LRAB Chapter 21 Locked
Chapter 21 Locked
On the street.
The wind was biting cold in the alleyways of the HQ district.
"Ring ring—"
A rapid bicycle bell rang out in the alley.
Mad Dog was riding a 28-inch bicycle with Ergazi, who looked timid and cowardly, on the back seat, wandering around aimlessly.
"Hey Ergaizi, are you even accurate or not?"
The mad dog pedaled his bike, cursing as he went, "We've gone around in circles three times already, and we haven't seen a soul. If you dare mess with me, I'll skin you alive!"
"Crazy Dog Bro, how could I dare!"
Erga Zi, his nose running from the cold, hunched his neck and said, "That kid really is a rickshaw puller, he hangs out around here. I remember the red ribbon on his handlebars like the back of my hand!"
"Red ribbons, red ribbons... red ribbons are everywhere!"
Mad Dog spat. "If we can't find them today, and Master Cat blames us, we'll both be in trouble!"
As they were talking, the car turned a corner and a car dealership appeared ahead.
"Hitchhiking".
This is one of the larger car dealerships in the HQ area, with quite a few tricycles parked in front.
"Let's go take a look."
The mad dog squeezed the brakes, and the car slid a short distance on the snow before coming to a stop.
The two jumped out of the car, tucked their hands into their sleeves, and walked into the car dealership.
The car dealership owner, a fat man with a face full of scars, was sitting on a small stool by the door, drinking tea. He saw these two guys who looked like thugs, but he wasn't intimidated. He remained seated calmly, only raising his eyelids slightly.
In this HQ area, if you're running a business, especially a ridesharing company, you'd have your stall overturned long ago if you didn't have a powerful backer.
Lai Ye's name still carries weight in this area.
Mad Dog was a seasoned veteran who knew the ins and outs of this car dealership. He dropped his usual arrogance, forced a polite smile, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and offered it to Mad Dog.
"Boss, excuse me, I work for Hua Mao."
Mad Dog started by laying out his cards on the table, revealing his hand: "I have some connections with Master Lai. I'm here today to ask you about someone."
Hearing the name "Catman" and hearing that he'd gotten involved with Master Lai, the shopkeeper's expression softened somewhat. He took the cigarette, tucked it behind his ear, and said slowly, "Catman's man, my apologies. Who are you inquiring about?"
"A tricycle driver."
Mad Dog spoke calmly, "It's nothing serious, I just wanted to ask if our car dealership has any drivers who are... unpredictable, or rather, unfamiliar faces lately?"
The boss thought for a moment, just about to speak.
"Ring ring—"
Suddenly, a clear bicycle bell rang out from the doorway.
A man in a military overcoat pushed in a dilapidated tricycle.
"Boss, Mr. Lai ordered us to impound this car here for now."
The waiter wiped his sweat as he said, "That kid named Chen Zhuo ran away after owing us his share of the profits. Boss Lai said to take the car back and impound it. If he wants to take the car back, he'll have to come back with the principal and interest to settle the debt, or he can forget about making a living again."
As he spoke, he pushed the car into the corner.
The bright red strip of cloth on the handlebars swayed in the dim shed, standing out starkly.
Mad Dog and Ergaizi's eyes were instantly drawn to it.
Erga's eyes widened suddenly, as if he had seen a ghost. He pointed at the car, his hands trembling.
"Dog... Brother Dog!"
He lowered his voice, his tone brimming with barely suppressed excitement, "The cart! The red ribbon! That's it! That...that's the driver!"
The mad dog's pupils also contracted slightly.
It’s not a waste of time to break through the iron shoes.
He glanced at the man, then at the car, and a sinister smile slowly crept onto his lips.
"Chen Zhuo..."
Mad Dog turned to the boss, his smile becoming even more polite. He even lit a cigarette for the boss. "Boss, where does that Chen Zhuo that brother mentioned live? To be honest, he's the one we're looking for."
The boss took a drag of his cigarette, glanced at the beat-up car, then at the mad dog, and seemed to understand something. But he didn't ask any more questions; it's best not to pry into matters of the underworld.
"Oh, that poor wretch."
The shopkeeper exhaled a smoke ring and casually said, "They live in a large courtyard house over there in the alley. I have the accounts; would you like me to check them?"
"That would be great, thank you for your help."
……
A moment later, Mad Dog and Ergazi walked out of the car dealership.
Ergaizi's face was flushed with excitement. He had been holding back his voice inside, but now he couldn't help but exclaim, "Brother Gou! What a coincidence! It's like God is helping us! I never thought that kid would owe Lai Sanye money, and his car was impounded! Now he's a toothless tiger, let's see where he can run!"
Mad Dog glanced back at the car dealership's sign and sneered, "Run? He can't run."
"Let's go back and tell Cat Master. Now that the bait is on the hook, we just need to wait for the fish to bite."
"Huh? Mad Dog Bro, aren't we going to catch them?" Erga Zi caught up and asked.
"Grab your mother's head!"
Mad Dog glared at him. "Gangzi's skills are almost as good as mine, and he still got hurt, which means that kid is a bit shady. Cat told us to go back and report any news first, and not to alert the enemy."
Actually, even mad dogs are scared.
He knew about Gangzi's little trick; anyone who could make Gangzi disappear without a trace was definitely a tough nut to crack. Although he was reckless, he wasn't stupid.
……
Material recycling station.
The office was filled with smoke.
The tabby cat sat behind the peeling paint on the desk, listening to the mad dog's report, the walnuts in its hand making a crackling sound.
"Chen Zhuo... the tenement courtyard..."
The tabby cat squinted, its gaze as cold and menacing as a venomous snake. "Just as I thought, he's a tricycle driver..."
"Brother, should Brother Gou and I go and get some men to ambush him?" Erga asked tentatively.
"block?"
The tabby cat sneered and shook its head. "Gangzi is already broken, do you think you can handle it? What if that kid is a hidden master? You'll just be cannon fodder if you go."
Erga shrank back and didn't dare to make a sound.
"Then... what should we do? Batel is coming back soon..."
"What's the panic?"
The tabby cat slammed the walnuts in its hand onto the table. "I've already found someone."
"Who?"
"Thank you, Ganzi."
Upon hearing the name, both Mad Dog and Ergaizi gasped.
Xie Ganzi was a descendant of Xie Wuye, a renowned wrestler from Tianjin, whose spear skills were legendary. Although he was now down on his luck, his name still resonated throughout the martial arts world.
"With Master Xie on the case, that kid can't escape even if he has three heads and six arms!" Mad Dog nodded.
The tabby cat stood up, walked to the window, and looked at the gray sky outside.
"Secure that vehicle."
The tabby cat said calmly, "That's bait. As long as the car is here, the fish can't escape. Tell Xie Cheng to get ready to haul in the net."
"it is good."
Mad Dog agreed and turned to leave.
The tabby cat gazed out the window, its eyes deep and thoughtful.
We must get those three thousand yuan back.
As for that coachman named Chen Zhuo...
Whether you're a dragon crossing the river or a tiger descending the mountain, in this small area of HQ district, if you're a dragon, you have to coil up; if you're a tiger, you have to lie down!
……
dugout.
Chen Zhuo was unaware that a net had been cast around him. At this moment, he was sitting cross-legged on a broken stone slab, his upper body naked.
huh... huh... huh...
His breathing was heavy and long. With each inhale, his chest bulged high, like a fully drawn bow; with each exhale, two visible streams of white vapor shot out of his nostrils, like two small white snakes writhing in the air.
In front of him were leftover bone scraps.
That 40-plus pounds of pork is almost gone.
As he consumed large amounts of meat, waves of scalding heat surged through his body.
Chen Zhuo felt like he was in a red-hot furnace.
"Mingjin emphasizes the word 'whole'."
He recalled the mantra from the Xingyi Manual: "Only when hands and feet move in unison is it true. The fist strikes like an arrow, the body moves like thunder."
Previously, although he could produce a crisp sound, it was mostly due to brute force and muscle bursts. But now, after these past few days of frantic eating and training, he feels that the energy within him is finally beginning to obey him.
He suddenly stood up.
"drink!"
With a low shout, Chen Zhuo stomped his foot and shot out like an arrow.
Crushing Fist!
"Snapped!"
The punch landed on empty air, and a crisp cracking sound erupted in the air, like a whip being lashed out.
This sound was no longer the sound of clothes rubbing together, but the sound of force bursting through the body and shattering the air.
The strength is now more solid.
But he didn't stop.
Chen Zhuo turned around, and his originally fierce boxing stance suddenly changed. He became somewhat slippery, like an eel.
That was something he had stolen from Gangzi—Chinese wrestling, "Little Sleeves".
That night, although he only saw Gangzi use it once, with the help of his "golden finger," the movement was deeply imprinted in his mind. In the past few days, he has been pondering the technique of generating power for that movement.
Wrestling emphasizes "listening to the opponent's force" and "using their strength."
Chen Zhuo imagined an enemy in front of him. He made a grasping motion with both hands, walked in an arc, and suddenly his body sank and shuddered.
"Splash!"
The muscles in his body trembled like waves with this shudder.
That's the fascia vibrating.
"That's interesting..."
A hint of excitement flashed in Chen Zhuo's eyes.
Although this "small sleeve hand" is a wrestling technique, it doesn't conflict with his Xingyi Quan practice; on the contrary, they complement each other. Xingyi Quan is powerful and fierce, while wrestling is graceful and feminine. The key is to achieve a balance of strength and gentleness.
He practiced it several more times, and his movements became more and more skillful, and the feeling of "shaking" people out became clearer and clearer.
Just then, a strong feeling of hunger struck again.
"Gurgle..."
It feels like there's a hand scratching my stomach.
Martial arts training is a double-edged sword. The more concentrated your strength, the greater the energy expenditure.
He skewered the last piece of raw meat with a twig and casually seared it over the fire a few times.
The meat had just changed color and was still bloody, but he didn't care that it was hot and started tearing into it.
In this dark air-raid shelter, his mouth was full of blood, and his eyes revealed a wildness.
That wasn't some strange or supernatural mutation, but rather the most primal instinct for survival.
When a person, in order to become stronger, is forced to live like a wild beast, eating raw meat and drinking blood, and licking their wounds alone in the dark, the gentle, kind, respectful, frugal, and modest part of their humanity will inevitably degenerate, replaced by coldness and decisiveness.
This is what is known as "beastly instinct".
But he doesn't care.
For an unregistered resident like him, living in the cracks, only by being more ferocious than a wild beast can he survive.
"call……"
Chen Zhu swallowed the last bite of meat and let out a long breath.
The heat in my body gradually subsided, and the feeling of hunger was also suppressed.
He glanced at the sky outside the air-raid shelter, which had become completely dark.
"It's time to go back."
Chen Zhuo stood up, stretched his sternum, turned around and walked out of the air-raid shelter, his figure quickly disappearing into the vast night.