haak

How're you holdin' up, dai lo? Is your wound still hurting? Hang in there, I'll get you to the hospital right away.

*inhales sharply*... No, Ah Jun. We can't go to there. We'll be found out...

You idiot, we'd be walkin' straight into quicksand if we go to the hospital. The docs over there are sharp. They'll know something's up the moment they see a wound like this.

B-But... Yu, we can't just leave him like this, can we?

I heard there's a small clinic up at the front of this alley. Wanna head there and try your luck?

There won't be as many doctors in a small-time place like that, so it'll be easy to keep things under control. Why don't we...?

Sure... Let's go. I think it'll be fine.

Hang in there, dai lo. We'll get you there.

Windows... Locked. Curtains... Can't leave a single gap.

Stuff under the beds... Lemme see...

Good. Everything's there.

And what else... Ah, of course, gotta lock up the door.

Good thing I remembered. Nearly forgot there...

(Who is it––?)

(Don't think I've seen their mugs before...)

Nei hou. Who might you be?

Is there a doctor in the house? My brother here... He's hurt. Can you save him?

We're closed for the day. Could I ask you to come back tomorrow?

Doc, you... How could you just turn down a guy on death's door like that?!

If it's really that serious, why not go to a proper hospital for treatment instead of knockin' on the door of my shack off the corner of the street in the middle of the night?

The more you argue with me, the more it proves your bro over there is far from death's door.

The hell? What kind of doctor are you anyway to be talking like that?

Huh, that's funny. I never said anything about being a doctor.

Give it up. You can't kick this door down.

Sei puk gaai...

(Did they leave...?)

The anxious doctor holds his breath and stretches his neck to look out the door's mirror, seeing no one standing under the eaves.

Just to be sure, however, he puts his ear close to the door's panel. After a while, when he is sure that no sounds are coming from the other side of the door, he steadies his nerves and clutches his chest as he finally lets out a deep exhale.

Phew...

(That scared me half to death, I thought one of the old man's enemies came to settle the score.)

(Never expected someone to show up looking for a doctor at this hour though. Weird... Don't tell me that old timer I saved a few days ago is talking up my medical skills again.)

What a pain... Should've left this place to rot a long time ago. All I wanted was to put some food on the table, and maybe fix a few sniffles and head colds in the process.

Ugh... But, I let curiosity get the better of me when I saw that old timer's condition.

This place shouldn't last much longer. The old man pissed off so many people, it won't be long until someone comes bangin' on the door after they hear the news.

Crap... I gotta get outta here.

Ugh, what awful luck. Barely got half a year of normalcy... When am I gonna be able to stop running and hiding?

Huh–?!

(Shit... I forgot to latch the back door...)

Heheh. Sir, your rear entrance isn't as secure as the front door. All it took was a few bits of metal wire.

Hmm... Sounds like your brother's injury must be pretty serious. Can't wait a moment, can you?

You little shit. If you know what's good for you, you'll shut your trap and fix him up. Anything happens to him, you're a dead man.

C'mon, buddy... If you help me out this time, I promise, I'll return the favor. You won't regret it.

The two of you are singin' very two different tunes, but I like the sound of it.

You're overthinking it, man.

Heh. And what tune will you be singing?

Whatever you want to hear. There's no shame in that.

Smooth talker, aren't we–

Gah! You bastard!

Hey, what the hell are you doing? Hands off, don't hurt me!

Quit your yapping, buddy. Just behave yourself, and, *cough* *cough*... think carefully about how you're gonna fix me up.

Urgh... Hiss...

Are you even taking this seriously, you little shit?

Can't you tell I'm stitching up a wound?

Enough of that, Yu. By the way, sir, would you happen to have any anesthetics?

You think a little hut like mine would have stuff like that? Don't come here if you're afraid of a little pain.

My medicine bottle!

Mind your tone, if you care about whatever's left of this stuff.

(Calm down, calm down. One of these bastards' arms is as thick as both my legs...)

Alright. I'm gonna chat with your brother here to distract him from the pain, alright?

Hey, can you still talk?

Run that mouth, if you want. Just don't stop working.

So, how'd you get that injury along your back? Looks like your skin and muscle literally got ripped apart. Almost twenty centimeters from your shoulders to the back of your waist after I measured it.

Got caught on the spikes of an iron fence.

Were you hopping a wall?

Excuse me, but did my words offend you in some way?

Mind your own business. There are some questions you shouldn't ask.

(Patience, patience. I don't have any drugs on hand capable of dealing with these guys...)

Say... How did you find this place?

Someone told us there's a small clinic here. Said he's been here before.

So, you're really just here to get an injury treated?

Why else?

Nobody said anything about me, right? Anything like... about some of the 'patients' I saw before?

Nothing I care about.

(Looks like they're just a bunch of nobodies... I've been overreacting here.)

You're a hard one to talk to, huh? Forget it, I'll just put the radio on; maybe it'll make a better conversation partner.

(Gah, if you aren't some Triad here looking for revenge, I guess you're the unlucky one for falling into my hands.)

This is a breaking news report. At 6:00 PM today, the Lungmen Jewelry Co. was viciously robbed.

Three gangsters armed with short crossbows subdued the clerk, pried open the counter, and fled with jewelry valued in the tens of millions.

Authorities reported that following the robbery, the L.G.D. rushed to the scene of the crime and confirmed that the shop assistant was in critical condition after trying to fight off the criminals, and is currently in intensive care.

According to the clerk's statements, the three criminals were all wearing masks, and one of them sustained an injury to his back, which should've left a wound.

(Hah...!)

We hope that people from all walks of life will proactively provide information about these at-large suspects...

Shut up already, dumb machine.

The man sitting at the table rudely presses the power button before the announcement can finish.

The doctor stiffly turns his head and sees a look of displeasure on the man's face, his hands in his pockets as if brandishing something.

When he lowers his head again and looks at the bloody back of the man lying on the bed, the doctor sucks in a mouthful of cold air.

(Well, shit...)

This isn't good.

What isn't good?

(*gulp*)

Uhh... What else would it be? His wound, umm... I don't have enough medicine here. All I can do is some suture work, but I can't say how well he'll recover later.

Hey, man, what the hell are you standing up for?

I just want to make a quick call to have someone bring over some more medicine. What are you getting all tense for?

Making a call? No, we can't have you doing that.

(Looks like I'm right on the money here, given how paranoid they are. What do I do now then...?)

(If I'm not careful... They're gonna shut me up forever to keep the evidence from leaking out.)

(Or maybe... No, I can't. I can't reveal my identity. Not now, after I'm so close to finally breaking from the old ways and settling down.)

(*sticks a hand into his pocket and strokes something*)

(Shit, he's reaching into his pocket again... Is it a knife? Or a mini crossbow?)

(Calm down, there has to be some way...)