Chapter 1928: West District
After figuring out the time they had agreed upon, Xu Huo withdrew his spiritual power, focusing only on the building where he lived.
People who liked to be active at night were mostly asleep at this hour, and most of these people were strong and healthy, so they weren't yet at the very bottom of society. While they slept, nearby residents, whether elderly or children, didn't dare make too much noise. Especially families with children—there were no schools in the West District, so there was no such thing as children going to school. Before they were old enough to run out and fend for themselves, they were mostly kept locked up at home. If they made a fuss, adults would cover their mouths.
However, not all children were old enough to understand. Three minutes ago, an infant on the second floor started crying. The sharp sound was grating even during the day, and it disturbed a big man living nearby. He came out bare-chested, carrying a knife, and banged on the door, making a thunderous racket. The baby's family didn't open the door, but soon the crying inside subsided.
The big man cursed as he walked back, and before closing his door, he shouted unwillingly to the outside, "Whoever the hell makes noise again, if I don't stab them to death, I'm not a man!"
This threat had a deterrent effect, and the nearby residents became more cautious.
After Xu Huo had tidied up the house and sat down to rest, the woman next door came to knock.
Xu Huo opened the door a crack. "What's the matter?"
The woman was all smiles. "I'm your neighbor next door. Neighbors should look out for each other. I see you just moved in and haven't gotten your pots and pans sorted yet. If you don't mind, take this—it's my homemade lunch."
Xu Huo glanced at the simple but generous portion of rice. "No need. I've made plans to eat out with a friend."
The woman was a bit disappointed but pressed on. "I live next door. If you don't have time to cook, you can let me know in advance. I can help you make it, and you just pay a little for the food."
Xu Huo nodded, then closed the door.
After she left, he went out again. This time, his goal was to eat, so he picked a stall near the nightclub from before.
After eating, he saw a fruit cart passing by on the street, so he asked the stall owner where the market was.
The stall owner pointed the way, and Xu Huo followed the street to the nearby market.
The nightclub owner had already set out by this time. He wasn't going to meet the frozen food processing plant people but to his own residence to get money.
In the nightclub owner's safe, one layer was stacked with precious metals, and another was piled with banknotes from Jade Spring City. He swept half the notes out, hesitated, then flipped open a box hidden behind the precious metals. Inside was a thumb-sized ruby with good color, probably one of the owner's favorites, so he gritted his teeth in pain as he stuffed it into the bag.
After packing these things, he came out under the protection of his men and then entered a bathhouse.
The owner of the bathhouse was a wrinkled man with limited mobility in his hands and feet. He was checking the accounts with the help of a beautiful woman.
After passing inspection, the nightclub owner came before the bathhouse owner and informed him that a month ago, a batch of "fresh goods" from the bathhouse had been hijacked by the Heyue Winery.
The owner of the Heyue Winery was the nightclub owner's rival. The bathhouse owner ran a pleasure business, and his establishment housed many women. The so-called "stocking up" involved buying or kidnapping young women from other places. Last month, the vehicle was attacked, some escaped, and some died, which greatly angered the bathhouse owner. He had been tracking down who was responsible.
The nightclub owner not only presented evidence but also offered the ruby. "The Heyue Winery nearly killed my people. I can't swallow this. When I make my move, I hope Boss Dao won't make things difficult for my men."
This was a declaration of war against an enemy, with a preemptive bribe to a rival of the same level, ideally persuading a third party to join in.
Boss Dao was very interested in the ruby, examining it carefully against the light. After a moment, he said, "I won't interfere in your affairs. I'll settle my own accounts with the Heyue Winery in my own time."
With this guarantee, the nightclub owner smiled with relief. Just then, Boss Dao stuffed the ruby into the mouth of the woman beside him. She let out a light laugh, the ruby clinking softly against her teeth, then spat out the now-crushed gem.
Boss Dao laughed heartily at the sight, pinched the woman's chin to make her open her mouth, and showed the nightclub owner her full set of metal teeth. It wasn't entirely a set of teeth—as the woman's tongue retracted, a thin layer of blades suddenly rose from the surface of the teeth exposed to the air, spinning rapidly under her control.
As the blades spun, the woman couldn't close her mouth. Her smile became strained, and saliva uncontrollably dripped out, but since Boss Dao hadn't given the order, she didn't dare stop.
"A woman's body is a weapon. Unfortunately, the last fool was stupid enough to have his throat shredded by his own teeth. This one is clever."
Boss Dao patted the woman's cheek, signaling her to withdraw, then said, "I really don't like it when people eat my things. Do you understand?"
The nightclub owner was both pleased and shocked. "I don't want the Heyue Winery's territory. Boss Dao can take it all."
The two sides reached an agreement. Just then, someone knocked outside. The nightclub owner tactfully left, and another person followed the bathhouse staff in—it was the woman who had rented the house to Xu Huo earlier.
The woman knelt as soon as she entered, lowering her head. "Three newcomers have arrived at the Inspection Department. One of them just rented a house from me. He's wearing an Inspection Department watch terminal but isn't armed. He doesn't look like a player."
"As for the other two, I only saw them from a distance. I think one of them is a player. After leaving the Inspection Department, he went to many places asking for information and quietly paid money—using our local currency."
"A player, huh..." Boss Dao took a drag on his cigarette, squinting. "Players and we keep to ourselves. If they don't come looking for trouble, we don't bother them. Tell him whatever he wants to know. Don't tip off the Inspection Department. Get rid of them one by one."
The woman nodded silently and withdrew.
Boss Dao then turned his attention back to the account book. But he was old and didn't notice that a piece of the scattered gem fragments on the table was missing.
Xu Huo casually pocketed the gem fragment he had just retrieved, stepped out, and grabbed two children running toward him. He took an orange from his pocket. "Here, eat this. Don't run wild in the streets."
The children looked at him with confusion but still took the orange, splitting it in half.
Xu Huo turned and walked away. The other children on the street didn't follow him but instead ran to the fruit stall, sharing the orange with the two kids. The fruit seller nearby regretted, "I should have charged him more earlier."
Xu Huo bought a few oranges that looked ugly but were still fresh and headed back to his place. On the way, he received a call from Lin Guang, saying he had forgotten to pick up his sidearm.