Just in Time Chapter 64
Translated by Sylver (ko-fi)
Chapter 64 Confirm
When Qi Huo woke up, a severe pain from his forehead almost made him cry out. He instinctively wanted to reach out, but found that his arms were firmly tied behind his back, and his ankles were also tightly bound, unable to move at all.
He was tied back-to-back with another person, and he could feel the other’s faint breathing. He whispered, “Chang Ziqi?”
Chang Ziqi didn’t respond.
A soft sobbing came from beside him.
Qi Huo looked down and saw a little boy with a dirty face crying, his face full of tears, tightly hugging his thigh.
“Big brother…” One side of the little boy’s face was swollen, and the corner of his mouth was broken. It was obvious that he had been hit, and he didn’t even dare to cry out loud, “Big brother who gives more money…”
Qi Huo remembered, this was the little boy from the grocery store.
Although he was also frightened and scared, he still quietly comforted the boy, “It’s okay, don’t be afraid.”
Seeing him awake, the little boy’s eyes lit up, and he kept burrowing into his arms, grabbing the corner of his clothes and not letting go.
Qi Huo was born fierce-looking, tall and strong in his eyes, and would give him more money. In this environment, the only person he had ever seen was Qi Huo. Like a chick that had recognized its owner, he only dared to whimper in front of him, “Big brother, I miss my mom.”
With a hoarse voice, Qi Huo comforted him, “Don’t be afraid, what’s your name?”
“My name is Xu Chao, my nickname is Xiao Bao, I’m six years old this year, I go to school in the big class of the Qingshui Community Kindergarten, my mom’s name is Sun Ying, my dad’s name is Xu Xiang, we live in Unit 3, Building 5 of the Qingshui Community, room 201, my dad’s phone number is 189…” Xu Xiao Bao recited it like reciting a text.
“Ah, I see.” Qi Huo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Your parents really have a sense of prevention.”
Xiao Bao didn’t understand what prevention meant, but he was very happy that the big brother woke up and talked to him, “Mom said if there’s trouble, find a police uncle, recite these to the police uncle, and I’ll be sent home.”
“Your mom is right, the police uncle will come to save us.” Qi Huo told him.
“But I haven’t seen the police uncle.” Xiao Bao was scared and wanted to cry, “Where are they?”
“They’re hiding outside.” Qi Huo comforted him, “Actually, big brother has another identity, he is a police undercover sent to protect Xiao Bao, so don’t be afraid.”
“Ah~” Xiao Bao’s eyes lit up, “So you are a police big brother who gives more money!”
“Yes.” Qi Huo talked to him while looking around. “The police brother will protect you.”
They were tied in an abandoned warehouse, where there was a dim incandescent lamp at the door. The warehouse was about the size of two basketball courts, with faded graffiti on the walls. There were only two windows, but they were high above the ground. Even someone as tall as him couldn’t reach them even if he jumped with a foothold. There was a hole in the wall on the east side, but it was blocked by bricks.
The warehouse was filled with old bunk beds, but all of them were small. There were also some old tables and chairs, but without exception, they were all small, looking like they were for children. Most of them were too old, entangled with cobwebs, and severely corroded by insects and ants.
Qi Huo squinted his eyes to look out the window, he could only see a crescent moon and a few messy branches, and no buildings.
“Xiao Bao, help me look at the other big brother.” Qi Huo tried to struggle with the rope on his hand, but couldn’t break free.
Probably because Xiao Bao didn’t pose much of a threat, he was only tied up, now he wasn’t so scared, he could even stand up and bounce around.
Xiao Bao bounced twice and went over to look at Chang Ziqi, his voice filled with fear, “Big brother, the other big brother has a lot of blood on his head, more than on your face.”
Qi Huo’s heart jumped, “Chang Ziqi? Chang Ziqi! Wake up!”
The person tied behind him moved, “Qi Huo?”
“Are you okay? Xiao Bao said you have a lot of blood on your head?” Qi Huo sighed in relief when he responded, “Do you feel uncomfortable?”
“I’m fine.” Chang Ziqi coughed lightly, “Are you hurt?”
Qi Huo paused, “No.”
“Qi Huo, were you serious about what you said before?” Chang Ziqi’s voice sounded particularly low in the empty warehouse.
Qi Huo pretended not to understand, “What?”
“You said, you and I are just playing.” Chang Ziqi pursed his lips, he couldn’t see Qi Huo, didn’t know what expression the other party had now, whether it was mockery or indifference.
Xiao Bao lay on Qi Huo, looking up at him quietly, and found that the big brother who gave more money looked a bit sad.
It was like once when Qiang Qiang really liked a toy, but when the teacher said the toy didn’t belong to him and asked him to put it down, Qiang Qiang had this sad expression on his face.
“Sort of.” Qi Huo laughed, staring at the broken plastic stool not far away, the smiley face on it had lost its paint, “I only had girlfriends before, I’m not gay, I was just playing with you for excitement.”
Chang Ziqi was silent for a long time before he said, “I thought….at least you still liked me.”
But he didn’t expect it was just for excitement.
“People who like you can line up from east of Wu City to west of Wu Cityt, I won’t make much difference.” Qi Huo chuckled, “Don’t think about these, think about how to escape, who the hell did I offend to get hit with a stick?”
“They probably came for me.” Chang Ziqi indeed shifted the topic along with him, he didn’t show any panic about being kidnapped, “They might want money.”
“Damn.” Qi Huo cursed in a low voice, “Are they acting in a TV drama…”
Even if the occasion was inappropriate, Chang Ziqi still laughed, “I won’t let you get into trouble.”
“Maybe we can escape–” Qi Huo had just spoken half of his words when the warehouse door that had been tightly closed was suddenly pushed open.
****
Yun Fang and Yi Chenliang went to the alley leading to the grocery store.
“Xiao Bao! Xiao Bao!”
“Xiao Bao! Where are you?”
“Xiao Bao–”
A mother was calling her child, “Xiao Bao, where did you go?”
The alley was pitch black, no one was there.
Coming out of the alley, a woman in her thirties ran over hurriedly, her eyes red from crying, “Have you seen a five or six-year-old boy, with a mole at the corner of his left eye, about this tall?”
Sun Ying gestured, looking at them with hopeful eyes.
Yi Chenliang thought for a moment, “Is it the kid from the grocery store?”
“Yes, yes!” Sun Ying’s eyes burst with a glimmer of hope, she looked at Yi Chenliang earnestly, “Do you know where he went?”
Yi Chenliang shook his head, “I went to the store to buy a bag of sugar more than an hour ago, and he was still sitting on the chair playing when I left.”
Sun Ying covered her face and started crying, “It’s all my fault, I shouldn’t have left him alone in the store…”
“Try calling the police, see if you can file a case.” Yun Fang glanced at her.
The mother who was so anxious that she lost her senses finally remembered that she had a phone, and took out her phone to make a call.
When Yi Chenliang and Yun Fang went home, it was already close to midnight.
Yun Fang sent him downstairs, “Go back to sleep, we’ll talk about anything tomorrow.”
Yi Chenliang looked at him, wanting to say something but hesitating.
Yun Fang reached out and hugged him, “Nothing will happen, be good.”
Yi Chenliang nodded and went upstairs.
Yun Fang stood at the bottom of the building, watching the light in the window on the third floor, then turned and left, taking out his phone to call Tang Yi.
“Sugar, are you back?” Tang Yi’s voice came from the phone.
“I’m back.” Yun Fang smiled, “Mom, I’m staying at Yi Chenliang’s house tonight.”
Tang Yi must have gotten up from bed, probably looking at the third floor across the window, “Okay, have you two had dinner? Why are you coming back so late?”
Yun Fang leaned against the wall, just in the blind spot of the fourth-floor window, “We ate, the teacher in the cram class dragged the class.”
“That teacher of yours is really something.” Tang Yi complained, “I say you and Xiao Yi shouldn’t be so tired every day, as long as your grades are enough to get into a university, don’t go too far from home in the future…”
“Mm.” Yun Fang responded, “Has dad not come back yet?”
“He has to take the highway for this trip, he can’t make it back tonight and will sleep in the service area.” Tang Yi said, “Come back and bring Xiao Yi for breakfast tomorrow morning before going to school, mom will make you small crispy pancakes.”
“No need, we have a competition class tomorrow, we’ll go to school.” Yun Fang said, “Mom, go to bed early.”
“Okay, you don’t stay up late either.” After Tang Yi finished speaking, she heard the other side hang up the phone.
She put her phone on the bedside table and sighed softly.
Yun Fang stood between the two buildings, watching the lights in the windows on the third and fourth floors go out, then he walked towards the outside of the community.
Qi Huo had told him about being kidnapped with Chang Ziqi, but he didn’t connect it with the sensational kidnapping case by Ge San. But on second thought, Chang Ziqi’s identity was indeed unusual. If Ge San had almost killed Chang Ziqi, Chang’s family would definitely not let Ge San go with only one seedling left.
But the information was too scarce.
Qi Huo said that they were tied up in an abandoned warehouse at that time, and they couldn’t see what was outside in the warehouse. When they were rescued later, they only remembered that there was a vast expanse of forest nearby.
The subordinate who told him about Ge San’s past glorious deeds didn’t say much either, only that Ge San wanted to be an empty-glove white wolf at that time, and as soon as the money was in hand, he immediately tore the ticket. The warehouse where the money was taken and the warehouse where people were tied up were far apart, and the police were fooled around at that time.
(t/n: empty-glove white wolf-originally refers to a person's high ability, but later evolved into a metaphor for the deception methods of swindlers who go around cheating without making any investment. It refers to getting a big return with a small effort (or implying no effort)
Yun Fang frowned, carefully recalling every word Qi Huo and that subordinate had said.
[I, Chang Ziqi, and a five or six-year-old child were tied up in the warehouse. At that time, I was still having a quarrel with Chang Ziqi…]
[The person who was watching us looked very gentle, but his eyes were particularly sinister. At that time, he kicked me in the head, damn it, he kicked me a face full of mud, and there was even a pig shit smell, it was outrageous…]
[He had a gun, it was the first time I saw a real gun, I was scared and my legs were shaking…]
[I was almost killed by him, my wife was crying anxiously, and he blocked a shot for me…]
[…When we were rescued, a large group of police surrounded us, my wife was awesome, he pulled my collar and kissed me, hey, there were so many people and it was quite embarrassing… I remember there was a large patch of locust trees next to it, the flowers on it were blooming in large clusters, it was so beautiful.]
[The boss chose a warehouse near the train station, that group of cops surrounded the area like a bucket, but I rode a motorcycle with the money and ran out, a group of cops ran after my ass, haha!]
[…Of course not, the boss never intended to spare that rich young man’s life, he closed a diagonal line, even if the cops had wings they couldn’t fly over to save people, it was just that a child’s mother had reported to the police early, reported a child lost, let a few police officers touch it, damn bad luck…]
Yun Fang took out his phone and pulled up the map of Wu City.
Wu City was really not big, there was only one train station.
Train station, warehouse, diagonal line, endless mountains, large locust trees, pig farm, police.
Yun Fang quickly searched on the map, a broken picture flashed through his deep memory.
[Brother Liang Liang, I really like that pink flower, can you pick it for me?] The little girl with a bun pointed to him.
He must have been very young at that time, with a low perspective, he tiptoed and saw a large patch of beautiful pink flowers through the gap in the fence door, endless.
[I can’t reach it.] He said, pinching his nose.
Why did he have to pinch his nose?
Yun Fang frowned, recalling carefully.
Because…because it was too smelly.
[Xiao Xingxing, let’s go back, if the dean knows we sneaked out to play without taking a nap, he will get angry and scold us.]
[Those pigs are so annoying, they always make noise, it’s scary.]
[…It’s too smelly here.]
[I want flowers.]
Yun Fang clenched his phone.
He probably knew where Qi Huo and Chang Ziqi were tied up.
****
“Qi Huo!” Chang Ziqi struggled desperately with the rope, his eyes red as he stared at the man with the gun, “Don’t touch him!!”
Ge San kicked Qi Huo in the stomach again, lazily twirling the gun in his hand, “Huh, you two kids are quite fun, young master, do you like him?”
Chang Ziqi gritted his teeth, “You just want money, right? Don’t touch him, Chang family will give you double.”
“Oh, tsk tsk.” Ge San sneered, his expression disgusted and excited, “Hey, two men, really know how to play.”
“But I am quite short of money.” Ge San looked at Chang Ziqi with a smile, one foot on Qi Huo’s face, sighed, “But I prefer to kill, hey, yes, this kind of expression, scared, right? Hahaha, why don’t you kneel down and beg me, maybe if I’m in a good mood, I won’t kill your lover?”
Qi Huo came to his senses, lying on the ground staring fiercely at the gun in his hand, a fierce look in his eyes.
“But begging me is useless–” The smile on Ge San’s face suddenly disappeared, “None of you will get out alive.”
Before Ge San’s words fell, Qi Huo, who he was being stepped on, suddenly burst out, knocking the gun in his hand away. Ge San was unprepared and was knocked into the pile of discarded tables and chairs by him, a lot of dust exploded, blinding his vision.
Qi Huo, didn’t know when he had broken free of the rope binding his wrists, hands a bloody mess, firmly choked Ge San’s neck, but the next second he was kicked away by Ge San and fell heavily to the ground.
“Qi Huo!” Chang Ziqi’s eyes were bloodshot, but his hands and feet were tightly bound by the rope, he couldn’t break free at all, blood dripped from his wrist onto the dusty ground.
Xiao Bao was already too scared to cry, staring blankly at Qi Huo on the ground.
“I underestimated you.” Ge San laughed darkly, he didn’t go to pick up the gun either, step by step he walked towards Qi Huo, “A little kid, you do have guts.”
Qi Huo stared at him fiercely, “Bastard, if you have the guts, kill me!”
Ge San, who had committed many crimes with a ruthless hand, encountered someone who was not afraid of death for the first time, which aroused some interest. He squatted in front of Qi Huo and negotiated with him, “Kid, you help me kill these two, how about following me?”
Qi Huo spat a mouthful of bloody saliva on his face, “You dog thing, even if someone is going to be killed, it’s you!”
Ge San’s face darkened, “Ignorant of life and death.”
Qi Huo was beaten almost without the strength to fight back, Chang Ziqi’s eyes were blood red, “Qi Huo!”
In the chaos, he heard a crisp sound, his eyes red as he looked at the dagger kicked to the side, biting his teeth hard, “Xiao Bao!”
Xiao Bao didn’t drop the chain at the critical moment, although he was almost scared silly, he still reached out and grabbed the dagger, stuffing it into Chang Ziqi’s hand, “Save… police big brother…”
Ge San, didn’t know when he had retrieved his gun, aimed at Qi Huo lying on the ground like a dead dog, shaking his head, “It’s such a pity.”
Chang Ziqi, who raised his head, his pupils suddenly shrank, and he pounced on him, “Qi Huo!”
Bang!
A gunshot sounded, Xiao Bao screamed and cried.
Qi Huo, trembling, propped up Chang Ziqi’s shoulder, his cheek was splashed with warm blood, he opened his mouth, but couldn’t make a sound.
He saw his own frightened face in Chang Ziqi’s eyes.
Chang Ziqi reached out and wiped the blood off his cheek, his voice trembling, “Don’t be afraid.”
But no matter what, they were only seventeen or eighteen years old, how could they not be afraid, Qi Huo dared to fight with Ge San before just because of the heat of the moment and a reckless energy, just now when the gun was pointed at his head, his brain went blank.
His legs were still soft.
Chang Ziqi wasn’t much better than him, he was shot, he felt like he was about to die, trembling, he grabbed Qi Huo’s hand, “Qi Huo, can’t you like me for once?”
Qi Huo didn’t know if it was blood or tears on his face, but it was so hot that it stung, he clumsily covered Chang Ziqi’s wound with his hand, but the blood wouldn’t stop, he cried out in despair, “Chang Ziqi, don’t die!”
“Damn it!” Ge San angrily kicked the table and chair next to him, and fired a shot at the table and chair in a rage.
Chang Ziqi couldn’t die now, Ge San pulled him up, found that it was just shot in the shoulder, cursed, “Damn, you two are making a fuss about this little injury!”
Xiao Bao cried until his voice was hoarse, only thinking that both big brothers were killed by the bad guy with a gun. He looked around in a daze wanting to find his mother, but his gaze stayed on the high window, his eyes widened in shock.
On the high, high windowsill, a big brother with glasses was kneeling there, behind him was the dark sky and half a moon, the moonlight spilled on the big brother, just like the brave superman who defeated the bad guys in the cartoon.
That big brother also saw him, put his index finger to his lips, and showed him a gentle smile.