Chapter Ninety-Two: A Toast

Bang.

A gunshot cracked through the air.

The place where the battle had just been fought was a field of ruin. Bodies lay strewn everywhere, and Qiu Fengyu was walking among the wounded, putting bullets into the ones still groaning. He had no interest in leaving any survivors for the police to clean up.

Ryoko Yonekura was doing the same. Pistol in hand, she stomped on the wounds of the men sprawled on the ground, and whenever she found one still able to moan or twitch, she finished him with a single shot. She looked utterly experienced.

Only when there was no living man left on the ground did Qiu Fengyu nod toward Tim and Davis, who stood nearby looking distinctly unnerved. “Let’s clean up the scene, then we leave.”

“Thank you.”

Ryoko Yonekura came over to Qiu Fengyu and bowed deeply.

“Clean up first, then we go,” Qiu Fengyu said, glancing at her with a smile. “You still don’t want the police to know, do you?”

Ryoko Yonekura smiled back at him.

“You’re hurt?” Qiu Fengyu said, looking at her shoulder. With a sudden motion, he tore open the fabric there, exposing the wounded flesh beneath and baring her entire shoulder.

“After we finish here, come to my place. I’ll take care of your wound,” Qiu Fengyu said. Then he paid her no further mind and went to work on the scene. They had to erase their traces.

A massacre like this would undoubtedly stir up a great many people. It was not something a small-town police department could simply smooth over. Better that even Sheriff Coffin should know nothing about it.

The four of them left the scene and returned to their homes one after another.

More than three hours later, what had happened there was finally discovered. The first to report it was an old cowboy driving a pickup, coming in from a neighboring town. This area was no longer under Sheriff Coffin’s jurisdiction.

“My God, did World War Three break out here?”

An old sheriff stared at the bodies scattered across the ground and could not help exclaiming in shock. But he was not the one who could handle the case, because federal agents were already at the scene taking over.

“Brooks, every bastard lying here has a record,” one of the agents said to the man beside him, who was resting his chin on one hand in thought. “Look at the tattoos. This bunch is the notorious Cobra. I have no idea who they crossed, but they were practically wiped out here.”

“No, not all of them. There are two in prison, and four others aren’t here,” said the agent called Brooks. “Gary, what we need to figure out is why these men showed up here. That matters. It matters a great deal to the trail we’re following.”

“Maybe it has something to do with the two members of theirs who were transferred to state prison today,” Gary said thoughtfully, then nodded again. “That’s almost certainly it. It has to be.”

“So their plan was exposed, they were surrounded here, and in the end only four managed to break out...” Brooks said, then frowned. Even he could not be sure. Who would have placed men here to wait for these people? Clearly... this had been a battlefield. Both sides had probably put a great many people into it.

“This is where we’re tested,” Gary said, nodding as well. “I keep feeling something is off, but I can’t quite put my finger on it. Damn it.”

Just then, a technician who had been conducting the ballistic examination at the scene came over and said to Agent Brooks, “The weapons used here are a complete mess, but there are still traces to follow. The bullets that struck these people are easy to distinguish. My preliminary estimate is that there were pistols and assault rifles, and perhaps more besides. But one thing is certain: there is absolutely no way we can trace where these weapons came from...”

“Damn it,” Brooks muttered.

“From where I stand, this whole pack deserves to die... No one would pity them. On the contrary, people would thank God,” Agent Gary said from the side.

Yes. This entire pack deserved death.

“Prepare the report. Looks like we’ll need to request support from the experts in Washington,” Brooks said, shaking his head. Then he turned and left. He did not want to spend another moment in that filthy, blood-soaked place.

That night, Qiu Fengyu was still drinking in the bar. Davis had gone, but Tim had not; he stayed in Qiu Fengyu’s loft playing on the computer, and in passing he returned Britt’s pickup truck after secretly driving it out.

No sooner had Qiu Fengyu sat down than he saw Bracken talking animatedly with someone. He snapped his fingers, and Bracken came over to pour him a drink.

“You must already know something big happened here.”

“The Cobras are finished?” Qiu Fengyu said, winking at him as he lifted his glass.

Bracken suddenly produced a bullet. It was a 7N1 round, and though deformed, its distinctive features were obvious to anyone who knew the trade.

“That’s a special round for the S rifle.”

“I know. Lots of people use S rifles. It wasn’t only you who sold me one,” Qiu Fengyu said carelessly, though his eyes stayed fixed on Bracken.

“I won’t say a word,” Bracken said after a pause. “There was no deal. Nothing at all. I don’t want to be dragged into this, understand?”

Qiu Fengyu looked at him, then nodded. “You’re a smart man. You know what can be said and what can’t. Since you say there was no deal, then from this moment on keep your mouth shut a little tighter.”

“I know.” Bracken poured himself a drink and raised it toward Qiu Fengyu. “I don’t want trouble with you, and I don’t dare make trouble with you. So... that means we can get along in complete peace. I could even be your friend...”

“Save it. Being friends with you would bring bad luck,” Qiu Fengyu said, draining his glass in one swallow.

“The sheriff’s here!” Bracken glanced toward the door, then went off to greet someone else.

Sheriff Coffin found Qiu Fengyu and came straight over.

“Hey, Sheriff Coffin, this is the second time I’ve seen you in a bar,” Qiu Fengyu said, lifting a hand in greeting.

Sheriff Coffin said to Bracken, “A beer!”

Bracken slid the beer in front of her and quickly stepped aside. In town, there were only two people he did not dare provoke: Qiu Fengyu, and Sheriff Coffin.

Sheriff Coffin glanced at Bracken, and once he had moved off, she faced Qiu Fengyu and lowered her voice. “What did you do? If it was you, you should have told me sooner. I don’t want you dragged out of my town.”

“What did I do?” Qiu Fengyu said, spreading his hands in feigned innocence.

“The Cobras. Almost every one of them has been wiped out,” Sheriff Coffin said through clenched teeth. “I know what kind of man you are. I know you’re capable of this...”

“Hold on, hold on, Sheriff Coffin...” Qiu Fengyu cut her off at once. “I know I startled you last time. I went into Mexico alone and took out their boss, but... not everything in the world can be pinned on me, can it? If that were the case, I’d never have a quiet moment on this earth.”

“You...” Sheriff Coffin was at a loss for words.

“Think about it. Even Superman can’t be the one who handles every major event, right? Sometimes you have to leave a few things for Iron Man, Spider-Man, Daredevil, Batman, and the like,” Qiu Fengyu said with a grin. “So... if you want to dump all this on me, fine. But in truth, it really was me.”

Sheriff Coffin snorted. “Good thing it wasn’t you. This case is beyond what the state bureau can handle now. They’ve already requested backup from headquarters in Washington.”

“That’s good news.”

“I’m buying you a drink,” Sheriff Coffin said. “You did me a huge favor. Those two who survived by luck, when they heard an officer was bringing them the news, they were already praying, thanking God—thanking God that he had brought them to prison.”

“Ahh—how amusing.”

“All right, I should go. I never should have come here,” Sheriff Coffin said, pressing a bill beneath her glass. “Good luck, Qiu.” And with that she strode away.

“Hey, you said you’d buy me a drink!” Qiu Fengyu called after her, but all he could do was watch her swagger off, leaving the bill under the glass to cover only his own beer.