The car bumped up and down on the rural road, making everyone dizzy. If they hadn’t rushed out in the morning and skipped breakfast, the contents of their stomachs might have been jolted out by now.
Xu Ke fidgeted uncomfortably in his seat, trying to make himself a bit more comfortable. He glanced at the young man beside him, who appeared completely at ease, as if he was used to this kind of rough ride.
"Brother Zhao, aren’t we going to pick up the goods? Why does it feel like we’re going further and further into a remote area? There are hardly any houses here. Are you sure this is the right place?" Xu Ke asked, looking around at the scenery while pretending to be uncomfortable as he loosened the tie around his neck.
The young man, focused on driving, glanced at Xu Ke out of the corner of his eye. Seeing Xu Ke’s face full of curiosity, he inwardly cursed him as a country bumpkin, but outwardly, he showed no sign of disdain. Instead, he patiently replied, "Don’t worry. I’ve picked up goods several tis from here. I know the place. This is the right road."
"But there’s no one around here," Xu Ke said, still looking uneasy. His face was growing more anxious as he looked at the increasing number of trees around them. He seed nothing like the tough guy who could take on multiple people on his own that he’d been described as. Instead, he appeared like a timid coward. The young man couldn’t help but doubt the organization’s judgnt; he wondered what they saw in this seemingly timid person that made him worth training.
The young man internally criticized the organization’s poor judgnt in assessing people. Still, outwardly, he continued to maintain the persona of a considerate elder brother. "It’s normal that no one’s around. We’re going to a warehouse where they store drugs. If there were too many people nearby, the drugs could easily go missing. After this deal is done, you’ll earn at least fifty thousand in commission. After three major deals like this, you can pay off all your debts."
Hearing this, Xu Ke couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazent at the young man’s words, "That’s impressive."
After expressing his amazent, Xu Ke and the young man exchanged a couple more words before falling silent again, as both were too nauseated by the bumpy ride to continue the conversation.
After about another half-hour of jostling in the car, Xu Ke finally saw the warehouse that the young man had ntioned.
It was a small, square building made of steel, which didn’t seem very large.
"We’re here," said the young man as he parked the car not far from the warehouse. Three n erged from inside the warehouse. The leader was a man with a crew cut, dressed in an old tank top. The large gold chain on his neck sparkled in the sunlight. Behind him followed two more thugs, who wore vests that revealed their muscular arms—clearly the kind who could fight.
"Xiao Zhao, you’re here. Who’s the fresh face you brought, soone I haven’t seen before?" The leader spoke with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, peering through the smoke at Xu Ke. His beady eyes seed to scan Xu Ke from head to toe, as if they had X-ray vision.
The young man, eager to please, quickly responded with a smile, "This is a new recruit I brought along to pick up the goods. If there are no issues, he’ll be coming with in the future." Lowering his voice, he went closer to the leader and explained.
"Are you sure he’s trustworthy? He doesn’t look like one of us," the leader said, raising his sparse eyebrows as he looked at the young man.
"This kid used to be a photographer, so it’s normal he doesn’t look like one of us. I brought him today to show him the ropes."
The young man spoke so quietly that Xu Ke couldn’t make out what he was saying, as they stood so distance away. But Xu Ke wasn’t in a hurry; he seed like a naive bumpkin, taking in the scene and morizing the surroundings.
The conversation concluded, and the young man turned to call Xu Ke, "Co over and help move the goods from the warehouse."
"There’s no need for that; he’s a newcor. If his clumsy hands break sothing inside, it’ll be a problem. I’ll have them bring it out for you," the leader interjected, smiling at the young man. The two thugs behind him headed into the warehouse, and after a short while, one of them returned with a box in his arms.
They stacked the box on the ground and went back inside to fetch two more, placing them outside in the open area.
"Everything is here," the leader said, pointing to the boxes on the ground. "Where’s the money?"
"I have the money, but I need to check the goods before I can hand it over," the young man said as he pulled a utility knife from his jacket, ready to open the boxes. But the leader’s voice stopped him, "We’ve been working together for so long, and you still don’t trust ? Inspecting the goods just breaks my heart."
"Our relationship is personal, but the money and drugs are business. I must keep them separate, please don’t take offense," the young man replied, not pausing his actions. He sliced open one box after another, just about to cut open the last box to check everything, when an unexpected twist occurred, taking everyone off guard.
The two thugs who had been standing behind the leader suddenly moved beside the young man, holding a knife to his throat.
"Brother Jin, what is the aning of this?" the young man asked, feeling the sting of the blade, his expression grave as he looked at the leader.
"Is it not clear enough? Brother Jin blew a smoke ring towards the young man’s face before reaching into the young man’s pockets, seemingly searching for sothing.
"Don’t waste your ti searching ; I’ve hidden the bank card. Unless I tell you, you’ll never find it," the young man scoffed coldly.
But he quickly changed his tone, now with a hint of confusion, "I don’t get it. Brother Jin, we’ve worked together many tis, and I’ve never shorted you a single di once the goods were right. So why do sothing like this today? Haven’t our past dealings been to your satisfaction? Even if you’re unhappy with the price, you could have brought it up. If your demands were reasonable, we could’ve adjusted it. Isn’t going straight to violence a bit much?"
"What I want is sothing you can’t and won’t give. If you’d just played dumb, none of this would’ve happened. But you’re the one who insisted on sticking with the inspections, so who’s really to bla?" The leader’s face showed a regretful expression.
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