
Screwdriver pulled Ba Yi away, "Let's not make it harder for him."
"Just call if you need us. I'll be watching from upstairs."
Li Jianguo didn't say much, heading straight to the workshop.
Then Screwdriver dragged Ba Yi away.
Chen Weiqiang, as a tech guy, stood in the dorm's shadow, not affecting anyone but ready to call for help if needed.
"Coming so soon, we can't let Mao Dinglun get away with this!"
Wrench held his AK, glaring at Mao Dinglun, who was smirking nearby.
"Hmph, even the devil can't save them this time, I promise!"
I crossed my arms and stared coldly at the men emerging from the luxury car.