Translator-Lucyferase
Editor-Alysia
Jiang Yue Lou took Song Rong, Sun Yongren, Wang Ying, and Sun Heming and walked out of the dock in casual clothes.
Sun Yongren looked around and seemed excited, “This is Hong Kong, and there are so many foreign girls, hey look at this one!”
Song Rong coughed, pulled Sun Yongren near him, and asked him to be more discreet. Sun Yongren obediently shut his mouth. On the dock, a team of Chinese laborers was carrying sacks and loading trucks. They were in their twenties and thirties, with dark skin, thin bodies, and yellow slender faces. The sacks they were carrying were also larger than themselves, and they were moving it with great difficulty. British police officers armed with guns were supervising them. One of them, a forty or fifty-year-old grey-haired worker, was struggling to carry a bag of goods and was barely able to lift his feet and move forward. He gritted his teeth and was moving slowly: step by step. But suddenly, he lost his balance and fell to the ground. The bag tore apart as it fell on the ground revealing the goods: cotton.
Jiang Yue Lou moved quickly towards the worker and helped him to get up, “Are you okay?”
At this moment, Jiang Yue Lou, who was very close to the bag, smelled the unique sweet smell of opium. Jiang Yue Lou noticed something was wrong and looked down on the bag, staring at it intensively as if he was able to see through the cotton. On his side, the grey-haired laborer was still dizzy and turned to stand still. Before he could thank him, he was smashed with a gunstock on his back by one of the British policemen. They picked up the bag and left with it. Jiang Yue Lou was still looking at the bag and was about to follow, but the British police with a gun shouted at him, “Get out! Get out!”
Sun Heming wanted to say something, but Jiang Yue Lou stopped him. Jiang Yue Lou glanced at the British police, led his subordinates away, and walked into a coffee shop not far from the pier. The coffee shop was elegantly furnished and comfortable, with soft and gentle decorations, and was playing English songs. There were not many guests sitting in the shop, and most of them were foreigners. Jiang Yue Lou and the others were drinking coffee by the window.
Wang Ying said in a low voice, “Opium?”
Jiang Yue Lou looked out the window and nodded. They all looked at each other.
Sun Yongren said, “The Chief’s nose is the best. Do you remember the last time he found a big amount of opium near the warehouse at the spice shop? His nose is even better than a dog’s nose, and he is never wrong.”
Jiang Yue Lou glared at Sun Yongren, who immediately changed his words, “I mean, Chief will not smell opium wrong, but they are too bold, transporting opium in broad daylight when many people are coming and going?”
Song Rong shook his head, “This is a British zone. Can’t you see the British police carrying guns? I’m afraid there is more behind it, and this matter is more complex than we thought.”
Jiang Yue Lou nodded, “It’s a bit tricky. There are many people during the day making it difficult for us to move freely. Let’s do it at night. We will go to the dock and check the board and ship area. Maybe we will find some clues.”
Everyone nodded.
“However, boss,” Sun Yongren glanced at Jiang Yue Lou’s expression and corrected himself quickly, “I mean Chief, there is another troublesome question. We only know the name Lucas, but how old he is, how he looks like, which country he is from, male or female, old or young, we have no idea. Even if he walked in front of us right now, we would not be able to recognize him. It could be anyone.” Sun Yongren said while looking at the window and pointed his finger at the passing pedestrians.
Jiang Yue Lou took a sip of coffee and said to everyone, “You have been working on other cases before. As long as we have clues, we can find out. If you mess up the water, the bastards under the water won’t be able to hide. Let’s go back to the dock at 10 p.m…”
Song Rong and the others nodded and listened carefully to Jiang Yue Lou’s assignments. Sun Yongren’s eyes also retracted from the window, but no one noticed that Chen Yu Zhi was walking outside.
Chen Yu Zhi took the same boat as Jiang Yue Lou, but they didn’t meet. He was looking for a clinic. Fortunately, it wasn’t hard to find. The clinic was just on the street next to the dock area. His teacher has inherited the family business and become compradors, but he was still in contact with a few of his colleagues, and he introduced Yu Zhi to a medical clinic called Shandetang*.The owner of Shandetang’s was Dr. Qiu, a middle-aged man, native of Hong Kong. Hearing that Chen Yu Zhi was from Jingcheng, Dr. Qiu was happy.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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At night, there were few people on the pier, some British police could be seen patrolling occasionally. The five people, including Jiang Yue Lou, avoided the police’s sight and gradually approached the dock. The containers were meticulously organized.
Jiang Yue Lou made a gesture, signaling others the route was clear, and they entered the passage between the boxes. Jiang Yue Lou was at the forefront. A squad of policemen, patrolling the area, came from another direction just as he was about to step out of the passage. Jiang Yue Lou swiftly retreated, gesturing to everyone to stop moving and wait for the police to leave. The policemen’s footsteps faded as they walked further from the area. Jiang Yue Lou and others continued to sneak in agilely. Sun Yongren was right. Jiang Yue Lou’s five senses were indeed extraordinary, especially his sense of smell.
He was extremely sensitive to opium. As long as he is exposed to opium, he would be able to distinguish it. If opium was hidden in the cotton bag, there was no way to hide it from him. Jiang Yue Lou stopped from time to time, gently sniffing the air. The salty seawater is heavy but still couldn’t hide the looming sweet scent of opium.
He led his hands down and stopped, feeling that he was close to the target. Jiang Yue Lou turned his head, looked at the other four people, and said in a low voice, “It’s close, let’s look around separately.”
He hadn’t finished talking when one of them accidentally stepped on a can and made a clear sound in the silent night.
“Who is here?!” The patrolling police immediately ran over after hearing the sound and started looking everywhere with flashlights.
Jiang Yue Lou shouted, “Retreat and split up.”
Jiang Yue Lou, Song Rong, and Sun Yongren fled to the left, while Wang Ying and Sun Heming ran to the right. The sound of whistles and gunshots pierced the night sky.
A foreign policeman saw Sun Yongren, who was running slow, and shouted, “Stop!” and chased after him.
Because they were unfamiliar with the terrain, Jiang Yue Lou and the others accidentally ran into a dead end. Just as they were about to exit, the chasing soldiers arrived behind them. The foreign police pressed on, and the Jiang Yue Lou trio slowly backed away. The two sides were getting closer and closer, and the situation was on the verge of breaking out. The policemen were about to draw their guns, but Jiang Yue Lou flew over and kicked them away. Song and Sun Yongren cooperated tacitly and drew out their guns, and fired at the police officers. He was shot several times in the chest, stared at them with a pair of shocked eyes, and fell. The policemen behind him yelled and started shooting back when they saw it.
At the time, a police vehicle pulled up to the intersection, and several officers jumped out to supplement their force. Jiang Yue Lou was negligent and got shot in the waist.
Sun Yongren threw the gun to Song and rushed over anxiously, “Boss!”
Song Ron shoots intensely to cover them, and said without looking back, “Boss, they came prepared we should retreat! You should go first!”
As more and more policemen arrived, Jiang Yue Lou frowned and said, “It’s not easy to leave. You find a way to rush out first, and I will cover you.”
Song Rong and Sun Yongren looked at each other: “Boss, you go first. Don’t worry about the two of us.”
Sun Yongren knelt on one knee under the high wall and folded his hands on his knees, “Please, go!”
Jiang Yue Lou thought for a while, he was already injured, and it was a burden to stay behind with them, so he stepped on Sun Yongren’s hand and climbed up the high wall, “You two must get out of here alive. I will find a way to contact you!”
Song Rong and Sun Yongren continued to fight policemen but were frightened to see that some of them were still chasing after Jiang Yue Lou.
Jiang Yue Lou was injured and weak. He couldn’t stand up straight and collapsed to the ground. His waist was wet and clenched his teeth in agony. He took off his jacket, tied the sleeves tightly around his waist to stop the bleeding, and then with the help of the wall, he got up and ran out to escape.
Chu Ran, a student of the Church Girls’ School, was on her way home. She helped organize books in the classroom and came back later than usual, but the gunfight in the dock area just now caused her to take a detour, and it was almost 10 p.m she finally returned home. The alley was empty at night. Suddenly a few shots sounded in the distance. She was a little scared and sped up her pace. She stopped downstairs in her apartment, took out the key, and was about to open the door when suddenly a hand stretched out from behind to enclose her mouth. Chu Ran struggled in a panic when a gun was held around her waist, and she stiffened immediately.
A low male voice sounded in her ear, “Don’t say a word.”
Chu Ran nodded in submission.
Not far away, she heard some policemen running and talking to each other. One of them shouted in English, “He is injured, and won’t be able to run far away, go!”
Chu Ran was thinking about how she could make the police notice her, but Jiang Yue Lou guessed her thoughts.
He used his gun to push Chu Ran’s waist harder, “Don’t scream, if you don’t want to die, open the door.”
Chu Ran had no choice but to open the door to save her life and let the two of them enter. As soon as the door was closed, the sound of police footsteps came from the street. The two squeezed behind the door. The lights of the flashlight were getting closer illuminating the glass on the door from time to time. The two could see the policeman’s shadow not more than half a meter away from the door. The police found nothing unusual and moved away. Jiang Yue Lou breathed a sigh of relief, only to feel the wound aching fiercely.
He pushed Chu Ran and said, “Guide me to your apartment”.
Chu Ran had to help Jiang Yue Lou to walk to her top-floor apartment. The man was leaning against her, and Chu Ran could smell gunpowder and blood on him. She didn’t know what else to do. She thought about pushing him away and escaping, but the man had a gun with him, and the neighbors were all asleep; no one could help her. When they arrived at the apartment, Jiang Yue Lou cautiously switched on the lights and began to inspect the room. This is a top-floor attic apartment with one bedroom and one living room. It’s a small but simple and warm apartment. Chu Ran helped Jiang Yue Lou to sit down on the sofa, and she stood at a certain distance looking carefully at him.
“Do you live alone?” Jiang Yue Lou’s gaze turned to Chu Ran.
“I have a boyfriend. He will be back soon.” Chu Ran replied.
Jiang Yue Lou smiled, “There are no men’s shoes in the house, the bedroom is a single bed, and there is only one cup on the table.”
Chu Ran’s lie was exposed and she stayed silent for a moment.
She raised her gaze and looked at Jiang Yue Lou and asked bravely, “What crime did you commit? Why are the police after you?”
Jiang Yue Lou looked at her mockingly, “Foreign police arrested too many people those days; are they all guilty?”
Chu Ran bit her lips and said nothing.
Jiang Yue Lou continued, “Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you. As soon as the foreign devils leave, I will leave immediately.”
His handsome and determined face looked honest, without any disguise. Chu Ran ghostly nodded. Jiang Yue Lou closed his eyes and tried to get some rest. Chu Ran didn’t dare to move and stood aside vigilantly. Under the soft light, the handsome face of Jiang Yue Lou looked even more stunning. When Chu Ran returned to her senses, she realized that she had been staring at Jiang Yue Lou for a long time and quickly turned her gaze away. The sound of police sirens in the street has disappeared.
Chu Ran heaved a sigh of relief and asked in a concealed manner: “You…can you go now?”
There was no answer. Chu Ran got closer, only to realize that something was wrong. Jiang Yue Lou’s breathing was getting heavier. He closed his eyes tightly and seemed to have lost consciousness while leaning on the sofa.
Chu Ran dares to touch his forehead which turned out to be hot.
“Hey! What’s wrong with you?”
Chu Ran tried to wake up Jiang Yue Lou, but when she touched him he was warm and was sweating profusely. She withdrew her hand and found that it was full of blood, “Are you injured? Hey! Wake up!”
Jiang Yue Lou, who seemed to be confused, muttered in a low voice, “I took a bullet, I…” Then he tilted to one side.
Chu Ran wrapped her coat tightly and walked hurriedly on the street. Her eyes swept across the signs on the facades, but none of them were medical clinics. She was so anxious that she was sweating, and she even forgot about the cold. She couldn’t tell why she wanted to save this person. This person didn’t seem to be a bad guy, and she was just probably afraid that someone could die in her home and didn’t know how to deal with it afterward. Turning the street, she saw that the signboard of Shandetang Clinic was not far away. Chu Ran saw a man turning off the light and was about to close the clinic. She strode across the street. Chen Yu ZZhi was about to lock the door when a hand grabbed his arm.
A panting girl asked eagerly, “Are you a doctor? This is an emergency! Someone is injured in my apartment, please, help me!”
Chen Yu Zhi looked at her anxious appearance, with sweat on her forehead, and nodded, “Yes, wait for me to fetch the medicine box.”
After preparing everything he needed, he followed Chu Ran and asked about the patient’s condition as he walked.
“High fever and the wound may be infected.”
Chu Ran felt that the young doctor in front of her was trustworthy, but she still did not dare to tell the truth.
She only said, “My friend’s profession is special. Please keep it secret.”
Chen Yu Zhi paused and looked at her and nodded. Chu Ran, who lived on the first floor of the apartment, pulled out the key to open the door and allowed him in. Chen Yu Zhi entered with the medicine kit, followed by Chu Ran, who closed the door behind them. However, the room was empty, and no one could be seen. Chu Ran was surprised.
“Don’t move”.
Chu Yan and Chen Yu Zhi were stunned at the same time, then slowly turned their heads and found Jiang Yue Lou standing behind the door, pointing a gun at them both.
Chu Ran was shocked and said, “What are you doing?”
But Jiang Yue Lou and Chen Yu Zhi were even more shocked than her. The two never expected to meet in Hong Kong.
Jiang Yue Lou’s pupils shrank, “You…”
Chen Yu Zhi also raised his brows. Chu Ran stepped forward.
Stepping between the two of them, she said, “Don’t be nervous, he is a doctor. I brought him here to treat you.”
Jiang Yue Lou lowered the arm holding the gun, “Why are you everywhere?” He looked at Chen Yu Zhi with a bit of joking.
Chu Ran was stunned, not understanding what he was talking about. Chen Yu Zhi looked at Jiang Yue Lou coldly, and the unpleasant memory of their previous encounter came to his mind again. Jiang Yue Lou’s face was bleak, cold, and sweaty, but there was a rather indifferent smile on his face.
Chen Yu Zhi looked at him and lowered his eyes, “Lie down on the bed, and let me see your injury.”
Gurl, you better not come in between them or I swear—