Futile Devices Scans

Xia Liu Yi handed all the newly opened billiard halls over to Xiao Ma to manage. Red Pole Ma had changed weapons for cannons, putting on a designer suit, a gold chain around his neck, and a gold watch on each hand. When he walked, his sunglasses pointed toward the sky, his arms lifted and swung like a gorilla’s, with several little underlings following behind him as he swaggered around inspecting territory.

That day, he led his men strolling over to the shop near Lung Gong Polytechnic University. The moment he entered, a billiard cue smashed into his head. With an “aiya,” he went down.

“Boss Xiao Ma! Boss Xiao Ma!” A group of underlings surrounded him.

“Fuck…” Xiao Ma flew into a rage and was about to explode when an even more furious roar came from inside the shop—

“Fucking bastard!”

The billiard hall had only recently opened, and many odds and ends were still piled inside. Not far from the door stood a stack of cardboard boxes filled with equipment, piled all the way up to the ceiling. He Chu San was sitting at the very top, sweating all over and hugging his little schoolbag.

Standing below, Xia Liu Yi cursed loudly, “If you’ve got guts, get down here! Little bastard! I’m asking you to enter the hall with me, not asking you to die!”

“What hall? Marriage?” Xiao Ma clutched his head and squeezed inside. Hearing that sentence, he was very surprised.

Xia Liu Yi casually picked up another billiard cue and hurled it at him. “Entering the hall to acknowledge a boss! Shut up!”

“I won’t acknowledge a boss. I won’t become a gangster,” He Chu San shrank up above and recited his old line.

Xiao Ma nimbly dodged the cue, looked up with his hands on his hips, and shouted at He Chu San, “Is our boss someone just anyone can acknowledge?! You’re given face and refuse it! Hurry up and come down to enter the hall with the boss! Little bastard!”

“Are you allowed to call him bastard?!” Xia Liu Yi threw another billiard cue at him. “Scram!”

Xiao Ma clutched his head and fled in panic, only daring to complain to his men once he had run all the way out onto the street. “Fuck, this kid is really precious. Only the boss can scold him.”

After cursing for a while to no effect, Xia Liu Yi ordered the employees huddled in the corner, “Move that table away for me! Fuck, climbing up and down—I’d like to see how he gets down!”

“Boss,” the manager suggested tremblingly, “why not poke him down with a billiard cue?”

“Poke my ass! He’s a top student from the university across the street! If he falls and breaks his head, are you paying with yours?! Can you afford it?!”

The manager shrank his head back and immediately understood that the boss was flirting and bickering with his newly accepted underling. He efficiently led people to move the table, then fled at light speed. He did not forget to have someone hang a “Closed Today” sign at the door—boss had booked the place!

Seeing everyone disperse, He Chu San immediately revealed his true self. Putting away the timid, cowardly student act, he poked his head out and earnestly tried to reason with Xia Liu Yi. “Brother Liu Yi, I really don’t want to become a gangster. Look at you people fighting and killing all day. It’s so dangerous. Gambling dens, brothels, loan-sharking—which one of these doesn’t ruin people’s entire lives…”

“Fuck off,” Xia Liu Yi said. “Stop pretending to be Tang San Zang in front of me. Is going to university so impressive? Want to become chief inspector, huh? Let me tell you, even the Secretary for Security wouldn’t dare meddle in my business! Besides, did I ask you to become a prostitute or a male prostitute? I’m giving you several billiard halls to manage, with red envelopes worth eighty or a hundred thousand every month. You work your ass off studying for more than ten years, and how much will you earn a month after graduating? Three thousand? Five thousand?”

Elio’s Notes: Tang San Zang is the monk protagonist of the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West. Known for his compassion and constant moral lectures, his name is often used jokingly to describe someone who nags or preaches endlessly.

“This isn’t about how much money it is. You people are breaking the law and committing crimes…” He Chu San was still going to nag, but Xia Liu Yi fiercely kicked the bottom box. The entire pillar of cardboard boxes swayed.

Clinging to the edge of the boxes, He Chu San fell silent. In his heart, he secretly sighed. One really should not expect to reason with gangsters. Look at this—completely impossible to communicate!

He carefully lifted his head to look at the sky outside, then turned back and continued trying to negotiate with Xia Liu Yi. “Brother Liu Yi, the library is about to close. Can you let me go down and return my books first?”

“Return my ass,” Xia Liu Yi said. “Stay up there and reflect for the whole night!”

He Chu San, a little husband who knew when to bend and when to stretch, immediately became obedient and honest. “Brother Liu Yi, I know I was wrong.”

“Where were you wrong?”

“I shouldn’t have learned from Tang San Zang and nagged you.”

“What else?”

“I shouldn’t have exposed that you were breaking the law and committing crimes…”

“Fuck off!” Xia Liu Yi kicked the boxes again.

“Brother Liu Yi,” He Chu San clung to the boxes, swaying miserably. “I really know I was wrong. Let me down, Brother Liu Yi. If I miss the return date, I’ll be fined.”

“I’ll pay whatever they fine you!”

“There’ll also be a bad integrity record. They won’t let me borrow books anymore, and they’ll cancel my scholarship,” He Chu San lied through his teeth, calling pitifully, “Brother Liu Yi, Brother Liu Yi…”

Xia Liu Yi’s ears nearly grew calluses from hearing him. He barked impatiently, “Shut up!”

He Chu San immediately shut up, only poking his head out to peek at him.

Xia Liu Yi tugged at the table with one hand but could not move it. Looking around, the manager had long since disappeared to who knew where.

“Jump down,” he raised his head and spread his arms. “I’ll catch you.”

He Chu San weighed the situation and wanted to ask, Can you catch me? But after considering the consequences of saying that and getting beaten badly, he still hardened his scalp, climbed to the edge of the cardboard boxes, closed his eyes, and fell down.

Thud!

Sure enough, Xia Liu Yi was knocked flat by his entire body. The two rolled together on the floor. Fortunately, the table had already been moved, so neither of them hit their head or anything.

“Fuck! Did you grow taller again? What have you been eating?!”

“Practicing Tai Chi,” He Chu San said while lying on top of Xia Liu Yi and hugging his waist. “My dad said I can still grow.”

“Dream on,” Xia Liu Yi slapped his back. “Get up!”

The two climbed up and patted dust off themselves. He Chu San used a billiard cue to poke down the little schoolbag he had left above. After honestly saying goodbye, he tried to slip away, but Xia Liu Yi stopped him. “Come back right after returning the books. I’ll take you to Jordan for chicken hotpot.”

“I need to go home and revi…” The word “review” was glared back by Boss Xia.

Xia Liu Yi was nearly angered to death by this brat. He truly did not know how to appreciate favors. A Dragon Head boss like him wanted to accept an underling, yet it was this exhausting. Even inviting him to a meal, the other party disliked it and did not want to go! Fuck!

What was wrong with gangsters? Was gangster food poisonous?!

In truth, he had no strange thoughts toward He Chu San at all. He was purely unwilling to accept defeat after failing to obtain a “university student underling”—recently, Xiao Qi Hall’s expansion had been smooth sailing, and Boss Xia was bored out of his mind.

Besides, this kid looked dull and blockheaded, but was actually full of tricks. Xia Liu Yi battled wits and courage with him every day, which could be considered exercising his intelligence and passing the time—just like cultured people buying a newspaper and doing crossword puzzles when they had nothing to do.

Even his temper had been trained out by this kid. Every day, he put on a stern face and pretended to be calm, composed, and gentle, no longer easily beating people with sticks—if he hit, he hit directly to death!

He Chu San hugged his schoolbag and slipped toward the school library, sighing in his heart as he ran. Being caught and dragged to eat, who knew what time he would get back? Tonight he would have to stay up all night reading again.

He felt that when he had first agreed to go to Xia Liu Yi’s “venue” to learn billiards, it had purely been because Xia Liu Yi had said that day that his hand was crippled, making He Chu San’s mind go blank and his mouth say something different from his heart. As for later going to look for Xia Liu Yi every few days, that was also purely because he was forced—this boss sent people to block the school gate with a car to pick him up, with teachers and classmates all watching. Quite a few classmates even secretly speculated that he had been kept by some rich woman from the Mid-Levels villa district.

He Chu San had turned twenty-two after New Year’s. Over this year, he had shot up in height, developing broad shoulders and long legs, his figure tall and slender. After practicing Tai Chi long-term, he had also developed a thin, even layer of muscle. Carrying a little schoolbag honestly, with clear features and a shy, innocent look—wasn’t this exactly the standard appearance of a pretty boy most favored by rich women?

He Chu San could not control what outsiders thought, nor could he prove his innocence. He only felt that in this chaotic world, under a sky covered in “black clouds,” he was the typical pure, honest civilian oppressed and deceived by gangsters. He wished to leave the sea of suffering and turn back to shore, yet could not escape, and was extremely troubled.

As Xia Liu Yi stirred the soup in the chicken hotpot, he said to him, “I’m shooting a new movie next month. You’ll write the script.”

He Chu San sighed.

Xia Liu Yi slapped his chopsticks down with a snap. He Chu San immediately explained, “My coursework this semester is very heavy, and midterms are coming up soon. Can I write it after summer vacation?”

“Sure. I’ll send away all the production staff for the entire film, pile all the equipment in a warehouse until it rusts, seal all the actors in freezers until they become human popsicles, and wait for you. How’s that?” Boss Xia said.

He Chu San lowered his head, picked up a piece of shiitake mushroom, and obediently said, “I’ll write it next week.”

“Always singing the opposite tune against me,” Xia Liu Yi cursed while swinging his chopsticks to pluck the mushroom out from near He Chu San’s mouth and toss it back into the pot. “Cook it longer. It’s not done yet.”

He Chu San silently picked out a chicken foot instead.

“You’re just itching for a beating. There’s meat and you gnaw bones instead. You respond to force, not kindness,” Boss Xia said.

“I first refuse to yield unto death, then adapt to the situation,” He Chu San said.

“Stop being glib with me. Shut up! Boss! Two bottles of beer!”

“Coming right up!” The owner rolled into the shop like the wind, then rolled back out like the wind. “Boss, beer!”

The underlings sitting far away at another table as bodyguards also shouted, “Boss! Four bottles over here!”

“Drink my ass! Who’s driving later?” Xia Liu Yi turned back and cursed.

The underlings played a quick round of finger-guessing, swiftly deciding that two unlucky ones were not allowed to drink while the others could enjoy themselves.

As for bodyguard duty? Hehe, haha! Across Kowloon, who dared provoke Boss Xia?

This was early summer in 1990. As early as 1987, the Chinese government and the British government had reached an agreement to demolish Gaau Lung Walled City. Although they encountered layer after layer of obstruction and resistance, the demolition of the Walled City had now entered the scheduled stage. Compensation plans for relocating residents had long since been determined, and the first batch of residents had begun moving into nearby housing estates.

All levels of gangs within the Walled City had also long since begun withdrawing outward one after another, stretching their claws of influence toward Kowloon, Hong Kong Island, and the New Territories… They fought openly and covertly with other gangs originally occupying those areas, with armed clashes in alleyways at the ends of streets without end.

Xiao Qi Hall’s influence had originally only covered the Kowloon City area. By Azure Dragon’s time, it had already infiltrated places like Mong Kok. Once Xia Liu Yi took over, he made an even bigger show of opening dance halls and song lounges around Prince Edward and Sham Shui Po near Mong Kok, and farther south to Hung Hom.

The point of listing all these place names at such length was—Boss Xia’s aggressive expansion policy had already seriously affected the interests of surrounding gangs. Especially the He Sheng Society, which occupied Yau Ma Tei and Tsim Sha Tsui.

The boss of He Sheng Society was called “Fat Seven.” If all you readers still remember, Xia Liu Yi once chopped off one of his brother-in-law Lai Quan’s fingers.

Fat Seven watched as Xia Liu Yi planted red flags across boundaries one after another, even seeming to form a circle around He Sheng Society. With new grudges added to old hatred, it was impossible for him to feel good. Before New Year’s, he gathered his strength and fought Xia Liu Yi fiercely at Hung Hom Pier. In the end, his side’s Red Pole was seriously injured, and they left behind three underling corpses before returning in defeat. Xia Liu Yi released harsh words that he would beat him every time he saw him. From then on, Fat Seven shut his doors and lived a stifled, indescribably frustrated life, throwing darts at Xia Liu Yi’s photo and stabbing paper effigies every day.

The chicken hotpot place Xia Liu Yi brought He Chu San to today was precisely within Fat Seven’s sphere of influence. The chicken hotpot owner had flattered Fat Seven for years, and now that Xia Liu Yi had come, he flattered him just the same. After being harassed by these underworld figures for so many years, the owner understood perfectly how to survive—the winds and waters turned in cycles. This year it was Boss A, next year Boss B. You people chop whoever you want. I’ll offer protection money to all of you, flatter you properly, and business will prosper!

The owner was here with both ears closed to the affairs of the world and only focused on calculating business money when he suddenly heard shouting from outside the stall. “Move! Move!”

Several underlings opened the way, escorting in Fat Seven, whose belly matched his name, and his gaudily dressed girlfriend Third Sister Lai.

The owner secretly cried bad in his heart, but could only brace himself and go forward. “Brother Fat Seven! Welcome, welcome! Come, come, please sit over here!”

“Nooo, I want to sit over there,” Third Sister Lai said in a shrill voice, pointing with an orchid finger.

At that exact moment, Xia Liu Yi and the others turned their heads at the commotion.

The two groups stared at each other. Fat Seven roared, “Xia Liu Yi?!”

Xia Liu Yi lifted a brow, extremely calm. “Fat Seven.”

As he spoke, he casually picked up a piece of chicken butt for He Chu San.

He Chu San had originally been chewing on a piece of shiitake mushroom. After Fat Seven roared, he froze with it in his mouth. At this moment, he silently lowered his head and tried hard to swallow the mushroom. From that piece of chicken butt, he instinctively sensed the icy killing intent hidden beneath Xia Liu Yi’s calm.

The moment Fat Seven heard his dismissive tone, he lost his composure and abruptly drew the gun from his waist.

“Xia Liu Yi! You killed my men! Stole my goods! And you dare come into my territory with just a few underlings?!”

Xia Liu Yi’s bodyguards immediately jumped up and drew guns. The underlings on the other side also swiftly pulled out their weapons. The two sides stood in two rows like a firearms exhibition, glaring at one another.

The chicken hotpot owner secretly shrank backward with the account book over his head, not forgetting to signal to the pale-faced staff watching from far away.

Xia Liu Yi slowly put down his chopsticks and stood, quietly shielding He Chu San, who sat beside him.

“If you’ve got the guts to kill me, then do it. Otherwise, I advise you to put the gun away and stop scaring passersby.” He pulled a tissue from the table and wiped his mouth.

“Xia Liu Yi, don’t push people too far!” Fat Seven shouted angrily.

“When you walk the underworld, how can there be any principle of not bullying people?” Xia Liu Yi crumpled the tissue and tossed it away, tilting his head to light a cigarette. Narrowing his eyes, he inhaled once, then slowly exhaled. “Besides, I have the ability to bully you.”

“You!” Fat Seven’s fleshy chin trembled, but his finger on the trigger never dared to pull.

Xia Liu Yi’s underlings were famous for being just as fearless of death as their boss. If he fired and hurt Xia Liu Yi, the next gunshot might very well kill him. Besides, the previous battle had badly weakened He Sheng Society. If he killed Xiao Qi Hall’s boss just like this, Xiao Qi Hall’s brothers were spread throughout Kowloon, and Deputy Hall Master Cui Dong Dong was also a famously ruthless figure in the underworld. If they all threw themselves into avenging their boss, Fat Seven might not be able to bear the consequences.

While Fat Seven’s mind churned fiercely and conflicted, Xia Liu Yi had already turned around and casually lifted the wooden-faced He Chu San up. “A’Yong, A’Biao, go get the cars.”

The two bodyguards who had not drunk answered, put away their guns, and went to drive as instructed.

Fat Seven watched helplessly as Xia Liu Yi led his men into two cars and left arrogantly.

“Fuck!” He slammed the table and cursed loudly. “Xia Liu Yi, I’ll settle the final account with you one day!”

Xia Liu Yi led his men all the way in a cloud of dust and drove to the entrance of Gaau Lung Walled City, first sending He Chu San home.

He Chu San sat in the back seat, hugging his schoolbag and saying nothing.

The atmosphere became somewhat heavy. Xia Liu Yi decided to tease him.

“What? Scared?”

He Chu San glanced toward the driver’s seat, but still did not speak.

Xia Liu Yi could tell from that awkward expression that he had something he wanted to say. Once the car stopped beside Gaau Lung Walled City, he sent the bodyguards to the other vehicle, rolled down the window, lit a cigarette, leaned back in his seat, and said:

“If you’ve got something to say, say it.”

“Next time… could you not bring me to places like that?”

He Chu San lowered his head and hugged his schoolbag tightly.

“Fuck!”

Xia Liu Yi had guessed exactly what he was going to say. His useless right hand slammed against the window.

“Stop acting all shy and awkward like a little girl! I didn’t know Fat Seven would be there!”

“Even if he hadn’t shown up, you brought people into his territory to eat on purpose. That was a provocation. I don’t want to get involved in that kind of thing between gangsters.”

Xia Liu Yi held his cigarette and sat in silence for a long moment.

Before he could lose his temper and hit someone, he pointed outside.

“Get out.”

He truly did not want to talk to this brat anymore.

He Chu San immediately opened the car door and got out.

The speed of his movements made it look as though he had been desperate to escape from Xia Liu Yi’s side all along.

Xia Liu Yi nearly choked from anger. He took a furious drag on his cigarette—

Cough cough cough!

Looking thoroughly miserable, he brushed the ash off his suit and slammed the window again.

He genuinely thought that chicken hotpot place tasted good and had wanted to let this poor kid, who had never seen much of the world, try it. Yet the brat repaid kindness with hostility and could not tell a good person from a bad one.

He was like a dog biting Lü Dong Bin, unable to recognize a good person’s kindness.

Elio’s Notes: Lü Dong Bin is one of the Eight Immortals in Chinese mythology. The saying “a dog bites Lü Dong Bin, unable to recognize a good person’s heart” means someone fails to appreciate another person’s good intentions and instead treats them with suspicion or hostility.

He sat in the back seat sulking for a while. Seeing that something was wrong, one of the bodyguards from the car behind came over and asked:

“Boss?”

“You all head back first,” Xia Liu Yi said.

“Uh…”

The bodyguard hesitated.

Xia Liu Yi waved him off impatiently.

The bodyguards could tell their boss was in a bad mood and wanted to be alone for a while. Since the area around Gaau Lung Walled City was all their own territory, nothing should happen. So they squeezed into a single vehicle and obediently drove away.

Xia Liu Yi sat alone and finished an entire cigarette.

Then he moved into the driver’s seat and drove toward the nearby seaside villa.

This luxurious villa, once occupied by Boss Azure Dragon, had become known as a haunted house after the tragic deaths of its owners and more than a dozen servants.

Xia Liu Yi had hired a group of Taoist priests to perform several rituals there. Afterward, it had simply remained vacant.

The pale headlights illuminated the dark road ahead as he drove alone along the winding coastal path and stopped in front of the gloomy villa.

The massive iron gate decorated with lion carvings was covered in rust. Several yellow talismans fluttered noisily in the sea breeze.

Xia Liu Yi got out of the car and faced the cold, dark villa.

Lowering his head, he lit a cigarette.

After taking a drag, he crouched down and wedged the cigarette into a crack in the iron gate.

“Eldest, Sis. I happened to be driving by, so I came to see you.”

Still crouching there, he calmly lit another cigarette.

“Things in the Society are going smoothly. Everything’s good.”

“I’m doing fine too.”

“I’ll find the people who harmed you and cut them into pieces.”

After saying those three sentences, he seemed to have nothing left to say.

He sat there quietly for a while, then looked up at the sky.

The stars filled his vision, dense and countless, like shattered bits of glass scattered across a black cloth.

They reminded him of the shattered pool of blood beside the swimming pool.

The two most important people in his life were now above those stars, very far away from him.

Now he possessed hundreds of millions in assets, a flourishing career, and countless followers. He could have whatever he wanted.

Yet he still had nothing.

Even an immature brat could look down on him and refuse to stand beside him.

He was no longer the fearless eighteen-year-old he had once been, with nothing but two blades in his hands and a heart full of burning passion. Back then, he still had family. He still had hope. He still had things worth risking his life to protect.

The darkness echoed only with the howling sea wind, tossing his clothes and hair into disarray.

The cigarette wedged into the iron gate was suddenly caught by a gust of wind and swept into the air. A spark flashed briefly before vanishing into the endless night.

……

Half an hour later, Xia Liu Yi drove back down the winding road and returned toward the city.

The road was deserted at this late hour, with neither cars nor pedestrians.

As he passed near Gaau Lung Walled City, he instinctively glanced toward the roadside.

That single glance caught sight of a strange figure hurrying down the road.

Something enormous was strapped to the figure’s back.

The silhouette swayed from side to side as it moved quickly along.

Xia Liu Yi stepped on the brakes and frowned as he watched.

Then he rolled down the window and called out in confusion, “He Chu San?”

The figure froze instantly.

Xia Liu Yi eased off the brake and let the car roll forward a short distance.

The headlights illuminated He Chu San’s terrified face.

And slumped across his back was Father He, his head hanging limply forward.

Previous

Main

Next