Chapter 106: Even a villian can have principles

*Xin Lei*

I peeked inside the room and found that Bai Li's first session was over. I hurriedly walked away inside.

Yuan frowned at me. "What happened? You look worried."

Bai Li asked, "Is everything okay?"

I typed. "It was Lin Zihao's call. He said that Rodey has escaped."

Silence.

"Wait, who is Rodey?" Liao Huifang asked.

I typed. "He is also one of the members of the gang. We caught him, but just now, I got a call that he escaped from outside the court."

"How?"

I explained what Lin Zihao told me.

Liao Huifang seemed confused. "Doesn't it mean that somebody was an accomplice who helped Rodey? But who?"

Then she widened her eyes and looked furious. "Wait, is that bastard Tian Song who helped him?"

That could be possible…

"But wasn't he in Langfang last night?"

I typed. "Perhaps he went back to Dongcheng secretly. What do you think, Bai Li?"

But he seemed to be in a daze. He was looking at the side, probably thinking something hard.

Yuan asked, "Bai Li?"

Bai Li said, "...My gut feeling is saying that it couldn't be Tian Song. Sure, perhaps he would have gone back to Dongcheng, but…I don't know...I am not convinced that it could be him."

I thought so too. Something seemed strange here but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Yuan was silently observing Bai Li. "I feel like you recalled some memory. Does this remind you of something?"

We waited for him to answer.

Bai Li rubbed his forehead. "There is nothing similar, but somehow, my mind automatically went back to the night when I last fought with Rodey in the container terminal."

He said after a pause. "...That incident is also one of the reasons why I feel... anxious."

Yuan nodded. "Oh. I get it. Don't worry," he smiled, "We will slowly get there too."

"En. It's just what happened in the terminal that night, and the incident today in the court feels familiar to me, but at the same time, they do not."

I typed. "At that night, you were near to catching Rodey, but suddenly Tan Ye appeared, and now, once again, the cops couldn't catch him."

Bai Li nodded. "I am sure it's the same person who helped him both the times."

Yuan said, "It's alright. Sometimes there are some similarities between two incidents that we cannot instantly decipher, but our subconscious mind recognizes that pattern. Perhaps it will strike you sooner or later."

Liao Huifang said, "Then what about Tian Song? Is he in Dongcheng or Langfang?"

"He could be in Tianjin."

Silence.

I typed. "Bai Li. Do you think they will still carry out their deal at the Tianjin Port?"

"I am sure they will. Tianjin is strategically a good location for shipping and transportation. If their client is coming through the sea, then it's the best route to come to Tianjin and go back. Even if they want to change it, the client wouldn't agree to meet at another place, take the risk and jeopardize the deal. They will always think about their own safety first."

That made sense.

"So, Tianjin is still our best bet."

---

Tian Song was standing in an unknown and deserted alley with an earpiece attached in his right ear.

"You know what to do, right?" Came a voice from the other end. "We must stop them. This time, I want Bai Li and Xin Lei with you."

"Hm. It will go as planned."

---

At the same time in Langfang, Duan Deming was resting a bit when an officer came up to him. "Sir. It's Chief Mu."

Chief Mu was the one to whom Duan Deming reported.

"Duan Deming. According to the receipts you found in Gen Gen's base, there is supposed to be some deal going on in Tianjin Port tomorrow."

"Yes, sir!"

"Hm. There are high chances that they could change the place of the deal. So, I will also dispatch teams to possible other locations nearby for patrol. But you focus on their primary location."

"Yes. I have already mobilized my team."

"Good." Then there was a pause. "Duan Deming. I hope you could stop the deal and bring the criminals down with you. If we capture them, then our department would be greatly appreciated."

Naturally, he understood in between the lines. There was a high chance of promotion for Chief Mu to become the Deputy Chief if they caught the gang. He would take most of the glory.

Duan Deming sighed.

Such politics…

"Also, any news about Tian Song?"

Duan Deming clenched his fingers into a fist. "No. But I am sure he would be there tomorrow."

"He must be caught. A spy was among us this whole time, and we couldn't detect it. It has already affected our reputation. But we can still things turn around."

He narrowed his eyes. "I understand, Sir. This time, there would be no mistakes."

---

Dongcheng.

Rodey pressed the muzzle of his gun a little deeper into the woman's chin. He sneered.

"What if I want to have some fun with you?"

The woman blinked her eyes. For a moment, her shoulders trembled, and she shuddered. She glanced at the corpses of the men, who just a minute ago, were about to ruin her. She looked back at him.

There was not much source of light in the area. It was just faintly illuminated by the moonlight in the sky. She could only see that he was very tall and broad, so much that she couldn't even see past him. His face wasn't much clear, though.

Slowly, Rodey took a step towards her. She instinctively took a step back.

Soon, her back bumped on the tree behind her.

Rodey tilted his head. "Hm? You didn't answer me."

With an evil chuckle echoing around, he suddenly leaned towards her face, narrowing the distance between their lips.

"The longest place name on the planet is 85 letters long." The woman blurted out.

Rodey paused. At first, it was a stifle, but then he suddenly laughed out loud.

"Ahahahaha! You... you think that trick is going to work on me?"

Her expression was deadpan.

"Do you think I didn't understand what you did there?"

"...I don't understand."

Rodey raised his eyebrow. "Nice attempt to feign ignorance. You couldn't win against them physically. You already knew that. It was useless, trying to run away. So you chose another way, that is, to play with their mind and force them to back out, pure out of fear."

She said nothing.

"Strange, right? They were four. Physically and numerically stronger than you. You were just one woman who couldn't fight. Why would they fear you?"

She said nothing.

"You uttered random nonsense because people are generally shit scared of insane people. They are unpredictable. Even if it is a woman who may be weak and frail compared to them, they still get afraid because, like I said, crazy people are unpredictable. You wanted to show yourself as that mad woman who doesn't know what she is doing. Maybe she is talking some weird shit right now, or maybe… she could pull a knife out of nowhere?"

Silence.

"It seemed to work too. The other bastards were having second thoughts on ravaging you but too bad that one of them was unaffected."

Rodey pressed himself closer. "But it will never work on me. Do you know why?"

Silence.

Rodey let out a sinister laugh. "Because I am crazy myself. How will I not understand if the other person is sane or as crazy as me? We can identify our own kind."

The woman finally took the courage to raise her face. Suddenly, his face looked clearer than before because that particular angle had direct moonlight.

Rodey's gaze traveled on her from top to bottom. "Hm. Not bad. Your build is a little smaller to my taste, but I can make do for once."

"I don't think you will rape me." The woman said in a quiet voice.

Rodey was now thoroughly amused. "Why? Do you think I am a hero who saved you? You are safe from these men. But who will save you from me?"

The woman calmly said, "If I take into account the male models and heroes working in the entertainment industry and based on how you look and compare you to them, then I conclude that appearance-wise, you are good-looking. You come in the handsome category. You have a face and build that statistically, 95% of the women would develop a crush on you. According to some of the gangster movies I watched until now, you also exhibit the nature of a being a bad boy, which many women find attractive and irresistible."

She paused.

"Out of that 95%, approximately 65-75% of the women would fearlessly ask you out, considering how more women are becoming bold and confident in this modern time. As such, you don't need to force any woman to sleep with you because many would be willing to have a one-night stand with you on their own accord."

Rodey was utterly dumbfounded. He, once again, cracked into loud laughter. "Yes, smart chick. With my face alone, I don't need to force a fuck on any woman. But that is not the only reason."

The woman questioningly looked at him.

Rodey finally released the gun off from her chin.

"I am a criminal. I have killed people. But even a bastard like me has a principle. Rodey doesn't rape women."