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
I took a deep breath again and stepped closer to the box. As the box sat elegantly, I stretched my hands toward it and lifted it in my hand."Why is it so lightweight?" I asked myself, surprised at the weight of the box compared to how magnificently it was secured."It is supposed to be heavyweight," I exclaimed, checking the box in a hurry. The disappointment sank to the bottom of the box.I immediately felt like it was made of cardboard rather than metal, and the thought that something valuable lay inside the box vanished from my mind."The key!" I exclaimed the moment my eyes caught sight of the lock. Immediately, I inserted the key into the box and turned it."It is a document and another necklace," I said as I put my hands inside the box and pulled them out.Immediately, I dropped the box. With something so light, it didn't make sense to continue carrying it when I had what I came for.Even though I was tempted to open the document, I remembered Mr. Harry’s words, and I knew I wo
"First of all, if you're watching this footage, it means I'm dead. And I'm really sorry about this, son," the voice on the footage said as Ethan played the video on the flash drive.As soon as Ethan played the video, all of us, including Mr. Harry and driver Chi-kin, paid close attention.However, my attention was interrupted by thoughts. I kept asking myself why my father always looked back fearfully whenever he spoke in the footage."Who was after him?""Clearly, someone was after him, which explains why he knew he was going to die soon enough.""The document you found with this drive is a classified binder. You can't let anyone else see it, talk about it, or read it. That's why I kept it securely away from Chicago in the first place.""Ahem, cough, cough.""Go through the profile of each one of them, and let justice prevail. I'm not asking you to avenge my death, son. I know you deserve a life beyond all of this. I'm sorry for involving you, even after my murder.""Seek justice for
We arrived in Nigeria like valiant soldiers descending from our private helicopter, evoking an air of grandeur and authority. This led me to ponder why we hadn't utilized this luxurious mode of transportation to reach Hong Kong initially.Why did Mr. Harry subject us to such arduous travel, enduring screening by airport officials who nearly falsely accused me, when he could have effortlessly employed his influence and resources to expedite our journey as swiftly as we did to Nigeria?It was approximately 2 P.M, and the surroundings were teeming with people, jostling and struggling to navigate through the congested pathways. The streets were populated with ragged street urchins, bearing a disheveled appearance akin to deranged individuals with a hint of sanity.The more I observed them closely, the more I realized that these street urchins held sway over the local economy, a perplexing phenomenon that defied logic.As we made our way through the crowd, an unpleasant odor emanated from
"Come on, son, go!" screamed Mr. Harry. When I looked at him, he was already tucking his smoky gun into his belt.That provided some solace for me. Finally, I wasn't in shock of my life, trembling like a leaf in the wind, fearing the imminent embrace of death.At least I now knew that it was Mr. Harry who had fired the shot, so I couldn't be hit by friendly fire. With newfound confidence, I scanned the surroundings and realized there was no blood on the ground, nor anyone wounded by the bullet."C’mon! After him, stop wasting time!" Mr. Harry's voice echoed in my ears. It transformed my legs into wheels, and together with the other five, we sprinted after the thief, swiftly closing the gap.When we finally caught up with him, we discovered he was empty-handed, raising two perplexing questions in my mind.If he was empty-handed at the moment of capture, it meant that the street, like a protective mother, had shielded him and safeguarded the device we had chased him for.Or perhaps, he