Chapter 26: You Must Never Wake a Sleepwalker!

"Whoosh!"

The Dinosaur, just about to make his move, suddenly felt a brush with death. He whipped his head around in shock, only to see a size 10.5 boot hurtling straight toward his forehead! He wanted to dodge, but for heaven's sake, he couldn't!

"Boom!"

The Dinosaur was kicked squarely into the crowd, sending the Hong Le thugs into an instant, chaotic scramble. Immediately after, the two henchmen loyal to the Dinosaur who were holding the two sisters watched, like onlookers witnessing a meteor in the night sky, as the foot appeared in mid-air and slammed into their heads. With a synchronized cry of "Ah!", both men lost consciousness.

Luo Nini burst into tears. "Brother Hai!"

Once freed, Luo Yingsi rushed over immediately, wrapping her arms around Liu Haizhu, who looked like a blood-drenched gourd. Sobbing, she cried, "Why, why are you so foolish?" She tore off her outer garment, completely unconcerned that it revealed the stunning figure underneath, and began meticulously bandaging his wounds. Her lips trembled as she asked, "Does it hurt?"

Luo Nini, eyes blurred with tears, ran over as well. "Brother-in-law, I love you."

"Huff, huff!"

Liu Haizhu, blood streaming from his nose and mouth, stood up with her help. His eyes, however, remained fixed on the young man in black! Was it him who saved me?

***

A week passed in the blink of an eye. During these days, Liu Haizhu hadn't done much of anything. He spent almost every day doing only one thing: sitting in the living room, gripping two bone-chopping knives. In the dead of night, he would often recall the man who had stood before him—that dashing fellow who looked a bit like the "Three Sheep" brother, Da Yang. Yes, it was he who had saved him.

In the courtyard outside the apartment, a few people had moved into the row of small houses. Leading them was A-Gang, along with his top lieutenants, Old Dog Ming and Broken-Finger Song. The only issue was that while A-Gang was fine during the day, once night fell, he became a real handful, keeping Yingsi's Filipino maid running ragged.

"Want a drink?"
"How about a shot?"
"You thick-headed idiot, would it kill you to have a drink with your brother Gang?"
"One last drink, deal?"
"...!"

And so it went, driving Liu Haizhu to the brink of madness. Seeing that no one would leave him alone, the stubborn fool would sit in the living room by himself, playing rock-paper-scissors with his own left and right hands, determined to drink himself into a stupor regardless.

***

At night, A-Gang would get drunk as usual, and no one dared to help him to bed. He would simply collapse in the living room, his snoring so loud it made Liu Haizhu doubt his own existence.

"Whoosh!"

Liu Haizhu rose, draped a jacket over his shoulders, and walked to the window to smoke. Suddenly, a bone-chilling cold crawled up from the base of his spine. His eyes widened like lightbulbs, and he turned his head with excruciating slowness. His voice trembled: "...Holy... shit."

For there, A-Gang was still snoring, yet with a "Swish!", he stood up stiffly like a zombie.

"Gulp!"

Liu Haizhu swallowed hard and took a step back, stunned as A-Gang began walking toward him with his eyes still shut. This son of a... he's sleepwalking!

Old wisdom says: never wake a sleepwalker, or the consequences—the consequences—will be dire!

Liu Haizhu looked left and right, desperately wanting to run away again! But before he could act, A-Gang stood right in front of him and reached out a hand in a friendly gesture. Liu Haizhu’s voice shook: "What... what do you want?"

A-Gang didn't respond, his eyes closed as if he’d seen a ghost. Liu Haizhu thought about it seriously, then placed the cigarette from his own hand into A-Gang’s fingers.

"Sss!"

Liu Haizhu watched with his hair standing on end. It was like standing in a dark bathroom with nothing but a mirror—that eerie, chilling sensation enveloped his entire body. He swallowed dryly, trembling with tension.

After A-Gang finished the cigarette, he dropped the burning butt onto the floor and raised his foot to stomp on it. Liu Haizhu wanted to cry out to stop him, but suddenly remembered that terrifying rumor: you can't wake a sleepwalker, or they'll turn into a werewolf!

"Sizzle!"

Liu Haizhu winced, his nose catching the scent of something burning.

"Ow!"

A-Gang let out a genuine yell of pain, and the most incredible part was... he was still asleep!

***

The next day, A-Gang sat clutching his foot, eyes bulging as he stared at the blister, roaring at Liu Haizhu: "You blockhead, what kind of hero attacks a man's foot? You took advantage of me while I was down!"

Liu Haizhu turned away, his shoulders shaking uncontrollably. It turned out that suppressing laughter was agonizing. However, one thing was certain: Liu Haizhu would never sleep in the same room as this guy again; it was just too damn terrifying.

During lunch, Liu Haizhu brought it up. "You go sleep outside!"
A-Gang: "I'm not going!"
Liu Haizhu sucked his teeth, helpless. "Then I'll go!"
A-Gang: "No way!"
Liu Haizhu glared. "Why not?"
A-Gang put down his chopsticks and blew on his foot, arguing, "You're taking the salary of a personal bodyguard, and the eldest miss is so beautiful—you wanting to run off? Not a chance!"

For the first time, Luo Nini sided with A-Gang, nodding vigorously.

Liu Haizhu hissed through his teeth: "I'll be damned..."

In the end, Yingsi made the call, having the maid clear out a storage room to settle A-Gang.

***

A week passed, and the stitches in Liu Haizhu's chest were removed. He looked like he had put on some weight, but the man was anxious to the point of breaking out in cold sores. He hadn't been in contact with his organization for so long, and he really wanted to find a chance to see his old uncle—mostly to see if there were any missions, as he was far too bored lately.

***

Late at night, in the Yuen Long Tea House.

Ding Zhiwei grinned. "Boss, what do you think about the business with 'Handsome' Nam?"

Uncle Bun sipped his tea and replied with a smile, "And what are your thoughts on the matter?"

Zhiwei hesitated, though his smile remained. "Haha, what could I think? I’m just worried that since that Mainlander is with Little Si all day, something might go wrong."

Uncle Bun stared into Zhiwei’s eyes for a few seconds before smiling. "Young people hanging out together, I don't think it will lead to a major conflict."

Luo Bingrun scoffed. "Humph, is that even a problem? My Tung Sing and the Hong Le have old scores and new grudges; what’s the harm in a falling out? Setting aside my family matters, purely on business: back in the day, Brother Lok issued the Four Plaques, but the Hong Le tried to save face by renting the plaques to us in Tung Sing. In the end, we took all the heat, while they took the lion's share of the benefits. Those bastards!"

Seeing where the conversation was heading, Uncle Bun offered a reminder: "Head of the Incense, with the Mainland about to take back Hong Kong, I hear they have a certain stance on 'powder'..."

"Nothing to worry about!" Luo Bingrun waved a hand dismissively. "Back then we were bullied by the Hong Le, but now that we’ve stood up, we’ll just return the plaques to them!"

Old Man Luo was born stubborn. "Besides, I never liked that Nam from Causeway Bay anyway! A man who lost his wife and is still raising a kid—how is he worthy of my, Camel’s, granddaughter!"