Chapter 9: The Den
Speaking of bodyguards....
The success of every Mafia clan when it comes to lasting long under the scrutinizing eyes of the law was discretion. Bribery may be good as well as securing connections, but it was always more reliable to have a sort of cover for your base of operations.
The cover for the Mo clan was that they were a private security agency called Chaoxue, which is The Den in English.
Meaning that under broad daylight and in the public eye, they were just a bunch of bodyguards that were hired to protect celebrities and other rich personalities.
But at night and days off, they were cold-blooded killers that assassinate and shoot people for a living.
This kind of double life were also practiced by several Mafia clans. It's not uncommon for them to have a cover of some sort, and especially those that match their own... expertise.
Drug mafia empires can use the cover of an ice cream company, or bakery, or a factory where the warehouse keeps both goods and the drugs.
Blackmail empires like the Fangs pretend to be a simple information tech companies, customer support agencies, etc.
They soon saw someone wearing The Den uniform come over to the alley where they were standing. They just have the logo and of the Chinese characters etched over the brest pocket of their white uniform, sunglasses and earpieces like usual bodyguards have.
"Did the police saw you?" Leon said worriedly at this Den member, much younger-looking than Yao Yuzhui but similarly bulky and has a bald head.
"No, Mr. Mo. The others distracted them with a tip that he was spotted running back to Shujin North." He bowed respectfully at Leon, and picked up the old man, who was now semi-conscious and mumbling something.
He raised an eyebrow when he saw Wolfe Fang beside him, but nothing else.
"Old Yao had been AWOL since three month's ago. The actress that he works for claimed that he stole her newborn child." The Den member said. "We'll be taking care of this matter, Mr. Mo. Rest assured."
"Just call me Shizi, Mr. Mo is my father." Leon said grimly, and went closer to hear what the old man was mumbling.
"It's not me.... Not me... Innocent..."
He frowned, and said. "What do you plan to do with him so he won't sing like a canary to the police once I take him there?"
The Den member smiled. "What we do best, sir."
Leon Mo knew very well what The Den do best when someone tried to leave or disobey orders.
And that is to threaten them with death..... or kill them on the spot depending of the gravity of the situation.
Since this would get them under the eye of the law, it's expected that they might do the latter. A bird won't sing if it's dead.
"I'll come with you." Leon said. "I want to see what he has to say, I'll convince him myself to not tell on the police."
The Den member raised both his thin eyebows this time. But then again, this was the Master's son, and he's just following orders.
"Follow after me then, sir. The car is this way."
Leon turned to Wolfe. "You're coming along again aren't you?"
"Guilty as charged." Wolfe smirked. "After all, I'm Young Master Mo's future fiance now, aren't I?"
The Den member almost chuckled when he heard this, but cleared his throat.
Leon pinched his waist and whispered with a gritted teeth. "You say that again out loud and I'll shoot you in the mouth with a gun."
"Ohhh, scary." Wolfe said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "You already shot me with your gun last night though."
"You nuisance!"
They went on an another route that brought them to the other side of the block. A black limousine was waiting for them, and the Den member put the old man on the trunk like a bag of potatoes.
The two went on the passenger seat while still bickering, and the car drove off for a few miles to reach a certain building.
As the parked at the front steps, Leon felt a pit on his stomach.
It has been a long time since he had went inside the Den.
Clean and normal on the outside, but underground....
That was where the real base of operations happens.
And that was where they went. They rode the elevator and The Den member who was dragging along the old man pressed a series of buttons, not just one.
It was a smart way for outsiders to never figure out that there were underground floors.
The underground floors were much more different than the upper floors. Because here, it was dark, damp...
And the smell of blood was everywhere.
It was mostly from the live animals they use as a target practice. Chicken feathers can also be seen everywhere. But occasionally.....
That blood was either dripping down an assassin's body and was messily cleaned up afterwards.....
Or the blood of a traitor being tortured and executed right here, behind closed doors.
Wolfe Fang was obviously terrified by the smell and the sounds of screams on each individual metal doors they passed by in this long hallway. He flinches whenever he heard loud bangs and screams of help.
"Can't we talk to him somewhere more private?" Leon asked upon noticing his companion's discomfort.
"This way, sir. This room is soundproof and unused."
The Den member led them down to the final doors of the hallway, opened the one on the right side with the key, and held the door for them while still dragging the old man.
This room really looked like it wad meant for interrogation. There's only one lamp that serves as a light, two chairs, handcuffs and even some rope.
There were also... certain devices. Leon knew exactly what those are for. He hoped he would not need to use them while questioning Old Yao.
They placed the old man in front of him, and he sat down on the chair with Wolfe crossing his arms over the wall to watch what would happen next quietly.
"Wake him up." Leon said.
The Den member took a syringe just laying about, and the moment he injected it to the old man, he jolted with awake!
"I'm innocent! H-Help me, I'm innocent!" Yao Yuzhui exclaimed.
Leon leaned closer so he could see him from the dim light of the lamp. "Calm down, Mr. Yao. It's just me."
"I-Is this the police station? I've never been to this place before..." His aged hands shook nervously.
Leon cynically thought, (That's because if you were taken to this place, there's a 90% chance you're good as dead and will be taken to the other rooms later.)
But he focused on getting the old man to calm down and gaining information from him. "This isn't the police station. Just me. I just wanted to talk to you, Mr. Yao. I need you to tell me everything."
He played the recorder on his phone below the table skillfully like second nature. All interrogations need to be recorded in some way after all, both for a way to access the information again later..... and as insurance.
"I-I promise, Young Master Mo, it was all a misunderstanding! I would never abduct a child..... Why must I? I already experienced difficulty raising 10 of my own."
"10 children? You and you wife must have really took the chance to make a whole army after the One-Child Policy* was taken away, huh?" Leon joked to try and lighten his mood.
Old Yao laughed along but was still nervous. "Haha, well, I love my wife very much and I rarely see her due to this line of work."
"But I'm done with dealing with children. I'm an old man now with some of my kids having their own kids. This was actually my last year of contract as a bodyguard, I was thinking of retiring."
Leon's face darkened. "But how about your... other job? You're allowed to retire from that?"
"Oh, I haven't been holding a shotgun since ten years ago, Mr. Mo. Did you forgot about your father's policy to not take a mercenary that is 50 years old and above?" Old Yao said.
"He even gave us some senior member benefits. I could retire without worry, I just liked being in the bodyguard side of the Den so much that's why I continued."
He laughed nervously. "I was even planning to move to Tibet with my wife after I earn money from both the senior benefits and being a bodyguard."
Leon nodded. After all, even when they may have taken human lives, these people are human themselves. They have families and dreams of an easygoing life, and they happened to be skilled at this, that's why they took this career path.
"What exactly happened to make you run away?" Leon asked to get the conversation back on track, since Old Yao seemed to be calm enough.
He turned to the Den member lurking in the shadows. "I heard that you were working for an actress and her child was now missing. I'm guessing it was pinned on you?"
"Yes! That woman, Ku Qi... She's a good girl. She and her husband who is an international celebrity. I had a good relationship with them." Old Yao recalled fondly.
The genuineness of his eyes when they twinkle while recalling his employers was evident to Leon. His intuition was telling him that this old man really did not do it, but he needed more proof.
Old Yao nervously asked. "C-Can I ask for a cigarette, young master? It all h-happened so fast that I need one to recall everything p-properly."
He had no cigs with him but someone's delicate hand reached out to give them a cigrette and a lighter, causing the old, paranoid man to yelp when he saw another person was here.
Leon frowned. "Ignore him. He's just my---"
"Partner." Wolfe Fang showed his face in the dim lamp light. "And I'd like to remind that our time is running low. We have..... other matters to take care of, so it would be good if you would give us a shorter version of it."
The old man took the cigarette and lighter from the young master's partner, and then sighed. "I-I-I don't think I would be able to tell it as short as 3 m-minutes, though."
Wolfe took the phone lying from Leon's lap and raised it up.
Leon protested. "Hey, don't meddle----"
Wolfe ignored him. "That would be enough. You may start now, and we'll use this to help clear your name."
The old man looked at them back and forth. But with how persistent this man was, and those grey eyes of seeming to burn a whole through him.
He spoke without a stutter somehow, and delivered everything clearly under the eyes of the wolf.
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