Big Kuizi covered his pierced left hand with his right and was just about to open his mouth to scream.
The barrel of my pistol was already jammed into his mouth.
"Big Kuizi, don't get excited. I've got a round chambered and the safety off. If it goes off, you can't blame me."
A quick aside here: whether a gun fires with the safety "on" or "off" is a topic of some confusion.
I can tell you guys, usually, the safety switch on a firearm will have the letters "F" and "S."
"F" stands for Fire, meaning the safety is off. "S" stands for Safe, meaning the safety is locked.
In short, flipping the switch to "F" means you can shoot; flipping it to "S" means it's locked.
Opening the safety and closing the safety—it's just different ways of saying the same thing.
Of course, I sincerely hope none of my friends ever need to use this knowledge.
A gun is a tool of violence. If an ordinary person touches this thing, it will bring misfortune. For the specific misfortunes, refer to Article 128 of the Criminal Law.
With one hand holding the gun in Big Kuizi's mouth and the other pressing down hard on the military spike piercing his hand, I kept him frozen in pain, afraid to move.
A scene like this, placed in any other region, would be enough to make the crowd scream and scatter in all directions.
But this was Lincang. The people around didn't scream or scatter; instead, they looked on with expressions like they were watching a show.
A short, stout man pushed through the crowd. His expression was unfriendly. "Friend, where do you hustle? Your face is unfamiliar. Coming to Old Ghost's place to cause trouble?"
The little pickpocket who led the way earlier had mentioned that this place was protected by someone named Old Ghost.
It was early spring, and the late cold snap cut deeper into the bone than the winter wind, but Old Ghost was only wearing a thin cotton jacket.
The clothes on both sides of his waist bulged high; clearly, he was packing heat underneath.
I didn't want to be too flashy. This Old Ghost dared to set up a gambling den in the chaotic south city; he was definitely not on the same level as those little pickpockets from before.
"Brother Old Ghost, I'm one of Big Brother Jiang Qingbo's men. I came here to collect a debt from Big Kuizi. I waited until your game was finished before making a move."
"I'm still a green kid, don't know the weight of things. If I've offended you, please forgive me, Brother Old Ghost."
Hearing that I was Jiang Qingbo's man, Old Ghost's eyes flickered. It was obvious he didn't want to go against Jiang Qingbo.
If he had that kind of power, he wouldn't have been pushed to the edge of the south city, living off a few tables under some big trees.
"Hmph, so being Jiang Qingbo's man makes you special? You don't look like a green kid to me. Your words are slick, and your hands aren't soft when handling business!"
My attention was entirely on Big Kuizi, but hearing Old Ghost say this, I had to turn back and smile at him.
"I'm not special, but my Big Brother Jiang Qingbo should still have some face in Lincang. I hope Brother Old Ghost can make it convenient for me. I'm only taking Big Kuizi."
Big Kuizi was gambling at a table under Old Ghost's protection. My actions undoubtedly made Old Ghost lose face, and people would question if he could still offer protection in the future.
But I had invoked Jiang Qingbo's name and spoken softly myself.
This gave Old Ghost a way out. "Hmph, you can take him, but tell Old Scarface that I'm selling him this favor, and I expect him to give me an explanation."
I cursed inwardly. If you can't afford to mess with Jiang Qingbo, just say so. Why pretend to be a big bad wolf at a time like this?
Give you an explanation? If Jiang Qingbo even spares you a second glance, you win.
But I still smiled and nodded. "I will. I'll tell Big Brother."
Old Ghost let it go at that and went back to sit where he was before.
I let out a sigh of relief, took my finger off the trigger, and wiggled the gun in Big Kuizi's mouth.
"Big Kuizi, I'm going to pull the spike out now, but don't you dare move. This is my first time handling business with a gun, and my heart is a little scared."
"If you move and my hand shakes, you'll really be taking yourself out. Don't blame me."
Big Kuizi's eyes were red, the whites covered in bloodshot veins.
But he was a tough one. There was no submission or fear in his gaze.
A real old timer.
I gently pulled out the military spike from his left hand, but before he could catch his breath, I immediately stabbed it down into his right hand.
Now, both his palms were pierced through by me.
"Sorry about that. You're just too big and scary; I got a little frightened. Just bear with it."
After stabbing both his palms, I finally flipped the safety on and tucked the gun back into my waist.
Then, grabbing his hair with one hand and holding the spike across his throat with the other, I dragged him backward.
Big Kuizi was much taller than me. With me grabbing his hair like this, his body had to lean backward, making it extremely uncomfortable to walk in reverse.
I didn't slow down to wait for him, and he didn't dare stop. He could only desperately speed up to keep pace with me.
If he stepped too slow, my spike would slit his throat.
I dragged Big Kuizi several dozen meters away, turned into a random alley, and finally stopped.
I circled from behind him to his front. The tip of the spike had already broken the skin, and blood was seeping from his neck.
I said softly, "You should know why I was looking for you. Where's the money?"
Big Kuizi, with both hands pierced, could actually still laugh at a time like this.
"Money for a dick-hair's life? You tell Jiang Qingbo, I'll burn that money for him after he dies."
I didn't say a word, just nodded gently.
An old timer is an old timer; he wasn't scared at all.
Blood streamed from Big Kuizi's hands as he looked down at me. "Kid (Ya-er), I was out hustling on the streets when I was seventeen. What kind of scene haven't I seen? You, a person the size of a dick hair, think you can scare me?"
"If you're ruthless today, just finish me off. There's no money. If you have the guts, take my life."
I nodded again and grinned. "You think I'm trying to scare you? No worries. It's just forty thousand yuan, right? I'll pay it back for you."
Big Kuizi shook his hands, splattering blood on my face.
"Sure, you pay it back for me. From now on, you can call me Dad. I'm almost forty; I'm old enough to be your father."
I gave a savage grin, squatted down, and drove the spike straight into his calf. My right hand gripping the handle could clearly feel the blade scraping against bone.
Big Kuizi's face instantly turned beet red, like a branding iron.
"Ah! Fuck your mother! If you're ruthless, stab me in the heart! Otherwise, no matter how many times you stab me today, my answer is the same."
"Money for a dick-hair's life? I'll burn it for Jiang Qingbo after he dies."
I kicked the wound on Big Kuizi's calf. He couldn't stand anymore and stumbled to his knees.
The blade of the spike in my hand slid across his face but didn't cut the skin.
"Alright, alright. I won't stab you anymore. I see your left hand isn't tidy; let me trim it for you."
"One knuckle is worth a thousand yuan. You're missing a section of your ring finger, so that leaves twenty-seven knuckles."
"The rest, I'll cut from your toes!"
I twisted Big Kuizi's left hand back. The spike swept across, and in an instant, I sliced off the tips of his index and middle fingers.
"I'll count that as four thousand for you. Bear with it. You've paid back two thousand now."