Mad Dog - V

“Zhang, I have, I think, the very good idea to strangle you to death, so unless you fess up and explain yourself, I think I’m going to do just that,” says Yuura, who paces around the park bench.

“I got you guys out, that’s pretty good, all things considered.”

“Out, out?! What about our situation here screams out?! Nobu-kun’s not here, he’s knee-deep who knows where, and for all I know, the Tearer could be murdering him as we speak!”

Zhang looks sorry. “Calm down, Yuura—”

“Calm?” She bites her lip and takes a moment to breathe. “Okay. I’ll try. But I expect answers, with the incredible amount of self-restraint I’m using.”

Leaning against the wooden bench, Zhang continues. “Nobu-kun’s not going to die. In fact, I’d say he’s probably fine. The Tearer’s pretty selective, you know that. Only kills Chinamen.”

“Sure,” says Yuura, stopping dead in her tracks and leaning forward to gauge Zhang. “But I don’t imagine this Tearer ever had to deal with a couple of investigators on their track.”

Zhang meets her gaze. “Wrong, actually. We paid off a few guys and scared a few others already. Never killed any of them. Never touched a hair, ankle, or nail.”

I look over. “You did not mention the act of kidnapping.”

“Right,” the man agrees. “Kidnapping, admittedly, is a first time. My guess is that they’re gonna hold him hostage for a few days, and then let him go once they’re satisfied.”

“You guess.” Yuura chews on that word. “Guess.” A bit angrier. “Guess!” A bit like a monkey.

“I’m speaking from experience,” explains Zhang. “But I’m not a liar. I’m not going to pretend it’s a stroll in the park, and things are gonna be real great, because frankly, you never fucking know.” Silence. “That’s why I’m going to help you rescue him.”

“Why should we trust you after last time?”

“Because last time, there was still hope of my plan succeeding. But now, it’s dead. The wood’s been made into a boat, and it’s going to sail to who knows where.”

“Zhang,” I say. “What was your plan?”

Within seconds, his eyes go a bit wide, and his mouth pulls down, letting out a little sigh.

“To meet with the Tearer, and find my brother.”

“Your brother?”

He nods.

“He was working with the Ejīngbāng, I discovered. Got tied up with them one way or the other. But that’s where the information more or less ended.”

“No information,” Yuura muses. “So he got smuggled in?”

Hungry Whale Gang

“Exactly,” Zhang replies dryly. “The Ejīngbāng smuggle the biggest contraband of all. People. Offering the chance to escape overseas while taking their savings, and holding their passports when they arrive. My brother was one of those involved. He’d heard of a job offer and joined up with the gang. Thought he’d make big money, and left his family and friends behind like the dumbass he is.”

“Do you know where he is?” I hear Yuura’s voice soften.

“That’s the thing. I’ve been with the Eight-Virtue Sect for two months now, and I haven’t caught a whiff of the guy—” He pauses for a short breath, but continues just as quickly—“It might seem obvious, but the ‘gang’—the Eight-Virtue Sect you know about, is just the tip of the iceberg called the Ejīngbāng. They’ve got connections to the triad. Subdivisions all across cities in Japan. All sorts of nasty stuff. This murder spree of theirs is only the import of a branch, of a branch, of the original tree. Get the picture?”

“So…” I think out loud. “Now, you just need to find which branch, of which branch, of which branch, your brother is perched on.”

Zhang sits with his head to the sky. His eyes are fixed on the leaves of a maple tree. The look on his face makes me think that he’s considering something. Food, perhaps.

“Well, that’s the gist of it. Point is, the Eight-Virtue Sect thinks I betrayed them, and all that went to shit. So, I have nothing to lose, and think hanging around you guys is mutually beneficial. Sound good?”

Yuura nods. “Apparently, I’m more forgiving than I thought.” She looks a bit friendlier. Like a stray dog, after a few snacks. “Sounds mostly good, Zhang-kun.”

“Mostly?” He smiles.

“Yes, mostly. Seeing as we’ve acknowledged that my good friend is kidnapped, I’m now wondering what we should possibly do to rectify that.”

“I said I’d help you rescue him.”

“You did. But, how?”

Zhang keeps silent. “Good question, mademoiselle.”

“You have no idea, do you?”

“Haha, did the fact that I didn’t say anything give it away?”

“What idea is there to have?” I say. “Find where Tearer is. Break in. Kill Tearer, save boy.”

“Yeah.” Zhang grins. “Do the same thing we just did, but against even more people. That’ll do the trick. That went well enough last time.”

“More people?” I say, thinking it over. “If more people are the problem, then we just make less people.”

“How?” asks Yuura.

“Easy. We do what they did to Nobu. We kidnap one of them.”

Yuura takes a deep breath, looking confused. “Where do we even start? Nobu-kun wasn’t even there at the house, was he?” She stops. “Or maybe…”

“He was. At the house, I mean,” says Zhang quickly. “I checked up on him. In fact, he was in the room next to yours, up until a certain moment in time. My guess is a few minutes into the thing, they decided on a plan without me, and had him transported.”

Transported. I stroke my chin and think about that. Transported. If they transported Nobu, when did that happen?

Suddenly, I get it. Like a groan of hunger in the stomach. But deep in my brain. An idea!

“Ning and the rest await you in the car outside. I believe you have important business to attend to.”

“Zhang! The blonde woman you talked to. What if her important business was taking Nobu elsewhere?”

He doesn’t get it at first. His brain-gears turn slow, chk chk, but start to wind faster and faster, and then, a smile crosses his face. Zhang understands.

He puts his hand in his pocket. Taking out a flip-phone with a smile on his face. “So. Now I’m sure they took Nobu-kun somewhere.”

“Is that something to smile about?” asks Yuura.

“No. But, potentially knowing where they took him is.”

I watch him dial in some numbers. Hear it too. Clicks and pops of cheap plastic. Sending a message.

“There are two hideouts besides the warehouse. An apartment in Ropponmatsu, and there’s one in Iikura. The former’s four minutes away, and the latter is sixteen.”

Yuura doesn’t quite understand. “What does it matter?”

“Iikura is ten extra minutes away from Ropponmatsu.” Zhang doesn’t explain further, but ends his voice on the implication that it’ll make sense later.

Like an old dog with no energy to spare, Yuura relents and moves on. “Okay. And the person you’re messaging will make it make sense.”

“Right. You’ll see.” Zhang types away. “He’s a guy I know. You could say we were partners.”

“He’s a gangster, isn’t he?” asks Yuura tiredly, closing her eyes for a few seconds. “What’s the point of asking someone in the gang where they’re keeping someone?”

“First of all, he’s self-employed. Guy’s an independent contractor for the Ejīngbāng. So he does work for a lot of the different branches. He’s the Han Xin of gangsters. Doesn’t report to anyone else. Except the boss… and me.”

I scratch my chin and think it over. This partner of his… “Is he the kid that followed you?”

Zhang nods. “Bingo. I’m his supervisor in the gang. And no one else has his contact information except the boss.”

“Wait.” Yuura holds out a hand. “If you’re his supervisor, then that means you have more power than he does, right? In that case, how’s he supposed to know where Nobu is?”

“Because,” says Zhang eventually. “I kid you not—he’s a cleaner.”

“A cleaner,” I think out loud. “Like… of bodies, yes?”

That would explain why he followed Zhang to the crime scene…

“Yeah. But also a literal cleaner. Like a housemaid. He prepares the warehouse and apartment for people to live in. So, depending on who and where he’s cleaning for, we can figure out where Nobu-kun is.”

“What?” says Yuura in disbelief. “Are you serious?”

“Yes!” replies Zhang. “I’m telling you! Take Iolanda—the blonde chick. She loves Ichikami shampoo, so my partner, when he prepares a place, always buys that. So, since we know Iolanda left the building with Nobu, we know that wherever she is, is also probably where Nobu is.”

Yuura’s not satisfied. “If your partner only has connections to you, how can he enter the places to clean in the first place?”

“He has a key forged for every hideout, courtesy of the boss. So assuming he’s still cleaning the place up, they won’t have time to tell him I’m a traitor! Because. They. Don’t. Have. His. Number!”

His logic is pretty sound. A bit hopeful. But not wholly without reason. Assuming Zhang can really get to his friend in time, and that the others haven’t already, it’s possible the information’s just waiting.

It’s only been maybe ten minutes since what happened. Depending on where they take Nobu, how close and how far their hideout is, it could mean we’re either very early or very late.

So.

If his partner replies that he’s still cleaning. And doesn’t know Zhang is a traitor, then he’s in Iikura, which is further away.

If his partner doesn’t reply or ignores the message, we can assume he knows Zhang is a traitor, and his partner is in Ropponmatsu, where the gang has already reached him.

Either way, we can narrow down where they are judging on the partner’s reaction.

Very smart. You are well-rounded, dumpling Zhang.

“No,” Yuura mumbles. Shaking her head a bit. “Wait—”

His phone starts to ring. Yuura looks like she’s about to say something, but stops when the call goes through.

“Hey, Brother Hong,” Zhang says in Chinese. “Where are you right now?”

A voice comes through the speaker. Loud and static-y. “Oh, Brother Zhang, I was just thinking of calling you, hehe.” He sounds like a bird in early morning. “I’m at the apartment! Just enjoying some time alone, and the sweet song of silence~”

Alone. Zhang fist-bumps the air. That means they didn’t reach him yet. Nice.

“Oh, awesome. Awesome.” He looks to us and nods. “Listen, Brother Hong. Don’t wanna intrude on your line of work and all, but I gotta ask, did you remember to get that shampoo Iolanda likes?”

Zhang makes a show of crossing his fingers.

“Of course!” pouts the boyish voice. “And actually, it’s the Ichikami moisturising set, shampoo and body lotion! Just so you know. Maybe if you put as much thought into her hygienic preferences as I did, you’d actually be able to get laid!”

“Alright, alright.” Nods Zhang. “Got you. Thank you, Brother Hong, really appreciated.”

“No worries, Brother Zhang!” The voice sounds pleased. “If you need anything else, feel free to call, okay?”

The two share a few more socially accepted words before the call hangs up altogether.

“Jackpot,” says Zhang without a hint of grace.