Chapter 35: Betrayed and Sold Out

A few thugs casually pulled out watermelon knives. Realizing the situation was turning dangerous, I tried to seize the opportunity to escape, but one of them—a long-haired fellow—lit a cigarette and said, “Hold up, we’re not cutting him today.”

“What’s the meaning of this, Zhao San? If we don’t deal with him, how will we explain to the boss?” the gang leader demanded.

“I haven’t finished,” Zhao San replied, taking a drag from his cigarette. “Let him crawl under my legs and kowtow to me three times.”

“Fine, let’s do that. Kid, did you hear? Hurry up and crawl,” the gang leader ordered.

I put on an expression of exaggerated fear. “Please, brothers! Don’t do this! At least give me a cigarette—I’m craving one.”

The gang leader paused, exchanged a few whispered words with his men, and then walked over with a grin. He offered me a cigarette and lit it, grinning broadly. “We’re all brothers under the heavens. Since it’s a misunderstanding, we’ll let it go today. We’re from the Azure Dragon Society. Interested in joining us?”

I took a deep drag, immediately growing dizzy and lightheaded—it had been a while since I last smoked, and I found it hard to bear.

“The Azure Dragon Society?” Wasn’t that the rising new force in town? I’d once been with Interpol; while I couldn’t claim to know everything under the sun, I was certainly familiar with the powers in this city. From their accents, it was clear these men were locals.

I flicked away the cigarette butt and asked, “What’s the benefit of joining you?”

The long-haired thug’s expression darkened, and he threatened, “You join because we tell you to. Cut the crap. There are plenty who want in but aren’t qualified!”

“Oh? And what qualifies me?”

He sneered, “You didn’t tremble when you saw us. So you get a chance—join us, and today’s incident is forgotten.” The gang leader gripped his watermelon knife, exuding menace.

“And if I refuse?”

The long-haired one swung his knife at me, cursing, “Damn you, looking for trouble!”

The gang leader blocked Zhao San with a hand. “You can refuse me, but whether my brothers agree is another matter,” he said.

A barefaced threat! Damn it, a bunch of petty thugs dared threaten me. Even without the peerless martial arts I now possessed, two years ago I could’ve handled these weaklings with ease. But on second thought, joining them might be beneficial. At least I could learn about the current state of this world—and perhaps seize a chance to eliminate the Azure Dragon Society, ridding the people of a menace.

“All right, I’ll join.”

“Congratulations on becoming a member of the Azure Dragon Society. Let’s go, I’ll take you to meet the boss.” The gang leader threw an arm around my shoulders and led me out of the woods.

The others followed, knives still in hand, no doubt fearing a surprise attack from me. Only when we reached the bustling downtown did they put their knives away.

At that point, they finally noticed my attire: a black long robe, black boots, and a black belt.

“You an actor or something?” the gang leader asked.

I forced a bitter smile. “Just an extra, trying to make a living.”

“Ha! Acting must be tiring. Stick with us—you’ll eat and drink well for sure.”

They peppered me with questions, and I replied half-heartedly. The gang leader hailed a cab, and we all piled in.

Seated in the back, my mind was in turmoil. Why had I suddenly returned here? I’d finally adapted to life in that other world, only to be thrown back—nothing felt right.

What had happened? I recalled the moment when Zhang Lei grabbed onto the Gray Wolf—a flash of white light, and then I found myself in the woods. Why did Zhang Lei help me, after betraying me before? And Yu Jing—he was right beside me at the time. If I’ve returned, what about him? Did he come too? If I came back alone, then he’s still in that other world… I shuddered to think further. If Yu Jing is still there, his prospects must be grim.

“What are you thinking about? We’re here. Get out,” the gang leader said.

I followed them to a villa. The gang leader knocked, and an old man opened the door. Several dogs were chained in the yard. Lights glowed upstairs.

The gang leader turned and said, “Wait here,” before hurrying upstairs. Five minutes later, he came back down and waved his hand. “Let’s go, I’ll introduce you to the brothers.”

What the hell? Weren’t we supposed to meet the boss? Instead, we were leaving without seeing him. The gang leader explained that the Azure Dragon Society now numbered two thousand, divided into ten groups of two hundred, each responsible for collecting protection fees in different districts. The society’s leader, Qin Tian—the man upstairs—was a mysterious figure, seldom seen except for the brief monthly profit-sharing meetings.

After meeting some of the society’s riffraff, the gang leader arranged for me to stay in the group dormitory, informing me there would be a deal tomorrow and I’d be notified when to go.

Having been through so much, I was exhausted and soon fell asleep. Early the next morning, the gang leader woke me. Holding a black briefcase, he handed it to me with an air of formality. “Brother, you’ll be heading to the dock for a deal later. A boat will pick you up, and we’ll have people protecting you along the way.”

Seeing my bewildered look, he patted my shoulder. “Relax, it’s just money. We’ve been doing arms deals with foreigners. In our line of work, you can’t get by without guns and ammo. To prevent the foreigners from double-crossing us, we’ll have people guarding you the whole way. Just go without worry.”

So that was their plan—roping me in to use me for a dangerous task. Still, after a year honing my skills in another world, I doubted I’d be in any real danger. I was curious, though, whether guns and bullets would pose any threat to me now—perhaps this was a good chance to find out.

Feigning fear, I said, “You really have to protect me!”

The gang leader clapped my shoulder. “Don’t worry, the Azure Dragon Society never abandons a brother.”

After breakfast, he took me by motorcycle toward the dock. Watching the traffic flow by, I felt a surge of nostalgia—life in the twenty-first century was good. I wondered how my parents were doing; I ought to find time to visit them. And Liu Tingting—why was I thinking of her again? I ought to forget her. I shook my head, trying to stay focused.

We stopped at a red light. Glancing around at the passing crowds, I saw no familiar faces.

Suddenly, a beggar appeared before me. I reached for money, but my pockets were empty. The beggar grabbed my white T-shirt, and I was about to get angry when he spoke: “Brother Yunfei, I finally found you!”

The voice was strangely familiar—damn, it was Yu Jing! I pushed aside his tangled hair and, sure enough, it was him. He’d crossed over as well—thank goodness. Seeing him safe, I finally relaxed.

“So, you two know each other?” the gang leader asked.

I got off the bike. “He’s my brother. Can I take him to get some clean clothes and a haircut before the deal?”

The gang leader eyed Yu Jing. “How do you know this kind of guy? Whatever, there’s still an hour. I’ll take you.”

After cleaning up, Yu Jing looked quite handsome, drawing glances from several stylish women as we walked down the street. In the barbershop, he complained endlessly about cutting his hair—something about honoring his parents—but to us in the twenty-first century, a buzz cut was all the rage, and it made him look sharp.

The two of us chatted and laughed as Yu Jing marveled at the bustling city. Behind us, the gang leader sneered, “Enjoy it while you can—soon you’ll be in prison. And if you die, don’t come looking for me. I’m just following orders.”

He seemed to have timed things perfectly; as we arrived at the docks, a medium-sized ferry pulled up. I glanced back—no sign of anyone protecting us. The gang leader patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry, nothing will happen. I’m off.”

The motorcycle sped away. The ferry docked, and a group of men disembarked. The leader drew a pistol and aimed it at my head. “We’re Interpol. You are suspected of trafficking drugs. Put your hands on your head.”