Chapter 78: Friend, Farewell
"Trouble?"
"Yeah, trouble. That's why he's been killing people like crazy lately. I don't know the specifics."
"Tell me about it."
"Money."
"Account number."
"CH..."
Su Xiao hung up the phone and transferred money to an account via his mobile. He glanced at his balance and was surprised to find his savings were running low. While it was enough for an ordinary person to live on for a lifetime, given his spending habits, it wouldn't last long. Fortunately, he wouldn't need to worry about money for a while, and even if he did run short, he had ways to get more.
The phone rang again. Maggie Karami began explaining the situation with Sea Scorpion, which was Hai Dong's alias.
"Sea Scorpion's son is dead?!"
Su Xiao's jaw muscles bulged.
"Yeah. The current Sea Scorpion is a madman. Anyone connected to his son's death, he won't leave a single one alive."
Maggie Karami exhaled. She knew she had just had one foot in the coffin and was lucky to have reacted quickly.
"Where is he now?"
"In your country, ** City."
"And?"
"I don't have a more specific address."
Maggie Karami's awkward laughter came through.
"Two million and that's all you give me? In US dollars, no less."
"One hour."
Maggie Karami hung up. It didn't take an hour. Su Xiao only waited about forty minutes before she called back.
"Sea Scorpion was in your city six hours ago, near Guangming Road. That's all the intel."
"That's enough."
Su Xiao had already guessed Hai Dong's purpose. Guangming Road was the street where he had opened his jewelry store. Hai Dong knew Su Xiao had a shop there and was clearly looking for him. Unfortunately, Su Xiao was still in Reincarnation Paradise at the time.
Hailing a taxi, Su Xiao returned to the jewelry store. When he arrived, Ma Pangzi was surprised to see him at the door.
"Done already? That efficient?"
"Not done yet."
Su Xiao inspected the front of the jewelry store. After a moment, he found an old-fashioned phone wedged in a gap beside the rolling shutter door. Its biggest advantage was its long standby time.
He turned on the phone and flipped through the contacts. Three numbers were saved:
Professional Welder: 159********
Professional Excavator: 135********
Professional Fake ID Maker: 155*******
Instead of calling these numbers, Su Xiao walked into the jewelry store, took out paper and a pen, and wrote down a series of numbers.
Ten minutes later, he had a phone number and dialed it.
Buzz... Buzz...
The phone rang for a long time with no answer. Just as Su Xiao was about to hang up and try another method to trace the number, the call was picked up.
"Ex... excavator, wh... which... cough cough cough."
Su Xiao immediately responded: "Man proposes, heaven disposes."
"Africa, two shots, chest, lower abdomen."
The voice on the other end gave a location.
"Libya, one stab, calf."
"..."
There was a moment of silence on the line.
"I might... not make it."
Hai Dong's voice was very weak, punctuated by loud, dry coughs.
"Give me the address. I'll come to you."
"No, too dangerous."
"It doesn't matter."
Su Xiao was no longer the assassin he once was.
"Hahaha, that's your style. Screw how many there are, kill them all and be done with it. But this time... forget it. My only hope of living is gone. There's no point."
From his tone, Su Xiao could tell Hai Dong had given up on life. His only spiritual pillar was dead. Apart from revenge, he had nothing left.
"How long can you hold on?"
"A few minutes at most. Three gunshots. My lung is punctured. My heart is damaged too. Can't be saved."
"Oh."
Su Xiao rested his elbow on the table and covered his eyes with one hand.
"Friend, don't be sad about me. We're executioners who've killed countless people. What goes around comes around. This day was bound to come."
"Yeah."
Su Xiao's aura grew increasingly violent. "The person you want to kill. Are they dead?"
"Almost."
"Who!"
"..."
There was another long silence on the phone.
"I contacted you not to ask you to kill for me. I just wanted to talk. You've changed. This change is good. I'm hanging up."
Inside an abandoned factory, a black-haired man covered in blood hung up the phone. With all his remaining strength, he smashed the phone and snapped the SIM card in half.
"He's different now. No longer that young avenger or assassin with no desire for life and death in his eyes. Congratulations on being able to live freely. I really envy you, you bastard. As a friend, I hope you keep this mindset."
The rise and fall of the man's chest grew weaker. With his last bit of strength, he pulled out a lighter, lit it, and tossed it onto a pile of gasoline-soaked rags at his feet. The flames quickly consumed everything.
...
Inside the jewelry store, Su Xiao's breathing gradually steadied. His best friend was dead.
"Bubu."
Sensing Su Xiao's mood, Bubu Wang quickly ran over.
"Track the scent on the phone."
"Woof."
Bubu Wang brought his nose close to the phone and sniffed carefully for several minutes.
"Woof!"
Bubu Wang ran out of the jewelry store. Su Xiao immediately followed. Ma Pangzi was standing at the door.
"Can I borrow your car?"
"No problem. Don't take that junker. I've got a beast in the garage."
Ma Pangzi tossed over a set of keys.
"Thanks."
Su Xiao and Bubu Wang headed toward the street corner.
"Someone's about to be in trouble."
Hei Pi had appeared at the jewelry store entrance at some point.
"I've known Su Xiao for a while, but I've never seen that expression on his face. I wonder who's so unlucky."
...
In the city, Xiangrui Garden Community.
Xiangrui Garden Community was different from ordinary neighborhoods. There were no high-rise buildings here. It consisted of individual villas on the outskirts of the city, where the air was exceptionally fresh.
In the central area of the community, inside a villa, several young people were sitting in the living room playing cards. One of them, wearing an earring, looked particularly restless.
"Damn it, when will this nightmare end? What does that mad dog want?"
The earring-wearing youth threw down his cards. He had been hiding here for nearly a week.
"Brother Xu, what exactly did you do to piss off that lunatic? I overheard your old man saying he's a professional killer? Pretty badass, huh?"
A fair-skinned, effeminate-looking young man also threw down his cards. He picked up a glass from the coffee table and took a small sip.
"Don't even mention it. I was just walking my dog. You know about pit bulls—can't walk them in the city, so I went near West Ring Road. Then some kid suddenly ran out. Dogs chase whoever runs. You think I could hold back a pit bull's strength? Two bites, and the kid was dead."
The earring youth was named Zhang Xutian. His father's assets ranked in the top three in the city. Although Zhang Xutian was a rich second generation who partied every day, he wasn't the type to bully people. He had two hobbies: women and aggressive dogs.
A week ago, Zhang Xutian was walking his beloved dog. A day earlier, Hai Dong had brought his son to the city. He had heard Su Xiao was wanted and then the warrant was lifted. He came with his son to find Su Xiao. Nothing too important—just old friends who hadn't seen each other in a long time wanting to catch up.
As for whether he could find Su Xiao, Hai Dong wasn't sure. Phone contact was impossible. The two of them changed numbers more often than they changed clothes.
Hai Dong's son was a sensible seven-year-old, old enough for elementary school. Hai Dong's idea was that Su Xiao had a fearsome reputation in the city and had quit being an assassin. Even if something happened to Hai Dong one day, Su Xiao could take care of his son.
On the day of the incident, Hai Dong accepted a commission. It wasn't a kill job, but to put a target in the hospital for over a year. An assassin's commissions weren't always about killing.
The client who made the request was influential. Hai Dong couldn't refuse. He left his son alone in the rental apartment. This wasn't the first time—it was their daily routine. He couldn't drag his family along on a mission, and Hai Dong didn't want his son exposed to anything related to being an assassin.
When Hai Dong finished the commission and returned to the city, planning to take his son to see Su Xiao, what he found was his son's cold body, his tender neck covered in bloody bite marks.
Maybe this was karma. No matter how loyal Hai Dong was to his friends, he still made his living by killing.