No. 19 A Forced Smile Masking Exhaustion
The roar of a helicopter jolted me awake.
As I opened my eyes, the heavy stench of blood sent a wave of panic through me.
“Xiaodie?”
Silence.
No…
The entrance was blocked. I scrambled over to the rock, pushed it aside, and gasped at the sight before me.
The cave was littered with debris. Opposite where I had been sleeping, a small tiger cub was crouched beside Xiaodie, licking her pale lips. Behind her, a large pool of dried blood stained the ground a dark, rusty red. In the faint sunlight filtering through the opening, her breathing was shallow, as if she were asleep.
Beside her lay an empty bread package.
“Xiaodie!”
I rushed over and grabbed her wrist.
Her pulse was weak, but she was alive.
I carefully turned her over and saw a bullet wound on her right shoulder. The blood had mostly clotted, but the wound itself was a gruesome sight.
I remembered her sitting on the ground that night.
She had been shot, and she had dragged her injured body to this corner of the cave, away from me, so the smell of blood wouldn’t wake me.
And that tiger… I had mistaken it for a kitten…
“Hurry! The blood trail leads this way! Search everywhere!”
Ouyang Dati’s voice, coming from outside, was like music to my ears.
“Dati Ge!”
I scrambled out of the cave and spotted him, dressed in red, standing on a small mound nearby. I gathered all my strength and shouted.
“Yi Yao!”
He heard me and leaped over to me in a few agile bounds. “Where’s Xiaodie?”
“Inside. She’s been shot.”
“Is she near the entrance?”
“No.”
He saw the narrow opening, barely large enough for one person to pass through, and without hesitation, grabbed a boulder and smashed it against the entrance.
“Boom!”
Talk about brute force…
“Hey, you two, get in there and rescue her!”
He waved at two armed men, who rushed into the cave and emerged moments later, carrying Xiaodie, her clothes soaked in blood.
“We made it just in time. Another hour, and she would have bled to death.”
He examined her wound briefly, then instructed the men to place her on a stretcher.
A helicopter landed nearby.
“Good job, you two. You actually managed to escape from Zero.”
He chuckled and slapped my back. “I underestimated you, Yi Yao. I thought you were just a decent fighter. Looks like we’ve found a hidden gem.”
“Cut it out. Can’t you be a little gentler with a girl?”
I punched him lightly in the chest and looked around. “How did you find us?”
“We followed the blood trail from the factory.”
He handed me a bottle of sports drink. “You’re lucky to be alive. This forest is called ‘Tiger Hill.’ Do you know why?”
“Are there a lot of tigers here?”
“Yes. We found two dead tigers and six bodies outside. I’m guessing they disturbed the tigers last night. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have stood a chance.”
So that’s why they stopped chasing us…
“Meow…”
The tiger cub, the one that could barely walk last night, emerged from the cave, its eyes half-closed, and let out a plaintive meow.
It must have been recently weaned. It looked more like a harmless kitten than the king of the jungle.
“Hahaha, Yi Yao, want to keep a tiger as a pet? Its parents were killed by those men. It won’t survive out here on its own.”
“You keep it. I can barely take care of myself.” I took a sip of the drink and started searching his pockets. “Hey, do you have any food? I’m starving.”
…
The helicopter quickly transported us to City Central Hospital.
Xiaodie was rushed into the emergency room.
After waiting anxiously for a while, a middle-aged man, escorted by several men, rushed over to us. “Where’s my daughter?”
“She’s inside.” Ouyang Dati pointed at the emergency room. “Don’t worry, it’s just a gunshot wound to the shoulder. Nothing vital was hit. They’ll remove the bullet, and she should be fine after a couple of weeks of rest.”
“A gunshot wound?!”
The man’s eyes widened in horror. “Who did this?”
“You should know better than anyone, Mr. Huang.” Ouyang Dati chuckled. “I suggest you lay low for a while. Those people are not to be trifled with.”
The man hesitated, then covered his mouth with his hand. “I know… but… I can’t turn back now. For Xiaodie, I…”
“Alright, alright, I’m not getting involved in your mess. I don’t know your daughter that well. This young lady here is the one who saved her life.”
He gestured towards me.
“You… you are…”
The man approached me, his voice trembling.
“I’m Yi Yao.” I smiled faintly. “We spoke on the phone earlier.”
“Yi Yao…”
He stared at me for a long moment, then suddenly dropped to his knees. “Thank you… thank you… If anything happened to my daughter, I…”
“Please, get up.”
I had never imagined a mayor kneeling before me. I quickly helped him up. “Huang Yingdie and I are friends. We help each other. It’s only natural.”
Just then, a horde of reporters, armed with cameras and microphones, swarmed the hallway.
“Mayor Huang, what are your thoughts on this kidnapping incident?”
“Does the presence of armed gangs pose a threat to the safety of the Upper Capital City?”
“Mr. Huang, we heard you disowned your daughter. Is that true?”
Blinding flashes engulfed us.
“Excuse me, young lady, what’s your relationship with Mayor Huang?”
“Are you his illegitimate daughter? Or his mistress?”
“We’d like to inquire about the recent financial irregularities in the Upper Capital City…”
The barrage of questions overwhelmed me. I had never experienced anything like this before. In the midst of the chaos, the emergency room door opened, and Xiaodie, still hooked up to an IV drip, was wheeled out.
“Make way! Make way!”
The mayor pushed through the crowd, his eyes frantic, and rushed towards his daughter.
“Xiaodie! Xiaodie… It’s all my fault…”
He broke down, tears streaming down his face.
The already haggard man seemed to have aged ten years in that instant.
Xiaodie, barely conscious, ignored her father and looked at me.
“Yi Yao… Did I… disturb you last night?”
“No.”
As she was about to smile, I added, “But you were being stupid.”
“You…” She struggled to sit up, but the doctors held her down.
“You need to rest, young lady.”
“Just you wait, Yi Yao! I won’t let you get away with this!”
“Yes, yes, we’ll settle this when you’re better.”
Someone grabbed my arm and pulled me through the crowd.
“Enough playing around. Time to go.”
Ouyang Dati dragged me to the stairwell. “Follow me.”
“Where are we going?”
I didn’t want to leave just yet. I was worried about my family. This incident would be all over the news.
I wondered if they even cared about their “useless” daughter.
“What, you have a crush on her now?”
He chuckled. “Don’t worry, she’ll be fine. Her father is here. Everything’s under control. We have someone important who wants to meet you.”
“Oh…”
I couldn’t refuse. I followed him out of the hospital and into his car. He drove us to an entertainment complex in the city center.
“Yi Yao, do you know who the true leader of the Black Dragon Society is?”
He asked casually as we walked towards the elevator.
“Isn’t it Long Fei?”
“No. Long Fei is Long Teng’s son. They’re just using his company’s name.”
“They?”
I caught the implication in his words.
“Haha, you’re a smart girl. I’m not really a member of the Black Dragon Society. Long Ge probably told you, my background is a bit complicated. I can’t get involved in these matters. Officially, I’m just here to keep those arrogant kids in check.”
We entered the elevator, and he swiped a gold card, then pressed the button for the basement level.
“I won’t keep you in suspense. The true leader of the Black Dragon Society is Luo Wei. He’s… how should I put it… a very interesting person.”
Interesting?
Wasn’t Luo Wei a male name?
The elevator doors opened.
We were in a spacious gambling hall.
The floor was covered in expensive-looking tiles, and the walls were adorned with luxurious paintings. Besides gambling tables, there were also various entertainment facilities.
But what puzzled me was the lack of people.
Apart from two tables of teenagers playing cards, most of the equipment was unused. The place lacked the usual noise and flashing lights of a typical gambling den.
“Luo Wei, I brought her.”
Ouyang Dati walked over to a large table with several decks of cards, snatched a hand from a young man in a black suit and top hat, and glanced at it, feigning disappointment. “Bro, your hand is terrible.”
“A true master doesn’t rely on good cards. He makes the best of what he has.”
The young man in the suit tossed a card at me. I caught it reflexively.
Queen of spades.
“Care to gamble?”
