It has been two days, and I have been staying at Mr. Harry’s house since he inquired about my returning to sleep on the street. He said that since I met him, I should never have to experience the street’s kind of lifestyle again.And truth be told, I agreed completely with him, and they had been treating me nicely at his place. Especially for the cook, every piece of meat served was a happy cow's leg.Mr. Harry seemed to be earning a lot of money as a private investigator. His home was fully furnished with everything that you could ever want in a home, and he had more than two nice cars, even though I did not know the names of their brands. I could tell they were nice from the kind of designs they had.For all I could tell, I cherished this kind of lifestyle, and for what it's worth, I knew it was only a matter of time before I started to have my own beautiful home and nice rides as well. After all, it was why we were going to China in the first place.It was in the evening of the thi
We got into one of Mr. Harry's fancy cars; however, Mr. Harry was not the one who drove. Michael did.As he drove, there was no conversation in the car among us. Mr. Harry, who sat next to the driver, continued with his cigar, and Ethan, sitting at the end of the back seat, had already opened his laptop and was staring right at it.Samantha, who was still with me in the middle of the back seat, brought a lollipop out of her pocket, and she began licking it. Emily and Benjamin, who sat next to Samantha and were at the other edge of the back seat, were the only two staring right out of the window.Michael did not drive through the road that I know of, but through a different road, which made me stay focused on the road and on how Michael grabbed the wheels.It was my deepest wish that someday I could grab the wheels as well and drive a fancy car by myself. However, not as fast as how Mr. Harry had handled his wheels, but certainly as fast as Michael drove in my presence on our way to th
I looked at Mr. Harry. This event made me remember the lessons I learned on the street: you do not have a friend, you do not have an enemy, you are by yourself, and you cannot be loyal to anyone."Has Mr. Harry set me up?" I thought as the officer looked at me with a suspecting look and as more officers were coming at me, taking strategic positions against me.At this moment, Mr. Harry stepped back, and the others with him took further steps away from the X-ray machine.Even Samantha, who should have been screened after me, was immediately nowhere to be found."Why has Mr. Harry done this to me? What is he framing me for exactly?" I asked again and again.The officer dragged me closer to himself. "Your hands above your head," he said, and quickly I complied."What is the problem, officer?" I asked. But even then, he answered me with a tough face and maximum silence.He patted his hands down on me from my chest to my pockets. And before I knew it, he dug his hand into my pocket and bro
"Shhhh!" Samantha sounded, revealing a gun to the old man which was tucked into her belt. "Move it, blondie," Mr Harry said. And just like a little child, the old man scurried away far from us to get another seat.I could not be more confused. This was not because of how the old man ran because he was shown a gun, but because Samantha had a gun. How was she able to have a gun in the first place?I knew that Mr. Harry was a private investigator, and if he had a gun, it was okay for his kind of profession, but Samantha was just a tech-savvy under Mr. Harry. Why does she have a gun? And was she not screened? How was she able to bring the gun on the plane?Too many questions persisted in my thoughts, and there were none I was able to get an answer to except Mr. Harry's voice, which had suddenly interrupted me."Sit, son, the old pig is gone for a while now," Mr. Harry said as he was already sitting and buried his head into the newspaper he started to read.In the same way, the five other
The guys were about four and did not look American; instead, they appeared Chinese but spoke English. The more I observed them, the more I noticed their lack of coordination. Even the street kids were better at ambush missions. Besides the guy collecting the passengers' valuables, the other three were confused about their leader and kept fighting over authority."Hey! Go check the-""Who do you think you are ordering me around? Why not check it yourself?"Suddenly, a commotion broke out right in front of us."Put your f***ing valuables into the bag, or I'll put a bullet in your head!" The thief collecting the valuables yelled at an old woman."Hey, she's too old for this. Can't she be an exception?" Mr. Harry voiced his opinion, which frightened me to the bone marrow.The reason was simple; I knew from my experience on the street that a gun is a type of coercive power, and whoever holds it has the authority. For this reason, we must not challenge, disobey, or confront them, but simply
Five minutes later, just as the airplane captain announced, we were already landing, and it was such a wonderful sight to behold as well.Though the takeoff from the ground to the air was not easy for me, the landing was a sweet one.Every passenger rose to their feet, including Mr. Harry, the five others, and me. We walked gently in line, stepping down the airplane stairs and finally setting our feet on the ground.I could feel the tropical air envelope me. The airport was bustling with activity. Mr. Harry, the five others, and I started walking towards the exit.Just like before, there were individuals in their uniforms standing at the arrivals, as the sign on the wall indicated. In this manner, we made our way through it, claiming our baggage before emerging into the arrivals area.As I looked around, reading the words on the wall that read "Chek Lap Kok Airport" and on the other wall that read "The Hong Kong International Airport (HKIA)," Samantha whispered to me, "That is our rid
The night was so long, especially since I hadn't gotten any sleep at all in the hotel room. All my thoughts were that they would be back, but I was wrong. The cold night must have been such a good sleep for Mr. Harry, Samantha, and the others.Mr. Harry was not in the same room as us. He was in the other room adjacent to us, alone. Samantha and Emily, who were ladies among us, shared another room beside ours.Michael was such a loud sleeper, and Benjamin was no different from him. Only Ethan slept quietly, and more often than not, he kept waking up throughout the night.At first, I also thought that it was the same reason I could not sleep. It made him not have the "good sleep," but thinking twice about it, it could be all because of Samantha."Are you okay?" I asked him one of the times he opened his eyes. It was exactly three in the morning. There was a cloak of darkness outside, except, of course, for the hotel light that killed the darkness in some areas.The only sounds I heard w
"Alas, Marcus, there is absolutely no reason to distrust Mr. Harry." I thought to myself. "I will do just as he said."I looked at Mr. Harry as we walked further into the bank. But he did not look back at me. His eyes were focused on his direction, and I began to look around.The bank was a grand mansion on its own. And the opulence and grandeur of the interior took my breath away. The polished marble floors gleamed like diamonds, and the walls, adorned with exquisite oil paintings and ornate moldings, created a sense of refinement and elegance.The high ceilings soared above me like a magnificent cathedral, with intricate chandeliers casting a warm, inviting glow on the richly carpeted floors.Behind the teller counter, the vault stood like a sentinel, its massive steel door beckoning you with the promise of safety and security. The sounds of coins clinking and bills rustling filled the air as cash was counted and sorted, adding to the symphony of the bustling bank."你好," one bank te
Suddenly, out of my blank state, my eyelids fluttered slowly. Awareness crept back into my senses. A deep breath escaped my lips, and with each inhale, life returned like the first rays of dawn breaking through the darkness. Finally, my eyes opened, and I blinked at the world's brightness.The weather seemed cold and unforgiving, with a biting wind that cut through layers of clothing like a sharp blade.As soon as I groaned in agony, attempting to sit upright, the first person my eyes peered at was Samantha."We thought you were dead!" she said."Welcome to a new day. Now, get ready for training," she said again."But training? I was barely getting better," I thought. As if the others heard my thoughts, my eyes peered at them, who were right in the right corner adjacent to Samantha in the left corner in the same tent with me. I saw them shrug their shoulders and raise their hands like they were unconcerned about my health."Get up now, Mr. Marcus. Get to training. Your father's enemie
I did not flinch, nor did my feet tremble with fear. Just like before, I knew the gun was empty because I was the one who assembled it, and I did not see where I had inserted the bullets. "Why are you not flinching?” Samantha asked, and with that, I replied, "Because there is no bullet in the weapon in your hand.” I answered, showing perfect confidence on my face. "Oh! Really?" Samantha asked. "How about now?” She said this as she now, indeed, right in front of my eyes, inserted some bullets into the gun and pulled the safety off. "I ask, how about now?" My heart was racing right at this moment; however, I did not show it. For some reason, I knew very well that Samantha was never going to shoot me. I did not respond but continued to breathe heavily, with my face swollen like a frowning child. Either way, it did not mean Samantha was not going to ask another question. "Are you the son of your father?” She asked. However, if I said anything, it would be a lie. A perfect silence ami
How Samantha said, "If I were indeed the son of my father, I would assemble the gun back," made me furrow my brows in deep seriousness as I immediately began to disassemble the gun, noticing each piece I had disassembled and capturing it in my mind as if a camera had snapped it and stored it in a hidden place to be used later.I said nothing at this moment, and certainly, Samantha said nothing to me either. Even so, she stood closer to me and picked up one of the pistols from the sandy patches, then proceeded to load it with bullets.With both hands, she held the pistols in her grip, closed one eye, and aimed at a distant target."Pa! Pa! Pa!"She fired three times, and the sound of the pistol was deafening. However, when I looked to see what Samantha had shot, I realized it was all a ruse.Nevertheless, I said nothing and continued with what I was disassembling and assembling as instructed by Samantha. At this moment, Mr. Harry's voice called my attention."That's some excellent targ
"Is she insane? How could she tell me to pull the trigger on her? Does she want me to kill her all in the name of training?" I thought, and hence, I refused, saying, "I can't."Hearing what I said, Samantha's face grew colder as she said, "In the act of war, it is a game of being the first. When your enemy refuses to shoot, you hit him in the head with a bullet."Now Samantha came closer to me and pointed the gun at her head. She looked at me and said once more, "Now f**king pull the trigger!"At this moment, my legs trembled in great fear, and I could not even fathom what Samantha was thinking."Does she really mean I should kill her?"My hands began to shake simultaneously like leaves in the wind, trembling under the action Samantha had portrayed.Slowly, while I expected Mr. Harry and the others from a distance to see the insanity Samantha had asked me to do, I looked at Mr. Harry and the others, and what they did and said at this moment surprised me."Such a feeble-minded street b
Coming out of the tent, I wore a breathable, lightweight shirt, as it was the only shirt provided in the tent. Then I put on athletic shoes with good support and cushioning. I also wore a light jacket and a head cap that lowered to my forehead.Seeing this, Samantha walked towards me immediately. I could see how she smiled at me and led me towards the sandy patches.As I walked with Samantha, the way she approached me and smiled at me made it clear that my claim of not being nervous was a lie. I turned my head around in search of Ethan, who might emerge from the tent he had entered at any moment.Meanwhile, the others were with Mr. Harry by the crates. They opened each crate, selecting weapons and loading them with bullets.I quickly wondered why they were doing this, considering that Mr. Harry had asked Samantha to train me specifically. Suppressing my question wasn't an option at this point, so I directed it to Samantha."Why are they loading bullets into each gun and strapping them
Before I knew it, we had already arrived at a location different from the bushes Mr. Harry had driven through. This area had tall rocks surrounding it and a small pond of water that seemed to lead nowhere, visible from the car we had yet to step out of.As I gazed around, I noticed in the distance to the right a formation that provided both a sense of containment and a touch of rugged beauty.In this way, the tall rocks acted as protective barriers, enclosing the training area in a secure embrace.Additionally, I observed that the landscape within was a combination of sandy patches and compacted earth, with clear demarcations indicating designated firing zones and pathways.At the center of the training ground, a wide and well-maintained firing range was set up. The range featured a row of target boards at varying distances, allowing participants to practice their marksmanship skills effectively.Upon exiting the car, Mr. Harry and I walked towards the sandy patches. I saw a sturdy wo
In this way, I heard the car tires screech so hard, like a whistle that signaled the end of the world. With this, the fear gripping me was tighter than when any gang leader had grabbed any kid by the neck on the street.Immediately, I heard Mr. Harry's voice again. "Hit the brake, son, and turn the wheel left so the car doesn't flip completely like a tossed coin."As if I understood what Mr. Harry had said at this moment, I did what I thought he said, hitting the pedal beside the accelerator and turning the steering wheel to the left.Suddenly, I saw that the car halted and smoke began to spread from inside the car and, hence, out of the car window."You are such a terrible driver, Mr. Marcus, but thank you for not killing us," Darling said.I began to sweat profusely suddenly, like a racer who did all he could yet came last on the track, as the whole scenario felt as if I had seen death face-to-face, and my heartbeat was heavy like a mythical hammer pounding so greatly inside the mor
Driving a car for the first time was a mix of immense fun and an undeniable risk to life.Every time I turned the wheel, either I had turned it too much, nearly colliding with a car beside me on the road, or I had turned it too little, causing the car to deviate from my intended direction.Throughout this, Mr. Harry continued to chuckle, playfully teasing me with a mischievous glint in his eyes. In that moment, I couldn't help but wonder how he remained so relaxed, akin to a king on his throne, despite being aware of the potential danger. So I inquired,"Mr. Harry, how can you sit so comfortably while you know I'm driving poorly?""You're not driving poorly, son. In fact, for a first-timer, you've done quite well to avoid colliding with other cars or walls. You've performed better than I did during my first drive," Mr. Harry responded, leaving me perplexed as to why he had laughed earlier if he thought I was doing a good job."So why did you laugh, Mr. Harry?"Once more, upon posing t
But how did Mr. Harry expect that I would be able to start the car when all I have done all my life is be on the street and beg for alms to feed me for the day?Did he also not recall that he was the one who, in fact, taught me how to open a car door?"But Mr. Harry, I do not know how I am going to start this vehicle," I said, immediately after I had stared at the steering wheels for a while and could not figure out how to start the car at all.Hence, Mr. Harry said, "Hey darling,"And immediately, the voice from the car answered, "Hey Harry, what can I do for you?""Our friend here, Mr. Marcus, does not know how he is going to start this vehicle. Could you help him figure it out?" Mr. Harry asked at once."Of course, Harry, I can certainly do that," the voice answered, and she immediately continued talking."Hi, Mr. Marcus. If you want to start this vehicle, it is very easy because it is fully automated. So, don't worry about a thing. I will surely be of help until we arrive at our d