Special District 9 Chapter 113: Responsibility and Heritage

After being unconscious for several hours, Ma Lao-er finally woke up. After Qin Yu fed him some water, he turned to Uncle Ma and said, “I’ll leave you two be. I need to make some preparations.”

“Alright.” Old Ma nodded.

Qin Yu walked out of the room and closed the door shut before shouting, “Old Cat, Guan Qi, follow me upstairs. We’ll be taking a look at how we should proceed on.”

…

Inside the room.

Old Ma sat by the side of the bed with his head lowered, not saying a word at all.

Ma Lao-er stared dazedly at the ceiling before asking with a raspy voice, “How is Zishu?”

“He’s fine,” Old Ma replied lightly.

Ma Lao-er closed his eyes. His lips trembled as he spoke on shakily, “Uncle, I was wrong… Zishu advised me before I took action, but I didn’t listen… In the end, Little Liu died, and we didn’t even manage to get Maozi’s body back… I… I really deserve to die!”

Under the dim lighting, for some reason, Old Ma’s arched figure looked particularly reliable. With a steady voice, he said, “Lao-er, there were three brothers in my generation, and I was the youngest. When we first entered Special District 9, we had nothing at all. So, your father took my second brother to steal the rations of others and dabble in all sorts of things so long as it brought food to the table. I was still young and immature then, and I lived my life off them. I spent my days doing nothing but to eat, shit, and fool around with women.”

Ma Lao-er listened to Old Ma’s story quietly.

“On the fourth year that Songjiang officially distributed permanent residency rights to outsiders, my second brother suddenly became severely ill. We had no savings at home then… Your father panicked, so he brought a few brothers to raid the cargo truck that sends rations from Fengbei to Songjiang. That night, your second uncle didn’t sleep a wink at all, but I didn’t feel a thing at all. I spent the night playing cards with others in Dirt Street.”

Old Ma paused here for a moment as his eyes reddened a little. “The following morning, someone ran over and told me that your father has been killed. He was shot more than twenty times. I was completely flabbergasted at that moment. I didn’t know what to do at all… But a miracle happened. Your second uncle, who had been bedridden for two months then, suddenly overcame his illness.”

“Without any medicine?”

“Without any medicine. He did it through sheer willpower.” Old Ma’s turbid eyes had grown a little moist as he continued his story hoarsely. “After your second uncle came back, he gathered all of your father’s brothers and led them to make a living together. During that period of time, I helped them to deliver their stocks as a runner.”

“How did my second uncle die?” Ma Lao-er asked hoarsely. “You have never told me this story before.”

“He got into a fight with someone over a store in Dirt Street. That person assaulted him while his guard was down and stabbed him seven times,” Old Ma replied. “When I went to the hospital to visit him, he told me that he didn’t dare to die yet. He was waiting for me.”

Ma Lao-er found himself unable to speak a word at all.

“I was stunned again,” Old Ma said as he wiped away his tears and continued with a deep voice. “Your second uncle grabbed my hands and told me with eyes as large as bells that if our oldest brother hadn’t died while raiding the cargo truck, he would have succumbed to his illness. But when he heard that our oldest brother had died while lying ill on his bed, the only thought that remained in his mind was that the backbone of our family was gone. If he were to die as well, what would happen to our family… That’s why, he didn’t dare to die at all.”

Ma Lao-er listened to Old Ma’s words quietly.

“Lao-er, do you know what does the word ‘family’ means?” Old Ma looked at his nephew with his aged face. “A family is a place where you see the young grow and the old depart. It’s a heritage, and it needs to go on!”

“Uncle, don’t say anymore. I understand…!”

“Lao-er, you need to grow quickly,” Old Ma said deeply. “At my age, a day lost is a day that will never come back. You’re the oldest one of the younger generation of our Ma Family… If you can’t hold the fort, I won’t be able to leave in peace.”

“Uncle, I won’t make you worry ever again,” Ma Lao-er clenched his fists in determination as he replied.

Old Ma patted Ma Lao-er’s shoulder and said, “Failure is not something to be feared, but you need to accept and learn from failure. Maozi, Little Liu, and those children whom you hang out with, they are people who no one cares about… They address you as your brother, support you, and settle your stuff for you. Is that so that you can point a gun at Yong Dong’s head and inflate your ego? Do you know what the weight of their trust is called? It is called responsibility!”

“I get it, uncle!”

“Sleep for a while more.” Old Ma exhaled deeply before patting Ma Lao-er’s shoulder. Then, he rose to his feet and walked out of the dimly-lit room.

Ma Lao-er stared at the ceiling above, but all he could see was Old Ma’s arched silhouette.

…

Within the Wasteland District.

A dirty young man, dressed in a leather jacket with beard growing all over his face, walked into a tent.

“You’re here?” A well-built man sitting by a campfire sliced a slab of slightly raw mutton as he asked, “You’re heading there tomorrow?”

“Nah, I’m here to tell you that I won’t be able to head over there anymore.” The dirty young man sat down with crossed legs as he sliced a piece of mutton and chewed on it. “I have some urgent matters on. I’ll need to leave with my men first.”

“What are you playing at?” the well-built man frowned. “This matter is only half done, and you’re going to abandon it now? What am I to do then?”

“You can just find someone else to continue on with it,” the dirty young man remarked as he wiped off the grease on his lips. “As long as you offer enough money, you’ll find plenty of people volunteering themselves.”

“Bullshit! You also know how urgent this matter is, so how am I to find someone suitable in such a short span of time?”

“… Alright, I’ll give you a contact number. Call him, and he’ll bring his men over right away,” the young man said. “However, I really have to leave.”

The well-built man contemplated for a moment before he said, “I’ll increase your compensation.”

“This isn’t about the money.” The young man shook his head.

Pah!

The well-built man pulled out a pistol from his back and placed it on the table. “I don’t trust outsiders. You need to finish the work before leaving.”

The young man continued chewing on the mutton as he looked at the pistol on the table. A smile slowly crept onto his face as he remarked, “Oh? Looks like a decent gun!”

The well-built man sipped on his alcohol without saying a word.

The young man grabbed the pistol, aimed it at the left, and pulled the trigger.

Bang bang bang!

A few gunshots sounded. The well-built man raised his head, revealing his livid face as he asked, “What do you mean by this?”

“This gun isn’t as accurate as I thought,” the young man remarked as he placed the gun back onto the table. He leaned back lackadaisically as he remarked, “When it comes to guns, even three of you combined won’t be a match for me.”

Right after saying those words, another two more men walked into the tent as well.

The young man waved his hand to indicate to those two men to stop before continuing on, “It’s an urgent matter, so I need to go now. I’ll make up for what I owe you the next time around. You don’t have to give me a single cent of the final compensation for this job.”

The well-built man was silent for a long while before he finally sighed deeply, “Do you have a grudge with money or something?”

“… There are some people and matters in this world that are more important than money,” the young man chuckled before he tucked his hands into his sleeves and walked away.

…

A day and a half later, in the military training field.

Qin Yu pushed the door open and said, “Prepare yourselves! I’m going to send the message over right now!”

…

Inside the city.

Yong Dong’s phone rang. He lowered his head to look at the message, only to see a line of words.

“I’m on my way.”