Chapter 8

When Deng Zhiyong rushed to the martial arts school's gate, Huo Dongjun finally came to his senses from Deng Zhiyong's words and looked at him uncertainly:

"Master Brother is being held in Kowloon Walled City?!"

Deng Zhiyong nodded, gasping for breath, and after several seconds, he said, "We were tricked. The contract we signed wasn't for ten matches, but for ten consecutive wins. Master Brother has been fighting one match every night for the past few days and has already won seven. He lost the eighth match, and the organizer, Lide, said he had to start from the first match again. He even showed us the contract. Master Brother and I can't read, so we didn't realize how cunning Lide was. He said 'ten wins' verbally, but the contract said 'ten consecutive wins.' When Master Brother tried to leave, Lide's men stopped him. After Master Brother knocked down over ten people, someone pointed a gun at his head. He was beaten badly. Lide said that either we pay him ten thousand dollars with interest, or he has to win ten consecutive matches before he can leave. Lide only let me out to raise the money at dawn!"

"Take me to see Master Brother!" Huo Dongjun pulled Deng Zhiyong and walked out of the martial arts school.

The martial arts school could do without Huo Dongjun, without Deng Zhiyong, and even without other disciples, but it could not do without Master Brother Liao Zhizong. The school has been able to survive and not be challenged by others not because of Master Li Jianqing, who fought with a limp, but because Liao Zhizong has always been at the forefront. For as long as Master Li has had a limp, Liao Zhizong has been standing at the school's gate, holding the fort. Moreover, Liao Zhizong is very good to his junior brothers, being righteous and enthusiastic. This time, he was trapped in Kowloon Walled City because of the youngest sister, Xiao Rong, whom Master Li had adopted. Out of both emotion and reason, Huo Dongjun had to go and bring Liao Zhizong back.

Without disturbing the other junior brothers, Huo Dongjun pulled Deng Zhiyong and ran to Da Kan Road. Instead of waiting for a minibus, they hailed a taxi and rushed to the entrance of Kowloon Walled City.

Kowloon Walled City is possibly the most complex city in all of Southeast Asia, if not the world. This small city, only six acres in size, has over thirty large and small alleys. Many Hong Kongers who have never been to the city are lost in these complex alleys and have to pay addicts or ruffians to lead them out of the city.

In the 1970s, the British Hong Kong government sent over 3,000 fully armed police into Kowloon Walled City to try to eliminate the criminal forces. However, the result was contrary to the government's expectations. After arresting over 500 criminals, the criminal forces in Kowloon Walled City did not shrink but expanded rapidly. The vacancies left by the arrested gang leaders attracted other gang leaders from outside the city to fight for territory. Even Japanese and other Southeast Asian criminal organizations were involved in the reshuffling of Kowloon Walled City.

In the mid-1970s, Hong Kong real estate developers entered Kowloon Walled City and rebuilt the low-rise shacks into high-rise buildings. From the 1970s onwards, Kowloon Walled City was filled with high-rise buildings, entering an era of darkness. Regardless of day or night, the residents had to rely on lamps or candles for lighting. With the construction of high-rise buildings without foundations, the population density of Kowloon Walled City reached the highest in the world. According to Japanese statistics, in the 1980s, the population density of Kowloon Walled City was 1,923,077 people per square kilometer, the highest in the world.

After 1984, the British Hong Kong government attempted several times to demolish this small city. In early 1985, the police sent over 300 people into the city to arrest a gang leader but returned empty-handed. Two police officers were killed in the city's alleys, and their weapons were taken. In the fall of 1985, 1,000 police officers entered Kowloon Walled City again but were blocked by over 20,000 residents. The police cars waiting outside were splashed with paint and gasoline.

Contrary to the British Hong Kong government's portrayal of Kowloon Walled City as a place of lawlessness and rampant criminal activity, the actual crime rate in the city was not high. The thousands or tens of thousands of Southeast Asian fugitives in Kowloon Walled City did not randomly kill people within the city but went outside to rob, kill, and kidnap. Inside the city, they followed the rules, paid rent, bought water, and bought electricity. Even the four major gangs in Hong Kong had to follow the rules in Kowloon Walled City because they were not the rule-makers. They could make money as long as they followed the rules, but if they broke them, they would be expelled.

There were only five people qualified to set the rules in Kowloon Walled City. The boxing match organizer who tricked Liao Zhizong, whom Deng Zhiyong called Lide, was a subordinate of one of these five people.

As Huo Dongjun listened to Deng Zhiyong's introduction to the city and the gangs, he entered Kowloon Walled City along Lung Cheng Road. After entering the city gate, the road immediately split into three alleys. Deng Zhiyong walked ahead, turning left. Few people in the city paid attention to day or night because, whether it was day or night, the sky could not be seen clearly in Lung Cheng.

Following Deng Zhiyong through the city for about five minutes, they entered Guangming Road, where candles were lit on both sides of the street. Huo Dongjun felt a chill. Next to each candle, there were several emaciated, pale-faced drug addicts squatting in front of wooden boxes, smoking under the candlelight. No one knew the original name of Guangming Road, but the residents of Lung Cheng called it Guangming Road because it was always lit with candles. The drug addicts in Lung Cheng called it Radio Street because the wooden boxes were called "radios," and smoking was called "generating electricity." Using a straw to smoke was called "chasing the dragon," and using a cigarette box or matchbox was called "playing the harmonica." Mixing heroin with cigarettes was called "firing a high cannon." With over 50,000 residents in the city, there were over 10,000 drug addicts, making Guangming Road one of the busiest streets in Lung Cheng, second only to Lung Jin Road.

Deng Zhiyong pointed to a high-rise building on Guangming Road and said, "Master Brother is being held on this rooftop, which is also the third ring of the boxing match."

They climbed the stairs, encountering many unconscious drug addicts and women engaged in prostitution along the way, before reaching the rooftop. The building actually had an elevator, but only the bettors or boxers were allowed to use it. Others had to pay to use the elevator.

Upon reaching the rooftop, the oppressive feeling from below was gone. Although the rooftop was surrounded by buildings of various heights, at least the sky could be seen.

"Zhegu Yong, you brought the money so quickly? Quite diligent, aren't you?" A muscular man guarding the rooftop entrance smiled at Deng Zhiyong. "If you had done this earlier, you would have saved a lot of trouble."

After saying this, he glanced at Huo Dongjun. "Stop, who are you?"

"My second master brother from the martial arts school," Deng Zhiyong said.

"I trust you, but not him. Stand still for a search." The man pushed Huo Dongjun and felt his waist and arms. He didn't really believe Deng Zhiyong would cause trouble, so he just did a quick search and said, "Go on, Lide is over there."

Huo Dongjun loosened his fists and, after staring at the man for a few seconds, followed Deng Zhiyong to the boxing ring.

The boxing ring, although set on the rooftop, was not open to the sky. A large canopy was built over the entire rooftop to protect the audience from the rain. A six-meter square ring, one meter above the ground, was surrounded by numerous chairs and benches. At the moment, there were no spectators, but there were still people fighting in the ring. A man in a gray suit was constantly scolding the two fighters in the ring.

"Are you two pieces of trash still thinking about the third ring? This level of skill isn't even worth watching in the first ring! Hit harder! If it weren't for my kindness, you two scoundrels would have starved to death in the city! Kick his kidneys!"

Deng Zhiyong led Huo Dongjun toward the man. Before they got close, several of the man's subordinates blocked their way. Deng Zhiyong smiled and said to them, "Bosses, I'm here to see Lide."

Deng Zhiyong's voice was not low, and the man by the ring heard him. He turned to look at Deng Zhiyong and Huo Dongjun. When he turned, Huo Dongjun noticed that Lide was wearing transparent glasses and a neatly tied tie, looking more like a manager of a large company than the organizer of the underground boxing matches in Lung Cheng.

"Bring them over," Lide said, still looking at the ring. His subordinates stepped aside to let them through.

Deng Zhiyong quickly walked to Lide's side and said, "Lide."

"Did you raise the money so quickly?" Lide asked, his eyes still on the two fighters in the ring, his tone light.

"Couldn't raise it... I beg..." Deng Zhiyong glanced at Huo Dongjun and turned to Lide.

Before he could finish, as soon as the words "couldn't raise it" were out, Lide turned and slapped Deng Zhiyong's face. "You came back for a holiday without the money?"

Huo Dongjun reacted quickly, grabbing Lide's left hand as it swung toward Deng Zhiyong and stepping forward to protect him.

"Don't!" Deng Zhiyong turned and clung to Huo Dongjun, as Lide's subordinates had already drawn their guns and pointed them at Huo Dongjun.

Huo Dongjun glanced at the gun barrels and slowly released Lide's wrist. Lide withdrew his hand and gestured to his subordinates, his face showing no surprise or anger, but a smile.

"Nice, young man. You grabbed my wrist? Who are you?"

Huo Dongjun pulled Deng Zhiyong away and looked at Lide, who appeared to be in his thirties, speaking calmly, "Lide, my name is Huo Dongjun. Liao Zhizong is my master brother. I came to see him. As for the money, I will sell the martial arts school if necessary to raise it. Liao Zhizong is the only son in his family, and they rely on him to make a living as a driver. I hope you can be magnanimous..."

Before Huo Dongjun could finish, Lide waved his hand and smiled, "I am very fair. He signed a contract for ten consecutive wins, and I paid him for ten matches. But now, he lost after seven consecutive wins, so he hasn't completed the contract. How can I help him? But I am very kind. If you want to see him, I will let you. As for letting him go, you can talk to him first."

Lide then looked at his subordinates and said casually, "Bring this young man's master brother out."

When Liao Zhizong appeared in Huo Dongjun's sight, Huo Dongjun felt the martial virtues and patience he had been taught by Li Jianqing for many years crumbling and breaking.