Hong Kong Young Writers Anthologies Fiction Group 3 - 2017 | Page 18

He didn’t answer. Shu laughed drily. “I don’t suppose you already know your fate, sir . I mean, how long did you think you could hide from me?” The bound man gritted his teeth. “It has been five months, so quite long if you ask me.” “Such a smart mouth for someone so incredibly dumb. Well, I don’t believe your daughters will be very proud that you’re cheating in casinos and not paying taxes. Don’t you agree?” “Don’t you dare do anything to them. I’ll cut your body up.” “That sounds like a decent threat, if only you could live long enough for that. You’ll get your wish though, Zhou. I’m a kind man, and besides, your daughters would look lovely in a bar.” And with that, he sliced the man’s neck in one smooth move. After hanging his body in the noose and breaking open his safe, the masked man left as silently as he came and disappeared into the midst. *** Pirouettes of hazy fumes performed its teasing dance, glazing over the pink and blue spotlights shining onto the crowded floor. Tonight’s music was no different to any other; a collection of drunken bets being placed and arguments being voiced. Most men were purely searching for a good time, often reeled into opium, but Shu wasn’t here for that. There would be two men that didn’t belong here, and Shu knew it wasn’t a coincidence. Glancing around the humid room, he fixed his eyes upon his targets: two blokes in black. He made his way through the drunken pool of people, locking his eyes onto them. They were near the bar, chatting. He recognised them as capo-regimes in the gang from the neighbour district. Shu made himself comfortable on a nearby chair, holding his drink he had randomly picked up, and tuned into their conversation.