Futile Devices Scans

The afternoon sky was as dim as a muted ink-wash painting. Dark clouds spread like thick pools of ink, unfurling until they blurred into the farthest edge of the sea. The wind tore at the clouds like a herd of water buffalo being driven across the scroll.

A storm was coming.

One heavily guarded iron gate after another swung open, allowing a prison van to roll slowly into Stanley Prison.

When the van stopped, its tires splashed dull muddy water across the ground. The handcuffed prisoners climbed out one by one, moving slowly. Oppressed by the gloomy weather and the heavily fortified surroundings, they lowered their heads and shuffled numbly forward beneath the guards’ shouted orders.

The last prisoner stepped down. Muddy water splashed onto his trouser leg, and dampness seeped through the thin sole of his shoe.

Xia Liu Yi raised an eyebrow, straightened his back, and cast an amused, appraising gaze over the isolated fortress beneath the dark clouds.

…

Boom—!

The thunder crashed like a mountain collapsing, making the fingers gripping He Chu San’s newspaper tremble.

Thick darkness wrapped around sheets of gray-white rain as they battered the old window. Before long, another bolt of lightning tore across the sky, leaving a jagged, deathly white reflection on the glass before the darkness swallowed it again. Deafening thunder followed, rolling endlessly into the distance.

On the third floor of a secluded old tong lau in Kowloon City, inside Father He’s dimly lit bedroom, He Chu San sat on a low stool beside the bed with a newspaper in his hands. Father He suddenly rolled over and murmured twice in his sleep. He Chu San put down the paper, rose, and tucked the blanket more securely around him.

He stood beside the bed in a daze for a while, knowing that sleep would not come to him that night. The vivid red on the newspaper’s front page looked like a smear of dark blood. He carefully folded the paper into a small square and pushed it deep into the trash bin so Father He would not see it the next morning.

The gossip tabloid recounted the protracted court battle involving a well-known businessman and suspected triad leader identified only as “a certain Mr. Xia.” The case had dragged on from late spring until early autumn, and the final sentence had finally been handed down that day: the evidence proving Mr. Xia guilty of bribery was conclusive, and he had been sentenced to three months in prison.

He Chu San could not describe the complicated feelings inside him. Even as his heart ached, one heavy question kept circling through his mind. Three months—could three months really atone for all the past Brother Liu Yi carried with him?

Since their telephone conversation at the hospital, He Chu San had obediently followed Xia Liu Yi’s instructions and had not contacted him again. During that time, Xiao Ma occasionally called to update him on the search for Xin Xin—which invariably meant there had been no progress. Xiao Qi Hall had mobilized every resource at its disposal and searched for months, yet there was still no trace of her. A month earlier, Auntie Wu had finally reported her missing. The police became involved but found nothing. Xin Xin seemed to have evaporated into thin air without leaving the slightest trace. The neighbors said she might have eloped to Guangzhou with the man, and some who had traveled there to visit relatives even claimed to have seen someone resembling her on the streets. Auntie Wu had never given up hope and had arranged to travel to Guangzhou with He Chu San the following day to search for her.

Their train departed at six in the morning. He Chu San looked up at the wall clock, which had just reached midnight, then rose to wash up and force himself to sleep for a while.

A faint noise suddenly mingled with the thunder outside. It sounded like someone pounding frantically on the door.

He Chu San leaned out of the bathroom and stared warily toward the entrance. No neighbor would come visiting in the middle of the night. But as the thunder faded, the pounding grew sharper.

“A’San! A’San!” Auntie Wu sobbed outside.

He Chu San hurried to open the door. Soaked to the skin, Auntie Wu stumbled inside and threw herself against him, wailing uncontrollably. “Xin Xin! Xin Xin, she… waaah…”

He Chu San supported her and gently coaxed her farther inside. “What happened to Xin Xin? Has someone finally found her? Speak slowly. Don’t panic.”

“A neighbor told me he saw her tonight at the Wong Fat Nightclub in Tsim Sha Tsui. She was doing a strip show, entertaining customers, and one of them was beating her! Sob… I wanted to call the police, but the neighbor said the place belongs to gangsters and has a ‘detective’ protecting it. By the time the police got there, they would’ve hidden all the girls already. What am I supposed to do? A’San, save her! I’m begging you, save her! Waaah…”

He Chu San stroked her back and comforted her. He told her to stay at home and look after Father He, promising that he would bring Xin Xin back safely. Auntie Wu clung to him and cried for a while longer before watching anxiously as he left.

He Chu San opened a battered umbrella that looked ready to collapse and ran across two streets. While trying to hail a taxi, he called Xiao Ma. No one answered, so he had no choice but to call the bodyguard A’Sen.

The voice on the other end was extremely respectful. “Mr. He?”

“A’Sen, where’s Brother Xiao Ma?”

“He’s in a meeting. Is something urgent, Mr. He?”

“There’s a place in Tsim Sha Tsui called the Wong Fat Nightclub. Who controls it?”

“Wong Fat? It’s ours.”

He Chu San relaxed slightly. “Is Brother Xiao Ma in charge?”

“No. It used to belong to Big Scarhead. Boss Pao controls it now.”

Known in the underworld as Pao-zai, Boss Pao had been a member of Xiao Qi Hall for several years. When Xia Liu Yi became Dragon Head, Uncle Yuan had recommended Pao-zai for the position of White Paper Fan, and he had worked under Cui Dong Dong managing the accounts. Later, when Xia Liu Yi and Cui Dong Dong purged the elders’ influence, they transferred him elsewhere. To appease him and his men, they gave him a nightclub as compensation.

He Chu San had never heard of Boss Pao before and could only say, “Please tell Boss Pao that my younger sister is inside his establishment. She was tricked into entertaining customers. Ask him to let her go.”

A’Sen sounded surprised. “Mr. He, are you certain your sister is being held at Wong Fat? In one of Xiao Qi Hall’s own establishments? That’s impossible.”

“Someone saw her there with his own eyes.”

A’Sen lowered his voice. “Mr. He, don’t worry. Your affairs are the Boss’s affairs. I’ll do everything I can. But the company’s senior leadership is holding an important meeting tonight. Boss Xiao Ma, Boss Dong Dong, and Boss Pao are all inside the conference room, and no one is allowed to disturb them. I can’t get in. Wait a little longer. The moment the meeting ends, I’ll tell them.”

By then, He Chu San had managed to hail a taxi. His voice became grave. “My sister could be in danger at any moment. I’m going there now to bring her out. Can you contact whoever is managing the place tonight and ask him to make an exception?”

“All right. Give me a moment. I’ll make some calls.”

He Chu San ended the call and looked out at the torrential rain. The night stretched dark and endless. Thinking of Xia Liu Yi trapped in prison and Xin Xin in danger, he drew in a long breath of stale air.

Ever since he had refused to help with Xiao Qi Hall’s accounts, Cui Dong Dong had ignored him. Xiao Ma had always harbored reservations about him and might not sincerely help. A’Sen was only a low-ranking bodyguard with little influence. He could not place all his hopes in Xiao Qi Hall’s people.

As Auntie Wu had said, establishments like this had insiders at the police station, so recklessly calling the police might not help. Xie Jia Hua’s face flashed through his mind. That upright, unyielding officer could never be bought off. He had risked himself to rescue He Chu San years ago and might be willing to help save Xin Xin now. After all, she was only an innocent girl… No. I can’t. He could not owe Xie Jia Hua another favor, nor could he draw Xie Jia Hua’s attention toward Xiao Qi Hall while Xia Liu Yi was in prison and the organization was already unstable.

He Chu San slowly exhaled and rubbed his aching temples.

He asked the taxi driver to stop along the way, withdrew a sum of money from a bank, then bought a cheap leather jacket and a small canister of pepper spray from a night market.

As they approached the nightclub, A’Sen called back. He explained that Boss Pao’s men kept to themselves, and as a low-ranking bodyguard, he truly had no way to reach them.

“Mr. He, perhaps you could call me in front of the manager once you’re inside. I’ll explain directly.”

He Chu San did not find the suggestion reliable. “He doesn’t know you. He won’t believe you. A single phone call won’t make him let someone go.”

A’Sen was equally uncertain of his influence. “Then how about this? Mr. He, I’ll call several brothers and send them to help you. Rescue Xin Xin first, and we can explain to Boss Pao once the meeting ends. With Boss Xiao Ma and Boss Dong Dong backing me, Boss Pao won’t dare make trouble for me.”

“No. There can’t be a conflict,” He Chu San said. He could not create more trouble for Xia Liu Yi. Besides, Pao-zai’s establishment would undoubtedly have guards, and trying to take Xin Xin by force would be too dangerous. She could easily be injured. “I’ll think of something myself first. I’ll call again if I need help.”

“Mr. He, please be careful.”

“Mm. I know.”

Inside the taxi, He Chu San removed his soaking suit jacket and replaced it with the cheap leather one, making himself look more like a street hoodlum. He slicked his hair back with rainwater in imitation of Xiao Ma, then stuffed the roll of banknotes he had just withdrawn and the pepper spray into his trouser pocket.

He studied his reflection in the car window and arranged his face into the lazy, unfocused expression of a thug floating on a drug high. Then he climbed out, opened his umbrella, and approached the nightclub half-dancing and humming to himself. Under the guards’ suspicious scrutiny, he successfully entered.

He had come fully prepared, even rehearsing a swaggering opening line. Humming and swaying, he pushed open the ballroom doors at the end of the corridor—only to stagger backward when a wall of people and noise struck him head-on.

The beat pounded thump-thump inside his ears, louder even than the thunder outdoors. Red and green lights flashed violently throughout the ballroom, pulsing in time with the music. A dense crowd filled every corner. Hostesses and madams swarmed toward him, and the smell of face powder and cheap perfume instantly overwhelmed his nose.

Surrounded by fluttering women, He Chu San was jostled in every direction and momentarily stunned. A storm was raging outside in the middle of the night, yet the place was still packed.

He did not know that the nightclub was holding an anniversary celebration that evening. Every service had been heavily discounted, and a fresh batch of “pretty models” who had just entered the trade had been brought in. Customers had flocked from every direction, and business was booming.

“Handsome boy, what kind of girl do you like? We have every type here!” an oily-faced madam asked enthusiastically.

“You’re so handsome, big brother! Let little sister keep you company!” One particularly bold beauty pressed his hand against her soft breast.

Best Actor He’s gay instincts instantly betrayed him. Terrified, he pulled his hand away and retreated clumsily. “I—I’m here to find someone.”

“Don’t be shy. Auntie will help you find her.” The madam’s scarlet lips almost brushed his chest amid the pushing. His helpless, virginal expression only made her more playful. “The older sisters here are very experienced—and very gentle.”

“No, I… I’m not… I…” Unable to break through the crowd, He Chu San’s cheap jacket was soon pulled out of shape, while several hands repeatedly pinched and groped his backside. Seeing that he was about to lose the chastity he had preserved for the Boss, he had no choice but to use his Tai Chi pushing-hands. Shifting left and right, he slipped through the women’s startled shrieks like an eel escaping a net.

He plunged into the churning sea of bodies on the dance floor and fought his way forward. Every private booth at the far end of the hall was equally crowded. Mountains of overturned bottles and leftover food covered the tables, while scantily dressed hostesses tangled with wealthy customers.

He finally found Xin Xin in a booth in the corner. In truth, if he had not heard her crying and begging, he would hardly have recognized her. After several months apart, Xin Xin had become frighteningly thin. She wore only lace underwear and a gauze dress as thin as a cicada’s wing. Her ribs protruded sharply above the loose cups of her bra. Her heavy, colorful makeup had dissolved beneath her tears and streaked across her hollow, bruised cheeks. She looked like a little ghost.

The man beating her continued cursing. From what He Chu San could gather, Xin Xin had dragged her feet during the strip show earlier and refused to take everything off. She had also glared at customers who stuffed money into her bra. People paid to watch pretty models, he shouted, not some vicious bitch who snapped at them. A money-losing piece of trash like her might as well be beaten to death.

Before the man could press the burning end of his cigarette against Xin Xin’s face, He Chu San darted in from the side and blocked it with his hand. He immediately released an exaggerated scream. “Waaah—! Hot! Hot, hot!”

He blew frantically on the burn across the back of his hand, then smiled ingratiatingly. “Big brother, why go that far? With a woman like this, it’s better to fuck her to death than beat her to death. If you ruin her face, she won’t be worth anything. Isn’t that right?”

“Who the hell are you?” the man demanded.

“Sa—” Xin Xin began excitedly through her tears. He Chu San secretly pinched her arm. She whimpered, lowered her head, and continued crying.

“I’m just here to have some fun.” He Chu San shrugged with a frivolous expression. “I saw her onstage earlier, but when I came back from taking a piss, she’d vanished. I’ve been looking everywhere for her. How much did the last customer pay? I’ll double it, big brother.”

“You’re interested in her?” The man looked doubtful.

He Chu San followed his gaze toward Xin Xin. That skeletal, wailing apparition was enough to make any man go soft. The corner of his mouth twitched before he turned back with a careless expression. “I happen to like skinny racks of ribs.”

“There’s more flavor when you gnaw on them.” He licked his lips with a perverted expression. “How much for the whole night?”

The man looked him up and down again and decided he was no one important. “Two thousand.”

“Boss, this quality isn’t worth two thousand. Eight hundred at most!” He Chu San yanked up Xin Xin’s hair to display her face.

“Didn’t you just say this was exactly what you liked? Do you want her or not?”

“Fine, fine. One thousand.”

“Two thousand!”

“Fifteen hundred.”

“You think you’re bargaining for vegetables at a market?” The man slammed his hand on the coffee table. “Pay or get lost!”

He Chu San shrank his neck and grumbled as he took out the money. “Fine, fine. Two thousand. Big establishments really do bully their customers.”

He slung an arm around Xin Xin and swaggered toward the exit. The man shouted from behind them, “The rooms are at the back!”

“Two thousand doesn’t include taking her outside?”

“In your dreams!”

The moment they entered the private room, He Chu San locked the door and released a deep breath, allowing his disguise to fall away. “Xin Xin, are you all right?”

“Brother Sam, you finally came to save me! Sob, sob…” Xin Xin threw herself into He Chu San’s arms.

She was wearing so little that she was practically half naked. Embarrassed, He Chu San leaned away, removed his jacket, and covered her with it. “Are you hurt?”

“They forced me to take drugs. Sob… They wanted me to entertain customers and earn money for them. When I refused, they beat me. Da Gao is working with them,” Xin Xin cried. “He’s a bastard! It’s all because I didn’t listen to Mum. I even argued with your dad. Sob… I’m sorry. It’s all my fault…”

“Don’t cry. Dad and Mum are both worried about you. They won’t blame you. We need to leave quickly.” Hearing how forcefully she could still cry, He Chu San decided she was not in immediate danger and turned to search for a way out. “Does this room have a back door?”

“There’s a window in the bedroom, but it’s high and covered with iron bars,” Xin Xin said between sobs. “Every room here is like a prison cell.”

He Chu San examined the old, rusted iron bars across the high bedroom window. He pulled up the bedsheet, removed a wooden slat from the bed frame, then tore off a strip of sheet and twisted it into a rope. He threaded it around two of the bars and tied it to the wooden slat. By turning the slat with all his strength, he gradually twisted the bars out of shape. Then he gave a hard yank, and the two bars sprang free and fell to the floor. He repeated the process until the opening was large enough for a person to pass through.

He knelt and boosted Xin Xin through the opening. Then he backed toward the wall, took a short running start, leapt, and caught the window ledge. After hauling himself through, he dropped outside, grabbed Xin Xin, and ran.

“Brother Sam, you look like such a refined scholar. I never knew you were so good on your feet!” Xin Xin exclaimed as they ran.

He Chu San had no time to respond to her admiration. He hurriedly dragged her through the dim passage beyond the window and rammed one shoulder against the door at the narrow corridor’s end—only to discover that it was the kitchen’s back door.

More than a dozen people crowded inside the large kitchen, which was every bit as chaotic as the ballroom. Red-hot oil bubbled around chips and chicken wings, while servers shouted orders back and forth. Dragging Xin Xin behind him, He Chu San yelled, “Move!” He shoved people aside, crashed into baskets of vegetables, and sent countless bowls and plates flying. A terrified young apprentice even overturned a stockpot. Amid everyone’s screams and curses, they tore through the kitchen toward the main door.

They burst from the kitchen, pushed past several servers, and crossed two narrow corridors. A side exit appeared directly ahead, with flashes of lightning visible through the crack beneath the door.

Boom—! Thunder exploded, mingling with Xin Xin’s scream.

A wine bottle swung in from the side and shattered against He Chu San’s head in a spray of blood.

His body went limp, and his consciousness vanished. When his eyes opened again, he was lying facedown on the floor. Black-red blood filled his vision, and the world spun violently around him.

The man who had taken a shortcut to catch them kicked Xin Xin to the ground. “Bitch! You tried to run?”

“Brother Sam!” Seeing He Chu San covered in blood and lying motionless, Xin Xin thought the bottle had killed him. She threw herself across his back, shook him violently, and screamed curses through her tears. “Da Gao, you bastard! You killed my brother! You have no humanity! You’ll be damned! Waaah!”

She shook He Chu San like a small boat in a storm. Combined with her piercing voice, it gave him a worse headache than the wine bottle itself. After gathering his strength for a long time, he finally managed to whisper weakly, “I’m not dead.”

Xin Xin screamed even louder, both shocked and delighted that he was alive.

Before she could fuss over him, several men dragged the two of them back into the private room and threw them onto the floor.

“Da Gao, that’s him! He offered two thousand for one night with this bitch, but then tried to run off with her!” The man who had taken He Chu San’s money rushed inside and pointed him out. “Good thing you came back!”

Da Gao sneered and kicked Xin Xin again. “Damn bitch! Go on, run! You think you can escape from me?”

He Chu San lay on the floor and struggled to raise his head. Waves of dull pain hammered through his skull as he fought to regain his senses. At last, he managed to make out the tall, thin man with the vicious expression. Long-term drug use had hollowed his cheeks, and half of one ear was missing.

He Chu San thought the man looked familiar. Several images flashed through his mind, but the pain prevented him from grasping any of them.

Da Gao stared down at him and smiled sinisterly. “Mr. He. Long time no see.”

He Chu San’s thoughts remained muddled, and his gaze grew increasingly blank.

Da Gao’s smile became more mocking. “You’ve forgotten me, Mr. He? Because of you, the Boss cut off half my ear. He beat my cousin into a vegetative state, and the man still hasn’t woken up. I’ve been waiting for a chance to thank you properly!”

Something exploded inside He Chu San’s head, and his mind suddenly cleared. He remembered. Da Gao had been one of the street thugs who pretended to be Brother Xiao Ma’s subordinate and robbed a pregnant woman outside the cinema two years earlier. Xia Liu Yi had cut off half his ear and knocked another thug—the man holding He Chu San hostage—into an uncertain state between life and death with a single punch.

So he was one of Boss Pao’s men! No wonder Xiao Ma’s people had searched everywhere for Xin Xin and Da Gao for months without finding them. Boss Pao must have been secretly interfering.

“What a coincidence, Mr. He.” Da Gao’s face twisted into a vicious grin. “The brilliant older brother this little bitch kept talking about turned out to be you. Both brother and sister have fallen into my hands. Every grievance truly does find its rightful owner! Hahaha!”

He stepped forward as he laughed. He Chu San shrank backward and said with difficulty, “Da Gao, since you understand that every grievance has its source, you should also understand that you caused trouble while pretending to work for Brother Xiao Ma. Now you’ve harmed both Xin Xin and me. Do you think the Boss won’t trace it back to you?”

“Heh-heh.” Da Gao laughed strangely. “Don’t try to threaten me with the Boss. He’s in prison right now, too busy worrying about his own asshole to care about you!”

He Chu San suppressed the urge to slap him. “Even if the Boss isn’t here, Brother Xiao Ma and Sister Dong Dong will uphold justice.”

“Xiao Ma? Dong Dong? Hahaha!” Da Gao laughed even harder. “Those two bastards? If you wait a little longer on the road to the underworld tonight, you might even meet them in time to reincarnate together!”

An icy chill ran through He Chu San at the strangeness in his words. He remembered A’Sen saying that the company was holding an important meeting and no one was permitted to interrupt. Cold sweat broke out across his body. He suddenly realized that an enormous conspiracy might be unfolding on this stormy night: Xia Liu Yi had only entered prison that day, yet his subordinates were already preparing to rebel. By sheer accident, He Chu San and his sister had stumbled straight into the eye of the storm.

Da Gao approached with a strange laugh and pressed the black muzzle of his gun against He Chu San’s forehead. He Chu San’s face turned deathly pale as he heard the faint click of a round being chambered.

“Wait!” he shouted an instant before Da Gao pulled the trigger.

Da Gao stopped and looked at him with amusement, waiting for him to beg.

“Xia Liu Yi was the one who injured you. Every grievance has its source, so you should seek revenge from him. My sister and I are innocent. Killing us won’t satisfy you. Let us go instead. I have one hundred thousand dollars in savings, and I’ll give you all of it.”

“Oh?” Da Gao raised an eyebrow, half convinced. “Where’s the money?”

“I brought twenty thousand. Let Xin Xin go first, and I’ll take you to withdraw the remaining eighty thousand.”

He Chu San raised one hand while slowly reaching into his trouser pocket with the other. Under Da Gao’s gaze, he pulled out the folded stack of banknotes and held it forward. Just as Da Gao reached for it, He Chu San flipped his wrist and revealed the pepper spray concealed behind the money.

Hiss—!

“Aargh—!”

As Da Gao screamed in surprise, He Chu San planted himself firmly in a horse stance and sank his breath into his core. He drove an upward punch squarely into Da Gao’s stomach. When the man doubled over in pain, He Chu San stepped sideways, separated his hands, advanced with his right foot, and followed with another Tai Chi move—Punch Under the Elbow. His right palm chopped across the side of Da Gao’s neck, and his left palm immediately slammed into the man’s face.

Da Gao toppled backward before he could even grunt. He Chu San wrenched the gun from his hand, twisted behind him, locked an arm around his neck, and pressed the weapon to his head.

“Move aside!” he shouted sharply.

“Don’t—don’t shoot,” Da Gao begged, dizzy and disoriented. “Move! All of you, move aside!”

The other men hurriedly retreated a step, revealing Xin Xin standing behind them with her mouth hanging open.

“Bro-Brother Sam, you… you really have trained?” His clean, decisive movements had shocked her into stammering.

Half of He Chu San’s face was covered in blood, and his gaze was cold as ice. He swept a warning look across everyone present, tightened his arm around Da Gao’s neck, and ordered, “Move!”