Chapter 24: Exposure

Seeing the look on Dong Cuo’s face change instantly, the white man knew he had guessed correctly. He broke into a grin, his coarse, raspy laughter filled with greed.

"If you want us to let you go, that's fine—pay up!" The white man raised his eyebrows and held out his hand.

Zhong Da’s expression darkened, and he reached behind his waist. Suddenly, Xiao Hua stepped forward, pressed his hand down to stop him, and barked at the white man, "No money! If you keep blocking us, don't blame us for what happens next!"

Perhaps sensing something from Zhong Da’s movement, the white man scanned the two of them, then gave a dry, awkward laugh. "My apologies, I didn't recognize the experts before you. You don't need to leave; we'll be the ones to go!" With that, he pulled his companion along, ready to flee.

Zhong Da didn't want to let them get away, but Xiao Hua pulled him back, whispering, "Brother Da, let it go. It's better to avoid unnecessary trouble; at a time like this, we shouldn't complicate things."

Because of that tug, the two men had already scrambled away. If Zhong Da pursued them now, and if they started shouting, it might attract even more people. Zhong Da had no choice but to drop it.

However, since they had been spotted, it was no longer safe to stay. Zhong Da turned and hoisted Dong Cuo onto his back, quickly leaving the area with Xiao Hua.

Shortly after the three had departed, the two vagrants reappeared nearby. They peered under the bridge, satisfied themselves that it was empty, and vanished once more.

Ten minutes later, the pair arrived at the entrance of an internet café in town. The white man looked left and right before heading inside. He was immediately intercepted at the door by a young man in his late teens, sporting colorful hair and an ear stud. The youth looked at the white man with disdain, waving him off with disgust. "Get out! Get out! This isn't a place for you! Beat it!"

The white man put on a sycophantic smile. "Little brother, I'm here to see Brother Bird. I have some valuable information that he’ll definitely be interested in!"

The youth was skeptical, eyeing him suspiciously before asking, "What kind of information? Tell me first, let me hear it!"

The white man wasn't about to give it up so easily. "I know Brother Bird is inside. Please, just do me a favor and run the message. If Brother Bird finds the information useful, I'll buy you a pack of cigarettes later. How about it?"

The youth, though doubtful that this disheveled vagrant could have any important news, eventually turned and went inside to find Brother Bird.

A moment later, Brother Bird appeared—a man in his thirties with a crew cut and arms covered in tattoos. After looking the white man up and down, he frowned and asked, "What information?"

The white man bowed slightly. "My companion and I just ran into three men under the concrete bridge south of the city. They weren't old, maybe in their twenties. One of them was injured, and it looked quite serious."

Brother Bird was unimpressed. "That's it?"

Seeing this reaction, the white man quickly added, "The three of them seemed to be Chinese. I heard them speaking Chinese!"

"Chinese?" Brother Bird paused, then turned to his subordinate. "Were the people who escaped from Ma Ao's place Chinese?"

The subordinate nodded. "Yes, though they said there were four of them in total. One older, and three younger!" He pulled out his phone. "They sent over some photos from their end." He opened the gallery, found two pictures, and handed the phone to Brother Bird. Brother Bird glanced at them and signaled for the subordinate to show the white man.

The white man took the phone, studied it for a moment, and pointed to Zhong Da. "One of the three we saw was this guy! I can guarantee it!"

Brother Bird squinted. "If you're lying to me for money, you know the consequences."

"Don't worry, Brother Bird, I know the rules. I swear on my life that this is the person I saw!" The white man was adamant.

Brother Bird stared at him for a few seconds, then signaled his subordinate. The latter understood, took out his wallet, and counted out a thousand baht for him.

The white man thought it was too little and laughed obsequiously. "Brother Bird, could… could you give a little more? My companion and I haven't eaten properly in days! Have a little pity on us, won't you?"

Brother Bird, apparently in a good mood, told his subordinate to give him another thousand. He then asked, "Do you know where they are now?"

The white man shook his head. "They left immediately after we ran into them, but they seemed to be waiting for someone. I suspect they're still hanging around nearby!" As he spoke, the subordinate handed over another thousand baht. The white man took it, beaming with joy, and thanked him repeatedly. Once he realized Brother Bird had no more questions, he hurriedly turned and left.

As soon as he was gone, Brother Bird ordered his men, "Go notify the others. Search everywhere and make sure you find those people." He chuckled. "That bastard Ma Ao snatched my golden Buddha last time; this time, I’ll make him spit it back out, no matter what!"

Meanwhile, Zhong Da, Xiao Hua, and Dong Cuo had reached the edge of a forest one kilometer away from the concrete bridge. It was further from the town, and no one was to be seen at night.

Zhong Da sent their location to Zhong Yuan and had Xiao Hua hide with Dong Cuo in the trees while he found a spot to hunker down on the outskirts.

He hadn't intended to let those two vagrants go. Those men, especially the white one, were clearly not good people. The town was still under the influence of the Buddha Hand Gang, and if they spread the word that they had seen them, it would inevitably bring trouble. Leaving them alive was a liability.

If it had been his old self, he wouldn't have hesitated, even if Xiao Hua had tried to stop him. But the incident with Tan Wei had caused him to doubt himself, and he had lacked decisiveness when it mattered. That was why he had hesitated when Xiao Hua intervened.

Because of that hesitation, the opportunity was lost. Now, he could only heighten his vigilance and hope his worries were merely groundless fears.

Time passed in silence. There was no word from Zhong Yuan, but the motorcycles on the road suddenly began to multiply, darting back and forth as if searching for something.

Zhong Da felt a vague sense of unease. After a moment of thought, he called Zhong Yuan.

"Brother, how is it going?"

On the other end of the line, Zhong Yuan was leaning in the shadows of an alley, smoking a cigarette while scanning the pedestrians passing by. For the last twenty minutes, the atmosphere on the streets had shifted; a subtle tension had taken hold. Groups of young men were streaming out of restaurants, internet cafés, and pool halls, mounting their motorcycles and racing out in every direction.

Clearly, the two vagrants had exposed their tracks.

"Just stay hidden and don't wander off. I'll come find you later," Zhong Yuan said before hanging up. He crushed the cigarette butt into a crack in the concrete wall, pulled his hat brim lower, and walked out into the night.