Futile Devices Scans

Incense burned in the tattoo shop. The young man lay silently on the tattoo bed, the muscles of his upper body knotted and defined, stretching across his back in the hard, beautiful shape of a dragon’s spine.

“Relax,” the middle-aged tattoo artist said. Only after the young man’s muscles gradually loosened and settled did he lower the needle again. Blood slowly seeped from the dense pattern of punctures, forming a misty red haze across the young man’s back before the artist wiped it away with a cloth.

The curtain to the outer room was suddenly lifted, and another young man strode in with a cigarette dangling from his lips. His hawk-like eyes swept sharply around the room. The moment he spotted the man lying on the bed, he whirled in like a gust of wind. “Hey! Azure Dragon! I knew you’d be here! Getting that dragon touched up again? I swear, Dad, you’re way too biased! When are you going to tattoo that eagle on me?”

Without even lifting his head, the tattoo artist continued working at an unhurried pace. “When did I ever agree to tattoo an eagle on you?”

“Hey! Don’t go back on your word! We agreed he’d get a dragon and I’d get an eagle!”

“The Crown Prince paid for his tattoo. What about you?”

“You charge your own son too?! Have you got any conscience, old man?!”

The young man lying on the bed, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke. “A’Ying, shut up.”

The young man called A’Ying immediately fell quiet, though he looked aggrieved. He plopped himself down beside the tattoo bed and muttered softly, “If you tell me to shut up, then I’ll shut up.”

“Apologize to your father.”

A’Ying let out a frustrated grunt and squeezed the words through his nose. “Sorry, Dad.”

“You owe your late mother an apology!” the tattoo artist snapped with a sigh before turning to the young man on the bed. “You’re the only one who can keep him in line, Azure Dragon.”

“What do you mean keep him in line?” A’Ying grinned cheekily, bent over, and sprawled beside Azure Dragon. Completely naturally, he removed the cigarette from his own mouth and stuck it between Azure Dragon’s lips instead. “He’s my sworn-brother boss. Of course I listen to my boss.”

Azure Dragon frowned slightly and took a slow drag from the cigarette. Freeing one hand, he smacked A’Ying lightly on the forehead. A’Ying immediately pretended to cry out in pain, then grinned and continued, “Oh right, I heard you picked up a couple of little brats yesterday? Where are they? Fun to play with?”

Azure Dragon lifted his eyes slightly. “Over there.”

A’Ying followed his gaze and looked over. In the corner of the room sat two scrawny children on the same wooden bench, both sitting perfectly still and staring fixedly at them. One was a little girl wearing a brand-new dress, her dry yellowish hair shaved into a short crop. The other was a little boy whose head had been shaved completely bald. He wore a small T-shirt and shorts, exposing limbs as thin as bamboo poles. Purple iodine had been painted across his face and body, and several spots were covered with medicated bandages.

The two children were so thin, so quiet, and so motionless that if Azure Dragon had not pointed them out, A’Ying would never have noticed them!

“Holy shit! They look like little ghosts! Creepy as hell!” A’Ying exclaimed as he swaggered over toward them. “What are your names? Come let big brother have some fun.” As he spoke, he casually reached out and rubbed the little boy’s bald head.

“Don’t play with him. He bites,” Azure Dragon warned.

Before he could finish speaking, A’Ying was already howling. “Aaagh—! It hurts, hurts, hurts! Let go! Let go!”

He pried the little boy’s jaws apart with both hands and yanked his bloodied palm free. Just as he was about to slap the boy, the little boy glared at him viciously and let out a furious growl like a wolf cub, complete with the lingering softness of a child’s voice. Meanwhile, the little girl beside him lunged forward and started clawing at A’Ying’s face. Realizing the situation had turned bad, A’Ying spun around and ran. In just a few steps he was back beside Azure Dragon. “Did you pick up children or a pair of rabid puppies?!”

With the cigarette still between his lips, Azure Dragon turned his hand over and showed him the bite mark on the web between his thumb and forefinger. “Last night I found out they had lice. I got bitten while shaving their heads.”

“He even dared bite you?!” A’Ying exclaimed indignantly. Turning toward the children, he shouted, “Ungrateful little bastards!”

Not long afterward, the tattoo artist put away his tools. “That’s about it. One more session and it’ll be finished. Same as before—don’t take a bath tonight.”

“Thank you, Uncle Feng.”

Azure Dragon sat up, grabbed the shirt beside him, and draped it loosely over his shoulders. After thanking the tattoo master, he headed out. A’Ying swaggered along behind him. After glancing back to make sure they were far enough away that his father could no longer hear, he stepped forward, slung an arm around Azure Dragon’s shoulders, and said, “Those little bastards from the Qun Ying Society smashed up our stall in Tung Ku Alley yesterday. Uncle Ge said we should pretend to invite their boss to negotiate at Chun Wah Restaurant, then kill him at the table. Tomorrow night at eight. You going or not?”

“Don’t talk about that in front of the children.” Azure Dragon lowered his eyes. The two children were following right on his heels.

“Fuck, I forgot you’ve got kids now! Dragon Dad and everything!” A’Ying squinted at the two children. “Go on, go on. The grown-ups are talking. Off with you.”

The two children did not move at all, and the little boy let out another low growl from his throat, looking very much as though he might pounce over and bite him again.

“Hey, don’t think I won’t hit you. Kicking you to death would be as easy as kicking a puppy,” A’Ying threatened. “I’m only giving face to the boss here—”

“Why are you arguing with a child?” Azure Dragon sighed. Then he bent down slightly and spoke gently to the two children. “Be good. Go wait in the car first.”

The little boy seemed incapable of understanding human speech. He stood there glaring at A’Ying without moving. The little girl, however, was obedient. Without saying a word, she took the little boy’s hand and led him toward a sedan parked not far away.

Azure Dragon stood where he was, watching the two of them climb into the car one after the other before finally turning slightly toward Xu Ying. “Does my father know about this?”

“Of course the old man was the one who ordered it. You think Uncle Ge would dare make a decision this big on his own?”

Azure Dragon pulled out a cigarette and lit it. After taking two drags, he stuck it into A’Ying’s mouth. He hesitated for a long while before saying, “My father wants me to do legitimate business. If I go, he’ll be furious.”

“Where the fuck are you supposed to find legitimate business in Kau Lung Walled City? You’re the crown prince, yet you spend every day guarding those vegetable stalls. Does that make any sense? How much can a basket of radishes earn? A few lousy coins? You’re the son of the Dragon Head of Xiao Qi Hall, not some tofu beauty. Your old man’s gone soft in the head, so don’t learn from him. Look at the bosses from all the other gangs—which one of them didn’t fight and kill his way to the top? If you don’t make a name for yourself in the jianghu, who among those old-timers like Uncle Yuan and Uncle Ge will respect you in the future?”

Azure Dragon frowned. “Uncle Yuan and Uncle Ge are only in their thirties. My father is only forty-five. What do you mean old? And don’t say things like that in front of them. If my father loses his temper, even I won’t be able to save you.”

“Oh, I know, I know. I know my boss dotes on me.” A’Ying hung off him with a shameless grin. “So are you going tomorrow or not?”

“I’ll think about it.”

“If you don’t go, I’ll go by myself. When I get hacked to death, don’t you dare cry.”

“Shut your cursed mouth.” Azure Dragon smacked him on the forehead again, pulled his shirt tighter around himself, and walked away.

Azure Dragon climbed into the car. The driver asked, “Young Master, where to?”

“Home.”

He sat in the front passenger seat, silently smoking a cigarette. The sedan wound its way through the streets and alleys as it left Kau Lung Walled City behind and headed toward a village house not far away. The house had only two floors and was rather simply furnished, but it was already the most luxurious home Azure Dragon had ever lived in.

Just two years earlier, at nineteen, he had been nothing more than an ordinary street thug. His father, Hao Wei, was an old jianghu man, and the father and son made their living collecting high-interest debts. Together with his mother, the family of three had squeezed into a rented room in Kau Lung Walled City. More than a year ago, his mother had fallen gravely ill and been admitted to the hospital. The family’s meager savings had quickly been exhausted. His father disappeared for about a month, claiming he had gone to Thailand to borrow money from an old friend. When he returned, he brought back an enormous sum of money. His mother underwent surgery soon afterward, but she still died from postoperative complications. With the money that remained, his father bought this village house, purchased two cars, and hired several servants—thus he became a “young master.” His father also acquired several stalls and small shops, gathered a group of jianghu brothers, set up an incense altar and established a new gang in the Walled City called Xiao Qi Hall, proclaiming himself the Dragon Head Boss—and thus he became the “crown prince.”

His father led his brothers out every day to fight and expand their territory, yet forbade him from getting too deeply involved in gang affairs, assigning him only a few market stalls to manage. Azure Dragon had a good head for business and ran those vegetable stalls quite successfully, but they were vegetable stalls nonetheless. His sworn brother Xu Ying was an ambitious man who constantly encouraged him to go out and fight as well, to establish the crown prince’s reputation. What Xu Ying said did make some sense. Should he go against his father’s wishes?

Lost in thought, he barely noticed when the sedan arrived at the village house. He tossed away his cigarette and got out. Only after taking several steps did he remember that he now had two children with him.

He had rescued those two children from the Walled City the previous day. He had been passing through an alley with his men when he heard the harsh sounds of shouting and blows. Upon entering, he found a middle-aged junkie beating the little boy half to death. The little girl was crying her heart out nearby and had tried to stop him, only to be shoved to the ground as well. Azure Dragon rescued the children and had the child-abusing bastard thoroughly beaten. Then he took the two children out for cake because the previous day happened to be June 1st—Children’s Day. He had heard that it was a holiday celebrated on the mainland. He asked the children their names and where they lived, but received no answer whatsoever, so he brought them home instead. When he tried to bathe them, neither child would let him get close—the little girl was one thing, but even the little boy refused to let him touch him. He had even been bitten while trying to shave the boy’s head.

The bite had not broken the skin, but it had left a large bruise. It still ached faintly now. He glanced down at the injured hand, then turned back and opened the rear car door.

The two children each took one of his hands and followed him slowly into the village house. The little boy held the same hand he had bitten yesterday, turning his head from time to time to look at it, his eyes filled with worry and guilt.

“It doesn’t hurt,” Azure Dragon said gently. “But no more biting people.”

The servants had already heated water for them. He led the children into the bathroom. Yesterday’s chaotic little disaster had taken place right here. He handed each child a towel. “You can wash yourselves.” Then he said to the little girl, “You’re the older sister, right? Keep an eye on your little brother. Make sure he doesn’t choke on the water.”

“Xiao Man,” the little girl suddenly said timidly.

“My name is Xiao Man. His name is A’Hao.”

“I’m not A’Hao!” the little boy suddenly shrieked. “He gave me that name! He’s bad! That’s not my name!”

“A’Hao, you have to behave.” The little girl looked frightened and quickly hugged him. The little boy immediately hugged her back. The two children huddled together like a pair of scrawny little animals. Then the little boy turned back toward Azure Dragon and shouted, “Not A’Hao!”

Azure Dragon crouched down and, as patiently as if he were coaxing a puppy, asked, “Then what would you like to be called?”

The little boy answered without hesitation, “Cake.”

“What?” Azure Dragon thought he had misheard.

“The thing we ate yesterday was called cake. That one was good. I want to be called that.” The little boy spoke with complete seriousness.

“…” There might actually be something wrong with this kid.

Azure Dragon tried very hard not to laugh and reached out to pat his head. The moment his hand moved over, the little wolf pup immediately bared his teeth again, but when he saw the bite mark on Azure Dragon’s hand, he seemed to wilt. In the end, trembling slightly, he voluntarily nudged his little head into Azure Dragon’s palm.

Azure Dragon gently rubbed his soft scalp. “How old are you?”

The little boy kept trembling and said nothing, as though enduring Azure Dragon’s touch required all his strength.

“He’s ten years old,” the little girl said softly.

“And you?”

“I’m twelve.”

Azure Dragon frowned. The two of them looked no older than five or six. They were severely malnourished.

He would have the cook make more good food tomorrow.

“Where are your father and mother?”

The two children immediately fell silent again. Not only did they stop talking, they did not even dare look at him, as though they wanted to curl up together and shiver in a ball.

Looking at their thin arms and skinny legs, Azure Dragon doubted those had been very good parents. “Didn’t your parents ever tell you that now that you’re ten and twelve years old, boys and girls shouldn’t bathe together anymore?”

The two children exchanged nervous glances. “You wash first,” the older sister whispered. “I’ll wait outside the door.”

Azure Dragon led the girl out of the bathroom. The boy looked very afraid of being left alone and seemed to want to grab the hem of his sister’s clothes, but in the end he did nothing. Just before the bathroom door closed, he suddenly called out, “You have to keep talking the whole time while you stand outside.”

“Okay,” his sister replied.

Azure Dragon thought to himself, Afraid I’ll take your sister away? So you’re not completely stupid after all.

He closed the bathroom door. After taking a few steps, he suddenly remembered something and pushed it open again. “The soap is—”

He froze.

The little boy had already taken off half his pants. Azure Dragon clearly saw a large patch of dark bruising between those pale, slender thighs. The marks were too severe and too close to private areas. They did not look like injuries left by a beating.

He rushed inside and grabbed the boy’s leg, wanting a closer look. The boy let out a heart-rending scream and clawed at his hair. The girl rushed in from outside as well, grabbed a small stool from the floor, and smashed it against his back. He endured several blows and forced himself to look more carefully. The injuries appeared to have been caused by repeated friction from a hard object against the upper thighs. There were also numerous bruises from pinching and scratches from fingernails.

He tried to separate the boy’s legs for a closer examination and was immediately bitten viciously on the arm. Blood appeared at once. Enduring the pain, he completed his inspection as quickly as possible and found no signs of tearing—presumably because the attacker had encountered resistance even fiercer than what Azure Dragon was facing now.

Trembling, he released the boy. Like an injured wildcat, the child darted away from him and retreated into the farthest corner of the bathroom. Azure Dragon slowly turned toward the girl and, with all his strength, kept his voice steady. “Do you have injuries like that too?”

The girl was still clutching the little stool. She was trembling as well, her eyes glistening with tears. She shook her head and said, “He doesn’t touch me. He said he was going to sell me. If he touched me, I wouldn’t sell for a good price.”

Rage surged through his body along with boiling blood. When he spoke, his voice carried a murderous intent that was barely restrained. “Who is he?”

A few minutes later, Azure Dragon emerged from the bathroom expressionless. A servant came forward and said, “Young Master, Master just called. He’s out drinking with several inspectors tonight and won’t be coming home.”

“Got it.”

“Young Master? Are you still going out this late?”

“Take good care of those two children. I’ll be back soon.”

Twenty minutes later, the door on the second floor of the tattoo parlor was violently slammed open from outside. Xu Ying was sprawled across a bed, humming to himself while flipping through a pornographic magazine. He nearly jumped out of his skin. In an instant, he rolled over and pulled the dagger from beneath his pillow.

“Xu Ying,” the newcomer said coldly.

“Fuck! It’s you!” Xu Ying let out a sigh of relief. “What are you doing acting like a ghost this late at night? Why are you carrying a blade? Which bastard are we chopping?”

“Are we brothers?”

“Of course we are!”

“I’m going to kill someone. Are you coming?”

“Yes!!”