Special District 9 Chapter 141: Promise

Three months later at Jiangzhou.

Qin Yu, who had finally recovered from his illness, packed his luggage as he instructed Old Cat, “I’ll be heading back first to check out the situation. You should remain here with Qi Lin to take a look at the Yu Family’s production line and help them settle the connections they require for the delivery. After you’re done, just wait for my call.”

“Aren’t we supposed to return in August? Why are you in such a rush to head back?” Old Cat lounged on the sofa as he asked. “Is it Old Li’s instruction?”

“Un,” Qin Yu nodded. “Yuan Ke has resigned, so there might be some manpower shuffling in the Police Bureau. Uncle Li probably has something in mind, so he told me to head back first. Besides, I still have a brat back at home to take care of. I’ve already left him be for three whole months; it wouldn’t do to let him continue lazing around. I need to head back and make some arrangements for him.”

“Alright then,” Old Cat nodded. “I’ll settle the delivery routes while I’m here, or else it’ll be a pain in the ass to decide on the route each time goods are coming in.”

“That’s the way to go. I feel so heartened to see that my son is finally setting his mind to do proper work,” Qin Yu remarked with a chuckle. “Stop wasting your time ogling at women; you aren’t young anymore.”

“Scram.”

“Heh. Once I’m done packing, I’ll give a heads up to Coco before setting off.”

“She said that she’ll treat you to a meal before you leave.”

“Oh? She really knows how to maintain her connections,” Qin Yu remarked with a grin. “I’ll give her a call later on. Let’s have a hearty meal together tonight.”

…

Fengbei’s First Prison.

Old Ma sat on top of a prison bunk bed with a healthy glow on his face as he read a novel.

“Brother Ma, what do you want to eat tonight?” a bulky man seated on top of a thick blanket picked at his toes as he asked.

“You keep treating me to food, but there’s nothing I can do to repay you,” Old Ma said with a smile. “I’ll pass. You should save whatever you have; there’s still hope for you.”

“What is money for if not to spend?” the bulky man stretched his body lazily as he said. “I wouldn’t bother doing this if it’s anyone else. You’re the only one I truly respect here.”

“I’ll leave it up to you then.” Old Ma didn’t stand on ceremony. “I’ll eat whatever you get me.”

“It’s settled then. Let me take a nap first. I’ll get someone to bring us some decent food later at night,” the bulky man said as he lay down on the bunk bed and pulled the thick blanket over him.

A short while later, a prison guard walked across the corridor over to their cell and shouted through the metal bars, “Old Ma!”

“Ah, it’s Officer Wang,” Old Ma put down his book and walked over. “Is there anything you need me for?”

“You have some visitors from Songjiang. Wash up a bit first. Come to my office once you’re done to tidy yourself up. I’ll bring you to meet them afterward,” the prison guard said.

Old Ma was stunned for a moment before replying, “Alright, I understand.”

…

Roughly half an hour later.

Old Ma was brought out of his cell and into Officer Wang’s office. There, he used Officer Wang’s razor to shave his beard neatly.

“Come, put on my clothes.” The prison guard took out a shirt and pants that were clean, albeit old, and passed them over to Old Ma.

Old Ma was a little surprised, asking, “You’re even allowing me to dress up?”

“You’re meeting the folks from your hometown, the least you can do is to look decent,” the prison guard said. “The clothes are a little big; you’ll have to make do with it.”

“Thanks,” Old Ma said.

“It’s nothing,” the prison guard replied. He grabbed his e-cigarette and sat down by the side of the room while waiting for Old Ma to ready himself.

Old Ma had spent three months in this prison so far. His family and friends from Songjiang had tried pulling connections outside to pay him a visit, but it was pity that the person Old Ma killed was no other than Xing Zihao. Prosperous Dragon had already sent their men over to demand for Old Ma to be put through some suffering in the prison. As such, those from Songjiang were neither allowed to meet Old Ma nor get anything inside the prison at all.

But despite so, Old Ma still managed to eat and sleep well inside the prison. He even managed to make quite a few friends too.

Those inside this prison, be it vile criminals who had done all sorts of bad deeds or pitiful souls who had walked down the wrong path due to the hardships of life, all carried profound respect for Old Ma. Even the prison guards had never expressed any hostile intent toward this old man before; on the contrary, they tried their best to take care of him.

Why was that the case? Were they afraid of him because he dared to kill Xing Zihao?

Of course not.

Using the words of the bulky man who had just offered to treat Old Ma to decent food: “I have been in Fengbei’s First Prison for eight months now, and I have seen at least thirty criminals who were set for the gallows. But Brother Ma, you are the only one I have seen who continues to eat and sleep as if it’s nothing at all—heck, you’re even in the mood to read! Just on your guts itself, I’ll settle all of your meals before your sentencing!“

As for the other prisoners and the prison guards, they had once told Old Ma these words, “Bro, selling medicine is no big deal. Anyone can do that stuff. But your medicine is half the price of that of Prosperous Dragon and Yuan Family, that’s a big deal worthy of respect!”

Whenever a weed tries to stand against those in power and loses tragically, it would often rile up the sympathy of his fellow weeds, not to mention that Old Ma’s act of selling cheap medicine to the poor was indeed a deed that was both noble and respectable. While making a living for himself, he brought a sliver of warmth to those suffering in this chaotic era…

After Old Ma changed his clothes, the prison guard finally brought him out of his office.

Along the corridor, the prison guard walked with his hands tucked behind his back as he asked softly, “Old Ma, your sentence was already decided two days ago?”

“Yeah. You weren’t at work that day,” Old Ma replied with a nod.

“… I see.” The prison guard nodded his head solemnly. “I’ll bring you out for a drink later at night after I’m done with my work.”

“Sounds great to me,” Old Ma replied with a chuckle.

Ten minutes later.

The prison guard opened the metal gate to the visitation room and said, “Have a good chat.”

Old Ma lowered his back and entered through the short metal gate. As soon as he lifted his head, he saw eight people, all of them from Songjiang. They were the family members of the two victims who had died in the fake medicine incident, as well as the ones who rallied the other patients to storm the Ma Family’s storage.

These people stared at Old Ma in a daze, their eyes unconsciously drifting toward the metal chains shackled on his feet. No one was able to speak a word for a long time.

“Haha.” Old Ma broke the silence with his laughter. “It has been a few months since I’ve seen any familiar faces.”

There was no response.

Standing behind the sheet of reinforced glass that separated him from the others, Old Ma leaned forward a little and asked, “Er Li, has the Black Street Sector Police Bureau called you over to settle the case yet?”

“Y-yes, they did,” the middle-aged man named Er Li nodded his head blankly.

“Did they explain the case?” Old Ma asked again.

“They did,” Er Li’s voice quavered as he spoke. His head was lowered in shame and his eyes were reddened in guilt. “Old Ma, we were the ones who landed you in this plight… We have wronged you…”

“It isn’t your fault,” Old Ma replied with a shake of his head. “I found myself wanting nothing much in the past three months I spent in this prison, except to meet you all. If I couldn’t talk things out with you, I feel like I wouldn’t be able to straighten this old back of mine even after I head to the netherworld.”

Everyone was quiet.

Old Ma licked his dry lips before suddenly he suddenly took a few steps back and said, “I wasn’t the one who made the fake medicine, but you didn’t wrong me either. No matter what, it’s true that the fake medicine had gone through our Ma Family before falling into your hands and causing the death of your loved ones. Others might think nothing much of it, but this matter weighs down heavily on me… If not for all of you in Dirt Street supporting us throughout the years, my men and I could have all been dead by now.”

“Old Ma, don’t say that.”

“Yeah. Who knows how many of us would have died if not for your medicine! Old Ma, we should be the ones thanking you!”

“…!”

Old Ma waved his hands in response. With a quivering voice, he looked at the crowd and said, “I have shackles on my feet, so I can’t bend down. Allow me to give you a bow instead. I’m sorry for the suffering you have been through. I took your money, but I failed to keep my people in check and caused the death of your loved ones…”

As he spoke, Old Ma took a deep bow.

Looking at this old man, the group of eight found tears inexplicably brimming in their eyes.

“This is enough for me. I, Old Ma, have lived and will die for my promise. I guess this counts as a wrap up for my life. I don’t have any regrets left,” Old Ma said as he straightened his back upright once more. “Tell the folks in Dirt Street that even if I die, the medicine supply will never be cut. That’s all.”

After saying his piece, Old Ma turned around and left.

…

Jiangzhou.

Qin Yu was just about to meet Coco when he received a message.

“He… is going to be executed soon.”

Qin Yu froze in place. A frown slowly tightened on his forehead, and eventually, he walked over to the window and lit a smoke.