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Lee had made his choice. Now he had to live with it.<\/p>\n
The moment the police released him, Lee took a complicated route home, employing aggressive turns, sudden halts and choke points to flush would-be followers. He hadn\u2019t seen any hatchet men in his wake, but in Shanghai, hatchet men were everywhere.<\/p>\n
He circled around his apartment block, finding no Triad killers waiting in ambush. No gunmen lurked inside his home either. Grabbing a valise, he filled it with essentials. Clothing, money, documents, keys. Everything he needed, nothing he wanted.<\/p>\n
He set his luggage on his living room table. It was such a small bag, and it wasn\u2019t even filled to capacity. Inside was the sum of his life. What little there was left of it.<\/p>\n
He\u2019d had this apartment ever since he left the police. He\u2019d miss it. But sentimentality meant nothing when the triads were out for your blood. He\u2019d have to disappear, lie low until the eyes of Tang Shuisheng were no longer on him, until fresh blood flowed down the streets of Shanghai and buried his deeds.<\/p>\n
The telephone rang.<\/p>\n
Lee startled.<\/p>\n
The phone continued ringing. Lee blinked again, then remembered he had hands and feet, and answered the call.<\/p>\n
\u201cHello,\u201d he said warily.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr Lee, we need your help,\u201d Mrs Wong said.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t explain it over the phone, but Lihan says it\u2019s urgent. Could you come by?\u201d<\/p>\n
The smart move would be to hang up, walk away, never come back. But debts had to be paid in full.<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
Lee caught a taxi to a coffee shop two blocks from Wong\u2019s home. He covered the rest of the distance on foot, walking in ever-tightening circles, seeking signs of Triad presence. Finding none, he headed up to Wong\u2019s doorstep.<\/p>\n
Lee pounded the door. Wong answered, pistol in hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d Lee asked.<\/p>\n
Ignoring Lee, Wong glanced both ways down the empty hall, and gestured Lee inside.<\/p>\n
Mrs Wong was busy stuffing lingerie and dresses into a suitcase. A second one, already filled, lay next to the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cTomas!\u201d Mrs Wong cried. \u201cI\u2019m glad you came.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s the problem?\u201d Lee asked.<\/p>\n
Wong pointed at a notebook lying on the table. The notebook was open to a page filled with words.<\/p>\n
Wu Ye and his bodyguards have been released on bail. Shen Jianhao is still in lockup, but I don\u2019t expect this to last. The money, guns and bullets recovered from the arrest have disappeared from Evidence, and my informant told me that Wu Ye is mobilizing his killers.<\/em><\/p>\n Tang Shuisheng isn\u2019t going to overlook what we did. I\u2019ve directed my men to go underground. We\u2019re going to stay with friends in the countryside for a while. You\u2019re welcome to join us.<\/em><\/p>\n Lee held up his valise. \u201cI appreciate your offer, but it\u2019s harder for the triads to find us if we go separately. When this is over, I\u2019ll come contact you.\u201d<\/p>\n Wong nodded, picked up a pen, and wrote.<\/p>\n I thought you\u2019d say that. When you\u2019re ready, look for Old Gao at the coffee shop down the street. He\u2019ll tell you where to find me.<\/em><\/p>\n \u201cGot it.\u201d<\/p>\n Wong tore out the page, struck a match, and committed it to the flame.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve finished packing,\u201d Mrs Wong declared.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you need help with that?\u201d Lee asked.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n Lee grabbed the suitcase.<\/p>\n The door crashed open.<\/p>\n Four screaming gunmen rushed into the apartment. The closest pointed his pistol at Lee and pulled the trigger.<\/p>\n Nothing happened.<\/p>\n Wong raised his Colt and blasted away. One gunman dropped. Another. A thick dust cloud bloomed. Blood spurted from the third man\u2019s left arm. The last one flinched.<\/p>\n The shooting stopped.<\/p>\n Wong was out of ammo.<\/p>\n Rising, Lee flung the suitcase at the wounded gunman. It caught him in the temple and blew him down. Lee charged the remaining shooter, screaming at the top of his lungs. The gunman aimed and\u2014<\/p>\n POP<\/em><\/p>\n The gunman blinked, dumbfounded. He mashed the trigger again, but nothing happened.<\/p>\n Lee snatched the gun with both hands. Wrenched it from the hatchet man. Pistol-whipped him in the face. Once, twice, three times and the gunman went down.<\/p>\n The last gunman picked himself up with a guttural roar. Lee kicked him in the groin. The man ignored the blow and snapped his weapon arm up. Lee circled his left arm, trapping the arm against his armpit.<\/p>\n The gun fired.<\/p>\n Lee rammed the butt of hispistol into the man\u2019s throat and speared his knee into his groin.<\/p>\n The man went limp, coughing and gagging, scrabbling at his crushed throat. Lee dumped him on the floor, kicked him in the head, and looked for more threats.<\/p>\n The first two gangsters were bleeding out silently on the floor. The other two had gone still. Mrs Wong was curled up in a ball, her face frozen in mute horror. Detective Sergeant Wong stood protectively over his wife, covering the bodies with his freshly-reloaded gun.<\/p>\n \u201cAre you alright?\u201d Lee asked.<\/p>\n Wong nodded. Striding to the door, he peeked out the hallway again, gun in hand.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2026 I\u2026\u201d Mrs Wong started.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s fine now,\u201d Lee said. \u201cIt\u2019s all over.\u201d<\/p>\n Her husband returned to her and wrapped her in a tight embrace, patting her back, humming softly into her ear. Lee recovered the suitcase, dented and bloody, but otherwise intact.<\/p>\n \u201cThank\u2026 thank you,\u201d Mrs Wong said.<\/p>\n \u201cNo problem,\u201d Lee said, taking his valise with his other hand.<\/p>\n The detectives escorted the civilian past the bodies. Lee scooped up the last man\u2019s gun, the one that had fired, and stuck it in his waistband. On the way down the stairs, Mrs Wong spoke softly, her voice trembling.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t understand,\u201d she said. \u201cWhy didn\u2019t their guns fire?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThey must have taken guns and bullets from Shen Jianhao, Lee said. The same guns and bullets we sabotaged.\u201d He paused. \u201cWell, some of them, anyway.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHeaven must be looking out for you.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t doubt that.\u201d<\/p>\n No more killers awaited outside. Lee escorted the Wongs to their car, parked down the street. The men loaded the luggage into the boot while Mrs Wong kept a lookout.<\/p>\n Detective Sergeant Wong Lihan held out his hand.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks,\u201d Wong croaked.<\/p>\n \u201cNo problem,\u201d Lee replied.<\/p>\n They shook.<\/p>\n Sirens howled in the distance. The Wongs climbed into their car and drove off. Lee hefted his valise and headed the other way.<\/p>\n He had to find shelter. That was easy enough. There were plenty of places willing to offer temporary sanctuary to desperate men with hard cash. He had to hunker down, collect himself, plan his next step.<\/p>\n Staying in Shanghai was the last thing he should do. But all debts must be paid in full.<\/p>\n And there was a score he had to settle with Tang Shuisheng.<\/p>\n END<\/strong><\/p>\n —<\/p>\n Previous parts:\u00a01<\/a>,\u00a02<\/a>,\u00a03<\/a>,\u00a04<\/a>,\u00a05<\/a><\/p>\n![\"Cheah](\"https:\/\/steemitimages.com\/DQmNPjQAkaGvtrys87bjqAghP62AqHAB7edWEt44bH8yfwD\/Cheah%20Git%20San%20Red.jpg\")
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