Atlas of Heaven and Earth-Chapter 23: The Fugitive

In a small, abandoned factory left over from the Great Expansion era in the Xigang District of Yangzhi City, Brother Qi stood by a metal door, leaning against the wall and smoking.

After a while, the door was pushed open, and a man in a floral shirt came out. He asked, "How are the brothers' injuries?"

The man in the floral shirt said, "Brother Qi, that kid was too ruthless. Old Hei said some brothers will be disabled even after they're healed."

Brother Qi cursed and said, "Old Hei always boasts about how skilled he is, but he can't even handle a little external injury?"

The man in the floral shirt hesitated and said, "Old Hei said the money Brother Qi gave is only enough for basic treatment. To heal without leaving any disabilities, we need to pay more or get better medicine."

Brother Qi was unhappy and asked, "This money-grubber, what medicine is so expensive?"

"Old Hei said it's the blood glue from Qingnang Yufang."

Brother Qi was startled. He knew Old Hei was just trying to squeeze him for money and couldn't help but curse, "Damn it, I've been protecting his turf for so long, and now he's treating me like a chicken to be slaughtered. He's really something!"

The man in the floral shirt was also indignant, "Yeah, Brother Qi, that's why everyone says Old Hei has a black heart!"

Brother Qi gritted his teeth and said, "Tell Old Hei, we'll owe him the money for now, but he needs to treat the brothers' injuries first! As for what he mentioned the other day, I'll take care of it!"

The man in the floral shirt breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Okay, Brother Qi."

"And that kid!"

Brother Qi said viciously, "He messed with my people, and this isn't over! He thinks he's tough, huh? I'll find someone skilled to take him down!"

The man in the floral shirt loudly agreed, but he actually knew it was useless. How could their small gang afford to hire someone like that?

Just then, a younger brother ran in and said, "Boss, there are a lot of unfamiliar faces today. You should go take a look. The brothers are worried something might happen."

Brother Qi cursed under his breath, flicked away his cigarette butt, and strode out, saying, "Let's go, take a look."

They walked along the corridor to a second-floor platform. In the distance, two people were at the edge of the railing, secretly trading something. A tall, thin man heard footsteps and looked over warily. Seeing it was Brother Qi, he averted his gaze.

Across from him was a man wearing a baseball cap and a mask. Seeing them, he just pulled the brim of his hat down a bit.Brother Qi glanced over and said to the man in the floral shirt beside him, "That guy with the hat, is he new here? Go remind him to pay the transaction fee."

"Okay, boss."

Brother Qi led his men downstairs, where his underlings were walking around with steel pipes. Seeing him come down, they all greeted him.

The lower floor was evidently once a factory workshop, with an overhead crane still intact. Now, the area was fenced off with iron railings, inside which two burly men were fighting shirtless. Around them, twenty to thirty people were loudly urging, shouting, cursing, and banging, creating a chaotic and smoky environment with cigarette butts and broken glass bottles scattered on the ground, swept into corners and ignored.

Small gangs like theirs didn't dare to openly set up underground fighting rings like the Bloodstain Gang or the Iron Chain Gang, so they could only manage such small-scale scenes.

This place mainly served as a venue for trading contraband drugs. In the Xigang area, as long as they didn't take to the streets, the patrol bureau hardly paid any attention.

But such places were also prone to trouble. Normally, having enough manpower would suffice, but after being beaten up by Chen Chuan during the day, they had lost more than half of their capable fighters, leaving mostly fill-ins.

The people who came to such places were seasoned and habitual offenders. If they couldn't be kept in check, chaos would immediately ensue.

After Brother Qi came down with his men, the scrutinizing glances around slightly subsided.

In a corner they had passed earlier, the two men who had just made a transaction were still talking. The tall, thin man said, "The Wake-up Capsules from Tiancong Baicao, genuine top-grade medicine, do you know how much they cost? Do you know how hard they are to get?"

The man in the baseball cap said in a low voice, "No matter the cost, if you have them, I'll buy."

"Oh ho, a rich guy," the tall, thin man looked him up and down, "What, buying such good anti-mutation medicine, has someone's implant mutated where you're from?"

The man in the baseball cap calmly said, "Is that any of your business?"

"Of course it is," the tall, thin man said matter-of-factly, "How do I know you're not just here to mess with me? If I get the medicine and you don't have the money, then I'm stuck with it."

The man in the baseball cap looked at him, took out a wad of cash, waved it in front of him, then put it back, saying in a flat voice, "When the goods are in hand, money and goods will be exchanged simultaneously."The tall, thin man's eyes lit up. He hesitated for a moment and said, "Wake-up Capsules are not available at the moment, but would you like some injection anti-mutation medicine from Talide Company?" He gestured with his fingers, "It's the "little gray bottle'. Although it's not as good as the medicines from Qingnang Yufang and Tiancong Baicao, these big companies, it should be sufficient for now, right? I'll get the medicine you want later."

The man in the baseball cap thought for a moment and said, "Let's start with two boxes."

"Hey, wait for it."

Meanwhile, on the lower floor, Brother Qi was thinking about how to make some money when suddenly, rapid footsteps were heard. A panicked underling rushed in and said, "Boss, it's bad, the patrol bureau's officers are all outside!"

Brother Qi was startled. He was stunned for a few seconds before reacting, shouting, "Quick, pull the switch, retreat!"

At this moment, chaos erupted throughout the abandoned factory's workshop, with everyone running around in disarray.

Although Brother Qi ordered his underlings to pull the switch, perhaps it was too chaotic, or maybe there was some interference, the lights remained on.

Brother Qi and his men prepared to exit through the side opening, but before they could reach it, the underling guarding the side door ran over in panic, saying, "Boss, it's bad, officers are at all the back doors."

Brother Qi's heart sank, and the underlings beside him also showed signs of panic.

Then they heard several sharp whistles, followed by the crisp sound of military boots marching in unison. One by one, officers wearing steel helmets, dressed in gray uniforms, and carrying large rifles rushed forward. The front row crouched down, while the back row stood, aiming their dark, gaping gun muzzles at everyone in the area.

A shout followed: "Everyone squat down, hands on your heads, those who disobey will be shot on the spot!"

Brother Qi's face turned pale. How could his small operation have attracted the patrol bureau? And he had been paying tribute regularly. Could it be Old Hei? It must be Old Hei! He must have gotten his hands on some extraordinary medicine, and now he's screwed me over big time!

The people in the area dared not resist and obediently squatted down. The patrol bureau's officers were reservists, ready to be deployed to the battlefield at a moment's notice, and the guns they held were real killers.

Brother Qi and his men had no choice but to squat down, placing their hands behind their heads.After the area quieted down, a patrol captain with sharp eyes walked out from the reserved passage in the lineup. He looked around and asked, "Which one is Dou Qi?"

The underlings all turned their heads, looking towards Brother Qi.

The patrol captain laughed, "Seems like we don't need to search," he waved his hand, "Drag him out."

Immediately, two tall and burly officers rushed forward, hitting Brother Qi several times with their gun butts. He was instantly bleeding from the head and lost several teeth. Then, they dragged him out like a dead dog, handcuffed him, and brought him in front of the patrol captain. They grabbed his hair and pulled it back, exposing his entire face under the light.

The patrol captain brushed his face twice with a gloved hand and said, "So you're Dou Qi?" He said with a half-smile, "Do you know what you've done wrong?"

Brother Qi was forced to raise his chin and said with a lisp due to his missing teeth, "Please, officer, be merciful. I will definitely make sure the tribute is sufficient."

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"You know the rules."

The patrol captain seemed satisfied, pointing around, "I brought forty brothers here today, coming all the way to your place at night. You'll have to cover the travel expenses too."

Brother Qi immediately said, "I understand, brother. Even if I have to sell everything, I will make sure the travel expenses for all the officers are covered."

"That's why I say you know the rules."

The patrol captain laughed again, but suddenly his expression changed. He backhanded a slap that made one wince, and said fiercely, "You know the rules so well, yet you dare to attack the family members of patrol officers? It seems you knowingly committed the crime?"

Brother Qi showed a terrified expression, "Officer, I didn't, I didn't..."

The patrol captain said, "Didn't you? Let me remind you, what did you do this afternoon?"

Hearing this, the man in the floral shirt in the crowd shivered all over, lowering his body even more.

Brother Qi also realized and knew he had been framed by Shan Xiong. He urgently defended himself loudly, "Officer, I didn't know, I really didn't know, I didn't know that young man was a family member of the patrol bureau. I was also deceived. Shan Xiong never mentioned this to me, saying the other party was just a lucky poor student, otherwise I would have thought twice before touching him."But he knew it was meaningless to say this now, so he hurriedly added, "Officer, I know Qi Wu from the Iron Chain Gang, I pay tribute to him."

The patrol captain sneered, "What, using the Iron Chain Gang to pressure me?" He then addressed a competent patrolman standing at the back of the line, "Brother Wu, I've found the man for you, what to do next is up to you."

A young patrolman surnamed Wu stepped out, silently drew a Jianzhi fifteen-year model pistol, released the safety, and fired four shots at Brother Qi's limbs.

Brother Qi screamed in agony, his body convulsing, then collapsed like a dead dog.

The patrol captain said, "Brother, you're kind-hearted, leaving him alive."

Patrolman Wu pointed the gun downward, speaking in a very natural tone, "We still need to take him back to ask who else is involved in this matter."

The patrol captain patted him on the shoulder, then walked to the center of the area, sternly saying, "Search and check for any contraband, then wrap it up."

A patrolman asked, "Captain, what about these people?"

The patrol captain said, "Take them back, interrogate them all."

"Yes!"

The patrolmen handcuffed these people one by one, but when it came to the man wearing a flat cap, he suddenly jumped up and dashed towards the door.

The patrolmen guarding the door were well-trained and very decisive. Seeing the commotion, they did not hesitate to shoot at this person, but after a few shots, the person only slightly shook and seemed unaffected, quickly rushing to the front. With just a light push, the patrolmen in the middle were pushed aside, causing chaos.

However, someone was quick-witted, pulling off his mask as he fell, and someone exclaimed, "It's Tong Qianjiang!"

This person had already dashed out.

There were still patrolmen outside intercepting, gunshots rang out one after another, seemingly hitting this person a few more times, but to no avail. When the patrol captain ran out, he only saw the figure of this person disappearing into the night, soon lost to sight.

The patrol captain's face was full of anger, "Damn it, this kid is wearing protective clothing!"

The Dashun Republic is extremely strict about protective clothing that can effectively resist rifle fire, because such things are like ancient armor. A person with outstanding combat skills wearing it and wielding a sharp weapon would mean slaughter for ordinary people.A patrolman ran over from behind, saluted, and said, "Captain, the brothers are fine, just a bit bruised."

The patrol captain asked sternly, "Are you sure it's Tong Qianjiang?"

"A brother saw him last year, he was part of the escort team, so it shouldn't be a mistake."

The patrol captain was puzzled, "Why would Tong Qianjiang come here? And where did he get the protective clothing from?"

But then he became excited again, Tong Qianjiang is the younger brother of the fugitive Tong Baitao. This group has been lying low since their escape from prison, and it was thought they had already left Yangzhi City. Who would have thought we'd run into them here today.

These criminals have been on the run for a long time. Solving this case would be a great achievement! Who would have thought that just coming here to help out today would lead to such a stroke of luck.

The patrol captain called over Patrolman Wu and said, "Brother Wu, I need to return to the station. This is a big deal and must be reported. Go back and inform Captain Nian. If we find any traces of Fang Dawei's group, once the case is solved, the credit will also be shared with your Baofeng District."

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