Pure Darkness

Chapter 111

How's everybody doing? My family has 8 people living in a flat together, and I think it's a miracle we haven't killed each other! Still, being socially responsible by staying at home is the way to go. One of our neighbors toasted and gave us a banana muffin today Would you consider doing something nice for your neighbors or helping those in need right now? As always, ‘thank you’ the most to those who work hard to keep us safe.

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In this chapter, we see how Zhu Tao works overtime to find out where Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao are. Can they survive until a rescue team is sent to them? In the meantime, we'll take a closer look at 5 Buddhist luohans’s Hand, as our heroes wonder who the masked killer is (pssst – note !). It seems that the Buddha's own Hand also has a duty to our heroes. Read on to find out more. . .

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Bo Jinyan's conclusion was very precise. At this moment, Zhu Tao was deploying all resources* to find him.

*T/N (jiao tou lan e) – lit. badly burned around the head (for trying to put out the fire)

They weren't on the sinking ship, nor was the information. Their bodies have not been dredged. Zhu Tao was very sure that they were still alive, but he did not know where they were going. Because of this, it intensified search efforts along the waterways.

The gangsters on the ship did not die, but even after a severe interrogation, they did not know clearly where the fortress and the hiding place of the Buddha Hand were located. Zhu Tao was not sure how the Buddha Hand operated internally, and how to maintain secrecy, but, from this, he could see that the organization was under very strict control. Zhu Tao had also heard that Bo Jinyan had gone so far as to pretend to be ‘Smiling’ Snake while on board, allowing her to escape the calamity. This made Zhu Tao laugh as well as move him. He never imagined that this master of criminal psychology would be able to deceive a group of criminals. That this had happened strengthened his belief that Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan would not be easily killed.

Oi! I am an article!

Today, he received the news that someone was secretly looking for information about the Smiling Snake. This small hint made Zhu Tao wary. It should be noted that the small gang run by Smiling Snake had been completely annihilated after the second attack by the police, so it was as if they had disappeared from the jianghu overnight. Zhu Tao also made sure that the news of the death of the Smiling Snake was kept secret for now. He always likes to be careful and keep a low profile, to leave room to maneuver in the future.

So, Zhu Tao had considered this little clue for quite a while, concluding various possibilities.

First, who are they dealing with?

Before this incident occurred, the Smiling Snake had been attacked and almost completely extinguished by Zhu Tao, and counterattacked desperately. Recently, only the Buddha Hand had a significant interest in the Smiling Snake.

News of the destruction of the Smiling Snake gang should have spread by now. If the Hand of Buddha has received the news, then the Hand of Buddha should hold back and bide his time, rather than making silent inquiries at this time. In addition, the question is not about the existence of that information, but about the name, surname, history of the Smiling Snake. . .

Zhu Tao's heart was pounding, and an unimaginable idea popped into his mind. This thought made his blood boil.

The Buddha's hand has information!

If they had any information, this meant that Bo Jinyan and Jian Yao had also fallen into their hands — nights when the ship sank filled with darkness and confusion. It was not impossible for someone to take advantage of the situation to take them away.

However, if they had discovered Bo Jinyan's true identity, why bother finding out about the Smiling Snake?

He once again thought of what a gangster on the ship said: “He said he was Smiling Snake. . he called our Yue ge ‘broth’, very dominating. ..”

He had deceived the gangsters, maybe he had also deceived the big boss. After all, those criminal investigators were perfectly capable of deceiving people.

The gears on Zhu Tao's head continued to spin. He called one of his trusted subordinates and repeatedly advised him. Finally, he said, “Advance even closer to the Hand of Buddha! The best scenario is that we can follow the trail all the way to their hideout!”

His subordinate left after receiving his orders. Zhu Tao pondered for a long time, because his conjecture was truly frightening – with an unexpected turn of events, Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan had arrived at the hiding place of the Buddha Hand and had disguised themselves. He sighed. The other two members of Beijing Special Case Unit, Fang Qing and An Yan, rushed over with the elite team after hearing the news. If they were unable to determine the whereabouts of Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan by the time the team arrived, he might have to make his final move. Chess pawns that have been hidden for the past five years. . .

——

The person sent by the Buddha Hand to inquire about the Smiling Snake was a shrewd and mediocre person, a Jianghu veteran named Ah Ming. Merely, the rumor was that the Smiling Snake gang had been destroyed, and very few people had actually seen the Smiling Snake face. In this short period of time, he was unable to find any definitive information.

Not two days later, Ah Ming heard that the police were also frantically looking for Smiling Snake everywhere. This made him somewhat worried, and his subsequent actions were even more guarded.

He painstakingly worked through several layers of connections to meet someone who claimed to have been Smiling Snake's subordinate. To hide from the police, he hid so well that it was difficult to find him.

They arranged to meet at a noisy restaurant in the city center. For this purpose, he even paid an information fee of 30,000 yuan.

The other party was a young man with disheveled hair and a poor appearance. Just the scar on the net between his thumb and index finger and his barely visible tattoo were proof of his hidden identity. He excitedly asked for money as soon as he looked at Ah Ming. Ah Ming sneered and threw an envelope of money at him. He carefully counted the money before smiling briefly. Then, he tucked the money tightly into his shirt pocket and asked, “What do you want to ask?”

One by one, Ah Ming asked questions about the height, appearance, experience and connection of the Smiling Snake, which the other party answered simply and clearly. Ah Ming then asked, “How can such a thing happen on board?” The other party said tiredly, “I don't know. If I was on the boat that day, do you think I'd be sitting here today talking to you?

“Does Smiling Snake have a lover?”

“Of course, he is precious to her, as God knows what; he keeps her by his side all the time. We can only watch.”

Ah Ming smiled again and lit a cigarette for him. The two of them smoked for a while before An Ming asked, “Has his eyes always been like that?”

“Always like that,” replied the young man without looking up. He suddenly started and asked, with full suspicion, “You've met our boss?”

Ah Ming smiled and remained silent.

——

“Ah! Ah, fuck you!” Gu An sneered as he took out a card and threw it on the table. The expression on his third face turned cold, but Gu An had already spent all the money on the table. He then looked up to glance at Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan.

“Oh, Ah She* is here,” Qin Sheng said as he greeted them. Zhao Kun lit a cigarette as usual and looked indifferent to their presence. Zheng Chen looked at them without saying anything.

*T/N (dia) \= snake, use (ah) indicates a kind of familiarity. Since ‘Ah Snake’ sounds weird, we will use ‘Ah She’ instead’.

“People at the same table are against each other to measure – they should have the same status,” Bo Jinyan whispered into Jian Yao's ear. Jian Yao maintained her personality as a cold-faced female assassin and glanced at them before pulling out a chair and guiding Bo Jinyan to sit down.

“The two of them are still whispering to each other,” Qin Sheng said with a smile. The other three smiled as well. Bo Jinyan coldly replied, “Of course.” Then he kissed Jian Yao.

“Play hand?” Ah Kun asked. The other three also looked at him.

“How can a blind person play cards?” Said Zheng Chen.

“I have my eyes,” said Bo Jinyan.

Zheng Chen stopped his question. Jian Yao sat beside Bo Jinyan and drew a card for her, whispering what was in her ear. Both work very well together. Although Gu An and the others were veteran card sharks, they lost in the first round. Bo Jinyan had Jian Yao collect all the money as she looked towards Zheng Chen and said, “Can blind people play cards?” Zheng Chen laughed and said, “Can.” Qin Sheng said, “Aiyo, you managed to make Ah Chen laugh, the man who had never laughed for hundreds of years. Snake ge , you are really talented. ” Bo Jinyan laughed and said, “She is too young.” The expression made all the men laugh, except Zheng Chen.

At this time, Gu An took out the phone from his inner pocket and threw it at Zheng Chen, saying, “You asked me to take it for you. You can use it when you get out. ”

Zheng Chen caught him. It's a new phone. He smiled slightly and sat down to play with her.

Among those people, Zheng Chen had a slightly better relationship with Gu An.

Ah Kun handed Bo Jinyan a cigarette and lit it for her. Bo Jinyan sucked it in a trained motion. Qin Sheng also offered Jian Yao a cigarette, saying, “Sister-in-law, do you want to?” Jian Yao was about to accept it when Bo Jinyan said, “He can't smoke.” She inhaled cigarette smoke and pulled the card at the same time while saying, “I plan to make her pregnant.”

These are the right words. This emotion, this situation; amidst this group of people, Jian Yao looked at Bo Jinyan, blind and wearing sunglasses, and suddenly felt a warm wave of emotions. He used his finger to flick the cigarette Qin Sheng offered him and said, “Alright, I won't smoke.” Looking up, he observed what Bo Jinyan looked like back then. There was a faint smile at the corner of his mouth, and he looked like a fanatic. He felt an incredible wave of love for her.

However, in order to survive, to eliminate this criminal gang, to find a masked killer, he can transform into the type of person he hates, without revealing a single thing.

Amidst the smoke billowing around the card table, Jian Yao looked up and quietly, carefully observing these people. Generally speaking, these people were Song Kun's trusted aides. However, he could sense that, even though they were Song Kun's subordinates, they were more like brothers, and their relationship was very deep.

Masked killer. . . Is he among them?

The person who looked the most friendly was Qin Sheng. From the past two days, it seemed like Song Kun had handed some financial matters to him to manage. Also, he's never been seen with a gun or a knife or anything like that. He had been with Song Kun for seven or eight years.

Zhao Kun, Zheng Chen and Gu An had been with Song Kun for at least three years. From a time perspective, none of them matched the identity of the masked killer. They were all equally brave and tough as nails, and were the ‘general’ of Song Kun's subordinates. Zhao Kun was the most steady and oldest, Zheng Chen was quiet and the youngest, while Gu An had a brash personality, and was among them in age.

However, right now, Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan were unlikely to ask directly: Who used an axe in the border case a year ago? For one, the Buddhist Hand people would be suspicious, for another, what if the person they were asking was a masked killer?

What's more, why didn't the masked killer reveal the fact that they were from the police to the Buddha's Hands? Bo Jinyan explained it as follows: “First of all, from the masked killer's point of view, this is a very exciting challenge. How could he end it so easily? Secondly, if he were to really expose them, Song Kun would definitely investigate to find out the crux of the situation. Masked killers hide many secrets and are clearly not on the same path as them. How could he be willing to show his true self in front of them?”

……

Unexpectedly, Zhao Kun asked, “Smiling Snake, I heard the police looking for you everywhere?”

Bo Jinyan smiled and took a breath before saying, “So what?” Jian Yao flinched, and was secretly elated.

Zhao Kun smiled and asked, “Do not plan to return? Want to stay with Buddha Hands?”

Bo Jinyan sighed and replied, “It takes a strong and brave person to resume his original position and start from scratch*.”

*T/N (dong shan zai qi) – lights up. to return to the office after living as a hermit in Dongshan Mountain; ara. to rise again, to resume the previous position, to return to power, to return to power, to start from the beginning.

Zhao Kun laughed, Qin Sheng laughed, even Zheng Chen laughed. They laughed at this Smiling Snake, that even though he was a capable and powerful character, his words and manner were really a little simple and stupid, too faked and worn. On the side, Gu An scoffed and said, “You think you can return with Buddha Hands? Fuck you.” He had always been a difficult person to deal with, poking at everyone he met. Zhao Kun and the others did not care about it.

Bo Jinyan raised her head and exhaled in the direction the voice came from. “Whether I can or not, it is not you who have the final word. Brave but stupid pig!”

Ah Kun and the others laughed out loud. Gu An's face turned white in an instant, and he suffered from coughing due to the smoke that Bo Jinyan was exhaling. He was about to make a move, and Jian Yao, who was always ready, was about to stop him, when a soft voice sounded from behind them.

“Ah Dia, I want to talk to you about something.”

Everyone put down their cards and stood up.

It was Song Kun. He looked at Jian Yao and Bo Jinyan with bright expressions and smiles.