PDLP 162. The Four-Faced Buddha Appears
162. The Four-Faced Buddha Appears
"Master Ma, the area at the South Shanghai Wharf was ransacked last night, and all the goods inside were taken. More than forty of our brothers were killed or wounded. According to the brothers who escaped, those people were all wearing dark overcoats and top hats, carrying machetes, and they were extremely ruthless. Before they started, they even threw out a few grenades that could emit a bright light and hurt people's eyes."
Ma Weilong is the current leader of the Viper Gang. He is exactly fifty years old this year. He has triangular eyes, droopy eyebrows, and a sinister appearance.
Upon hearing his subordinate's report, his face darkened to an icy hue. He cursed, "What kind of rat crawled out of the sewers, daring to set foot on our Viper Gang's territory? Pass the order down to all the brothers in the gang: find out where these people came from, and who they work for. These days in Shanghai, nighttime is Viper Gang territory. Find them, one by one, I want to see their heads in front of me tomorrow!"
"Yes, Master Ma, I'll take care of it right away."
After giving the order, Ma Weilong touched the purple clay teapot on the table, took a sip directly from the spout, then leaned back in his rocking chair, raised his fingers, and lazily shook them a few times.
Seemingly understanding his intention, a woman in a cheongsam, with a graceful figure and charming appearance, walked over from a distance, turned on a record player, and played melodious music. Ma Weilong crossed his legs, humming along while his toes swayed and tapped to the beat.
The woman in the cheongsam used a fruit knife to peel an apple, then cut it into small pieces and fed it to Ma Weilong with toothpicks.
This old man, sitting in a rocking chair listening to music, with someone feeding him fruit, he really knows how to enjoy himself.
But as he was eating, Ma Weilong suddenly realized something was wrong. When he came to his senses, he opened his eyes and saw a fruit knife pressed against his neck, with a man wearing black leather gloves crouching behind him.
“Friend, let’s talk this out. I’m Ma Weilong, the leader of the Viper Gang. If you want money, there’s some in the cabinet. Take it. Don’t fight. Everything can be discussed. I can even give you a woman if you want. Knives don’t have eyes. There’s no need to go this far.”
Ma Weilong remained relatively calm, showing no greed for money whatsoever. He voluntarily revealed his secret stash of money, and even readily gave away women.
At this moment, the woman in the cheongsam was so frightened that she collapsed to the ground, trembling. She didn't even know when or where the stranger in the dark gray coat had entered the house. She only remembered that she was cutting an apple when suddenly a large hand reached out from behind her, very gently taking the fruit knife from her hand and raising a finger to her, telling her to be quiet.
The tall man wore a scarf and glasses, obscuring almost ninety percent of his face, making it impossible to discern his features. But the woman in the cheongsam could clearly feel a chilling murderous aura locking onto her. She had no doubt that even a fart would be fatal to this stranger.
"Boss Ma, of course I know you're the leader of the Viper Gang, because that's who I'm looking for. You might not recognize me, and frankly, I don't want to, but you've crossed the line, gone too far... What isn't yours, you can't touch even if it's on the table. And even if it is yours, I haven't said you can take it, so you can't. Remember, starting yesterday, the Razor Gang is in charge after nightfall in Shanghai. Of course, you won't have a chance to convey this message to your men, so if possible, try to send them messages in their dreams."
"Razor Club...?"
Ma Weilong's heart skipped a beat. Just as he was about to speak, he felt the sharp fruit knife slice across his throat. The words he wanted to say escaped through the wound, turning into a desperate whimper.
The woman in the cheongsam turned deathly pale with fright, but dared not utter a sound, covering her mouth tightly with both hands. A warm liquid gushed out between her legs, wetting a large area.
Ma Weilong clutched his own neck with both hands, but he couldn't stop the gushing blood. His body convulsed a few times before he finally stopped breathing.
The man in the dark gray overcoat calmly stood up, smeared some blood on Ma Weilong with a fruit knife, and carved a line of words on the wall. Then he gave the woman in the cheongsam a gentlemanly bow, opened the door, and swaggered away.
The woman was terrified out of her wits. She was shaking like a leaf, and her gaze trembled as she looked at the wall. There were several large, bloody characters that read: "The murderer is the Four-Faced Buddha, acting on behalf of Heaven."
Half an hour later, police officers from the Jing'an Police Station rushed to the scene, accompanied by agents from the 76th Special Police Unit and Kawasaki, a tracking expert from the Japanese Special Higher Police.
"The killer is Four-Faced Buddha, acting on behalf of Heaven? Hmph! Where did this guy come from? I've never heard of him before. We finally managed to break up the Axe Gang, and now this Four-Faced Buddha appears. He's got some big stuff, taking down the leader of the Viper Gang in one fell swoop."
Team number 76 was personally led by Deputy Director Li Shiqun, who glanced at Ma Weilong at the scene.
Privately, he and Ma Weilong were very close friends. In fact, they were traitors in the same boat, both lackeys of the Japanese, helping the enemy bully their compatriots in order to rise to power.
Kawasaki examined the footprints and windows at the scene and soon concluded: "The murderer must have climbed in through a window from another room. He moved very quietly and was very skilled. The cause of death for Chief Ma was that his carotid artery was severed, and the cut was very deep, almost completely severing his neck. Either this person was extremely strong, or he had a very deep hatred for Chief Ma."
After Kawasaki finished speaking, he looked at the woman in the cheongsam who was still trembling: "Did you see the murderer's face clearly?"
The woman raised her head somewhat blankly, then shook it. Her reaction greatly displeased Kawasaki, who immediately raised his hand and slapped her twice across the face, leaving the elegant woman in the cheongsam with swollen cheeks and blood flowing from her mouth and nose.
"Huh? No... I didn't see clearly! He... he was wearing a scarf covering his face and dark glasses... I only remember that he was very tall and burly, and spoke in a low voice. He said... he said something like, if it's not yours, you can't touch it even if it's on the table, and even if it's yours and you weren't told to take it, you can't touch it."
Kawasaki squinted and continued, "What else did he say? Tell me every single word you heard."
The woman seemed to be brought back to her senses by the two slaps, and began to try her best to recall and describe everything she had heard and seen.
Kawasaki finally concluded that this person must be the mysterious assassin who had been in one-way contact with Qingxia, codenamed "Chang'e." He orchestrated and planned the poisoning of Mr. Su, the attack on Zhou Hongyi's hospital, the transfer of weapons experts during the Lion King competition on New Year's Day, and the attack on the biochemical materials and equipment transport team. He was called "Sun Wukong," the demon-slaying hero, in the newspapers. In reality, they had already learned his codename—Four-Faced Buddha—from the note Qingxia had swallowed.
"It's him, he's shown up again! Baka... Why would he target the Viper Gang? We must report this to the captain immediately!"